socialite of the week: christina hodges

• Posted by Hollywood on September 11th, 2007 filed in socialite of the week, home

Name? Age?Christina N. Hodges, Age 28

What is your sign? Capricorn

Where are you now? Where is your Hometown? Jacksonville, FL; Hometown is Durham, NC

What is your favorite charity? Bethel Baptist Institutional Church (my church in Jacksonville, FL). Both of my pastors (Rudolph McKissick, Sr. and Rudolph McKissick, Jr.) have been integral in my spiritual growth, but also in motivating me to take my career to the next level. I also love the work of Sisters Network, Inc. - a national African-American Breast Cancer Survivors organization since my mother is a 12 year breast cancer survivor.

Who is your favorite designer? I don’t really have one, but if I had to choose I would say Ralph Lauren because I like simple and classic designs which are very similar to my personality.

What is your signature scent? Estée Lauder Pleasures

What is your profession? Chief Operating Officer/Partner and Financial Planner - Optimum Capital Management, LLC

Why did you choose this profession? I always knew I was a business-minded individual who loved working with numbers, but I honestly thought I would use my B.S. degree in Business Administration in the Marketing/Advertising field. I had the opportunity to work in the Marketing department for a life insurance company which initially opened my eyes to world of financial planning. From there I worked with several large financial planning firms to develop my financial planning skills and for the last 5 years I’ve created my “dream career” combining my love for both finance and marketing.

At Optimum Capital my partners and I focus on not only assisting clients with their finances, but also on teaching the community about the importance of economic empowerment. Our unofficial company scripture at Optimum is I John 3:18 “Our love must not be a thing of words and fine talk, it must be a thing of action and sincerity” and we have the unique opportunity to not just say we’re about change in the community, but to actually make it happen because we truly love what we do.

Who or What inspires you? God, my family and my business partners. I’m also inspired by past experiences/people that have tried to stop me in the past - they motivate me to just keep moving forward despite the situation.

What makes you a Savvy Socialite? Everything! I am doing something that I have always wanted to do and enriching other peoples lives.

What advice do you have for other Savvy Socialites? As a black female in a predominantly white-male profession a female planner in this industry is rare and a black one is almost non-existent. Yet my advice to others is don’t be discouraged by what the “social norms” but create your own path for others to follow. Of course being the trailblazer means that you’ll have to face tests and trials you’ve never faced before, but know that they only come to make you stronger. Further, if you’ve been given a vision, follow it through to the end in spite of what circumstances arise in the meantime. Remember that it is just a preview of much better things to come but you must go through some refining processes to get there. Trust me, I’ve been through my fair share of “trials” that should have made me quit a LONG time ago, but because I persevered in spite of how I felt, I’m starting to reap the rewards of my patience.

Lastly, be mindful of your image… and I’m not just talking about your image on the outside. Make sure your character on the inside matches what you project for others to physically see. You can have the finest clothes, makeup, etc. but if you have a nasty attitude you can negate all the hard work you put into keeping up physical appearances.