Conversations with Samantha Marina Gonzalez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Marina Gonzalez

Hi Samantha Marina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hello, my name is Samantha Marina Gonzalez. I am a wife, mother, CSA survivor, advocate, and handmade jewelry designer.
I was born on November 19, 1999, in Downey, CA. I am the youngest of three, my sister and brother being the eldest. I grew up in South Gate, CA, and attended private school from K-12. Since I was always in private school, I needed to wear a uniform and dress shoes, which did not allow me to dress how I wanted. I saw this as an opportunity to accessorize myself with headbands, earrings, necklaces, and most importantly bracelets. Many girls did, but I wanted to be unique as I already had 2 girls in my elementary class with the same name as me.
One day, I asked my mother if she could buy me a bracelet kit so that I could design and create some bracelets myself. She agreed to get me a new bracelet kit for every report card with good grades. Soon after, I was known as the girl who always made bracelets. I would make them for myself and give them to my cousins and friends at school. I enjoyed mixing and matching letters, beads, and charms to personalize each bracelet to give to people I loved and cared about. I felt my best when creating something out of nothing and seeing how it elevated how someone looked and felt about themselves. I knew I had to keep that art alive and continue developing my craft somehow, some way.
At 9 years old, my life had taken some unexpected turns that were out of my control and I had to move away to Riverside, CA. I attended another private school and saw this opportunity as the new kid in town to express myself in a way no one had seen before. I was very outgoing, outspoken, and overly accessorized to the point where actual rules had to be changed because of me. We were only allowed to wear 2 bracelets on each wrist and religious-based necklaces. I felt that was their way to suppress my self-expression because I was influencing my peers in a way they could not. I also felt targeted as I was openly proud of being Honduran and from South East LA and would speak Spanish a lot to my peers who understood me. I started purposefully not doing well in school so my mother could see a change in me and switch schools. I ended up starting 6th grade at a different school and this place was a better fit for me. I was finally able to express myself and was accepted with open arms by my peers. I became friends with those who introduced me to the best of both worlds, fashion and sports. I started playing school and club volleyball and focused on that until my junior year of high school. After high school, I enrolled in an accelerated nursing program but was unable to complete my second semester due to financial aid issues.I still had a passion for healthcare and became a phlebotomist to gain experience and save to pay for school later in the future. Life was
good but I was not as passionate as I
thought I would be in the healthcare
field. I decided to take a break from work and during this time I met my husband who provided me the privilege of being a stay at home mom. A couple of months into my post-partum fitness journey, I took on a coaching job and got a gig offering private activity lessons to the children of A-list celebrities. I felt that this was the first time in my life that I was in alignment with my purpose and was paid respectfully for my talents and experience. I began seeing that I had a niche for kids as I continued to keep my child-like spirit alive and could connect with anyone at any age because of it. I also decided to tap back into my hobbies of arts and crafts to help me relax and pass the time at home which reignited my passion and love for beading. I decided to take my jewelry-making abilities to the next level and create a business out of my favorite childhood hobby. In 2022, I founded Beauty In The Beading LLC. and began creating my brand from scratch. I took a leap of faith in pursuing my dreams of having a beaded boutique and representing my culture with my talents, with little to no experience of running a business. My passion and love for beading and for the people have taken me to places I did not know I would be if I had not pursued my dreams. I have met some of the most talented and visionary people at pop-ups and networking events who have opened up the possibilities for me to keep fueling my passions. I have been blessed to have worked alongside Quincy Elliott (Midtrovert) from the beginning of our journeys until now by creating staple pieces of jewelry for his personal wear and his models on the runway. I plan on collaborating with other artists and brands alike who seek to create and design jewelry and clothes that represents raw beauty and who want to work together to break boundaries.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Paving the way for my brand and business has not been a smooth road but I certainly have learned to appreciate every part of the journey, as it has taught me not to rush the process of creating something meaningful and lasting.

Some struggles I have faced along the way have been breaking generational cycles, having unsupportive family and friends, and having imposter syndrome. I have also struggled with creating a brand identity and staying motivated throughout the process. It has not been easy but I know everything I have endured has taught me a lot about myself and has guided me to genuine growth.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I created Beauty In The Beading LLC. based on the idea of being beautiful beyond boundaries set by society and those around us. I want every customer to feel like they are family and are a part of something bigger because they are. I believe that everyone’s uniqueness is amplified and accepted when wearing Beauty In The Beading as every piece is designed to elevate your style, one bead at a time. I specialize in handcrafting and curating collections based on the main elements of my culture which include vibrant colors, coastal aesthetics, and religious relics. I am known for being cautious yet bold enough to dare to be different in everything I do. I am most proud of myself for not being afraid to try something new and go against the odds to create the brand and life I always wanted. My resilience and strength throughout the years have taught me that anything is possible with faith and hard work. The possibilities for Beauty In The Beading LLC are endless as it is fueled by trust and love for God and His children and His plan for me. I believe that is exactly what sets me apart from others and entrepreneurs in this industry.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me most is my relationship with God because without it, I would not be here alive and well writing my story and testimony for all to read. He has removed and placed people in my path to present me with a future that is far from the life I was living without Him. He granted me the gifts to guide a generation to feed their child-like spirit to seek the beauty in the simple things and connect with each other through them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beautyinthebeading.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyinthebeading/