This Huntsville CEO beat breast cancer + travels the world—how she does it all now

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Traveling the world with her sons while leading a successful local company—this Huntsville CEO does it all.

But it hasn’t always been easy for her—read on for her journey of beating breast cancer and how she navigated her new role as a CEO during the pandemic.

Meet Sonia

In Sonia’s words, she’s a ‘unicorn’—she was actually born and raised here in Huntsville. She couldn’t imagine herself living anywhere else, but she does love to visit new places.

She has two boys, Major (15) and Max (11), and they enjoy traveling together throughout the U.S. and beyond. Major and Max are both history buffs and old souls, and they’ve visited Charleston, SC, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. hotspots with Sonia. This year, the trio will be taking on Paris and London, and they couldn’t be more excited.

But their extensive travels aren’t the only thing that’s made them old souls. Several years ago, Sonia received some news that changed their lives.

Diagnosed with breast cancer

In 2017, when Sonia was 36 years old, she found out she had breast cancer. At the time, Major was only eight, and Max was four, so they had to learn quickly how to pick up the slack while their mom focused on her health—cooking food in the microwave, washing clothes and more.

At the time, Sonia was in the middle of a busy and prosperous career as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Spur Staffing. Under her leadership, the company grew 100% in one year, and now she had to consider what her future held.

Sonia’s first transition was to HR—to move away from client-facing work while undergoing chemo—before eventually deciding to leave the paid workforce to focus on her health.

After receiving much-needed financial help from the Breast and Cervical Cancer program, Sonia was able to rest and beat breast cancer.

She decided to return to the paid workforce, leading a non-profit for a year and a half before receiving a phone call that would change everything.

Leading Spur + switching to remote work in Huntsville

“There are certain phone calls you only get once or twice in your life—phone calls that change everything.

Mine came when the former CEO and friend of mine from Spur asked me to meet for dinner. He asked me to consider coming back to Spur to replace him as the CEO.”

Sonia Robinson, CEO, Spur Staffing

Sonia returned to Spur as the CEO in January 2021—in the middle of the pandemic with a team that had gone completely remote.

Thankfully, they had previously mastered the art of remote work after realizing the need for it in 2011 during some unprecedented tornadoes. During the pandemic years, the team eventually decided to ditch the office and remain remote.

Finding a home at Coin

Sonia’s team loved working from home, but they missed the personal connection the office provided. In addition to hosting fun events at Topgolf and other local spots, she knew she needed a team meeting space.

That’s when she found Coin—a beautiful, modern coworking space with private offices, great amenities and ample meeting space.

“Coin has been the perfect office for me. It provides a professional setting for me to host meetings with stakeholders, and I have a private space to lock up documents. It’s budget-friendly, and Will, the owner, takes great care of us.”

Sonia, Robinson, CEO, Spur Staffing

Looking for a sleek meeting space for your team? Check out Coin Coworking.

Incredible meeting room at Coin Coworking

One of Sonia’s favorite parts about Coin has been the convenient and modern meeting rooms.

“When you’re working remotely, having meetings in your home is not an option, and it’s so hard to find affordable and professional meeting space.

Coin’s large conference room gives us comfortable space to spread out and plenty of tables if we need to break out into small groups. It’s always clean, and having free coffee and snacks available is a huge plus.”

Sonia Robinson, CEO, Spur Staffing

Coin features a small conference room and a large team room. Here’s what you get with these two spaces:

• Free, hot coffee + tea
• Free snacks—breakfast bars, chips, nuts, popcorn + more
• Full-size kitchen—fridge, microwave, oven + more
• Smart TV with screen mirroring
• Whiteboard for all those brainstorming sessions
• BONUS: Large conference room has multiple tables perfect for breaking into small groups

The new meeting membership option

If you’re not ready to invest in a dedicated workspace like Sonia but want all the perks of professional meeting rooms, check out what Coin’s new meeting membership option includes:

• Coffee, drinks + snacks
• Copier/printer Access
• Flexibility to schedule both recurring + one-time meetings
• High-speed wifi
• Professional, modern + private team meeting space for up to 20 people
• Quick booking access directly on the members app
• TV monitor for presentations + streaming

Membership pricing:

• $225 membership: 4 hrs/month
• $275 membership: 8 hrs/month
• $375 membership: 12 hrs/month
• $475 membership: 16 hrs/month
• No contract required—learn more

Looking for a professional meeting space? Check out the Coin Coworking meeting membership option.

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