Built from the Crack, Not the Door: My Raw, Real Sunday ReflectionBy Iliana Sutton | Founder & CEO, Aha! Workforce Education Solutions

The Real CEO

This Sunday, I woke up earlier than usual—with bedhead, raw thoughts, and a full heart. No filters, no fluff—just reflection.

In this blog post, I’m sharing one of my most personal stories yet. From wanting to become a Secret Service agent at 17, to becoming a mom at 18, to managing businesses, working in finance, HR, and even helping create a language access policy for a major hospital—I’ve taken a path few could predict.

I’ve worked jobs from Wendy’s to welding, from house cleaning to headhunting. I didn’t take the traditional route, but I built my own blueprint.

Now, at 52, I run two LLCs side by side, lead national conversations on DOL Apprenticeships, and yes—I’ve even been honored at the White House.

But let’s not get it twisted—I’m still learning. Every day.

Because my dream is to be part of workforce change on a government level. When the universe calls again, I’ll be ready—with my humor, my corkeyness, my AI geekness, and my unfiltered commentary talk.

💥 This piece is for anyone who’s ever had to build something from nothing.

💥 For anyone who’s ever felt the door wouldn’t open—but found a crack and pushed through anyway.

Click here to read the full newsletter post ➡️https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/built-from-crack-door-how-i-became-dbzac

We all have superpowers—sometimes we just need a reminder to activate them.

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