The Power of Yes: Lia Valencia Key's Leap from Homelessness to Best-Selling Designer

Have you ever stood at the crossroads of despair, only to find a path that leads you to radiance and prosperity? Lia Valencia Key's story is a beacon of such transformation. From the depths of poverty and homelessness, she rose to become a best-selling jewelry designer on QVC, embodying the truth that our beginnings do not dictate our ends. With unwavering belief and the wisdom passed down by her mother, Lia chose a destiny of joy, teaching us all that with the power of choice, we can direct our lives toward our destined light.

Venturing out of your comfort zone can be like stepping into the unknown, but it's often where we find our true calling. This episode is a hymn to the courage required to follow our inner voice, the 'godly whisper' that nudges us towards our dreams. It's a narrative of a leap of faith, leaving behind the stability of a career to embrace a life of creativity. Lia's journey illustrates that life's winding paths are the stepping stones to a destiny rich with peace, joy, love, and ultimately, fulfillment.

What does it mean to unlock the light within? For Lia, it involved creating Valencia Key Jewelry, each piece a wearable symbol of strength and positivity. Her story takes us through her self-taught venture into the world of jewelry design and the serendipity of her success on QVC. It's an ode to the communal effort behind every triumph, and a testament to the fact that each small step forward is a step toward revealing our inner brilliance. Join us as we celebrate the unlocking of courage, the embrace of the journey, and the beauty of believing in the radiance that lies within.

https://valenciakey.com/

Go check out all of our episodes on our website: https://womeninthearena.net/


If you are ready to tell your story or want to refer someone, please email me at audra@womeninthearena.net

***Last thing- I'd love to interview the following women:

• Joan Jett
• Dolly Parton
• Viola Davis
• Ina Garten

Maybe you can help me get there****


Thank you all for supporting this show and all of the Women in the Arena!!

Transcript

Audra : 0:34

Welcome in everyone and thank you so much for joining me again this week. This week, you are in for quite the ride. My guest this week is Leah Valencia Key, and she is an overcomer and an overachiever. She has overcome hunger, she has overcome homelessness to become a best selling designer on QVC, which reaches millions of homes every single day. And she is just getting started. It is my pleasure and my honor to introduce to you Leah Valencia Key. Leah, thank you so much for being here and welcome to the show.

Lia: 1:22

Thank you. Oh, that was so beautiful. I'm so overjoyed and honored, truly to be with you.

Audra : 1:28

I am so excited for you to be here and it's so interesting how the two of us met. We were introduced by a mutual friend and the moment I saw your name, I knew you because I watched your launch on QVC, because it was a very special launch. Qvc was finally doing something to recognize female black owned small businesses and you were one of the first ones. I was like I have to watch this. And you, not only did you sell out, you are just joy. You are just joy, thank you, tell. Before I get ahead of myself, tell us a little bit about you and then we'll get into the good stuff.

Lia: 2:14

Yes, oh, I love it. Well, thank you. It was so amazing when you said oh, I remember that first launch. It actually was. It was called the Big Fine Competition and they were looking for all small businesses and it was a rigorous, amazing process to go through. But I actually happened to be one of the small business winners of that Big Fine Competition and you got to see me launch that day.

Lia: 2:40

So it's serendipity how, how circles, how life is connected in such a beautiful way and we always talk about all things being possible. So you know, you never know what's in your future. I like to talk about my past, speaking of the future, because I feel like everyone's past, especially mine's. It dictates your future and my past. You see me in all light and so much joy and you may be confused and think, oh, she was born in life, she was born in joy, like her life, was just birthed in a joyful place. And it's actually quite the opposite.

Lia: 3:19

I was born in poverty. I was born in the most impoverished area of Philadelphia, pennsylvania, born to a single mother, three children, three children, my brother and my sister, and myself, and I love to share the first moment that I realized that we were poverty, like we were always hungry and at the end of every month there was no food to eat. But there was a moment where we went from poverty to destitute, when my mother broke her leg in several places and we lived in this under basement apartment in a really impoverished area with trash riddled on the streets and drug transactions on the corner. But when my mother broke her legs she couldn't even afford that little area. So she was getting us home from school one day and there was a padlock on the door and that was where I first of all saw like true pain and under stood, what pain looked like when a mother has no place to take her children and that moment take us from poverty to homelessness. We immediately had to go to a woman's homeless shelter and I love painting the picture of the homeless shelter because imagine a gym size room, a big room with little cots one foot away from each other and each mother has one cot, so the entire family has to ball up on this little cot and there's crying and moaning and hopelessness and sorrow and all types of darkness around.

Lia: 4:53

But I share that specific story because that moment was, I say, the first seed of light that was planted in my life because my mother looked down at her three children, myself included, and she said your predicament doesn't determine your destiny. In the middle of that darkness she spoke that light and that word and I was about third grade. I give it third because I remember grades. I remember I was failing because of my environment. And so that's around eight years old, right, super young.

Lia: 5:26

We stayed in that environment, in the homeless shelter for years and I just start to spiral down that dark path of what my environment was. I was failing every grade, just becoming very negative, and I wrote the first full light. So that was a seed of light, because when my mother spoke those words I was so young I didn't understand it, but I like to call it a seed because I'm sharing that to today, right? So it was planted in my heart and it started to grow later, when my mother stopped me for the second time around fifth grade.

Lia: 6:01

So about two years later, I'm coming back from school, I'm failing every grade, and she stops me at the homeless door and she says do you want to be a follower leader, leah? So confused with this question? Right, young, what are you talking about? And she said right now, you're following, you're actually following everything you see in this environment and guess what, leah? You're going to become this environment, or you can choose to lead. You can choose to lead your life. You can listen to the light and the destiny inside of you and you can choose to lead your life to that destiny. And she left with one word you choose. And left me there, young, with the power of choice.

Audra : 6:46

Your mother, my goodness, amazing, is your mother still with us.

Lia: 6:51

She's deceased. She passed super early. I like to. I'm a self-diagnosed doctor. I'm not a doctor but I like to diagnose things.

Lia: 7:00

So I diagnosed my mother with society's stereotypes and paralyzation by that, by society's norms and generational curses. If no one knows what a generational curse is, it means, for example, your parents were poverty, their parents were poverty, you become poverty. So it's this cycle and it just keeps going and going. She was paralyzed by that and then paralyzed by being an African-American woman, born into poverty and all the stereotypes that come to it. So she lived in that and I don't think she could. And fear, I think fear had filled her body with all of these things that were surrounding her. So I feel like physically she could not break out of that, to be all that her mind was, because I called her one of the most intelligent women that I know to this day, because she knew she couldn't physically break out of that bind that she was in.

Lia: 8:04

So the next thing I and I analyzed it that she did decided if I can't, then let me try one more life and speak into my children's life. And so she would speak these words into our lives that were so powerful. And until this day. I'm honored that I'm able to share these words to millions of people now. So not only did she bless me, she's now blessing so many other people. So I like to share that, because the power of choice is magical. When you understand, you really can choose and your predicament outside of you like no matter what it looks like in front of you, no matter where your job is not going well or you're doing really great, and society says you should be happy, but your inside says this is not where you're supposed to be, it doesn't have to be that and all you have to do is choose it. And then the next thing is millimeter movements, taking really small steps towards it.

Audra : 9:06

Your mother was remarkable, absolutely remarkable, because, regardless of your, the situation and what you described to me is that she felt like she physically couldn't break out of the bounds that she had been born with. Yeah, and the mental strength and the mental acuity to give what strength she had to you and your siblings, which is one of the greatest gifts another human being can give to their children. She gave you the gift of light and the gift of choice and the gift of possibility.

Lia: 9:50

I love. Those are my words. Yes, all of those in their gifts. Exactly what you said, because sometimes we forget them or we don't even know, when you're gifted, that the world literally changes. But you have to decide to accept it. You have to decide to accept that gift as true.

Audra : 10:13

How long did it take you to believe immediately?

Lia: 10:18

I would like this, and I know it sounds like like really, I mean no. Immediately I remember and I black out negative things in my life, right so time periods and stuff I'm like it was about. But I immediately remember standing there alone because she left. She left, she gave it and she walked off because she wasn't forcing this thing. It was very much like I got a key to share. Now you could decide to use this key and unlock your future or you cannot. I'm gonna leave you with it. And I remember being left with this Like wow, like I can choose. Because this whole entire time I'm still young, but I'm thinking I had to do this. This is what it, this is what we do. Everyone else is doing it. It just seemed natural.

Lia: 11:06

You're, when you're a child, you're a sponge, so you're just soaking up what you see. But when, when I was in and also is given permission, I don't care who we are, what age, we are young, old. We as humans, we love permission. And when someone gives you permission, because I had felt inside of me differently, I knew that I didn't want to be negative. I knew failing wasn't my thing. None of it felt good to me. I just didn't know anything different. So when I got that permission it was. It was like all of that possibility and destiny was allowed to be let out of me because I'm like I don't have to do that, I can choose what I've been feeling all this time. Oh, let's go Like, and I do.

Lia: 11:53

I do think it's also divine, because as a young child, sometimes you don't get it that quick. Most of times you don't get it that quick. I remember going back to school the next day and asking my teachers how do I get better grades? Like, how do I see outside of this? I don't want to be this how, and so I love to share whoever's listening. The next step is when you're gift with learnings. Now take those learnings and then go ask the world how? Because the world has answers. They may not take you all the way to and through, but there's little keys that will help you instantly, lock by lock, unlock these destinies, and my teacher would help me stay after, stay after school, get some tutor lessons. My grade, my grades, went from failing to a progression of honor roll by the power of permission.

Audra : 12:52

What that?

Lia: 12:53

that is mind blowing, failing to honor roll because of permission and and because of understanding another mindset. That's why I'm so obsessed with the mind and what you pour into it. When you pour these learnings in the mind and you give it little tools, oh, what it can do. And generally we're limited by our understanding. And if you just keep being exposed and I love podcasts like this where you're just listening if you just allow yourself to listen to people speak, there is something, there's one key that will just pour into your brain, that will unlock what's already there for you, because it was already there for me. I just needed it unlocked and that just progressed and I just started asking and learning and trying and asking and knowing this right now in front of me is not what it is for me, for my future. That's all I think. This right now in front of me is not my future. What is my future? And I see it so clearly?

Lia: 14:04

I would see myself graduating high school. I would see myself going to college. Now, college is not for everybody. I'm not cheerleading college. It actually put me in a lot of debt. But what I will cheerlead for college is I had to get out of my environment. I knew that. I knew for me to be what my inside destiny was. I had to find a way out of this so that I could see something different. Exposure is the key to everything, and so I knew college was my only way that I could see to get me out of this poverty environment.

Lia: 14:43

So let's go, I'm going to college, I just see it, I see it, I see it and I just go after it.

Audra : 14:50

Well, what I think is so beautiful about your story and it's one of the things that you had said to me when you and I first met is you said please dream big. If you don't, I'm giving you I'm literally giving you permission to go dream big. And your story is just so indicative of that because, yes, you went to college and you graduated, and then you went and got a master's degree, which is so beautiful, and your master's degree is in education, correct?

Lia: 15:21

Yes.

Audra : 15:22

Yes, and how long did you teach for and at what level?

Lia: 15:26

I taught for let's do the math, because I got my master's degree at the same time. So I taught for two and a half to three years and I started off in sixth grade. It was a discipline school for children. Oh, that was fun and I guess it was meant for me to be a blessing there in that moment and started with sixth grade boys. And then that was a bit hectic for me because boys are very active. So I'm like I need a change. So then they changed me to high school.

Lia: 16:00

All girls, algebra, math used to be my thing. I'm not sure if it's that now, but when I was younger math was my thing. So then I got to work with young girls in high school teaching algebra. That was very scary because every child, especially in the inner city, has been raised that math is not fun and that you can't do it and it's just not a thing. So you were already at these limitation factors. Well, what I learned there, which was interesting, is one to get what you're there for. So they were paying for young people I was young to get your master's degree for free. So I did that Like I was like OK, I'm here to get my master's degree, and then, while I'm here, how do I make an impact, even if it's a very small impact? And I think the most powerful impact that I was able to make with the young girls was to see another African-American woman around their same age group honestly Go after dreams and do their man. I would tell them I'm getting my master's degree, so either y'all are going to let me soar and stay here or y'all going to come soar with me and that power I feel set in with not all, but at least one, and then I think, whatever happens. So what's really cool about life is don't get confused about your journey, because your journey may seem like it doesn't line up. I call it a godly whisper. Whatever you believe in, I interwhisper. Whatever you hear, there's something that always whispers to you and you've got to listen to that and you've got to do it. And it may seem very not aligned, but it all is building blocks to where you're supposed to be in your future.

Lia: 17:52

Teaching helped me to get my master's, but also helped me with patience and understanding the mindsets of people who were in the same predicament as where I was, but now I was on the opposite end. And then? So how can I make an impact in their life. And then I realized like, oh, I love teaching, but it's not my joy. I love teaching people who want to learn.

Lia: 18:16

So I found that my whisper was you are creative. Everything lit up when I create it, like everything in my heart. I would just get so much joy. So then I would have to take a risk and I share this, because someone listening has to take a risk on their life. They have to take a chance and everything around them says that they're safe and what they're doing, but it's not comfortable to them, it's not joy to them and whatever is whispering inside of them is their true joy.

Lia: 18:48

But maybe financially it doesn't line up, or maybe social acceptance it doesn't line up. Whatever it is, you have to take a risk on what your inner whisper and your divinely purpose is, because that's where all the magic and purpose starts to happen. So going from an actual job with a teacher and then saying I actually love creativity, so I had to jump with a master's degree and go back and get my cosmetology license, and so I think life has these ups and downs and that's okay. That's where the joy when I say, I always say the joy is on a journey. That's the joy to be able to go from peak to valley, find some learning in the valley and, as you go, get to the next peak. It's the story of my life.

Audra : 19:41

A friend of mine. When I started this podcast, when I started this crazy idea of oh, I know I'll start a podcast and talk to women who will talk to me and, tina, if you're listening, this is for you she said to me don't forget to enjoy the journey. And I looked at her and I was like you're nuts, this is going to be hard. And she goes. That's where the joy is and I had no idea what she was referring to until I started on this path and just like what you had talked about is that doing what you think you're supposed to do works for a while, until that whisper is no longer a whisper, it becomes a shout. And then you realize that your comfort zone and this is something that I have realized over just over the last six months comfort zones are cages and they keep you from your destiny.

Audra : 20:41

So you, listening to that very small whisper of you, really put on this earth to create. You've done what you need to do here. You have given these young girls, these future young women, permission to dream, dream big, go forth and conquer. You have another step in your journey to create and you went to cosmetology school and some people would look at you and go. Are you insane? Some people, everybody.

Lia: 21:12

What are you talking about?

Audra : 21:14

ma'am, you want to do what. You work in a school, you have summers off, you have a salary. What are you thinking? Why do you want to go do this? So tell me, why did you want to go do that?

Lia: 21:31

It was where everything lit up inside of me. I watched my mother not live. So everything goes back to my childhood. Honestly, how I live is because of my childhood and my triggers are because of my childhood. My joy is because of my childhood and I literally watched my mother live on this earth maybe 40, max, 43 years, give or take. That's not a life. That's not a long life. I'm 43. Right, that's not a long, I'm just starting to live. So I watched my mother never live in the short time period that she was blessed to be here and I knew. When she gave me the power of choice, I'm like, oh, I'm choosing me.

Lia: 22:21

Every time, I'm choosing to find what life and living really feels like, and it doesn't feel like staying in a circle because of income or what society says. What I learned is don't look outside of you for truth, you have to look inside of you for truth. Now, that's inside of truth is going to be very scary because there's no precursor proof of what's to come or guarantees. It's just what is true for you, but now you've got to make the guarantee and you've got to make it reality. There's no reality of truth inside, but oh, when you do it, it's freedom, and I never want to live bound. I always want to live full and free and open. I decided well, I know what this feels like.

Lia: 23:19

So when I already know what something feels like and is no longer feeling good to me, I create bracelets. I have check, peace, check, joy, check, love, check, believe, check. I'm always checking in with myself and I love to encourage anyone to do that, because what happens is we allow time to go so far and we've never checked in with us. We've checked in with everybody else, we've checked in with work, we've checked in with family, children, friends, everything else, but we never stop and check in and be like where's your peace, where are you in peace? Oh God, I've been living in no peace for years. And then when you really stop and check that you can be truthful to yourself. I'm like, oh, I'm not in peace, oh, I have no joy. And then you can ask the question why? And then it's like, oh, because it's the people I hang around with, truthfully, or it's the career that I'm in, truthfully or whatever, you get real truthful with yourself, because you know where the piece is being rocked.

Lia: 24:20

And then you start to decide well, okay, do I step out and go find my own piece? And that's where I was Like I'm going to go find my piece, I'm going to go find my joy. And then you have an inside compass that will tell you where it is and it's not going to give you the whole, it's not going to be like the full GPS where it says turn right, turn left and get you there, but it's a compass and it'll tell you it's over there. Now I can't tell you exactly where, but it's kind of over there. And you're like oh there, okay, I'm going to go there. And that's what it says it's over there. And so I went there.

Lia: 24:55

And what I tell you is there's a difference between struggling, going towards your piece and your joy, and struggling in something that's not in alignment with you. It's torment when you're in something that's not in alignment with you. It's challenges and obstacles that you can overcome when you're going towards where your alignment is. And so I can automatically feel the difference. So I said all right, let's go.

Lia: 25:25

Like let's do it. And my gift is I've been poverty. You know that doesn't scare me. It scares me, but it doesn't scare me. You get what I mean. Like I live to not be poverty again, but I understand, I've been through really bad things, so it can't be worse over there. And if it is, then I'll just have to GPS myself to another way, you know. And I think the possibility of trying different things. I think we get stuck. Like you said, it's comfortable and it's you get used to something so much that you don't want to try something different. I think my number one victories are being able to try different things.

Audra : 26:08

When I try things, and while I've given my permission myself permission to try things I ask myself one question which is worse to try and have a learning experience? Because I don't believe in failure, I only believe in learning opportunities. So do I try and have a learning opportunity or do I not try and live with regret? And I can't live with regret anymore, because now, being in my early fifties, I realize that you know the the end will come at some point. I know that I'm not 25 anymore, yeah, but I look good, I'm not 25 where I I feel invincible. I know I'm not invincible. I try really hard and I take care of myself, but I know I'm not invincible.

Audra : 27:06

So I don't think that living with regret is something I can do. It's too expensive. Yeah, Honestly, regret is too expensive. And trying and and figuring out well, maybe that that way didn't work, I'll try another way, Exactly Is is way more fulfilling than just sitting back and saying what, if, what, if and I don't want to do that. And what I think that is beautiful about your story is that you had a dream. You had a goal. Growing up in Pennsylvania, you grew up very close to the QVC studios. You went to become a cosmetologist and you thought I want to be a makeup artist at QVC, and that's a very specific dream, by the way.

Lia: 27:51

And that's and that's what I was just telling my niece that I realized you got to be specific with your dreams, and I even check in with myself on that. Like, when I decide I want to do something, then I'm like, okay, well, what specifically is it? Because the way to get what you want in life is to be specific about it. It's like ordering something from a restaurant. I'm a tangent out, but this is an example. Go with me, you go to a restaurant and you see something on the menu it's kind of vague. You order it and it's not specific when you get it. Eh, but if you order something specific, like can I add bacon to that burger? I like it medium. Well, no tomatoes with onions. When you get it, it's what you desire, right? So that I think the key to anything really coming true is defining it clearly, because your brain has to target it now.

Audra : 28:56

Oh, that's so powerful that you're, you're like this is. This is very specific, so now I have to focus on this.

Lia: 29:03

And you're focusing directly on it. It's not like, oh, I want to be a makeup artist, you'll be a makeup artist, but will you be fulfilled? Because your soul wants to be something specific and it keeps changing. Like we are humans, we're living, being, so also give yourself grace and permission to continuously evolve. So target something directly, go to it, go to it. Go to it. You're probably going to evolve into something else, but then it has to be targeted specifically. So when you have a life that you can talk about, you get to say I did and I did specifically this, because I specifically dreamed that and I specifically targeted that.

Audra : 29:58

And what I? What I? Actually I'm not surprised that you made that dream come true, because you were there and you and it was fulfilling for a time, and then you had this little whisper in your, in your soul again that said you've got something more to create.

Lia: 30:21

Yeah, and I love to share in that targeting like. So I targeted QVC. I'm like, okay, I want to get my cosmetology license and what happens is people plant seeds of things. I never, never live in a life of comparison. If you can live in a life of inspiration, that's where all the power is, because I feel like we as human beings show each other what's possible. Like, as I do something, someone else is able to see what's possible for them in their own way.

Lia: 30:54

And I was working in a makeup store and someone was checking out and they have a professional license and I asked what they did and they worked on QVC and I knew I didn't want to. I knew and also know what you don't want to do, like those are like you got to have your both strong. Like I don't want to work in a salon. Now, I actually had to work in a salon to learn. So you know what you don't want to do for a lifetime, but then you know you have to humble yourself to do it for an experience. So I realized working in a salon this is not what my lifetime was, but I'll be here as I learn. So I'm sweeping floors in a salon to learn all different hair textures. I never wanted to be defined as anything, anything just geared to one ethnicity. We're all human, we all have skin, we all have hair. Then we should all be able to do it all. And I knew that was my target. And then I knew that I had to learn. So I needed to learn in a salon, but I didn't want to work fully in a salon. So this lady was in the makeup store and she said she worked for QVC and I was like what is that? And she explained it 24 hour TV network going on selling. I was like 24 hours on air, that means it's 24 hours creativity. That's immediately what I thought 24 hours. And so that's when I latched on to that target. So people are like how did you get that? I was exposed to it and so exposure is powerful. So you got to put yourself in areas. If you're like Leah, I don't understand how to be specific. Well, you'll have an arena of what is for you Now. Then put yourself in the environment of that and then something's going to expose you to your specific target and then that's when you latch on to it. So that's how I latched on to that for that exposure and it took me five years to get to QVC. I applied hundreds of times no, no, no, you're not qualified, you're not qualified. And I never gave up. And so my next thing is everything I do, I never give up. Now, vocally in my head, in the struggle, I'm like I'm not doing this anymore. But then I'm like, ok, I'm going back, so it's OK to think it, but just decide.

Lia: 33:08

Edmai Let has a book and it's called the Power of One More and I think that's beautiful. And Jamie Kern-Lima, my dear friend, has a book Believe it. And those are two beautiful books Because if you understand to believe and that means believe when you target or something, believe that it's going to happen, like your predicament is not your death, that's going to happen. And then you do one more every time towards it. And I like to say one more millimeter movement, meaning the smallest movement, because every time you say I'm giving up, then then trigger your counter to that, because you're gonna be human and you're gonna wanna give up and your body's gonna say I give up. So then put a system in place to say, okay, every time I say I give up, give myself space, and then decide to do one more millimeter movement towards that belief and that's how things start to happen. So I would give and give it no, no, no. And then I start to speak my dreams and tell everybody that I would talk to me, that I wanted to work for QVC. Literally, the person in the grocery store if you smiled at me twice, twice, was the barometer. I would tell you I wanted to work for QVC and that was just giving my beliefs more power, because I would keep speaking it out. And if you keep saying truth, it has to happen. I met someone and I was bartending to support myself, sweeping cosmetology floors in the salon, and then bartending and support myself, and I was, I taught, I spoke that out to someone and I guess I had to have spoken that out a thousand or over a thousand times, right Cause this is five years in more than a thousand times. And so one more, that beautiful one more.

Lia: 34:52

The gentleman says oh, I know someone that works for QVC. Really, he said and it's the power of light. So who are you inside? When you're deciding what you're gonna be, you've also got to decide who you're gonna be. Those are really two important keys, because maybe you don't have all the skills that it takes to get you to where you're going. But if you have such a beautiful heart and light and love and being and presence of kindness and openness and joy, ah, doors just start flying open because it's not the norm.

Lia: 35:33

I meet this gentleman, he hears my heart and he says, oh, I'll connect you with my friend, this friend that didn't ever meet me. He shared that my heart was light to his friend, stephanie Humphrey, and she, without knowing me, texts me because I had given my information and she said, hey, I know, I know, here's the manager, here's her contact number, email. And guess what? I know I've never met you, but because I was told how much light you were, use my name as a reference and that was the connection to me walking the doors, not what you, who are you? It's so powerful, you can go through this world trying to get stuff and being mean and nasty. You'll get there, I'm sure, but it's gonna be an uphill battle.

Lia: 36:19

But if you decide to be love in all things, walked into QVC interview.

Lia: 36:24

But the five years have been prepping me. So every time I get a no, I sweep more floors. Every time I get a no, I go wash more laundry in the salon and I learn more hair textures and I do more blowout. So I've been training for five years. So by the time I got the yes, I was ready. And that was the walk-in to QVC, because I had trained for five years and I was ready for all hair textures and that opened the door for me to see. Oh, when you talk about dreaming big, qvc is a play I call it adult Disney. You walk in and it's a bunch of dream makers, meaning that the QVC hosts are making people's dreams come true, because they take your dream and they share it to the world like it's theirs. And then you got dreamers that are doing everything it takes to bring and put their love and passion to make their dream a reality. And I was exposed to that 24 seven and that's how I start to dream again.

Audra : 37:24

It's an amazing environment because you are in a constant environment of this is possible. This is possible.

Audra : 37:30

This is absolutely possible and it's reinforced all the time and people laugh at me. Oh my gosh, do people laugh at me? My family laughs at me. But I turn on QVC when I don't feel good, I'm serious. People say that I mean I don't, it's not, I'm gonna shop. It's not that it's in the background. People say they just put it in the background. It's in the background because I want to absorb their positivity, I want to see what's possible. I even make comments to my husband and go do you see that person? That person just became a millionaire. Yeah, I, because I've watched it happen.

Audra : 38:11

Yeah, and I was like that is the place of possibility and I love that because you put it out there. You got to become part of this environment of the dream makers and the way makers. And not only did your dream at that point come true, it gave birth to another dream. Yes, and I want to hear about the next dream, because that was the next step on your journey of evolution and creativity. And again, what's possible. And what I think is remarkable is that you didn't know to dream that dream. No, when you were 10, when you were a teacher, you didn't know to dream that. It was the step on this journey, because you were willing to take a chance, even a tiny little chance on hearing that small, tiny voice in your soul that said step forward just a little bit yeah and say yes to it.

Lia: 39:17

Tony Robbins says say yes. If you've ever been to one of his events, I love it. Say yes, say yes, and if you're in his he'll have you say yes. Right, and it's just, it's a power of yes, like not is it? No, it's yes. And those steps of yes, just like you said, just keep birthing anew. That's already inside of you. It's so wonderful because I did not know this next dream was in me Now.

Lia: 39:45

My mother passed early, as I shared. She got to see me shining my light, at the very peak of my light being being radiated in the world. And as she saw me, how far did she see me? Up to, maybe up to college-ish. And right before she passed, she said to me I see you shining your light, I see you choosing your destiny, and it's so beautiful. And she was pleasing her heart.

Lia: 40:19

And she gave me these little, small, little cheap earrings and she said there's going to be times where you can't find your light. And I'd love for you to wear your earrings every day, leah, because when you can't find your light, all you got to do is touch them, look at them, see them and let them be a physical reminder that the light is within you. All you have to do is choose it. And because the concept of just putting on a earring is choosing to put light on, I just I thought that was beautiful. So when she passed, I just started to hand sketch jewelry, symbolic life jewelry, like what would this be symbolic for me in life? And I would hand sketch it because I'm a self-proclaimed artist.

Lia: 41:00

And just for me, literally for me. But that journey had taken me to a place of dreammakers and dreaming and two beautiful women I love to share. There are so many magical people that have blessed my life since youth and I could list that could be a whole podcast, but I, like I, shared two specific names only because those two hearts unlocked what was possible in business for me. Coming from poverty, I didn't even know you could be a business owner. I don't know how I thought products came about, but I didn't think average humans did it, you know what I mean.

Lia: 41:40

Like I didn't what. But these two women I was in the salon that power, and it's so interesting Say yes to your inner divinely whisper, because you don't know why. It's telling you. It's unlocking small keys to your destiny Because I think if it was all exposed it'd be just too much for you to do right. But so it unlocks just a little. Just get to the salon. I just I'm not gonna tell you what, but get to the salon. And these two women, jamie Kirlima, new York Times I saw her Believe it book founder of it Cosmetics. And Vicky Sy, founder of Tatcha Skincare, two beautiful, wonderful beauty brands.

Lia: 42:25

In the salon I got to meet these hearts and many others, but they saw my light and they took me under their wing and they would take a stylus into rooms that I had never known existed. They would just say come with me, come sit in this PR meeting, come sit in this business meeting, come sit in this, like all of these meetings and places. And they travel me around the world with them and I got to see what's possible when you have an intention of heart and you have the idea of a physical product and you take that love of intention of heart and you bottle it into that physical product and you do all you can to get it out to the world. When it gets into the receiver's hand, it literally becomes life-changing for them. And I realized I had been sketching this jewelry, which was magical for me.

Lia: 43:19

But every time I styled someone, the last thing they would ask was when they were about to do something huge what earrings am I going to put on? What bracelet? It was their seal of confidence. It was their lack of bravery. It was that armor that none of y'all can come with me out here. So let me seal myself with something. And I realized I had been light in the world through all the darkest times and the reason why beautiful people would say yes to connecting me, to be in QVC and say yes to traveling around the world was because of my heart. And I realized that I wanted to take that possibility of bravery and courage and love and light and put all that intention into a physical, wearable product so that when you wear it you can feel that in all situations that you're in. And so I stepped out and saw that it was possible to try my own dream to bring something to be a life changer for others in a physical form, and that's how creative Valencia key jewelry.

Audra : 44:21

And if you haven't seen this beautiful jewelry, it really is the representation of light and possibility and of hope. And I am telling you she is the real deal, she. I've met her a couple of times now. We have not had the opportunity to be in the same physical present yet, but we will, we will. She is light and her jewelry reflects that. She also always wears yellow because I think it is the representation of physical representation of light. But, honestly, you don't even need the color, yeah you don't, but I do love a theme.

Lia: 45:03

I love, I love a good theme and I love, I love symbols. Symbols are power for me, because it's encouragement to keep going. Symbolic things have helped me move throughout my journey in life, whether it's a visual symbol, like a color, and it reminds me to be like, yeah, it's nice for everyone else. I mean, I could walk anywhere and everyone's like, oh my, it makes me happy. I'm grateful for that because that's my intention. It also makes me happy and so in the hardest times I put some yellow and I'm like okay, we got it, we can do it. So symbols have been my thing.

Lia: 45:38

And Valencia Key I didn't just name it my name, it wasn't what I was gonna do, but I took a voyage to Egypt, morocco and Spain because I knew I had to get out of my environment to really understand what my intention was. I just it's not jewelry. I know it sounds weird. It's physically jewelry that you wear, but it's not. It's the power of what it means for when you wear it. That had to be for me.

Lia: 46:07

And I got to Egypt and Morocco and I was surrounded by lights. I was in a holy temple and I asked for specifically what I came for. I wanted to say everyone's listening, be specific in life. When I got to one of those temples I asked by the end of that journey I wanna be hand sketching my logo with a clear intention on what I mean in the world and what I'm creating. And by the end of that journey I'd saw all these lights everywhere and I saw in Morocco there was a store that when I walked in a small store, really small, but inside was filled with keys from ceiling to floor. It was ridiculously like what is happening here and I had chills and I found the owner and I go over to him.

Audra : 47:00

I'm like why do you have?

Lia: 47:01

all these keys and he kind of like offensively, because I should have known looked like you don't know what keys represent and I did not. And he said keys represent unlocking the light in life.

Audra : 47:16

What Okay you should see. You need to see both of our faces. I wish that you could, because I got chills as soon as she's just said that, because of course, that's obvious. Cool, like, really that's it.

Lia: 47:29

I didn't know that and I'm like, oh you gotta do is give me permission, you know, like there's a, that's the unlocking, like that was symbolic for him, maybe in that culture, maybe I don't, but that had been my journey. And I'm like, really Because I had decided to be light in the world through my darkness. When I'm on this journey, all I saw was these lights, like in all different places, and chandeliers, and you know, when you go to the markets and it just become so prevalent to me. So for me to land in that store and him to say that the key can be symbolic of unlocking that light, that was so magical. And then, because I'm a yes person, I'm in the train bus station and there's these backpackers and they're going somewhere and I'm like where are you?

Lia: 48:18

going random and they tell me they're going to Spain. So I have some time left in my journey and I'm like, well, I'm gonna go to Spain with you. So I follow these backpackers on a bus who knew that you could take a bus to the tip of Morocco. I'm gonna call it the tip to take a ferry over to Spain. Didn't know that, found that out. So I take a ferry over to Spain and I wind up.

Lia: 48:42

I part ways with the backpackers and I wind up in Spain at night socializing with the locals and they asked me their name and when I say my name I always say my whole name, leah Valencia Key, because my grandmother, when she was very serious, she would say Valencia. So I love that name and I would say I said Leah Valencia Key. And they were like Valencia in our slang dialect means courage and bravery. What I didn't know, that keys unlock light. Valencia is courage and bravery. So by on the flight back I was hand sketching the logo with clear intention that Valencia is bravery and courage and key is the unlocking of that light of bravery and courage. And I was sketching the V's that symbolize that courage in Valencia and putting them in a star form and putting the key in the middle. So whenever you have Valencia key, is that symbolic reminder just to unlock the light every moment and every chance you get, because it's all possible.

Audra : 49:46

Oh my gosh, what an amazing, beautiful story that gives me chills down to my toes, me every time I think about it, I'm like what? Just, oh my gosh, and people would assume you worked for QVC. This was an easy thing. No, absolutely not.

Lia: 50:05

Thank you for that long note. No, it was actually harder because there's no. Qvc is very strict on everything. They wanna make sure that they are doing things to the left. So and I was in if you think of a corporate structure, I'm in the air sets creative side. I have no connection with the business side. You don't even see those people. It's a whole different. So that was like so far away. But I use the power of speaking my dreams out.

Lia: 50:38

So first I created my thing and anyone wants to know how I created it. I Googled it. I had all these hand sketches and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna do this. How can I Google? Well, no, and I would play with Google, like, how do you take cause I hand sketch every design personally and I would Google in different words how do you take a hand sketch, make it in a jewelry? And finally I found in Google that it has to go into a 3D design and then from a 3D design, then a manufacturer can manufacture your hand sketch from 3D design. Then I Googled how do I find me in factory and all of this.

Lia: 51:14

And then I got on a plane and went to overseas to find a manufacturer and meet them in person and that's how I got my first piece and then I just wore it. And then people asked about my journey and I would share my journey and they said, oh, I want a piece of that. Like, yeah, I want to wear that on air, cause the light I feel with you is what I want to feel when I'm going out there and, truthfully, women at QVC start to wear my jewelry just by word of mouth and they just start to wear it on air. And I still couldn't get into QVC but they would have it on air and I had been telling people I want to be on QVC.

Lia: 51:54

I want to be on QVC and the reason why I wanted to be on QVC? Because I know my pieces aren't just jewelry and I need you to understand the heart of it. I need you to understand the intention of it and what beautiful place to be is to be able to share it on a platform like QVC cause. That's where they allow you to share the truth. And I said that for three years and one day, three years later, I got a text message from a friend. She said you've been saying it, you want to be on QVC, they're having a competition, it's your time. And I didn't believe it was true. So I kind of put the text message down. I'm like I'm not ready. I got the same words from a whole different, random person. They didn't know each other. Send me the same text message. You've been telling us QVC is having a competition. Here's the link. And so I realized, okay, god, I'm not ready, but I guess you're ready. So then we're just going to go for it.

Lia: 52:51

Now the beauty was I had been doing QVC right, for I'd been watching cause in the salon QVC is on 24 hours. So my beauty was I've been watching QVC for years, right, and it's kind of in my blood just how you speak to the pieces and all of those things. So I was blessed for that. So I just basically did a mini QVC cell for the audition interview and then I had my friends find some yellow flowers and chase me down with a camera going over yellow flowers, my jewelry. Then I submitted it and, oh, melissa Palowski, she's actually on air at QVC. She's on the opposite side. She works for a beauty brand and she's really good at storytelling. So I asked her so ask your people for help, cause I asked her, here's everything I'm about. And she knew me and she was like, all right, well, let's sit together and try to craft what you are in words. And so she sat with me and really start to define everything that I felt inside of me in word form and I was able to submit that, and so all things are possible with people too.

Lia: 54:04

It's not I don't understand self-made. I think that's a beautiful thing if you can be self-made, but nothing I've done is self-made. It's all hearts joining me on a crusade and then, step after step in that journey, it's like it was like seven rounds of things to do. And then one day was a big old mass like hundreds of people together, because you had to do a physical presentation in front of a panel of six people hundreds of people, that's intimidating. And so I did that presentation, got to the next round, then got to the buyer round and I shared my intention of what Valencia Key was in the world and I got an email saying what you saw we're gonna feature you, you're winner.

Audra : 54:50

It's such a beautiful story and I wanted everybody to get to know you and get to know your story because it's so inspiring and it's a reminder and a permission to dream big and to lean into that small voice I don't even know how to describe it. It's this yearning that is in your soul because you're made for something more. I have this vision and I've shared it with a couple of people. I've shared it maybe once or twice on the show before, but I have this vision of being brave enough to lean into the things that are calling to you even though they might be uncomfortable. And my vision is this is that when you get to heaven hopefully- there is a heaven.

Audra : 55:41

And you get to heaven and you're sitting across the table from that higher power whomever that may be and you're having a conversation and a piece of paper is slid across the table to you and you open it up and it has something amazing and remarkable on it. That higher power says that's what I had in mind for you, that you were too busy being comfortable. I don't wanna have that conversation, and I know you don't wanna have that conversation either. That's why I wanted to share this conversation with everybody else, because I don't want anybody else to have that conversation either, so I could talk to you for hours, me too.

Lia: 56:24

Literally for hours. You're so good. I do wanna share one last thing. I promise I know we're so good, please do. You know my dear heart, jamie Kern-Liehmann. She's just launched her announcement of her new book, worthy, and I share that. So anybody pre-order it. It's coming out soon.

Lia: 56:44

But there's keys that you have to understand in your life. So we talked about the one more right, the millimeter movement. We talked about believing that it's really true. But what Jamie's unlocking in this book and it has been really sitting with me as I start looking at my journey you gotta know that you're worthy of it, and I think a lot of us. No, not me, I can't me, no me.

Lia: 57:14

You immediately self-select yourself out of it. Why not you? If the dream was birthed in you to think it and to see it, you're worthy of having it, and what you have to do is accept that you're worthy, cause once it's just accept that you're worthy of it, then you can truly believe it. Then you can keep taking those one more steps. So I'd love to pour that out, cause it's these little nuggets that will help you get to where you wanna be. So that book should be really good. That's coming out soon. I always read a lot too, cause, like I say, exposure there's two things Either get around a bunch of people or things that are in the sphere that you wanna be, or read about it or listen to it. Like you're listening to this podcast and I say three is my favorite number, it's one of the strongest numbers, you'll see it in my designs. I say do all three, be around it, listen to it, read about it and slowly, through osmosis, you'll start to lightly become that, cause you are a product of what you surround yourself with.

Audra : 58:26

That's why your parents always say choose your friends wisely.

Lia: 58:29

Absolutely.

Audra : 58:30

Now we get it. Yes, now we get it. Leah, I'm not gonna let you go until the audience knows where they can reach you and where they can find these beautiful designs and all the other things that you are doing out in the world. Where can they find you?

Lia: 58:46

Thank you. I'd love for you, it'd be a joy for you, to go to valencykeycom V-A-L-E-N-C-I-A-K-E-Y. That is the website where you can wear a piece, and when you wear a valency key, I literally want it to be a wearable reminder, and you can manifest it in all different ways. One is, if you're wearing it from a young lady that was deep poverty, homeless, to actually physically wearing this piece, then whatever you want is truly possible, or the symbolic meanings that I put in it, like believe, and it's that reminder when you see it, to believe Joy, if that's your thing, that you need more of, get to remind you to bring it in. So go to valencykeycom, put your email in and I'll stay connected.

Lia: 59:32

I have a beautiful give back where I work with women in Africa and Ghana and that's my passion to help them get income and education, and so I've designed handbags and they literally hand be these handbags. So you can look fabulous but you can actually give to someone in a country where it's super. But, like, my priority is not a story when you go visit villages of certain parts of Africa and many different worlds. So we're just taking it like we were talking about. We're taking it blessing by blessing. I think we're blessed to be a blessing. Or you can go to Instagram at Valencia Key Design. That's where you'll see all the beauty, joyful images and just be able to smile. People say they go to my Instagram page for the business just to smile. So if you ever want to smile, go there and you can follow my crazy journey and have all around the world at Leah Valencia Key. So there's a couple of places that we can always connect together.

Audra : 1:00:34

And I do encourage you to go to our Instagram because I did that immediately and it's just. You cannot be in a bad mood around Leah, In any way, shape or form. You cannot. Leah, thank you so much for being here. You have absolutely no idea how much it has meant to me for you to be here with me and to share your story of joy and dreaming and encouragement with everybody else, because I think we all need a reminder and permission to go and do it. So thank you so much for being here, Thank you.

Lia: 1:01:06

I love you.

Audra : 1:01:07

Oh, I love you too. You are so amazing and wonderful. Thank you to all of you for listening, and we'll see you again next time. Thank you.