“Meet Up” with Alexa Curtis
Blog Post by Michelle New
Project Glimmer’s mission of inspiring girls and women to envision an empowered future is realized through our Empowerment and Gifts + Goods Programs. We recently met up with Alexa Curtis, a young entrepreneur whose personal brand and company share the same core value of empowerment as Project Glimmer.
Alexa Curtis began a fashion blog at the age of 12 as an outlet for the bullying she experienced at school, which helped her express herself authentically. Alexa’s advice for those experiencing bullying is to reach out to a trusted adult, like a teacher, counselor, or parent, and not feel embarrassed or ashamed because bullying is not normal and no one needs to suffer through it alone. She also urges that those who see someone being bullied stand up for them.
Over time, her fashion blog changed and grew into a lifestyle brand called Life Unfiltered with Alexa Curtis. Life Unfiltered now has a website, podcast, and sponsorships for its platform. Given this success, Alexa has been invited to numerous colleges to give talks about how to leverage social media while keeping mental health in mind and pursuing one’s goals. She also hosted a radio show with Radio Disney titled “Fearless Every Day” that featured guests following their own dreams.
Most recently, Curtis launched Be Fearless Summit in 2019, which is a one day summit designed for college aged students, 18-25, to plan for their future and get out of their comfort zone. The summit features many prominent speakers and offers opportunities to learn how successful entrepreneurs like Chrissy Tracey, the first vegan chef for Bon Apétit, and Illana Raia, founder and CEO of the mentorship platform Être, have started their careers. The 2022 Be Fearless Summit took place last month and I was able to interview Alexa and discuss her inspiring journey and current projects.
“Don’t spend time worrying about what you could be doing or what other people think about you.”
How did your role as host of “Fearless Every Day” with Radio Disney prepare you to launch your Be Fearless Summit?
Working at Disney was an incredible experience for me and I learned so much. I had the idea to launch Be Fearless Summit (BFS) prior to landing Fearless Everyday, so it was actually difficult for me to focus on the summits while I was hosting and producing the show. We were able to pull off about two during the time I was at Disney- I found so much value in learning what young people were struggling with day in and day out through my interviews and the talent who would come into the studio. All of their stories helped me create content and concepts for future summits and endeavors.
Why did you start the Be Fearless Summit and what do you hope your attendees will take away from it?
I started Be Fearless Summit because I was getting invited to speak at tons of different conferences on different topics and was walking away from the conferences feeling like I didn’t resonate as much with the content (because everyone in the audience was always older than me!) My thought was to launch Be Fearless Summit and call some friends, have them show up and speak, etc. without any intention of the brand evolving into a company. It was just a tiny idea I couldn’t stop thinking about!
I want anyone who comes to a summit to leave feeling inspired, fearless, and comfortable acknowledging they don’t have all the answers. We shy away from talking heavily about social media, influencers and utilizing the internet to build a brand because there is no value in viewing yourself as an influencer when you don’t know what you want to influence. I truly strive to help young adults find their identity, and the speakers who present at these summits are equally eager to help pursue that mission.
Why is it important for your summit to specifically target young adults (18-25)? What is unique about them and how does your summit cater to that uniqueness?
The 18-25 demographic is my demographic because I’m 24, and a lot of the people who follow me now have followed me from the beginning. We’ve grown up together! And if they didn’t follow me from the beginning, perhaps they found me through the Radio Disney show or one of my other podcasts which is super cool. This demographic is hungry, excited and eager to get out of their comfort zone and dip their toes into everything to ultimately find their dream job. There is something so fabulous about being young and willing to fall down and get back up, which is what I strive to show people through the summits and my platform. You can’t find success without trying tons of different experiences out along the way.
How do you work through moments of doubt?
I struggle with anxiety and depression and that leads to me dealing with burnout - I do everything I can to avoid burnout. When that doubt and frustration pops up enough to make me second guess what I’m doing, I force myself to take time off. I bring no value to my company without being fearless and unfiltered, and that means I have to feel that way too. I’ve come up with this recipe to counteract the burnout which is to take time off, spend time outside, and get completely offline to get myself back to feeling strong and healthy. It works!
When I’m rejected I wonder whether all of the hard work and late nights will pay off, but as an entrepreneur I signed up for that feeling. The doubt and rejection is what frequently inspires me to work harder and do better.
What advice do you have to share with our girls and women about preparing for the future?
Live fearlessly. Don’t spend time worrying about what you could be doing or what other people think about you: if I had listened to everyone who told me no over the years, I’d be doing who knows what right now!? You have to get uncomfortable to get comfortable: go live your life!
You have a great mentor program. Why are mentors important to have? What can they provide?
Mentorship is so relative now and I think it’s because people have been so isolated and scared due to COVID. Having a cheerleader to support you on your weakest days is critical and mentorship is that. The bond that a mentor and mentee have really allows both parties to learn and grow, and shows you that just because someone is at the “top” like your mentor may be doesn’t mean they have all the answers. Mentors want to learn too, while sharing their connections and insight. I always advise people to go into a mentorship relationship having a clear vision of what they are looking to get out of that relationship. It’s not therapy and it’s free work essentially: utilize your time thoughtfully.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
I exercise a lot, 6 days a week, and prioritize the workout along with my morning routine. Getting into lifting at the gym has given me a sense of confidence and freedom I don’t get from working. I love having conversations with anyone: I stay motivated by going to bed knowing that I’m waking up to learn even just one thing about someone or something (and have my morning coffee too!) I do enjoy having a brand that has different parts to it, like the podcast and the site and the summits because I’m always working towards something.
What suggestions do you have for our readers that want to start being “fearless”? How should they start?
Try something new every single day that gets you out of your comfort zone. When I landed Fearless Everyday on Radio Disney, I think people expected me to be soliciting jumping out of airplanes and bungee jumping 24/7. Being fearless doesn’t mean you have to be frightened! Try a new coffee shop, make business cards, start a blog. Hate all of that? Try something else. Don’t get frustrated during the process of finding out what you love: it’s cliche, but you have to fall in love with the journey, not the end goal.
What is your definition of empowerment?
I view empowerment as having the freedom to believe in myself strong enough to pursue opportunities that scare me and make me feel uncomfortable. I hope everyone who is a Project Glimmer fan or even fan of my work feels confident to say no to something they don’t want to do, find friends who bring them up and not down, and pursue everything they want to pursue because they CAN. That’s empowering.
What is one piece of advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
Pitch the heck out of yourself! Don’t stop reaching out to people, picking up the phone, knocking down doors. If you want to work for yourself, you have to be willing to be the 1%. Don’t hide behind your computer screen waiting for it to happen: it won’t. You have to make it happen.
Project Glimmer is excited to collaborate with Alexa Curtis and bring more of her wisdom and fearlessness to our organization!