From Wall Street to award-winning Media Executive, Podcaster, Blogger & Founder of one of the most well-attended philanthropic events in the U.S., Emily Zubihas spent four decades leaving her mark on the world, and the best is yet to come.

Swaying on a hammock in Casa de Campo, Emily Zubi was deep into a book called The Art of Happiness when her mother-in-law delivered the line that would reorganize her life. “You won't find happiness in a book,” she told her. “You find it being present, looking at the sky, and smelling the flowers. The past is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a present.” Zubi, who had spent decades in perpetual forward motion, has been living according to that ethos ever since.

A Jersey City native who grew up wondering where her next meal was coming from, she became a Wall Street pioneerand one of the first Hispanic women to train MBA executives at Goldman Sachs. Later, she also played a key role in launching MTV Latin America, Nickelodeon and HBO Latin America. Throughout her 40-year career across 7 industries, including a Fortune 500 pedigree, she eventually launched her own media company, The Zubi Group. She is also the host of Spotlight TV with Emily Zubi and coined SPARKETING, a game-changing methodology transforming brand marketing. Her popular blog, @A_Comeback_Queen, reflects her mission to inspire women to rise, rebuild and thrive. “True leadership is about using your voice, your influence, and your heart to uplift those around you,” she says.

Perhaps the venture that best defines her arrived with much less fanfare than one would expect. She founded Miami Women Who Rockback in 2007, when “women's empowerment” was not yet a phrase anyone was selling. “Nobody wanted what I had to offer,” she says. She built it anyway, on a set of values she still recites: humility, gratitude, positivity, faith and hope. “A RockStar leader is someone who is unapologetically bold, forward-facing, and fearless in their pursuit of excellence,” she says. “They lead not for recognition, but for the love of their craft, their people, and their communities.”

Nearly 20 years later, the organization has partnered with more than 75 charities and turned its Fifty Shades of Pink RockStar Awards into a fixture of Miami philanthropy, with the Pink Warrior honor going to breast cancer survivors. Next year, the 20th Anniversary, comes with 20 donations. “Let’s keep rising. Let’s keep leading. Let’s keep making an impact,” she says. “Welcome to the era of legacy!”; EmilyZubi.com.

Words Kaya Baez    |     Photo Murnor Studio