Lucia Pador is a super woman. You may know her from her work at Utterly Engaged, or more recently, her transition into helping others tell their stories and tell them well. Lucia is in my mastermind this year, and I have been AMAZED at how she can curate, visually story-tell, and manage Utterly Engaged flawlessly, while also working on her newest project which will help entrepreneurs tell their own story and leave a true legacy.

Lucia is a daughter of immigrant parents who escaped a Communist war-torn country, moving from one refugee camp to another, to finally planting their roots in Southern California and building a beautiful life and business. After 30+ years of providing for their family through his art, Lucia’s father unexpectedly passed away. It was not until after he left this world did she finally see first hand how much of legacy he left behind. Without social media, she was blown away by the impact his art left behind that had spread across continents and oceans. Remembering what she learned from him, and combining her love for storytelling, social media, design and modern marketing, she is on a mission to help others spread their message, art, and creations through the most impactful and meaningful way.

I know a lot of entrepreneurs love what they do, but struggle finding clarity, direction, and the know-how to share their message and stand out. I am lucky to have to have THE expert, Lucia Pador to teach us not only how to market ourselves well but to own our stories (even the messy parts!)

Ask yourself “Why?”

Why did you start making this product, building this business, and creating this brand? Lucia encourages entrepreneurs to sift through the experiences in their past that lead to the point of creating your business and its products. A major catalyst for transforming Utterly Engaged, Lucia’s “why?” was the unexpected passing of her father.

In this episode Lucia shared some very personal stories that became part of her “why” for her business. She said, “Before my dad passed, he lost his ability to talk. He had a stroke. I remember standing around the bed with my brothers and sisters, holding hands, just communicating with him and trying to say as much as we could before he passed. And I thought, the things I need to share about the journey I’ve gone through is eating me up … I needed to make a shift because I couldn’t continue to hide behind the work, hide behind a magazine, telling other people’s stories when I have a lot to share, too.”

With a clearer picture and a deeper story, Lucia is leaning into the new direction of Utterly Engaged, creating (soon to be) courses, workshops, resources, tools and a way to help creators, influencers, doers and entrepreneurs market themselves and truly own their story.

Be intentional with your brand

Lucia has developed a mastery of making intentional decisions and identifying the real story behind those choices when developing brands, whether it’s her own or for a client. She explained, “When I’m designing a brand or a photoshoot, I’m being very intentional about every single thing that I’m doing that relates to the brand. Why this color? Why this dress? If we’re doing weddings rings, we’re not just selling a product, we’re selling emotion, we’re selling joy and love. I think people get stuck on a brand being a color or logo or font. It’s more than that. You’re selling more than a product. You’re selling a way of life and living.”

Be vulnerable

Be vulnerable with your storytelling and challenge yourself to share even the messiest parts. People naturally want to be with you on your journey and root for you along the way. As Lucia prepares to pivot Utterly Engaged and tell a new story with her brand, she’s welcomed her audience along for the ride.

“I’ve shared some snippets of work I’m doing and the direction I’m heading and the response has been, “We need more of this.” So let’s do it. I love all the wedding blogs but people are experience wedding inspiration overload. I think there’s something more than all this inspiration — stories that need to be told.”

I have loved working with Lucia this year as she’s in this big pivot, figuring out what’s next, how to transition her brand, and how to tell meaningful stories, especially her own. It has been incredible to watch her own that love of legacy and to define what that looks like, not just for herself but for the businesses she’s working with.

For more goodness about telling your story, leaving a legacy, and doing it well, tune into today’s episode of the Goal Digger Podcast featuring Lucia Pador!

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PHOTO: JENNIFER SOSA PHOTOGRAPHY