Harnessing Resilience: Victoria Pelletier’s Journey to Authentic Leadership and Author Success

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.

The Author Revolution Podcast is evolving! Starting January 1st, join me on the Manifest Differently Podcast—a space for neurodivergent thinkers to embrace manifestation in ways that align with how we’re wired. If you’re ready to manifest on your terms, visit ManifestDifferently.com or tune in to Episode 1 at manifestdifferently.com/1.

Exciting news, authors! My upcoming book, Write Your Reality, is kicking off soon on Kickstarter! This isn’t just a book—it’s a high-vibe journey into Quantum Manifestation and mindset mastery crafted for authors ready to transform their careers. Join the waitlist at authorrevolution.org/kickstarter and be the first to know when it launches. Get ready to manifest your dream author life!

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.

Chapters

• 1:01 Author Revolution
• 6:33 Personal Branding and Overcoming Adversity
• 13:15 Whole Human Leadership in Modern Times
• 26:37 Building Confidence in Public Speaking
• 32:29 Inclusive Writing and Transformational Leadership
• 43:11 Journey to Resilience and Success
• 50:13 Manifestation Made Easy Website Update

Transcript

Carissa Andrews: 1:01

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 your navigator through the ever-evolving landscape of authorship. Are you ready to harness the power of your mind and the latest innovations in technology for your writing journey? If you're passionate about manifesting your dreams and pioneering new writing frontiers, then you're in the perfect place. Here we merge the mystical woo of writing with the exciting advancements of the modern world. We dive into the realms of mindset, manifestation and the transformative magic that occurs when you believe in the impossible. We also venture into the world of futuristic technologies and strategies, preparing you for the next chapter in your author career. Every week, we explore new ways to revolutionize your writing and publishing experience, from AI to breakthrough thinking. This podcast is your gateway to a world where creativity meets innovation. Whether you're penning your first novel or expanding your literary empire, whether you're a devotee of the pen or a digital storyteller, this podcast is where your author revolution gains momentum. So join me in this journey to continue growth and transformation. It's time to redefine what it means to be an author in today's dynamic world. This is the Author Revolution Podcast, and your author revolution starts now. Well, hey guys, welcome back to the Author Revolution Podcast.

Carissa Andrews: 2:36

Today's episode is packed with inspiration and actionable insights as I sit down with the unstoppable Victoria Pelletier, a C-suite executive, public speaker, author and advocate for diversity, equality and inclusion. Victoria has not only transformed businesses, but she's also turned personal adversity into a springboard for success. We're going to dive into resilience, personal branding and modern leadership key topics for anybody navigating these challenges or seeking to make an impact. Plus, I'll share a little bit about my own evolving journey as we transition from Author Revolution to the new NeuroDivergent Manifestor brand and Manifest Differently podcast in 2025. So stick around, because you won't want to miss a special freebie.

Carissa Andrews: 3:21

It's a downloadable PDF entitled Manifestation Made Easy for my fellow neurodivergent manifestors. Check the links in the show notes for all of the details, including a peek at my new website, which is manifestdifferentlycom. All right, let's hop into our interview with Victoria. Well, hi, victoria, welcome to the Author Revolution podcast. I'm excited to be speaking with you today. Before we get started and I bombard you with all the questions, do you want to tell my audience a little bit about yourself and what you do?

Victoria Pelletier: 3:53

Sure Well, first, thank you for having me I'm happy to be here and Victoria Peltier, I am a career-long C-suite executive in primarily business-to-business professional services. I also sit on multiple boards An author we will talk about that. I'm a professional public speaker. I am a wife and a mother to two beautiful humans, now adults, which makes me feel old. I'm a fitness fanatic, foodie and wine lover. That covers all the basics.

Carissa Andrews: 4:26

Right, All the things I mean. That's like multi-passionate everywhere.

Victoria Pelletier: 4:30

I use the phrase multi-potentialite because I also have a wide variety of interests outside of all those things too.

Carissa Andrews: 4:37

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 the world of books and like book things and we need outside interests, I think, sometimes to make our lives more interesting. So, victoria, your journey began in a very profoundly challenging environment and circumstance. You faced abuse, had violence at a very young age, before you were adopted. So I'm curious, as we get going because this is a part of how you, you know, do your speaking, your books and everything that you're doing but how did those early experiences shape your resilience and influence your decision to pursue your leadership and then ultimately writing?

Victoria Pelletier: 5:25

like 10 or 12 years ago, and on the big scale that is, I certainly shared it, like in smaller settings or with friends, but it is truly what shaped me.

Victoria Pelletier: 5:29

I often talk about it being my why the fact that I'm born to a drug addicted teenage mother who was very abusive to me and then thankfully adopted out of that but lower socioeconomic position with my adoptive family.

Victoria Pelletier: 5:44

I was sexually assaulted in my teens. Like all these things, it's those that actually caused me to want to be better than biology in circumstance. So that's what's propelled me to be I use the phrase in the first book title, you know unstoppable, like nothing is going to prevent me from achieving the goal or objective that I've set for myself. So it is very much what's fueled me, and you used a word I often talk about, which is resilience. So it's caused me to not always a healthy level of resilience I had to learn to there and there's there's a difference for me but to have a healthier level of resilience so that, as even just challenges in business, I've been through like 40 mergers and acquisitions for myself, for the companies I work for, as well as clients I've supported. That comes with so much change, with restructure. I think my early years and the resilience I've built allows me to step into almost any situation and be able to cope well and, ideally, thrive in that environment.

Carissa Andrews: 6:42

I can imagine, I mean, when you have, I think even sometimes about our own family, where our house is. I mean, we don't have the abuse aspect going on, but we have constant change in our house. We've been remodeling this house the entire time we've been here and we've lived here for 12 years and so, like every single one of my kids I think, sometimes I'm like, oh man, they're having to deal with the bathroom being torn apart. But I think it is shaping them like having to deal with okay, there's no ceiling right now while we're in here taking a shower Like there's aspects of that where they're learning how to be able to cope when things are different or changing.

Carissa Andrews: 7:14

And it's so good when people can take a look at things that were not so fun, especially in your past, 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, like really embrace it as part of who you are and why it shaped the direction you went, not not let it, you know, tear you down and bring you down. I love that. And so let's talk about Unstoppable, because you share stories about overcoming adversity in that book, so could you tell us about a story from that book that particularly resonates with your own experiences and how it might inspire your readers?

Victoria Pelletier: 7:47

So that was actually the first book and the publisher approached me.

Victoria Pelletier: 7:50

It's a co-authored book actually so I have just one chapter in the book, although they made me the opening chapter, which they left it as a surprise for me to find out, and that was one of the first time, you know, pen to proverbial paper where I shared it in that broadly and so that the book title chapter is, you know, the courage to live. So it's a little bit around what I just shared now, where I shared those early years, that it's my why and it's what's again sort of propelled me to do the things that I've done. I feel very fortunate to have achieved a lot of success in life, career success, have some great relationships, those sorts of things. But it was truly the choice, and so that's the story I share, you know is not only what happened to me but the choices I've made. I'm a big believer. I sign a lot of my social media posts with one unstoppable, and so actually when the book publishers approach me, I'm like that is my word. So of course I'm like, yes, I'm participating.

Victoria Pelletier: 8:54

But the other one is no excuses, and that, for me, is around the fact that you have choice, so you can play the victim. This stuff is going to happen. We can't always control the trauma, the adversity, the challenge that's going to come our way, but what we can control is our response and how we're going to choose to move forward, and so that's, in that book, what I shared and then, subsequently, I spent a lot of time talking about now.

Carissa Andrews: 9:20

Right. I think that's so powerful. I mean, I teach authors about manifestation, and so we often talk about how our decision is our superpower, and so when you're moving towards something that you really want, it all begins with that initial decision. And so it's the same, I think, in my experience, when you are looking at the two choices like victimhood or moving into a place of power, you have that choice, but you have to ultimately make the decision which one you're going to want to go toward, and it's so. But, like you said, you're unstoppable when you decide you're not going to go down that victim path and just allow the circumstances to bring you down. I think a lot of authors and a lot of people in general really need to onboard that information and remind themselves of that. So, moving on to your professional insights, your book Influence Unleashed dives into deep, deeply interpersonal branding. So are there core principles?

Victoria Pelletier: 10:16

in the book that authors could apply to develop their own distinctive brands. Yeah, absolutely, it's something I've been focused on for over 20 years. When I stepped, I was recruited into my first executive role at a very young age. I was only 24 years old. I'd come out of banking operations planning to be a lawyer. I just kind of followed a path that I loved and my passion around leadership and business and then never went to law school.

Victoria Pelletier: 10:37

But when I moved into this business, to business world, and started to, I started to lead commercial teams and not just the operations, and recognize we're responding to RFPs, we're engaging and going to conferences, just understand how we get business and how. At that point I just thought about it. I didn't have the vernacular to call it personal brand. But how are we differentiating ourselves? And so that's where the focus for me on branding for not just business, but people do business with people they like and trust and want to do business with. So how do we create that differentiation? And so for me it's grown into. Now I actually stand on stages and speak about it and I coach other people on how to develop this. And so important, I think, for authors as well. I mean, you want people to be engaged, not just with the words that come out, but who you are as a human. And so for me, what I would say and I wrote, influence Unleashed in large part well, one I was in career transition and I am not good with being idle, so I penned two books during that time.

Victoria Pelletier: 11:37

I love it, and the personal branding one. I did because 2023 was a really tough year, particularly for many people in transition. So I saw people trying to elevate their brand and doing it poorly. And doing it poorly was because they focused on only one thing and that is their subject matter expertise, and that's foundational, don't get me wrong. You need to in building your brand, like, what are you going to be known for? Here's my subject matter expertise the field in which I work, the function in which I operate, the industry more broadly, whatever it is. So that's number one. But going back to people do business with humans and people they like and trust. The next part is the storytelling, and so actually, here's where the author should be really good at that.

Victoria Pelletier: 12:20

What are the parts of you as a human, the lived experiences, the values, interests and passions that you have that are going to build connection with others, and then very much related to it, but also distinctly, is how are you different than others? So I think, professionally I've spent a lot of time in management consulting and technology and services, and there's lots of people who, and businesses, are capable of doing what we're doing In the management consulting world. People buy people literally, and so how do you differentiate yourself from someone who does what you've done? Maybe they've got the same number of years of experience, et cetera. So what makes you different than others?

Victoria Pelletier: 12:58

So for me, connected to who I am and storytelling and values, is my radical candor. In the world of management consulting, most consultants tell clients what they want to hear, not always what they need to hear. I'm very different and I'm going to tell you, and so that's a differentiator, for example, for me. So figure that out. And the last is legacy and impact what do you want to be known for? So those four pieces are what I believe are the like foundation to a very well-rounded personal brand of like.

Carissa Andrews: 13:26

Who am I and why would these readers want to? Just because we're technically the brand, the book will come and go, like it's evergreen great, but it's going to live on forever, but you're not always going to focus on it. The thing that stays constant is you and we. Do we forget we can connect with them and be a part of their lives in a way that really impacts them, and those that do obviously are the ones that build that cumulative advantage and are able to, you know, build a community, build the, you know, 1000 super fans or however you want to describe it, like all the different things, and so it's. That's such a smart way of looking at the whole process of it. Was it hard for you to come up with your brand? Or were you like? Of course, this is what I am. This is what I've always been what I've always been.

Victoria Pelletier: 14:27

So I've been at it for almost 24 years now and, like I said, I didn't have the vernacular back then, but I started to focus on making sure I was focusing on the brand that is Victoria and making sure people want to come work with me and clients want to engage with me, my team and the business they work in. And so I've. I've had to like, evolve and change over time, just because I have and I will say that there are some times where pivots are required. I will tell you from a leadership perspective, because I was such a young female executive and I say female cause I was the only one at the table I showed up in a very particular way. I'm going to be all business all the time.

Victoria Pelletier: 15:02

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, with a mask almost on. I'm not going to demonstrate that there's any vulnerabilities and you know cracks in my armor. I'm not going to show up with emotion. So I got a nickname as the Iron Maiden.

Victoria Pelletier: 15:20

I found out in my late twenties. Now I transform businesses. I'm radically candid, I am comfortable having the tough conversations, so that's part of it, but the absence of vulnerability, emotions, authenticity because I had these walls is what, in part, created that. So I would tell your listeners that you are going to need to evolve, change and potentially pivot, and so, in my case, I needed to do a 180, and I had to show up very differently, and it wasn't just my brand.

Victoria Pelletier: 15:54

I literally had to show up very differently in real life as well as how I showed up online, and so it can evolve and change over time.

Victoria Pelletier: 16:02

And so maybe even for your authors, if you're very focused on one particular genre or subject and that's going to evolve and change as you do, well that's okay and so get comfortable with that. And then to one other part of your 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 lot of time over the years reading. Now I consume most of my content audibly, you know, thanks to Spotify and Audible and all those things to consume books that way. But that so I've constantly been learning from others and I'm a like massive like observer of people and whether that was online and seeing what works for them and taking what does and doesn't kind of like trial and error to some extent, to the point that now I feel very confident coaching other people on it, because I've just been doing it for so long and have learned some of the you know do's and do nots right, right, well, I love that.

Carissa Andrews: 16:59

I'm also high learner and like high input. I don't know if you've ever done the CliftonStrengths, but for me it's like I love all of those things. Input's not as high. Learning is definitely higher. It's in my top 10.

Carissa Andrews: 18:05

And I just I love the concept of like seeing what everyone's doing and all the different perspectives, because then you can create your own perspective and gain clarity from it. I'm the same way. When I first started Author Revolution, it was like we're going to be talking about how to have a career sustainably. That's going to be what we're doing, and over time I've realized I like the technology strategy side of things and I like the woo, like manifestation mindset side of things, and so it's like I kind of go between the two and I'm like this is who I am guys, and I've had to pivot and help them understand that this is how it's going to go. So it's very, very different than what I was showing up as in the beginning as well. And I love that. You have your third book, the Power of Whole Human Leadership See if I can speak today and in it you explore, obviously the modern leadership strategies. So how can authors, especially those in leadership roles or in management teams. Use the strategies to enhance their effectiveness.

Victoria Pelletier: 19:03

So this book, for me it's actually one I leaned even more heavily into than the personal branding is very important, but what I've seen, actually, in the last almost 10 years I've been leading human capital businesses, and so that is working with leaders, not just chief people officers but also the leaders within organizations on workforce culture and a lot of that's driven by leadership, recognizing that people don't quit companies, they quit leaders. And so it's a combination of the lessons I've learned as a leader and my failure as an Iron Maiden and how I needed to evolve from that to the strategies working these last many years with workforces on. I used to call it the future of work. The reality is the future is here, it's here and where we work, and you know, post COVID and now it's more of a hybrid environment and the technology, how it adapts, how we work, requires and sort of generationally and a focus on purpose, impact et cetera demands a very different kind of leader. And so you know, for those who are in leadership it means whole human leadership is my phrase, but it's in recognizing we show up as whole humans and that to build that connection and trust with people we do have to be authentic and that doesn't mean being brutally honest all the time, but it certainly means transparency and it means being vulnerable. It means, if called for, being emotional at times to demonstrate that we are very much humans. We can't park our weekend and the stuff that happened at the door when we come into the office. But it's other elements as well in terms of how do we support our teams.

Victoria Pelletier: 20:51

You know there's one chapter where I referenced the unseen employee and that connects a little bit back to my passion around an advocacy around diversity, equity and inclusion.

Victoria Pelletier: 21:01

But diversity is there's so many facets of that and things like lived experience, the fact that I was an abused child, I was in the welfare system before that like that's just one facet of what I bring to the table, and so it's teaching leaders how to hear those stories and approach it and connect that with things like purpose. So consumers want to buy from and employees want to work for companies that align with purpose. And I think one of our jobs as leaders. You think about entry-level employees like I've got two college-age kids coming into the workforce. They're going to have a hard time translating what the macro the company does to how they're contributing to that. That's my role as a leader Right To help bridge that and then also understand what's their desire in terms of career path and professional development. This newer generation views stability and job security as connectedness to developing them and their skills in the business, which is very different than like my parents' generation.

Carissa Andrews: 22:01

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I even think when I entered the workforce it, you know, it's still kind of that transitional period where the boomers, like had control of everything and you're kind of going. But there's not a whole lot of like connection here. I think, even with with, you know, 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, the shakeups with all the different um, like everything. It was like everything was just shifting. And now we are definitely seeing the like.

Carissa Andrews: 22:29

I look at my teenagers, or the twenties. My husband has a 22 year old right now and he, it's like they all want to have something that just is so meaningful to them and that they'll give their all, as long as they know and like and trust that they're contributing to it. And if they start feeling that disconnect, 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 just happened? They just like. I thought they loved the job yesterday, now they're gone.

Carissa Andrews: 22:55

And I think for authors too, especially the fiction authors, we start in this role of a solopreneur and eventually we want and need more help, and so having that concept of leadership help us in bringing on like on. We typically onboard like a personal assistant or someone along those lines first, and having that capability to explain to the personal assistant. This is why working for me is so important. This is where we're heading, giving that them that connection, instead of just here do my newsletter swaps or something like that. It's like it makes sense to me why it would be so important. Exactly Right. Yeah, that's so good. I can't wait to read both of all three of these books, but it's they're on my list very soon. I think it's just fascinating looking into leadership and how we can be better.

Victoria Pelletier: 24:02

And you don't even have to be a leader necessarily. It just helps you to see a broader perspective of how you can be as a and drive change again, regardless of title or the hierarchy within the organization. Don't get me wrong. It certainly helps to have those things Right, right. But we are all leaders and I would I want the aspiring leaders to you know, learn something so they don't have to make some of the mistakes potentially that like I made early on in my career.

Carissa Andrews: 24:28

Right, right, oh, that is so powerful and I love that you've transitioned to to also public speaking about all of these things. So, speaking of that, what are some strategies that you use to engage your diverse audiences? Are there any strategies that authors can use to implement when they're promoting their own books or going to speaking events for themselves that you've incorporated into your speaking engagements?

Victoria Pelletier: 24:51

At some point. I think it's important for everyone to recognize you shouldn't attempt to be all things to all people, and some of that actually even goes back to the branding pieces of it, so not everything that I stand for and the values and advocacy work that I do is going to resonate with others. You know, like far right people are not going to resonate with the fact that I'm going to talk about social justice and women's rights and equality and all of these kinds of things, and that's okay. And so understand who your audience is. That's one of the most important things that I would state for authors and those who are, you know, desire to be speakers, in particular, and make sure that, as you build your brand and you start to connect with that audience, you know, again, they understand that you know all the things that you can contribute and bring to the table, so I am able to leverage, and it's funny, I was just on, I belong to this women's executive network, and there was a call the other day on, like you know, getting paid to be on this stage, and there was a whole topic of conversation around books, and how does that contribute? And so the one thing I will say for the authors, though, is it's actually a great selling technique for those who want to be able to speak.

Victoria Pelletier: 26:06

So for me, sometimes, if I'm above their budget, I can say, well, can you, would you consider, you know, buying some books? I usually contribute some anyways as part of my speaking engagement and the fee that they give. But so for International Women's Day that's actually like March is a month I'm usually quite busy. There was one and it was a. They just didn't have the budget, but instead they bought 60 books to give out. So like it's a great, and it usually hits a different cost center, and so there's just different strategies to think about. As an author, you know, to help you from a speaking perspective, and vice versa. Certainly, when I'm speaking, almost inevitably afterwards I see an uptick in books being purchased.

Carissa Andrews: 26:49

Sure, oh, and that makes total sense to me. Yeah, because now they know like and trust you as an individual. They've heard you speak, they know you're intelligent. Like. They're not like do I like her? Like, yeah, it makes total sense to me, oh gosh. Like when you first started speaking, 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 like oh gosh.

Victoria Pelletier: 27:11

Well, so that's actually, I think, a good question, just around the introvert thing. So, first of all, I think there's a lot of people who think that you have to be a public speaker or an extrovert to be successful at one building a brand. So I tell a lot of people that you can be really successful as an introvert and hide behind what I refer to as electronic courage, sit behind the keyboard. It's a heck of a lot easier to do it and build a brand that way than it is, as my younger one would say, irl, in real life and do that on stages.

Victoria Pelletier: 27:42

So for me personally now, I was an actor when I was young, so I always had confidence standing on stage. There is a very big difference when you're not playing a character and all of a sudden it's Victoria, it's here, it's 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 where that made me more nervous to not be portraying a character and just being me on stages, although I gained confidence by ensuring that I knew deeply the topic I was speaking on.

Victoria Pelletier: 28:16

I will tell people who want to do this like, don't get out of your swim lane If you're going to, and particularly if you're not comfortable or you're new or added but again, you don't have to be a speaker to be successful. Like I said, there's great, you know, play back and forth between speaking and authorship, but if it, but if it's not your jam and it's not your comfort level, like, don't, don't force yourself there. However, I will always say I think you need to lean into the things that make you uncomfortable, because that is when the growth will come.

Carissa Andrews: 28:45

Yeah, absolutely. And it makes you unstoppable again, because I think a lot of times on the other side of terror and like fear is actually that excitement, like we're holding ourselves back from what we really want because we think we can't do it, but we really want to see that other side and we're just not willing to take the steps towards it and figure out whether or not we can be good at it. And sometimes it just takes being scared and doing it anyway until all of a sudden you're like why was that such a big deal? Like why was I so worried about that?

Victoria Pelletier: 29:14

Yeah, it's so interesting to me. And there's ways to start. So, for those who are thinking about it, there's ways to do it on smaller scales where you're not so worried if you do mess up, and actually the good news is no one knows your content but you. So if you forget something, like no one. No one actually knows that unless you like totally stumble on stage. But you can start with, like schools and libraries. There's lots of ways to start really small before you sit and talk in front of thousands of people on stages.

Carissa Andrews: 29:41

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: 29:46

I'm assuming, I started almost like exclusively for business going to conferences. So however many people were in the audience, I think I've almost always been used to at least hundreds in the room. And then my biggest one. I spoke after Gary Vaynerchuk if you know.

Victoria Pelletier: 30:05

Gary Vaynerchuk, gary V, and I mean, he was the headliner. Everyone was there to see him, but it was a very large theater and I came a couple speakers afterwards and the room had started to clear out again. We know who they were there to see, but there were thousands in that. And you know what, for me it's not actually really like that different. There is a bit more of a nervous energy and it's almost more like excitement that comes, but that actually fuels me and it's only the first couple of minutes 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 me personally now I'm, I am in a I don't know shocking, as I say this, I'm an extreme extrovert. I know you and your listeners would probably not get that. Although I grew into my extroversion, I wasn't always like this, but now I arrive on that. So for me, the bigger the audience, the more people for me to engage with. So I like it.

Carissa Andrews: 30:56

I do too. I love that concept of having more people, although it is like those, like you said, those first couple of minutes when you're speaking. It's it's almost like you're in an out-of-body experience. You're like who am I, where am I, what's happening right now? But once the words start coming out, then it's like okay, I remember this, I got this, and you almost like channel it? Just stream of consciousness. The rest of the information. Next thing you know you're done, You're going. Well.

Victoria Pelletier: 31:19

that wasn't so bad, although I'm doing a TED Talk next month and it's just a different format that I'm used to. I'm used to delivering keynotes 45 to 60 minutes, maybe there's Q&A or not, and I know my content, 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 was an actor and so I've memorized a ton of things. I never had a 14 minute monologue, so this is actually one of the few that has me nervous. Not again about being, it's just it's a very different format that I'm used to, so I'm going to have to memorize, but still make sure I don't. I hate people who sound scripted so so that it's still yet conversational, which is my style generally when I'm on stages.

Carissa Andrews: 32:08

Right, it's almost like you need to have, like the, the, the main, like boulders, building blocks, and then just kind of still wing it in 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 this earlier diversity, equity and inclusion, dei, how do you incorporate these important themes into your writing and, obviously, your speeches? Do you have any advice for authors who wish to authentically represent diverse perspectives and experiences in their own writing?

Victoria Pelletier: 32:36

Well, I think, um, I think it's really important to um to educate oneself on unconscious biases, on language and things like that. So I'd say definitely for you know your authors, to be really aware of word choices, because they matter, and so I think that's the easiest way of you know for me to talk to your audience about, to help them be more mindful around DE&I and sort of best practices, and we can all stumble. I mean, when I speak I often say hey guys, regardless of who's there, right, but that's actually kind of a no-no to be saying or to talk about your tribe of people. These are things that are just we've sort of grown up with, and so I think there's much we can do just to educate ourselves and to have some education around unconscious biases, because we all have some. And then the next part is around being.

Victoria Pelletier: 33:36

I have a phrase I use a lot, both when it comes to leadership and branding.

Victoria Pelletier: 33:40

I just my one of my favorite phrases about being strategically intentional, and so for me, from a DEI perspective and I spent a lot of time coaching other leaders and building actually diversity programs it's part of that strategy comes from understanding your baseline.

Victoria Pelletier: 33:58

Where are you today? And maybe even for your authors. Who's your audience and are you trying to attract a different audience to come into that fold, and who are you trying to attract a different audience to come into that fold? And so understand your baseline. As you then start to build targets in terms of where you want to move forward you know whether it's moving the needle in terms of advancement of women in business or people of color in business and then the intention around how you build action to see that movement or that advancement come and so being strategic and being intentional in everything from, again, word choices to, in my case, hiring choices for people in business, advancement opportunities that I create for people and, most importantly and the I part of that inclusion creating a safe space where we all have the sense of belonging, that we can show up our lived experience, all the diverse facets we bring to the table and not needing to hide any of those.

Carissa Andrews: 34:56

I love that. What initially brought you to this space? Was it your background, like your childhood and everything you had gone through and meeting and seeing others that needed to have this space? Or were there, you know, friends that you saw were struggling? What brought you into this space of wanting to really embrace DEI?

Victoria Pelletier: 35:15

Two things. So definitely my own lived experience. I'm also a queer woman. I was married to a woman for 11 years. I am now married to a man. One of my two children is trans. For 11 years I am now married to a man.

Victoria Pelletier: 35:30

One of my two children is trans, and so it's personal for me and I'm also used to being the only woman in business, or one of very few, even most recently, I worked for IBM a number of years ago and even there, and they're very committed to diversity, so I don't want anyone to think that they're not, but technology is still very male-dominant and I walked into a room and was leading a strategy session. It was myself, one other woman and 40, four, zero men and so my experience of feeling like I'm the only whether it's woman, lgbtq person, person who's got child welfare system experience, et cetera that was number one. And number two is when my first executive role was in the world of BPO business process outsourcing, and so think of outsource contact center like customer service. You know, technical support, that kind of thing it hasn't. It depends on where you are in the world, but in North America is generally not the destination job. It's when you're underemployed, unemployed or a new immigrant to the country, and so I was in Canada at the time, which is, I love being I'm a proud Canadian very diverse and like very multicultural and much more inclusive culture, and so most of the team I was.

Victoria Pelletier: 36:40

It was a very diverse team and there's high turnover in that business. Right Again, people are there until they land somewhere else. How could I create an environment where people enjoyed, were more productive and wanted to stay even a little bit longer? So me creating an inclusive culture was it proved back then and now it's 24 years ago when I stepped into that role good for business, not just the right thing to do, but good for business. So my experience and that good for business experience is what got me so focused on on DEI and advocacy work.

Carissa Andrews: 37:13

Right and that makes it makes total sense because, I mean, the cost of turnover 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, I don't think they think about that either. Like having to retrain a new person and all the time that that takes, and so it's like if you can include them and make them feel like this is a part of their journey together with you. It's just it's like a no brainer in my head, but I love it and I love your mission with all of that, I think it's really an important and powerful place to really be putting some time and thought process behind. Do you have any starting points for like authors who do want to like what you just talked about with the language aspect of it, like if they wanted to learn how to be more inclusive with their language? Are there any starting points where you would point them toward?

Victoria Pelletier: 38:02

Well, there's tons of great content out there. You know, one of the greats and she recently wrote a book like within the last year or two is Lily Zhang. I don't think she talks as much about language, but more some of the strategies, but she's definitely one who regularly puts out. She's a trans woman, you know like who's put out again from her lived experience. This is all the work that she does, so she's a deep thought leader and subject matter expert. So that would be one place to start in following her. But there really is a lot of great content out there. I should probably know the great sort of 101 book, but I just think I've been in it for so long that I continue to look for 301 and 401 and continue.

Carissa Andrews: 38:46

Right, right, yeah, that makes. That makes total sense to me, oh goodness. Well, and authors? I mean, we know how to Google things too. We are very good at doing the research and going down the rabbit holes, so I'm sure that we will be able to figure it out, okay, so, other than being the Iron Maiden, you've also been nicknamed the turnaround queen and the CEO whisperer because of your ability to transform challenges into unique opportunities. So how has that skill influenced your writing process, and is there anything that authors can learn from that? I mean, I'm sure that they can, but you know what I mean.

Victoria Pelletier: 39:16

Yeah, so the nicknames come as a result of Turnaround Queen in particular, or just I've been through so much transformation and change and I like challenge, like I'm so far from being the status quo girl, like I'll break stuff just to put it back together again, and so I'm often given distressed businesses to help turn around and do it time and time again, and so that's where that comes from and that you know, I think the transformational experience comes from.

Victoria Pelletier: 39:48

Again, resilience I don't think I'd sign myself up for that if I wasn't comfortable with change and putting myself in uncomfortable situations and I mentioned all the mergers and acquisitions is a big part of it is effective change management, and the success of that often comes down to communication, sure and storytelling, and so for me as a leader, it means translating the why we're making these business decisions down to the with them, the what's in it for me, you know, for that individual.

Victoria Pelletier: 40:23

So I think for authors they are, you know, uniquely positioned to leverage that skill to help with transformation and change. Ceo Whisperer is a newer one that I was given just in the last couple of years, and it's because one I've been a C-suite executive and so there's respect that comes with other C-suite executives and CEOs specifically, but it's also going back to communication and my unique style of being radically candid and the fact that I tell leaders what I believe they need to hear versus what they want to hear, and challenge them deeply. Not everyone loves that, but for those who choose to listen to that, it can very much help them move forward.

Carissa Andrews: 41:07

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 choose to get all the messages we're writing into these worlds or into our nonfiction works, but the ones that really do that resonate and take it to heart, those are the ones that are going to transform and just really light up the world with new ideas and new placements. I think that's so cool. I love when people can do that and I love the concept of radical candor as well. I have the book as well, so it's like to me, every time you say it, I'm like, oh, I see that covered in my head. Such a good book. But I totally agree.

Carissa Andrews: 41:41

I think it's just so important to be willing to speak your truth and it really doesn't matter. You know the ones who don't get it. It doesn't really matter, right, it's the ones that do that you're really trying to reach anyway. So it's so good and I think doing it obviously for the leadership in specific is, I mean, it's kind of ballsy too when you think about it, because those people like can be intimidating if you're not, you know, in that same space, and so I think that's just. I think that's great and it's a good lesson for everyone to be taking on board. Okay, so, in terms of books or speaking opportunities, you mentioned your TED talk that's coming up. Is there anything else on the horizon, any books that are coming down the pike as of right now, anything we should be keeping our eye out for?

Victoria Pelletier: 42:27

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 been asked to write like a memoir. A lot of people you know hear my lived experience and all that I've overcome and they're like oh my God, you need to write a book. I'm not there yet. I feel like I have a lot more living to do before. I feel like the time will be right to write. Well, so that will plan, but at some point down the road not anywhere soon.

Victoria Pelletier: 43:01

And then on the speaking side, yes, I'm super excited about the TED Talk. I'll get to update my speaker reel with, you know, the big Ted sign behind, so that that'll be pretty 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 like there's there's tears and I'm like I'm comfortable and happy where I am, but like that's where I aspire to get to.

Carissa Andrews: 43:26

Yes.

Victoria Pelletier: 43:28

I don't want to make it. I don't want to make it my full-time job. A lot of people think it's purely my full-time. It's my side hustle by choice and part of a portfolio career which, when I, whenever I retire and my husband says he doesn't know when that will happen but sitting on boards and doing a little bit of like coaching and speaking, but I'm very happy to sort of keep it at, you know, a very healthy but manageable level to complement what I do from a corporate standpoint.

Carissa Andrews: 43:51

I love that, gary, victoria's coming for you, she's coming for you. I love that. I love having that like visual goal and it's like I'm chasing you down, man.

Victoria Pelletier: 44:26

Okay, so for aspiring authors who might be facing their own you know hardships or you know struggling with their own past. That has been a difficult you know upbringing, whatever. Do you have any advice that would help them in overcoming that adversity and achieving their own success through that process, like anything that obviously you haven't discussed already? Any advice that would be helpful there? So we talked earlier about the word resilience For me, and actually this is my upcoming TED Talk.

Victoria Pelletier: 44:40

The theme actually for the TED event is resilience. I'm like, oh, perfect, but I'm talking about healthy resilience and I had to learn to develop that. Although I think innately some people are more resilient than others, I do think you can learn resilience like a muscle that can be built. But my early days of building walls around me to protect myself and maybe extracting myself quickly before I got hurt, that's not healthy. Living with a survival goal alone is not it. That's not healthy. Living with a survival goal alone is not it.

Victoria Pelletier: 45:10

And so what I tell the authors is I think you need to work through a multi-stage approach. And so for me, first and foremost and this goes back to being unstoppable I am clear on what my goal, my vision or the objective is, whatever, whether that's a health goal, a career goal, financial goal, relationships, whatever. Be clear on what that goal or objective is for yourself. And the next one and this is where is a hard one self-awareness and self-reflection. When you have a like and sometimes it's a visceral like emotion or reaction to something reflecting on why, where does that come from? And then again I'll use my phrase strategic intentionality, then you need to start to model. It could be the thoughts, the actions, the language and behavior that move you to that goal or objective and then having a. The next one is having a great community around you, not only people who are going to support you and like, promote, love you, but you still need people who are going to challenge you. Maybe they're're gonna identify some blind spots for you.

Victoria Pelletier: 46:10

And the last sort of in this circle, for me, is giving yourself permission to fail, like we're all perfect in our imperfections and we are going to fail, and if so, that's fine. Give yourself some time to grieve, but then go back to step number one, which is being clear and going back on your, on your goal or objective, and so just working through that. That those are the stages of healthy resilience. Um, that I would tell your authors if they're working through things to go through that journey.

Carissa Andrews: 46:38

I love that and in so many ways it it ties or at least dovetails really nicely with what I teach through manifestation. I usually give three steps for manifest manifesting something, whatever it might be, because many people think manifestation is just, you know, thinking it's yours. 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. So basically receiving receptivity, trusting it's yours and just leaving it open to like the universe, whatever.

Carissa Andrews: 47:06

Step three is then taking the inspired action that gets you to the next thing that you want. That's based on your initial decision and so like, it's so similar, other than the community and the other aspect. It's like, yes, this is so good Because you know it doesn't matter what you're trying to change or what you're trying to be, or you know trying to be or how you want to show up. You still have to have that initial decision, choice and then move intentionally toward it. It's so good, that's so good. Okay, victoria, where can my audience go to find out more about you? Learn about the TED Talk when that goes live? Where should they go to get the books, all the things?

Victoria Pelletier: 47:47

Well, the one-stop shop is my website, which is victoria-peltiercom, and then they can choose to link out to whatever other platforms they want to connect with me there. Or you said the authors are all very good at Googling, you can Google me, I will come up. There's only one other Victoria Peltier that will come up and she's a like a counselor from, like, portland Oregon, um, but most of it's all me, um, but website is a is generally the best place One stop.

Carissa Andrews: 48:13

Perfect, perfect and obviously, when the Ted talk goes live, that'll be everywhere on social media. So, heck, yes, we'll go check that out too. Well, victoria, thank you so much for sharing your story and for being here. I mean, we we discussed so many different things and I'd love to bring you back again to like niche down a topic, but I wanted my audience to get a good idea of who you are and all the of the amazing things that you do, because I, when I was looking through everything that you did, it was like I couldn't pick one specific thing because there were so many good points to talk about. So thank you for being here and sharing all that you do.

Victoria Pelletier: 48:44

Thanks for having me. It was a pleasure.

Carissa Andrews: 48:48

Wow, what an incredible conversation with Victoria Pelletier, wasn't it? Her journey of resilience and intentionality is a powerful reminder of the transformative potential 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 the upheaval and the things that are going on in the world right now, like if you've been paying attention on TikTok, if you've been watching the way news is the 4am club, like all the things that are going on right now in the world we have so much potential for change, for equality, for class resilience, to see how things go, and from shaping your own personal brand as an author right to leading with authenticity, there's so many other ways that authors can have takeaways that we can apply to our author journey and beyond, all coming from and stemming from this conversation with Victoria. So if you've been inspired, make sure to check out Victoria's books and follow her amazing TED talk which, by the way, has gone live, and you'll find all of the links in the show notes. If you'd like to be able to find that, head over to authorrevolutionorg. Forward slash 265.

Carissa Andrews: 50:02

All right, guys, before we go, I want to remind you that Author Revolution is evolving, so, starting in 2025, my focus will be to shift to the Manifest Differently podcast and the NeuroDivergent brand.

Carissa Andrews: 50:13

So you can visit manifestdifferentlycom to learn more, to grab your free 18-page guide called Manifestation Made Easy. It's designed for NeuroDivergent manifestors like you and me who are struggling with or looking to balance their energies over the Christmas holidays and, believe you me, it can be a challenge, right? And hey, if you noticed any hiccups on my website the Author 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 from WordPress over to Kajabi and there were a couple of like hiccups 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 would so appreciate it. I'm trying to hunt all these little stragglers down, but it does take a little bit of time, and if you happen to notice any, that's just going to help me out. All right, until next time, go forth and start your author revolution, or should I say manifest differently.