How to Overcome Burnout and Find Your Purpose | Lissette Rios

Apr 15

This week Victoria Jenn sits down with Lissette Rios, an absolute powerhouse in PR and influencer marketing, as she shares what it was like to build and scale a successful PR agency that she ultimately decided to close during its peak while making millions.

We get into the real stuff, like how she’s stayed true to her cultura while pushing boundaries in mainstream marketing, and the toll burnout can take when you're constantly in grind mode. We also touch on something really personal: her IVF journey. A topic that’s not talked about enough in our community.

This episode is all about resilience, evolution, and keeping it authentic while navigating business and life. If you’ve ever been through a career shift, dealt with burnout, or faced mental health challenges while trying to build your dream, this one’s for you.

Full Transcript:

What's up mi? Welcome back to banking on cultura. I am your host Victoria Jenn Rodriguez. And you know in this show we talk about the vibrancy and the complexity of our cultura entrepreneurship and of course all the mine in between. And today's guest she's worked with probably every fave influencer you know. Um and I'm pretty sure she's got a lot of tea to share with us. But what's really interesting about her journey that I'm excited for you guys to hear about is she ran a very successful public relations kind of agency and then recently she's decided to downsize and become a consultant. And so I wanted to have her on the show because this is good for us to hear, especially in this climate where we're all trying to figure out what makes the most sense for us in our business and also giving ourselves grace and also maybe going against, you know, the herd with everyone telling you that you should grow, grow, grow. Maybe now's the time to think about scaling back a little bit and taking back your power. So without further ado, Lissette Rios, thank you so much for joining us. No, thank you so so much for having me. I know it was quite a journey to get here. So, I appreciate your patience cuz as you mentioned, like the past couple of months have been sheer insanity for me. So, I was like, I didn't want to show up here until I can be my best and be 100% present. So, thank you so much. No, thank you. I'm excited. So, let's get to some give us some tea. Oh my god. Well, I don't know if anyone else has been on the internet in the past two days, but I think we're all caught off guard in the best way possible by Bad Bunny and his Calvin Klein campaign. Yes. Look, I'm a very happily married woman. I love my husband to death. To me, there is no one hotter than him. But there was like something about that video or videos. It's like I can't stop watching it. I'm like, "Okay, papacito." I know. He really is a papacy. My only thing that I wish Calvin Klein would have done is allow him to deliver the lines in Spanish because I feel like his English is great and I'm not [ __ ] on him. But so much of his essence of like is like you ain't never going to change me and I'm like him speaking Spanish is like that's why we love him. Like like imagine him saying like have you found your coins in Spanish? Like I don't know. We're like what's the vibe? sales through the roof. Give it to us in Spanish. Like it just hits different. But no, like I don't know. What's your take on that campaign? My take is first of all, are all those tattoos his? Like are all those his real tattoos? Yeah. I mean, he's tatted up. Like he's shown them before in different clips and stuff. Okay. I didn't realize it was that much. And then on the back he has like this mural of like a woman with like the arm. It looks like right. That's the one on his back if I'm not mistaken cuz I don't really look at his back that much. I mean in the Calvin Klein they showing his boutique. I'm like a chest and front kind of girl. I'm like the horses the 10. Yes. Yes. I know. He's like a Pokemon thing. Yeah, I saw that. I saw that. He's got a butterfly like near his abs. He's so vibrant and beautiful. You know, it did really feel good to see him in this ad and for it to drop right now. I'm pretty sure this was like months ago that they did this. But the fact that it's dropping right now in this climate, I'm like, "Yes." Yeah. Please show more of us in these campaigns and at that scale. And apparently, which I haven't seen it IRL, but there is an actual massive billboard of him in Soho, like the the usual Ca uh Calvin Klein space that they have. I think it's like on Broadway in Austin. I'm not really sure. Like, but somewhere around there, like he's up there. So I'm like, I need to see that, you know, like girls trip. Girls trip downtown to go see Benito in the in the billboard. Yeah. No, that's fire. I mean, obviously the same for you. Like we go hard for our cultura. Yes. I'm Cuban, but I'm like an honorary Puerto Rican. Like my husband's Puerto Rican. There's a lot of Puerto Rican in-laws in my life. So for me, I'm just like I'm also Puerto Rican. So I'm just like, bamos. Yes. Can we say bad words here? Of course. Okay, perfect. Just make sure. Yes, we are very fluid here. We are very own the space that you are in, the skin that you are in. Are you going to this concert by the way? Girl, I tried and I did not. I signed up for the code and when those concerts are happening, it's like my birthday month. I'm a Leo. I'm a summer baby. And I was like, hell yeah. Like we tried, my husband and I, we try to go to Puerto uh Puerto Rico at least once a year. I got the and never got the code. So, I couldn't couldn't get them. So, I want to try. Wow. You're going Yes, I am. just like I will be like on all of your stories. Like you better post that [ __ ] You're going to feel like you were there. Please. I'm going to try to be like one of those like last minute people, but I know that the resale value is going to be insane. It's going to be ridiculous. We went to his um Cinti concert in Yankee Stadium. We bought the tickets like two days before, but it was worth every cent. That's why I was like, we must go, but it didn't work out for me. It was the best concert I've ever been to, actually. It was just like I felt like my soul came out of my body. I think we were there the same day if I'm not mistaken. I went the first night on a weekend. Yeah. There was only two nights. I went the first night with Romeo that Romeo came out. Oh, no. Then No, I came up. You went the second night when it was like the VMA one. Yes. Yes. And with the fireworks and all the things. Yes. Yes. Best concert ever. Literally, I bought So, I know this one is going to be insane. I know Puerto Rico is going to be on fire. It's just going to be it's going to I literally can't imagine what that island is going to feel like for like that collective 3 weeks because the energy of that island is just so incredible and the passion that I think that's why like I'm just also incredibly enamored by him as a person, as a musician, as a marketer. It's just so empowering to see how he uplifts like his entire community. Mhm. Like as I mentioned, like I'm Cuban, but I've never been to Cuba. So, I have like a very disjointed like identity issue because like I I can't I can't really touch my land. It's not the same. So, it's like I always tell my husband, I'm like, you know, when I come here, I just say like this is my land because I tell him like I'm so jealous of you. Like whenever you want to feel like your culture, you can come here and feel it. Where it's like if I do that in Cuba, it's really not the same. like it's just such a complex tortured island for like obvious reasons. So, unfortunately, well, the flags are kind of similar. So, I know I'm like we're kind of brothers and sisters. You kind of feel like, you know, the connection there. But I I hear what you're saying about like going back to the island and feeling like connected whenever I go to Puerto Rico and if I'm ever a little lost or just feeling not like myself or just feeling like I need to like get that fiery I don't even know how to describe it but like that oro basically like you go there and it I just automatically like pick myself back up. So that's for any of you guys go visit your country of origin so that you can get connected and feel alive again cuz being here it's very easy for you to get stripped of your get stripped of the identity that is you because they're trying to force you to take on you know the American identity and you could be both and that's great and many identify as both but you can't forget at all the roots at at all at all. That's why it's like even we went to Auadia last year and it was our first time on like the well my first time on the west side of the island and it was just like you know I think as Americans and especially here in New York like everything is like go go go fast fast. It's not that you don't have manners but you're just so laser focused. So you may not say hi to every single person or you may not say like have a great meal or anything like that but the sentiment is there. You just don't like vocalize it. you know, you're just like, and I remember telling her, I was like, man, the people of this city specifically, I don't know what it was about Auadia, but like anytime we sat down and anyone that walked by us, if we were eating,

and I was just like, this is so beautiful. I'm like, I love this island so much. But it's true. It's like you just like remember like nothing is that serious like you know, it's that like island vibe like tranquil tropical, you know, like you need that. I think like especially here it's like you need that balance of just like if days are so intense like break away and just go like to an island and obviously with Puerto Rico just go and experience it but like appreciate it. Totally. And instead of hearing like horns or an ambulance like you got the cookies at night. Oh my god, it's the best to give you the best. Yeah, it is. So yes, I have a Yes. I'm jealous of Puerto Ricans. Well, I I didn't know we were going to dedicate this episode to Bas. No, but I I feel you on that. And shout out to Bonito. Hey, I mean, for holding it down for all of us, regardless of what cultura you are from. If you're Latino, you are vibing out on this energy like, and it's so needed right now, again, because of everything that's going on. Like I feel like I can still talk my [ __ ] because we have key people in place that are empowering us to do so and like holding it down down down. Yep. Yeah. Tell the people about your firm and what it was and how it got there and where you are today. A lot to unpack. Are you guys ready? Um you ready? Um I'm very excited about this fourth wall. Um I'm just kidding. Um, so yes, so I guess I'll try to give you like the before and the after. Um, but yes, I had Chic Influence, the original version of the agency. I had launched it 10 years ago after spending 10 years in corporate. My background was traditional and still is traditional PR. So I spent 10 years in incredible agencies at a corporate level running the multicultural practice and teams for the biggest brands to date. And I worked on Proctor and Gamble brands and Unilver brands which is like the top of the top when it comes to marketing from consumer package goods aspect. But of course you know like the corporate you know rat race got to me. I was 30 years old and I was a senior vice president which is unheard of in my industry. Like I would go into rooms and everyone was 10 years my senior but I was incredibly smart and I own that. I'm like I'm very smart. I'm very strategic. I think I think out of the box, but I was also like an anomaly. I'm like a Latina. I'm hella young and like I felt like my bosses didn't know what to do with me. Like I was filled with like so much energy and then like everyone that was like more senior. I I don't blame them. I think they were very intimidated by me because they felt like they needed to be in cruise control. And here I am like full of piss and vinegar, you know? I'm like let's go. Um so then I was just very burnt out. And then my husband is an entrepreneur and I also come from a family of entrepreneurs. So I was just like, okay. He was just like, well, if you're working this hard, he's like, you're basically running a business within a business. Why don't you go and do your own thing? So I was like, but I was also still drinking the corporate Kool-Aid. I'm like, I can't leave I can't leave this network. I can't leave this six figure salary. Are you kidding me? But I did it because then I also realized I had the conversation with myself. It's like, well, if they were to pay you more and promote you, would you still be happy? And the answer was no. So then I was like, okay, well, if the money and the position doesn't matter, let me go try do something else. So I started chic influence really with the intention of showcasing brands and the industry that you can take something so rooted in culture and make it mainstream because the role that I had in my corporate job, yes, I was the senior vice president of the multicultural practice, but we worked in a very like like we worked in a cylinder. It was like, "Okay, here's the general market campaign. They would pass it off to me to find like a Latina version of it." And I'm like, "You guys, like it shouldn't be disjointed. Like our campaign should run in tandem with the general market campaign, which like for example, back then, and I'm sure it's still true, like Latinos consumed I think at that time the stat was like 3.5% more hairspray than the general market. So it's like if we are outspending in hairspray then I should get like the biggest chunk of the hairspray campaign right it was little things like that but it was always like oh no and then it was like okay and no disrespect to like unis and telmundo but it was like oh Latina campaign translated in Spanish and send it to Telmundo. I was like, "You guys are trying to reach me as a consumer." Like, I don't watch that network, right? Like, people do watch that network, but that's usually Spanish dominant, recent arrivals. Like, you're trying to hit like the US Hispanic Millennial Market who speak English, but are so proud of their culture. Mhm. So, I tell you all this that was the impetus to why I started Chic Influence where I'm like, "No, I'm going to show you that I can take something hella Latina and get it like on national news and that's what I did." So, luckily um I had met very early on when I first started the business. I was consulting because I technically had what I call the handcuffs. I was never legally allowed to start my own agency because of the contract that I had signed at my old job. But the workaround was is that I was not leaving the agency to compete with the companies that they had as clients. I wasn't trying to take on Proctor and Gamble business. Like I wanted to work with a whole other set of brands that weren't tied to conglomerates. So they were okay with that. But for the first year, I was not allowed to touch any CPG. So like no consumer package good. So for Hold on. I want to talk about this for a second. Listen up Latinas. It is time to take ownership of our because if we don't, who will? Did you know that only 45% of Latinas have a savings account and 83% of Hispanic millennials have no retirement savings whatsoever? Damn. 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Many members of our audience and listeners, they are still working and they're thinking about starting their own thing. And similar to you and me, like the best thing for you to start is something you have a skill set in, correct, right? Which you may have already done while you were in corporate. So, did you tell them that you were going to start a business? Yes, I was very transparent. Oh, so that was nice of you. Yes, it was very nice of me. And I also gave them a month of my time. Okay. Instead of a two week notice. Um, one to get, you know what I mean? And I was very open and honest with them about everything. Why? Because one, I just knew that once I started marketing myself, they would see it. So, do you think they were going to come for you? Yes and no. But I wasn't sure, but I didn't want them to come for me. So, for me, the easiest way is like, let me be open and honest. Let me be transparent because also I think always long term. At the end of the day, maybe five years from then, I may need something of this agency. So, I also don't want to burn a bridge because that agency is a very powerful agency in my world of CPG. Okay? So, that's why I was very transparent and I told them straight out because I'm very aware of everything that I sign. I know a lot of people when they start in corporate, they just sign things very blindly, especially like the employee contracts and the code of conduct and all stuff. No, like if they give you an 80page booklet, as tedious as it is, read that [ __ ] So that when you have to make this decision, by the time I walked in and I gave my resignation, I told him like, I know I'm not supposed to start an agency. I'm not leaving this agency and starting to poach from you guys. I'm not trying to take your but please let me go off and do my thing because I am not happy here. And I told them like I'm not happy here. I'm underpaid. I don't have the freedom that you guys are giving me. And I told them like why would you want me here? Like and I think also too sometimes it's very hard for people to have those conversations like yes at the end of the day employment is a transaction but it's also incredibly human. We spend most of our lives at work. So it's like I need to tell people I'm just a very transparent person. So and I also had told them and this was again was 10 years ago. I was I think 30 30 or 31 when I left. I wasn't even married yet, but I was already thinking, "Okay, when I get married and I have kids, I need flexibility." Because I was looking at all the women that had kids at that job, they were I I don't want to say miserable, but you can tell that there was like an internal struggle. And I'm like, I don't want to have to pick and choose my child or my career. Like something has got to give. So, I was also thinking like long term. So, I told him like, I need flexibility. I'm not happy here. I want to go try something out. But I also told them I was like you're happy to hire me as a consultant you know like I will be here if you need something for a month because the minute I left that job I had a very financially strong what we call P&L like a profit loss center. I was the most profitable P&L in the whole agency. I had a very lean team but I had my the percentage of what our profit was was super high and also the minute I left they were going to lose a lot of business. So, I I tried to make it as as nice as possible. And then they came back to me and said, "We're fine with you leaving, but can you not touch any CPG for a year?" And I said, "Fine." Because technically I went against the contract. And what I did is that, you know, I consulted under the radar. How are they going to find out who I'm consulting? And then publicly, I was doing PR for individuals. So, I was doing the PR for a celebrity hair stylist. I was doing PR for a fashion stylist. So, it was individuals, nobody that they would have ever taken on as a client because one, that's not their strong suit and these clients don't have that kind of budget for that kind of agency. I like what you also said about when you gave your resignation, you said you can also hire me as a consultant. Yeah. Right. Because a lot of people don't even consider that, which is a really smart and strategic way of leaving. It's like obviously there's going to be a vacancy there now. So, it's in their best interest to consider possibly working with you. So, for example, if you would have gave them two weeks instead of a month, I don't know. They might have been like, "You know what? We'll bring you on as a consultant." You know what I mean? But you were nice. See me like you're getting your two weeks and then you could hire me as a consultant. I'm more than happy to do that. Right. But that's a play, right? That not a lot of people take advantage of. I remember when I left my corporate gig, I didn't really know this, it just so happened that the relationships that I built, all of them became clients. All of my former employers, but it wasn't because I knew that that was a play. Like, if I knew walking out that door, I could have been like, "Hey, you can keep me on as a consultant, right?" um which many organizations would bite because it's cheaper honestly to get a consultant than it usually is to hire someone full-time because you're paying them the benefits and all the things. Um so some organizations prefer you coming in as a consultant. Um but if I knew that when I was walking out the door, I could have, you know, negotiated a little better, but it was all right. I had a severance package. I had all the things. It was all right. You know, learning lesson. But okay, so you started the consultancy. You said you wouldn't like poach CPG. Yes. Yes, you went out on your own and then what happened? And then so I was kind of consulting under the radar and then through that work I met at this point nine years ago Regina Merson who is the founder of Rea R which is at the time was the first makeup line for Latinos by Latinos and she hadn't even launched yet. I was consulting for another makeup line that was like, "Hey, my the woman that does my packaging has a new client. Um, and she's specifically looking for somebody who specializes in Latina marketing." I'm like, "Of course, I would love to meet her." Long story short, we meet and Regina's like, "Oh my god, you're perfect. I've interviewed every major agency you can think of and nobody thinks like you. Everyone, it's like they do the same thing. Oh, you're Latina. Oh, let's translate everything, put it in Spanish, and give it to Unio." And I was like, "No." Like at the end of the day, you are makeup, you are a lipstick, you are an eyehadow. This deserves to be in the hands of of outlets like Allore Glamour, you know, like they need to see it and talk about it. So that's what we did. And then through that work, and of course it's hard. The brand name is Rea. How do I, you know, how it's done to non- Spanish people? I'm like, this is Raina Rebel. Girl, when I say the name of my podcast to people, I'm like banking on cultura. They're like, what? You're like banking on cultura. Yeah, exactly. That's exactly how they say it. And I have to like break it up into syllables so that they can pronounce it and then I have to say cultura means culture. So like that they get it. And it's literally a onelet difference. Yeah. To an e. Exactly. Exactly. So that's what I did. And luckily, you know, at the end of the day, I pulled out from her a story. I'm like, at the end of the day, the brand has a story and the founder has a story. So for me, she was like a dream client. I was like, not only did she create something in the market that hadn't been done before in terms of creating a uniquely authentic, beautiful makeup, I'm literally wearing all her makeup still on my face. Um, but she's also an attorney who left her role as a very powerhouse bankruptcy attorney, left her career to start a makeup line, which is also crazy. Like she came from Mexico, she went to Yale for undergrad. like she just has a crazy story. So I'm like, Regina, I need to be able to milk everything like not just the product story, your story, and she's just like, "Have at it." So I for the first year we went I went so hard. I got her feature in Forbes in a obviously people in Espanol like and I was like and everyone's like, "How do you how are you doing this?" I'm like, "I'm just telling a story." Like there's nothing crazy about what I'm doing. I just took the blinders off of what everyone does in corporate America in the world of PR where it's just like general market, African-American, Latina, Asian. It's like everyone just works on a phone. I'm like, "You guys, let's merge it together." So, luckily with the work that I did with Rea is how Julie Prao found me, who's the founder of Curls. So, then she's just like, "I want what you're doing for her. Do it for me. Let's go." So, then it that's how it all happened. So somehow I got every major Latina founder who had I'm not going to say overlooked, but would have been incredibly hard to pitch had it not been for me who has a nuanced outlook. And through all of that work, we've won awards with the top publications. They've had their own TED talks. Like it's just been incredibly powerful to uplift Latinas and showcase like it doesn't matter who you are culturally. your story deserves to be told on a national platform. So, it's also a lot of work on the back end to get media to buy into it because luckily the crazy part is like my like people are like, "How do you do?" I'm like, "You know how I do it?" I find anyone who's Latina who's an editor or producer. And then I pitch them because they understand. And then I'm like, "Hey, like, oh, my friend Erica, hey, you get this." Like, "You're Latina. Like, look at this." And then she's like, "Oh my god, okay. Can we get her on the Today Show?" I'm like, "Let's go." You know? So, there's that. And then so the agency had had the PR division, but then through the work that I was doing obviously with my brand clients and hiring out influencers, I was obviously booking influencers to do sponsored content. So then one of my industry friends had connected me with Kaani, who's Viva Glam K. And then we book her and I'm like, Kaani, I'm like, you're really undercharging. Like at this point, she already had a million followers on Instagram. She was charging very low. And I was like, "You for a fact," and this was like, you know, 10 years ago or whatever. I was like, "You could be charging like 10k per post." And she's like, "That's crazy. Nobody would ever pay that." I was like, "No, they would." Like, I come from the brand side. I know exactly how much budget brands have. But the thing is, like, unless you ask for it and you lowball yourself, they're not going to say, "Of course, oh, if you say, "Oh, my post is $1,000." They're not going to be like, "Oh, but I actually had 10." They'll be like, "Okay, give me the post for $1,000." It's very rare that you find a real one that would actually do that. So I was So we started off very slowly because it wasn't it didn't even cross my mind to manage talent to be honest. I was just like I really wanted to help her but she was just like okay I want to help you back for investing so like if you bring in something just take a percentage and I'm like okay fine whatever. So we did it and then in a couple of months like the deals just started pouring in because I have a lot of connections with people with access to budget. So then she was like, she had asked me, she's like, I never forget it was like she was asking me to marry her. Like we were in Chicago because I was just like I would try to like plug her in any opportunity as possible. I was like, "Hey, there's this big conference happening in Chicago. If I get your flight paid for, you want to go and speak on this panel? Like it's all media buying agencies. Like these are the people who are pumping money into influencers." She's like, "Heck yeah." So she gets flown out. I go out there, too. And we're in a room and she's like, "Will you be my manager?" A like Yes. I have a picture of that day still on my Instagram. I was like, "Oh my god." Yes. So then that's how kind of the talent division unofficially started because I started managing her just to feel out the waters because managing talent, I hate to say this word is kind of like you're like babysitting someone, but you're also like literally managing them but like staying on top of them because now I'm selling content. That's my product. And if you don't keep pumping out the content, I have nothing to sell. So it's also like girl and obviously Khan is great. She was she's a content machine. So then what happened was is that you know at this point brands are like I love working with you. I love working with Kani but I don't always need such a big influencer. Do you have other creators that I can book through you so if I have a campaign I can just give you X budget and just work across your talent roster. And I was like damn I don't have anyone else. So then I started So then luckily my brand friends were like hey this creator doesn't have a manager. Do you want to explore? And I'm like sure great. And then in all of that, Aie, who worked with me for seven years, I connected with her because she was just intrigued to understand what I was doing on the talent side. And she came from the PR side. So, she was like, hey, um, you know, I'm very interested in getting into talent management, like, you know, can I support you? And I was like, yeah, for sure. Like, I need help. I actually have like a backlog of creators that I want to take on, but I can't I can't run the PR side and manage talent. like I need help. So, if you're willing to like help me launch this division, like you can just run with it and then I come in and obviously support as needed. So, thank God for her because she came in, Ory came in and we were able to sign on like four more creators and then it was great cuz everybody was different. Nobody competed with anyone and it was like everyone was like a different size, a different point of view and that's really how the talent division started. And I just never thought it would have kind of steamrolled the way that it did cuz we made millions in deals. Like that part was so gratifying obviously from a financial aspect, but we also worked with incredible brands and we saw like all of our talent just have like 100% year-over-year growth. So it's like we would always say, "Hey, oh, you made x amount this year, you're going to do double next." You're like, "That's crazy." And I was like, "We always did it. We were we were able to double down every year." And that part was also super satisfying. But you know, nine years into it, nine and a half years into Okay, wait. Before we talk about the transition, okay, cuz there's a lot to unpack here. Selfishly, I want to know. What should you be looking for when you're looking for a manager? And when do you know you're ready for a manager? Okay, that's like the hardest question to answer. Okay, not in a bad way because it is very layered. A lot of creators, they start creating, they're like, I need a manager. Yes. Do you need a manager? Here's the breakdown. I think the what we saw with all of our creators, you should get a manager when you really have so many deals that you can't even keep up. Because a manager, especially the way that we operate, there's a lot of agencies that just take on a bunch of creators and it's like they don't really pour into you. They're just it's all inbound and they're just responding. The way that we would work, it's like, yes, we do inbound, but we would really ask our talent, what are your dream brands? And we would go out and pitch it. So, we would do a lot of proactive pitching, but we would, for example, I would only sign on a talent if I knew that they were already making money. Because the thing is is that the economics of how a manager makes money is a percentage off of the commission. So yes, I would have loved to sign super micro influencers that had potential, but in the reality, there's a certain threshold that we can charge. So like if we know for a fact that your following can only really pull in $500 for a post and we take 20%. I'm not working that hard for $100, you know what I mean? So the especially that like at the structure and the level we were operating at, you know, I had a team of three people. I had an accountant, a legal counsel on call because the contracts get very complicated. So, it's it's kind of twofold. The manager is going to want to take on talent that is already a full-time content creator. So, they're dedicated and fully pumping out content. Um, they're active on more than one platform. And that's very important because as you guys saw with like the Tik Tok kind of shutdown and even with past platforms like Vine going away, if you have all of your audience in one place and for whatever reason that platform goes down, your audience needs to live somewhere else so that we have more than one place to sell. Um that you're innovating across the platforms, that you're brand friendly, um and that you're a professional because managers don't want to work with someone who can't meet a deadline. That's super super important. So then there's that component what a manager does and and I think sometimes there there's some confusion on like well what is the role of a manager if let's say all of my deals are inbound right? So, a creator usually by the time they come or came to us, they're like, "We need a manager." It's like they were kind of drowning in the administrative work and the communication back and forth with a brand that now it was impeding their ability to create content because at the end of the day, an influencer's job is to create content. So, we come in and do all the admin stuff, but a lot of the times influencers and creators because they're very creative, they're not very, and there's nothing wrong with saying it, they're not the best business people. So they're they're lacking in business communication. They're lacking in business acumen. They're lacking in legal understanding. So what happens? They've gotten taken advantage of, underpaid. So then we come in and create a layer of like, no, go focus on creating the content and we're going to come in and we're going to organize everything for you. By the time you we give you a contract, it's legally cleared. You're protected. You know, you don't even have to worry about sending an invoice. We're going to, you know, send you the money and all that. And we would run the campaigns for them. we would send them off to events and all that stuff, but you also have to be ready to let go of about 20% of your income. So, but once you have a manager, they're making you they're helping you make it way more than what you were making on your own because there's also a different level of respect that brands have unfortunately when there's a manager involved because they already the brands already know we can't [ __ ] with you because they know that the managers are looking out for certain things. So, it's just a very different ballgame. So, I think to answer your question is like when you need a manager is when you're fully dedicated to the craft. You've been able to book deals on your own so that it's also financially enticing for the manager to bring you on. Um, and that you're professional. I I literally cannot stress that enough. But what do you look for in a manager now? I think that I mean I feel like that answer would be better served coming from an influencer but just hearing from what I hear from influencers. I think influencers want from a manager someone who is a team player meaning like you're not just my manager answering my emails on my behalf. You are the strategic arm to me and helping me grow my brand. So I think like a perfect example which I know I believe you follow is Serena, right? Yes. So I worked we worked with Serena for about Serena Carrian. Serena Carrian not Williams. I wish. Right. Um we managed her for about seven years and we really were an extension of her team. Right. So it's like if she had an idea it was very collaborative. It wasn't just like this thing where we would plop down and be like oh you have this deal. We would work together. She would be like oh I want to work with XYZ brand. and we're like, "Oh, great. Give us some ideas that we can pitch the brand creatively." We would go off and pitch it. So, I think influencers who want who are really dedicated and want to grow, they probably want from their manager someone who is very proactive, right? So, it's like, you know, Kaani when she was pregnant, she would tell me, she's like, "Oh my god, I'm pregnant. Can can we sell it to Clear Blue?" And I'm like, "Heck yes." You know? So, it's like that kind of thing where it's like you're a team. There's no like, "Oh, I'm just your manager, you know." No, we're an extension of your team. And obviously at the end of the day, of course, they want to make money. That's what the end goal is, too. But it takes a long time to get there to be honest because a lot of the times, you know, I always say, especially in the influencer space, unless you're like a fire content creator, there's a a great content creators that manage themselves because they have a lot of business acumen. So, that part is great. They understand relationships. They understand the differences between the brands managing the campaigns versus the agencies managing the campaigns. and they know who the key players are, which is something that managers have an understanding of because something that happens a lot is that create creators are like, "Oh, this person got a deal. Why didn't I get a deal?" And D and it's just like there's so many things at play here. It's not just like you got this and I got that, but oh my god, I lost my train of thought. Hold on. What is the difference between the agency managing the campaign versus the brand? Because I've been in situations where I'm like talking to the brand and the brand is like, "Okay, yeah, we're going to give you 50,000 for this campaign." And then the next day it's like, "Okay, we want you to talk to someone at the agency." And I'm like, "Okay, hold on a second. So, who's making the decision here?" It's kind of twofold cuz the weird part is, and this is coming from someone who worked at an agency, and then this is someone who's obviously done it all. A lot of the times brands, I don't know why they do this, but the brands will have campaigns that they own internally, and then there's a chunk of budget that they will give, let's say, a different campaign to the agency. Most of the time the agencies are there because obviously it's cheaper to hire to your point let's say a consultant but at this point an agency that has a team and execute a campaign versus using the resources of a brand. So they'll outsource it. But once let's say the brand or sorry the brand passes the campaign to the agency now it's the agency's decision on how they're going to allocate the budget. Right? So they're the ones saying oh we want to work with 10 creators and this is how we have to spread. But the brand has influence on the brand has influence because ultimately the brand has to approve the plan. Okay? But it doesn't mean but usually the agency can influence and say hey I think we should give this person this amount and that's where sometimes the brands are not going to get into the nitty-gritty. They'll just be like well if you think that's the best approach then do it because here's like another thing which is kind of crazy. At my old job, we used to have we would have to report to our client. We had a value tracker where we had to show all the ways we negotiated and how much we were to bring things down. So, we would track like, oh, if this influencer quoted us this, but we able to bring it down to this, we would say, hey, we just saved you $5,000. So, it's also in the agency a agency's interest to negotiate down because they have to report back to the brand. Hey, I just saved you, let's say, in the course of a quarter, like half a million dollars. Yes. So, yeah, it's it's like a whole web of things. Okay. I feel like this whole episode could be on this, but this is not what we were supposed to do. So, okay. So, you built this amazing organization, bringing in millions in brand deals. Mhm. Would you say you were like at the height of your success? Like you were doing, you were on fire. I mean, I would think so. Yes. I think my version of success was the girl boss. Yeah. And then I was like, I can do this and everyone can do this and this is so amazing. But in reality, I was burnt the [ __ ] out. I was dealing with severe anxiety. I was already throttling in depression, which is crazy to say out loud because everyone's like, "You're not depressed." And I was like, "No, cuz I'm a high functioning depressed person." And I'm also really good at like code switching. Now that I'm on the other side of things, I can I realize what those behaviors were where like my anxiety and depression gave me like a fear of going outside. I became like a mega introvert. So all I would do was go to work and go home and go to work and go home or go to work, work out and run, right? My only escape was like running my crazy marathons. But so like two years ago, so like in 2022 was I was just like I think I don't want to do this anymore. I was very tired. I think the exhaustion of keeping the business afloat from the pandemic caught up because when the pandemic happened, it was like, "What the [ __ ] is happening?" And every brand, all of my brand clients, all of my creator clients is like, "Well, what next?" And I'm like, "I don't know. I've never been through a pandemic. I've never been through a a global quarantine, you know?" I was like, "All we can do is which I hate saying this word, but we all do pivot. We just have to pivot, pivot, pivot." So that part was exhausting. And then I was like, not only did I have to worry about my company, I'm also in charge of the income of these creators. So it's like, it's not just my income, it's their income, it's also the salaries of my team. So thank God for PPP. I got PPP and that saved me from having to not have to lay off anyone. But I think that like being on like that hamster wheel of like the pandemic caught up to me in 2022 where I'm just like, I'm [ __ ] exhausted. I don't think I want to do this anymore. But I held on because I had a team and how do I let go of a team and how do I let go of my clients? So, I was just like, I'm just going to keep going. And then also in 2022, my husband and I, we officially started trying to have a family and it wasn't working out. So, I was like, whatever. You know, you kind of go through it and you're just like whatever. But then 2023 comes and I begin the IVF journey and that's like a whole other ballgame. So we go through it. The first year I never said anything publicly because I was still trying to figure out myself. Like I'm the only one in my family that has fertility issues. I didn't really know anyone directly that had been going through it. So I was like I'm that kind of person. I'm very transparent. Like I'm very open but I'm very open once I understand or I know how to communicate my feelings around something. So, we were going through it and of course I was like so gung-ho like it's going to work the first time because I'm so healthy, you know? I go through my egg retrieval, we get our embryos and the first one doesn't stick. And I'm like [ __ ] I was like, oh [ __ ] And then the second one I'm like pregnant. And I'm like, hell yeah. And then they're like, oh, just kidding. You lost it. And I was like, oh, that's [ __ ] great. Um, yeah, I'm making fun of it now because I love to cope. It's my coping mechanism. And I was destroyed. I'm like, "This really sucks." So, I ended the year 2023 like sad and then 2024. And this is why you're running the business. Yeah. This is why I'm running the business and nobody knows. I'm just like, "Yeah, you know, I like one of my clients, Regina, she's like, "Girl, you need a you deserve an Oscar for the performances that you gave the last two years because she's like, nobody would have ever known unless you were like, I'm going through IVF." And it's hard because what people don't realize with IVF, it's like it's not just the journey. You are being pumped with so many hormones that you have zero control of your body and your emotions. Like I would literally be walking outside looking at a flower and like tears are coming down my eyes. Like it's you're you're so irrational. It's like it's like your PMS like times a thousand. And then you're bloated, you're uncomfortable, you're hungry, you're gaining weight. Like it's just a thing. So in 2024 I'm like, "All right, I'm going to do this again. We're going to try again." But last year was brutal. It was absolutely brutal. It dragged me through the mud. I It last year broke me. I was a very broken person last year and I could not and towards the end I was like I cannot do this anymore. It's it's it was I was having to cancel client calls because I was mentally unwell because of I had a lot of losses last year. So it's like why like I'm like I at this point I couldn't even fake it. I'm like I don't care about your lipstick. I just lost a baby, you know, like, you know, it was like little things like that where I'm like, this feels so silly. And I was like, there's so much bigger things happening and here I am like social media, you know. So, I told my husband like, I I I need to rejigger what my version of success is because this isn't it right now. And it was also incredibly unfair to my team and it was also unfair to my clients because I was not even 20% there. I was a shell of a human where I was just operating enough to look like I was getting things done but I was unable to do new business. I was unable to operate at the bigger level to like think of really fun ideas. And that's what I love. Like I love new business. I love strategy. I was just doing enough to keep the lights on and it caught up where it's like the end of the year comes and a lot of things were shifting and it was like the decision was made for me. I either save myself or I save the business and I had already gone through saving the business with the pandemic. I'm like I literally do not have the energy to do this again. It will drive me to the floor if I try to do this again. So I chose myself and it was incredibly hard. I spent all of October through December crying every single day. There was not a day that there was not tears coming down my eyes where I was like having to tell the team individually the agency is closing and it's ceasing operations as it currently exists and then telling all the clients and then putting a game plan together for everyone so that like I minimize like the dismantling. And then I just told myself and everyone's like what's next? And everybody knows that I'm like neurotic OCD. Like I always have a plan. And was the first time in my life I'm like I literally do not know what the hell I'm going to do next. All I know is that I need to step away cuz this was beyond oh just go on a vacation. No, no. Like I literally did not want it to be I did not want to be texted. I didn't want to be asked a question. I literally wanted to pretend that I did not exist for a moment in time. Just I had like I was overly stimulated because it wasn't just the business part of it. IVF is so intrusive. So, it's like I had no control of my schedule. It was like I wake up, I go to a doctor's office, they draw blood, transvaginal uh ultrasound. It's like you're being poked and prodded. Like I'm just like, "Okay, I'm a big science experiment." And then you go home, you inject yourself with a bunch of [ __ ] You go through all these procedures. Oh, open the computer. Conference call time. Oh my god. Oh, when am I getting paid? Okay, here's payroll. D. Like, it was just too much. I would get home and I was just like like incapable of making a decision. So, I shut it down and I told myself, I'm not going to do anything for three months. So, by the time I publicly said it, which was like the end of December, I was already chilling. I was chilling all of December. December was chilling, but also a lot of dismantling, which is still a lot of work. And then January was truly like I was just chilling. Like, I no longer had an alarm on my phone. We adopted a second dog, so that keeps me very active. But she's my alarm clock. I because she's a puppy, she and she's a working dog, which I specifically wanted cuz she keeps me active and she keeps me outside. My biggest therapy was going on walks with her cuz that's the other thing with the IVF process. You're very limited with the kind of physical activity you can do and I'm a lifelong athlete. So that also not physically it's been hard for me. This is like the heaviest I've been in my adult life. But also to me exercise is for my mental health. So not being able to run or lift weights was hard. So I like I need like a very active dog cuz all I'm limited to right now is like walking. So when you were dismantling the company, did you say to yourself, "Okay, before I completely close down, I need to have this much money in my bank account to hold me down while I think about what's next or while I just chill." Yeah. I mean, I already had a savings account. So for me closing the business I had and I have that financial cushion which allowed me to tell myself okay if I needed to I can take six months off and be fine. Yes, I have a husband but in my mind we I like to keep my finances separate because I never want to be a financial burden to him. Yes, I mean we've been together for like 12 years 12 13 years but still like I'm just like I don't want to you know he has his own stress. I don't need to add on to his stress. So yes, I had a certain amount in my personal savings that allowed me to make that decision. And I think that also helped me be a little less fearful of like, oh my god, like what's next? Or make like an irrational decision cuz you were like stressed. Oh, I was already doing like a trauma response thing where I was like literally I applied to like 13 jobs and my husband was like, "What are you doing?" He's like, "You need to chill." I was like, "Oh my god, look, I could be making like 400k." Like, are you kidding me? like I'm applying to everything and then I was like back away back away from the computer. So yeah, like it's and you had to like force yourself to go. Yeah. which is I think is really difficult for women like us who are just like go go go super ambitious, make something out of nothing, is used to like trailing her own lane, like holding it down, like all the things to just like completely stop and like sit with yourself. Like that's it was courageous. It was so hard. After like the second week, it felt like a little bit better. But like the first week, I was doing like the whole like I would wake up at like six, mainly cuz the dog wakes up early and like walk her and then I go home. I'm like, "Okay, I'm going to be a housewife now. I'm going to clean and cook." And it was like still anxiety and I was like, "Bitch, chill." Yo, you were making gourmet. I mean, I still do. I just don't post it cuz I'm just tired. I'm like, 10 course meals. I'm like, "Okay, let's chili and sea bas and poto tonight. No, I love cooking. And I think also too the reason why everyone's like, "Why do you cook so much?" And I was like, "Honestly, because it takes me away from the computer." I like to be very like I like to keep my hands busy. I'm I'm pretty sure I'm undiagnosed ADD, ADHD possibly. My brother has full-blown ADHD. I am just I I'm very like if if I don't keep my hands busy, I will be on technology. And I'm very aware of that. Mhm. So that's why it's like I like to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I literally cook like three course meals for every meal. I know. I see it on social media. I was like, "Look at her go. Like I want to move in." And it's very therapeutic cuz it also helps me practice not stillness, but like slowness. So it's like I also told myself like not everything has to be fast, you know, because that's also feeds into the anxiety like not everything needs to be fast. This whole resetting of my nervous system requires stillness. So it's like, yes, I love my espresso machine, but I stopped using it and I do French press instead, which forces me to grind my coffee beans every morning and boil water and let it steep. Like, yes, that sounds very like whatever, but it's like it helps me be not like so neurotic. So, and I needed that time just to constantly think, which, you know, for me, when I was dismantling the business, I was telling myself and everyone, which is the same chaotic thing I did when I left my old job. Was like, I'm not going to I'm not going to do this anymore. I I hate PR. I'm not going to do because this is so exhausting. It drove me to like this neurotic place that I'm in. And I told myself, I'm like, no, why why are you leaving something that you're really good at and that you genuinely love? You just have to show up differently. So, I went through this exercise where I did like I call it my four column like process where it's like I write down everything I'm really good at and I write that down and then I write down everything I like to do cuz what you're good at what you like to do are two very different things and then I had a column of like things that I dream about crazy things like I wrote like own a nail salon you know like just write everything you would you dream about and then one and then a column of like everything you hate in your professional world. And then going through that process, it it dawned on me. I was like, "Okay, I'm really good at storytelling. I'm really good at PR. I'm obviously really good at influencer marketing and helping people kind of shape their businesses. And I'm obviously really good at helping women kind of like find or kind of help them get unstuck. And I'm really good at strategy." But what I realized that I didn't like was the execution. That is what was burning me out. We're like, "Oh, like, oh, this is the launch. Okay, here's your strategy. Oh, can you plan the event and do the media tour and all that stuff? I'm like, no, I don't want to do that anymore. Like, I will give you the plan. You need to find somebody else to execute. That is what was burning me out. So, that's why I'm like, wait, I can be a consultant because it still allows me to operate in that space and help people who just need a push and say, oh, like I met with a friend who's an interior designer and she's just like, I can do all of this. I just don't know where to start. She's like, "Can you help me put a toolkit together?" I'm like, "Perfect." Like I'm like like you're my dream client. Like that's exactly one. It's like these are all your assets. This is how to structure it. This is all the opportunities you have. Like if you have this opportunity, this is how it should show up on social. This is how it should show up on your email. This is how you can pitch it to media and just kind of create that toolkit. I don't want to be in the weeds at that level. I want to be able to take on projects and have that flexibility because I am so used to having somewhat of like a very free schedule. I'm not against going back to corporate and I I am putting it out there like I'm open to it but it has to be the right the right company, the right brand, the right pay cuz girl benefits sounds so good right now. I hear you. I hear you. How how were you managing benefits? Cuz the both of you guys were entrepreneurs like you and hubby. We each have insurance like through we actually have Oscar because it's they're probably one of the friendliest to like entrepreneurs and people who just want to buy their own policies. But it is crazy expensive. It is we pay the full price where like if you go through a company, you're paying a part and the company's paying the other part. How much is it? My policy alone is $1,100 a month. Oh wow. And do you have to do co-ay and everything? Mhm. Oh wow. Yeah. And I had Oh, an IVF is not covered. Oh, insurance. Yeah. No, I know that's that's where all those millions in brand deals came through. No, literally luckily for Thank Thank God for my husband. So, let's get into the talk that talk segment to wrap things up. So, we were talking about IVF and you know, I've had guests prior on the show that spoke a lot about how difficult it is to go through this experience because it's not really spoken about. And also, like to your point, I know we were talking and you were like, you know, Latinas are known to be like fertile murder. Like that's what society thinks about Latinos. And for you not to be able to like produce in that way, it's kind of like shame, you know? I think about what what is that show that the woman was walking down and they were like shame shame. Game of Thrones was it? I think so. Shame. I feel like I can visualize it but they were like throwing rocks at her and just saying shame shame shame. But that's like how it feels, right? Yeah. So what do we need to do as a community to make sure that we like stop this stop the shenanigans? Yeah. I mean I think you know it's a tough conversation. It's a tough topic because there first of all it's still somewhat taboo and then I realized that maybe a lot of reasons people don't talk about it is that like they themselves don't even understand it right so it's like for me and I know we were kind of talking about it a little bit before it's like I consider myself a very smart educated woman but there was things that I was learning about my own body during IVF where I'm like wait like why didn't I know this right so I I think one it's like there it's just so layered. One, it's like education around the human reproductive system is so simplified when it shouldn't be at the school level because for some reason the thing that we all have on our body some some reason we can't talk about it, right? We're we're taught in school you have a vagina, he has a penis, don't have sex. It's not that simple. Our bodies are very complex and it makes almost girls uncomfortable with their own bodies because we don't even understand it. Right? So then there's that component. Then there's the component that you know when you start trying it's like oh just have sex just relax. You know when you relax it's it'll come and it's like no there's you actually need to track your ovulation. It's not just like oh we're just going to like have sex and hope it happens. like our fertility window is actually incredibly short, which goes back to education. We're taught like never have sex cuz you're going to get pregnant when in reality you only have maybe a 3 to six day window where you're actually able to conceive within your 28 day cycle. So then there's that component. It's like actually learning that it's super complex and it's actually learning that the remale the female reproductive system is incredibly inefficient. Most women have losses and one in four women in this country currently are dealing with infertility. That's a lot of people. That is a lot. It's a lot of people. And I think I think we're getting better now unfortunately because there's so many policies around it where people are like, "No, I need to speak up about this because like now policies are being written that could impede our ability to have access to it." But I think the biggest thing for anyone, especially in the Latino community, is just be supportive and also listen to how the person wants the support and actually stick to it. And I say that because, you know, I know that people want to actually help and be there, but it's really hard speaking from my own personal experience. I'm the only one in my family that has fertility issues. Every single person has gotten pregnant and has had a life a full term and a live birth, right? I've been pregnant, but I have not carried full term. So, you know, it's hard because our families, they care so deeply and they want to be there and they naturally want to ask, but when you're living and breathing and going through IVF, the last thing I want to do is talk about it. I'm exhausted. And I also don't want to I already feel like a science experiment. So, I actually told everyone I was like, "Don't bring it up unless I bring it up because I need a break from talking about it and I don't want to talk about it and if I have an update for you, I'll give it to you." And it's it was very hard for my parents because they're so like excited. They're besties. They're like my besties, but also too like IVF is so it's like everything is like hurry up and wait. So, it's like you do one thing and then you have to wait three weeks for the next thing. It's like there's these long waiting periods and I'm like I don't always have an update for you. you know, right now the embryos are baking. I don't know what's happening, you know, like. So, it's really hard. And I I just think like hear people be a resource. And literally the one thing I cannot stand here and I don't ever change it. Like, it's hard. It's just like, oh my god, I can't believe you don't have kids, girl. And I'm just like, do you want me to tell you I just lost one yesterday? Like, exactly. Not only that, but like the women who like are choosing not to have kids or maybe they haven't met someone that they want to have kids with and they're they're their desire is not to raise a kid on their own. Like again, shame, shame, shame. Like you're not doing what women are supposed to do. Like that's what you're here for. You're here to reproduce. And it's [ __ ] up cuz we're the ones who get all the pressure all the time. And it's like I'm looking forward to more education around this especially for men so that they can start understanding how much of a challenge women face when it comes to this. Like it's not just oh you know your sperm is all good and it's just going to happen. No, there's a lot of things to consider which adds to the whole shame shame shame because they are ignorant. They don't know what the hell they're talking about. No. And then also sometimes, you know, it's not our case, but like there's sometimes the the fertility issue is also the male and it's called male factor infertility. So then there's that. I think going through IVF, you know, it's it's tough, right? In this aspect, you know, my husband and I, we both really want a family. So, we're both in this together. The support like literally I can tell you that going through this made me realize like I married the perfect man because the level of support that he gives me is insane, right? And it goes both ways. And men have a very different way of externally expressing themselves around this too. And I think you know there's no way you can prepare for IVF until you're in it. But you it will test your marriage in very different ways. Like we've had to have conversations that I just never thought I would have to have because like for example like when you start the IVF process, there's a lot of legal paperwork that you have to sign because you're literally creating embryos. So there's this massive contract that you sign with your clinic and some of the questions are like, well, once these embryos are created, what happens if one of the partner dies? Who gets the embryos? So you have to make a decision on that. And then it's like, well, if the other surviving partner dies, what do we do with the embryos? Do you want to donate them or do you want to discard them? Oh, well, if you guys get divorced, where are these embryos going? Like, it's like so lay like they literally think through every seminar and then you like sit with this contract in front of each other and you're like, "Oh, shit." Like, "How do we talk about this?" You know? So, it's really tough and and it'll test you. And I think in our situation, I'm very grateful. It's brought us much closer together. Um, but yeah, I think men also have had to do a lot of learning because at the end of the day, the one that gets the brunt of all of this is the woman. We're the ones injecting ourselves like, yo, for the dude, it's so easy. They just like get a cup, do their thing, and and here we are being poked, prodded, like in every way imagine. And these procedures are a lot of them are very painful. Very, very painful. And because of we're dealing with like the uterus, a lot of the things they really can't get pain medication for. So unfortunately, you got to rough it out. But yeah, I think I think luckily there I've seen more and more women talk about it on social and a big reason why I share when I share is mainly for selfish reasons to be honest. Like I want to feel less alone and when I share a lot of people come out of the woodwork and they tell me like, "Hey, I had my my kids through IVF. like keep going and that gives me so much like animal and and then people tell me like oh thank you so much for sharing because like I'm going through this and like it makes me feel really lonely going through it but then I remember like every time I go to my IVF clinic it is slam-packed like slam-packed so I'm like this is crazy I'm like what is happening like I'm like but at the same time I'm like why like is it age is it environmental like what is it is it food like what we're eating I don't know like for me honestly it's completely unex they call it unexplained infertility cuz I don't have an autoimmune issue like I don't have PCOS I don't have you know a lot of the times like those sorts of things will contribute to infertility but for some reason I don't know I'm just on well let's tell the people where they can follow your journey cuz you are on quite the journey both personally and professionally so where can they find you I post most of my content on Instagram because I'm a millennial um so you can find me on Instagram Li Marie so It's L L I S Y M A R I E. And then I put a lot of my professional kind of tips and tricks and um that sort of content on my business page which is @chicinfluence. And then I started my Tik Tok like a month ago. Oh [ __ ] So I've just been like honestly I'm repurposing a lot of the content but then I sprinkle in I I sprinkle in some Tik Tok exclusive content because I really realize now that Tik Tok is just where you go to like Kiki and have fun. Yes. Um, I'm really starting to like the Tik Tok community. Like they're fun. They're more fun and you grow faster. Yeah. Like I posted one video yesterday and I'm like graveyard town. For some reason on Instagram the more I post I keep losing followers and then on Tik Tok the more I post the more followers I get. But yeah, that's it's annoying. Yeah. Well, I'm really excited to witness this journey that you're on and I'm so really proud of you for being so courageous, for being so daring, for being a risk taker because it gives other women permission to do that, too. Because there are a lot of women who are in the same position where they're super frustrated, they're stuck, they're feeling strapped, they're overwhelmed, and they're just continuing on just to continue on. Right. Yeah. And so we need examples of what it's like when you choose you and when you make yourself a priority and you're going to survive and you're going to be okay, right? And you're going to be all right. Um, so so thank you for that. And a little tip, I don't know. You're your own brand right now. Mu, I hope you know that. Like I mean I guess listen, I be seeing the voiceovers. I'm like, "Oh my god, Lette is an influencer. It's just she's about to come who she used to manage and you're going to kill it cuz the brand deals are going to come to you." No, that's so funny. You going to know how to negotiate it? No. Well, that part. Yes. I trust me. There's one thing I love is a contract and putting red line edits on it. I'm just so much Well, cuz one and I obviously I'm very inspired by women like you because you are your own brand and you show up fearlessly and consistently and authentically and that is very empowering. I've always been an incredibly behindthescenes person because that's where I'm comfortable. Yes, I have no problem. I can pop off and talk someone's head off. But once I entered, okay, now I'm a consultant. I have to put myself out there. Like I, you know, I had to have this conversation with myself. It's like, why would someone hire me? I need to tell them why they need to hire me. And that can only come to life via content. So, it is uncomfortable. This is why the voiceovers, I have more fun with them because it's less stressful talking to camera. Sometimes I'm like, "Oh my god." Uh, and I spent a lot of time writing those scripts. I know you do, girl, cuz you're a perfectionist. But, you know, I'm having a lot of fun because it also I don't know. It's it's a challenge, too. And I like to do different things. Yeah. You're But you inspire me, too. So, Oh, thank you, love. You're in reinvention mode, like the ultimate pivot. Um, but yeah, it's exciting to witness and I can't wait to support and watch you do the glow up and all the things. Probably hire you at some point cuz I've been wanting to hire you. You already know. I remember I went to the site and I was like, "Yeah, so can you hire me?" You were like, "No, I got too many clients." And then there was a time and you were like, "Yeah, I'm gonna need a three-month retainer up front." I was like, "Okay, I'll come back later." So, might now might be the time. I'm real cheap now. No, I was kidding. Thank you so much for being on the show. I appreciate you so much for having this was such a fun chat. Yes, it was. And thank you to all of you for being here. Remember to leave your reviews. Remember to subscribe and also share this episode. If you know um a fellow entrepreneur that is in the trenches right now that's just thinking about next steps and unsure about what steps to take next. Definitely share this. Anybody in the IVF journey, share this with them. Uh and just anyone else that you think will resonate with what we talked about today. So, thank you so much for being here and I'll see you in the next episode. Ciao. Listen up, Latinas. It is time to take ownership of our because if we don't, who will? Did you know that only 45% of Latinas have a savings account and 83% of Hispanic millennials have no retirement savings whatsoever? Damn. And what's even more alarming, Hmanas, is that even though we're the second largest ethnic group in the United States, there's a $200 billion lending gap between Latino owned businesses and their white counterparts. This is why Fortuna Latina exists. A free program designed to help Latinas build wealth, manage money, and secure their financial independence. This is about controlling your future and letting go of your money trauma. Mi, the wealth gap isn't shrieking. It is growing. And unless we take control of our finances right now, we risk passing down struggle instead of security. So don't hesitate. Join Fortuna Latina, the only financial literacy program designed specifically by Latinas for Latinas. Get access to expert mentorship, an amazing community, and the tools that you need to thrive. Your financial independence begins right now. Join the movement today at fortuna latatina.net. Hola, mi. Banking on Cultura can be found on Apple Podcast or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. So, if you're on the audio wave, make sure to check us out over there.

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