We had the good fortune of connecting with Gwendoline Roger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gwendoline, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
In general, that’s not an easy question. But for me, keep going is almost always the answer. My motto in life has always been to live your life without regrets. When i want something, i would do anything that is possible, I would push myself and work as much as i can to go where i want, achieve my goals and live my dreams. I did some things I never thought I could just by not giving up, even if it would take me some time. And I really want to show that if you really want something, accomplish something that seems impossible, then there’s always a way. But it might require patience and effort. I constantly try to do things the right way and I think it always ends up paying off. I would give up on people who don’t care or take advantage of me or others tho.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have two careers, I’m a software engineer and a dancer, which can sound very unusual. I think I got where I am today by working hard, never giving up and being surrounded by the right people. I had the best mentors, who guided me and showed the right path to take. I wasn’t afraid to go for some dreams that didn’t seem accessible. It started with my engineer’s career where I grew and evolved in a man’s world. It can be intimidating but I always found a way to make my voice heard. It made me stronger. And I’m very proud to now say that i can lead a team of engineers, mainly men. I’m working those days on finding ways to make those positions more attractive to women and less intimidating. On the other side, I stopped dancing for so long, but I think I never stopped dreaming about it. Work brought me to LA, and i don’t believe in coincidences. I think that was a way to show me that I could still dream. And after working hard, I’m starting to see the dream come true. I always thought I was too old to get back to dancing and hard work showed me that “the only barriers in life are the ones we create in our minds”.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Woua! This area is full of good spots! I’m a food lover, so I’ll got to my favorite spots. First of all, the best dumplings ever: Din Tai Fung or the best sushis: Sugar Fish. Of course I don’t forget my french roots, and I would finish my lunch by a good lemon tart at La Tropezienne. To stay in the area, I would spend a few hours on a beautiful day, in the Huntington Library’s gardens. Such a beautiful and peaceful place. For visiting, I would definitely have a few days trip, and stop by Morro Bay, and then later, eat at Nepenthe, a restaurant perched on a Big Sur cliffside offering California fare & a terrace with breathtaking views. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by a lot of incredible people. My first amazing person, who has always been my rock is my husband. My family has always been encouraging me in anything I wanted to do, especially when I left France and decided to live abroad. About the story of dancing and living my dream life, being an artist, it started with DancehallFunk when I arrived in LA. Then it continued with my mentor and life example Laure Courtellemont. She is the reason why I feel so strong today, she showed me the right way of accomplishing things and taught me how to be patient. And obviously my friends, even the non dancer ones, they’re always encouraging me and supporting me.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwenrdf/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gwendoline-roger-72807931/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/gwen5152/videos

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.