December 11, 2024 • 51 mins
In this transformative episode of the Author Revolution Podcast, I sit down with the unstoppable Victoria Pelletier—C-suite executive, public speaker, author, and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Victoria shares her incredible journey of overcoming adversity, building resilience, and creating an authentic personal brand.
We explore the power of choice, the importance of storytelling in branding, and how to embrace leadership that fosters connection and trust. Plus, discover insights on balancing authenticity with radical candor in personal and professional spaces.
I also share exciting updates on the evolution of Author Revolution into the Manifest Differently brand and podcast in 2025. Stick around for a special freebie—Manifestation Made Easy, a must-have guide for neurodivergent manifestors. Don’t miss this episode packed with inspiration and actionable takeaways!
📌 Visit manifestdifferently.com to learn more and grab your free guide.
📌 Connect with Victoria Pelletier at victoria-pelletier.com.
📌 Watch Victoria’s TEDx Talk on Resilience here.
Are you an author at a crossroads, feeling stuck & unfulfilled in your author career? Do you know deep down it's time for a change, but you’re unsure of the next step?
The High Vibe Author is the only transformational membership designed specifically for authors like you—those who are ready to break free from limitations & step into the abundant life they deserve. Click here to learn more.
Indie publishing wasn’t built for neurodivergent minds—so let’s change that. Inside Author Revolution on Substack, I share exclusive insights on writing, publishing, and manifestation for ND authors. Plus, explore my neurospicy romcoms & urban fantasy worlds. Want to go deeper? Get access to Manifest Differently: The Deep End, my private podcast. Follow now: 👉 authorrevolution.org/substack
Thank you for tuning into the Author Revolution Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. For more insights and inspiration, visit Author Revolution. Don't forget to follow us on social media for updates and exclusive content:
Go forth and start your author revolution!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carissa Andrews (00:02):
Welcome to the Author Revolution podcast, where
change is not just embraced,it's celebrated.
I'm Carissa Andrews,international bestselling author
, indie author coach and yournavigator through the
ever-evolving landscape ofauthorship.
Are you ready to harness thepower of your mind and the
latest innovations in technologyfor your writing journey?
If you're passionate aboutmanifesting your dreams and
(00:25):
pioneering new writing frontiers, then you're in the perfect
place.
Here we merge the mystical wooof writing with the exciting
advancements of the modern world.
We dive into the realms ofmindset, manifestation and the
transformative magic that occurswhen you believe in the
impossible.
We also venture into the worldof futuristic technologies and
(00:46):
strategies, preparing you forthe next chapter in your author
career.
Every week, we explore new waysto revolutionize your writing
and publishing experience, fromAI to breakthrough thinking.
This podcast is your gateway toa world where creativity meets
innovation.
Whether you're penning yourfirst novel or expanding your
literary empire, whether you'rea devotee of the pen or a
(01:09):
digital storyteller, thispodcast is where your author
revolution gains momentum.
So join me in this journey tocontinue growth and
transformation.
It's time to redefine what itmeans to be an author in today's
dynamic world.
This is the Author RevolutionPodcast, and your author
revolution starts now.
Well, hey guys, welcome back tothe Author Revolution Podcast.
(01:37):
Today's episode is packed withinspiration and actionable
insights as I sit down with theunstoppable Victoria Pelletier,
a C-suite executive, publicspeaker, author and advocate for
diversity, equality andinclusion.
Victoria has not onlytransformed businesses, but
she's also turned personaladversity into a springboard for
success.
(01:57):
We're going to dive intoresilience, personal branding
and modern leadership key topicsfor anybody navigating these
challenges or seeking to make animpact.
Plus, I'll share a little bitabout my own evolving journey as
we transition from AuthorRevolution to the new
NeuroDivergent Manifestor brandand Manifest Differently podcast
(02:17):
in 2025.
So stick around, because youwon't want to miss a special
freebie.
It's a downloadable PDF entitledManifestation Made Easy for my
fellow neurodivergentmanifestors.
Check the links in the shownotes for all of the details,
including a peek at my newwebsite, which is
manifestdifferentlycom.
All right, let's hop into ourinterview with Victoria.
(02:40):
Well, hi, victoria, welcome tothe Author Revolution podcast.
I'm excited to be speaking withyou today.
Before we get started and Ibombard you with all the
questions, do you want to tellmy audience a little bit about
yourself and what you do?
Victoria Pelletier (02:54):
Sure Well, first, thank you for having me
I'm happy to be here andVictoria Peltier, I am a
career-long C-suite executive inprimarily business-to-business
professional services.
I also sit on multiple boardsAn author we will talk about
that.
I'm a professional publicspeaker.
I am a wife and a mother to twobeautiful humans, now adults,
(03:20):
which makes me feel old.
I'm a fitness fanatic, foodieand wine lover.
That covers all the basics.
Carissa Andrews (03:27):
Right, All the things I mean.
That's like multi-passionateeverywhere.
Victoria Pelletier (03:31):
I use the phrase multi-potentialite
because I also have a widevariety of interests outside of
all those things too.
Carissa Andrews (03:38):
That is so good and I think that's really
important because, you know,especially for authors, many of
us get stuck in like just theworld of books and like book
things and we need outsideinterests, I think, sometimes to
make our lives more interesting.
So, victoria, your journeybegan in a very profoundly
challenging environment andcircumstance.
You faced abuse, had violenceat a very young age, before you
(03:59):
were adopted.
So I'm curious, as we get goingbecause this is a part of how
you, you know, do your speaking,your books and everything that
you're doing but how did thoseearly experiences shape your
resilience and influence yourdecision to pursue your
leadership and then ultimatelywriting?
Victoria Pelletier (04:26):
like 10 or 12 years ago, and on the big
scale that is, I certainlyshared it, like in smaller
settings or with friends, but itis truly what shaped me.
I often talk about it being mywhy the fact that I'm born to a
drug addicted teenage mother whowas very abusive to me and then
thankfully adopted out of thatbut lower socioeconomic position
with my adoptive family.
I was sexually assaulted in myteens.
(04:47):
Like all these things, it'sthose that actually caused me to
want to be better than biologyin circumstance.
So that's what's propelled meto be I use the phrase in the
first book title, you knowunstoppable, like nothing is
going to prevent me fromachieving the goal or objective
that I've set for myself.
So it is very much what'sfueled me, and you used a word I
(05:10):
often talk about, which isresilience.
So it's caused me to not alwaysa healthy level of resilience I
had to learn to there andthere's there's a difference for
me but to have a healthierlevel of resilience so that, as
even just challenges in business, I've been through like 40
mergers and acquisitions formyself, for the companies I work
for, as well as clients I'vesupported.
(05:30):
That comes with so much change,with restructure.
I think my early years and theresilience I've built allows me
to step into almost anysituation and be able to cope
well and, ideally, thrive inthat environment.
Carissa Andrews (05:43):
I can imagine, I mean, when you have, I think
even sometimes about our ownfamily, where our house is.
I mean, we don't have the abuseaspect going on, but we have
constant change in our house.
We've been remodeling thishouse the entire time we've been
here and we've lived here for12 years and so, like every
single one of my kids I think,sometimes I'm like, oh man,
they're having to deal with thebathroom being torn apart.
But I think it is shaping themlike having to deal with okay,
(06:05):
there's no ceiling right nowwhile we're in here taking a
shower Like there's aspects ofthat where they're learning how
to be able to cope when thingsare different or changing.
And it's so good when people cantake a look at things that were
not so fun, especially in yourpast, like that, and be able to
look at it in a way that you can, like see the light from it.
You know what I mean, likereally embrace it as part of who
(06:28):
you are and why it shaped thedirection you went, not not let
it, you know, tear you down andbring you down.
I love that.
And so let's talk aboutUnstoppable, because you share
stories about overcomingadversity in that book, so could
you tell us about a story fromthat book that particularly
resonates with your ownexperiences and how it might
inspire your readers?
Victoria Pelletier (06:48):
So that was actually the first book and the
publisher approached me.
It's a co-authored book actuallyso I have just one chapter in
the book, although they made methe opening chapter, which they
left it as a surprise for me tofind out, and that was one of
the first time, you know, pen toproverbial paper where I shared
it in that broadly and so thatthe book title chapter is, you
(07:14):
know, the courage to live.
So it's a little bit aroundwhat I just shared now, where I
shared those early years, thatit's my why and it's what's
again sort of propelled me to dothe things that I've done.
I feel very fortunate to haveachieved a lot of success in
life, career success, have somegreat relationships, those sorts
(07:34):
of things.
But it was truly the choice,and so that's the story I share,
you know is not only whathappened to me but the choices
I've made.
I'm a big believer.
I sign a lot of my social mediaposts with one unstoppable, and
so actually when the bookpublishers approach me, I'm like
that is my word.
So of course I'm like, yes, I'mparticipating.
(07:55):
But the other one is no excuses,and that, for me, is around the
fact that you have choice, soyou can play the victim.
This stuff is going to happen.
We can't always control thetrauma, the adversity, the
challenge that's going to comeour way, but what we can control
is our response and how we'regoing to choose to move forward,
and so that's, in that book,what I shared and then,
(08:18):
subsequently, I spent a lot oftime talking about now.
Carissa Andrews (08:21):
Right.
I think that's so powerful.
I mean, I teach authors aboutmanifestation, and so we often
talk about how our decision isour superpower, and so when
you're moving towards somethingthat you really want, it all
begins with that initialdecision.
And so it's the same, I think,in my experience, when you are
looking at the two choices likevictimhood or moving into a
(08:42):
place of power, you have thatchoice, but you have to
ultimately make the decisionwhich one you're going to want
to go toward, and it's so.
But, like you said, you'reunstoppable when you decide
you're not going to go down thatvictim path and just allow the
circumstances to bring you down.
I think a lot of authors and alot of people in general really
need to onboard that informationand remind themselves of that.
(09:03):
So, moving on to yourprofessional insights, your book
Influence Unleashed dives intodeep, deeply interpersonal
branding.
So are there core principles?
Victoria Pelletier (09:17):
in the book that authors could apply to
develop their own distinctivebrands.
Yeah, absolutely, it'ssomething I've been focused on
for over 20 years.
When I stepped, I was recruitedinto my first executive role at
a very young age.
I was only 24 years old.
I'd come out of bankingoperations planning to be a
lawyer.
I just kind of followed a paththat I loved and my passion
around leadership and businessand then never went to law
(09:37):
school.
But when I moved into thisbusiness, to business world, and
started to, I started to leadcommercial teams and not just
the operations, and recognizewe're responding to RFPs, we're
engaging and going toconferences, just understand how
we get business and how.
At that point I just thoughtabout it.
I didn't have the vernacular tocall it personal brand.
But how are we differentiatingourselves?
(09:58):
And so that's where the focusfor me on branding for not just
business, but people do businesswith people they like and trust
and want to do business with.
So how do we create thatdifferentiation?
And so for me it's grown into.
Now I actually stand on stagesand speak about it and I coach
other people on how to developthis.
And so important, I think, forauthors as well.
(10:21):
I mean, you want people to beengaged, not just with the words
that come out, but who you areas a human.
And so for me, what I would sayand I wrote, influence
Unleashed in large part well,one I was in career transition
and I am not good with beingidle, so I penned two books
during that time.
I love it, and the personalbranding one.
(10:41):
I did because 2023 was a reallytough year, particularly for
many people in transition.
So I saw people trying toelevate their brand and doing it
poorly.
And doing it poorly was becausethey focused on only one thing
and that is their subject matterexpertise, and that's
foundational, don't get me wrong.
You need to in building yourbrand, like, what are you going
to be known for?
(11:01):
Here's my subject matterexpertise the field in which I
work, the function in which Ioperate, the industry more
broadly, whatever it is.
So that's number one.
But going back to people dobusiness with humans and people
they like and trust.
The next part is thestorytelling, and so actually,
here's where the author shouldbe really good at that.
What are the parts of you as ahuman, the lived experiences,
(11:25):
the values, interests andpassions that you have that are
going to build connection withothers, and then very much
related to it, but alsodistinctly, is how are you
different than others?
So I think, professionally I'vespent a lot of time in
management consulting andtechnology and services, and
there's lots of people who, andbusinesses, are capable of doing
(11:47):
what we're doing In themanagement consulting world.
People buy people literally,and so how do you differentiate
yourself from someone who doeswhat you've done?
Maybe they've got the samenumber of years of experience,
et cetera.
So what makes you differentthan others?
So for me, connected to who I amand storytelling and values, is
my radical candor.
In the world of managementconsulting, most consultants
(12:08):
tell clients what they want tohear, not always what they need
to hear.
I'm very different and I'mgoing to tell you, and so that's
a differentiator, for example,for me.
So figure that out.
And the last is legacy andimpact what do you want to be
known for?
So those four pieces are what Ibelieve are the like foundation
to a very well-rounded personalbrand of like.
Carissa Andrews (12:27):
Who am I and why would these readers want to?
Just because we're technicallythe brand, the book will come
(12:50):
and go, like it's evergreengreat, but it's going to live on
forever, but you're not alwaysgoing to focus on it.
The thing that stays constantis you and we.
Do we forget we can connectwith them and be a part of their
lives in a way that reallyimpacts them, and those that do
obviously are the ones thatbuild that cumulative advantage
and are able to, you know, builda community, build the, you
know, 1000 super fans or howeveryou want to describe it, like
all the different things, and soit's.
(13:11):
That's such a smart way oflooking at the whole process of
it.
Was it hard for you to come upwith your brand?
Or were you like?
Of course, this is what I am.
This is what I've always beenwhat I've always been.
Victoria Pelletier (13:28):
So I've been at it for almost 24 years now
and, like I said, I didn't havethe vernacular back then, but I
started to focus on making sureI was focusing on the brand that
is Victoria and making surepeople want to come work with me
and clients want to engage withme, my team and the business
they work in.
And so I've.
I've had to like, evolve andchange over time, just because I
have and I will say that thereare some times where pivots are
(13:49):
required.
I will tell you from aleadership perspective, because
I was such a young femaleexecutive and I say female cause
I was the only one at the tableI showed up in a very
particular way.
I'm going to be all businessall the time.
I wasn't telling my origin story, which is part of why I built
some walls up to protect myself.
So I showed up, you know, witha mask almost on.
(14:12):
I'm not going to demonstratethat there's any vulnerabilities
and you know cracks in my armor.
I'm not going to show up withemotion.
So I got a nickname as the IronMaiden.
I found out in my late twenties.
Now I transform businesses.
I'm radically candid, I amcomfortable having the tough
conversations, so that's part ofit, but the absence of
(14:33):
vulnerability, emotions,authenticity because I had these
walls is what, in part, createdthat.
So I would tell your listenersthat you are going to need to
evolve, change and potentiallypivot, and so, in my case, I
needed to do a 180, and I had toshow up very differently, and
it wasn't just my brand.
(14:55):
I literally had to show up verydifferently in real life as well
as how I showed up online, andso it can evolve and change over
time.
And so maybe even for yourauthors, if you're very focused
on one particular genre orsubject and that's going to
evolve and change as you do,well that's okay and so get
comfortable with that.
(15:15):
And then to one other part ofyour question is I learned a lot
of this.
A lot of it's been self-taught,but I'm also a voracious
learner and so I've spent a lotof time over the years reading.
Now I consume most of mycontent audibly, you know,
thanks to Spotify and Audibleand all those things to consume
books that way.
(15:35):
But that so I've constantlybeen learning from others and
I'm a like massive like observerof people and whether that was
online and seeing what works forthem and taking what does and
doesn't kind of like trial anderror to some extent, to the
point that now I feel veryconfident coaching other people
on it, because I've just beendoing it for so long and have
learned some of the you knowdo's and do nots right, right,
(15:59):
well, I love that.
Carissa Andrews (16:00):
I'm also high learner and like high input.
I don't know if you've everdone the CliftonStrengths, but
for me it's like I love all ofthose things.
Input's not as high.
Learning is definitely higher.
It's in my top 10.
And I just I love the concept oflike seeing what everyone's
doing and all the differentperspectives, because then you
can create your own perspectiveand gain clarity from it.
I'm the same way.
(16:21):
When I first started AuthorRevolution, it was like we're
going to be talking about how tohave a career sustainably.
That's going to be what we'redoing, and over time I've
realized I like the technologystrategy side of things and I
like the woo, like manifestationmindset side of things, and so
it's like I kind of go betweenthe two and I'm like this is who
I am guys, and I've had topivot and help them understand
(16:41):
that this is how it's going togo.
So it's very, very differentthan what I was showing up as in
the beginning as well.
And I love that.
You have your third book, thePower of Whole Human Leadership
See if I can speak today and init you explore, obviously the
modern leadership strategies.
So how can authors, especiallythose in leadership roles or in
(17:06):
management teams.
Use the strategies to enhancetheir effectiveness.
Victoria Pelletier (17:08):
So this book , for me it's actually one I
leaned even more heavily intothan the personal branding is
very important, but what I'veseen, actually, in the last
almost 10 years I've beenleading human capital businesses
, and so that is working withleaders, not just chief people
(17:29):
officers but also the leaderswithin organizations on
workforce culture and a lot ofthat's driven by leadership,
recognizing that people don'tquit companies, they quit
leaders.
And so it's a combination ofthe lessons I've learned as a
leader and my failure as an IronMaiden and how I needed to
evolve from that to thestrategies working these last
(17:53):
many years with workforces on.
I used to call it the future ofwork.
The reality is the future ishere, it's here and where we
work, and you know, post COVIDand now it's more of a hybrid
environment and the technology,how it adapts, how we work,
requires and sort ofgenerationally and a focus on
(18:13):
purpose, impact et ceterademands a very different kind of
leader.
And so you know, for those whoare in leadership it means whole
human leadership is my phrase,but it's in recognizing we show
up as whole humans and that tobuild that connection and trust
with people we do have to beauthentic and that doesn't mean
(18:34):
being brutally honest all thetime, but it certainly means
transparency and it means beingvulnerable.
It means, if called for, beingemotional at times to
demonstrate that we are verymuch humans.
We can't park our weekend andthe stuff that happened at the
door when we come into theoffice.
But it's other elements as wellin terms of how do we support
(18:56):
our teams.
You know there's one chapterwhere I referenced the unseen
employee and that connects alittle bit back to my passion
around an advocacy arounddiversity, equity and inclusion.
But diversity is there's so manyfacets of that and things like
lived experience, the fact thatI was an abused child, I was in
the welfare system before thatlike that's just one facet of
(19:17):
what I bring to the table, andso it's teaching leaders how to
hear those stories and approachit and connect that with things
like purpose.
So consumers want to buy fromand employees want to work for
companies that align withpurpose.
And I think one of our jobs asleaders.
(19:38):
You think about entry-levelemployees like I've got two
college-age kids coming into theworkforce.
They're going to have a hardtime translating what the macro
the company does to how they'recontributing to that.
That's my role as a leaderRight To help bridge that and
then also understand what'stheir desire in terms of career
path and professionaldevelopment.
This newer generation viewsstability and job security as
(20:00):
connectedness to developing themand their skills in the
business, which is verydifferent than like my parents'
generation.
Carissa Andrews (20:06):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I even think when Ientered the workforce it, you
know, it's still kind of thattransitional period where the
boomers, like had control ofeverything and you're kind of
going.
But there's not a whole lot oflike connection here.
I think, even with with, youknow, our generation, it's
probably like you're going.
We're in the middle of it,where technology was changing.
We had, you know, the, theshakeups with all the different
(20:28):
um, like everything.
It was like everything was justshifting.
And now we are definitelyseeing the like.
I look at my teenagers, or thetwenties.
My husband has a 22 year oldright now and he, it's like they
all want to have something thatjust is so meaningful to them
and that they'll give their all,as long as they know and like
and trust that they'recontributing to it.
(20:49):
And if they start feeling thatdisconnect, they're like oh,
they have no problem whatsoever.
Like tapped out, I'm good, like, and they're gone.
And you're just like what justhappened?
They just like.
I thought they loved the jobyesterday, now they're gone.
And I think for authors too,especially the fiction authors,
we start in this role of asolopreneur and eventually we
want and need more help, and sohaving that concept of
(21:12):
leadership help us in bringingon like on.
We typically onboard like apersonal assistant or someone
along those lines first, andhaving that capability to
explain to the personalassistant.
This is why working for me isso important.
This is where we're heading,giving that them that connection
, instead of just here do mynewsletter swaps or something
like that.
It's like it makes sense to mewhy it would be so important.
(21:35):
Exactly Right.
Yeah, that's so good.
I can't wait to read both ofall three of these books, but
it's they're on my list verysoon.
I think it's just fascinatinglooking into leadership and how
we can be better.
Victoria Pelletier (22:07):
And you don't even have to be a leader
necessarily.
It just helps you to see abroader perspective of how you
can be as a and drive changeagain, regardless of title or
the hierarchy within theorganization.
Don't get me wrong.
It certainly helps to havethose things Right, right.
But we are all leaders and Iwould I want the aspiring
leaders to you know, learnsomething so they don't have to
(22:29):
make some of the mistakespotentially that like I made
early on in my career.
Carissa Andrews (22:33):
Right, right, oh, that is so powerful and I
love that you've transitioned toto also public speaking about
all of these things.
So, speaking of that, what aresome strategies that you use to
engage your diverse audiences?
Are there any strategies thatauthors can use to implement
when they're promoting their ownbooks or going to speaking
events for themselves thatyou've incorporated into your
(22:53):
speaking engagements?
Victoria Pelletier (22:56):
At some point.
I think it's important foreveryone to recognize you
shouldn't attempt to be allthings to all people, and some
of that actually even goes backto the branding pieces of it, so
not everything that I stand forand the values and advocacy
work that I do is going toresonate with others.
You know, like far right peopleare not going to resonate with
(23:18):
the fact that I'm going to talkabout social justice and women's
rights and equality and all ofthese kinds of things, and
that's okay.
And so understand who youraudience is.
That's one of the mostimportant things that I would
state for authors and those whoare, you know, desire to be
speakers, in particular, andmake sure that, as you build
(23:38):
your brand and you start toconnect with that audience, you
know, again, they understandthat you know all the things
that you can contribute andbring to the table, so I am able
to leverage, and it's funny, Iwas just on, I belong to this
women's executive network, andthere was a call the other day
on, like you know, getting paidto be on this stage, and there
(24:00):
was a whole topic ofconversation around books, and
how does that contribute?
And so the one thing I will sayfor the authors, though, is
it's actually a great sellingtechnique for those who want to
be able to speak.
So for me, sometimes, if I'mabove their budget, I can say,
well, can you, would youconsider, you know, buying some
books?
I usually contribute someanyways as part of my speaking
(24:22):
engagement and the fee that theygive.
But so for InternationalWomen's Day that's actually like
March is a month I'm usuallyquite busy.
There was one and it was a.
They just didn't have thebudget, but instead they bought
60 books to give out.
So like it's a great, and itusually hits a different cost
center, and so there's justdifferent strategies to think
(24:42):
about.
As an author, you know, to helpyou from a speaking perspective
, and vice versa.
Certainly, when I'm speaking,almost inevitably afterwards I
see an uptick in books beingpurchased.
Carissa Andrews (24:54):
Sure, oh, and that makes total sense to me.
Yeah, because now they knowlike and trust you as an
individual.
They've heard you speak, theyknow you're intelligent.
Like.
They're not like do I like her?
Like, yeah, it makes totalsense to me, oh gosh.
Like when you first startedspeaking, though, were you like
heck, yes, let's do this.
Or was it like nerve wracking,because I know so many authors
are introverts and they're likeoh gosh.
Victoria Pelletier (25:16):
Well, so that's actually, I think, a good
question, just around theintrovert thing.
So, first of all, I thinkthere's a lot of people who
think that you have to be apublic speaker or an extrovert
to be successful at one buildinga brand.
So I tell a lot of people thatyou can be really successful as
an introvert and hide behindwhat I refer to as electronic
(25:37):
courage, sit behind the keyboard.
It's a heck of a lot easier todo it and build a brand that way
than it is, as my younger onewould say, irl, in real life and
do that on stages.
So for me personally now, I wasan actor when I was young, so I
always had confidence standingon stage.
There is a very big differencewhen you're not playing a
character and all of a suddenit's Victoria, it's here, it's
(26:00):
my word, it's my subject matter,expertise or opinion I might be
sharing with you.
So that was different.
So there was a period wherethat made me more nervous to not
be portraying a character andjust being me on stages,
although I gained confidence byensuring that I knew deeply the
topic I was speaking on.
(26:21):
I will tell people who want todo this like, don't get out of
your swim lane If you're goingto, and particularly if you're
not comfortable or you're new oradded but again, you don't have
to be a speaker to besuccessful.
Like I said, there's great, youknow, play back and forth
between speaking and authorship,but if it, but if it's not your
jam and it's not your comfortlevel, like, don't, don't force
(26:43):
yourself there.
However, I will always say Ithink you need to lean into the
things that make youuncomfortable, because that is
when the growth will come.
Carissa Andrews (26:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
And it makes you unstoppableagain, because I think a lot of
times on the other side ofterror and like fear is actually
that excitement, like we'reholding ourselves back from what
we really want because we thinkwe can't do it, but we really
want to see that other side andwe're just not willing to take
the steps towards it and figureout whether or not we can be
good at it.
And sometimes it just takesbeing scared and doing it anyway
(27:13):
until all of a sudden you'relike why was that such a big
deal?
Like why was I so worried aboutthat?
Victoria Pelletier (27:19):
Yeah, it's so interesting to me.
And there's ways to start.
So, for those who are thinkingabout it, there's ways to do it
on smaller scales where you'renot so worried if you do mess up
, and actually the good news isno one knows your content but
you.
So if you forget something,like no one.
No one actually knows thatunless you like totally stumble
on stage.
But you can start with, likeschools and libraries.
(27:39):
There's lots of ways to startreally small before you sit and
talk in front of thousands ofpeople on stages.
Carissa Andrews (27:46):
How did you start digging into, like
speaking for thousands of people, like did you start smaller and
then work your way up to?
Victoria Pelletier (27:51):
I'm assuming , I started almost like
exclusively for business goingto conferences.
So however many people were inthe audience, I think I've
almost always been used to atleast hundreds in the room.
And then my biggest one.
I spoke after Gary Vaynerchukif you know.
Gary Vaynerchuk, gary V, and Imean, he was the headliner.
(28:13):
Everyone was there to see him,but it was a very large theater
and I came a couple speakersafterwards and the room had
started to clear out again.
We know who they were there tosee, but there were thousands in
that.
And you know what, for me it'snot actually really like that
different.
There is a bit more of anervous energy and it's almost
more like excitement that comes,but that actually fuels me and
(28:36):
it's only the first couple ofminutes while I step onto a
stage that I feel that.
And then once I start the talk,I'm just like I'm in it.
The more people for mepersonally now I'm, I am in a I
don't know shocking, as I saythis, I'm an extreme extrovert.
I know you and your listenerswould probably not get that.
Although I grew into myextroversion, I wasn't always
like this, but now I arrive onthat.
So for me, the bigger theaudience, the more people for me
(28:59):
to engage with.
So I like it.
Carissa Andrews (29:01):
I do too.
I love that concept of havingmore people, although it is like
those, like you said, thosefirst couple of minutes when
you're speaking.
It's it's almost like you're inan out-of-body experience.
You're like who am I, where amI, what's happening right now?
But once the words start comingout, then it's like okay, I
remember this, I got this, andyou almost like channel it?
Just stream of consciousness.
The rest of the information.
Next thing you know you're done, You're going.
(29:24):
Well.
Victoria Pelletier (29:24):
that wasn't so bad, although I'm doing a TED
Talk next month and it's just adifferent format that I'm used
to.
I'm used to delivering keynotes45 to 60 minutes, maybe there's
Q&A or not, and I know mycontent, but I'm not scripted.
Now this is 14 minutes.
It's got to be very scripted,so that's the only thing I'm not
like loving, and I said I wasan actor and so I've memorized a
(29:47):
ton of things.
I never had a 14 minutemonologue, so this is actually
one of the few that has menervous.
Not again about being, it'sjust it's a very different
format that I'm used to, so I'mgoing to have to memorize, but
still make sure I don't.
I hate people who soundscripted so so that it's still
yet conversational, which is mystyle generally when I'm on
(30:07):
stages.
Carissa Andrews (30:13):
Right, it's almost like you need to have,
like the, the, the main, likeboulders, building blocks, and
then just kind of still wing itin between those, like those,
those sections.
That's what I'd be doing.
I'm like, okay, that would,that would, yeah, that'd be a
little bit nerve wracking, okay,so, given your strong advocacy
for and you mentioned thisearlier diversity, equity and
inclusion, dei, how do youincorporate these important
themes into your writing and,obviously, your speeches?
(30:34):
Do you have any advice forauthors who wish to
authentically represent diverseperspectives and experiences in
their own writing?
Victoria Pelletier (30:41):
Well, I think, um, I think it's really
important to um to educateoneself on unconscious biases,
on language and things like that.
So I'd say definitely for youknow your authors, to be really
aware of word choices, becausethey matter, and so I think
(31:03):
that's the easiest way of youknow for me to talk to your
audience about, to help them bemore mindful around DE&I and
sort of best practices, and wecan all stumble.
I mean, when I speak I oftensay hey guys, regardless of
who's there, right, but that'sactually kind of a no-no to be
(31:24):
saying or to talk about yourtribe of people.
These are things that are justwe've sort of grown up with, and
so I think there's much we cando just to educate ourselves and
to have some education aroundunconscious biases, because we
all have some.
And then the next part isaround being.
I have a phrase I use a lot,both when it comes to leadership
(31:44):
and branding.
I just my one of my favoritephrases about being
strategically intentional, andso for me, from a DEI
perspective and I spent a lot oftime coaching other leaders and
building actually diversityprograms it's part of that
strategy comes fromunderstanding your baseline.
Where are you today?
(32:04):
And maybe even for your authors.
Who's your audience and are youtrying to attract a different
audience to come into that fold,and who are you trying to
attract a different audience tocome into that fold?
And so understand your baseline.
As you then start to buildtargets in terms of where you
want to move forward you knowwhether it's moving the needle
in terms of advancement of womenin business or people of color
in business and then theintention around how you build
(32:28):
action to see that movement orthat advancement come and so
being strategic and beingintentional in everything from,
again, word choices to, in mycase, hiring choices for people
in business, advancementopportunities that I create for
people and, most importantly andthe I part of that inclusion
(32:49):
creating a safe space where weall have the sense of belonging,
that we can show up our livedexperience, all the diverse
facets we bring to the table andnot needing to hide any of
those.
Carissa Andrews (33:01):
I love that.
What initially brought you tothis space?
Was it your background, likeyour childhood and everything
you had gone through and meetingand seeing others that needed
to have this space?
Or were there, you know,friends that you saw were
struggling?
What brought you into thisspace of wanting to really
embrace DEI?
Victoria Pelletier (33:20):
Two things.
So definitely my own livedexperience.
I'm also a queer woman.
I was married to a woman for 11years.
I am now married to a man.
One of my two children is trans.
For 11 years I am now marriedto a man.
One of my two children is trans,and so it's personal for me and
I'm also used to being the onlywoman in business, or one of
very few, even most recently, Iworked for IBM a number of years
(33:41):
ago and even there, and they'revery committed to diversity, so
I don't want anyone to thinkthat they're not, but technology
is still very male-dominant andI walked into a room and was
leading a strategy session.
It was myself, one other womanand 40, four, zero men and so my
experience of feeling like I'mthe only whether it's woman,
(34:02):
lgbtq person, person who's gotchild welfare system experience,
et cetera that was number one.
And number two is when my firstexecutive role was in the world
of BPO business processoutsourcing, and so think of
outsource contact center likecustomer service.
You know, technical support,that kind of thing it hasn't.
(34:23):
It depends on where you are inthe world, but in North America
is generally not the destinationjob.
It's when you're underemployed,unemployed or a new immigrant
to the country, and so I was inCanada at the time, which is, I
love being I'm a proud Canadianvery diverse and like very
multicultural and much moreinclusive culture, and so most
(34:44):
of the team I was.
It was a very diverse team andthere's high turnover in that
business.
Right Again, people are thereuntil they land somewhere else.
How could I create anenvironment where people enjoyed
, were more productive andwanted to stay even a little bit
longer?
So me creating an inclusiveculture was it proved back then
(35:04):
and now it's 24 years ago when Istepped into that role good for
business, not just the rightthing to do, but good for
business.
So my experience and that goodfor business experience is what
got me so focused on on DEI andadvocacy work.
Carissa Andrews (35:18):
Right and that makes it makes total sense
because, I mean, the cost ofturnover is is very high.
People don't think about that.
I mean, I'm sure businesses,when you've been in it for a
while, do, but like authors, Idon't think they think about
that either.
Like having to retrain a newperson and all the time that
that takes, and so it's like ifyou can include them and make
them feel like this is a part oftheir journey together with you
(35:39):
.
It's just it's like a nobrainer in my head, but I love
it and I love your mission withall of that, I think it's really
an important and powerful placeto really be putting some time
and thought process behind.
Do you have any starting pointsfor like authors who do want to
like what you just talked aboutwith the language aspect of it,
like if they wanted to learnhow to be more inclusive with
(36:00):
their language?
Are there any starting pointswhere you would point them
toward?
Victoria Pelletier (36:07):
Well, there's tons of great content
out there.
You know, one of the greats andshe recently wrote a book like
within the last year or two isLily Zhang.
I don't think she talks as muchabout language, but more some
of the strategies, but she'sdefinitely one who regularly
puts out.
She's a trans woman, you knowlike who's put out again from
her lived experience.
(36:28):
This is all the work that shedoes, so she's a deep thought
leader and subject matter expert.
So that would be one place tostart in following her.
But there really is a lot ofgreat content out there.
I should probably know thegreat sort of 101 book, but I
just think I've been in it forso long that I continue to look
for 301 and 401 and continue.
Carissa Andrews (36:51):
Right, right, yeah, that makes.
That makes total sense to me,oh goodness.
Well, and authors?
I mean, we know how to Googlethings too.
We are very good at doing theresearch and going down the
rabbit holes, so I'm sure thatwe will be able to figure it out
, okay, so, other than being theIron Maiden, you've also been
nicknamed the turnaround queenand the CEO whisperer because of
your ability to transformchallenges into unique
(37:12):
opportunities.
So how has that skillinfluenced your writing process,
and is there anything thatauthors can learn from that?
I mean, I'm sure that they can,but you know what I mean.
Victoria Pelletier (37:21):
Yeah, so the nicknames come as a result of
Turnaround Queen in particular,or just I've been through so
much transformation and changeand I like challenge, like I'm
so far from being the status quogirl, like I'll break stuff
just to put it back togetheragain, and so I'm often given
distressed businesses to helpturn around and do it time and
(37:42):
time again, and so that's wherethat comes from and that you
know, I think thetransformational experience
comes from.
Again, resilience I don't thinkI'd sign myself up for that if I
wasn't comfortable with changeand putting myself in
uncomfortable situations and Imentioned all the mergers and
(38:04):
acquisitions is a big part of itis effective change management,
and the success of that oftencomes down to communication,
sure and storytelling, and sofor me as a leader, it means
translating the why we're makingthese business decisions down
(38:24):
to the with them, the what's init for me, you know, for that
individual.
So I think for authors they are,you know, uniquely positioned
to leverage that skill to helpwith transformation and change.
Ceo Whisperer is a newer onethat I was given just in the
last couple of years, and it'sbecause one I've been a C-suite
(38:44):
executive and so there's respectthat comes with other C-suite
executives and CEOs specifically, but it's also going back to
communication and my uniquestyle of being radically candid
and the fact that I tell leaderswhat I believe they need to
hear versus what they want tohear, and challenge them deeply.
Not everyone loves that, butfor those who choose to listen
(39:08):
to that, it can very much helpthem move forward.
Carissa Andrews (39:12):
Yeah, and I think that's good language to be
using.
It's the same with authors,right, when we're writing
stories.
Not everyone's going to chooseto get all the messages we're
writing into these worlds orinto our nonfiction works, but
the ones that really do thatresonate and take it to heart,
those are the ones that aregoing to transform and just
really light up the world withnew ideas and new placements.
(39:32):
I think that's so cool.
I love when people can do thatand I love the concept of
radical candor as well.
I have the book as well, soit's like to me, every time you
say it, I'm like, oh, I see thatcovered in my head.
Such a good book.
But I totally agree.
I think it's just so importantto be willing to speak your
truth and it really doesn'tmatter.
You know the ones who don't getit.
(39:55):
It doesn't really matter, right, it's the ones that do that
you're really trying to reachanyway.
So it's so good and I thinkdoing it obviously for the
leadership in specific is, Imean, it's kind of ballsy too
when you think about it, becausethose people like can be
intimidating if you're not, youknow, in that same space, and so
I think that's just.
(40:15):
I think that's great and it's agood lesson for everyone to be
taking on board.
Okay, so, in terms of books orspeaking opportunities, you
mentioned your TED talk that'scoming up.
Is there anything else on thehorizon, any books that are
coming down the pike as of rightnow, anything we should be
keeping our eye out for?
Victoria Pelletier (40:32):
I just wrote two in the last year.
I think I need a.
I feel like I need a break,although I'm like very much in
like the marketing mode of that.
Now Um and um, I have beenasked to write like a memoir.
A lot of people you know hearmy lived experience and all that
I've overcome and they're likeoh my God, you need to write a
book.
I'm not there yet.
(40:52):
I feel like I have a lot moreliving to do before.
I feel like the time will beright to write.
Well, so that will plan, but atsome point down the road not
anywhere soon.
And then on the speaking side,yes, I'm super excited about the
TED Talk.
I'll get to update my speakerreel with, you know, the big Ted
(41:12):
sign behind, so that that'll bepretty awesome.
And although I'm waiting for,like the day that I get called
and get paid the same amount,like Gary Vaynerchuk and some of
those ones do, I feel likethere's there's tears and I'm
like I'm comfortable and happywhere I am, but like that's
where I aspire to get to.
Carissa Andrews (41:31):
Yes.
Victoria Pelletier (41:33):
I don't want to make it.
I don't want to make it myfull-time job.
A lot of people think it'spurely my full-time.
It's my side hustle by choiceand part of a portfolio career
which, when I, whenever I retireand my husband says he doesn't
know when that will happen butsitting on boards and doing a
little bit of like coaching andspeaking, but I'm very happy to
sort of keep it at, you know, avery healthy but manageable
level to complement what I dofrom a corporate standpoint.
Carissa Andrews (41:56):
I love that, gary, victoria's coming for you,
she's coming for you.
I love that.
I love having that like visualgoal and it's like I'm chasing
you down, man.
Victoria Pelletier (42:31):
Okay, so for aspiring authors who might be
facing their own you knowhardships or you know struggling
with their own past.
That has been a difficult youknow upbringing, whatever.
Do you have any advice thatwould help them in overcoming
that adversity and achievingtheir own success through that
process, like anything thatobviously you haven't discussed
already?
Any advice that would behelpful there?
So we talked earlier about theword resilience For me, and
actually this is my upcoming TEDTalk.
The theme actually for the TEDevent is resilience.
I'm like, oh, perfect, but I'mtalking about healthy resilience
and I had to learn to developthat.
(42:52):
Although I think innately somepeople are more resilient than
others, I do think you can learnresilience like a muscle that
can be built.
But my early days of buildingwalls around me to protect
myself and maybe extractingmyself quickly before I got hurt
, that's not healthy.
Living with a survival goalalone is not it.
(43:12):
That's not healthy.
Living with a survival goalalone is not it.
And so what I tell the authorsis I think you need to work
through a multi-stage approach.
And so for me, first andforemost and this goes back to
being unstoppable I am clear onwhat my goal, my vision or the
objective is, whatever, whetherthat's a health goal, a career
goal, financial goal,relationships, whatever.
Be clear on what that goal orobjective is for yourself.
(43:32):
And the next one and this iswhere is a hard one
self-awareness andself-reflection.
When you have a like andsometimes it's a visceral like
emotion or reaction to somethingreflecting on why, where does
that come from?
And then again I'll use myphrase strategic intentionality,
(43:52):
then you need to start to model.
It could be the thoughts, theactions, the language and
behavior that move you to thatgoal or objective and then
having a.
The next one is having a greatcommunity around you, not only
people who are going to supportyou and like, promote, love you,
but you still need people whoare going to challenge you.
Maybe they're're gonna identifysome blind spots for you.
(44:15):
And the last sort of in thiscircle, for me, is giving
yourself permission to fail,like we're all perfect in our
imperfections and we are goingto fail, and if so, that's fine.
Give yourself some time togrieve, but then go back to step
number one, which is beingclear and going back on your, on
your goal or objective, and sojust working through that.
(44:35):
That those are the stages ofhealthy resilience.
Um, that I would tell yourauthors if they're working
through things to go throughthat journey.
Carissa Andrews (44:43):
I love that and in so many ways it it ties or
at least dovetails really nicelywith what I teach through
manifestation.
I usually give three steps formanifest manifesting something,
whatever it might be, becausemany people think manifestation
is just, you know, thinking it'syours.
But it's like.
Step one is really get clear,decide what you want.
That's step one.
Step two is be open to like,allowing it to come in.
(45:05):
So basically receivingreceptivity, trusting it's yours
and just leaving it open tolike the universe, whatever.
Step three is then taking theinspired action that gets you to
the next thing that you want.
That's based on your initialdecision and so like, it's so
similar, other than thecommunity and the other aspect.
It's like, yes, this is so goodBecause you know it doesn't
(45:28):
matter what you're trying tochange or what you're trying to
be, or you know trying to be orhow you want to show up.
You still have to have thatinitial decision, choice and
then move intentionally towardit.
It's so good, that's so good.
Okay, victoria, where can myaudience go to find out more
about you?
Learn about the TED Talk whenthat goes live?
Where should they go to get thebooks, all the things?
Victoria Pelletier (45:52):
Well, the one-stop shop is my website,
which is victoria-peltiercom,and then they can choose to link
out to whatever other platformsthey want to connect with me
there.
Or you said the authors are allvery good at Googling, you can
Google me, I will come up.
There's only one other VictoriaPeltier that will come up and
she's a like a counselor from,like, portland Oregon, um, but
(46:13):
most of it's all me, um, butwebsite is a is generally the
best place One stop.
Carissa Andrews (46:18):
Perfect, perfect and obviously, when the
Ted talk goes live, that'll beeverywhere on social media.
So, heck, yes, we'll go checkthat out too.
Well, victoria, thank you somuch for sharing your story and
for being here.
I mean, we we discussed so manydifferent things and I'd love
to bring you back again to likeniche down a topic, but I wanted
my audience to get a good ideaof who you are and all the of
the amazing things that you do,because I, when I was looking
(46:41):
through everything that you did,it was like I couldn't pick one
specific thing because therewere so many good points to talk
about.
So thank you for being here andsharing all that you do.
Victoria Pelletier (46:49):
Thanks for having me.
It was a pleasure.
Carissa Andrews (46:53):
Wow, what an incredible conversation with
Victoria Pelletier, wasn't it?
Her journey of resilience andintentionality is a powerful
reminder of the transformativepotential we all carry within us
.
I think an awful lot,especially this past week, about
what that means.
As we take a look at all theupheaval and the things that are
(47:13):
going on in the world right now, like if you've been paying
attention on TikTok, if you'vebeen watching the way news is
the 4am club, like all thethings that are going on right
now in the world we have so muchpotential for change, for
equality, for class resilience,to see how things go, and from
shaping your own personal brandas an author right to leading
(47:37):
with authenticity, there's somany other ways that authors can
have takeaways that we canapply to our author journey and
beyond, all coming from andstemming from this conversation
with Victoria.
So if you've been inspired,make sure to check out
Victoria's books and follow heramazing TED talk which, by the
way, has gone live, and you'llfind all of the links in the
(47:59):
show notes.
If you'd like to be able tofind that, head over to
authorrevolutionorg.
Forward slash 265.
All right, guys, before we go, Iwant to remind you that Author
Revolution is evolving, so,starting in 2025, my focus will
be to shift to the ManifestDifferently podcast and the
NeuroDivergent brand.
So you can visitmanifestdifferentlycom to learn
(48:21):
more, to grab your free 18-pageguide called Manifestation Made
Easy.
It's designed forNeuroDivergent manifestors like
you and me who are strugglingwith or looking to balance their
energies over the Christmasholidays and, believe you me, it
can be a challenge, right?
And hey, if you noticed anyhiccups on my website the Author
(48:42):
Revolution website, that is,during this past week, or any
issues with trying to email me,thank you for your patience,
because I was migrating fromWordPress over to Kajabi and
there were a couple of likehiccups that were happening
during that whole process.
It should be sorted out now.
Everything should be good to go, but if you encounter any
broken links from here on out,please drop me a note, because I
(49:04):
would so appreciate it.
I'm trying to hunt all theselittle stragglers down, but it
does take a little bit of time,and if you happen to notice any,
that's just going to help meout.
(49:37):
All right, until next time, goforth and start your author
revolution, or should I saymanifest differently.
Welcome to the Author Revolution podcast, where
change is not just embraced,it's celebrated.
I'm Carissa Andrews,international bestselling author
, indie author coach and yournavigator through the
ever-evolving landscape ofauthorship.
Are you ready to harness thepower of your mind and the
latest innovations in technologyfor your writing journey?
If you're passionate aboutmanifesting your dreams and
(00:25):
pioneering new writing frontiers, then you're in the perfect
place.
Here we merge the mystical wooof writing with the exciting
advancements of the modern world.
We dive into the realms ofmindset, manifestation and the
transformative magic that occurswhen you believe in the
impossible.
We also venture into the worldof futuristic technologies and
(00:46):
strategies, preparing you forthe next chapter in your author
career.
Every week, we explore new waysto revolutionize your writing
and publishing experience, fromAI to breakthrough thinking.
This podcast is your gateway toa world where creativity meets
innovation.
Whether you're penning yourfirst novel or expanding your
literary empire, whether you'rea devotee of the pen or a
(01:09):
digital storyteller, thispodcast is where your author
revolution gains momentum.
So join me in this journey tocontinue growth and
transformation.
It's time to redefine what itmeans to be an author in today's
dynamic world.
This is the Author RevolutionPodcast, and your author
revolution starts now.
Well, hey guys, welcome back tothe Author Revolution Podcast.
(01:37):
Today's episode is packed withinspiration and actionable
insights as I sit down with theunstoppable Victoria Pelletier,
a C-suite executive, publicspeaker, author and advocate for
diversity, equality andinclusion.
Victoria has not onlytransformed businesses, but
she's also turned personaladversity into a springboard for
success.
(01:57):
We're going to dive intoresilience, personal branding
and modern leadership key topicsfor anybody navigating these
challenges or seeking to make animpact.
Plus, I'll share a little bitabout my own evolving journey as
we transition from AuthorRevolution to the new
NeuroDivergent Manifestor brandand Manifest Differently podcast
(02:17):
in 2025.
So stick around, because youwon't want to miss a special
freebie.
It's a downloadable PDF entitledManifestation Made Easy for my
fellow neurodivergentmanifestors.
Check the links in the shownotes for all of the details,
including a peek at my newwebsite, which is
manifestdifferentlycom.
All right, let's hop into ourinterview with Victoria.
(02:40):
Well, hi, victoria, welcome tothe Author Revolution podcast.
I'm excited to be speaking withyou today.
Before we get started and Ibombard you with all the
questions, do you want to tellmy audience a little bit about
yourself and what you do?
Victoria Pelletier (02:54):
Sure Well, first, thank you for having me
I'm happy to be here andVictoria Peltier, I am a
career-long C-suite executive inprimarily business-to-business
professional services.
I also sit on multiple boardsAn author we will talk about
that.
I'm a professional publicspeaker.
I am a wife and a mother to twobeautiful humans, now adults,
(03:20):
which makes me feel old.
I'm a fitness fanatic, foodieand wine lover.
That covers all the basics.
Carissa Andrews (03:27):
Right, All the things I mean.
That's like multi-passionateeverywhere.
Victoria Pelletier (03:31):
I use the phrase multi-potentialite
because I also have a widevariety of interests outside of
all those things too.
Carissa Andrews (03:38):
That is so good and I think that's really
important because, you know,especially for authors, many of
us get stuck in like just theworld of books and like book
things and we need outsideinterests, I think, sometimes to
make our lives more interesting.
So, victoria, your journeybegan in a very profoundly
challenging environment andcircumstance.
You faced abuse, had violenceat a very young age, before you
(03:59):
were adopted.
So I'm curious, as we get goingbecause this is a part of how
you, you know, do your speaking,your books and everything that
you're doing but how did thoseearly experiences shape your
resilience and influence yourdecision to pursue your
leadership and then ultimatelywriting?
Victoria Pelletier (04:26):
like 10 or 12 years ago, and on the big
scale that is, I certainlyshared it, like in smaller
settings or with friends, but itis truly what shaped me.
I often talk about it being mywhy the fact that I'm born to a
drug addicted teenage mother whowas very abusive to me and then
thankfully adopted out of thatbut lower socioeconomic position
with my adoptive family.
I was sexually assaulted in myteens.
(04:47):
Like all these things, it'sthose that actually caused me to
want to be better than biologyin circumstance.
So that's what's propelled meto be I use the phrase in the
first book title, you knowunstoppable, like nothing is
going to prevent me fromachieving the goal or objective
that I've set for myself.
So it is very much what'sfueled me, and you used a word I
(05:10):
often talk about, which isresilience.
So it's caused me to not alwaysa healthy level of resilience I
had to learn to there andthere's there's a difference for
me but to have a healthierlevel of resilience so that, as
even just challenges in business, I've been through like 40
mergers and acquisitions formyself, for the companies I work
for, as well as clients I'vesupported.
(05:30):
That comes with so much change,with restructure.
I think my early years and theresilience I've built allows me
to step into almost anysituation and be able to cope
well and, ideally, thrive inthat environment.
Carissa Andrews (05:43):
I can imagine, I mean, when you have, I think
even sometimes about our ownfamily, where our house is.
I mean, we don't have the abuseaspect going on, but we have
constant change in our house.
We've been remodeling thishouse the entire time we've been
here and we've lived here for12 years and so, like every
single one of my kids I think,sometimes I'm like, oh man,
they're having to deal with thebathroom being torn apart.
But I think it is shaping themlike having to deal with okay,
(06:05):
there's no ceiling right nowwhile we're in here taking a
shower Like there's aspects ofthat where they're learning how
to be able to cope when thingsare different or changing.
And it's so good when people cantake a look at things that were
not so fun, especially in yourpast, like that, and be able to
look at it in a way that you can, like see the light from it.
You know what I mean, likereally embrace it as part of who
(06:28):
you are and why it shaped thedirection you went, not not let
it, you know, tear you down andbring you down.
I love that.
And so let's talk aboutUnstoppable, because you share
stories about overcomingadversity in that book, so could
you tell us about a story fromthat book that particularly
resonates with your ownexperiences and how it might
inspire your readers?
Victoria Pelletier (06:48):
So that was actually the first book and the
publisher approached me.
It's a co-authored book actuallyso I have just one chapter in
the book, although they made methe opening chapter, which they
left it as a surprise for me tofind out, and that was one of
the first time, you know, pen toproverbial paper where I shared
it in that broadly and so thatthe book title chapter is, you
(07:14):
know, the courage to live.
So it's a little bit aroundwhat I just shared now, where I
shared those early years, thatit's my why and it's what's
again sort of propelled me to dothe things that I've done.
I feel very fortunate to haveachieved a lot of success in
life, career success, have somegreat relationships, those sorts
(07:34):
of things.
But it was truly the choice,and so that's the story I share,
you know is not only whathappened to me but the choices
I've made.
I'm a big believer.
I sign a lot of my social mediaposts with one unstoppable, and
so actually when the bookpublishers approach me, I'm like
that is my word.
So of course I'm like, yes, I'mparticipating.
(07:55):
But the other one is no excuses,and that, for me, is around the
fact that you have choice, soyou can play the victim.
This stuff is going to happen.
We can't always control thetrauma, the adversity, the
challenge that's going to comeour way, but what we can control
is our response and how we'regoing to choose to move forward,
and so that's, in that book,what I shared and then,
(08:18):
subsequently, I spent a lot oftime talking about now.
Carissa Andrews (08:21):
Right.
I think that's so powerful.
I mean, I teach authors aboutmanifestation, and so we often
talk about how our decision isour superpower, and so when
you're moving towards somethingthat you really want, it all
begins with that initialdecision.
And so it's the same, I think,in my experience, when you are
looking at the two choices likevictimhood or moving into a
(08:42):
place of power, you have thatchoice, but you have to
ultimately make the decisionwhich one you're going to want
to go toward, and it's so.
But, like you said, you'reunstoppable when you decide
you're not going to go down thatvictim path and just allow the
circumstances to bring you down.
I think a lot of authors and alot of people in general really
need to onboard that informationand remind themselves of that.
(09:03):
So, moving on to yourprofessional insights, your book
Influence Unleashed dives intodeep, deeply interpersonal
branding.
So are there core principles?
Victoria Pelletier (09:17):
in the book that authors could apply to
develop their own distinctivebrands.
Yeah, absolutely, it'ssomething I've been focused on
for over 20 years.
When I stepped, I was recruitedinto my first executive role at
a very young age.
I was only 24 years old.
I'd come out of bankingoperations planning to be a
lawyer.
I just kind of followed a paththat I loved and my passion
around leadership and businessand then never went to law
(09:37):
school.
But when I moved into thisbusiness, to business world, and
started to, I started to leadcommercial teams and not just
the operations, and recognizewe're responding to RFPs, we're
engaging and going toconferences, just understand how
we get business and how.
At that point I just thoughtabout it.
I didn't have the vernacular tocall it personal brand.
But how are we differentiatingourselves?
(09:58):
And so that's where the focusfor me on branding for not just
business, but people do businesswith people they like and trust
and want to do business with.
So how do we create thatdifferentiation?
And so for me it's grown into.
Now I actually stand on stagesand speak about it and I coach
other people on how to developthis.
And so important, I think, forauthors as well.
(10:21):
I mean, you want people to beengaged, not just with the words
that come out, but who you areas a human.
And so for me, what I would sayand I wrote, influence
Unleashed in large part well,one I was in career transition
and I am not good with beingidle, so I penned two books
during that time.
I love it, and the personalbranding one.
(10:41):
I did because 2023 was a reallytough year, particularly for
many people in transition.
So I saw people trying toelevate their brand and doing it
poorly.
And doing it poorly was becausethey focused on only one thing
and that is their subject matterexpertise, and that's
foundational, don't get me wrong.
You need to in building yourbrand, like, what are you going
to be known for?
(11:01):
Here's my subject matterexpertise the field in which I
work, the function in which Ioperate, the industry more
broadly, whatever it is.
So that's number one.
But going back to people dobusiness with humans and people
they like and trust.
The next part is thestorytelling, and so actually,
here's where the author shouldbe really good at that.
What are the parts of you as ahuman, the lived experiences,
(11:25):
the values, interests andpassions that you have that are
going to build connection withothers, and then very much
related to it, but alsodistinctly, is how are you
different than others?
So I think, professionally I'vespent a lot of time in
management consulting andtechnology and services, and
there's lots of people who, andbusinesses, are capable of doing
(11:47):
what we're doing In themanagement consulting world.
People buy people literally,and so how do you differentiate
yourself from someone who doeswhat you've done?
Maybe they've got the samenumber of years of experience,
et cetera.
So what makes you differentthan others?
So for me, connected to who I amand storytelling and values, is
my radical candor.
In the world of managementconsulting, most consultants
(12:08):
tell clients what they want tohear, not always what they need
to hear.
I'm very different and I'mgoing to tell you, and so that's
a differentiator, for example,for me.
So figure that out.
And the last is legacy andimpact what do you want to be
known for?
So those four pieces are what Ibelieve are the like foundation
to a very well-rounded personalbrand of like.
Carissa Andrews (12:27):
Who am I and why would these readers want to?
Just because we're technicallythe brand, the book will come
(12:50):
and go, like it's evergreengreat, but it's going to live on
forever, but you're not alwaysgoing to focus on it.
The thing that stays constantis you and we.
Do we forget we can connectwith them and be a part of their
lives in a way that reallyimpacts them, and those that do
obviously are the ones thatbuild that cumulative advantage
and are able to, you know, builda community, build the, you
know, 1000 super fans or howeveryou want to describe it, like
all the different things, and soit's.
(13:11):
That's such a smart way oflooking at the whole process of
it.
Was it hard for you to come upwith your brand?
Or were you like?
Of course, this is what I am.
This is what I've always beenwhat I've always been.
Victoria Pelletier (13:28):
So I've been at it for almost 24 years now
and, like I said, I didn't havethe vernacular back then, but I
started to focus on making sureI was focusing on the brand that
is Victoria and making surepeople want to come work with me
and clients want to engage withme, my team and the business
they work in.
And so I've.
I've had to like, evolve andchange over time, just because I
have and I will say that thereare some times where pivots are
(13:49):
required.
I will tell you from aleadership perspective, because
I was such a young femaleexecutive and I say female cause
I was the only one at the tableI showed up in a very
particular way.
I'm going to be all businessall the time.
I wasn't telling my origin story, which is part of why I built
some walls up to protect myself.
So I showed up, you know, witha mask almost on.
(14:12):
I'm not going to demonstratethat there's any vulnerabilities
and you know cracks in my armor.
I'm not going to show up withemotion.
So I got a nickname as the IronMaiden.
I found out in my late twenties.
Now I transform businesses.
I'm radically candid, I amcomfortable having the tough
conversations, so that's part ofit, but the absence of
(14:33):
vulnerability, emotions,authenticity because I had these
walls is what, in part, createdthat.
So I would tell your listenersthat you are going to need to
evolve, change and potentiallypivot, and so, in my case, I
needed to do a 180, and I had toshow up very differently, and
it wasn't just my brand.
(14:55):
I literally had to show up verydifferently in real life as well
as how I showed up online, andso it can evolve and change over
time.
And so maybe even for yourauthors, if you're very focused
on one particular genre orsubject and that's going to
evolve and change as you do,well that's okay and so get
comfortable with that.
(15:15):
And then to one other part ofyour question is I learned a lot
of this.
A lot of it's been self-taught,but I'm also a voracious
learner and so I've spent a lotof time over the years reading.
Now I consume most of mycontent audibly, you know,
thanks to Spotify and Audibleand all those things to consume
books that way.
(15:35):
But that so I've constantlybeen learning from others and
I'm a like massive like observerof people and whether that was
online and seeing what works forthem and taking what does and
doesn't kind of like trial anderror to some extent, to the
point that now I feel veryconfident coaching other people
on it, because I've just beendoing it for so long and have
learned some of the you knowdo's and do nots right, right,
(15:59):
well, I love that.
Carissa Andrews (16:00):
I'm also high learner and like high input.
I don't know if you've everdone the CliftonStrengths, but
for me it's like I love all ofthose things.
Input's not as high.
Learning is definitely higher.
It's in my top 10.
And I just I love the concept oflike seeing what everyone's
doing and all the differentperspectives, because then you
can create your own perspectiveand gain clarity from it.
I'm the same way.
(16:21):
When I first started AuthorRevolution, it was like we're
going to be talking about how tohave a career sustainably.
That's going to be what we'redoing, and over time I've
realized I like the technologystrategy side of things and I
like the woo, like manifestationmindset side of things, and so
it's like I kind of go betweenthe two and I'm like this is who
I am guys, and I've had topivot and help them understand
(16:41):
that this is how it's going togo.
So it's very, very differentthan what I was showing up as in
the beginning as well.
And I love that.
You have your third book, thePower of Whole Human Leadership
See if I can speak today and init you explore, obviously the
modern leadership strategies.
So how can authors, especiallythose in leadership roles or in
(17:06):
management teams.
Use the strategies to enhancetheir effectiveness.
Victoria Pelletier (17:08):
So this book , for me it's actually one I
leaned even more heavily intothan the personal branding is
very important, but what I'veseen, actually, in the last
almost 10 years I've beenleading human capital businesses
, and so that is working withleaders, not just chief people
(17:29):
officers but also the leaderswithin organizations on
workforce culture and a lot ofthat's driven by leadership,
recognizing that people don'tquit companies, they quit
leaders.
And so it's a combination ofthe lessons I've learned as a
leader and my failure as an IronMaiden and how I needed to
evolve from that to thestrategies working these last
(17:53):
many years with workforces on.
I used to call it the future ofwork.
The reality is the future ishere, it's here and where we
work, and you know, post COVIDand now it's more of a hybrid
environment and the technology,how it adapts, how we work,
requires and sort ofgenerationally and a focus on
(18:13):
purpose, impact et ceterademands a very different kind of
leader.
And so you know, for those whoare in leadership it means whole
human leadership is my phrase,but it's in recognizing we show
up as whole humans and that tobuild that connection and trust
with people we do have to beauthentic and that doesn't mean
(18:34):
being brutally honest all thetime, but it certainly means
transparency and it means beingvulnerable.
It means, if called for, beingemotional at times to
demonstrate that we are verymuch humans.
We can't park our weekend andthe stuff that happened at the
door when we come into theoffice.
But it's other elements as wellin terms of how do we support
(18:56):
our teams.
You know there's one chapterwhere I referenced the unseen
employee and that connects alittle bit back to my passion
around an advocacy arounddiversity, equity and inclusion.
But diversity is there's so manyfacets of that and things like
lived experience, the fact thatI was an abused child, I was in
the welfare system before thatlike that's just one facet of
(19:17):
what I bring to the table, andso it's teaching leaders how to
hear those stories and approachit and connect that with things
like purpose.
So consumers want to buy fromand employees want to work for
companies that align withpurpose.
And I think one of our jobs asleaders.
(19:38):
You think about entry-levelemployees like I've got two
college-age kids coming into theworkforce.
They're going to have a hardtime translating what the macro
the company does to how they'recontributing to that.
That's my role as a leaderRight To help bridge that and
then also understand what'stheir desire in terms of career
path and professionaldevelopment.
This newer generation viewsstability and job security as
(20:00):
connectedness to developing themand their skills in the
business, which is verydifferent than like my parents'
generation.
Carissa Andrews (20:06):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I even think when Ientered the workforce it, you
know, it's still kind of thattransitional period where the
boomers, like had control ofeverything and you're kind of
going.
But there's not a whole lot oflike connection here.
I think, even with with, youknow, our generation, it's
probably like you're going.
We're in the middle of it,where technology was changing.
We had, you know, the, theshakeups with all the different
(20:28):
um, like everything.
It was like everything was justshifting.
And now we are definitelyseeing the like.
I look at my teenagers, or thetwenties.
My husband has a 22 year oldright now and he, it's like they
all want to have something thatjust is so meaningful to them
and that they'll give their all,as long as they know and like
and trust that they'recontributing to it.
(20:49):
And if they start feeling thatdisconnect, they're like oh,
they have no problem whatsoever.
Like tapped out, I'm good, like, and they're gone.
And you're just like what justhappened?
They just like.
I thought they loved the jobyesterday, now they're gone.
And I think for authors too,especially the fiction authors,
we start in this role of asolopreneur and eventually we
want and need more help, and sohaving that concept of
(21:12):
leadership help us in bringingon like on.
We typically onboard like apersonal assistant or someone
along those lines first, andhaving that capability to
explain to the personalassistant.
This is why working for me isso important.
This is where we're heading,giving that them that connection
, instead of just here do mynewsletter swaps or something
like that.
It's like it makes sense to mewhy it would be so important.
(21:35):
Exactly Right.
Yeah, that's so good.
I can't wait to read both ofall three of these books, but
it's they're on my list verysoon.
I think it's just fascinatinglooking into leadership and how
we can be better.
Victoria Pelletier (22:07):
And you don't even have to be a leader
necessarily.
It just helps you to see abroader perspective of how you
can be as a and drive changeagain, regardless of title or
the hierarchy within theorganization.
Don't get me wrong.
It certainly helps to havethose things Right, right.
But we are all leaders and Iwould I want the aspiring
leaders to you know, learnsomething so they don't have to
(22:29):
make some of the mistakespotentially that like I made
early on in my career.
Carissa Andrews (22:33):
Right, right, oh, that is so powerful and I
love that you've transitioned toto also public speaking about
all of these things.
So, speaking of that, what aresome strategies that you use to
engage your diverse audiences?
Are there any strategies thatauthors can use to implement
when they're promoting their ownbooks or going to speaking
events for themselves thatyou've incorporated into your
(22:53):
speaking engagements?
Victoria Pelletier (22:56):
At some point.
I think it's important foreveryone to recognize you
shouldn't attempt to be allthings to all people, and some
of that actually even goes backto the branding pieces of it, so
not everything that I stand forand the values and advocacy
work that I do is going toresonate with others.
You know, like far right peopleare not going to resonate with
(23:18):
the fact that I'm going to talkabout social justice and women's
rights and equality and all ofthese kinds of things, and
that's okay.
And so understand who youraudience is.
That's one of the mostimportant things that I would
state for authors and those whoare, you know, desire to be
speakers, in particular, andmake sure that, as you build
(23:38):
your brand and you start toconnect with that audience, you
know, again, they understandthat you know all the things
that you can contribute andbring to the table, so I am able
to leverage, and it's funny, Iwas just on, I belong to this
women's executive network, andthere was a call the other day
on, like you know, getting paidto be on this stage, and there
(24:00):
was a whole topic ofconversation around books, and
how does that contribute?
And so the one thing I will sayfor the authors, though, is
it's actually a great sellingtechnique for those who want to
be able to speak.
So for me, sometimes, if I'mabove their budget, I can say,
well, can you, would youconsider, you know, buying some
books?
I usually contribute someanyways as part of my speaking
(24:22):
engagement and the fee that theygive.
But so for InternationalWomen's Day that's actually like
March is a month I'm usuallyquite busy.
There was one and it was a.
They just didn't have thebudget, but instead they bought
60 books to give out.
So like it's a great, and itusually hits a different cost
center, and so there's justdifferent strategies to think
(24:42):
about.
As an author, you know, to helpyou from a speaking perspective
, and vice versa.
Certainly, when I'm speaking,almost inevitably afterwards I
see an uptick in books beingpurchased.
Carissa Andrews (24:54):
Sure, oh, and that makes total sense to me.
Yeah, because now they knowlike and trust you as an
individual.
They've heard you speak, theyknow you're intelligent.
Like.
They're not like do I like her?
Like, yeah, it makes totalsense to me, oh gosh.
Like when you first startedspeaking, though, were you like
heck, yes, let's do this.
Or was it like nerve wracking,because I know so many authors
are introverts and they're likeoh gosh.
Victoria Pelletier (25:16):
Well, so that's actually, I think, a good
question, just around theintrovert thing.
So, first of all, I thinkthere's a lot of people who
think that you have to be apublic speaker or an extrovert
to be successful at one buildinga brand.
So I tell a lot of people thatyou can be really successful as
an introvert and hide behindwhat I refer to as electronic
(25:37):
courage, sit behind the keyboard.
It's a heck of a lot easier todo it and build a brand that way
than it is, as my younger onewould say, irl, in real life and
do that on stages.
So for me personally now, I wasan actor when I was young, so I
always had confidence standingon stage.
There is a very big differencewhen you're not playing a
character and all of a suddenit's Victoria, it's here, it's
(26:00):
my word, it's my subject matter,expertise or opinion I might be
sharing with you.
So that was different.
So there was a period wherethat made me more nervous to not
be portraying a character andjust being me on stages,
although I gained confidence byensuring that I knew deeply the
topic I was speaking on.
(26:21):
I will tell people who want todo this like, don't get out of
your swim lane If you're goingto, and particularly if you're
not comfortable or you're new oradded but again, you don't have
to be a speaker to besuccessful.
Like I said, there's great, youknow, play back and forth
between speaking and authorship,but if it, but if it's not your
jam and it's not your comfortlevel, like, don't, don't force
(26:43):
yourself there.
However, I will always say Ithink you need to lean into the
things that make youuncomfortable, because that is
when the growth will come.
Carissa Andrews (26:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
And it makes you unstoppableagain, because I think a lot of
times on the other side ofterror and like fear is actually
that excitement, like we'reholding ourselves back from what
we really want because we thinkwe can't do it, but we really
want to see that other side andwe're just not willing to take
the steps towards it and figureout whether or not we can be
good at it.
And sometimes it just takesbeing scared and doing it anyway
(27:13):
until all of a sudden you'relike why was that such a big
deal?
Like why was I so worried aboutthat?
Victoria Pelletier (27:19):
Yeah, it's so interesting to me.
And there's ways to start.
So, for those who are thinkingabout it, there's ways to do it
on smaller scales where you'renot so worried if you do mess up
, and actually the good news isno one knows your content but
you.
So if you forget something,like no one.
No one actually knows thatunless you like totally stumble
on stage.
But you can start with, likeschools and libraries.
(27:39):
There's lots of ways to startreally small before you sit and
talk in front of thousands ofpeople on stages.
Carissa Andrews (27:46):
How did you start digging into, like
speaking for thousands of people, like did you start smaller and
then work your way up to?
Victoria Pelletier (27:51):
I'm assuming , I started almost like
exclusively for business goingto conferences.
So however many people were inthe audience, I think I've
almost always been used to atleast hundreds in the room.
And then my biggest one.
I spoke after Gary Vaynerchukif you know.
Gary Vaynerchuk, gary V, and Imean, he was the headliner.
(28:13):
Everyone was there to see him,but it was a very large theater
and I came a couple speakersafterwards and the room had
started to clear out again.
We know who they were there tosee, but there were thousands in
that.
And you know what, for me it'snot actually really like that
different.
There is a bit more of anervous energy and it's almost
more like excitement that comes,but that actually fuels me and
(28:36):
it's only the first couple ofminutes while I step onto a
stage that I feel that.
And then once I start the talk,I'm just like I'm in it.
The more people for mepersonally now I'm, I am in a I
don't know shocking, as I saythis, I'm an extreme extrovert.
I know you and your listenerswould probably not get that.
Although I grew into myextroversion, I wasn't always
like this, but now I arrive onthat.
So for me, the bigger theaudience, the more people for me
(28:59):
to engage with.
So I like it.
Carissa Andrews (29:01):
I do too.
I love that concept of havingmore people, although it is like
those, like you said, thosefirst couple of minutes when
you're speaking.
It's it's almost like you're inan out-of-body experience.
You're like who am I, where amI, what's happening right now?
But once the words start comingout, then it's like okay, I
remember this, I got this, andyou almost like channel it?
Just stream of consciousness.
The rest of the information.
Next thing you know you're done, You're going.
(29:24):
Well.
Victoria Pelletier (29:24):
that wasn't so bad, although I'm doing a TED
Talk next month and it's just adifferent format that I'm used
to.
I'm used to delivering keynotes45 to 60 minutes, maybe there's
Q&A or not, and I know mycontent, but I'm not scripted.
Now this is 14 minutes.
It's got to be very scripted,so that's the only thing I'm not
like loving, and I said I wasan actor and so I've memorized a
(29:47):
ton of things.
I never had a 14 minutemonologue, so this is actually
one of the few that has menervous.
Not again about being, it'sjust it's a very different
format that I'm used to, so I'mgoing to have to memorize, but
still make sure I don't.
I hate people who soundscripted so so that it's still
yet conversational, which is mystyle generally when I'm on
(30:07):
stages.
Carissa Andrews (30:13):
Right, it's almost like you need to have,
like the, the, the main, likeboulders, building blocks, and
then just kind of still wing itin between those, like those,
those sections.
That's what I'd be doing.
I'm like, okay, that would,that would, yeah, that'd be a
little bit nerve wracking, okay,so, given your strong advocacy
for and you mentioned thisearlier diversity, equity and
inclusion, dei, how do youincorporate these important
themes into your writing and,obviously, your speeches?
(30:34):
Do you have any advice forauthors who wish to
authentically represent diverseperspectives and experiences in
their own writing?
Victoria Pelletier (30:41):
Well, I think, um, I think it's really
important to um to educateoneself on unconscious biases,
on language and things like that.
So I'd say definitely for youknow your authors, to be really
aware of word choices, becausethey matter, and so I think
(31:03):
that's the easiest way of youknow for me to talk to your
audience about, to help them bemore mindful around DE&I and
sort of best practices, and wecan all stumble.
I mean, when I speak I oftensay hey guys, regardless of
who's there, right, but that'sactually kind of a no-no to be
(31:24):
saying or to talk about yourtribe of people.
These are things that are justwe've sort of grown up with, and
so I think there's much we cando just to educate ourselves and
to have some education aroundunconscious biases, because we
all have some.
And then the next part isaround being.
I have a phrase I use a lot,both when it comes to leadership
(31:44):
and branding.
I just my one of my favoritephrases about being
strategically intentional, andso for me, from a DEI
perspective and I spent a lot oftime coaching other leaders and
building actually diversityprograms it's part of that
strategy comes fromunderstanding your baseline.
Where are you today?
(32:04):
And maybe even for your authors.
Who's your audience and are youtrying to attract a different
audience to come into that fold,and who are you trying to
attract a different audience tocome into that fold?
And so understand your baseline.
As you then start to buildtargets in terms of where you
want to move forward you knowwhether it's moving the needle
in terms of advancement of womenin business or people of color
in business and then theintention around how you build
(32:28):
action to see that movement orthat advancement come and so
being strategic and beingintentional in everything from,
again, word choices to, in mycase, hiring choices for people
in business, advancementopportunities that I create for
people and, most importantly andthe I part of that inclusion
(32:49):
creating a safe space where weall have the sense of belonging,
that we can show up our livedexperience, all the diverse
facets we bring to the table andnot needing to hide any of
those.
Carissa Andrews (33:01):
I love that.
What initially brought you tothis space?
Was it your background, likeyour childhood and everything
you had gone through and meetingand seeing others that needed
to have this space?
Or were there, you know,friends that you saw were
struggling?
What brought you into thisspace of wanting to really
embrace DEI?
Victoria Pelletier (33:20):
Two things.
So definitely my own livedexperience.
I'm also a queer woman.
I was married to a woman for 11years.
I am now married to a man.
One of my two children is trans.
For 11 years I am now marriedto a man.
One of my two children is trans,and so it's personal for me and
I'm also used to being the onlywoman in business, or one of
very few, even most recently, Iworked for IBM a number of years
(33:41):
ago and even there, and they'revery committed to diversity, so
I don't want anyone to thinkthat they're not, but technology
is still very male-dominant andI walked into a room and was
leading a strategy session.
It was myself, one other womanand 40, four, zero men and so my
experience of feeling like I'mthe only whether it's woman,
(34:02):
lgbtq person, person who's gotchild welfare system experience,
et cetera that was number one.
And number two is when my firstexecutive role was in the world
of BPO business processoutsourcing, and so think of
outsource contact center likecustomer service.
You know, technical support,that kind of thing it hasn't.
(34:23):
It depends on where you are inthe world, but in North America
is generally not the destinationjob.
It's when you're underemployed,unemployed or a new immigrant
to the country, and so I was inCanada at the time, which is, I
love being I'm a proud Canadianvery diverse and like very
multicultural and much moreinclusive culture, and so most
(34:44):
of the team I was.
It was a very diverse team andthere's high turnover in that
business.
Right Again, people are thereuntil they land somewhere else.
How could I create anenvironment where people enjoyed
, were more productive andwanted to stay even a little bit
longer?
So me creating an inclusiveculture was it proved back then
(35:04):
and now it's 24 years ago when Istepped into that role good for
business, not just the rightthing to do, but good for
business.
So my experience and that goodfor business experience is what
got me so focused on on DEI andadvocacy work.
Carissa Andrews (35:18):
Right and that makes it makes total sense
because, I mean, the cost ofturnover is is very high.
People don't think about that.
I mean, I'm sure businesses,when you've been in it for a
while, do, but like authors, Idon't think they think about
that either.
Like having to retrain a newperson and all the time that
that takes, and so it's like ifyou can include them and make
them feel like this is a part oftheir journey together with you
(35:39):
.
It's just it's like a nobrainer in my head, but I love
it and I love your mission withall of that, I think it's really
an important and powerful placeto really be putting some time
and thought process behind.
Do you have any starting pointsfor like authors who do want to
like what you just talked aboutwith the language aspect of it,
like if they wanted to learnhow to be more inclusive with
(36:00):
their language?
Are there any starting pointswhere you would point them
toward?
Victoria Pelletier (36:07):
Well, there's tons of great content
out there.
You know, one of the greats andshe recently wrote a book like
within the last year or two isLily Zhang.
I don't think she talks as muchabout language, but more some
of the strategies, but she'sdefinitely one who regularly
puts out.
She's a trans woman, you knowlike who's put out again from
her lived experience.
(36:28):
This is all the work that shedoes, so she's a deep thought
leader and subject matter expert.
So that would be one place tostart in following her.
But there really is a lot ofgreat content out there.
I should probably know thegreat sort of 101 book, but I
just think I've been in it forso long that I continue to look
for 301 and 401 and continue.
Carissa Andrews (36:51):
Right, right, yeah, that makes.
That makes total sense to me,oh goodness.
Well, and authors?
I mean, we know how to Googlethings too.
We are very good at doing theresearch and going down the
rabbit holes, so I'm sure thatwe will be able to figure it out
, okay, so, other than being theIron Maiden, you've also been
nicknamed the turnaround queenand the CEO whisperer because of
your ability to transformchallenges into unique
(37:12):
opportunities.
So how has that skillinfluenced your writing process,
and is there anything thatauthors can learn from that?
I mean, I'm sure that they can,but you know what I mean.
Victoria Pelletier (37:21):
Yeah, so the nicknames come as a result of
Turnaround Queen in particular,or just I've been through so
much transformation and changeand I like challenge, like I'm
so far from being the status quogirl, like I'll break stuff
just to put it back togetheragain, and so I'm often given
distressed businesses to helpturn around and do it time and
(37:42):
time again, and so that's wherethat comes from and that you
know, I think thetransformational experience
comes from.
Again, resilience I don't thinkI'd sign myself up for that if I
wasn't comfortable with changeand putting myself in
uncomfortable situations and Imentioned all the mergers and
(38:04):
acquisitions is a big part of itis effective change management,
and the success of that oftencomes down to communication,
sure and storytelling, and sofor me as a leader, it means
translating the why we're makingthese business decisions down
(38:24):
to the with them, the what's init for me, you know, for that
individual.
So I think for authors they are,you know, uniquely positioned
to leverage that skill to helpwith transformation and change.
Ceo Whisperer is a newer onethat I was given just in the
last couple of years, and it'sbecause one I've been a C-suite
(38:44):
executive and so there's respectthat comes with other C-suite
executives and CEOs specifically, but it's also going back to
communication and my uniquestyle of being radically candid
and the fact that I tell leaderswhat I believe they need to
hear versus what they want tohear, and challenge them deeply.
Not everyone loves that, butfor those who choose to listen
(39:08):
to that, it can very much helpthem move forward.
Carissa Andrews (39:12):
Yeah, and I think that's good language to be
using.
It's the same with authors,right, when we're writing
stories.
Not everyone's going to chooseto get all the messages we're
writing into these worlds orinto our nonfiction works, but
the ones that really do thatresonate and take it to heart,
those are the ones that aregoing to transform and just
really light up the world withnew ideas and new placements.
(39:32):
I think that's so cool.
I love when people can do thatand I love the concept of
radical candor as well.
I have the book as well, soit's like to me, every time you
say it, I'm like, oh, I see thatcovered in my head.
Such a good book.
But I totally agree.
I think it's just so importantto be willing to speak your
truth and it really doesn'tmatter.
You know the ones who don't getit.
(39:55):
It doesn't really matter, right, it's the ones that do that
you're really trying to reachanyway.
So it's so good and I thinkdoing it obviously for the
leadership in specific is, Imean, it's kind of ballsy too
when you think about it, becausethose people like can be
intimidating if you're not, youknow, in that same space, and so
I think that's just.
(40:15):
I think that's great and it's agood lesson for everyone to be
taking on board.
Okay, so, in terms of books orspeaking opportunities, you
mentioned your TED talk that'scoming up.
Is there anything else on thehorizon, any books that are
coming down the pike as of rightnow, anything we should be
keeping our eye out for?
Victoria Pelletier (40:32):
I just wrote two in the last year.
I think I need a.
I feel like I need a break,although I'm like very much in
like the marketing mode of that.
Now Um and um, I have beenasked to write like a memoir.
A lot of people you know hearmy lived experience and all that
I've overcome and they're likeoh my God, you need to write a
book.
I'm not there yet.
(40:52):
I feel like I have a lot moreliving to do before.
I feel like the time will beright to write.
Well, so that will plan, but atsome point down the road not
anywhere soon.
And then on the speaking side,yes, I'm super excited about the
TED Talk.
I'll get to update my speakerreel with, you know, the big Ted
(41:12):
sign behind, so that that'll bepretty awesome.
And although I'm waiting for,like the day that I get called
and get paid the same amount,like Gary Vaynerchuk and some of
those ones do, I feel likethere's there's tears and I'm
like I'm comfortable and happywhere I am, but like that's
where I aspire to get to.
Carissa Andrews (41:31):
Yes.
Victoria Pelletier (41:33):
I don't want to make it.
I don't want to make it myfull-time job.
A lot of people think it'spurely my full-time.
It's my side hustle by choiceand part of a portfolio career
which, when I, whenever I retireand my husband says he doesn't
know when that will happen butsitting on boards and doing a
little bit of like coaching andspeaking, but I'm very happy to
sort of keep it at, you know, avery healthy but manageable
level to complement what I dofrom a corporate standpoint.
Carissa Andrews (41:56):
I love that, gary, victoria's coming for you,
she's coming for you.
I love that.
I love having that like visualgoal and it's like I'm chasing
you down, man.
Victoria Pelletier (42:31):
Okay, so for aspiring authors who might be
facing their own you knowhardships or you know struggling
with their own past.
That has been a difficult youknow upbringing, whatever.
Do you have any advice thatwould help them in overcoming
that adversity and achievingtheir own success through that
process, like anything thatobviously you haven't discussed
already?
Any advice that would behelpful there?
So we talked earlier about theword resilience For me, and
actually this is my upcoming TEDTalk.
The theme actually for the TEDevent is resilience.
I'm like, oh, perfect, but I'mtalking about healthy resilience
and I had to learn to developthat.
(42:52):
Although I think innately somepeople are more resilient than
others, I do think you can learnresilience like a muscle that
can be built.
But my early days of buildingwalls around me to protect
myself and maybe extractingmyself quickly before I got hurt
, that's not healthy.
Living with a survival goalalone is not it.
(43:12):
That's not healthy.
Living with a survival goalalone is not it.
And so what I tell the authorsis I think you need to work
through a multi-stage approach.
And so for me, first andforemost and this goes back to
being unstoppable I am clear onwhat my goal, my vision or the
objective is, whatever, whetherthat's a health goal, a career
goal, financial goal,relationships, whatever.
Be clear on what that goal orobjective is for yourself.
(43:32):
And the next one and this iswhere is a hard one
self-awareness andself-reflection.
When you have a like andsometimes it's a visceral like
emotion or reaction to somethingreflecting on why, where does
that come from?
And then again I'll use myphrase strategic intentionality,
(43:52):
then you need to start to model.
It could be the thoughts, theactions, the language and
behavior that move you to thatgoal or objective and then
having a.
The next one is having a greatcommunity around you, not only
people who are going to supportyou and like, promote, love you,
but you still need people whoare going to challenge you.
Maybe they're're gonna identifysome blind spots for you.
(44:15):
And the last sort of in thiscircle, for me, is giving
yourself permission to fail,like we're all perfect in our
imperfections and we are goingto fail, and if so, that's fine.
Give yourself some time togrieve, but then go back to step
number one, which is beingclear and going back on your, on
your goal or objective, and sojust working through that.
(44:35):
That those are the stages ofhealthy resilience.
Um, that I would tell yourauthors if they're working
through things to go throughthat journey.
Carissa Andrews (44:43):
I love that and in so many ways it it ties or
at least dovetails really nicelywith what I teach through
manifestation.
I usually give three steps formanifest manifesting something,
whatever it might be, becausemany people think manifestation
is just, you know, thinking it'syours.
But it's like.
Step one is really get clear,decide what you want.
That's step one.
Step two is be open to like,allowing it to come in.
(45:05):
So basically receivingreceptivity, trusting it's yours
and just leaving it open tolike the universe, whatever.
Step three is then taking theinspired action that gets you to
the next thing that you want.
That's based on your initialdecision and so like, it's so
similar, other than thecommunity and the other aspect.
It's like, yes, this is so goodBecause you know it doesn't
(45:28):
matter what you're trying tochange or what you're trying to
be, or you know trying to be orhow you want to show up.
You still have to have thatinitial decision, choice and
then move intentionally towardit.
It's so good, that's so good.
Okay, victoria, where can myaudience go to find out more
about you?
Learn about the TED Talk whenthat goes live?
Where should they go to get thebooks, all the things?
Victoria Pelletier (45:52):
Well, the one-stop shop is my website,
which is victoria-peltiercom,and then they can choose to link
out to whatever other platformsthey want to connect with me
there.
Or you said the authors are allvery good at Googling, you can
Google me, I will come up.
There's only one other VictoriaPeltier that will come up and
she's a like a counselor from,like, portland Oregon, um, but
(46:13):
most of it's all me, um, butwebsite is a is generally the
best place One stop.
Carissa Andrews (46:18):
Perfect, perfect and obviously, when the
Ted talk goes live, that'll beeverywhere on social media.
So, heck, yes, we'll go checkthat out too.
Well, victoria, thank you somuch for sharing your story and
for being here.
I mean, we we discussed so manydifferent things and I'd love
to bring you back again to likeniche down a topic, but I wanted
my audience to get a good ideaof who you are and all the of
the amazing things that you do,because I, when I was looking
(46:41):
through everything that you did,it was like I couldn't pick one
specific thing because therewere so many good points to talk
about.
So thank you for being here andsharing all that you do.
Victoria Pelletier (46:49):
Thanks for having me.
It was a pleasure.
Carissa Andrews (46:53):
Wow, what an incredible conversation with
Victoria Pelletier, wasn't it?
Her journey of resilience andintentionality is a powerful
reminder of the transformativepotential we all carry within us
.
I think an awful lot,especially this past week, about
what that means.
As we take a look at all theupheaval and the things that are
(47:13):
going on in the world right now, like if you've been paying
attention on TikTok, if you'vebeen watching the way news is
the 4am club, like all thethings that are going on right
now in the world we have so muchpotential for change, for
equality, for class resilience,to see how things go, and from
shaping your own personal brandas an author right to leading
(47:37):
with authenticity, there's somany other ways that authors can
have takeaways that we canapply to our author journey and
beyond, all coming from andstemming from this conversation
with Victoria.
So if you've been inspired,make sure to check out
Victoria's books and follow heramazing TED talk which, by the
way, has gone live, and you'llfind all of the links in the
(47:59):
show notes.
If you'd like to be able tofind that, head over to
authorrevolutionorg.
Forward slash 265.
All right, guys, before we go, Iwant to remind you that Author
Revolution is evolving, so,starting in 2025, my focus will
be to shift to the ManifestDifferently podcast and the
NeuroDivergent brand.
So you can visitmanifestdifferentlycom to learn
(48:21):
more, to grab your free 18-pageguide called Manifestation Made
Easy.
It's designed forNeuroDivergent manifestors like
you and me who are strugglingwith or looking to balance their
energies over the Christmasholidays and, believe you me, it
can be a challenge, right?
And hey, if you noticed anyhiccups on my website the Author
(48:42):
Revolution website, that is,during this past week, or any
issues with trying to email me,thank you for your patience,
because I was migrating fromWordPress over to Kajabi and
there were a couple of likehiccups that were happening
during that whole process.
It should be sorted out now.
Everything should be good to go, but if you encounter any
broken links from here on out,please drop me a note, because I
(49:04):
would so appreciate it.
I'm trying to hunt all theselittle stragglers down, but it
does take a little bit of time,and if you happen to notice any,
that's just going to help meout.
(49:37):
All right, until next time, goforth and start your author
revolution, or should I saymanifest differently.
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