Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Minutillo
Hi Christina, 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?
I was working a corporate job in fashion for one of the major surf brands, Billabong. I was supposed to go to HK for work for a 6 month stay and COVID hit. It was the Spring of 2020. The lockdown started and being home, single, with thankfully a beautiful ocean view from my living room window, I started to think of projects that would keep me busy. My cousin had suggested at a dinner that I hosted a few months back that I should create a cookbook of all of the recipes I learned making with my grandmother and include hosting tips for throwing dinner parties since my hosted dinners were always perfectly themed between the decor, the multi course meal, and the special experience I created for my guests. So when I suddenly had all this time at home, I decided to start working on the cookbook, little by little, first it was making a list of the recipes, then it was testing the recipes, then designing the page layout, finding a spot to take photos, then organizing shoots at friends and family houses, and finally finding a way to print and sell it. It was completely self published and I had no experience in writing, cookbook editing, or book printing production. I allowed the universe to show me the way, asking anyone I was put in contact with for help, guidance, and ideas. I launched the cookbook called, cooking with italian roots, in 2021. It was then that I started to share my passion project with the world. I connected with people at markets and book signings and it offered a sense of community, sharing the legacy of my grandmother and the love language of cooking and food that I carry with me today. As the book events started to dwindle, I wanted to continue the joy and light that sharing the book brought me by connecting with others and I thought to have conversations with other people who have also created passion projects that they maybe had no experience in so that I could help discover what it was that helped me create something so meaningful in my life. I initially thought to do Instagram live sessions but decided that a podcast would be the best platform to share these conversations in an effort to inspire others that anything is possible. I taught myself the art of podcasting, from which equipment to buy, to how to record and edit, and then just started inviting guests. First it was people I knew and then it grew to inviting people I didn’t know. The podcast is called What Lights Us Up and it has truly built a community around me that has helped me step out of my comfort zone and build a life full of more joy and passion. As I started the interviews, the people I was inviting on the show were mostly entrepreneurs that created businesses from their passions. As I continued working at my corporate fashion job, I grew more and more unhappy and lay-offs loomed in the coming months. The podcast interviews showed me that there was a better way to live my life, one where I could be my own boss, and if they can do it, then I could do it too. So when I was laid off from my corporate job in 2023, I decided to travel back to the town of my ancestry in Italy, where my grandfather was born and where my last name is from, and immerse myself in the food culture of my heritage. It was there, staying with my cousins in a small Southern Italian village, that I learned a different way of life, one of slowing down, presence, community, and connection. When I left that experience, I knew that I had to share that experience with the world. This September, I am hosting a small group trip to that Italian town of my ancestry to experience the same culinary traditions that impressed me, learning recipes passed down through generations, experiencing celebration at their annual culinary festival, and shopping local markets and experiencing true community. I am now an entrepreneur, I have my own consulting business where I work with fashion brands on strategic sourcing and cost strategy to pay the bills and I continue with my passion for food and travel through sharing my travel and cooking experiences on my You Tube channel and podcast.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s been very kismet honestly. I have been sent connections with people along the journey that have helped me along the way because I was open to the inspiration that they could bring. While I was going through the lay-off of my job, my next door neighbor had a friend visit from Greece. He was a traveler who filmed his travels and posted them to his You Tube channel. I heard a voice speak to me that I needed to learn everything I needed to from him. So I invited him on my podcast which led to an invigorating, creative conversation to cook with my podcast guests which started the series I film and post on my You Tube channel. We did a few travel experiences that Summer and I was inspired to film my own travel experiences in the same way. So when I went to Italy, I filmed my cooking and travel experiences, inspired from his style, and posted them to You Tube. One of the videos went viral which gave me the confidence to continue posting to my channel. I now struggle with the work/life balance, juggling spending time in my consulting time that pays the bills and the time I spend working on my passion projects that do not pay the bills. I am currently navigating how to sell my travel retreat as I do not have a large following on social media. That has been my biggest challenge, navigating the world of building a social media presence and work/life balance. Behind the success story of creating a cookbook, a podcast, and a consulting business that pays my bills more than my corporate job, is a tired person who works 7 days a week. I’ve had to learn everything from website coding to podcast editing and it’s all me right now. So perhaps the biggest challenge of all is myself, learning to ask for help, learning to set boundaries, and learning to allow flow.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I may have answered this in the previous questions. I am known for my career in fashion, it’s how I pay my bills. I have been very successful in my career, climbing the corporate ladder as a high achiever. And when I was laid off, I was successful in building my own client base enough to pay my bills and provide extra income to fulfill my passions of traveling. I am now building a public image around my passion for food and Italy – roots travel and the Italian culture. I continue to strive toward the mindset that anything is possible. We are not limited to what we are taught growing up or what we should be doing. We can do anything we want to do, we just have to spend the time to learn the art or skill. I don’t have a large following on Instagram, but I do continue to collaborate with people who do, not because I want to grow my following, but because I have a passion for connection and for learning from them. We are all really all trying to figure out it. No one knows more than the other. Everyone is unique in their own way. I am known to fight for what I believe in, whether it’s a competitive cost for my suppliers or a life that I believe in building or a passion that I want to share with the world.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I may have also answered this in the prior questions. Taking a risk on myself to not go back to a corporate career and believe that I can support myself and keep my lifestyle in Manhattan Beach has been fulfilling but brought its own challenges of learning work/life balance. Taking a risk on solo travel because I want to explore the food culture of Greece or Cartagena was scary, flying around the world by myself, and I was met with new connections and experiences that I would not have had if I traveled with a group. Taking a risk on hosting an international group trip is challenging without a social media following and without ever doing it before, I face the questions can I do this, can I pull it off, will I lose money, will anyone want to come? Every step we take in life is a risk because we do not ever know what our next moment will be, we do not know how long we will live, we do not know how long we will keep a relationship or experience, so we must live in the moment every day and be grateful for the experiences we have been brought along the way. It’s the journey and not the destination.
Pricing:
- Christina’s Italy Retreat $2500
- Christina’s Cookbook $40
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christinaminutillo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinaminutillo/ (Podcast https://www.instagram.com/whatlightsusup/)
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@christinaminutillo?si=dPn5hoUZ6rgPTcIr
- Other: Retreat: https://christinaminutillo.com/retreat/
