Cut The Tie | Success on Your Terms
1st - Define your success on your terms.
2nd - "Cut The Tie" to whatever is keeping you from that success
Cut The Tie is not just a podcast; it's a movement. Hosted by Thomas Helfrich, this highly impactful show features short-form interviews with remarkable individuals who share how they redefined success by boldly cutting ties with fear, doubt, bad habits, toxic environments, and limiting beliefs. You'll hear exactly what they cut, how they did it, what it felt like, and how their lives — and the lives of those around them — changed forever.
Each episode is inspirational, motivational, and — most importantly — actionable. You'll gain real strategies and mindset shifts you can immediately apply to your own life and career.
Plus, every day, Thomas drops solo short-form episodes designed to fire you up, challenge your thinking, and remind you that the only thing standing between you and your potential... is the tie you need to cut.
Join our free community at facebook.com/groups/cutthetie to connect with others on the same journey, and subscribe to our growing YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers at youtube.com/@cutthetie.
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Cut The Tie | Success on Your Terms
“Let Go of the Ego, Keep the Drive”—How Marisa Vallbona Reinvented Her Career
Cut The Tie Podcast with Thomas Helfrich
Episode 282
Marisa Vallbona never intended to start a PR firm—but a surprise layoff while on maternity leave changed everything. In this inspiring episode of Cut The Tie, host Thomas Helfrich speaks with the founder and president of CIM Inc PR about how getting fired became the best thing that ever happened to her. Marisa shares the lessons she’s learned across 35 years in business, from building a service-first company to firing clients who don’t align with her values.
She talks candidly about overcoming ego, leaning on faith, and the power of optimism in building a life and business you love.
About Marisa Vallbona:
Marisa is the president and founder of CIM Inc PR, a national public relations firm specializing in integrated marketing across industries like real estate and consumer products. With more than 35 years of experience and a passion for high-touch client service, Marisa built her business through referrals and word-of-mouth. A proud surfer, mother, and woman of faith, Marisa lives by the principles of integrity, gratitude, and service.
In this episode, Thomas and Marisa discuss:
- Getting fired on maternity leave—and what came next
Marisa shares how losing her job right before returning from leave led her to start a business she never planned—and never left. - Why exceptional service builds the strongest brand
From day one, Marisa grew her agency through word-of-mouth by delivering Ritz Carlton–level service and creating lifelong client advocates. - How optimism and faith shaped her business
Rooted in scripture and guided by faith, Marisa’s approach to business is grounded in service, generosity, and resilience. - Letting go of clients who don’t align
Marisa explains how firing toxic clients opens the door for better ones—and why you should trust that abundance will follow. - Surfing, family, and staying grounded
Whether she’s catching waves or co-parenting with grace, Marisa talks about staying present, grateful, and fully alive.
Key Takeaways:
- Sometimes rejection is redirection
Getting fired led to a thriving business that never would have existed otherwise. - Service over everything
When you focus on delivering exceptional service, clients do the marketing for you. - You define your value—not your employer
Marisa cut the tie to letting others dictate her worth or financial future. - Abundance beats scarcity every time
Firing a toxic client opened the door to better, more aligned opportunities. - Stay grounded in what matters
Faith, family, and purpose fuel long-term success more than any metric.
Connect with Marisa Vallbona:
💼 LinkedIn: Marisa Vallbona
💼 Website: cimincpr.com/
🌊 Fun fact: She’s an avid surfer and makes regular trips to Maui to hit the waves!
Connect with Thomas Helfrich:
🐦 Twitter: @thelfrich
📘 Facebook: Cut The Tie Group
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Welcome to Cut the Tie. Hi, I'm your host, thomas Helfrich, and we are on a mission to help you cut a tie to something holding you back, so you can unleash the best version of yourself or just become a really good entrepreneur. Today, I'm joined by Marisa Valbona. That is right.
Speaker 2:You said it right. A lot of people get it wrong Way to go.
Speaker 1:I was like, oh gosh, I felt the pressure and the stress from that. I think I'm going to be okay. The cortisol levels have jumped. My body will be okay. We're going to be okay.
Speaker 2:You're great, marisa. Why don't you take a moment? Introduce started 35 years ago and I started it by accident. We can go into my story later, but we do PR across the US for world-renowned companies and I love it so much Like I've never, ever regretted it. I love my career, have so much fun, I have the best clients in the world and I just adore it. So Well, I love that and you know I have so much fun, I have the best clients in the world and I just adore it.
Speaker 1:So well, I love that, and you know I have questions. But the book coming out, literally rewriting a little bit, my wife read through it finally, after I'd sent it to the publisher, to be fair, and she said, hey, I don't like a few things in here. I'm like it'd be helpful if you'd done this two months ago, but anyway. So I'm rewriting, but it would have been helpful if you'd done this two months ago, but anyway, so I'll be writing more. But here's the thing, I've got this whole thing coming out. At some point we're going to go offline. You're going to tell me how to do the PR right on that. Oh yeah, love that. I'm going to back into that. But here's the next question Tell me why you're unique or why people pick your business.
Speaker 2:Most of it is service, service. And I, you know, and I'll tell you, it's not just my business where service makes a difference, but we grow our business through word of mouth. I mean, I don't even I don't do any advertising and my and I should and I should do PR for myself, but I really don't. I don't really have to, because my business has grown over 35 years through word of mouth and seriously and essentially what it was was I backed into my business by accident, and I can go into that story, you know, when you ask me that question. But I'll tell you it's all been word of mouth because we provide exceptional service. It's so much easier to keep a client than it is to get a new one, and so our clients feel so much white glove service from us that they go around telling everybody you have to hire Marisa and her team, you will not regret it. And so that's how we get and keep clients.
Speaker 1:I think, from a strategy standpoint, anyone listening or watching that's the best strategy. It's by far. It's close rate and the cheapest is just do awesome work. Get something that will worry you.
Speaker 2:I mean, think about it Like, think about how you feel about the vendors you work with, the companies you work with. I mean, when you go in and you buy a Mercedes or a Range Rover or an Audi, how do you feel at the dealership? The level of service that you get when you stay at a Ritz-Carlton, for example if you've ever stayed at a Ritz-Carlton the level of service that you get is off the hook. It makes you want to go back. That's the level of service that you get is off the hook. It makes you want to go back. That's the level of service if you're an entrepreneur that you should be providing each and every customer, client, everybody you work with, and when you do that, you're going to get so much business that you can turn away business that you. You know clients that you don't want to work with. That's the secret.
Speaker 1:As a 2013 Honda Odyssey minivan owner, I will tell you I'm happy that they don't have powdered cream for the coffee when you get service. I'm going to throw that out there. My bar is pretty low.
Speaker 2:Well, you know what I'm going to tell you a little secret. I'm going to tell you a little secret. I love powdered cream and I actually yes, I do. I love it. Coffee Mate, that's my jam. And I'll tell you a little secret. A couple of weeks ago I went to the Ritz-Carlton and I packed my own Coffee Mate to go to the Ritz-Carlton. And because I love it, there's just something about it. It makes your coffee taste like cake and it's. I mean, that stuff is poison. It's got all kinds of additives and preservatives in it and I don't eat additives and preservatives, but I love coffee mate. So I travel with my own coffee mate, no matter what caliber of hotel I stay in. So yeah, don't be talking smack about my powdered coffee creamer.
Speaker 1:I'm going to leave it at this. Two rules I used to have If I ever worked somewhere and they had powdered cream and that was what they provided employees out Not working there. Second, I think you should confuse the staff, because it is a high-end in the Ritz, it's just create lines and put like a dollar bill rolled up and read it in there and like do not touch, and it's just you're segmenting for your coffee and just confuse them and it'd be funny to see what they say. All right, let's talk about your journey. So tell me a little about your journey and on this, on this accidental success that you had, what the biggest tie was? You had to cut to find success.
Speaker 2:The biggest tie I had to cut was my ego.
Speaker 1:Go on.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, it's not that I had a huge ego, but what happened was? I mean, I actually got my start in PR when I was 12 years old, so I fried an egg on a sidewalk in Houston. I was born and raised in Houston. Super hot day. My friends and I are all sitting around in the summer and we're, like you know, just up to no good and we're thinking what are we going to do? There's nothing to do. Today, I'm telling you it was blazing hot. You're in Georgia, you know how hot it gets.
Speaker 1:I mean I've definitely boiled and cooked an egg on Blacktop living in the Midwest in St Louis when we were growing up. It was so much fun to do oh my gosh, it's so much fun.
Speaker 2:So you know how hot it gets and like you can see like the steam coming up off the asphalt, right. So it was one of those days. So we thought, hey, y'all, let's like cook an egg on the sidewalk. So we did, and one of us got the wild idea I don't remember who it was, maybe my sister and so they dared me. I was, like always the daredevil, like the most extroverted daredevil. Hey, call the news stations, make them come out here and do a weather story. So I called the news station, got them to come out and do a weather story. Like I didn't even know how to do it, but essentially I called them like, hey, we fried an egg on the sidewalk. Do you want to come out and, like, do a story on it? And that's when I found out you call the assignment desk. So they came out, they did a weather story, but nobody wanted to go on camera. They, they did a weather story, but nobody wanted to go on camera. They were like hey, I dare you to do it. So I got on camera and talked about what we had done. At the end of the night my parents came home from work and it was like, hey, I got on TV, this is what I want to do for a living. I want to be a newscaster. So that's essentially how I ended up getting my degree in journalism, with an emphasis in PR. That's how I got my start. Okay, so I ended up.
Speaker 2:When I graduated from college, I worked at a PR firm and I thought I was going to stay at that PR firm for life. I thought I was going to end up climbing the ladder, ending up being the CEO of the PR firm after the you know principals had left the firm, retired, etc. But what happened was I ended up getting pregnant. I had my son, my oldest son, and when I was on maternity leave, I got this wonderful call on the Friday before I was supposed to get back from maternity leave and the principal said hey, how's maternity leave going? We'd love to see you in our office on Friday. And I said well, I'm coming back on Monday. They said, no, we really want to see you on Friday. I said, all right, well, I saw your eyebrows go up.
Speaker 1:I've had that call before, so go on.
Speaker 2:Okay, but while you're on maternity leave in 1990, right, that's the time to do it.
Speaker 1:You couldn't do it today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, you couldn't. And so I come in and they're, you know, like, hey, you look great, how's it going? And I said, you know it's going fine, I'm having fun with my baby, but I'm really not meant to stay home. I meant to stay home, I can't wait to get back to work. I mean really driven and ambitious right. So they're talking to me and stuff and they said, look, you are one of our higher paid, you know senior account executives and we love the work you do. But we're really sorry, we have to let you go. So I got let go, okay, and I'm thinking I'm a poo creek without a paddle. And you know young marriage at the time an infant and I got home I told my husband what happened.
Speaker 2:He was already running a graphic design firm with a partner and they basically said why don't you just join us and provide PR services to our clients and we'll just make it a, you know, a full service agency? And I thought, well, I've never wanted to work for myself. I wanted to eventually run that PR firm I work for, but anyway, I thought I'll just do that in the interim while I look for a job. So I started doing that and I got so busy I never had time to look for a job Beyond what I was making at the PR firm. I never had time to look for a job and, ironically, I still do work with my now ex-husband's partner. We just got off a conference call before this podcast and you know I still do. I still did projects with my ex-husband but he ended up getting a great job and so he's no longer doing the work.
Speaker 2:But it's just fantastic how that ended up happening. And that was 35 years ago and I've never looked back. You want to talk about cutting the tie? I mean wow, and I've never looked back. It's been amazing.
Speaker 1:That is amazing. You uh the ego of well it's I don't know if it's ego was the thing you cut. It was more of the sense of purpose, of where it really belonged. Like you, you identified your identity with someone else's dream and there, when they didn't align to your dream anymore, you're like whoa, whoa, wait, that's not how I saw my life going. So, and when they didn't align to your dream anymore, you're like, well, wait, that's not how I saw my life going. So that's a big tie for a lot of good to come. But I thought I was going to do this, I thought we were going to be that, and you said, wait, that's not how it went.
Speaker 2:But what I meant by ego was it was having to swallow my pride on the fact that I got let go. That was a gut punch. I mean that was a gut punch and I have to say that was one of the best things that ever happened to me, but it took me a good year to get over it. Is that it.
Speaker 1:I've been through it like six times. So like, at some point I'm just like, oh, here it comes, that's great, it's hard, it is, it's incredibly hard. How did you get over it? I think I sometimes will ask that question in between. But you know, the tie to cut sort of bit speak is the ego of being like oh, I'm not feeling someone else was determining your value in that moment, and that's, that's angry, like and and and I think that's a big piece that goes away once you start working for yourself as you determine your value. Right, but how did you get over it?
Speaker 2:Well, I made the decision that I was never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to let anybody else determine my financial future again. And so I took control and I decided I was going to go after my clients. I was going to create the best PR firm that I could ever create. I had always made mental notes of what the PR firm I worked for, what they were doing wrong and I, you know, even though I never wanted to start my own PR firm, I remember clients chewing us out about what they felt was an injustice at the other PR firm, and a lot of that was service. They felt that they weren't getting the right service because they felt that the principals would come in and pitch the business and then disappear and pawn it off onto senior account executives, account executives and account coordinators. And I remember thinking that is so wrong. Like you just don't do that. And so, even though I never planned to start my own PR firm, I, in the back of my head, like something, told me you don't do business that way. So the way I got over that injustice was to build something better, build something greater, and I'll never forget this.
Speaker 2:Like, the PR firm where I worked was very real estate heavy. That's how I got into real estate PR and consumer PR. And so when I started my firm, those guys actually had the audacity to call me and say, if you plan to do real estate, you're going to fail on your face and because we were in the middle of a recession back then in 1990. And I said, well, just watch me, and I'm telling you, it's like it was just success after success, and you know I'm very you. It's like, well, it's just success after success and you know I'm very real estate heavy commercial, residential, just everything. It's been great. And you know you're only as successful as you believe yourself to be and as you service your clients. It's been wonderful. I have the greatest, most amazing clients. So that's how I got over it. That's how I felt better about what I'm doing, because of the relationships that I built with my clients, my colleagues, how I was able to give back to the profession through my volunteer service profession through my volunteer service.
Speaker 1:It's funny because usually people realize they need to cut something from a moment. Your moment was smacked into your face, right? You're like, oh, here it is. And then you realize, well, here's the tie I need to cut. After A lot of people have it the other way, like I think I need to do this, and then something triggers them to take action. Something took action on you and you're like I'm not going to do that anymore and I love that. I love that you've stuck with it. Like it or not, you stuck with it. I find it interesting that you it sounds like you had gone through a divorce. That's not even the tie you had to overcome. The bigger one was just that original gut punch from a life event.
Speaker 2:Well, and the interesting thing is like even my divorce, that was very difficult, but my ex-husband and I are still beautiful friends. I mean, we're you know, we co-parent beautifully together. We're still beautiful friends. We just had dinner together in San Diego recently with our son. We still love each other as co-parents and I think that's very important co-parents, and I think that's very important. I think having wonderful human relationships is important and, believe it or not, after I got laid off from that PR firm, I sent a thank you note to the principals who laid me off and I thanked them for everything they taught me. Now they didn't know that that thank you was a thank you for everything they taught me not to do and for what they taught me to do. But I ended up becoming good friends with them as well, because you can't move on in success unless you're willing to let go of the negative.
Speaker 1:Right Anger only serves to hurt you with that.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and you have to move on in forgiveness.
Speaker 1:So talk about some of the impact you've had with this mindset for your customers, your family, just the impact. How has the impact been on your family, your business since?
Speaker 2:Phenomenal, phenomenal. I mean I had a client I was meeting with in San Diego, a commercial developer, and you know we had not met in person yet. And when we met in person after the first hour, he said what do you think of me now that you've met me in person? And you know? I said you're great, you know really like you. And I said what do you think of me? And he said I like you a lot better in person. He said I liked you a lot by phone and by Zoom meetings, but I like you a lot better in person.
Speaker 2:He says there's just something about you and I mean the thing about it is it's do you have an abundance mindset or scarcity mindset? Do you have a mindset that the glass is half full or it's half empty? Are you a positive thinker or a negative thinker? And I'll tell you my boys tell me that I'm a ridiculous optimist and I got that from my dad and it's really served me well. I mean, I've had many situations where I've had to fire clients and I don't think of it as I'm letting go of this income for my firm. I look at it as I'm letting go of toxicity and I'm making room for positivity and every time I do that, sometimes within hours, a new client that's bigger and better and more positive comes into my. I mean, I'm telling you it's eerie within hours. So it has served me so well and it served my sons really well too.
Speaker 1:I love that You've impacted downstream.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So who inspires you? Amazing man? He immigrated here from Spain and he was recruited to work at Baylor College of Medicine, became a world-renowned doctor. When he moved here, he didn't speak much English at all. In fact, I grew up at home speaking Spanish and Catalan. Those were our primary languages spoken at home. Among the kids. We spoke to each other in English. I learned English mostly watching TV and then at school.
Speaker 2:And my dad, when he first started working here, when he was on call, they would call him on the phone and you know like he'd be sleeping right in the doctor's lounge and they'd call him and they'd say Dr Valbona, and they'd ask him a question. Well, he didn't understand what they were saying, and so he'd jump up out of bed and he'd go run to the patient's room and it would be something as simple as the patient has a fever, what do we do? But because he didn't understand English, well, he would have to see, like you know, the nurse's lips moving and hear them, and see in person and see what was going on with the patient. And so he would take the patient's temperature, give the patient Tylenol, put a blanket on the patient, etc. So he got a reputation as going above and beyond in providing the most incredible care. As a physician, he moved up through the ranks. He ended up serving royalty, serving elected officials, presidents, nasa astronauts before they'd go on missions. When they came back from their missions, I mean incredible physician.
Speaker 2:What that inspired me to do. And he always told me he would call me every day. Because I was living in Southern California for about 35 years, he would call me every day. How's work going? What have you done lately? How are you serving your clients? What are your clients saying about you? I mean, because to him it was so important that his legacy would be service. And what are you doing to give back to the community? What's your volunteer work? What are you doing? And that was so important to him and it was for a reason. And the wonderful thing is is that my adult sons are the same way. It's wonderful. I mean, he is my hero.
Speaker 1:Love it. Sure, he knew it too. What's some of the best business advice you've ever received?
Speaker 2:you know that there's nothing worse than getting caught in a lie. So there's nothing that the truth brings out is worse than getting caught in a lie, and I tell my clients that all the time always tell the truth that's a I mean that's, that's solid advice.
Speaker 1:That's often how you have to get rid of your customers, like you're an asshole, so we're getting rid of you.
Speaker 2:Well, it is, and you know. When you're dealing in an ethical situation, like a crisis situation, an ethics situation, you always have to tell the truth, Because once you start telling even little lies, you have to keep track of them. I can always tell when I'm dealing with a shady client. They they start lying. I don't trust them. I have to fire them. They end up in a crisis situation. Nothing the truth brings out is ever worse than getting caught in a lie.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. You're right, If they're being attacked of some sort, then it takes the ammunition away from the other party, because now they're like, hey, this is what happened, so we'll just deal with that now.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:What's your must-read book?
Speaker 2:The Bible Every day, every day. So one of my go-tos is the book of Proverbs, and so the book of Proverbs has 31 chapters and so every day. So, like on, let's say, april 1st, I'll read chapter one of Proverbs, then April 2nd, chapter two, and then I'll read something else in the Bible. But every day I start like that and I look at it as my quiet time with God and I. You know, honestly, it's like feeling grounded every day when I start my day and just feeling like and that's why I'm president of my company, because God is my CEO, that's why it's called CIM Inc. Pr. It stands for Cornerstone Integrated Marketing, because God and Jesus are the cornerstone of my life, cornerstone of my business, cornerstone of my business. I'm telling you, when I start my day like that, everything is so easy, I feel so peaceful and nothing rattles me. But back to Proverbs. It has the best advice for dealing with difficult people, difficult situations, difficult life, anything. Difficult situations, difficult life, anything. And the Bible is B-I-B-L-E Best.
Speaker 2:Instruction Before Leaving Earth. I've never heard that before. Yeah, that's my most read book. And then my second favorite book is oh my gosh, I'm spacing on it now, but I love it. It's oh, think and Grow Rich. I read that book almost every year. I love that book.
Speaker 1:Think and Grow Rich. Check that one. I have to add it to my list.
Speaker 2:I highly recommend it. Oh, it will change your life. I love it.
Speaker 1:If you could go back into any time period in your life.
Speaker 2:When would you go back in time and what would you do differently? You know, I'd probably go back to my high school years my high school years and I wouldn't worry so much about what other people think. And I'd love to go back to my high school years knowing what I know now. Wouldn't that be awesome.
Speaker 1:I'd have a tough time finishing high school. I'd be like hey'm just gonna go buy apple stock.
Speaker 2:I know, wouldn't that be great or something.
Speaker 1:No, it would be. And and the idea is, I think, that the lesson there is you know care, you know you won't be able to. You should care less what people think of you. The idea is just do it now. If you still have that problem anyway. Shameless plug time for you first of all. First of all, thank you so. This has been fantastically. What a great story you have in life and the faith-based. I love all this. Do a shameless plug for yourself. Who should get ahold of you and how do they do it?
Speaker 2:Anybody who is looking for PR services, anybody who wants to promote their business in any kind of integrated marketing, whether it's social media, the news media, online media, any type of promotions get a hold of me. You can find me at CIM Inc PR and my contact information is there, so get a hold of me. We work with companies of all sizes, whether you're a startup or a world-renowned company. We would love to work with you. Reach out to me personally. I will return your email or your text message and we'd love to work with you, so reach out to us.
Speaker 1:Now, if there's one question I should have asked you today and I didn't, what would that question have been and how would you have answered it?
Speaker 2:I don't know what my hobbies are, maybe.
Speaker 1:What's your hobbies?
Speaker 2:My passion is surfing.
Speaker 1:Surfing. Are you in San Diego still?
Speaker 2:I'm not in San Diego. Still. I was in San Diego 35 years and I started surfing about 10 years ago and, oh my gosh, I love it. I got into it because a client I had a surfing client and when the client hired us, I told the client. I said I don't know anything about surfing except my sons do it and my brother does it, so I don't really know anything about it. And they said that's okay. We wanted to hire you because we like you as a PR firm. We think you'll do a great job. Anyway, long story short, we got them on TV a lot. Their sales increased. They said we got to get you on a surfboard.
Speaker 2:Seriously, I didn't want to do it because I was terrified of sharks. The water there's so cold, but I thought I'm just going to get this over with, put on a wetsuit, paddled out. I never thought about sharks, all I was concerned about was to make sure I did it right. I fell the first two times. You know that I paddled out, but then I caught every wave and the feeling is like nothing I've ever felt before. I love it, like I love it, like I love it. I was addicted. I just can't get enough of it. So I've got a trip planned to Maui in a month. I can't wait to go. I go to Maui almost every year to go surfing. I do surf here in Texas. I'm in Houston now. I got to tell you. It is phenomenal. I love it.
Speaker 1:I mean surfing in Galveston would be slightly different than the North Shore of Maui, which is a slightly larger waveset.
Speaker 2:I don't surf the North Shore. I'm not good enough for that.
Speaker 1:That's pretty big, Like a normal day is like 12 feet right 15 foot Well, I'm only 5'2" so I can surf, you know, just like.
Speaker 2:head high, a little over head high, that's my max. But I prefer to surf, like you know, four foot waves. I have nothing to prove to anybody. I do it for fun, for exercise. It is a blast. Out here I surf at Surfside. There's a big surf community here. It's a lot of fun. I surf with a group of guys. We just have a great time. I love seeing the dolphins out there. It's just a blast. It's great. I highly recommend.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've been surfing one time, and it was in Maui and a two, 36, two. The wave was not big enough to support me. I just sank through the wave and so my wife got right up and was like, ooh, the whole end I'm like I'm too fat. Anyway, things learn Like it looks like fun. I enjoy watching it, but it's just not. It's not on my radar anytime soon. Thank you so much, marisa, for joining me today. You've been great.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. This was a blast. So much fun.
Speaker 1:And listen anyone still listening. I appreciate you Get out there.
