Photos courtesy of Julissa Pio
When she’s not fostering employee engagement, a longtime HR professional from South Salem influences fashion trends on social media.
Calling herself a “natural-born social butterfly,” Julissa Pio is all about making connections. As senior manager of employee engagement at Summit Health in Purchase, Pio spends her days ensuring that her fellow colleagues have the best, most memorable experiences in the workplace. That includes strategizing events, activities, and programs so that employees feel they belong at the company and connect with its core values.
At the end of long days that often involve one video conference after another, Pio turns her attention to her personal screen to connect with nearly 1,800 Instagrammers who follow her for fashion and lifestyle tips and her expertise. “I’ve always had an interest and eye for fashion and trends,” she says, noting how her parents had to pry her favorite skirt out of her hands at the age of two. “Some kids have a blankie; I had my denim skirt.”
“It’s not about the number of followers as much as it is the social aspect and making real connections.”
—Julissa Pio
Pio’s Instagram feed (@julissa.pio) is jam-packed with pictures and videos of her modeling “effortlessly chic” outfits paired with honest reviews, where she talks — and posts, of course — to her follower as friends. “I’m their girly-girl,” she says, thriving on the idea of “building genuine connections” while guiding others on their fashion and style journeys. “It’s the perfect creative outlet for me,” she notes.
She also highlights the location of her fashion finds — and it’s often at shops in Westchester. “I love that I can help local businesses,” Pio says. A native of Peru, Pio immigrated to the county at the age of three and considers herself a Westchester girl to the core. In fact, many of her posts marry fashion and lifestyle in the county. “I share where I’m going for date night and what I’ll be wearing,” she explains.
Pio points out that while she indeed monitors the trends, she defines true fashion and style as “what looks and feels good on my body and makes me feel happy and confident,” and she encourages her followers to do the same. She also acknowledges that she is considered a “micro influencer,” with fewer than 5,000 followers and content specific to a region. “That’s just perfect for me,” she says. “It’s not about the number of followers as much as it is about the social aspect and making real connections. That’s my passion.”
And with that same desire for meaningful engagement dominating her day job, Pio is content to call Instagram a hobby in order to throw 100% of herself into her work. But you can bet she’ll look effortlessly chic while doing so.
