Ep. 4 | From Self-Doubt to Leadership with Cristy Frías

In this conversation, Cristy Frías shares her journey through leadership, the impact of her upbringing, and the importance of mentorship. She discusses how parenting has shaped her leadership style, emphasizing authenticity and presence over perfection. Cristy highlights the significance of positivity and curiosity in overcoming challenges and setting boundaries to prevent burnout. She reflects on her evolving definition of success, focusing on the impact she has on others rather than personal milestones. The discussion concludes with rapid-fire questions that reveal her personal insights and experiences.

💬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞

➺ Leadership is about leaning into opportunities and learning along the way.
➺ People value authenticity and presence over perfection.
➺ Curiosity, confidence, and courage are foundational to personal growth.
➺ Success is defined by the impact you have on others.
➺ Setting boundaries is essential for maintaining energy and focus.
➺ Mentorship can have a lasting impact on personal and professional development.
➺ Positivity can help reframe challenges into opportunities.
➺ It's important to celebrate small wins on the journey to success.
➺ Ambition evolves from personal milestones to collective impact.
➺ Taking micro steps can help overcome feelings of being stuck.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭:

Cristina Frías is a banking executive, mentor, and transformation leader known for uniting teams and guiding complex decisions with heart and strategy. Born and raised in Miami to immigrant parents, she blends resilience and empathy into her leadership style. Passionate about mentorship, empowerment, and community impact, Cristy brings optimism, collaboration, and vision to every role she holds—both in business and beyond.

✺ Connect with Cristy
LinkedIn ➺  Cristina Frías

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Leadership is so much less about being 100% prepared for it and more about just leaning into the opportunity when it comes. The best teams, the most brilliant, the most talented teams are the ones that have the most amount of diverse voices. I had no preparation for that. I was like just completely caught off guard. It was definitely one of those moments where I had a lot of self-doubt. Like, could I actually do this?

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Welcome to Make It Ambitious, the podcast for bold thinkers, doers, and leaders who refuse to play it small. I am your host, Vic Moser. Strategist, creative entrepreneur, and conversation junkie. Each episode, I sit down with industry disruptors, creative founders, and corporate game changers to discuss the strategies, mindsets, and turning points that have shaped their journeys. Whether you're building your personal brand, scaling your business, rewriting your career story, or dreaming up your next big thing, this space is your permission slip to go all in because playing small was never the plan. You've had an amazing career and I want everybody to get to know you a little bit. So can you take us back to a time in your career when you realize you just couldn't play small anymore?

SPEAKER_00 1:20

The one that comes to mind is a couple years back, um, probably, you know, like seven or eight years ago, when I was pulled in to lead this just huge transformation project for my company. And it was really the first time I had been really involved before in a lot of um, you know, leading big initiatives and things like that. But this was like very out there and it was a very visual um leadership role. It was gonna impact, you know, every area of the company. We had over 35 work streams, we had people from every area involved. And and I really didn't expect that I was going to be kind of tapped to lead it. I had been done doing a lot of the prep work with a consulting company, but I thought, you know, at some point it's gonna be handed off to somebody else. And up until then, a lot of the the leadership that I had done for big initiatives was kind of, you know, in the background. So this was the first time that I had been tapped to kind of have a very visual role in the company. And I remember um, you know, we were in a meeting with the C-suite with uh our consulting partners, and they asked the question, you know, to our CEO, like, who's gonna run this? And my uh my boss, our our CFO, just kind of said, Oh, Chrissy's gonna, you know, she's gonna take the lead. She's gonna be our person. And I had no preparation for that. I was like just completely caught off guard. And it was like one of those moments where you're like so nervous and so exhilarated, and you're like, oh my God, I don't know that I could do this. Like, what do you mean? And I'm gonna have to like speak and I'm gonna have to like talk to all these different people. And so it was just, it was definitely one of those moments where I had a lot of um self-doubt in that moment. Like, could I actually do this? Um, and I think what I came away from that with was leadership is so much less about being 100% prepared for it and more about just leaning into the opportunity when it comes and just being open to experimenting and learning along the way and knowing that you're not gonna know everything and you're not gonna know everything you don't know, but just being open to kind of learning and exploring it along the way. And I think that experience really um, it really stretched me um beyond kind of my boundaries and it and it really changed my trajectory, I think, in terms of how I think about leadership and opportunities since then.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Wow, can you tell us a little bit more about what went through your head when you said, I didn't even know this was gonna happen. So everything kicked in. What type of thoughts were you having like in your at that moment when that happened?

SPEAKER_00 4:01

Like I I I was like thinking to myself, like at the moment, I was, you know, I was director of a P ⁇ A, but again, that was like, you know, a department, not this, you know, I didn't own a business line. I didn't have ownership over all of these like strategic things that I was involved with. I was always just kind of there as a partner. And I thought to myself, I'm like, how, how am I and my role and how I'm seen? How am I gonna bring so many people together? You know, especially with something with a project like that that is just so much change at once. And, you know, people are not normally comfortable with change. And so disruption is always, you know, initially viewed in a very negative way. And I'm like, how am I gonna get all of these people to look at me and say, like, okay, yeah, she can she can get us through this and get us to the finish line? And it was a lot of that kind of thinking in my head about like why would they have picked me? If they chose me, it was for a reason. They're seeing something that I'm not seeing, right? And and so if they believe in me, if they're willing to put this in my hands, then there must be something there. And I have to just take that opportunity and kind of see where it goes.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

For sure. Most of the time I feel like the imposter syndrome always shows up. They call it that, I feel, in our fields when it's very male-dominated. It's so incredible to realize that, you know, that it doesn't matter how far you go in your career, those little thoughts still come back up. But I am glad that you're killing it. So that's all that matters, right? Um you said um you've made a career out of blending strategy and human connection. Where do you think that ability comes from? And do you think it was shaped more by your upbringing in a multi-generational home? Or do you think it got shaped a little bit later?

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Um, I think it's a little bit of both. I think I think it definitely started um based on my upbringing. I grew up in a household with a lot of opinions and a lot of, you know, very strong voices and a lot of me kind of having to feel my way around that because in a lot of cases, I was the first generation in our household that was not an immigrant to this come, you know, to this country. So I had grown up, been born here, I had grown up here, had more than American education. And so my way of thinking about things, about life, about the world, about myself and my future was very, very different than we're than the way that I grew up, which was very traditional and and you know, much more closed and everything was just, you know, just it was a very different mindset, right? And so having to constantly try to like navigate that and and reconcile kind of like those traditions and that way of thinking with with mine and how I was evolving as a human being, I think that really helped once I got to the workforce and I started dealing with folks that were, you know, had very different opinions and about how things needed to be done or how we um could do things. And I think I I've always been really very strongly of the opinion that the best teams, the most brilliant, the most talented teams are the ones that have the most amount of diverse voices. Because you need that push and pull, right? You need the people that are gonna question and challenge and force you to think differently. And so having been used to that, it was much easier to kind of jump in and say, okay, yeah, here we have like 10 people and we're all thinking about the same thing. But if we can convince ourselves that we all want the same outcome, how do we all kind of grow in the same direction together to get there? And negotiating that is definitely something that I've learned much more so as my career has progressed, but definitely start it at home.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

I definitely think that growing up in a household like that, because I grew up in a household like that myself. Definitely puts everything into perspective when you go and everybody has an opinion about something, you're like, okay, yeah. I mean, I'm used to this. It's just my day-to-day in my family. And it's so funny how anything that you say or do, somebody has something to say about it, whether it's positive or negative or anything, it does not matter, but they they gotta have an opinion. Before we go deeper, for those new to you, how would you describe what you do now as a chief transformation officer? And what lights you up about that type of work?

SPEAKER_00 8:37

I would say, you know, on the one hand, from my FPNA background, I I connect the dots a little bit between like data, people, and strategy. And it kind of bridged that for everyone. When you think about FPNA, we're all about providing, you know, using data to provide insights and to particularly actionable insights, which is very important to me. I, you know, I want to be able to provide my business partners with information that that's gonna help them be better, that's gonna help them make better decisions, so actionable insights, but at the same time, on the transformation side, then it's about translating that into strategy and making sure that that lives not just on a piece of paper on some pretty deck that was, you know, presented somewhere, but that it's actually living inside those business lines and that it's actually happening and people are working towards that execution. Um, so I think that's what my role is, is kind of combining all these different pieces so that we can get to, you know, a place where we're going from that story on a page all the way through executing on this, you know, on this vision that we're seeing.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

For those that might not know what FBNA stands for, could you describe that a little bit and explain what that is?

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah. So that's financial planning and analysis. So we, you know, it's it's basically putting together all of the numbers that tell the story about what's happening in in the company. It involves financial reporting, analytics, budgeting, strategic planning, all of it in a nutshell. It kind of gets wrapped up into that discipline.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

So you mentioned to me before this talk that you're eager to talk about the similarities between parenting and leadership. So, what's one unexpected way that being a mom has made you a stronger leader or vice versa?

SPEAKER_00 10:25

I kind of see parenting and leadership, at least for me, as very intertwined. I think each one kind of makes me better at the other. But I think probably like the most unexpected thing that I experienced as being a mother, and I think it extends into leadership, is that people don't require you to be perfect. They what they really require is for you to be present. And that's the same case, whether it's with my kids or with my team or with my coworkers. I've kind of learned that, you know, what they want from you is authenticity. They want to know that you are there, that you can be at their level with them, that you understand them, that you can empathize with what they're going through. Um, and that you're giving them your genuine self. And so that's something that I try to model in both, right? And in in both parenting and leadership. You know, as a leader, you need to always be kind of like present this like best version of yourself at all moments. And I I really don't think that that's the way it should be. Because I think, you know, your team, just like your kids, they want to know that you're a human being. They want to know that you understand them, that you have gone through the things that you you they're they're going through, you know, that it resonates with you, that you can sit there with them and say, hey, I've been where you've been and I know how you're feeling, and this is how we're gonna get through it. And so I just I think that being present and being genuine and authentic with people, it's something I learned from being a mother and it extends into like leadership also.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

That is such a beautiful way to put leadership. I love it. Thank you for sharing that with me. So getting to know you, I've learned that you're passionate about mentorship. Can you share a story of a mentor or mentee that taught you something you still carry today?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

I've been really lucky, I think, because I've had a, you know, a lot of good people in my life that have, you know, served that role for me of being these amazing mentors that I've learned so much from. But, you know, I had one one individual who I'm still friends with today. She was my first boss at at my current company. And um, and I remember when I started, she was, you know, this person that everybody in the company knew. I mean, she literally went by her first name. It was like she was the diva. Everybody knew who she was. And she was this very strong, you know, figure, this working woman, and just, you know, a little bit intimidating. And she ended up like over time, we developed such a great relationship. And she has really been one of my most like pivotal mentors. And when I think back on what made her great, and I try to emulate this, like in my own relationships with with my mentees, I try to emulate a lot the way she was with me. I think it's the fact that she, aside from always being like objective and very honest with me, she was never afraid to tell me, like, hey, you need to work on this, or you know, this, this needs a little bit, you know, have you thought about this a little bit differently? Like she was never afraid to do that. Um, she never felt like she needed to like, you know, be like, oh, you're doing great and everything's perfect. Like never. She was never like that. But she always believed in me. Always, like from the beginning, even in moments that I didn't know that I could, you know, that I should be believing in myself, she believed in me. And she was one of these individuals that never ever tried to stamp out my spark. I'm a very curious person and I get bored very easily. And so I'm constantly like challenging myself and I constantly want to jump into different things and see different things and how can I help? And what can I do? And when I started my career with her, I would, you know, I would walk into her office sometimes on a random day and I'd be like, listen, I already finished all my work and I'm kind of sitting there and like I don't want to just sit there and I'm like, what are you doing? Can I help you? You know, can I like, can you teach me what you're looking at now? And other people that I've worked with and worked for, you know, would see that and they'd be like, oh, like, no, no, no, this is not your job. Like, you know, go that way. But she was always like, oh, you want to learn about this? Oh, hold on. Let me, let me, let me show you this whole thing. And oh, go talk to this other person and they're gonna teach you this other thing. So she always encouraged me. She never told me no. And as I progressed in my career, she would go out of her way to seek out those opportunities for me. And I think that's something that's so instrumental and it has such an effect on people long term, so memorable, right? Like you hold it, you you just like keep it close throughout your career. You think about that, and then when you are with other people, you kind of think back on that and you're like, this is what I want to do for others, right? Somebody uplifted me and I want to go and I want to do the same for other people too.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

That sounds like a most amazing way to be a leader, really, and to guide someone. I feel like there's always this little sort of like stigma of wait, she's asking about this because she wants to take my job. And I'm always like, no, it's just like I love it. Like, wait, what is it? Or I'm just curious about it. Tell me more about it. But I feel like a lot of people do that, they hoard their knowledge or they hoard what they're doing because they always feel like it's a competition for some reason. And I've never thought of it that way. You mentioned also about the power of positivity and possibility in your thinking. What does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 15:41

I'm a very positive person by nature. That's kind of like my default. I'm um, I I tend to be very um almost on the verge of being optimistic sometimes, like overly optimistic, but I have a way that I always try to find like the silver lining in anything. It doesn't matter how grim it seems. My instinct is to first try to see, okay, what good could possibly come out of this, regardless of what it is. And that's just kind of my nature. And because I think that way, I think I also tend to gravitate more towards thinking that anything is really possible. For me, that's really always helped me in in terms of like even my professional development and my and my growth and and even at home in my parenting, because I try to reinforce that around the people around me, trying to to get them to kind of reframe the way that they think about things in a way and and to not kind of drown in in in the darkness, but kind of find the light every time and focus on that, right? So I think trying to build that resiliency, um, trying to help others kind of see that too, that's something that I try to strive for a lot with the way that I do things and and how I coach people and and how I approach um, you know, parenting and leadership and pretty much like every aspect of my life and my relationships too. Really, I'm like, I want people to feel that it's it's the focus shouldn't be like that daunting task, that huge mountain that you have to climb. It's all about that journey to get there and how wonderful it's gonna be when you do and celebrating all those little wins along the way because every single one is just getting you a step closer to that beautiful outcome that you're looking for.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

What would you tell to someone who, you know, it's in a dark place right now?

SPEAKER_00 17:27

I would tell them to take a step back and to think about what opportunities could come from the the situation that they were in, right? And and I and I actually have a similar situation that I'm in with a with a good friend of mine who's kind of like also in a in in a little bit of a of a dark place right now. Um what I try to say, you know, to her is is take a step back and think about what it is about what you're doing now, right, that that makes it so difficult and so daunting and that has you in this kind of like negative space. And what is it that it would take, right, to get out of it? Where, where, what is that positive thing that could change everything? And sometimes it's just about the little things and it's about changing those little things in little ways, and all of that stuff kind of builds up and adds up over time. Other times it's gonna be about really taking a step back and accepting that this is a bad situation and it's never gonna change, and it's not something you can control. And maybe the best outcome is to say, you know what, I'm gonna completely remove myself from the situation. It's about taking those individual little steps, which are never easy, right? It's always so much easier to say it than to do it. You know, I I am exactly the same way. I get into those same moves too. But I think, you know, you have to, you have to focus on the other side and on that positive and what could come from it. And that has to be the guiding light. And I think if you look at that, everything else kind of starts little by little to fall into place. You just can't get consumed by just that negative situation and feel like you're powerless and you have no way out of it. There's always a way out of it.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

I feel like we can get dark sometimes. Yeah, when I when I am in that place, because I can go there a lot. I am a little bit like I try to be positive, but my default is not like yours, it's not positive. My default is negative immediately, and then I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Go back. What is going on? It's good to know that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, like they say. Talking about that, like being in hard places, a lot of ambition, ambitious people, whoa, uh with burnout boundaries, and like a constant pressure to perform. How have these shown up for you? And what's one mindset shift or habit that has helped you protect your energy and you know, still deliver at the high level that you are?

SPEAKER_00 19:59

I wish I could say that I was um that I had like a great answer or that I was really disciplined about that. I I really am not. I'm I'm kind of still on the journey to figure out how to like master that. For me, what's really helped, and I've been very intentional about this this year. I think I had a a little bit of, you know, almost like not a meltdown, but you know, you it got to the point where I was so overwhelmed with everything that I had going on. And I really had to take a step back and say, like, this is just not sustainable, like something needs to change. I think what's really worked well for me is to set boundaries. And I know that sounds so cliche, these types of boundaries that allow you to choose what it is that you want to spend your energy on. And when you do that, it actually really enables you to be more present, to be more impactful, because then you're not overwhelmed, you're not super stressed out, you're not in this kind of negative space and negative loop. That's really helped me. I think the other part too is kind of reframing how I think about um what I take on and about when I say yes and no. Any young person I talk to, like my kids included, I'll be like, every opportunity that comes your way, like say yes, you know, because you don't know what'll come from it. But I think as you get older, you get into that habit. If you are ambitious and you're driven to, you know, to succeed, you know you're not going to just wing it, you're gonna give it your all. And it's just it gets to the point where you really don't have that much more to give. And that's just not good for you. And it's not good for the outcome that you want either. So that too, like questioning myself and and forcing myself to say no to things, things from the lens of is this really going to be something that's value add, bring me positive energy, or is it gonna completely deplete me? And at the end of the day, it's really not gonna contribute all of that much. That's how I'm going to make my decision. I'm gonna filter it that way. And it it really has helped in a big way.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

mentioned boundaries. I feel like we also have to send boundaries with ourselves. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Yes. That's actually a really good point.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

For someone feeling stuck in their current role or in an identity that no longer fits them, what's one small but meaningful step that you think they could take towards like seeing real change?

SPEAKER_00 22:21

I would say start with curiosity because I I think, you know, just thinking about the things that you have a passion for that really light you up, that really are, you know, just something that you really just brings you joy and fulfillment. And starting there and then kind of like taking these little steps to what could you possibly do within that scope that if failure wasn't even like a notion, you would just jump into it with your whole heart, right? And then take like little steps to that, whether it's you know taking an online class about something or um you know you know somebody that's kind of doing something similar or was in a similar space that you can just kind of talk to them and you know brainstorm and say, hey, how's it going for you? What do you think? You know, with this how how could I do this or that? And just kind of getting that feedback. That's a great way to kind of get that going and it kind of gets you thinking about what else there could be. Coincidentally I I was on a panel recently and we were talking to the audience was about 20 girls. They were all in different careers and in different um trajectories within their degree and all of that. And the question that that was asked was you know when you think about long-term beyond school and you're entering the workforce, what are the things that you can think of or focus on that are going to help you with self-development and that are going to help you with long-term success. And you know when it came back to me I kind of said well you know I've grown up in my career kind of thinking about these like three core competencies that I think are super foundational to that, right? That I and I call them the three C's because that's kind of how in my head I always remember them. And the first one is always curiosity and then it's confidence and then it's courage. And to me these are kind of like it's it's a loop because they all kind of reinforce each other, right? You know, you start with curiosity because that's what's going to lead to um you know to learning and exploring and then as you gain knowledge and you gain experience then the cur, you know, the confidence builds up and then courage is what's going to let you act upon everything that you've learned and then the cycle's going to start again. And so that all you know that all kind of reinforces it but it all starts with that you know that spark of curiosity.

SPEAKER_01 24:36

You can have all the other things but if you don't have the courage to go for it or ask for it or say the thing or anything. What's one personal story from your career that changed how you see ambition now? Has the definition shifted or is it still the same?

SPEAKER_00 24:53

It definitely has shifted. I don't know that there is one specific moment that did it for me. When I think about ambition when I was when I was starting out in my career it it was so much of it was really um set to these milestones, right? And to kind of hitting these specific hurdles and you know when you got to this particular role and you know you got to this compensation level and then when you had people reporting to you and then when you had more people and then when it was multiple teams and everything was all about these very like specific milestones almost like a check the box. You know a couple years ago when I finally got to this role that I wanted this this title you know I was part of the executive team and like oh my goodness and it it it almost felt like okay like I've I've arrived I'm part of this you know of this like wow this group of people that are making decisions and all of that and and I remember at the moment it it was so exciting and exhilarating that I was like I was finally there. And then like the next day it was like all right you know now what? Like yeah it it was like it was done right it was like all right fine you know who cares anymore like okay what's next and I think that made me realize that like ambition for me has changed from like hitting these specific things to more of like the journey and what I'm able to accomplish along the way and kind of like what I've what have I built as I've gone from one place to another one spot to another what have I been able to do for people? What kind of impact have I made who have I brought up with me and that's really to me what like what drives me now that's the ambition that drives me now.

SPEAKER_01 26:34

Once you hit the thing it's like yeah now what? Like and it's great because yeah you feel great at the in the moment but it's so fleeting right like it's so fleeting and you're always I don't know if this happens to you but I feel like you're never really truly happy because you get there and then you're you make it higher or better or like you're never like oh I arrived like you know you're like wait I made it to a C-suite like I'm here. It's okay to want to do more things and still stay curious but no you're like now what can I do now?

SPEAKER_00 27:11

Like see if there's something more it's also all about being like competitive with yourself right like I've always I'm a very competitive person by nature but I've never worried about competing with others. It's always been more about being competitive with myself and knowing that okay if I got to here now I can get to this next place and there's more to learn and there's more to do and more to change. And that is so motivating because I think if I ever got to the point where I felt like there's that's it. I know everything there I've done everything then then kind of what's the point, right? Life is all about continuing to evolve and to learn and grow and change.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

A hundred percent I feel like we will never know everything ever no matter what. Oh goodness that we won't oh my god can you imagine how boring it would be if you're like I've done all the things that I've always ever wanted it to do and I have nothing to strive for anymore. Like it would be so boring. Like I don't know how Yoda feels but I feel like I don't know man like I would be as sad as I want to get there. It's like I know all of the things about everything like oh my gosh no there's nothing new to discover nothing new to see nothing new to do. Before we move to the rapid fire questions I have one more question to you. So how do you define success now and how has that definition evolved over time?

SPEAKER_00 28:35

I think success now for me is just it's just not about me anymore. I think when you're you know when you're when you're starting out success is about yourself and it's about what you accomplish as an individual and your performance and your work, how you're seen and I think the farther up you go and the more you lean into leadership, the more it becomes about everybody else and so much less about you. You know all the good leaders that I know do not make it all about themselves. It's all about their teams. And if their teams are doing a phenomenal job, they are the first ones to kind of like be giving them the credit and if the teams are not doing that great, they're taking you know the hurt and the blame for it. But it's it's about making the people give like making them successful. It's just it just it that's really where it lies. And I think that's how it's changed for me and it continues to evolve. It it just it's so much more important for me that my group is happy, that my team is thriving, that they're successful, that they're finding better opportunities, you know, whether it's you know within our group or outside of it or somewhere else like it's it's that to me that's what makes me feel fulfilled. I think if it was just oh I did a great job okay but if everybody else is unhappy and they're not thriving like how you know how successful am I really it's it's it's not it's it's about them.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

That's a great way to say it because especially when you're at such a high level and you're a leader right like it's like the success of everybody else is what shows what I've guided that like I've been able to guide happened. And the more successful they are the more successful I am. Yeah I I love it. It's so such an unselfish way to see it. Okay. Rapid fire questions. Oh boy so I just have a couple no they're not hard or anything just tell me the first thing that comes to mind or you know yeah so what's a mantra or quote you'll come back to when making big decisions?

SPEAKER_00 30:37

Never give up.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

Ooh I love that never give up what's one ambition you're chasing right now that feels a little bit scary but exciting trying to envision myself doing something for me like having a career that's outside of the establishment but really like setting out to do something on my own. Ooh a new entrepreneurship I love it uh what something you're proud of that does not leave on your LinkedIn I that's interesting.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

I I mean at the risk of sounding super cheesy I'm gonna say my kids oh no that's not cheesy at all.

SPEAKER_01 31:19

No they're like my biggest like pride and joy. It sounds like you're doing an amazing job at being a mom. So yeah why not be super proud of that you know you mentioned that you're known in your friend group for planning detailed and immersive vacations to the point where they're like hey you should have a travel agency on your phone. What's your favorite vacation you've been to Iceland.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

Oh wow tell me more about it it it is like just one of these places that like I I can't even put it into words nothing that you read about nothing that you see in pictures prepares you for when you're there. It is like something that just came out of a fantasy novel and you're like how is this place real? It's just incredible and I've been to a lot of amazing beautiful places but that is just that place just blew me away and and just the fact that you know you have the ice and the fire and it's an entire island there's no trees but there's but it's so green and it's just oh it's it's spectacular spectacular I I hands down my favorite place ever. And I spent so much time researching and putting together like that itinerary and trying to find all these places that were off the beaten path that were you know when when we went we were literally the only people there. I think that made it even more special because it was like oh my gosh how are we like the only people here that are like enjoying this like it's incredible.

SPEAKER_01 32:51

I love that what time did you go so that when I go I could be the only person there too like what what time of the year was it?

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Well surprisingly it was in the summer and and but it was it was all about finding these places that most people didn't go and one of one of kind of like my tricks of the trade is I will when I want to go somewhere I'll start you know researching a lot of um you know photographers and and bloggers that actually are you know residents from the country or they live there and and a lot of them will post a lot you know pictures and places and they're very good about not telling you where they are because specifically because they want to protect you know how special and and unique those places are. And we we went to it was like one of the major waterfalls right outside of Reykjavik and it was like Victoria I mean it was packed what I tell you packed packed with people like up at the waterfall up at like the the the platform packed below like all the campers and the tents and just down the street and I I I mean like maybe five minutes down the road there's this like little hidden trail and you have to kind of go through this farm and kind of walk your way and you have this like incredible hidden waterfall and we were literally the only people there. The only ones and we were just like I don't even know like a couple thousand feet from all these other people yeah everybody and nobody knew about this. So it was yeah it was those moments were just it would just made it epic honestly oh I bet it sounds fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

I'm definitely going to adopt that trick for sure and I feel like other people might steal it too from this call because yeah I never thought to look at photographers and like what places those are and you're right if they don't want to say where it was maybe you can do like a reverse image search or something and figure it out or even just be nice about it and be like hi could you like can you help me out to be a song I know you don't know me but I'm coming to your country and I would love to go here you have a beautiful photo I love that that is so cool. Okay last one if someone listening feels stuck and wants to move make a bold move what's one thing you'll tell them to do today I would tell them to put down and pay on paper in writing exactly what they would want to do and take one micro step towards that no matter how small but just one micro step to that so that once they are able to accomplish that they can feel like okay this is this is really not that daunting this is not that difficult I can actually do this. Okay great that's awesome thank you so much for sharing that and thank you so much for coming Christy like fabulous to have you and I love your openness and just your warmth like you've been an amazing guest so I'm really really glad we did this.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

Oh thank you Victoria and thank you for having me this was amazing I I really appreciate you uh bringing me and and letting me be a part of this