We were lucky to catch up with Alessandra Mayr recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alessandra, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I’ve felt imposter syndrome in all areas of life. For instance, when I started developing a following ~6 years ago, my friends jokingly started calling me an influencer, and because they did so jokingly, I always felt like I didn’t truly deserve that label. So now that I AM one, I still cringe every time I call myself that, even though I have all the credentials to do so.
The same thing goes for modeling. I started modeling when I was around 14, but because I started in Honduras, I felt like I wasn’t a “real model.” People down there tend to say that “anyone can be a model in Honduras,” likely because the country is so small. So when I would hear that, it would devalidate my efforts, even though I was on storefronts, magazine covers, walking on big runways, and getting paid for my work. Even once I moved to the US and signed with an agency in Houston, I still had imposter syndrome calling myself a model. Then last year, I was invited to walk in New York Fashion Week, and I kept telling all the models backstage, “I’m not a model — I just got invited to this.” Way to sabotage myself.
That said, I think one of the best ways to overcome imposter syndrome is to make a list of why you deserve to have or be whatever you feel like an imposter of. So for example, I would write down, “Why I deserve to be called a model,” and write down things like:
– I’ve been in 5 fashion spreads in prominent magazines
– I’ve been featured on a magazine cover
– I’ve been on 4 different storefronts
– I’ve walked in dozens of runway shows, including Honduras Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week
– I’ve received a great amount of press for my modeling work
– etc.
For being an influencer, I would write:
– I have a large following on both Instagram and TikTok
– People try the things I recommend
– I’ve worked with dozens (if not hundreds) of credible brands across different industries
– I make a full-time income off of social media
– etc.
It seems silly, but I think writing down all your achievements this way will make you realize that you really HAVE put in the work towards whatever reward or title you’re getting, and will ultimately allow you to give imposter syndrome the finger and say, “I DO deserve this!”
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Allow me to introduce myself! I’m Ale, a 25-year-old travel and lifestyle creator based in Austin, Texas sharing inspiring stories and beautiful destinations with my audience. I use my love for storytelling to make you see the beauty in everything; to make you realize you don’t have to go very far to experience the wonders this world has to offer. Everyone is a foreigner somewhere. Any place is a travel destination. So whether I’m tequila tasting in Mexico, paragliding in Switzerland, or relaxing at home in Texas, I show you how to make the most of your trips no matter where you go.
Aside from my travel tips, I’m also starting to focus on developing a mental health community for influencers. I think it’s an untapped niche that is SO important. Why? Because an “influencer,” in itself, is someone who has influence on others, so if their mental health is in a good place, they have the ability spread that positivity to thousands if not millions of people. And if they have poor mental health, their influence is more likely to be negative. It’s similar to the benefits of meditating: it may seem like it only benefits the meditator, but it ultimately benefits everyone around them, too. My community will be called The Like-Minded Club, and I’m aiming to launch it in the summer of 2023!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Reading/writing, editing videos, and public speaking. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a kid. I would devour any book in my path, and I firmly believe that’s what helped me become a good writer today, especially in English, since it isn’t my first language. It helped me land a job as an editor after college, which I still work at today! (Check out TheNewsette.com.) Then, in middle school and high school, I got very into editing videos. My cousins and I would write comedy skits, record them on my cousin’s Photo Booth app, and put them together on iMovie. I was obsessed with it. I personally didn’t have a Mac Book, so when I wanted to create videos on my own, I used Windows Movie Maker! It seemed like just a fun hobby back then, but I never would’ve guessed that it would lead me to create awesome, viral-worthy videos for my social today. As for public speaking, I’ve been pretty used to doing it ever since I was a kid, because I competed in every single school spelling bee in elementary school and won 1st place 3 out of 5 times, and 2nd place the other 2 times (tooting my own horn, here). It was pretty nerve-wracking, standing there in front of my entire grade, teachers, and parents. But it got me used to speaking into a microphone and having hundreds of eyes on me. It helped me win class president later on, and become the sweetheart for a fraternity in college. Now, it helps me speak comfortably on my Instagram Stories to engage with my audience and tell captivating stories on TikTok.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m looking to collaborate for content creators (or influencers, call it what you want!) who think it would be beneficial to have a mental health community for creators. I would love to share my idea for it with other creators, pick their brains on how to make it better, and potentially even collaborate on an interview or joint webinar!
Contact Info:
- Website: alemayr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alemayr/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com
