You Are Not Your Circumstances: Unlock The Power Of Living in Light with Lia Valencia Key

*This transcript was auto-generated*

Kim Gravel: Coming up on the Kim Gravel Show:

Lia Valencia Key: so she was bringing us back from school, and we get to that door and there's a padlock on the door. Can you imagine a single mother with three children and now you have no place to take your three baby children and all your belongings are locked in this place. And so that sent us to a woman's homeless shelter, and it was just a big gym room with small cots.

The mother gets one cot, so the whole family is balled up on the cot and it's moaning and it's crying, and it's sorrow and it's darkness, and it's hopelessness. Just fill in the room. I see it so clear. But I like to share that in that very moment that landed us in the homeless shelter was the first moment that my mother planted a seed of light in my heart.

Opening Introduction: Let's just go on and spill the tea. This is The Kim Gravel Show. This is one of the realest persons I've ever met in my darn life. You gotta watch this. My mission is to encourage every single woman, we're here to lift y'all up. There's no one more effective than moms. You mess with the bull. You going to get the horns. I need coffee. I need Jesus and I need therapy. If you can bring a smile to people's faces, why would you not? We love our kids. We love our husbands. What a blessing. We're gonna dedicate this to you in finding your superpower. Okay girl. True confidence is knowing who you are and why you're here.

Kim Gravel: Hey y'all, this is Kim Gravel and this is The Kim Gravel Show. And this season we are leveling up our lives and we're gonna step into our purpose in confidence, and we're gonna do it together. And today, Zac, we have a very special person. She's so unique. She's so filled with joy and light and love.

 She's an entrepreneur, a master makeup artist and stylist. She has been my friend ever since I met her at QVC. Her name is Lia Valencia. Key. She has multiple businesses, super successful, and I'm just telling you, she is truly a champion of strength, courage, love, and light. You know what I'm saying?

When you hear her story, she was raised in poverty, homelessness, single mother. Wait till you hear her story and where she has come from. Just Zac. It gives me so much hope that our circumstances don't mess us up. They make us up, they make us who we are and. And they, and they can propel us forward.

Do you know what I'm saying?

Zac Miller: I do know what you're saying. And are you kind of saying like, no matter what your circumstances are, like you can find that confidence like within you to, to change it, to move forward, to, to get where you wanna be?

Kim Gravel: And, and, and it's a choice to do so. We have to choose to take what talents and, and giftings and, and blessings that we do have and look at those and move forward in that as opposed to looking at.

What's not working, you know, like for some of us, it is in those hard times that give us the motivation or give us the strength, that built up strength and going through hard times to, to make us, you know, move forward. Everybody can be successful. Everybody on the planet can be successful. It's a choice.

Zac Miller: When you think about yourself, what is it that you are like, this is why I feel successful.

Kim Gravel: I feel successful because, and it ebbs and flows. It's not every day. Cuz a lot of times success from a financial or business standpoint can be a lot of stress. So to me success is not always monetary or, you know, accolades or accomplishments.

Success to me is getting up and loving. What I'm doing and, and being in the moment in that day, like even right now, taping these podcasts here, I get into it. You know what I'm saying? I'm here, I'm present. And that, that's success. To be able to do things that you love to do and that fills your cup and that also helps other people, cuz we're, I think we're put on this planet to, to help others and encourage others.

 And and for me that's success. That is truly success. And y'all, let me tell you something. We can work ourselves into an early grave trying to be successful of what the world says Success is money, beauty, fame, likes on Instagram. I mean, that right there to me sometimes is very stressful, not successful.

If you are not enjoying the journey, if you don't have any joy in your life and all you are is angry and tired and worn down because you're chasing your dreams, that might not be the dream you need to be chasing. You're so right on Kim, and I've actually had these moments recently within myself. I'm thinking, why am I doing all this?

What's the purpose? What's the reason why I'm doing this? If we look at our lives, a lot of times we do a lot of things for other people that we shouldn't be doing. And we do things that we think we wanna do, but deep down in our hearts, we don't wanna do it. And so those are things that we have to look at.

But it all starts with an attitude. It all starts with the why. We do what we do and, and Lia knows her why down to the nth degree. And when you meet her, Zac, you're gonna know exact, she's contagious. Let me say that.

Zac Miller: I'm so excited. Yeah, let's get her on.

Kim Gravel: Let's get her on. So we come back, we've got Lia Valencia key to talk to us about light love and the pure joy of the journey.

We'll be right back.

I just wanna say a big thank you to everybody who's reached out to me about, the book Collecting Confidence, my new book. That is just been such a blessing to hear from you. It's been a best seller and it's, and more importantly it's the messages I'm getting that has touched your life is really.

You, you have no idea. That is true success to me. If you've taken anything, any nugget, any truth out of that book and applied it and and related to it in your own life, I say thank you, Zac, it's just been so amazing to hear people say to me, Kim, this book touched me. Mm. That's why I did it, is that I want everyone to walk in their collected confidence so you can start where you are and become everything you're meant to be.

Doesn't matter your age, doesn't matter. What you look like, where you come from, confidence is right there for you and can be everything. Help you be everything you're meant to be. Thank y'all. I love you. I gotta tell you, this woman we have on the podcast today is a woman with a purpose, with admission and with Uber confidence.

She is the founder of Valencia Key Jewelry. She grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philly. Wait till you hear this story. She went from homelessness. To over a hundred million dollar business. Her jewelry is hugely successful in q VVC and outside of QVC, just all over the planet. She's a sought after motivational speaker and her message is to bring joy and light into the world.

And can I tell you she does that better than anybody? Everybody welcome. Lia Valencia Key.

Lia Valencia Key: So honored.

Kim Gravel: Did you, did you love that intro, girl? This is, this is like. We sing our guests in. Okay, y'all, this is one of my, Oh, how, how do I describe you as It's so, it's a sister. It's a sister. It's not a friend. It's not somebody I needed to know and wanna know. It's really the sisterhood, instant connection, and I think.

It's because a, our, our belief system, but also, Lia, you are just light, joy, and sunshine all wrapped up in one person, period.

Lia Valencia Key: Thank you. That is honestly, the prayer is answered. I pray for that every day. I feel I. The light is what shattered glass ceilings. Light is what creates confidence. Light is what, changes tragedy into victories.

And so when you say, I'm embodying that, that's what I want. To do and want everyone that feels us to know just to unlock your light, cuz that's where the power lies.

Kim Gravel: But you know, you, that didn't come easy to you. I want, I want you to take a minute to tell everybody a little bit of your story because we read through it.

Like you went from homelessness, you went from the poorest, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philly. And we hear that, but I mean that was a real. Real, deficient place to start from in life when you were little. Can you tell us a little bit about like your story and how you are here now, coming from that?

Lia Valencia Key: Yes, absolutely. I love sharing my beginning journey cuz I feel like I journey is. Are what makes us who we are. And we, we get to choose how it makes us who we are. And so you see all this yellow and lights and smiling and you're like, oh, she was born into that. And it's, it's quite the opposite.

I was actually what I like to call Born in Darkness. I was born in inner city, one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in the inner city of Philadelphia. And when I describe it, if you think. Drug transactions on every corner, trash, ritalin, the streets, violence, breaking out, just, fear, just all around.

That's what I was born into. I was born to a single mother who, I would like to say was one of the most brilliant women I know, but she was truly paralyzed by, Generational curses. If anyone doesn't know what that is, it's like you were born in poverty then, then you went into poverty, and it just keeps going and keeps going and keeps going.

And then society norms of being an African-American woman born into poverty. So all of those stereotypes, mm. Had just. Found her with fear and so she couldn't break out of that, but she would speak into our lives. There's a moment where we went from poverty in that really rough neighborhood to destitute, I call it.

My mother had an accident and she broke her leg in three places. Oh God. And so she couldn't even do the little work to keep us in this one bedroom impoverished apartment that we were in. So she was bringing us back from school, and we get to that door and there's a padlock on the door. So, and I'm not a parent, but I was a child that experienced that.

And can you imagine a single mother with three children and now you have no place to take your three baby children and all your belongings are locked in this place. And so that sent us to a woman's homeless shelter. And if anyone knows what a woman's homeless shelter looks like now I'm 43, so I'm giving you homeless shelter.

Back when I went in and there was just a big gym room with small cots, one foot away from each other, and. The mother gets one cot, so the whole family is balled up on the cot and it's moaning and it's crying and it's sorrow and it's darkness and it's hopelessness. Just fill in the room. I see it so clear.

But, I like to share that in that very moment that landed us in the homeless shelter was the first moment that my mother planted a seed of light. And my heart. I was about third grade, so that put me about age eight. And she looked down at her three children, me included, and said, your predicament doesn't determine your destiny.

Mm. In the middle of all that trauma. Chaos and darkness. Chaos, well, chaos. She spoke light and life into our lives. She couldn't break out physically, but she knew that there was a power of word and, and I guess her last and throughout our lives, she would just speak life into us, even though we were in this dark place in that.

Light and life started to take form within me, as we stayed there for at least several years.

Kim Gravel: You stayed in that one cot?

Lia Valencia Key: We stayed. So homelessness, when you get into homeless shelters, they shift you. So we stayed there for about, a year, six months to a year.

Then they move you to a big homeless shelter where there's like, have you ever seen a broom closet? Like a janitor broom closet. They move you into these broom closets. So everyone now gets a little room, but you're cramped into this little room. And, and now it's still a cot there, but it's a little room with now four people in the small room and you actually have to go down, to a big cafeteria for lunch and stand.

Have you ever seen those? Movies where people are in prison and, and they're standing in a food line and people like throwing slop on their plate. You're standing in line for food. That's the whole experience. That's where we stayed for several years and I had become, so I start to become darkness. .

I started to,

Kim Gravel: What did that look like?

Lia Valencia Key: So I was, following, I was acting horrible. Speaking. Horrible, cursing. Like I was 50, his music bad. And then failing every grade in school, known to man. I'd say that if lunch had a grade, I was failing it. Just cause that's what, that's what, that's what I saw.

And I liked the sh like the second light. That I say my mother brought into my life was, I vivid, really Remember coming back from school, walking to the homeless shelter door. Mm. And my mother's standing there and she has the face on. And if anybody knows when you get to a mother and they got a face on, that means some business is about to be said.

So she has this face and I, and she asked me, That she had one question for me and but it had two parts. When any question has two parts is serious, she said, do you wanna be a follower or a leader? And I was confused. A couple years had went past, so I'm still young and I didn't understand that.

She kept going. She was like, cuz right now you're following. And what you're following is exactly what you're gonna become. Everything you see right around you, you'll become that. Or you get to choose to lead. You get to choose to lead your life, you get to choose to listen to this inner light. I know there's a divinely whisper inside of you and you get to lead it all the way to your destiny.

And she said, Lia, then you choose. And she walked away and left this young girl with the power of choice. And I think that is one of the most magical things that we can be, educated and unlocked into, that we do have a power choice.

At that point, I didn't know it actually.

Kim Gravel: Well, Lia, how, how in the world did you, I mean, cuz you're so uber successful today, how, how did that journey, because there's a lot of people, I mean, if you can come from homelessness and, and in poverty and having nothing to what you are today, what, what was that journey like?

When did it start really becoming, how do you go from being homeless? And young and, and really, like you said, being a follower to this great, you know, entrepreneur, successful person you are today. So many people can't even take the smallest step towards it. They're confused. There's, they're fearful. How do you get from that to that?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, I, I love to, there's a couple of things. I always think about it too. Like, wow, God, first I feel like it was divine intervention. Of course it was. Of course it was. Because I feel that, God whispers a lot of things to us. Anyone who's listening, we get the whisper, whisper, we get the call, we get the correction, we get all of those things.

 But do we say yes to it, is the question.

I think the power, I think the power is in saying yes to the whisper that's divine, that you know to be true inside. So in that very moment, when my mother asked me, Choose follow or lead period. And immediately I was, I, I remember standing there by myself and that's where all, all things start to change.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. It was actually quite harder because I was flowing with the river. If you think of a river flowing, I was flowing with the river, acting like everyone's acting. So that's pretty easy, easy, when you start to say, I wanna go away from the way the river is snowing, it actually becomes harder.

So actually when you choose the path of your whisper, it may become even more challenging, but you know what's called on your life. And so when my mother shared that with me, even in a young age, I said yes to what was called on my life. Like she told me to lead what was inside of me, and I knew I didn't feel good acting that way and being that way and following it wasn't good to me, but I thought that was the way to go.

And I knew something in me said it was different. Yeah, I was different. I was called for. And more. But I was pushing that voice down because I didn't see anything that said opposite.

Kim Gravel: You didn't, you didn't see a way, you didn't see a way.

Lia Valencia Key: I didn't see a way, I didn't even know the concept of choice.

So what in me, the concept of choice. Oh, what, so one thing I do is all I need is a word. If you gimme a word that sits true in my spirit, I'm running with it all the way to, I wanna stop right here because I, I totally, there's so many words I've written down since you said, and look, I'm, I wanna continue on with the story, but I just wanna.

Kim Gravel: For the, for the person listening right now, I want them to understand what you're talking about because this is where you and I are soul sisters, baby. This is where, this is where our divine friendship, it was instantaneously, I feel like I've known you for my whole life. This is what connects us because you said there's a call, there's a choice and there's correction.

Yes. I wrote down the word correction because when you, when you choose, When you have that choice, Lia. Just like you said, acknowledging that we have a choice. So everyone listening right now has a choice. They can decide to be bitter or better, you know? I, I mean, we can just go on with the whole list.

 So when you decided to make that choice, it became hard. What was the correction? Because I, I'm just texting my son here because he's sitting here going, I, I, he said I'm gonna have a mental breakdown if I have to wear my braces one more month. We all know that in the scheme of things.

Zac Miller: I totally feel that Kim.

Kim Gravel: No. You know what I'm saying? It's like, it's like, you know, whatever you're saying that you're struggling with. I mean, he said, I'm exactly his exact words. I'm gonna have a mental breakdown if I have to wear these. I love him, but we all have, I mean, stuff, junk is junk and we've all got it and, and pain is pain.

So, can we talk about the correction? Because that's what people try to avoid. We are. So you cannot have success without the valleys and without correction. Come on Leo. You gotta talk to that. That was powerful for me when you said that. Like, game changing.

Lia Valencia Key: I remember the minute of correction.

Come on with it. The next, the next day. And I'm staying in that young child mind. Because when. When you're young, things even seem bigger. I remember going back to school and asking, how do I get help? How do I get better grades? How do I see beyond what I'm in

Kim Gravel: people At your school, you asked teachers, counselors, teacher.

Lia Valencia Key: Soon as I gotta school, I went to my teacher. And said, I wanna be better. I wanna have better grades. I don't wanna be in this situation. How, how, how, how. So, my first, spirit that I love to share is share what you're going through. Come on. Because there's some. Earth angel that is going to see you. Even if it's a millimeter of movement towards the right step.

You, someone doesn't need to take you the whole way through. That's not our calling. And like everyone's not gonna take you out of your

Kim Gravel: situation. There ain't no saviors. There ain't no saviors here. There's help but not saviors.

Lia Valencia Key: But that will bring people, that takes you one step further.

Kim Gravel: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Lia Valencia Key: And then you look around and then you do the work. So there's two things with correction. One is really pouring your heart out where you are and where you wanna go. And I think when you share that, when I was in poverty, I. It was it, I think maybe it's a poverty mindset, but people would say, don't tell people your dreams.

Don't tell. People still hold it in. People will kill your dreams. And so it was this mindset that you don't share things inside of you. It's a big secret and it keeps you right where you are. Come with it. Yes. But when you start to share all of you your weakest, Your desires, your hopes, your dreams, your wants, your needs, your strengths.

When you share all of you to the world, it A gives you this courage to be all of you. And then it allows earth angels to hear. Where God has divinely placed them to take you one step further. Yes. Or even if they don't do the work, they share a piece of knowledge that you grab and you run with it.

Kim Gravel: Like you said, all you need is a word. You need a I loved when you said that. Y'all think about that. Everybody listening, all you need is that one little edification, building up s nugget of a word to change your whole thinking. Lia?

Lia Valencia Key: And you have to be willing to do the work. Get well. It's gotta be so passionate that you don't wanna be where you are anymore.

That, that word ignites you to do the work. Yes. I remember, I called you Kim for guidance. And you were so kind to get on the phone and call and talk to me and gimme a word. You ain't even gimme a word. You gave me a email. You gave follow up email. Well, I need, like, I don't need to keep coming back to you to help me to do this and that.

I just needed your word. And then when you gave me a word, then I was able to run with it with more action. So I encourage.

Kim Gravel: Well, and you also feel like, Lia, you're not alone. Like we, we have these big visions, don't you think? Where we look at all these people with this uber success or they won't, we want what they have or not what they have, but we want what we want for us.

 And we look at other people and they're so, and we forget that everybody, we're all the same, just in different ways. All of us, all of have, all of us have needs, all of us have desires, all of us have insecurities, all of us have weak parts and great parts. And the beauty is sharing it all. So, because, Bob Goth, he's a awesome leader.

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, love him in the world, and, I was blessed to go with, Jamie Colonel Leman to this awesome workshop with him, and he said, Something beautiful. He said, people, humans are, and I'm not saying this verbatim, but in context, he said, humans are wired to help each other. We are. It's our natural wire, right?

So when you share something out in the world, one, one thing is most important. You're not sharing for people to directly help you. So it's not like I need this from you because people can only help you in the capacity. That they are wired to help you with. But when you share it out now, people's spidey senses or are automatically in connection to say, who do I know?

How do I hope, what can I do? Do I know someone? And then even if it's not right in that moment, it could be a year later and you have told someone the dream. They connect with someone, they're like, oh my God, Lia told me her dream.

Kim Gravel: Yes. Okay, Lia, this is like so divine right now.

You've gotta let me share this because if you've never read the book who Not how?

Read it. Everybody who's on a journey, cuz I wanna get to the, your, your company's here in a little bit, but, if you, if you are listening and you're thinking, if Lia, what she's saying is, is, is resonating with you and this whole, as women, we are wired to think, how are we gonna accomplish this?

Okay, yes, I wanna sell this bottle of water, or I want to have a. How am I gonna do it? And, and what this book is saying, and this is so true. It's not who, it's not how you're gonna do it. It's who, yes. Who, that's those, those, like you said, speaking it out and people connecting people, that's, we don't need to know how to be successful.

We know. We need to know who we need to know to be successful. That's what you're

Lia Valencia Key: saying. Absolutely. And there's something that has to happen parallel though.

Kim Gravel: Let's go.

Lia Valencia Key: Because there's a lot of people that look for the who, but they're not doing the what?

Kim Gravel: Stop looking. Listen, we're the mighty Panthers. That is like a word.Lia, say it again boo. Say it again. You just said it.

Lia Valencia Key: That's very important. I love to be clear when I share, when you're out here, It's very easy to ask people to do stuff for you. That's not what I'm saying. Because the what is, what is the work that you're putting in?

Like you've gotta be. In the work, diligently in the work. In the work, in the work. I don't know what the work is, but it needs to be on course to what you are looking to, to do what your destiny is to be, and that's some action that you are doing now when you're physically doing action, now you start speaking out your dreams and your destinies and why you're doing the what.

And you're literally just sharing in the world why you're doing the what. What happens is, cuz I believe in God. God then starts to speak down to the right Earth, angel, and says, that's the one that you help because I have planted this blessing for you to help that. And then they come to you because you're doing the what, and they already see you doing the work.

And then they say, oh, it was something in my spirit that said I can connect you with. Fill in the blank. And, and so it has to be in parallel and, and we can't expect people to do things specifically for us. I see. We have to understand that people can only help you in the capacity.

Kim Gravel: They're human. Yes, I get it. Totally brilliant that you, you are a thousand percent. That's such wisdom that you're dropping today. Somebody needed to hear that. So you say the joy is in the journey. How did you create this joy, Lia? I mean, I've never seen you, you know, like either we're talking lighthearted and laughing, or we're talking deep, deep, deep in the Well, I mean, you and I, there's no extreme.

We're so extreme. We're like, God's so good. He's, you know, we're going, girl, what'd you have for lunch last night? You know, we're, we're, we're extreme. So how did you create this joyful journey? Because so many people are, are miserable right now, Lia. Miserable.

Lia Valencia Key: Well, here's the thing. My, mother actually passed at a super young age.

She was early forties.

Kim Gravel: Oh lord, Lia.

Lia Valencia Key: And I'm 43, so, so she was early, maybe in a couple years. She was so, so, but what, what the beauty of that is, she got to see me leading and leading my life. And she got to see me choosing my destiny. And she told me right before she passed, she, gave me these little, little cheap earrings.

And she was like, Lia, oh, I see you. I see you leading your life. I see you choosing your light. Walk into your destiny. And here's earrings. Always wear your earrings because there's gonna be some times where you feel like you can't find your life. And all you have to do is look, touch, see your earrings and let them just be a reminder that the light is always within you.

All you have to do is choose it. And that was that reminder again of this symbolic thing of then she passed. And so I just started hand sketching jewelry from my own therapy, like this symbolic, wearable thing cuz life is very hard. And just cuz you decided to choose it don't mean it ain't easy. Easy, right, right.

It ain't easy. It's very hard. And, so I start to do this therapeutic draw jewelry for my thing, for my heart. Like, what would it look like? How, how would it be symbolic? I use the, the number three. Three is a number of completion. Wholeness is a positive number of, of change and new growth. And know how do you wear these to, to be these.

Reminders in your heart as time, and, I start, I got to QVC. I start to follow my heart in all things. Anybody that's listening, like any whisper that comes in your heart, try it. Do it. And no matter if it sounds crazy, if it sounds not aligned with what you're already in, God whispered that for a reason.

I went and got a Master's in education and then the whisper said, but you're an artist. And I didn't even make any sense to make. I'm like, ok, God. The mama said choose

this art thing. So I went back to school for a cosmetology. I thought it was the easiest. Form of art to just do art on people. Makeup and hair. And I went back with a master's degree. I like to share that cuz there's peaks and valleys. When you see my jewelry, I do a lot of circles of ups and downs and continuous movements cuz that's what life is like.

You can be high with this master's degree and then, but if you're called to do something else, there's gonna be a valley in that call.

And it's, there's always light, so you'll see these sparkles throughout my designs because in the valley there's light, because in valley there's learning. Yes. So I went back to go to cosmetology. School and I'm sweeping floors with a master's degree, but the light in that sweeping floors as I was learning and I was learning this craft of human connection and artistry, which, moved me.

Stephanie Humphrey is a beautiful heart. She's big on QVC as well. She is all over. She, her friend, I was speaking my word. I live what I say. So I decided to speak out. Everybody. I wanna, I wanna work for QVC. If you were near me in the pharmacy and you smiled twice at me, my barometer was too small.

The first smile wasn't a warning, but if you gave me a second, I was like,

I wanna work for qVC and it just, it wasn't nothing else to say. So I was working, bartending, trying to support myself. We and I, a gentleman, he was the only guy at the bar, Fred and I, I poured him a drink and he said one word and I said, I wanna work for QVC.

And he said, what? I work for Comcast. My friend works for QVC. You see what I'm saying? I had said, I wanna work for QVC for five years. Come on. Well, no expectations of anyone helping me. It just, I had to get it out. I just had to keep getting it out. That was the divine angel that God had said. So he says, gimme a contact information.

The next day. Stephanie Humphrey text me, didn't know me. I, this is really one point we gotta stop. Who are you in the world? Because we got, we wanna do all these things. Yes, we wanna do the success, we wanna be these things, but how are you? Is what you really should focus on being, because that's gonna push you leaps years beyond where you wanna go when you are a certain light in the world.

So Fred had felt my light. So powerful that he transferred it to Stephanie without her even knowing me. Wow. Stephanie text me the day, never met me, and said, my friend Fred told me how light and love you are. I work for QVC. Here's the contact person's information I need to tell you. I've been applying for QVC for five years and got no.

I wasn't qualified. I even went to the door of QVC when there was no security that was back in the day and tried to bring my CD in and they turned me away cuz I didn't even supposed to be on the grounds. And I was crying from my human spirit. But my divinely spirit said, you're gonna walk in those doors one day.

Kim Gravel: Oh lord. And you.

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, and then I walk in, so now we're with Stephanie saying, here's all the people you need to know. Never knew me. And then the ceiling was, and now use me as a reference. Someone that had never met me. Who are you in the world? Because who you are will transfer so majorly that you don't even have to have all the things, the person doesn't even have to meet you, but they have to feel you.

 And I use that connection and that got me an interview. The five years I've been denying, I've been sweeping floors and learning. So when you get the nose, Keep learning. Mm. Keep developing like every time there's a no. What else can I learn every time there's a no? What else do I need to know?

Because you're prepping yourself because God already told you it's so, so now you're just working on how you can be ready for when the it so is at your door. So, That interview, I was ready. I had swept so many pieces of hair, honey. I knew hair from front to back. By that time I was ready. They got me to interview at Walkman QVC Door, third light that opened in my life.

I like to share. It was a, a place, you know, it's a place of mad, I call it a adult Disney World. People helping dreams come true. The wonderful, awesome host dreamers, entrepreneurs, just giving their all to everything. Yes, going out. Full, full body to put something in the world that they believe in. And I'm styling these people 24 7, and I start to see the power of when you have so much love and intention and specificness, and then you pour it into something tangible, and then when you give it to the world, it becomes life changing in the receiver's hands.

 And through my life journey, I realize I'm styling. And the last thing that the hearts would say was, what bracelet do I put on? What necklace do I put on? What earrings do I put on? And it, I felt like it was this seal of courage and confidence that yes, when no one else could walk out with you, it was this, this armor that you would lock in last, your armor, you're putting on your armor, you put your arm on before you.

Share it and brave it to the world. And I saw my journey go from dark to light and, and everything that I was able to accomplish to the moment was because I lived in light and people said, I just want you to be near me. I just want you to style me because of who you are. And I had been hand sketching this jewelry, and I wanted to pour this light and this confidence and this love and something tangible that had an intentional meeting.

When these beautiful hearts would go out and share their courage, share their confidence. And so I embarked on the journey. I actually asked them, this is what I wanna do. They was like, do it. I don't know nothing about jewelry, but do it, girl.

So Google became my friend. I Googled the first thing of how to take my hand sketches.

I, it wasn't that technical, I must admit. I had this hand sketch, book. This was from the very beginning, all my jewelry sketches.

Kim Gravel: Oh my gosh, Lia.

Lia Valencia Key: And I took these hand sketches and Googled how, and then just started doing the work. And once I got a physical, tangible piece, and this is actually interesting, this was my first piece, the Synergy necklace love.

I love to wear it everywhere. And women that I was styling was like, Ooh, what's that? And I was like, oh, this my music. It's courage, it's bravery. I pour all of me inside of it and I'm like, I want that and I wanna wear it on air. And then just these beautiful hearts to start wearing. Valencia Key. My middle name is Valencia, but I found in a voyage that Valencia and a Spanish slang is bravery and courage, which is so cool.

So you. We know it's to unlock. So it really is defining of just unlocking that courage, bravery, and light every time you wear it. And it was honestly through word of mouth, heart saying, I, I need some light when I go here. Yes, I I'm doing this light and I want something to symbolize something powerful.

And that's word of women's hearts. Just start sharing Valencia Key.

Kim Gravel: Now, Lia Valencia Key business has exploded. Has it not? I mean, it's just gone from a

Lia Valencia Key: handful of, yes, it's coming down, but it's moving it's going from glory to glory. But it, it's some valleys.

Kim Gravel: Well, and that's in any business. I mean, you you know, I mean that, that's a whole nother podcast how to, how to get, but, but you have to take that first step.

You have to take that first step. And I love seeing women entrepreneurs, come together, help one another, encourage one another, and. Watch it rise. There's something powerful about us women when we work together.

Lia Valencia Key: It is, I feel like, honestly that's what Valencia Key really is about. My prayer is that when you wear, I put the symbol, it's four vs.

And the Vs are the bravery, but it's in a star. So that's

Kim Gravel: Oh, I own it, honey. I got the, I got three or four pair of earrings on, you know.

Lia Valencia Key: I feel like I want people to see it because I want that human connection to be inspired as I'm beautiful podcast like yours when we're like, no, this is about encouraging others and yes.

Walking in your bravery, and yes, you can. If I can, you can. All people need to do is see you wear it and they see it, and they know that you're inspiring them to come to the light that you are because the whole brand is built on. Hearts lifting me up, just seeing me work, seeing my light and saying, all right, how can I take you one step further?

 And then another light. And that's, that's what we need. That's the way we succeed in this world. Seeing, seeing a need and saying yes to it, and then shining your light to show people that they can shine their, and that's it.

Kim Gravel: That's it. That's why we're all here. That's, you said it earlier. We're here to all really help and be of service to one another in our journeys.

 So look, before I let you go, we do the thing every single time we do this thing called rapid fire questions.

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, I love it.

Kim Gravel: Ok. You can't think about it. Just what comes up. Comes out. What comes up. Comes out. Here we go. What is your favorite dance move?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, it used to be a cabbage patch.

Oh, I love a dance.

Kim Gravel: Okay, y'all. I have not heard Cabbage Patch in a long time. We're showing our age. My love. Okay, here go.

I love it. Do you have a secret talent?

Lia Valencia Key: Ooh, a secret one no one knows. I can twerk a light. A light on my twerk.

It's a rhythmic body. Rhythmic

Kim Gravel: body. I love it that I've gotta see that.

We'll, I've gotta see that. All if, if, what's the worst job you've ever had?

Lia Valencia Key: I, I think waitressing.

Kim Gravel: Oh, that's tough. That's a tough job.

Lia Valencia Key: You get abused out there, you get abused.

Kim Gravel: That's it. We know your favorite color is yellow. You wear it all the time. But what is your second favorite color?

Lia Valencia Key: This emerald, like green. It's a color.

Kim Gravel: Oh, she didn't, she didn't hesitate. If you, if you could instantly learn one thing, what would it be?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh. Finances. I like my bookkeeping.

Kim Gravel: I love it.

Alright, this is fun. If you could have any name change, your first name, what would you change it to?

Lia Valencia Key: Markle.

Kim Gravel: Well, we need to just make that happen. We just need to make that happen. If you can invent a holiday, what would it be?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, light day. Light day. Everyone had to be light.

Kim Gravel: I'm writing it down.

Light day. What word do you think should be added to the dictionary?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, Tried it. It's a one, it's a one word to tried it. People try it, and you gotta choose not to succumb to it.

Kim Gravel: I love it. I think mine would be done. Done it. Done, done it, done it. All right, here we go. What, tell me the moment you realized Valencia Key was a huge success.

Lia Valencia Key: Oh. I would say, when I won the big fine QVC competition, that was amazing. It was amazing. It was confirmation that, you are on to blessing, giving something good in the world.

Kim Gravel: What's the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

Lia Valencia Key: Ooh. I laugh out loud every second. That's the problem.

Just now. Twerking. That twerk state.

Kim Gravel: Favorite junk food?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh, she loves a chip.

Kim Gravel: A potato. What? What flavor? Gotta get specific girl.

Lia Valencia Key: So recently I just, oh God. It's between, I just had, flaming hot cheddar cheese, sour cream, but I can get into a dill pickle.

Kim Gravel: Flaming hot cheddar cheese, sour cream. I have indigestion, I have indigestion,

Lia Valencia Key: waist, and the fingers get all real you.

I, I grew up on chips.

Kim Gravel: Let me tell you something. So did I, pickle chips. Those are good.

Lia Valencia Key: Them dill pickles. If you haven't tried a dill pickle, you're missing

Kim Gravel: those lays, those lays cuz I love it when they come out with the whole like, you know, different flavors. It's good girl. But you know what, okay, I'm throwing this out.

Lays, if you're listening. Yes. They need, have you ever had like the turtle checks mix where it's like caramel and so sweet? Yes. They need to do a turtle chip, woo.

Lia Valencia Key: A turtle chip where you get that sweet, salty experience, turtle chip flavor.

Kim Gravel: Patent and pending patent.

Lia Valencia Key: Pending patent, and pending

Kim Gravel: patent and pending.

All I'll send you a bag. Who is your celebrity crush?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh god, I don't really have crushes.

Kim Gravel: Well, okay, lemme rephrase it. Let me rephrase. Who do you think is hot right now in Hollywood?

Lia Valencia Key: Oh God.

Zac Miller: Present company included.

Lia Valencia Key: It's so hard. Zac.

Zac Miller: I set up for that oneLia. Thank you Lia.

Kim Gravel: You got to give us your celebrity crush.

Girl. You gotta think of one.

Lia Valencia Key: Oh God. I don't even look at people. I be in my own world. Uh. Who's handsome? Uh oh. Idris Alba. He's, he's handsome.

Kim Gravel: You think? He's dejour.

He is a dejour divine human. I agree with you on that. What object brings you the most joy.

Lia Valencia Key: Oh God, this is gonna sound so, so promoting. It's my, it's my jewelry. You know, one, just cuz I, you know, I look at it and I'm like, I'm done, done it. It's exactly what you said. I done done it. You know, and it, it brings me joy to be able to dream and then bring something to actuality and see it on other humans.

So pure joy.

Kim Gravel: All right, last question. What is the most inspiring thing you've ever heard?

Lia Valencia Key: Ooh. When my mother told me, my predicament doesn't determine my destiny. Life changing for my, I mean, I was in third grade, age eight. I'm 43 and I still live on that today cuz it, it's so big because it doesn't mean you have to be in a rough predicament.

That's what I. I'd like to make clear. It just means like you could be really great right now, but that don't mean that's your destiny. So you can go from glory to glory too. So just keep evolving in life.

Kim Gravel: I love you. I love you so much. Everybody go check out Valencia Key jewelry. Grab two or three pieces.

I, every time I wear mine, I get compliments. People stop me in the street. Where did you get it? And I just wanna tell you, Lia, you are probably one of you are so light filled, but you are real with it. You're a real, authentic, transparent, beautiful human and I am proud to call you friend. I love you girl.

Lia Valencia Key: Aw. You. Thank you. I'm honored. I love you, Kim. Thank you for loving me. I love you. Who you are is how you are, and I'm just honored. Every time I see you, you inspire my whole entire spirit to live out loud.

Kim Gravel: I feel the same about you. We've got to get together more often. Go eat. Let's go eat. All sold, done, and done.

All right, girl. Come back. Be with us. Come back, be with us. I love you. Thank y'all.

Powerful stuff with Lia. I I, isn't she totally light but her story, Zac? Come on.

Zac Miller: Incredible. I am just obsessed with her. I'm just obsessed with her. I know. I, I don't know how I think about my own life and I'm like, wow, I've had a really easy life compared to you know, her and so many people.

Kim Gravel: She was homeless for just years and years and years. But the great thing about it is, is that she chose, and, I'm telling you, we have a choice. Whatever circumstance you are in right now, and I know it's easy for me just to sit there and go choose life. Choose life. I, I know it's easier said than done, but we do have a real.

Choice to make. We can choose the dark and we can choose the misery, and we can choose the the brokeness, or we can choose to look at our lives and make a change. That's the beauty of free will and the freedoms that we have is it is a choice.

Zac Miller: Yeah, a million percent. And the thing that she said that spoke to me like most powerfully, and there's so much that was so powerful, right, is she said, and I wrote it down, when you get the nose, keep going.

Like keep learning, keep going. Like that's so powerful. And that's why she's where she is, because. She just kept going.

Kim Gravel: Well, and I wanna tell all of you watching right now, be encouraged. I know you're, you might be in circumstances and you might be in, in situations where it does look dark and it doesn't look like there's any hope, but there's always light.

And what I love about light is when you're in a dark cave, you don't need a big flashlight or spotlight. All you need is that little flicker of a candlelight to really light your path. That's the beautiful thing about it is, is light drives out dark, even the smallest little light. It can make a huge difference in your life.

So just, you know, I, I love when she said, you know, it's who you are, why you're here, and what you're going to do about it. So right now, wherever you are, whatever you're going through, just know that you have the confidence and the courage to take the next step into your purpose and your calling. We love you so much.

 Thanks for watching and listening. Thanks for, sharing this with other people. Let everybody know about the Kim Gravel show cuz we try to lift y'all up so we can level up our lives and we're doing it together. Till next time, I'm Kim.

Zac Miller: I'm Zac.

Kim Gravel: We love you. Bye

The Kim Gravel Show is produced and edited by Zac Miller at Uncommon Audio. Our associate producer is Kathleen Grant, the Brunette Exec. Production help from Emily Bredin and Sara Noto.

Our cover art is designed by Sanaz Huber at Memarian Creative and Mike Kligerman Edits the show and a special thanks to the team at QVC. Head over to kimgravelshow.com and sign up for our mailing list. Again, we can't do this without you, so thank you for listening, and we love you.