Founder | Come Alive Co | comealive.co
Where do you go to find creative inspiration when you’re feeling stuck?
I find inspiration by turning off my tech to plug into God and nature. With social media, there’s no shortage of ideas available, yet this surplus can lead us to forget the well of authentic creativity just waiting to burst forth from us.
One of my favorite ways to get inspired is through learning about, and appreciating, other cultures. I spent one year living across Europe, Hawaii, and Asia, and I am the Filipina-Chinese-Spanish daughter of immigrants living in America. Different cultures stir me, in my blood and heart. So much of our world has been “westernized”, and yet there is richness in honoring every nation and people group. To connect with people across cultures is to lock into God’s heart, the ultimate source of creativity as I know.
What is something you know now that you wish you could share with your 20 year old self?
Don’t eat the yellow snow. Just kidding (that’s my dad’s favorite quote!). It would be: no amount of money or “fame” will bring you the happiness you want, nor the wholeness that you need. Seek to align yourself in your raison d’être and to heal your heart, and let others see and love the full you… because she is so much more worthy than the masks you’re struggling to hide behind.
What advice do you have for a company who is struggling to reach and relate to their target audience?
It may sound self-gratuitous since it’s what we stand behind, but your Brand Story is the catalyst to reach and relate to your audience.
Your Brand Story is the consistent message of how WHO you are and WHAT you offer help your niche customer overcome a problem to achieve a personal goal. Here’s the tricky part, though: this equation thrives on you getting to know your customer — as a person, not just a purchaser — and leaning in to listen as a fellow human being. Would you show up at a party handing out sales pamphlets from the jump? Approach marketing the way you’d show up at a party (and bring some chips with dip would ya? No one likes an empty-handed party crasher!)
What tips do you have for client acquisition and retention?
Over-deliver, and step out with courage to show up as your full self.
In the corporate world, I constantly felt the pressure to show up perfectly professional. My motto might as well have been, “don’t let them see you sweat, and fake it ‘til you make it.”
One day, my female supervisor pulled me into her office. “You have walls up,” she said. “This makes it hard for people to trust you.”
Since then I’ve aimed to show up as myself — both online, and in person. This meant owning the differences I once thought were liabilities: like my joyful personality, or the color of my skin as the daughter of Filipino immigrants. This is why I’m so passionate about teaching Brand Story; it enables leaders to take charge not just in what they have to offer, but in who they uniquely are. After all, it’s our differences that make a difference and we attract what we put out, so I’m overjoyed to work with clients hyper-aligned to the Come Alive Co mission.
When you gain clients that not only like the work you do, but trust you as a person based on your integrity and your investment in the relationship, you will see your efforts multiply.
What is the biggest challenge facing female leaders today?
Our inner bullies. It’s easy to point at external oppression — and YES, so much united work must be done to tear these hedges down — but no one will advocate for you to achieve the roles or goals you deserve, the way YOU can for yourself. Doing the (hard) inner work to understand my inherent value is the most rewarding journey I’ve been on. Not only has it resulted in greater success in my relationships and work; it’s also spilled over as opportunity for others. (“A rising tide lifts all ships!”)
Best Tip For Staying Motivated
“Set aside time to rest and fill it with the people and activities you love! We cannot run on empty, and a fulfilled, wholehearted leader is in a much better position to lead.”