I am a girl from East Saint Louis, Illinois, with a dream.

I always knew what I wanted to do in life. It just took me a little time to figure it all out. In 2000, I decided to go back to school. At that time, my husband and I had moved back to Southern California.

I was waiting tables at a trendy restaurant in Beverly Hills, attending L.A. Valley College, being a member of the ASU, and creating a talk show. As Commissioner of Environmental Affairs, I began mentoring and volunteering.

Two years later, I graduated from LAVC. I transferred to California State Dominquez Hills on a Presidential Scholarship. Around this time, I started to tape segments for my talk show, Every Way Woman, in my home. I was learning about a business on the spot.

One day while sitting in class, I listened to former students share their real-world experiences. They had formed a production company. I had an ah-ha moment.

For the next two years, I was a full-time wife, student, and producer while working as a server, picking up gigs, and interning.

After graduating, I enrolled in a Masters of Arts program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. By this time, I was producing the show at a studio in Pasadena. One day I was told by a staff member at the studio to get out. He said, “Yolando, this is not your studio.”

I opened Inavizion Media in 2015. Did I mention that this was around the same time two teenagers came to live with us? Three years later, I opened My Creative Space.