Jewelry Designer Creates Inspirational Pieces to Unlock Strength and Bravery, with Lia Valencia Key

Jewelry Designer  Lia Valencia Key is the designer and owner behind Valencia Key Jewelry and a sought-after speaker. She is also a walking ray of sunshine, bringing her energy and love to all she meets! 

She creates inspirational jewelry filled with meaning and intention.  It serves a beautiful, visual reminder to use light, joy, love, gratitude and peace as guiding stars. These principles allow you to unlock your strength and bravery.

Lia is an entrepreneur with immense faith, intelligence, grit and determination. She has many diverse degrees and certifications, including a master’s degree in education and a cosmetology license.

She was born and lived in the most impoverished neighborhood of Philadelphia to a single mother of three. After her mother broke her leg in several places, she could no longer pay for the tiny apartment they were living in. They immediately went to a homeless shelter, where she and her family lived for several years. She was the first person in her family and her neighborhood to get an advanced degree.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The jewelry creation process
• A lesson she learned of being a leader versus a follower at a young age
• Your ability to start planting seeds that grow and the power of your words 
• “Belief” is an action word
• Turning up the “You”

As one of the last episodes of 2023, I hope this one really speaks to your heart.

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Transcript

Lia Valencia Key: 0:00

The accomplishment is that you're trying it. The accomplishment is every little action what I call the millimeter movement that you do toward the dream is the win. Everything else is a byproduct of beauty. Because we can't we can't control life. We can only control what we do in life.

Julie- Host: 0:27

Hey, everybody, I'm Julie and welcome to Women with cool jobs. Each episode will feature women with unique trailblazing and innovative crews. We'll talk about how she got here, what life is like now, and actionable steps that you can take to go on a similar path or one that's all your own. This podcast is about empowering you. It's about empowering you to dream big and to be inspired. You'll hear from incredible women in a wide variety of fields, and hopefully some that you've never heard of before. Women who filled robots and roadways, firefighters, C suite professionals surrounded by men, social media mavens entrepreneurs, and I'm so glad we get to go on this journey together. Hello, everybody, this is Julie Berman and welcome to another episode of women with cool jobs. So I am here today to introduce such a special human being enlightened the world. Her name is Lia Valencia key. She is a jewelry designer and the owner of Valencia key jewelry. And she is a literal walking ray of sunshine. Not only does she love to wear yellow, and all of her jewelry and packaging is yellow. But she just she not only speaks about light, but she just represents light. I first actually encountered her at an event that I went to which was such an amazing event. And she was on a DSLR we run out of pajama parties, we're wearing pajamas. And I just like saw her and all of her exuberance having the best time of her life like dancing on the dance floor. And I immediately knew oh my gosh, I am so interested in who she is and what she does. And then I realized later she was a speaker. I was I was at two different events where she was a speaker, which was so amazing. And she creates this really beautiful jewelry, with intention with so much story behind it. And so it's really a reminder, like she wants it to be a visual reminder to us light, joy, love, gratitude and peace as our guiding stars. And that these principles allow us to unlock our strength and bravery. Like how incredibly beautiful is that? Her story is so so inspiring. She grew up in under very, very hard circumstances. And she had a mother who just sounds so incredible, like, despite all of the circumstances that she went through in her life, like she spoke these beautiful words to Leah that then really like gave her wings to go out into the world and do these things. And of course, Leah had the drive and the tenacity and the grit to go out and and make it happen. But I just really love who she is. I love what she represents. This conversation truly spoke and speaks to my heart currently. And I think it's it's one of the most beautiful messages that she shares is that you know, and in our toughest moments, like when we are having a hard time with things, we also can still believe Right? Like we can still believe that certain things are going to happen for us. And that belief comes through action, like what actions are we taking and she calls them these millimeter movements. So I hope this episode one of the last episodes of 2023 really speaks to your heart. It's it was so much fun to not only get to chat with her and have this conversation but to share this with you. And I hope you are having such a beautiful holiday season filled with so much light and beautiful people who you love and who love you. And as always, thank you so much for listening. If this speaks to you, please make sure you share it with at least one person that would be so meaningful to me. And so helpful to share about all the cool jobs in the world. Here is my interview with Lia Valencia chi Enjoy. Hello Hello Leah. I am so excited to have you here on women with pulldowns podcast like you are such a ray of Light. So thank you for being on.

Lia Valencia Key: 5:02

Thank you. I'm so excited. I love the podcast title and what it represents and shares in the world. So thank you for having me. Thank

Julie- Host: 5:11

you. So I have met you in real life which was such a joy. And I got to also see you speak you are someone who designs the most beautiful jewelry. But beyond that, I love that your jewelry has such intention to it, and the story of like your journey and how you got here. And I love that like you you talk about and I just pulled this really directly from website but I love that your jewelry is a beautiful visual reminder to use light joy, love, gratitude and peace as guiding stars. And what you exude, right like just if I nature is just like this beautiful, light and joy. And I think the first time I even saw you was like probably on a dance floor. We were wearing right pajamas for like this fun event a pajama party. But it was just like such a fun thing to see you in your moment, right doing a thing, and to meet you then afterwards, and then to get to see you speak. Because it's it's just like, it's so powerful. And so I was so excited to have you on really, because of your cool job. But also in addition to that, because of who you are. Thank you for being here. Thank

Lia Valencia Key: 6:27

you, that I'm I'm so honored to I feel once we consistently unlock that light within the cool jobs come the cool opportunities come living your life to your fullest abundance starts to come in. And that's really what Valencia key. My creations are all about i They're truly symbolic. They the mindset and which an intention that I put in each piece is my prayer that every receiver and everywhere and whoever you're gifting it to. That's what you're welcoming in into your life. Because I know it becomes magical when you step into that unlocking mindset every moment.

Julie- Host: 7:20

Thank you. And will you give us like in your own words, how do you describe your coal job?

Lia Valencia Key: 7:26

Oh, I love it. I oosh describe it exciting, of random, freeing, challenging, complex, mystery, connection oriented, human centered, I would say and this is gonna be a strong statement life changing. That's how I would describe my culture. I

Julie- Host: 7:57

love it. And how would you describe your whole job? Like if you had to explain kind of, in a nutshell, because I think you know, when people think of designing jewelry, like we we see sort of the jewelry itself, but how would you describe kind of the process? Like, can you just yeah, like, can you take us just through? Because we'll get into more of the details later. But can you just take us through kind of like a very kind of top overview like high overview of what does it mean to actually be a jewelry designer?

Lia Valencia Key: 8:32

I would describe what it is for me because I think I'd take it from a heart perspective. So if you just look at an overview I'm always thinking about I was taught that from one of my mentor sisters, friends, that a brand is a promise to the world. And so valency key is a promise to unlock. When Lindsey has courage and bravery. It's in a Spanish dialect, slang, dialect and then key we know unlocked. And so it's my promise to the world to consistently be a part of your unlocking of your light, your courage and bravery. So then every day, I am standing from that start point when I wake up in the tents, what's the intention? And what unlocking can I create? So one day could literally be sitting down with a hand, a sketchbook and deciding what keys of light? Do I want to be symbolic wearable pieces and then what does that look like? So I actually close my eyes or maybe when I'm walking or I go somewhere to get inspired for symbols and shapes and then I take these symbols and shapes and put them on paper as how I would want someone to be inspired. Like for example I hand sketch this rooted collection And, and I'm literally sitting at my desk thinking I was in midst of entrepreneurs storm challenge. But I had this inner peace. And I'm like, Oh, this is definitely this is needed for my for my wearers like I this enter this it's called, it was a piece that surpasses understanding. And I'm like, oh, so what does that look like if I wanted someone to wear a piece that could remind them of what to be and how to get to this piece? What does it look like. And then I started thinking of routes. And so I started hand sketching these routes on the page, and that they're grounded. And if peace is one of the words that you're going to route into, which means means you're grounded and deep. So then that means whenever a challenging things around you, when you look at these routes, I start to sketch them for it to be a reminder that we are those roots going, they're going to peace, their transition to love their transition to joy. And so then I want the wearer reminder to think well what did these things feel and look like, so that they can reset, so I'm hand sketching that, but then I need to bring our measurement tools, because math I did not know is big and jewelry design. So I'm always measuring with these different type of I love brass rollers, but all different type of rolling measurements and different millimeter is I talked about millimeter movements. But millimeter is really magical in the trajectory of what a jewelry piece looks like, two millimeters of a piece of an earring looks different than a three millimeter earring. And it's the impact of how the wearer will see it or receive it. And so I'm always measuring and then I'm contacting manufacturers, because now all of this creativity is from my brain to a piece of paper. Now I'm gonna take this feeling and emotion. And then I need that transfer it to someone else to understand the exact details of my motion. And that goes into what the math looks like. How wide is it? How long is it? What does the dome shaped curve, like how many millimeters is Is it a Kovacs made an external, like the root ring is a Kovacs that actually curves outward so that it can come towards you. And now I'm just I'm communicating with this PS overnight. So my my, I barely sleep because I work with different countries. So they're either four to eight to 12 hours ahead of me. So they're night my night is their morning. So I'm up communicating these things. And then and then what is the messaging after I created them? So another day, I could be thinking about what does that visual messaging look like when I put it out to the world? Wow,

Julie- Host: 12:58

that was such a good overview. Thank you. It's really surprising about the math. I mean, like, that is one of those parts of the job that I don't think I would have ever thought about. I mean, but it makes so much sense when you explain it contextually and how much it actually affects like not only the visual elements, but like how it feels on your ears or on your neck or on your fingers. So that's super, super fascinating. I want to go back to like little you little Lea, because I I've heard your story, but I really want other people to hear your story and like how you got to where you are today. I think it's so incredibly powerful. And like it's it's also I think, why you shine so bright. I mean, yeah, so could you share a little bit about little Lea and like how you got here.

Lia Valencia Key: 13:46

Thank you I love I love to have my third person literally. That external part of me that is why Valencia key is created. Literally I was born and you see big Lea always wearing yellow and she's smiling and she's on the dance floor. And her intention is to really create a room but literally it was born in a different experience. I was born in darkness meaning the most impoverished neighborhood of Philadelphia was born to a single mother. My mother was born in generational curse of poverty. To explain what generational curses if no one's heard of it, it means you're so my mother's mother was born in poverty. Her mother was born in poverty. Her mother was born in poverty. Her mother was born in slavery. And so is this consistent pass down of trauma after trauma and darkness after darkness? And it gets to my generation and my mother three children by herself and she's trying to afford and do what she can. She breaks her leg in several places and she She can no longer pay for this little basement apartment that we're living under someone's home and poverty and, and just filth outside and trauma around us. That immediately sent us to a woman's homeless shelter. And I paint that first picture. Because I feel like it was the first seed of greatness and light that was planted in my life. It didn't unlock it yet, but it was planted. And so we land on this homeless shelter woman for women, and there's big gym room, cots. And a cot is like this metal bed, small and hard, uncomfortable. One mother is one cut entire family, so entire families balled up on this cot. And there's crying and moaning and sorrow and profanity all around, just admits the darkness. And my mother looks down at her three children literally included, and she tells us your predicament does not determine your destiny. And that was now first of all, it's so powerful now, because I'm 44. And I'm I have the honor and privilege to share that message to the world. I get emotional just thinking about it. I love to share how when I think of that moment, how powerful words are, and how powerful when you speak words into the world, how they land. Even if they don't grow at that moment they do land. Where are they landing? What is landing, what is being planted? And so if you think whoever's listening right now think of the words that you are speaking out of your mouth. And what are you planting in the world? Because it will grow? Are you are you planting negativity, hopelessness and those things because that will grow? Or are in the midst of the hopelessness? How cool is that? Are you planting life? Are you planting possibility? Are you planting light and that's what my mother did for her three children. And that seed landed in my heart. And I did start to still become because it didn't grow at that moment. It was there. But it didn't grow, I start to become my environment. And I started to become negative and follow the negative challenges around me. And I'd love to share like the biggest light. So the first light that was turned on in my life was my mother. But like couple years pass has passed and we're still in the homeless shelter. I'm failing every grade in school. And this day, I'm coming back to the shelter from school. And I see my mother standing at the homeless shelter door and I'm looking I'm like, not looking too happy over there. So I walk walk towards that. And I get right in front of her. And she said I had a question for you, Leah. And she says, Do you want to be a follower? Or do you want to be a leader? And at this moment, I'm about 1011 Min, Max 12. So I'm still young, so I'm looking at it like what are you talking about? And she says, because right now you're following, you're following everything you see around you. And guess what Leah, you're gonna become everything you see around you. Or you get to choose, you get to choose to lead you get to choose to lead your life. You get to choose to listen to the inner whisper inside of you the divine destiny, the light that's inside of it, you and you choose, you can choose to lead it all the way to your destiny. Leah you choose and she walked away. And that was so profound to me and literally life changing. It's the whole it's the core, it's the foundation of Valencia key jewelry. It is it is symbolic when you get Valencia key jewelry that is the symbolisms that you're wearing. That, that we have this beautiful concept of choice. And we all have an inner life, all of us, no matter what you've been through greatness or trauma, you have an underbite. Now the beauty is that we have the power to choose to unlock it every moment and from that very moment on and I'm so grateful. I didn't call that divine that at that young age are connected to me because my mother had left and she left me by myself. And I immediately felt overcome with this permission of choice that I didn't even know and I felt shifting from this external quest of looking outside of me to what was around me to do to the shift of internal observation and internal understanding and internal love and acknowledgement of who I was and who I want it to be. And being very keen, like turning up my knee to hear who I really was, and where I really was going, no matter what was around me, and I started to just choose it and choose it and choose it.

Julie- Host: 20:16

Wow, thank you for sharing that. I mean, to your point that you said, turning up your knee, I mean, that's so powerful. Like, I've never heard it put that way. But the fact that you had that ability to do that, even at such a young age, I mean, I think sometimes like, as adults, we don't even know that we can do that. So it's, that's so incredible. And, and I appreciate you sharing your story. And because I think it gives so much depth to why you've created the jewelry and why you're so passionate about just like being a light in the world. I, I so appreciate to like, as a mother, I can't imagine, I obviously can't imagine I was never in your mother's shoes. I just as a mother speaking from my own shoes, I can't imagine what that would have been like for her to make that transition. And then to have children in those circumstances and have all these sayings going against you. And yet, to your point, like the power of words, and the power that she had of like, creating this foundational concept, this like wisdom that then did grow and turn into like this huge light that you now share with the world is really incredible. And it's also really a lot for me to think about as a mom, too, right? Like, how, how can I make sure that that the seeds that I'm planting? Are these beautiful things that will grow? Even if they don't understand them? Maybe right now, because they're little, even if you don't,

Lia Valencia Key: 21:49

even if they are opposite of everything, you're saying, no, no, one thing that kept on lacking in me and as I as I start to tap in right now to my youth experience was my mother, I self diagnose that she was paralyzed by the society curses, the fear of everything that was given to her and surrounded by her physically paralyzed. And the beauty is that she, she felt she had one option and one power and it was to speak, and to speak it out. And I can feel my whole entire time. I just remember. So this is for mothers, I'm not a mother. But as a 44 year old child, you know, remembering my mother just spoke truth. Like she just kept speaking it, it will. And she wasn't like, always telling me what to do. She was just speaking what life was out, even if it didn't look true now. And those words, it has helped me be able to think about life in such a way, or helped me to speak my words. So I love sharing. Another key that helps unlock is to speak out everything within you. Because there's two ways. Like how do my dreams come true? My dreams come true. Because I don't keep things in. I utilize that speaking tool now. And I do two ways of speaking, I ask up to my higher power, I call it God, whatever you call it. So I'm asking for what I want and what I see and what my visions are and for everything that I need in my heart, and then I share out and I'm sharing my dreams and my visions and my struggle like right now I'm a struggling entrepreneur, this business you can you can turn on social media, and you'll think it's bigger than it is. It's a small business. It's just me struggling some debt, some months, I don't even get one order. And it's super, it's super weighing. It's very weighing because the truth of me knows that this message and this mission and these tangible wearable pieces are needed in the world and they will be big eventually. But then the statistics say that nobody's seeing it yet. And so they are conflicting stories, just like when I was in the homeless shelter, right? The darkness around me said this is your destiny. But the analyte said, No, I have something bigger for you. And the way to get to that destiny is to speak out all of your dreams and to be light in the midst of the things that don't look great like right now the sales look horrible. I'm still white I'm still speaking I'm still shining. I still sharing the message I'm still creating. And that was the same thing that happened when I was younger, like ever We weren't eating. That's how poverty we were, there were signs that we had no food every month that we were on public assistance. So the money, the money for food would take you only up to like the week before. And we will run out of food always a week or two before so we was starved for two a week to two weeks. And nothing could tell me that I will be able to get my masters in that predicament. Nothing could tell me that I would be able to be a business owner. But the light inside me said that that situation wasn't me. So I just kept speaking and learning and trying.

Julie- Host: 25:36

That's amazing. Yeah, I can't even imagine like, I have no words. I just, I think you're so inspiring. Because you follow that light. I mean, and and I think that's such a brave and courageous thing to do. Because I think a lot of us, like hear, you know, the whisper and we just like, you know, we brushed it aside, or we ignore it, or we're like, that's like I just been focusing on now. And we don't always honor that part of ourselves. And so I in that it's like a almost like a wiser part of ourselves. But we don't always, we don't honor it. We don't listen to it. Or we don't give it validation either. And so I think that's so

Lia Valencia Key: 26:20

we don't shine and we, ya know, we say that maybe it's not for me, or we say, Oh, I didn't fill in the blank. I can't because and that is that's dimming your light. So everyone's like what is light? What is this light is not shining light, it's very this thing that sounds so statement A, but it really is a physical way of being. So if you think of a star, it's it shines in the middle of a dark, if you go out at night, there was at least one star in the sky, right? And it's even if it's a flicker, you can see it you can immediately in the sea of darkness, right? Darkness. If you think of closure, as when you think of darkness is one is one moment, there's no definition. And darkness is just one sea of blanket something. But then light is clear focus, you can see a star and then and so leave your focus goes directly to that light. Well, that is what light is within you. If you think of the sun, the sun is also light is one of the most powerful lights, it beams down on you it makes you feel warm, it actually gives you vitamin D for your healing, you actually turn that when you look at a flower, it actually turns to the sun. Have you ever seen flowers, like their whole body literally turned to the sun. That is what light is within us. And if we take those kinds of visuals and then use it as a human form, then light is a beacon that just shines out towards what your whisper is, like what is inside of you saying? Then you shine to that when you walk into a room, then you lead out with this brightness, this smile, this concept that everything is okay even if it's not okay, because I'll figure it out. That is what a consistent being of light is, and it'll keep you moving forward. And to me, it's my greatest equalizer. I don't write well spell Well, I'm not the best at many things. But what has allowed me to grow up shatter glass ceilings, is my way of being when I walk in a room. When I meet another human, I am seeing the human for fully who they are and all the greatness that's inside of them. And I'm taking my greatness and shining my greatness to them. And that has just brought me literally around the world to travel because of that.

Julie- Host: 29:02

The amazing Yeah, and I totally I sense that meeting you. And I think there's very few people who are able to do that so quickly and so effectively, and honestly so authentically, as well. I want to ask because and I appreciate your honesty with like being an entrepreneur, being a business owner, like I've I do the podcast, but then I'm also doing like something with something called spark types. And I help people figure out what lights them up. And I've started like, I've been starting this business and it's also super hard and I never thought I would be a business owner. And so I completely like understand just that part of it, not the rest of it, but just like how actually hard it is when you have an intention to like figure out those details and nuances and like wearing all the hats, and so I appreciate how transparent you were. And you've also like I want to mention because we haven't had time you've done so so many incredible things over your life so far, like you went to school, you know, you have degrees, you had this dream, and you talking about like speaking into what you want. So I was hoping you could share like a little bit more story of your story just about how you landed on QVC. And like your your journey, some of that part that people may not know about you because I think that is so powerful. The fact that you speak up, right, but that you also speak to the people around you, and you speak out what you want, which is also really courageous. I am not good at that. And I love hearing that you've done this so well, because I need to learn from you and doing this. Oh, well, let

Lia Valencia Key: 30:43

me share with that part. So when you speak out, that's just a share. The challenge that stops us is we add expectation to it. Yes, you purely just speaking out, you're not expecting anyone to help you. You're not only thing you're doing is to allow it to come out of your body, into the world into hearts into minds, that that's all that it moves from you into something else. And it's almost again, it's a seed. When you speak, you're planting seeds in the world. And we know seeds don't grow immediately, you got to keep looking at that, right? You plant a seed, you go back and look at those dirt you have. It doesn't matter, isn't it? Let's see that this beauty. And so that's the thing about sharing you I don't expect anyone to do anything for me, but the kind of love. That's the only expectation and if you're not, that's also okay to I just need to reroute myself out of your presence. Right? So. So I think the expectation part stops us from sharing. And then then there's two expectations, expectations for maybe someone to help you and then they don't hurt feelings, is it gonna be possible or expectations when I speak it out? Now people are gonna think I have to do it. And then when if I don't do it, and then if they're going to be checking on me, then I'm gonna look like a failure. And that's not your job. Like, even if people are expecting you. I mean, people are like, you're making all those sales by now. And I'm like, Nope, because it's not part of my journey. Yet. This is a learning experience, life is all learning and the beautiful if you can unlock one part of your brain that's so beautiful, is taking pressure off of these accomplishments that you see it to be in a certain way that travellish meant is that you're doing it. The accomplishment is that you're trying it the accomplishment is every little action, what I call the millimeter movement that you do toward the dream is the win. Everything else is a byproduct of beauty. Because we can't we can't control life. We can only control what we do in life. And we stopped doing a lot because we can't control life's outcome. Right. And so I would just encourage, let the share be a neutral share, to just breathe life into the world of what you want to be and what I think is it actually helps you believe it more. When you're powerful enough to say it. That's Valencia's courage and bravery, right? That definition when you have the courage enough to say it, then that means you stand by it. And when you keep saying it, then you stand by it more and more you haven't clicked in belief yet. Sharing it is not belief. Sharing is just mustering the courage up dropping the seeds out for this thing to start growing and the more you share, the more the seeds get planted, the more you share more belief starts to grow. The courage starts to walk and like oh, that does sound true for me. That is in alignment to me, then at some point belief kicks in. And what I love sharing about belief is belief is an action word. The barometer I love science and math. The litmus test of belief is what actions have you done towards it? You cannot believe you don't believe something that you haven't physically done something towards your seed planting and you are sharing but you're not believing yet. And that's okay. You don't have to immediately walk into belief. But I promise you if you keep sharing it, and you keep saying it out your mouth, there's nothing that you can keep saying in the world that you won't do something towards because you'll just Stop saying that at some point, right in the you're gonna do, or you're gonna stop saying it, something's gonna happen. So I say, say it enough until you can come to believe that that share value will kick you into belief. And you know, you're in belief phase when action start to happen towards it. But don't be overwhelmed with actions, actions aren't this huge thing. Action is that I Google what my business is about today, that's an action. That's not a share. That's a physical thing that you've done towards this dream. And act action is, did I know I need an LLC? I've researched this thing. Did I call the company that could register my business? Or did I research how to resin that's an action, and then you'll do these millimetre actions. And then that's when I look back over time. And I'm like, what I'm physically touch. For me, physically believing in a not so much that I start hand sketching it. Yeah, that was the belief, the hand sketch. And then I just left it out there. The thing, the funny part is, this became a business before I even knew it will be a business. Because my mother, the hand sketching came from my mother, she passed really early. And before she passed, I was about college age, I don't, I don't think she saw me graduate college or death, kind of blackout. It's traumatic to lose a parent. But right before she passed, I remember a conversation we had. And it was so beautiful, because she told me that she got to see my light shining. And then she saw me choosing my light and shining it towards my destiny. And then she handed me these little earrings. And she told me, where are your earrings every day, no matter what, because sometimes the world's gonna get really hard. And you're gonna forget that you have light within you. And all you have to do is when you touch the earrings, when you see him in the mirror, whoa, just that flicker of light is gonna be a reminder for you to know that the light is always within you, all you have to do is choose to unlock it. And she's shortly past and that's when I started hand sketching the symbolic pieces that had these quick reminders to help you set into the mindset that will ultimately take you to all your dreams and, and it's what I live every moment.

Julie- Host: 37:35

I love that that's so powerful. I, I mean, I as someone who has like, I couldn't wear my earrings. I mean, you can't even see them anyways, because I have these huge headphones on for people who are just listening. But I have them here I brought I brought them with me. And they are they are such a beautiful reminder, I want to ask you, because you have so much diverse experience. And like I always do a lot of research. I mean, I heard your story, because I heard you talk. But then I always do a lot of research. And I think the interesting thing about your experience is that you got a degree, and then you have a master's degree, and teaching. And then like you you shifted right like so it sounds like you started doing these sketches. Like from a pretty young age, you started doing these sketches? How did that? Like? How did that transition into, like you then also wanting to work at QVC? And like, what was that process? Because I was very fascinated. It was like such a shift, I think from like teaching. But yet you are teaching all the time, because you're speaking on stages, and you're sharing, like all these things that you've learned over the years with people. So I'm just curious, like, can you kind of share that part of your journey?

Lia Valencia Key: 38:52

I love I love the research because I get excited to share that. And it's so interesting, thank you for saying I feel like Valencia key, the jewelry, our wearable teaching moments because I want it to be teaching the mindset of how to live a life of abundance and possibility. But if we take it all the way back, I remember my mother told me to listen to my inner light. And so that I just say yes to what my heart and my soul tells me to do. And it could make no sense at all. But if it keeps coming back, so I mean, I keep hearing it that I'm like, Alright, this is random, but we're just gonna go for it. So the first thing was college. No one in my neighborhood and my family ever went to college and that was a thing. I believe in breaking boundaries to show what's possible. And so I'm like, I'm going to college, then that's what we're gonna do and for for, for one reason is to a prove that it was possible for me to do it and then be to get outside Other than environment to see something different. So I get to college, I get my struggling, as I must be honest, to get my undergrad degree, my mother start passing and in college, so that was one of the most hardest times of my life. So my mother passed away while I was in college, but my mother always told me to complete everything. So these words remind me I'm like, alright, well, what's close to completion? Well, Master's degree is, you know, I think PhD is the finance the fine now, but let me at least get a master's. And I feel like that's a completion moment of this education experience. So I go back, and I get my Master's in Education only because I wanted to kind of round off this concept of education. And I love sharing, I'm amazing, I love learning. So I thought it would be so exciting to teach. And that got me into teaching for a little bit. It was beautified to our children from a discipline School, which was a struggle, but also a blessing because they got to see me from where they were from actually being able to tell them that I have a degree. And so I pray that at least one of those hearts so that taught, became something super amazing. And then but in that it was a struggle. It was it was challenging to say the least. And so I stopped going outside of me and started looking back inside. And I'm like, Well, where do you light up Leah? But really, Willie listening, turn in the me up again. And like I light up in creativity. But it was so counterintuitive of this masters and business degree. I'm like, that's really opposite. You could you have a turn your knee up earlier. I'm like, but it's all infant dad's plan, because the learning that happened in college is so great. So I'm like, alright, well, then that's it, you gotta follow you. So with a master's degree, in teaching, I decided to go all the way back and for myself and follow what was creativity. But I started to say like, I don't want to ever be hungry again. Can't do that. So how do you do creativity and make a living? So I'm pondering this. And I'm like, Oh, the beauty industry is magical. It is all creativity, makeup and hair is creativity. You are coloring on faces, and you're cutting and drawn lines on hair. And it is a business of lucre. It's lucrative you can consistently work. I'm like, I got it. So how do you get into that? Well, you could just side do it. Or you can go all the way like my mother said, and get a license in it. So I went back to school and got my cousin's holiday license. So I have a master's in education, and I'm in path ontology school. Why not sweeping floors? I love sharing that because you got to be humbling yourself. It's so beautiful. If you have a goal. What is the goal worth to transition for? You? Are you willing to sweep the floor to learn, and I swept floors, and I learned and I was working at MAC cosmetics to help support myself and a lady came in to make cosmetic and if you're a professional, it pops up on the screen. I always ask questions learning is power. And I asked her what she professional and she said QVC. And she said it wasn't it was about an hour or 45 minutes away from where we were at. I'm like, what is that? She said it's a 24 hour network of selling, it's on air. And I'm like, is there someone I knew I did not want clients per se. I didn't want to be a stylist for clients. I literally want to be established to create 24/7. That was my dream. So I'm like, Oh, I don't like to worry about a book. They're just creating all the time there. That's my dream. So I target that. And I hadn't finished my license. So took me five years. It took me two years to get my license. Of course, I'm a Completer. So I went back and got my instructors license. Clearly I'm a teacher. And now all my connections. The beautiful lady that I met who had set me up with the interview for QVC. And QVC told me that I needed a cosmetology license was gone. So it took me five years of nose of applying to QVC No, no, you're not qualified. No, no, no. For those five years, I swept up salon floor learning in the floor that I was sweeping was a salon full of education, which is why I swept there. This owner was a teacher. And so my job was to sweep the floors and Pull the lint out of the dryer. But at the same time I was wondering to all type of hair textures, all type of cuts. It was just beautiful. And five years I spoke out my dream of working for QVC anybody that knew me anybody that stood next to me and smiled twice, I would tell them I wanted to work for QVC no expectation, just share it. And I'm bartender In to help support myself and a gentleman named Fred. I remember him vividly. He smiled twice. I know he probably only wanted a rum and coke, but it fit into my my litmus test of me sharing. And so I tell him, I wouldn't work for dBc. And he says, Oh, my morning is that I work for Comcast, my friend works at QVC. Let me see what I can do for you. I love sharing that because it's like, Who are you in the journey? How are you? And the journey, this goes back to the light concept I had my dream was to create, and to make a living creating, honestly, it didn't matter what it looked like, but make a dream creating. And the target that I had put was to work at QVC. I'm in year five of nose, I kind of looked very dark. But I chose me I knew that I was going to work for key I knew it. And I was just an always just light and kindness and caring and he share my information with Stephanie Humphrey, we are actually dear friends to this day. And this definitely Humphrey never met me. She just heard me from her friend Fred. And he had told her this young lady has so much light, and so much kindness, whatever you can do if you can help her she really wants to work for QVC Stephanie Humphrey texted me the next day and said, Here's the manager's number, all her contact information, and I'll do you an extra, use my name as a reference. Who are you? It will it will supersede anything right. So that that reference right there. I did exactly what Stephanie said I had been sweeping floors and learning for five years. So needless to say, I was ready. Thank goodness. So what are you doing within the nose is a very interesting question as well. Every know that you get if you believe it. Because we said the belief was an action word. My Nancy always taught me that, that she taught me that love was an action word. And now I add that belief is an action word. And so when I get the nose, then if I believe it, then what am I going to do with it now. So then I would learn more, I would learn more. So now I'm ready. And I get an interview that walks me into the QVC doors. And I'm a stylist. And it exposed. I call this a huge next light in my life because now I'm exposed to dream meet people that make dreams come true which of the PVC host they're taking people's dreams and sharing them out to the world. And then I'm styling dreamers. These entrepreneurs I didn't even know of I didn't know, entrepreneurs existed. I didn't even really know how businesses got started. I'm a property. But now people are sitting in my chair are humans like people just like me, telling me how they started their business. And I'm and they showed me that if you have something intangible, which means a specific intention, that you are grounded in the promise that you want to make, and then you pour that promise into something tangible. And then that tangible piece filled with that promise gets gifted to the receiver, it becomes life changing to the person on the other end. And that just exposed me and I start to realize I'm styling hearts and everything at the end. Remember my mother told me about this jewelry concept to wear it every day. And I'm hand sketching jewelry symbolic for me. But at the end of every styling session, these hearts will say what bracelet do I wear? What necklace do I put on what earrings do I click in, and it was the last seal that they would click on to their physical body like an adornment and armor before they would go out and do something huge. And I started to look over my life of being light and pushing through possibility and walking in my courage. And realizing I was sketching these pieces of jewelry and I knew that I had this mission to give in the world. And it will be in the form of these wearable symbolic pieces. And that's how he got started. And it started with me googling how to take can sketch jewelry and make it into a real physical piece.

Julie- Host: 49:25

I love that. I love that so much. Well, thank you for sharing all of that. I mean, I think it was like honestly so timely for me and just where I am in my own journey. I think like yeah, some of the just the things that you shared about just putting it out there I think is so helpful for me to hear personally, and not having the expectations or like attachments to but like just sharing and how Yeah, like how's that starts the process and how you ended up Just creating this most beautiful business, you know, and I hope that I can certainly see in the future that it's just going to explode. I hope that happens sooner versus later.

Lia Valencia Key: 50:13

See that? Thank you for connecting with me on that those

Julie- Host: 50:16

Yes, yes. And I maybe will have you on for like a part two, because I have so many more questions to, like, ask you about the details of like, how do you once you sketch like, what is that process like, but I know we have to wrap up. So I want to make sure that I asked you the last question, which is to end our conversation, will you share a sentence that uses verbiage or jargon from your field? And then translate it? So it's understandable to us?

Lia Valencia Key: 50:46

Yes. Oh, it's simple. I deal with it almost every other day. What is your MOQ? And this is new, this is the manufacturers question. If you send a design and what's your MOQ and MOQ is minimal minimum order quantity. And if you are, especially if you're custom designing like a custom design, there's a minimum that you have to order in order for them to take time to create your vision for you. And generally, they're high minimum quantity orders. So it's a high risk that you have to create these and they all get shipped to you once they are created. And now you have to pray and figure out how to get these into our hearts and homes for them to prayer for the life changing for people to wear. Thank

Julie- Host: 51:41

you. Thank you for that. Yeah, that's, that's, I have never heard that. But that makes a lot of sense. And also that goes to like planting the seeds right? That like the vision that you have, that you have these things, you're gonna share them with the world and share your light. So Leah, it was such I mean such a fun conversation. Thank you so much for being on we may have to do part two. Okay, so I can get into the some of the nitty gritty details for people who like would love to also create jewelry, we can share that with them. But yeah, thank you so much for being a guest on the podcast. And if people want to find you if they want to find your jewelry, where can they go do that.

Lia Valencia Key: 52:21

Leave that love. It is my dream prayer that you were at least one piece of Valencia key and share one piece of light and go to Valencia ke v a l e n ca ke y put submit your email keeps us connected. I love inspiration. So I'll send inspiration and let you know the new things. I have a giveback program of Fairtrade, I work with artisans in the villages of Ghana, Africa. And that mission is to help create opportunity and income for individuals who have limited opportunities. So those bags actually just came in and I love Instagram. connected me with me on Instagram Valencia key design is where you get to see so many lights shining with Valencia key so that you can feel welcomed and loved. And if you want to follow where in the world is Lea, because I love going different places. Lea Valencia key is my personal I just love any connection and support. I am like I said a small business. So if anyone has any talents, finances, or any business support that they're like, I want to be a part of that mission. Contact and message me I'm looking for hearts that will help grow this vision so that we can help others in the world.

Julie- Host: 53:47

I love that. And I know like your the thing that you're doing with the with the purses is really amazing. So people can definitely go check that out on your website. But it's just like so cool how you are, you're helping people in other places, and yet bringing something beautiful, so people who are here so thank you so much, Leah. It was such a pleasure, or joy.

Lia Valencia Key: 54:10

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can't wait to come back.

Julie- Host: 54:15

Hey, everybody, thank you so much for listening to women with cool jobs. I'll be releasing a new episode every two weeks. So make sure you hit that subscribe button. And if you love the show, please give me a five survey. Also, it would mean so much if you share this episode with someone you think would love it or would find it inspirational. And lastly, do you have ideas for future shows? Or do you know any Rockstar women with cool jobs? I would love to hear from you. You can email me at Julie at women with cool jobs.com Or you can find me on Instagram at women cool jobs. Again that's women cool jobs. You Thank you so much for listening and have an incredible day