Meet Liliana Maldonado

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Liliana Maldonado. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Liliana with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

Growing up in Puerto Rico, an island that frequently lost electricity and water, along with a single mother is where I got my work ethic from. From an early age, I knew life was not easy and that you had to work hard for a better life.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am Liliana Maldonado, an Instagram model & influencer from Puerto Rico who primarily focuses on content creation. I’m well known for engaging content in fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and travel, however, my content is extremely diverse. The main purpose of my content is to help and inspire others, but most notably it is to set a better future for myself and represent my heritage in the form of a digital diary.

I was 16 when I began my content creation journey, and really, I knew from a young age that I wanted to become some sort of content creator. I grew up watching countless content creators who inspired me as a kid, and I knew I wanted to have that effect on others as I grew up.

I wasn’t always popular, pretty, or well-known though. In fact, I was bullied a lot as a kid, which many people would not believe now because of all they see on my social media. But the truth of the matter is I faced all sorts of obstacles with my self-worth, confidence, and friends. I was told I would never be successful, pretty, or smart. Yet, these obstacles gave me even more incentive to work harder and prove many of the people who looked down on me wrong.

Thus, I began my journey as a content creator and worked hard towards my dream. It’s funny, because now a LOT of the people who used to bully me have DM’d me wanting to be friends, and a lot of people who disagree with me will try to bring me down but I consistently prevail.

Anyway, I began small, taking pictures and creating videos on my own. I slowly started to pick up video editing, trends, and hashtags, and then even began my YouTube channel. I focused mostly on consistency, analytics, and networking. As my confidence grew, I became more involved with other creators and even began modeling, which made my account grow faster. I enjoy modeling since I dreamed of being a model all my life despite not meeting the traditional requirements.

Over time, I have had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with a variety of talented photographers and brands I love, In turn, it has gifted me the ability to grow as a person, generate extra income, and receive free items/gift packages, alongside discounts not just for myself but my community.

I would say what I love most, however, about all that I do as a creator and model, is the ability to express myself. I often feel misunderstood but on social media, I feel I can express myself freely in a way I usually am not able to and without realizing that self-expression has inspired others. It warms my heart to know I can be someone others look up to and that those who may have felt the same way I did can overcome the obstacles life throws at them.

Finally, I love being able to look back on my life and see how far I’ve come, because the little girl who once had a dream is finally making that dream come true.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say my education, determination, and resilience.

I never took my education for granted, in fact, I’m currently a first-generation marketing student at the University of North Texas and I fully fund my education. I believe education is one of the greatest gifts life can give you because it can truly help you excel and have a deeper understanding of the world around you. Besides, as one who has seen the effects of being uneducated first-hand, I value education deeply and aim to constantly foster my knowledge as I want to lead a better life for the future generation.

As for determination, it helped me in many ways. Had I not had the determination to prove others wrong, I would not be where I am today. I say you always have to give everything your 110% and realize you only live once, so you might as well die happy and with no regrets.

Lastly, in terms of resilience, I believe it helped me persevere in the moments I needed it most. Had it not been for my resilience, I would have given up too easily on my dreams, instead, I tackled every obstacle 10 times harder because I knew I could not control what happened to me but I knew I could control how I managed it.

As for my advice, just know that no matter what you do or how much you do, there will ALWAYS be someone who is unhappy so never and I mean NEVER let them get to you. Keep going, you never know what may happen. Sure, people will make fun of you in the beginning, but will come running back when they see how successful you’ve become.

Besides, we’re really just a speck of dust in the universe, so you might as well live life to the fullest.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am 100% open to collaborations and am looking to work with professional well-established photographers who understand my rates and will trust in my professionalism. In addition, I am hoping to work with bigger brands and other creators on paid collaborations.

Photographers can reach me through DM’s on Instagram and brands can reach me through e-mail:

IG: @liliana.nicoleee
E-mail: Business.W.Lilly@gmail.com

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @liliana.nicoleee
• Youtube: @liliananicole
• Other: Tiktok: @liliana.nicoleee

Image Credits

Photo/Image credits: @magnusdiv (Instagram) Miguel Gonzalez