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Writer's pictureJessica McKinley

190. Never Give Up with Lia Valencia Key

Updated: Mar 7

We have a huge, inspirational guest! Jewelry designer Lia Valencia Key has shared her story with Oprah Magazine, Good Morning America, PBS, Essence, The Mel Robbins Show, QVC, L.A.Style, and now with us. Hear Lia detail the struggles of rising from a life of homelessness as a young girl, to growing into a successful business owner, carving her own path. As we say, never let your circumstances dictate your destiny.


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*This Transcript is Autogenerated*


Lia Valencia Key 0:01

My mother was getting us home from school and we get to the door, and they have a padlock on the door. So a mother with three children has no place to take her children. And that immediately took us to a woman's homeless shelter. And I started to become my environment. And I started to act negative and be negative and fill every grade in school because here's what I saw. And it's the only thing I knew until I was coming back to the homeless shelter from school. And my mother standing at the door of the homeless shelter and I see her and I'm walking towards her. Once I get right in front of her she asked me one question with two parts and it was Leah, do you want to be a follower or leader? Like what is she talking about? And she continues and she says, because right now you're following and you're gonna follow him become everything that you see. Or bleah you can choose to lead. You can choose to lead your life. You can listen to that inner light and that inner divine whisper to your destiny inside of you. And you can lead it all the way into the destiny. And she said So Leah you choose and she walked away? No demands


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 1:18

that as oh my gosh Welcome to sincerely future you a podcast that helps ambitious women like you make decisions today with the future you in mind. Today on sincerely future you I am joined by jewelry designer speaker, pure light and so much more. Lia Valencia Key. You may know her from Oprah's Favorite Things. Have you heard of Oprah? Good Morning America, PBS essence the Mel Robbins show one of my favorite podcasts. QVC LA style. And now you're going to get to know her deeper with us here on the show. Warning I cry in this episode. Leah is so authentic and her story is so powerful. I know you're going to feel the feels. So obviously if you're watching this on YouTube, and you're watching it not in real time, you're like what is happening? I am fully decked out in a Trolls costume because it's Halloween over here when I'm recording. And I'm a cool mom. Okay, so that's what's happening, and no need to continue talking about it. If you want to see what I'm talking about in your listening, just go check this episode out on YouTube. It's good times. Before we dive in, are you ready to be inspired by a masterful CEO school member. This week's client shout out goes out to Jamie. Jamie is the co owner of Possum university with her husband and they get to the root cause training dogs to be an emotional match for their environment. The work they do is honestly revolutionary. I don't want to pet currently. But I always grew up with pets. And I really think that this program that they offer is something that every pet owner needs to look into. I've never seen a couple so equally passionate, and also knowledgeable experts in their fields. Jamie came to me into the masterful CEO school because they were beginning to feel like their business was taking over their whole life. With young kids, it's easy to do the work and then ignore the organizing the tracking and that tedious work that makes your life easier in the long run, but has to slow down to speed up you know what I'm talking about. That's exactly what we teach in the masterful CEO school. So just one month into the September round. She said yesterday, figuring out my impossible goal, the first month got me so organized and helped me get so clear on all of the little things that need to happen to get there. It's lit a fire under both of our acids and actually took a huge weight off our marriage. So I'm super happy in general. You guys, whether you work directly with your partner or your spouse or your significant other, it's just the person that gets the brunt of your emotional outpouring when you're feeling pressure or stress or just confusion. Coaching is the solution. Our partners deserve to be our romantic partners. They are not responsible for solving for the CEO drama that comes with being an entrepreneur. That is what a coach is for. I am so proud of you, Jamie, now that you're tracking and clear on your focus, you're going to actually see that the vague and unknown was probably the source of so much unnecessary, negative emotion and actually, it was costing you money while going to the new level of your business and your marriage. Let's freakin Go pee as checkout possum University on Instagram and their podcasts. They teach amazing mini classes like CPR for dogs. What did you notice was the thing and preparing your dog for baby before baby even arrives? Genius? I wish they had that class for ferrets before I had Calvin. Yes, at one time I was the owner of two businesses, this business and a group of ferrets, which much to my delight is called a business of business of ferrets. That's your fun facts of the day. Now it's time to get hype. We're gonna hype you up via a random anecdote that's happening in my kitchen lately, already. My daughter only wants to eat Trader Joe's chicken salad. She's 15 months people, we let her try buy ones and now she's trying to refuse every other food that we offer her saying just chick. She's just, that's what she's called Chicken Salad. I told you this was gonna sound random, but I promised to land the plane. Now I have a few options here. When this happens. I can either one, change the circumstance, I can ban Mark and I from eating our favorite lunch, or hide it in a backyard mini fridge or two, I can change my thoughts and hold the boundary, letting her cry, throw tantrums and throw food on the floor. And I can feel whatever negative emotion and discomfort that I have to feel to make sure that she knows that if she's hungry, she'll eventually eat something else. Or three. And this is the one I keep seeing people doing in their business. I can argue with reality. I can play the victim. Blame, tell myself we're stuck here. I can say to myself, why did she have to whine and insist on chicken salad every time? Calvin was never this picky. She used to love broccoli. I could get mad at my husband when he starts to take out chicken salad for lunch knowing oh my god, no, I wanted to feed her this other thing now you've thrown off the whole day. Where are you doing this in your business? One of my favorite mentors, Byron Katie says when you argue with reality, you lose but only 100% of the time. Think for a quick second about a circumstance that you're not thrilled about in your business. Maybe it's an employee showing up late. Maybe it's the way that you're storing your replays. If you are a service provider, an online service provider, maybe it's just plain the current financial economy that you're not thrilled with. Let's say it together. I'm going to stop arguing with reality. As my son learned at camp last year and always tells us I am strong. I am brave, I can do this. Change the circumstance change the thought feel whatever the F it takes. But for the love of all that is holy to in partnership with your actual reality, your reality, not my reality, not your past reality, not the reality that you're dreaming of. And that future you is living in your current reality partner with it. Because that's all you've got. And you can create unbelievable results with your exact one. Without further ado, let's introduce you to my girl Leah. Why you guys what a treat we have for you today and sincerely future you. I'm joined by stainless steel jewelry designer with meaning. Lea Valencia key who has been featured in The Oprah Magazine on Good Morning America PBS essence the Mel Robbins show QVC LA style. And now with us. You've heard of some of those places, right? And I first came to know Leah in Denver. Gosh, it's been only a couple of weeks a month ago in at the empower her conference where we were both on stage and her her light her energy. I hope you guys are watching this on YouTube because you really need the visual. We are both got our bright, bright yellow, something Leah said on stage when she was speaking and I can't wait for you to hear you'll hear this in a moment was that like, she was like, energy is my jam. And it's so simple, but I just I really felt it. I was like that's just you put so eloquently exactly how I feel right? It's like you are responsible for the energy you bring into every room. And today we are going to talk about her mission here and I wanted to have her on the show because not only her business but I believe her life is an example of how you can have one Reality in front of your eyeballs. And you can know, deep in your bones that there is a future version of you. That is just seeing a totally different reality. It's real. So Leah, thank you for being on the show with us today.


Lia Valencia Key 10:18

Thank you. It is such a joy and such an honor to just be here and be able to share our hearts together.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 10:26

Yes. And so firstly, I love that your middle and last names define your mission. Right? I thought that was so cute. Right? Leah Valencia key. Valencia means strong and brave, while key means crucial, important and to unlock. With those strong attributes at heart, and not an easy childhood. Can you tell us a little bit about kind of your background like past Leah, we talked about future Leah a bit. But past Leah, how are you able to gather loss and pain and turn it into such beauty and resilience that I see in front of me today?


Lia Valencia Key 11:02

Oh, thank you for starting with past Leah. Leah has really curated current Lea and I love sharing that because when you see me you're like, Oh, she's like, and then you think maybe I was born in that. And maybe it's been inherent, you know, gifted to me. But it was quite the opposite. I was born and in our city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the most impoverished neighborhood of Philadelphia. Drug transactions on every corner, trash ridden streets. Born to a single mother who lived in generational poverty, if anyone knows what generational poverty is, so you, you're my mother's mother was born in a poverty her mother was born in a poverty and it just keeps spiraling down. And we went from poverty to destitute when my mother broke her leg in several places, and she could no longer afford, we lived in a little one bedroom apartment, in the basement, under someone's home in this very violent area. And when my mother could no longer work, she could no longer afford that. So I remember vividly the day we went from poverty to destitute. My mother was getting us home from school and we get to the door. And they have a padlock on the door. So a mother with three children has no place to take her children. And that immediately took us to a woman's homeless shelter. And I always paint the picture of the first day we landed in this monitor homeless shelter because it was indicative of someone's predicament not in physical form. Like you don't have to be in a homeless shelter, to relate. But let me be there's darkness. So we landed and there's moaning in this sorrow and it's one big gym room. And each gym, each visit caught one foot apart. So there's these little metal beds fill in the gym room, and the mother gets one cot to the entire family. So you've got a family balled up on a cot, everybody crying and sorrow and hopelessness just filling the room. But I share that so clearly, because in that same dark time, my mother looked down at her three children movie and including and she said your predicament does not determine your destiny. I love sharing that because the power of word is so magical and impactful. Meaning like this, that you are wherever you are, and it can be good. I always share that because your predicament could feel you could feel from society standpoint, you're great. And it's nothing wrong with your predicament. But in your heart, it's heavy because you know, you have another destiny to get to. And I love my mother's simple words. It doesn't determine your destiny. I was young I was about age eight. So I call it a seed that was planted. I didn't get it because I'm looking like this predicament looks real real to me.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 14:13

It's looking bleak, mom.


Lia Valencia Key 14:16

That's the knee like to me. So I actually started to become that I started to become my environment. And I started to act negative and be negative and fill every grade in school because it's what I saw. And it's only thing I knew until I call it the beautiful day that the pure light was turned on in my life. I was coming back to the homeless shelter from school. And my mother is standing at the door of the homeless shelter and I see her and I'm walking towards her. Once I get right in front of her she asked me one question with two parts and it was Leah Do you want to be a follower or leader? And I'm perplexed because I'm now 10 I have been confused, like, what is she talking about? And she continues, and she says, because right now you're following, and you're gonna follow him become everything that you see. Or Lea you can choose to lead, you can choose to lead your life, you can listen to that inner light and that inner divine whisper to your destiny inside of you. And you can lead it all the way into the destiny. And she said, So Leah, you choose, and she walked away, no demands


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 15:34

by that as oh my gosh, every mother, I'm telling you right now, like my son is in that testing phase. Like he is just testing me every day, especially when it comes to school. And you know, he's learning things. And he's like, like, just it's so tempting to just want to be teaching all the time and telling and telling, and just think how wise of your mama to just have this moment where it's almost like she trusted you. She trusted in you as a 10 year old to be able to answer a high quality question.


Lia Valencia Key 16:10

Oh, I like that.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 16:13

Yeah. And I just think like, it's such a reminder to me, and I'm just so grateful for this story. And now it's the second time I'm hearing this story. And it hit different today, just because of the context of what I'm going through this week. And it just is such a reminder to all of us to put trust in the people that we love. Yeah, a reminder that like our destiny is our responsibility with the people that we love, their destiny, we need to trust that they have the power to answer good questions.


Lia Valencia Key 16:51

For them, like what I loved what she did in that is, she painted the truth. She made it clear for me to see like, here's the chart doing what no judgement, like, here's what. And and here's, here's the, here's the repercussions of what you're doing. Here's what it's going to turn out to be you see it, it's right here. Yeah. And so having that power of choice, and I love sharing that because that was the first light to I never understood choice. I don't even know if choice was a word at that moment, like the word choice, flooded my heart and mind immediately, like, there's a thing, meaning I can choose the god, no, I thought what you see is what you do, this is where we are. This is where we're from, and when my mother enlightened me that I really can choose. And she also gave permission. And I think we as humans, we need permission. As I knew inside, I didn't feel good doing these things. Truthfully, I was just following. But I knew there was something inside of me that was saying different. And she gave me permission to allow that bliss to be louder.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 18:14

I love it. You said in the beginning where you were like, listen, there's lightness, and there's darkness. It doesn't have to be homelessness to be related to that darkness feeling inside you. And I think you just hit the nail on the head when you said that. You know, sometimes we forget that we have choice because all we see is darkness. And so what would you say to a listener right now who is in a place where they just feel darkness? Maybe like there's privilege and darkness, though too. Right? And I think that that's a confusing part because then we feel bad about feeling bad.


Lia Valencia Key 18:51

Because I shouldn't


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 18:52

I shouldn't right? Yeah. And and so they're in whatever but there's a darkness there. But there's also the light right like and and they forget that they have a choice like, what, what next, right? So now you have this realization, maybe someone is having it right now. They're listening and they're like, I have not been exercising my human right to choose because I've been telling myself a story that I'm just in this situation whether it's like I also was a single mom, I'm remarried now but I was a single mom when my son was little I felt very trapped by the circumstances of this I was in New York in an expensive area. I think I had really high expectations for myself and I was falling below all of them. And I I had told myself a story briefly I got out of it thankfully for coaching but like I I had this story just that there. There was no choice until I had money or in Till I had the thing, husband or partner wherever it was like, I had no choice. What do you do when you're like, Okay, I feel like there's no choice. But you're telling me there's the choice like, what did you do? Then from that moment? You're 10? You realizing like, okay, there's a choice like, is it little things? Is it big things? What do you what? How do you,


Lia Valencia Key 20:22

I love calling it, there's, I think it's a three part, action step keys, I kind of like to call them keys that helped kind of unlock this movement, a choice. One is to really come from the outside, because we spend a lot of our time outside of ourself. And a lot of the darkness is happening externally. You're looking at things, you're hearing things, you're allowing the external world to fill into your internal soul. And it's weighing in on you. And so one thing, the first thing to do is literally avert from the outside in meaning. Your eyes are so key to what the world is doing and what everybody else is doing. Right? And I would ask that you shift the vision to turn into yourself and what? Who am I? Like, what whispers are calling in my soul? That darkness is heavy, because the whispers are crying? And you're not listening? You're looking at the outside and you're trying to follow outside? What what is my internal whisper asking me to be see, do? I'm really trusting that that is your calling. And when you trust it, I always say then you have to believe it to be so. So if you listen to your inner self, and your inner is calls out for me, will it take it to 1010 year old Lea? Oops, I moved out from all the things that people were doing outside and I said, Oh, what does the inside say to me? Well, the inside says first thing, better grades is is my thing. This failing and thing is not my thing I need to actually activate in school. I don't know why it said it. That's what it said. And so then I believe that immediately to be true. And when you believe something I always share that believing is an action word. Who Yes, I agree. It's not a thought. It's an action. How do you know? Well, when you think something, there's no movement, when you believe something and catapult you to at least what I call a millimeter movement. And what I define as a millimeter movement through creating jewelry is the impact of a millimeter is a smallest measurement on a ruler. And when I'm designing, I realize the impact of a two millimeter bracelet thickness is different than a three millimeter bracelet, the quality, the lux, the feel, even the ability to adjust it or not, is entirely impacted and different. So then when I took that into life, I'm like, wow. So that means a millimeter movement in my life will drastically impact where I'm going, what I'm doing. And so the first thing I did, which I call was a millimeter movement, I went back to school and asked my teacher, how do I get better grades? Once you go inside yourself, and you see the visions for yourself, you see your vision, even if you don't know how you're gonna get there, you see him, that's all better grades. So then the next thing is to believe that better grades are there for me. And so the next thing is to act on how do I get a better grades? I don't know how to get a better test score, because clearly I'm failing, but I know how to open my mouth and share. Yes, that's an action. So I shared my questions in my dreams. And when you don't know how to get out, you share your dreams to the world. And you don't share them for someone to actually directly help you because everyone you share them to may not be able to help you and that expectation should not be put there. You're sharing them so they get out of your body and have wings to fly. And what is true is when you share it enough, there's an earth angel line to take you one step further. The Earth Angel may even just say Google it. I've had this thing I was telling somebody my dream. And it was torlon I was agonizing that I knew I needed to do it. I don't know how to do and I just shared names like have you Googled to Google and start to open up things for me to do another small millimeter movement. So when you move a small movement or even opening up your mouth and speaking it out into the world, then the world starts to speak back to you with the smaller actions, and then you just take small actions toward it. It's not the big goal. Yes, it's the small actions within it, that's gonna drastically shift where you are.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 25:29

Yes. So I'm gonna recap for the listeners. Because I just think like, you've laid out such a good step by step for someone that feels really overwhelmed something that feels just like, okay, the future I want it, I know, I want it. It's, it's, maybe the big thing is clear to them, or maybe just a part of it, or maybe the essence of it is but like, what, what now? And I think number one, you said, like decide you have a choice. You decide that your your predicament does not determine your destiny is that yes, the predicament right now does not determine your destiny. I believe that to my core, the way I kind of say it is that, you know, yesterday does not define your tomorrow, or that like what you are experiencing right now your current reality has nothing, no impact on your future reality unless you choose to repeat that story to yourself in your brain. So like you said, right? If you are in the habit right now, of repeating your past or your current story and your brain, next step is to start saying out loud. We're going Yeah, imagine other people looking at where a train is coming from, and being like, should I get on this train? Yes or no, but they have no clue where the train is going. They don't care about where the train came from. They care to know where is the train going? Yeah, clear destination, and they don't even really care. Like, what are all the stops we're gonna stop about along the way. I don't care if I know and I believe that your train is going to the stop that I want to go. You're going to seem like choo choo. Let's go baby. Hey, I'm having on. So then, so good. Then the next step is to just like you said, share, share that destination share where you're going. And then take one millimeter action millimeter movement. I love this so much. I was talking about it last week and last week's episode. I was talking about attacking your goals by air land and sea right. And I was talking about the sea part of it being that that millimeter movement I didn't say this just you said it so so eloquently. But like I said, if you shift one degree in a submarine, you can change your destination by a continent live. One hour less of TV 10% Bravery today. Yeah. 10% more action today, whatever it is, and 10% Maybe too ambitious to maybe it's 1%


Lia Valencia Key 28:17

Maybe it's 1% it takes the pressure and number and and above all, remove your vision from looking externally to seeking internally Yes, because and then the only time you shift outside to look is for confirmation of your internal word. So I'm inside what is it Leah? What do you need? What what's Peace to you? What's the joy to you? What's love to you? Okay, what does that look to you the pain it see it? Feel it? Okay, that's what it looks like. I got it clear. When I open my eyes to see x tunnel vision. Now I'm just targeted on confirmation of what's in alignment to me. Yes, that helps me cancel out comparison. Yes. And I'm only inspired to say, oh, that's proof piece is around the corner because I see that and someone else is I see that love and someone else. So it's possible, because I've confirmed that this is what I need. And now I see that it's living proof outside of me. Confirmation. Keep going.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 29:26

Amen. Quick break, because you need to hear this. If you are someone who has a job ad, or that's what I call a business that isn't returning like you want it to write, maybe you're working really hard at it. Maybe you even have a bunch of clients, but the profit margins are not where you want it to be. Or you're just really inconsistent with how you show up or the business is returning inconsistently. Or maybe you're just someone with an idea that's always wanted to start a business. You need to Get inside the splash pad. The splash pad is my lifetime community course. And now that drumroll please, going to be a weekly coaching. That's right. You heard me weekly coaching for life with one time purchase, have you heard of such a thing? I am so passionate about helping women business owners specifically, get this business one on one and stop focusing on all of the things that they've been marketing that they have to do, until they're starting to profit in their business. There's so much that you guys are doing in the beginning of the business that is unnecessary. Your beginner startup costs need to include a room with a business coach and that room that I recommend that oh, we are having so much fun in is the splash pad. And good news. If you are hearing this right now for the month of November, only. If you join the splash pad this month, you will get a bonus one on one coaching session with me. The room is starting to fill up and I am starting to reach my capacity to be able to do these one on one calls. So after November, I will no longer have that as an opportunity. So if you've always wanted to know what it is like to get coaching one on one with an Advanced Business Coach, now's your opportunity. It doesn't matter what level you're at. You are ready. Let's freakin go. All right, back to the show. So let's talk about the business. At what point did you decide that part of that future Lea part of that mission? That light included a business was it like did you have a business plan or


Lia Valencia Key 31:55

have a business plan? Last me with that, please? I that you know that came late? I don't even know I'm from poverty. I didn't even know that people creative businesses. I know it sounds very silly. You just don't know what when you what you don't see. Yeah, I did that.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 32:15

Wait, I need to stop you for one second. Don't know what you don't see that applies to everyone. It applies with love. It applies with relationships with help with business with anything, if you feel are feeling clueless, and maybe like you said to you turn inward first. And then slowly with those millimeter movements. Get around people that you think are going to clue you into what you do need to know. I know you have curated a Lightning Network, like a network of people that just shower light onto you when we're feeling darkness and I just one of the things that immediately I saw like I was like I see her first of all irradiate like again guys go to the YouTube you have to see what Leah's wearing the the like throne that she is sitting on right now her joy, it's so good. But then also to you see the people around you that love you. And I've always felt that for me to like one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life, is to just be brave enough to surround myself and to show love to people who I want it to pour love into me. And when you are just that person, they you will all of a sudden be able to see things that you couldn't see in your past. So


Lia Valencia Key 33:39

it's so good. That's so good. Oh, the power. And I must admit, when you're when you're defining your end, internal destiny, you start to see it's so clear. And when you see it clear, it starts to you start to do these, like we said these small movements, Google volunteer, making it out. These are small little movements out there. And these little movements start to just move you closer and closer to the vision that you see. But what's so important as you move your millimeter up, who are you in the movement? Who are you in the millimeter that is how the gravitation of light field people come to you? Yes, don't become light. You don't get around light to become light. You are light, even in darkness. And what happens is light gravitates light. It is a scientific thing. When you shine a light the whole room fills up. And I think a very important step in life that we miss is our way of being On the journey, it's been my most powerful attribute. I don't read well, I don't spell Well, I don't have a business. All these things that the world would say you need to check off now I my learning and growing and trying Absolutely. But all of these things, but one thing I curate every day is who I am and how I am in the world no matter what quest I'm on. Yes. And that has just shifted the power of opportunity and possibility around me. And my mother passed super early through, I feel the kind of generational curses kind of paralyzing her. And she could speak these words out, but she couldn't physically break out of it. And so she passed very early. But right before she passed, she saw me choosing my light and shining my light and moving towards my destiny. And she said, Leah, you, I see it, you're shining, you're leading your life, and you're choosing it all the way to your destiny, and it's beautiful. And she gave me these two little earrings. And she said, so sometimes, you're not going to be able to find your life, your the world is, is hard, and it's challenging. And so I want you to wear your earrings every day. And I want earrings to be this visual reminder, whether you see it in the mirror or you touch it, when you click it on that there is light within you always. And the reminder is all you have to do is keep choosing it.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 36:47

It's so simple. It's so beautiful. I mean, I will say it's so for someone who also likes to like wear my statement like I'm in this like flowy water color sleeves, we got our sleeves low into that. And I will say that like I have been I'm so particular with jewelry, because to me it is like, like what we wear is energy it is has to have some sort of purpose. And there's something about each piece of your jewelry that it does, it feels like a vessel for for life. It feels like a connection to what's inside of us. So I cut you off before you were on a roll. And you kept saying things I was like, I can't I can't I gotta stop her. But so you had this beautiful message from your mom about earrings. Was that a catalyst for wanting to start a business?


Lia Valencia Key 37:42

That was the catalyst. I didn't know about business, but it was the catalyst for me. My mother later passed and it was a catalyst for me to just sketch jewelry designs on what would be wearable reminders on my life journey. Yeah. And I had reminders while I was still because sometimes I need to remind myself it was so I hand sketched this rooted ring, and it's kind of roots spreading through the if you're watching roots spreading through the ring. And that came about because I realized I was in the midst of a storm. Storms always gonna come. I'm in the midst of the storm, but I felt peace. And I felt loved and I felt possibility all around me and every statistic thing said it wasn't and I acquired a step back and like what, how would it feel so much peace and joy? Like this is very awkward. And I realized that early on, I had decided to route myself and specific ways of being. And so if you think about a tree, a tree and our trees roots are so deep, no matter whether the winds blow hurricanes happen, the branches break off, leaves fly away, but the trunk if the roots are strong enough, stay standing. And I was like Oh, see, I consistently route myself in love. I consistently wrote myself in peace. I consistently route myself and determination and what that routes mean is I define it for myself even when it doesn't look like it. I seek peace even when there is no peace. I become love even when people are being mean not a pushover but love. Right girl though I'm so I'm rooted. I'm determined. I'm intentional in these ways. So no matter what's happening around me, I can stand strong in that and that's how I started to create all these pieces so that when you are in a storm, a good example is I got a bad email, business email And the people were being real raw and just like not okay. And, and my human self want it to reply back, human mean. And I'm writing the spirit vicious email but um, I had my hands out, and my root ring is on one finger. And then I have joy, love and peace chat bracelets. And that reminds me to always check into these these emotions that I just find to be. And I look at it and I'm like, oh, Leah, are you rooted is this email rooted, and what you said to yourself to be, and I read it and I said, there's no love and there's no peace in it, and there's no joy in it, erase it, I erased it all. And I wrote it, rewrote it still defining who I was, but in love and in peace. And with joy, a million yellow heart emojis, I send it off, and immediately it comes back. And the person says, Oh, my gosh, I've never been valued and seen in the way your email was. I've had the roughest X amount of months, thank you so much for such a kind email, and they start going into the needs that I had addressed. And that's the power of these reminders. So it can shift you back into who you claim yourself to be who you want to be in the world.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 41:20

Oh, my goodness. First of all, who needs a wearable reminder, like in the morning, in the afternoon in the night, goodness gracious, right? Like, our human self, that ego and versus like that true soul of who we are. They're always kind of they're like, I don't know, whether you think of it as an angel on your shoulder and a devil on your shoulder, or you really just think of it as turning in Word versus like, trying to protect yourself from the outward. And I love this idea. I mean, it's so intentional, a wearable reminder of who you claim yourself to be. It's so good. Yes, it's just, it's so good. Everybody needs to go I'm gonna have it in the show notes. But you need to follow her on Instagram at Valencia key design that is v a l e. N c IAKEY. Design. And I, I think it's amazing what we always say, right? There's this this conflicted narrative in the business world, right? Which I'm almost like, you're right, you're actually blessed that you do not have these, like narratives running around in your head sometimes, which is like, Oh, should you just do what you love? And the money will follow? Or do we find a problem that other people are having in the world and then solve for it, and then money will follow or like, where's the money coming from? Right. And I think that when you are solving a problem for yourself, when you turn inward, and you can come up with a solution that just really, really resonates with are a collective, right, we're all at our core, really craving the same things. And when you are solving that problem for yourself, like that really is what it is, it's not solve a problem for other people. And it's not just do what you love, and the money will follow. It's like, find a way to connect with what to heal something within you or to heal something in your community. And when you do that, with like that deep, deep connection, people resonate with it, and they're gonna want to buy it right.


Lia Valencia Key 43:34

And it's true. And it's true to you. And that's, I think that's where the business started. I just was hand sketching. And honestly, I looked, and I was the first and only person to get a master's degree, and a bachelor's degree and my family and my environment right to that. And that was beautiful. But then I went back and and I said, But what brings you joy, and what kept coming up was creativity. I had his hand sketch designs, but I hadn't understood I didn't think of business yet. And that's why I love sharing. If you're on your journey to seek your, your your thing and life, let it flow, like just saying yes to the calling, because it's all gonna align over time. So I knew creativity was in and so the first thing because we got to make money. The first thing was like, oh, creativity, oh, I could do hair and makeup. That's so creative. And I know I can get income for that, because everybody knew me. So I went with a master's I went to cosmetology school and follow my dream. So it's okay to go down to go to go up to your dreams. And that quest, I got into QVC. That's a whole long story, but it took me I guess, five years to get into QVC, which is a television network that's 24 hours and it's in over 100 million homes. And as a stylist that to me that was one of the beautiful lights that was turned on to my life because I walked into this building. That was dream people making dreams come true which are the QVC hosts and dreamers, these business entrepreneurs going after their dream was so much passion and so much detail and through my heart who you are and through the light that I was just being in the salon, these beautiful two hearts so many Earth Angels has blessed me and continuously blessed me along the way. That's a podcast of Jimmy just listing them. I mentioned Jamie Kern Lima, founder of cosmetics, New York Times Best Selling believe a book a new word, the book is coming out.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 45:43

Yes, girl, I will put that in the show notes too. I know it's not a Jamie currently male podcast, but we love her.


Lia Valencia Key 45:52

As ebooks gonna be amazing preorder that. And then Vicky Syed founder of touches skincare, these two beautiful hearts saw my lights. And they took me on the journey with them around the world. And they welcomed me into rooms that I didn't even know existed. And as I was styling them, their makeup or hair, I noticed anybody, not just them that I was styling, generally the last thing of this seal of walking into something major or big, they will say what bracelet am I going to wear? What earrings am I going to put on and it was this class with closure of when no one else can walk in these doors with me, I'm sealing and I'm armoring myself up with armors. And then I realized I started to recap my life and that my life was all about being light in the midst of darkness, and unlocking my courage, my bravery and my possibility. And then I had these hand sketch designs. What I learned from Vicki and Jamie was when you have some pure intention, a life mission and a life intention. And when you pour that into a physical product, it becomes life changing and the receivers hands. And just by that vision, I realized that I had to bring these hand sketches that I've been making, in the form of wearable possibility to life so that hearts could wear them in rooms that they needed that unlocking of courage through lifetimes and celebration and the challenge in times of moving their selves to what their destiny is. And that's when I started Valencia key Valencia mean and bravery and courage, like you said earlier. And key defining an unlock. And so you'll see in every design, this star and the key inside, and the star is shaped with a visa of bravery and courage. And the key is right in the center that you always have the key inside of you. And all you have to do is keep unlocking it.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 47:53

So baby keep unlocking with the same key and the same, like locks, right? I'm just saying we think it's like all different locks. Yeah. And we're like, oh, where's this this new lock coming from? And you're like, No, no, it's the same locks, like you're locking it. And you got to unlock it just


Lia Valencia Key 48:12

it's hard. And I don't never want to take that light. Like, I share these stories. And it is a challenging way of being because you're going against the current of the water flow, right. And it is challenging, and it is almost defeating if you let it defeat you. But all you have to know is keep pushing forward and keep unlocking it. Even the hardest parts of that. Because what I noticed when it's really hard there means something really great is on the other side.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 48:44

Mm hmm. Right? That we can't that idea that we we can't feel a positive emotion without its exact opposite, right. So if you want those like really high highs, you have to be willing to experience the challenge. That is its exact opposite. Yeah, right. I think I mean, your story is such a testament to that. And I know you touched on it already. But I think one of the things that we always hear in business and in life right is that you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with or that you're as strong as the people that you hold in company. And you have found like such an incredible support system but like you said it wasn't like you were going out and directly being like Hey, will you be my friend Will you support me? It's like you had turned internally you had followed your passion Do you shine your light in those like can you tell us a little bit about like Jamie Kern Lima obviously want to a powerhouse like just someone who has found a way to tap into their her light and As swim against stream, basically since the moment she was born, right, just like you have to, it's like, what was it? I know now that you guys are, are so close your besties what? What do you attribute to being someone and converting into someone who was just like attracting other incredible networks and people,


Lia Valencia Key 50:26

you've got to attract your you've got to you got to work on you first. Like I think the number one challenge is we're always looking, I want that person as if I don't look for friends ever. I will never start looking for friends. I am my friend. I love myself, I am light. And when I love myself and I'm curating on loving myself I want I'm curating only because I love myself so much, then I'm able to love other people as much as I love myself. Yes. And so in that I am just being pure joy and pure light, because that's what I need for myself, at that way of being for me starts to just gravitate to the people that are in alignment and the energy and what's that I project out. And so So I think the challenge is targeting people that you want in your circle target yourself. You can look at people and try it yourself. Yourself. be your friend. Yes. That you want to be be the person that you want to be around. No one can make your circle you are you are your circle. But you are you first. And even being around your circle will never make you them.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 51:59

Oh yes.


Lia Valencia Key 52:00

And so the power is you can look around your site, or for inspiration of be. I love her joy. Oh, I love how she cares about people that says what I do. I'm amazing. I'm inspired, I look at people. And I'm like God, she has a zest for life. I love it. A zest for life is a calling for me. So I started to curate my zest for life. Oh, my one of my best friends Patricia Lewis, as we've been, I'm gonna say 2025 year friends. She taught me how to love and she taught me how to be a friend. And I look at her behavior and I'm like, Oh God, I love how she cares for people. And so then I start working on myself how do I learn how to care for people like that. And then I'm intentionally curating me as a friend and me as a person me as a being and as I curate myself, and I opened my eyes. Oh, God, that myself is around me now.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 53:03

Yes. Oh, my self is around me. Now. I love that reflection. Right. I have always said this in relationships as well that that, you know, I've never looked for love but I found love very easy to find romantic love because I love to give love love. I love to give Yeah, I am love right? You always say right, you are the emotion you are the energy right? You're not just giving it or receiving it you are and when you are connected to that. Yes, the giving and the receiving just flows right through you. And I when I'm thinking about the future self right, obviously all these women are business owners, but our show is about how do you have a big life big business just being one part of that big life? And what are you currently curating for future Lea? And what has been as like a tip for our listeners? What has been one of the most useful conscious curations that you've done for currently? Yeah. When you were pastor? Yeah.


Lia Valencia Key 54:22

I think that the big future Leah is curating How to Be blessed to be a blessing. Meaning Valencia key is this energy of light in the world through these wearable physical reminders, and that's light. And then that is a blessing. And then how do I take that blessing and then curate to give back? Because what I know to be true is there's nothing we can receive that's necessarily just for us. We're like a byproduct of the flow of the blessings like we get to celebrate in the blessings. But it's meant to bless and touch and inspire someone else. So really building Valencia key in this form that every time someone supports Valencia key, they are supporting someone in need as well. meaning are you supporting someone who's in a homeless shelter where I go back and speak to women, on how do they map out their life to shatter glass ceilings even in the predicament they're in, or the project that I'm working on and Ghana with working with wonderful hearts and villages of Africa where there's no there's no employment opportunities in the villages but it's so much talent with this beadwork, taken their talent and their and made with the light vision so that we collaborate together and bring beautiful pieces here that also help feed their family help educate their entire village systems so that we can start allowing generations to get into better situations. My big dream is create a trade school cosmetology changed my life. Create a trade school that licensed people that have less opportunities so that they can use their hands as a skill to actually change their entire future. So how do we allow Valencia key to be a catalyst to keep being a blessing as we are wearing it and actually blessing our own lives? So let's just magical thing that's just going out in the world.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 56:40

Yeah, integrating that future. Has the message from your mama that Leah that just knew I You said so many words that I've never heard us talking about jewelry that I just think were so such powerful visuals, obviously, wearable reminders, um, you said like wearable possibility. You said like armoring myself, and like, just gearing myself up to be more courageous when I don't physically have the other things that give me courage typically, like at least I have this and I think, integrating it with our future, anyone who's listening, right? Like how is what you're doing right now, just integrating into your future self, like connecting it all decide and going back to the very first thing that we talked about, like, yes, your predicament does not predict your destiny. And you have to decide on your destiny, you just have to decide that this right now on changed in circumstance, the life that you are given the life that you were handed, whether it feels unfair, or undeserving, even if it is unfair and undeserving that it is the perfect life for you to have be connected to all the light.


Lia Valencia Key 58:06

So your destiny, it's there for you. And all we have to do is keep choosing it and never giving up. I think I think impact is power to like once you start getting out of self, and then you start getting outside of self from an impact standpoint, that's where magic starts to happen. When you start to really curate your light so powerful for you, that moves you to your destiny, you actually start making an impact in the world. And that's what I want Finland CQ to be I want it to be an impact and the direct hearts that are supporting and wearing women see a key. And then I want that impact to ripple out into the world. So and on this micro and one day, macro level, we are literally changing the world together. Yes, yes. By changing generational hearts. I want the last thing is in business and in life. I keep hearing it and so I just wanted to share it never give up. Yes, we give up. The only way you won't get to your destiny is when you choose because that's your choice to give up on it. You can fall, you can cry, you can do your aches, you can get knocked down, you can feel disappointed. You can feel all of the fields and I actually want you to feel all the fields because that's when you met and then that's where gratitude sets in. I don't want you to be delusional about your life hurdles. Feel them understand that gratitude that like oh, I'm in it and now I'm gonna go beyond it and that's where gratitude starts to shift you into your your next way and you just decide right now no matter what I if I'm rooting and one thing I'm rooting and never giving up.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 59:55

Yes, I It's that deep, deep belief like you said prove that you believe it by the actions of just showing up again today, if you believe in your future self, and you're telling me no, I believe in the future, but it's like no, if you really, really believe and if you don't believe yet, that's okay too. But you have to spend time there spend time with future you've been time believing it practicing, believing, right? A new thought doesn't turn into a belief or practice. So


Lia Valencia Key 1:00:26

what I say was that because I had a cop, and I share, maybe you're not in belief phase because you aren't doing action and that's okay. You just need to be aware that you Oh, I'm not believing it yet. Because I'm not doing action. The easiest way to help yourself click into the belief is to keep speaking it out your mouth. Keep saying it, keep claiming it. Keep saying it. The more you say it is planting seeds. And then those seeds will grow. And the seed Oh, grow into belief. Yeah, I'm a living witness of it.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 1:01:02

So good. I Leah, I'm just so grateful to have you on the show today. I'm so grateful that everyone listening right now just gets the pleasure of your ear candy. And hopefully if they want some more ear candy, they can go and find your amazing creations on your website. You can go find her at Valencia key.com. And you can also connect with her on Instagram or Facebook. at Valencia key design. Again, that's Valencia v a l e n CI a Ke Ke y like the one U turn in the door design. And again, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. Thank you so much for sharing your light for bringing just a different energy and tone and spirit to the to the show today. We're so grateful to have you.


Lia Valencia Key 1:01:53

Thank you. I'm so honored. Thank you so much for allowing my light to shine and everyone thank you for allowing me to connect with your heart.


Jessica McKinley Uyeno 1:02:02

Leisure law. Bye you guys.


Transcribed by https://otter.ai


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