Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Jimenez.
Leah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 24 years old, my husband and I moved to LA to work and help build a local church. That same year, my husband also started his own business. For a long time, our schedule was comprised of volunteering at the church full time and running his business. While I have always loved beauty and fashion, my main passion is people. I love getting to know all kinds of people! In the past few years, I have worked at a few different jobs and I have left each of those jobs with life-long friends. I heard someone say once to always try to leave those around you better than when you met them, and I try to live by this motto. I am not perfect at it for sure, but it is something I continually work on.
Last year in September of 2018, my husband and I left the church we had been building for five years. The reasons why are a different story for a different day. After leaving, I had extra time, but the same passions I’ve always had; fashion, beauty, and connecting with others! I decided to start my blog and use Instagram as a tool to promote it. My hope is that someone may stop by my profile because of a fashion post, but will leave feeling encouraged, inspired, and like they can do anything they set in their heart to do. I know the old saying is you can do anything you set your mind on, but I believe it’s more than that. Our mind has a million thoughts and changes from day to day, but I believe when you determine in your heart that you want to do something, you will make it happen.
For the past year, my blog has been growing organically. It’s so fun to meet new people! I love that the internet connects us to each other so quickly. I love having an ever-growing community!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The past year has been full of fun and challenging moments. And, to be honest, I would consider myself in the
group of people who have just started out. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is to reach out to those who are ahead of me. Talking to people who have already done what you want to do, will teach you so much! When I started looking into influencing I knew nothing, but luckily, there are all these meetups where women share so much wisdom. I went with my sister-in-law and took notes! My belief was that I could learn from anyone and everyone. You can learn so much just by asking the right people. Don’t be afraid to ask! Most people are kind and want to help.
Another huge part of starting something is getting out of your own head and believing in yourself! This can be hard for all of us. I think half the time we stop ourselves before we even get started because we think we don’t have any value to offer the world around us. This is simply not true! Each woman has unique value inside of her that if shared would help those around her. My belief is you don’t have to change a million lives, but if you change one, it’s worth it!
This leads me into my next idea which is; don’t worry about what other people think. Sometimes, we believe in ourselves, but we are scared of what other people will think of us stepping out and creating something. Don’t be afraid! You will have haters, I for-sure did. But the truth about haters is that they are usually dissatisfied in their own lives so they say negative things about others to make themselves feel better. Successful people don’t entertain comments of unsuccessful, unhappy people. When someone speaks negatively about you, don’t respond. Don’t feel like you have to defend yourself. Just believe in your dream and keep moving forward. Your work will speak for itself babe!
Lastly, don’t be too focused on growth or success in the beginning. Usually, anything worth having takes time to build and grow, and too often we want instant success. This is just not realistic. Something my husband taught me is to enjoy the process. Enjoy starting, enjoy working hard for what you want and having a big dream. You will never have these moments again, so enjoy them now!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with View From The Fig – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
If you look at my blog, you will see mostly fashion posts with beauty posts sprinkled in. On my Instagram, I try to do a little bit of everything. I post my daily looks, do unboxing videos, talk about new products I love, and film my daily life. You may see me working out one day, and eating an entire cupcake by myself another (don’t laugh, I did it). Although fashion and beauty are what I do for fun, the focus or the “why” behind my blog is a desire to encourage and inspire others.
I want to build a community of friends and dreamers who feel comfortable to be themselves and talk about their likes, dislikes, hopes, and dreams. For a long time in my life, I didn’t feel like I had a dream, or if I did, I felt like it was selfish to pursue it. I want to do the most I can to dispel that lie from any other girls heart. My chief desire is that if you follow my content; you won’t just see my most recent purchases, but you will also see posts encouraging you to keep going and to chase your dreams! I want to remind every girl that she is strong, smart, and capable.
In my everyday life, I love to grab coffee with friends, sit down and talk about our lives. And that is the tone I want to set with my content. Hopefully, if you follow, you will feel like you have a friend you can shop with, and have real conversations with. This goal is what I am most proud of as an influencer. Dreaming of content and working with brands is so much fun and I am honored to do it; but connecting with girls, hearing their stories, and supporting each other is the most rewarding part of what I do.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
I believe there is no easier time than now to find a mentor. I mentioned this earlier but the internet connects us in a spectacular way! Personally, I find face to face networking to be intimidating. Don’t get me wrong, I know it works and I still do it. But I love how we now have the option to just message someone. I’ve found that if I have a question, I can shoot someone a message and usually they respond!
Another thing that I love is finding a few different mentors. Why pick just one? Instead of asking someone to be your sole mentor, find a few different people who you admire. This is great because you will get different perspectives and be able to learn from a variety of people all at once.
People are kind. Don’t be intimidated. Just reach out! There is a plethora of knowledge online, there shouldn’t be much you can’t learn by messaging a person or even doing a google search!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.viewfromthefig.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viewfromthefig/
Image Credit:
All images are taken by my husband Salomon Jimenez Jr.
His Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/salomon.jr/
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
