Reyna New York, a Mediterranean tapas restaurant and cocktail bar, invited five businesswomen to speak about their professional experiences on the June 26 panel.
The event was hosted by Nicki Laborie, owner of Reyna Hospitality Group and founder of View the VIBE, a Toronto publication covering hospitality, entertainment and culture. The panel was moderated by Cate Luzio, founder and CEO of Luminary, a gender inclusive and global professional networking platform.
Panelists at the event demonstrated backgrounds in diverse industries, and gave an authentic portrayal of the female business experience by sharing challenges and celebrating victories. After the talk, panelists and guests networked and mingled at Le Louis, Reyna’s chic cocktail lounge.
Digital content creator and author Salina Williams, known online as @salina_sincerely, discussed her experiences as a fashion and lifestyle creator over 50. Williams shared about the instability of content creation and how it took years for her to see success, but also reflected on the beauty of cultivating an online community. When she reached 50, Williams considered leaving social media, but maintaining authenticity and sharing her love for fashion brought her a community of women her age whom she could relate to.
“I get to meet amazing, incredible women that are powerful and strong and are starting over again and again and do whatever they want to do,” Williams said. “I’m just grateful to be here.”
Currently, Williams has over 425 thousand followers, which she said became a net of support for her when her fiancé tragically passed away in February.
“Once everyone found out, we received messages from all over the world,” Williams said. “People cried. People sent messages. People from all over the world sent flowers, words of encouragement, prayers, gifts, soup. People become invested in your life and you do build a community, and if you are your authentic self, it helps.”
Erin Lichy, star of The Real Housewives of New York and entrepreneur, opened up about her background in real estate and interior design as well as her spirits brand, Mezcalum. Lichy said Mezcalum was born from her passion to create a mezcal that’s not only attractive to a more feminine, American audience, but to provide a clean label spirit made using ethical and sustainable business practices. Outside of Mezcalum, Lichy received her real estate license at 19 and is on the Hollywood Reporter’s list of 2024 Top Real Estate Agents in New York.
Lichy spoke about the discrimination she’s received as a woman in the male-dominant liquor industry, where she’s been told to “slow down” with her involvements or assumed that she was just the “pretty girl” and not the owner of her own brand. As a multifaceted entrepreneur, Lichy said she hopes she can empower women to embrace failure and shame as well as empower themselves to confront male-dominated spaces.
“As I get further into the liquor business, I want to inspire more women to come out with different types of liquor lines and open that door for them,” Lichy said.
Wellness and Fashion entrepreneur Golnaz Ashtiani discussed pivoting to the wellness industry after being a fashion designer for much of her life, and learning to prioritize her own mental health while achieving her professional goals. In Bloom Drops, Ashtiani’s brand of botanical water enhancers, aims to support hydration and daily water intake.
Ashtiani said that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a more public emphasis on wellness, which contributed to the success of In Bloom Drops, but she also found success by “leaving her ego.”
“I had so much ego and pride when I was a fashion designer, that if someone told me ‘I’m not the greatest’ or they ‘didn’t like this’ I’d be devastated,” Ashtiani said. “When I had the greatest success in fashion, I didn’t feel enough. I didn’t really appreciate all of the things. But when I started my wellness brand, I started to become more confident asking for help.”
Laborie discussed her efforts to empower female executives in the restaurant industry with Reyna Hospitality Group, sharing that both of her operations directors and executive chef are female. Although her journey navigating the hospitality industry has been difficult, Laborie said working alongside a female team is “empowering.”
Reyna has locations both in New York and in Toronto, and Laborie shared that she’s committed to providing her team with professional development opportunities and larger roles within the organization as Reyna expands. This pledge to empower women in hospitality is also something Laborie hopes to bring into the hotel side of the industry.
“When I go on vacation alone, I notice that hotels are not catering to the single female to feel safe, to feel happy and to not feel weird because they’re at a hotel by themselves,” Laborie said. “That’s what keeps me going. And that’s where I see there’s amazing women in the world doing amazing things. In the hospitality business, we need to try and grow that.”
Luzio closed by reflecting on her own organization’s commitment to encouraging women in business, both through Luminary and Glass Ceiling Rooftop, a co-working space with skyline views that turns into a cocktail lounge at night. The menu highlights brands founded, led and owned by women.
“I love to talk to amazing women in business,” Luzio said. “I think it’s really important for women and women of color to share their own stories in their own words.”
