Palo Alto Networks

Senior Project Manager

Project Success Academy℠

Course Instructor

Velvet Vision

Founder

Raytheon Technologies

IT Project Manager

Fulcrum Technology Solutions

IT Project Coordinator

University of Houston

Program Manager

Project Manager | Helping Women Land Tech PM Roles | your PM bff

In 2024, I noticed something: most mid-career project managers weren’t underqualified. They were under-positioned. They had the skills, experience, and drive, but weren’t landing six-figure project management roles because hiring managers couldn’t see their value.

That realization led me to build the Velvet Vision framework. It helps project professionals position themselves as the obvious hire before they ever apply.

This isn’t resume tweaking or chasing certifications. It’s about clarity, strategy, and execution. My clients stop blending in, start leading with confidence, and step into roles that pay them what they’re worth.

Who I Work Best With:
I work with project managers in the U.S. and Canada who:
• Have at least 3 years of project management experience
• Are ready to step into $100K+ roles
• Want to be seen as leaders, not task managers
• Value clarity, execution, and accountability

This program is not for people who are brand new to project management, unwilling to take ownership of their growth, or looking for a quick fix.

Results so far:
• Clients have collectively secured $313K in salary increases with an average uplift of $44K per person
• On average, clients land offers in 3.3 months (fastest in 68 days)
• ROI consistently exceeds 800%, with some clients covering their investment in the first paycheck

If you’re a project manager in the U.S. or Canada ready to earn more, lead more, and finally get seen, you don’t need luck or endless hustle. You need positioning.

No fluff. No guessing. Just strategy that gets results.

👉 Apply to work with me: https://calendly.com/d/cm7j-vb9-kvr

Yonelly G.

Goodbye, Pepe. 🕊️ 

I found Pepe while biking around Houston a few years ago. He was an emaciated stray walking in the middle of the street with no collar. 

I told him, “If you don’t bite me, I’ll take you home.” He didn’t, and that moment changed both of our lives.

At the vet, we learned he was filled with heartworms and parasites. We treated him, gave him care, and he recovered. But his heart murmur never went away. Over time, it grew worse. 

Still, Pepe never lost his spirit. He was goofy, curious, and bold. He’d chase the big dogs like he was one of them, always convinced he could keep up.

Today, we had to say goodbye. His heart finally gave out, and we made the painful decision to let him rest.

You don’t always get to choose when someone or something comes into your life, but you do get to choose how you show up for them.

Even with a weak heart, Pepe lived with joy. And that’s a lesson worth carrying forward.

I will forever miss you my sweet boy.

Yonelly Gutierrez

Helping PMs land 6-figure roles faster | Join my waitlist (link in bio) | Featured by Favikon as a Top 10 U.S. PM Creator.

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$40K → $135K+ in 4 Years (and No, I Didn’t Get Another Cert)

In 2021, I was making $40,000.
Working in education.
Stuck, underpaid, and tired of waiting...

I knew I had to pivot fast.
So I studied nights. Got my PMP and CSM.

↳ Landed my first IT role as a Project Coordinator.
↳ Then moved to Raytheon as an IT Project Manager.
↳ Now I’m a Senior Project Manager at Palo Alto Networks
↳ leading multi-million dollar delivery for a Fortune 500 client.

Here’s the wild part...
To go from Project Manager → Senior Project Manager,
I didn’t get another certification.
I didn’t go back to school.
I didn’t grind in the same role hoping someone would notice.

↳ I executed at a different level:
I positioned myself as a strategic leader, not a task executor
I turned delivery into business impact leadership cared about
I learned how to create visibility without  playing politics

That’s what gets people promoted.

And I'm helping other mid-level PMs do the same.

I put together a free PM Promotion Playbook that maps out what I used to get promoted and how you can too.

Grab a copy here: https://lnkd.in/gAmUhu3b

Let’s turn your current role into your next one.

The higher your visibility, the more people project onto you.

They’ll question your credibility.
They’ll assume you haven’t earned your place.
They’ll talk to you like you didn’t build what you built.

That’s not about you. 
↳ It’s about what your growth reflects back to them.

When I first started showing up online, I thought staying quiet protected my peace. 

Now I know boundaries do that better.

Receipts protect your business.
Composure protects your brand.
Confidence protects your energy.

The goal isn’t to avoid friction. 

The goal is to stay so rooted in who you are that friction can’t move you.

Your success will always trigger someone who hasn’t faced their own.

AI Isn’t Replacing Project Managers. 

It’s Replacing Those Who Refuse to Evolve.

If your projects look the same with or without AI, your value is shrinking.

AI now 
-forecasts risks before humans flag them.
-predicts schedule slips with data.
-builds status updates in seconds.

The PM who uses AI leads with insight.

So ask yourself…

👉 Are you using AI to clear your plate or to sharpen your decisions?

Because the next wave of promotions will go to PMs who manage intelligence.

🧐How are you using AI to lead smarter projects?

I went from $40K to $135K+ without an MBA or additional certs.

I didn’t work harder.
I just stopped being invisible.

Now I’m teaching the system that helped me step into senior roles and I’m giving it away for free.

Inside this free session:
✔ How to make your work visible to the people who matter
 ✔ How to speak like a strategic leader, not a task manager
 ✔ How to handle senior conversations with clarity and confidence
 ✔ The 5-part framework that helped me go from overlooked to undeniable

This is built for mid-level PMs who are doing the work but not getting the title.

If that’s you, grab a spot here: https://lnkd.in/gXqjFXXt

Spots are limited to keep the session high-impact.

Control is a signal, not a personality trait.

Looking calm ≠ being naturally composed.
Looking calm = promotion trigger.
Executives read presence faster than resumes.

That’s what we drilled in Monday’s live session. 

We covered actual strategy that changes how leaders see you.

Every attendee walked out with additional resources & everyone saw where they’re falling flat.

You signal control when you…
-know what matters
-won’t fold under pressure
-operate at the next level

That’s what gets you tapped.

🙅🏻‍♀️ Not busywork.
🙅🏻‍♀️ Not loyalty.
💁🏻‍♀️ Control.

PMI-Sacramento Valley Chapter

Director of Content Strategy-Volunteer

Capital City PM Collaborative

⏵ Develops and standardized SOPs for administrative tasks, reducing operational inconsistencies by 20% and improving overall efficiency by 30%.	
⏵ Conducts value stream mapping for a small consulting firm, identifying bottlenecks and improving client onboarding processes, leading to a 37% reduction in client acquisition time.
⏵ Manages key tool (Asana, Google Suite, Open AI) implementation, resulting in streamlined workflows, a 40% increase in collaboration, and a 30% reduction in communication-related errors, across multiple departments.
⏵ Establishes a formalized communication plan for stakeholders, resulting in a 25% increase in stakeholder satisfaction and a 20% improvement in project alignment with organizational goals.
⏵ Utilizes Asana and Microsoft Office 365 to monitor and communicate project progress, and to maintain order and efficiency.
⏵ Collects, analyzes, and presents data to provide clients with individualized support through goal setting, resource allocation, and tailored feedback, resulting in 98% client success and retention.

Freelance Project Manager | Co-Founder

Pleasant Ridge Union School District

⏵ Developed and managed a project portfolio of 30+ cross-curricular hybrid training courses, for full life cycle, managing timelines, budgets, and data tracking systems to measure impact under hard deadlines, exceeding performance goals by 63%. 
⏵ Employed optimization strategies utilizing root cause analysis and process evaluation, making data-based recommendations, achieving 58% improvement in project efficiency. 
⏵ Developed and implemented strategies for executing Agile frameworks in a complex organization and presented solutions to senior leadership and high-profile stakeholders on a regular basis.
⏵ Coordinated several enterprise level change initiatives, managing the implementation of new processes and structures, and piloting newly adopted products and technologies, achieving 97% adoption.
⏵ Facilitated retrospectives and lessons learned, linking action items, and supporting continuous improvement opportunities, leading to reduced blockers and a 230% improvement in team velocity.

Educator

Milpitas Unified School District

⏵ Developed and managed 25+ cross-curricular projects, while complying with 70+ learning standards, exceeding performance goals by 65%. 
⏵ Served as the master scheduler, monitoring resource dependencies, to ensure efficient operations, reducing costs by 72%.
⏵ Organized data driven and end user cases to shape the product roadmap and facilitate backlog refinement meetings of a multi-tiered system of support for 400+ clients, reducing implementation time by 48% 
⏵ Designed and launched an internal supplemental training product, increasing the organization’s product inventory by 40%, saving $70K.
⏵ Implemented a new team collaboration structure and served as an Agile coach, to optimize team productivity and produce sustainable organizational value, achieving a 140% improvement in team velocity and increased engagement.

Orchard School District

⏵ Initiated and executed a new education specialist program, exceeding performance goals by 240%, within a 6-month period.
⏵ Developed and managed a comprehensive program to support a team of 30+ educators, serving 600+ learners, enhancing educator buy-in by 75%, and performance by 84%.
⏵ Oversaw the execution, delivery, and post-project support of essential educational tools, presenting solutions to senior leadership and high-profile stakeholders on a regular basis. 
⏵ Spearheaded the design, implementation, and management of several specialized programs, ensuring all programs complied with federal and state regulations.
⏵ Developed key performance indicators (KPI) to support client and organizational goals. 
⏵ Created and updated real time project dashboard to present a holistic and high touch visual of program health.

Who says you're limited to one title or one path? 

Hi! I’m Julia:

-Founder
-Clarity Coach
-Project Manager
-Content Creator
-Forever Teacher

With 13 years of experience in coaching, teaching, and leadership, my ultimate goal is to help others thrive throughout their careers.

Founder & Clarity Coach: I support professionals as they navigate their career transition to project management offering 1:1 and group coaching focused on finding clarity, building confidence, creating action plans, fostering community, and networking with purpose.

Freelance Project Manager: I work with solo business owners and small businesses seeking operational efficiency and sustainable growth through strategic planning, process improvement, enhanced workflows, documentation, and training & onboarding.

Content Creator & Forever Teacher: I help current and aspiring Project Managers to pass the PMP certification by creating and providing inclusive resources including infographics, workbooks, guides, and templates for project managers and career transitioners.

Why don’t I call myself a Career Coach?

The work we’ll do goes beyond resume and LinkedIn optimization. Using deep inquiry, creative problem-solving, Human Design, mindset shifts, reframing, reflection, strategy, and actions, you’ll find the clarity to discover what you truly want and how to get it—not just in your career, but in your life.

I’m currently collaborating with leaders in project management and career transitioners to build a comprehensive program for aspiring Project Managers. This program, now in the BETA phase, offers a unique blend of hands-on project management experience and job search guidance within a supportive community, and so much more.

Until then, remember: adulting is hard, and a career that only taps into a fraction of your awesomeness makes life 10x harder.

Ready to learn a ton, feel all the feelings, and see real progress?

Head to my features section to book a clarity call and check out my digital resource shop.

And remember, if you don't define your path, someone else will. 
Let's get personal, take action, and do the damn thing!

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The Battle

Yonelly G.

Julia Ode, PMP®, CSM®

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taplio

The Battle

Yonelly G.

Julia Ode, PMP®, CSM®

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Yonelly G.'s LinkedIn Performance

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