An Inspired Chat with Marina Gee of Walnut Creek

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Marina Gee. Check out our conversation below.

Marina, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
It’s been fascinating for me to see the similarities between the challenges that practice owners face and the challenges I’ve faced in building my agency. I think that is what has been drawing me to work with more practice owners. I find myself really looking up to their resilience, problem solving, and learning, because I recognize the necessity of those things in my own journey. I think my team has built up the capacity to really help practice owners in a meaningful way, and I feel really fulfilled knowing that we are helping to market things that make other people’s lives better.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Marina Gee. I am the founder of MG Media Creative, a digital marketing agency. We help service based businesses around the country grow their online presence and attract more clients. I pride myself in the way we go above and beyond for our clients and really become a fractional part of their team. Apart from that, I am a professional latin dance instructor and travel the country giving workshops and performing. I am also fluent in Spanish. Though my mom speaks, I started learning as an adult and have been very passionate and proud of that whole process.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I remember the way music, art, and movies would make me feel as a child. Hearing powerful voices would give me chills and make me feel connected to something enormous. Phantom of the Opera was one of my favorite movies when I was young. My dad would play the songs in the car with me, and the notes of the organ and the melody of Sarah Brightman’s voice would put me in a trance.

Today, I believe God is the creative force and the creative force is God. I felt powerful any time I was connected to creativity as a child and I still do to this day.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I think a lot of us spend a lot of time trying to “make it through” problems. When I was first starting my business, there were so many times when I would think “I can’t wait until this gets easier” or “I can’t wait until I don’t have to deal with this anymore”. Only to realize, that when I finally moved on to the next phase, there was just another set of challenges waiting for me.

The turning point for me was when I changed my perspective entirely. Life is challenges. For me, it’s about picking which challenges you are going to work on. Now I tell myself “I am ready to move on to the next set of problems” when I am frustrated with something that’s in front of me. It’s not about ever being rid of problems. It’s about making sure the problems in front of you align with the person you want to be as you work on them.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Someone asked me the other day: “What is something you always knew that no one had to teach you? What truth was always there as long as you can remember?”

I had two answers.

My earliest memory was reaching up and pulling my dad’s hand to try to get him across the parking lot on the day my brother was born. My dad had picked me up to go see my brother, and I was so excited I wanted my dad to go faster to get there. I was 2 and a half years old. They say you only start keeping memories when you’re 4. But this is my most distinct, earliest memory. And in that memory, I can see the whole scene. I remember how tall my dad was and how big the parking lot seemed. But most of all, I remember the feeling I had in that moment of “This is family. We’re finally all together.” That was one truth that I always remember being there: What it means to be a family and how important that is.

The second feeling I’ve always had is what a lot of people refer to as God. Before I had a word for it, I remember the feeling of something bigger. I asked my parents all kinds of questions about life, where we came from, and why we’re here growing up. I was raised around Catholic church but I don’t feel that my truth came from organized religion. I’ve always felt that we’re all a part of something more important and that the choices we make, who we decide to be, how we connect with people all matters. It matters in some way beyond what we can physically see right in front of us.

These aren’t truths that I necessarily have “proof” for. Sure, I’m certain I could find statistics, studies, and anecdotes to support their existence. But they’ve always been there. They are central to who I am and to the life I lead.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I love this question. One of my mentors, Blaine Bartlett, said something along those lines once: “Who would I be if everything that identified me as Blaine was gone?” I’ve thought about it ever since.

I’ve come to believe that the ONLY thing that matters down here is the nature of our connections with other people. The quality of your life IS the quality of your relationships. That’s true in business, in love, in friendship, in family…

If I laid everything down that I use to identify “me” — all of the accomplishments I’m proud of, all of the words I use to describe myself — what would remain would be the memories and connections I have with every person I’ve come in contact with.

Realizing this made me change the way I approach the world. Nothing is more important than the way I show up for people.

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