Joanne Bolt (Intro)
The power of a podcast extends well beyond plugging in the mind. So if you're ready to learn how it can help you build a big business, then I’m your best friend, Hi, I'm Joanne Bolt and I am obsessed with all things podcasting, and creating an unapologetically big revenue business with it from podcast guesting to podcast hosting and everything in between. We're gonna dive into it all and show you step by awesome step how using a podcast can and will grow your business. So grab a glass of wine and pop your headphones on. Cuz, Girlfriend, happy hour has begun here on the B-Word.
Joanne Bolt
Hey Girlfriends Welcome back to The B-Word. Do I have a special treat for you today? I met this little ball of sunshine and I can't actually say little because she's super tall especially next to me but ray of sunshine last weekend at the powerhouse Women event and from the minute I looked at the back of the room before she walked up to stage, I thought I need her in my life. Like she just exude so much energy. So, girlfriend, I'm gonna let you introduce yourself. Tell everyone a little bit about your backstory because it's absolutely fascinating. And then we're gonna get into all the things, right?
Lia Valencia Key
Hi, everyone. I am Landon Lindsey key verse I'm overjoyed and honored, just to share this time with you, creator of valency ke the Lindsey keys, wearable joy, wearable light. I love to talk about my backstory because it like you said, if you see me, I'm always in yellow. And you think it's like so bright. And maybe, maybe you think I was born that way. But it's kind of quite the opposite. I was born in Super poverty, super humble beginnings, raised by a single mother, myself, my brother and my sister. And we were raised in the inner city of Philadelphia in the most poverty stricken area, trash birds on the street drug transactions on the corners. I share that because it was a moment where we went from this poverty situation living in this one bedroom apartment underneath a basement to my mother breaking her leg in several places and her no longer being able to afford this little small apartment and she's getting us home her children, and there's a padlock on the door. And that took us immediately from poverty to destitute. And can you imagine a mother with three children now having no place to take her children?
Joanne Bolt
It's unfathomable to me. But I know what happens. Obviously.
Lia Valencia Key
I you know, and it's and I don't have children, but I remember vividly. I was about third grade. So I was about age eight. And I remember that that face of pain. I think that was my first experience of what true pain look like saying in a mother's eyes that immediately sent us to a woman's homeless shelter. And the homeless shelter. I love painting the picture so he can understand the darkness that we walked into large almost like a gym room size. And you think of a school gym room, cots these little metal fold out one foot away from each other filling the gym room. And now one cot to a mother sell the entire family. So that's my mother and the three of us are balled up on this one caught with the little belongings we have in the surroundings as crying and moaning and hopelessness and sorrow just fill in the air. But I share that so clearly because I like to share that was the first time that light my mother shined the first light in my life. And she spoke she looked at us and she said your predicament does not determine your destiny. In the midst of all that darkness. And I love sharing that because all of us together now. It's so powerful to get lost in your predicament. Whatever you put in you particularly could be great. Like I never parallel predicament just to be something negative. You could be in a beautiful place, technically from society standpoint, but your inner soul could tell you this is not my destiny. And so I love those powerful words that whatever is tangible and physical around you is not necessarily where you need to be or where your destiny is. And that was the first seed that was planted, planted in my life. years went on. We stayed in the homeless shelter. I started to soak up this environment, right I started to become negative I started to say bad words. Literally it was my mouth was Potsie at a baby age. Because that's what I heard, right. And I was failing every class and it was it was just really becoming. I was a sponge of my environment. And I remember the second day I'd like to share that was the second light turned down in my life. I'm coming back from school to the homeless shelter and I'm walking towards the door and I see my mother standing at the door and she doesn't look happy. And I get to her and she asked me to one question two parts. And she said Leah, do you want to be a follower? Or do you want to be a leader? First of all, I guess I'm fifth grade ish. And so I'm still clueless on what she's talking about and why she's even asking this question. So she continues and she says, because right now you're following and you're gonna follow and be everything you see in this environment. Or you get a choice and lead you get a choice to lead your life. You can listen to that inner whisper inside of you and choose and lead it all the way to your destiny. And the powerful part about this I thought magical was she didn't tell me what to do. She said now you choose and she walked away powerful
Lia Valencia Key
So she left me with the power of choice, which was magical to me. I didn't even Honestly, the only thing I knew the word. I didn't understand that I thought anything that I was around that that's what you just did is just what it is. And when she just she poured into me this concept of choice, it was so magical. And it turned on all the lights for me because honestly, I didn't like being that way. It really never felt good. And it was so relieving. Because I did have this inside of me that says so much different than what I was being and I then gave permission. And I love that because no matter who your child or adult they are, as a human, there's some power and permission. And just getting giving like the light to say yes, that inside or whatever that is follow it. And so I started immediately choose, I chose all the way I went back. I remember the next day I went back to school, asked my teachers, how do I get better grades? How do I see beyond where I was. And then that's when I love sharing that because there's some beauty and just sharing where you are vulnerably and then asking people for directions, maybe not for them to do anything specific for you, but just pointing me in the direction I'll do the rest. Like what? Give me the recipe. I'll bake the cake. Gay, okay, and I'm not even asking you to get the eggs in the butter or anything. Just tell me what it is. And I will figure out how to do it. And so that's what I did I started just ask like how this has to be possible. And my mother said no, so it's so adorable. I took those words as gold. And I love sharing that because take word and and you know what words in your life are powerful and true. Like we have this human intuition. Right? Right. I'll say something here but like, not for me. You shift it you let it go you release it. But then somebody will say something and you know it's for you and I'd encourage you when you know specifically that it's for you. Take hold of it and run with it use it because it literally words can be life changing. It was life changing for me. I can call on tire being
Joanne Bolt
I mean words can make you either not believe in yourself. If enough people around you, you know place doubt into your world or they can lift you up and make you believe in yourself. If enough people or actually buy enough people it can just take 199 people around you saying you're not good enough. And the one that says you are and that's, that's the voice you need to hear. That's the only one or 99 people around you saying you got bread and the one naysayer can be what you anchor on to. And so yeah, I tell my kids all the time, I'm like, you've got to be so careful with your words.
Lia Valencia Key
So careful, like what are you speaking in your own life? Like, are you unconsciously just saying, I can't do this? Oh, this is impossible. Oh, today, it's so hard. Like all the things we're that just kind of sometimes can roll out of our mouth actually has so much power. And you're so right, it can be that one voice. And the reason why one voice can be so powerful to change your life for the positive because you know, it's true. And when you know something's true, if you really just lean into that truth, there is magic that can be happening. Because when I'm in that environment, like everything else around me said opposite. And I saw a proof predicament proof that what my mother was saying was not true. You get what I mean? Like if, if we really looked at facts, what she said was almost impossible. But at least my inner life, like everything right now physically says this. And so that's what that from that moment, I really start to turn myself, instead of being outwardly focused, being very center inwardly focused. So I'm really not focused on one outside and what the world does, says or thinks, if I am looking outside, I've already listened to my inside. And now I'm just looking for inspiration of proof. You get what I mean? Like, even with fashion, like, people think about what I wear, I put some stuff on because it feels good. And back in the sticks is things. And it's, it feels so good to me. So I became the first and only person in my family. And in that neighborhood, we finally got moved to a housing project, which honestly is a homeless shelter, just in building for him. And I lived there until college. But I just start to move and I start to be the only one that went got accepted to college and go to college. Here's the funny part that sometimes I share. And sometimes I don't. My mother now here's some interesting part, my mother, I diagnosed her self diagnose for me that she was paralyzed by societal generational curses, and fear. And so physically, she couldn't break out of this because the world had showed her so many things and said so many things like we're saying, right? And she couldn't make moves out of it. But she was able, in her last effort to speak out what she knew to be true and to her children. And that, that's powerful. But now, we all then can live in our own bucket. So if you fast forward to me to college now. Thank God she had spoke those words into my life because I get accepted to college, and I'm excited. Blige and I come home, and my mother's like, not looking so happy, and I'm like, what's wrong? And she's like, you can't go. Oh. And I'm flabbergasted. I'm like, What do you mean? She said, You can't go, I can't even afford, I can afford to physically get you there. I can't afford to get you a book like there. I can't, I have nothing. There's no way you can physically get there. And I remember vividly looking at her and saying, I hear you, but you told me that my predicament does not determine my destiny. And you told me to leave my life with my inner whisper. And I'm going to college. I don't know how but I know. I'm going to college. Because you said it was so and she's looking like, well, because some because we at some point live from my personal bucket because that was factually true. Right. She was trying to kill a dream. She wasn't trying to say no, she just couldn't do it. Right. You got to have a brand be on that physical again. And what I did was and this was unconscious, I just start sharing with everyone that I wanted to go to college like it what I never shared it to ask for help to go to college never once asked someone to help me to get to college. If someone said what are you doing with high school going to college? Like I was so...
Joanne Bolt
you were like manifesting it before manifestation was like a big popular thing, right?
Lia Valencia Key
And even then I even understood the concept of manifestation like if I say it, then I believe it and believing like, I share all the time believing is an action thing. It's not. You don't just think a belief. You are a belief, you act a belief, you say, I believe, and so I would say it and say it and say it. And then people would show up who were aligned for my blessing. And that's why I don't always specifically ask people for things because I feel that God aligns us with earth angels that are destined to bless us. And when we're sharing out our dreams, we're just putting in an atmosphere to fly to that heart. But God's gonna connect it and tell the right person, this is how you blessed her. You are You are the blessing for her. So I just shared and then some one art that I had never seen or talked to called and said, How are you getting to college? Because she knew we were poverty? How are you getting to college, I said, I honestly I don't know, she paid for my way of getting into college, she then told another art, and that I've gotten the books and a computer. And then when I got to college, I found that there was work study, don't let the know or the thing that seems impossible stop you from walking in. Because it will happen if you just keep walking to it. So that just happened and happened. I started moving in this way of being and my mother got really sick. And she was passing in the midst of me graduating college, but the beauty is she got to Sydney shine my light. And the last few words that she shared with me was Oh, I see you shining I see you radiating it like so bright. And she gave me this little earrings. And she said no, there are going to be some times in life that you don't, you can't feel the light. You don't know that it's there where your earrings every day. Click on one look at a mirror touch them and and let them be the physical reminder that the light is always within you. All you have to do is choose it.
Joanne Bolt
And the jewelry line was born.
Lia Valencia Key
And it was born subconsciously. Yeah.
Joanne Bolt
Well, I can tell right there that that's probably where it started.
Lia Valencia Key
That was the start. And that's amazing. Like, when I look back, I'm 44 now. I mean, that was the end of my college era, right? So I'm still kind of teen ish, like 20, early 20s. And I just start hand sketching jewelry. As therapy for me. I eventually lost my mother and I started to hand sketch, what pieces what I wear, that helps me to that light, and the shapes that will remind me of the symbolic ways of light. And that was pure therapy for me. And then I just went on to choose to I got my master's in education. And that was really cool. And then I'm like, Oh, this is a society thing for me. Like, I'm, I'm glad I got my degree. I'm super excited. But none of none of it was aligned to my joy. Like, I didn't come alive seeking that. And so I start to introspect, and I came alive through art, right, the sketches and things anything artistic. And so I decided, alright, I'm going all the way back to school with a master's and I'm gonna go get a cosmetology license. Doesn't that make sense? So I went all the way back people literally thought I was crazy. Like what are you doing? could swim FanSided standpoint, right? You it puts you made it and I wasn't making any money straight out of college. I didn't have any connections. I didn't even know what an internship was in school. I just knew I had to get out of school. My mother always said complete thing. So wherever you are, I'd love to share that. Like I think we get into stuff. And we start it. We leave it the mouse, we go to something else completed, put a completion, something on things, just so that you can know that it's possible to do. You don't have to do it for the rest of your life. You know, but have a completion on it because it it really makes waves in your life I feel. So I completed that education thing, but it wasn't for me. I got this cosmetology license. I went back and got my entire instructors license because I'm a complete either. And then I'm like, Well, I was working at MAC Cosmetics I was sweeping floors with a master's degree. And I share that because when you're when you're on this mission, to hear yourself and I say, God, I believe God whispers to us, when you're on this whisper this mission and saying yes to God's divinely whisper. Sometimes it's not going to line up. Amen? One sounds real crazy. And you can cancel your blessing. And don't cancel your blessing. Listen to something and even if it says, Just finish it. So I went to cosmetology school, I started working at MAC Cosmetics. And I realized a lady came in the store. And she had a pro card. And that means you were in the media industry in some way. And I always ask people what they did. And she worked for QVC. And I was like, Well, I'm young. I'm like, What is QVC? I don't even know what it was. And she just said, it's so big. She was like, it's like TV, 24 hours selling network with a salon and she just painted it. And immediately I thought because I had this cosmetology license. And I honestly got cosmetology because I just wanted to create, I didn't want to work as a stylist in the salon. I just wanted to do 24 hour creation. And she told me it was 24 hours, and I immediately set my goals on this QVC thing. I mean, so serious. I'm like, that's where I'm gonna work. So I, um, she was sweet. She, she connected me with someone at QVC at that time, but I didn't have my cosmetology license, so I could not get the job. I've finished my license. And now I'm ready. And I go to submit my information to these people. And that email no longer exists. So no. That's all the work.
Lia Valencia Key
And so I um, it takes me about five years for me getting my cosmetology license to physically get into QVC. I was sweeping floors and doing ads and ends and I met, I was had to bartend to support myself. And every time if you smiled at me twice, I will tell you, I wanted to work for QVC That's how serious I was like it was in a if you were in a supermarket and you gave me a I would say I want to work for QVC. And people will look at me crazy. But this very time I told someone a gentleman named Fred. I'm bartending. It was just hanging out in the bar. He, he asked for, I think a rum and coke. I poured it. He smiled twice. I said, I want to work for QVC. And he said, Oh, I work for Comcast. And my friend. I think she works for QVC. Give me your information. I'll see what's possible. I give him my information. And I share this because heart centered listening. Yes, we have a dream. And we're doing all these things toward the dream. But the question is, how are you? How's your energy? How's your heart? What are you bringing in the roughest points of you get into your dream? Like bartending and sweeping floors is not the prettiest thing. I had a great time. It was fun. But technically, it was super hard. But I would always bring a smile. I would always bring kindness and everyone I slept with floor I would be the most joyful floor sweeper that you've ever had totally believe it. Like literally people sweep a floor room.
Lia Valencia Key
That and because it's how you are in the midst of all these things. So this gentleman, transfer my information to a friend who had never met me. At all this friend text messages me the next day and said my friend Fred said that you were pure light. You'd see how that energy can transfer from one human to another human. Yep. She said she said Stephanie Humphrey, you are pure light. I heard you're trying to get into QVC it will be a joy for me to help you. Here's the name, contact and email of the person that is the manager of the QVC salon. And oh, by the way, I've never met you but you can use me as a reference.
Joanne Bolt
Wow. I mean, how how powerful.
Lia Valencia Key
How powerful that that's, that's the energy that you give to to the world that will immediately come back to you. And when I say immediately I'm talking not instant, but I'm talking about there's a gravitational pull that will eventually come back to you. So All these notes that I had had from QVC, because before that moment, I had sent my resume in a million times, this is five years. At one time, I decided, Oh, they've got to see my life. Like, that's what's happening. There's a barrier between that they don't know me, they didn't see my smile. So I drove up to QVC. And that was before all the security now you can try it, then you're not getting...
Joanne Bolt
They're gonna say no.
Lia Valencia Key
Stop you at the gate. So but before then you could drive right up and I walked into the building, and there was a security guard, they call them gatekeepers. And I had this little CD, I'm dating myself, and I had all my little portfolio on it. And I was like, can I give this to the salon really happy? And he was not happy. He had this very serious mean, face on and he said, No, do you know someone there? Do you have a name? And I said, No. And he said, Well, man, you need to turn around and leave the premises. You don't belong on this premises. I poured in physical spirit, but my inner spirit, there was a, like a loud whisper. That said, you're gonna walk through those doors one day, and you're actually going to walk past that same man. And I believe that so much. So the interviewer, we fast forward to this connection, this connection is directly true. I get a direct interview from this. Now the five years I had been getting No, but I've been learning everything about all hair textures. So by the time I get this interview, I am ready. Ready, I get the Yes, I get accepted and QVC. And that is I love to say like the third light that was turned on in my life. Because building is a building where people are making dreams happen the hosts, they are grabbing on to people's dreams, which is their business and their products that they are creating, and they are shining it in the world with such passion and love. And then now I'm also styling dreamers, the entrepreneur business, I am from poverty. I honestly didn't even know how business came about. I didn't I didn't know just humans, just creative businesses, like the average person, you know, but these are people sitting in my chair and talking about the passion that they had and how they took a physical product and poured love into it. And I've had so many Earth Angels in my life. That that could be a podcast in itself to list them. But I do list two specifically when it talks about a business inspiration Jamie Kern Lima, New York Times bestseller, believe it book, founder of IT Cosmetics. And Vicky, sigh, founder of touches skincare, these two wonderful hearts, I met them and QVC salon, and they just saw my light. I don't even know if they saw my talent truthfully. Thank God for the light. And they just said Come along with me. And they took me around the world with them. And they sat me in rooms that I didn't even know existed. They sat me in PR press meetings and marketing meetings and product development meetings. A hair stylists and a makeup artist just said come here and just have a seat right here. And I just was they expose me to what was possible. And by the end every time I would style a heart the last thing that they would do was say what bracelet do I put on? What earrings what neck, it was like the seal of confidence, right before they went out and did the thing that no one else could go out and be there with them. It was his courage and I started to look at my life and how my life was just this the Series of Shining and Piercing Light through darkness. And, and this wearable symbolic understanding that all things are possible when you have this courage to shine out in a brave way. And that's when I kind of talked to them. I was like I've been hand sketching these jewelry pieces just for therapy for me. And I feel like so what I saw through them is they had this intention that they put in all of their beauty pieces. And when they pour that love and intention in their beauty pieces, I saw how it was life changing to the receiver, like little light like people would tell them I would be standing there when they would meet people and how much it affect their lives. And I realized that I had something to give to the world as well in a tangible way. And I jumped out and I just decided to go and try to create to bring this wearable light and joy and physical form to the world. Just as symbolism Um, so people can be inspired. And that's how Valencia key was created.
Joanne Bolt
I love this so much. And here's one of the pieces that I'm personally taking from your story is, you started out homeless, you actually went to college and got a degree where you could have become a teacher, you could have used that degree and had, I mean, quite frankly, steady income secure, you know, check. Yes, right benefits. And you know, it's still just not where I need to be. And you kept going and kept going. And you ended up in an entrepreneurial world, where, let's be honest, girlfriend, there's no security and entrepreneurship, you have you know, you are your own boss. Yes, that's the Pro. The con is there's no, you know, paycheck every other week from a corporate company, it's you. And so from homeless to here, when you have that opportunity to take an aisle air quote it the easy route. And for all my educators out there, please don't be offended. I'm not saying education is the easy route.
Lia Valencia Key
But I talked for a little bit.
Joanne Bolt
Right, but it wasn't right for you. And you said, you know, you went forward, and you had to just keep going. And man, look at where you are now on your yellow throne.
Lia Valencia Key
And thank you, thank you for singing that. Thank you for pulling that part out. And that's honestly why I share this story because at powerhouse. They talked about being uncomfortable, right? And there is some power and being uncomfortable when your inner whispers saying that's where you need to be. Yeah, because I'm gonna give you an example. So I get accepted to QVC. Right. But in that time, where I'm still have to support myself, so I have my master's in education, I actually did teach. And then with a license that I received, I stopped working in a cosmetology school. Here's how funny like this is asking you, are you going to bet on you? The moment I get accepted to QVC, which is only freelance work, it is no guarantee it's whenever they have a couple of hours, are you available? Right? At the same time, I get offered a Director of Education position at a cosmetology school.
Joanne Bolt
So the university like you gotta pick, like less same time.
Lia Valencia Key
And I'm talking and that's why I said you gotta watch the outside world, people mean you so much, well, they care for you. And honestly, a lot of the things they'll share is for your protection, so that you will be okay, because I was mull this over with friends and lot of friends was saying, what is the question? Directed job, you're a director of a school you get a salary, a low salary, but a salary, salary, health benefits, you don't you don't even know what health benefits look like, you'll get that. It just wasn't right for me. And so I had to take that belief that what inner whisper was saying was true for me. And I stepped out on it. And it was not easy and it is still hard. And I must admit that being an entrepreneur is still hard. I'm super small. There could be three weeks and I'm praying for so a cell can come may not come in three weeks like I'm praying, I'm praying for an opportunity for exposure for anything that keep his business afloat. That's currently me till this day. But what I love to share is it has to be rooted mine on my collections is talk talks about routed because root rooting yourself and something needs your unwavering. Love that right and it has to be rooted not in the dollar. Because this light will fool you. It looks like the dollars here the dollar is not here yet. But but I'm rooted in the belief that my message and my intention for these pieces are life changing. Is life inspiring is life. uplifting. valency means bravery and key is to unlock. So every piece that I create is this wearable inspiration that every time you look at it, like something like my mother said, every time you touch it. It's that reminder that you can unlock your light. You can unlock your bravery, if you can wear something from a homeless young lady in the inner cities that society says should not be on the map of existence right now. If you can wear that and then whatever God has for you, whatever your dream czar in it. It doesn't have to be business, it could be family, it could be spiritual, it could be emotional, whatever your dreams are, it's possible for you because we are all human. And everything that I do is possible for you.
Joanne Bolt
I love that girlfriend, you are such, and I don't say this, like, you know, lightly, but like you're such a light and just bright, you know, shining bright, so wonderful to have gotten to meet. And I can't wait to help spread the word about your message and your jewelry line and kind of what it means. I mean, I'm wearing a piece today and, and I put it on this morning and I thought, oh my gosh, I didn't put it on because we were talking I put it on because I liked the weight and the feel and the look. And I just thought I just feel so powerful with this set of earrings in today. So tell everyone who has fallen in love with you as much as I have where you want them to go to interact with you and find new pieces.
Lia Valencia Key
Yes, please, please go to my website. www.valenciakey.com Put your email and I promise I do not stock email because I do not like people who bombard my email anytime I'm emailing you is honestly to share some light in your life. To add value to you uplift you or just let you know kind of what's going on. That can be of service to your heart and your spirit. And if there's anything new that came out, I'd share with you so I'd love to connect with you via email and then also Instagram, Instagram friends, I feel like our hearts are connected when we get to see each other's journeys. Some people say they go to I have two pages. My personal is @liavalenciakey. That's where you see all my wild. Where is she now because you don't. I could be in Africa one day, I have a love project. That's a whole n'other podcast but it supports women and the villages of Ghana. I hand sketch handbag designs and then I go to them in the villages. This is a craft they already do. They're locked in a society poverty situation. And there's rarely any income opportunities in these villages. And so I go to the villages and bring income to them. Where they handy these bags they are absolutely beautiful. But it helps them support their families learn a business. And then we bring it over here so we get to be fabulous and we get to support a woman that is able to live out her dreams and support her family so that that'll be on the email list to always share with new bags are coming out. And Instagram my Valencia key Instagram is cool because you get to see not just me living life and joy on Valencia key design you get to see all other people like you said you clicked on your earrings and felt that light and strength. You'll get to see other hearts like that on Valencia key design. And hopefully you send me some pieces and I'll put you on there just because I feel like we're people have proof. Yeah, get encouraged by proof. And lastly, my last thing I want to share is never live in a place of comparison. Live in a place of inspiration. Wire your brain to see things that are going well and beautiful and joy filled and and say I could do that too. Because I feel that whenever God shows you something like that, it's a sign for you to say it's possible for you. So go to be inspired.
Joanne Bolt
I love you. Oh, oh, I love this so much everyone this inspiration, little tidbit of joy into your life today. If you loved it as much as I did, which I know that you did share it with a girlfriend who needs to hear this today. And as always build that empire of your dreams. Put a microphone behind it and I will see you guys, same time, same place, next week.
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