Fired to Flourishing

[00:00:00] Aicila: Welcome to a brand new season of business as unusual in this premier episode, we're diving into failures as a foundation with storytelling and content marketing expert, Victoria Carrington Chavez. She shares her inspiring journey from being fired to building a thriving business, highlighting how embracing failures. Can lead to monumental growth. Tune in to discover practical strategies for creating authentic content, the importance of leaning into your unique story and how to turn setbacks into stepping stones for success. You won't want to miss the valuable insights and actionable tips Victoria offers to elevate your content game. Stay tuned.

[00:00:40] Aicila: Hello. Today I'm speaking with Victoria Carrington Chavez and they do content marketing with an emphasis in storytelling. Welcome

[00:00:48] Aicila: back

[00:00:48] Aicila: to the show, Victoria.

[00:00:50] Aicila: , for those of you that haven't listened to my first episode with Victoria, you should go check that out. And what have you been up to in the last year?

[00:00:57] Victoria: Oh, you know, traveling the world, giving an [00:01:00] international talk with my friend Aisla, at honor of the earth festival. Oh, and a TEDx, you know, expanding my business,

[00:01:08] Victoria: I love and appreciate that we get to explore and expand together, which is really cool. And when you have business buddies that you can collaborate with, that you can explore and expand, the world really does feel limitless.

[00:01:21] Aicila: It really does. And so today we are going to talk about failures as a foundation. And I would love to have you share either an anecdote or a case study to kind of illustrate what, what you mean by that.

[00:01:35] Victoria: Yeah. So I started my business in 2023. And what some people don't know is that I was actually laid off. It was the first time or not laid off. I'm going to be real. I was fired. It was the first time in my life that I had been fired. And I remember being so devastated and feeling like a failure, but it was one of those moments where.

[00:01:59] Victoria: I All [00:02:00] the past, everything aligned and it just really pointed to it was time to start my own business. And ironically, the person who fired me actually ended up writing a really amazing letter of recommendation where they were talking about how great I was at content marketing at my job. Yes, I understand how confusing that could be, but at the same time, what I really took away from that was it was time to go kind of forge my own path to success.

[00:02:29] Victoria: And two years later, I'm still here and I'm growing and I'm expanding. And I think that that's like a key thing and how often we can feel shame in those failures or those setbacks, but it's really just that space of like, when we pull an arrow. And when we shoot an arrow, we got to pull it back first before it can fly.

[00:02:51] Victoria: And that to me is what those failures as Foundation have been for me. They've really been moments to say, okay, [00:03:00] whatever I've got going on right now is not working. How do I rest, recharge, recalibrate, realign and find out and go towards the things I really do want to go towards.

[00:03:12] Aicila: So let's break that down or expand it a little bit. In terms of content creation, And sort of bringing in our content marketing and bringing in that storytelling. What are some, points or stories or analogies that you can do to kind of like help people understand how that applies to this failures as foundation?

[00:03:40] Victoria: Yeah. So For me, I have one of my most like highest rated, most watched, largest impressions most engagement post to date on LinkedIn is a post where I talked about I wanted, I felt like a failure and I wanted to [00:04:00] give up my business. And I was in that valley of despair that sometimes we get and business owners, especially new entrepreneurs, where I started my business and I was like, look at all the things that I'm good at.

[00:04:13] Victoria: And I'm trying to do these 10 different things. I was building websites at the time, which I have learned through failure that websites are not my thing. And I remember just wanting to give up and I wrote about it unapologetically, wholeheartedly, like I don't even think I I totally had the fuckits and I was like, this is just what I'm feeling.

[00:04:36] Victoria: And I did it in a professional way, but I, in an aligned way on LinkedIn and like it resonated with so many people. And honestly, I was just kind of reaching out to continue to have faith in what I was doing. But that's when I realized, it occurred to me that people are craving connection and that content marketing, which is about [00:05:00] creating content that attracts that aligns people that brings people into what you're doing, helps people understand your brand.

[00:05:09] Victoria: That's why we use a lot of storytelling because it helps people resonate and feel connected. But that in kind of using my own skills on myself. And being authentic, like the same things I tell clients be authentic, talk about your obstacles, talk about the struggles, be the real you in my moment of doing that.

[00:05:29] Victoria: I actually saw that moment of greatness and I, it was, it was literally like a light bulb moment. So, and yeah, I, I, I was like, how do I, that was about a little over a year ago and I was like, how do I then pivot? And rebuild my whole entire business and my whole entire brand around doing this around creating content, elevating stories, and helping people see those, those moments that they might not [00:06:00] always feel are powerful, but to see the, help them see the power in it.

[00:06:07] Aicila: Well, and I think, you know, we were talking about content creators. They often look really organic and they look really natural, but there's a lot of like effort and production that goes into that. And. I, my thought too, when you're talking about failures, it's foundation is that probably they did some things that didn't work out so well before they got to that.

[00:06:29] Aicila: It's one of those things that people are like, Oh, look at this overnight success, and usually when you dig in there, an overnight success that has been doing the work for 10, 15, 20 years and, and throughout that time, they've been testing material, testing strategies, finding ways to tell their story that feel aligned and authentic, but also resonate with audience.

[00:06:48] Aicila: So can you speak a little bit about that?

[00:06:50] Victoria: Yeah one of my favorite statistics is that in 2023, 70 percent of content marketers said that they had a plan, a [00:07:00] content creation strategy. And you're right, like it can look and feel really organic, but there is absolutely a plan and a strategy. And. I'm not going to say it's all the time, it's 100%, but any time that I've really created a strategy around what I'm trying to do and I've then tested it and seen, I've gotten results, like results to where celebrities are resharing my content because I kind of have understood the formula and how to connect.

[00:07:28] Victoria: But something that really intrigues me or that I love talking about is cringe content. Just post the content, post it cringey. Like good content creators did not start out good. Like I look back at some of my videos and I do, I cringe because I, my lighting is bad. I didn't know what I was saying. Like I was just hopping on a trend.

[00:07:52] Victoria: But when I also look back on those years of content creation, I realized that I was starting [00:08:00] because that's so much in destinations and growth and entrepreneurship. And when we're wanting to learn a new skill, we it's, it's uncomfortable. It's no, we're not great at it and it takes some practice. And so.

[00:08:14] Victoria: I, this is something I constantly tell my clients and it really resonates when I'm like, just make the cringy content, make the content that you're going to look back on in a year or two years and be like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe I put that on the internet. But if you feel that way, that means that you have grown, you have expanded, you're moving into a space.

[00:08:36] Victoria: space of confidence with what you're creating. And we, we see this, we see this time and time again with a lot of the, you know, one of the most successful YouTubers out there, Mr. Beast, had been creating content, go look up Mr. Beast content when Mr. Beast was like, you know, over, over a decade ago.

[00:08:56] Victoria: It's not cute, y'all. It's not cute. [00:09:00] But that practice, that refining is so key. So just post the content.

[00:09:07] Aicila: I feel that actually when I started my podcast almost eight years ago, my not this one, my first podcast, I had never done it. I wanting to do one forever. I'd actually been obsessed with it since 2010 and it took me forever to figure out audio and stuff and finally get started. But I also had a health issue and my voice was very, Damaged.

[00:09:29] Aicila: And if I go back and listen, I'm like, wow, like not only is it, you know, wandering and all these other things, like I don't even sound like me. also it's kind of cool to see how far I've come.

[00:09:42] Victoria: Absolutely. That's the beauty of cringe content. I, I love it because we get to see how we've evolved and like we, you know, perfectionism is so rampant in our society that says you have to have it. And Social media, yes, can lend to [00:10:00] that, but that's why I love creating authentic content that also says, look, like there's two sides of this, right?

[00:10:05] Victoria: Like it is not all rainbows and sunshine every day. Sometimes I feel like a failure and giving up my business. Other times I'm giving a TEDx, right? Like it's a bit of both, but that

[00:10:15] Victoria: cringy content.

[00:10:16] Aicila: thing, like a weekly, weekly, right? Oh, wait, no.

[00:10:22] Victoria: Sometimes it totally feels like that in my life, but I, but the cringy content, like it's because I hear this time and time again from clients, like when I have this figured out or when I get there and there, something of feedback that I get a lot is that my clients Tell me that they see me as confident and that I help them get confident as well in what in the content they're creating and it occurred to me and this is why I love cringy content is because It takes a level of bravery to just post a video to the Internet That you might not know, but like you said, you started a podcast, [00:11:00] you might not have had all the tools.

[00:11:01] Victoria: It's bravery to take the first step and learn along the way, but that is how we have, that's how we grow, that's how we expand, that's how we go on these epic journeys. Because so often we're so stuck, stuck in the perfectionism of let me figure it all out first instead of leaning into let me figure it out along the way. And if we're trying to figure out at first, we might not ever start, but by saying, I'm going to figure it out along the way, you start, you make the cringy content and then you laugh about it later. And then you're proud of how far you've come and how much further you continue to go and want to go.

[00:11:41] Victoria: What are

[00:11:43] Aicila: 2 or 3 steps you recommend people take?

[00:11:47] Aicila: If they want to improve their content or learn from their failures as foundations,

[00:11:54] Victoria: Yeah. So first off, knowing your why,

[00:11:58] Victoria: what is your why? Why are [00:12:00] you putting all of this time, energy, effort, and money into what you're doing? Because the more that you know your why, you can know who you are for because you are not for everybody. And when you speak to who you are for, it's more resonant to really Diversifying your content between that authority building thought leadership, being honest and open about struggles, challenges as well as successes.

[00:12:27] Victoria: something I constantly see is

[00:12:28] Victoria: people are only talking about their promotions and their offers. And if you instead focus on who you are, what you do and how you do it, that's going to build a lot of trust in the meantime, that when you do talk about offers, people are already kind of more interested because they know you.

[00:12:45] Victoria: And then I think the third one that I'd really talk about is be social on social media. I feel like I say this time and time again,

[00:12:55] Victoria: spend time in the comments, spend time getting to know people. I've had some really amazing [00:13:00] stories and opportunities, even for my business with people that I have not met in person yet because of our deep conversations in the comments that then led to conversations in the DMs.

[00:13:12] Victoria: That's how you create conversion. I would definitely make sure that you were being social on social media.

[00:13:19] Aicila: it seems like it would be obvious. Thank you. What do you see as unusual about what you do or how you do it?

[00:13:27] Victoria: I really work with outside the box people. I work with people who feel like they have been told they're too much. People who their story is overwhelming that they need to like niche down, they need to do this. I really work with some really amazing people and I kind of feel like a marketing bandito where I'm kind of like listen, an outlaw is not somebody who is outside the law or lawless.

[00:13:56] Victoria: They just have figured out how to kind of make up their own rules and work [00:14:00] within the system. And that's what I do with an in content marketing. I. Get to tell my clients like you get to make up some of the rules. Here's some guides along the way But you're not too much You're you know, not enough. You don't have to just do this and actually let's find what works for you.

[00:14:21] Victoria: And that's what I feel makes me so different. For many of the clients that I work with, I, I get told that I'm usually like the third, fourth, fifth, sometimes even sixth marketer that they've talked to in this field. But I'm the first telling them that they have the power and autonomy over their own narrative to.

[00:14:47] Victoria: share it in an authentic way that works for them. That they don't have to tap down or, you know, change. They just have to, we just have to strategize and how to make it work for them.[00:15:00]

[00:15:00] Aicila: What does success look like for you?

[00:15:05] Victoria: Success is when you, to success to me is when you kind of get into this, don't give a fuck attitude and just, just celebrate yourself and the work that you're doing and what you're creating. And the. Clients who are like cheerleading and you, as well as you're cheerleading them. I feel like so many metrics of success and especially vanity metrics like in my field.

[00:15:38] Victoria: Yes, having 100, 000 followers is a really admirable goal. If you have 100, 000 Or more eyes on you. Do you have the systems in place to a handle that? Do you have the strategy in place to consistently feed and maintain and give your audience what it wants? [00:16:00] And if the answer is no, that vanity metrics.

[00:16:04] Victoria: Doesn't mean anything. So success is to me, when I look at it in that field is when I get those, I get those DMS where somebody has said that they've watched my TEDx or they've, I have, a Instagram post out there where I talk about my struggle with depression. When I have people write me that that stuff helped them feel seen, heard, supported, not alone in their struggles.

[00:16:32] Victoria: That is success. Because I have suddenly reached out to somebody and helped them. My story has helped them. That is powerful. That is successful. That is, at times, something to celebrate more than just, I have a hundred and, you know, 50, 000 eyes who've seen this.

[00:16:54] Aicila: Thanks. Will you share advice you've received that has influenced the way you approach your [00:17:00] work? Or the other question we can ask is will you share advice that you wish That you, not that you wish we use your advice that you would like to give to yourself at 18.

[00:17:15] Victoria: Advice that I would give myself at 18 is Don't wait so fucking long. Just do it. Do it. Stop living for everybody else's dream and start living your own. I feel like at 40 is the first time I'm really living my life based upon what I want, my dreams, my aspirations, and my goals. I, and while I'm grateful and appreciative of all the lessons that I got between 18 and now, If I could've looked back and told 18 year old me, don't wait so long, start making your life for you.

[00:17:57] Victoria: And it's not selfish. We [00:18:00] have to fill our cups first. And when our cup is full, then we can pour into other people. And so much, I feel like I had it backwards for so long. I was trying to fill other people first, and I was constantly drained.

[00:18:18] Aicila: Yeah. Will you talk about what you have done to keep yourself inspired in this journey?

[00:18:26] Victoria: I rest. So I take social media detoxes. I take time off of social media. I take time connecting with nature. I take time creating just for the sake of creating with no end goal. Sometimes I'll paint, sometimes I'll draw. That time of rest and recuperation is incredibly important as a creative entrepreneur.

[00:18:52] Aicila: Will you share something that you're doing in your business that you're excited about or that you want people to know about right now?[00:19:00]

[00:19:00] Victoria: Yes, I will. I'm actually super excited about this. So I'm getting ready to launch my creative collaborative sessions where you get to spend some time with me picking my brain and being able to tap into a lot of the knowledge that I have in content creation strategy. I'm also collaborating and supporting people in their content creation journey and it's called content and girls and I'm so excited.

[00:19:25] Victoria: Because also the key thing is, believe it or not, I used to straighten my hair and it's wild to think that there was a period of time where I did that, that I felt like I had to hide one of my most important signature features to fit in. But by owning my curly hair, my style, my vibes, and like being more real, I have seen more success in my business and my life.

[00:19:48] Victoria: And. I just want to help people tap into what is their signature style. What is their, that their, their realness, that is that superpower that they might have hidden below the surface and then [00:20:00] create content with it. So content and curls will be launching, in 2025. And I cannot wait to share it with you all.

[00:20:08] Aicila: So for folks that are listening, how do they learn more, follow you, get in touch.

[00:20:14] Victoria: Yeah, so my business is Lilac and Aspen and you can find me at lilacaspen. com. But if you want to find me on Instagram or TikTok, I am at VictoriaShareStories and I pretty much do that. I am. Also, you can find me on LinkedIn at Victoria Carrington Chavez. I also really highly recommend you watch my TEDx on YouTube Victoria Carrington Chavez, Embracing My Multiracial Identity.

[00:20:46] Victoria: And if that's a really great place to start, if you want to see the power of sharing a story on an online platform. authentically and unapologetically.

[00:20:54] Aicila: It is really great. I loved it so much. And thank you so much for joining me today and talking [00:21:00] about content creation and storytelling. I really appreciate you taking the time.

[00:21:03] Victoria: Absolutely. The world needs to hear your story. And I just, I love helping people unlock the power of their story because we need more authentic, unapologetic people sharing their truth in this world. So thanks for having me.

[00:21:20] Aicila: " If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to take Victoria's advice to heart. Embrace the cringy moments, be authentic, and most importantly, use your FA. Use your failures as foundational stepping stones to your success. Don't just listen today, apply what you've learned to your own business and see how it can transform your journey. Next week, we're diving into a topic that many of us struggle with making space in your day.

[00:21:46] Aicila: We'll be joined by Jessica Adams of discovery, yellow who will share actionable strategies. To carve out time for what truly matters. Thank you for tuning into business. As unusual. Remember in this ever evolving world of modern business, it's [00:22:00] not about fitting in. It's about standing out. See you next time. Stay curious, stay innovative and always keep it unusual.

[00:22:08] Aicila: Take care.