Meet Andrea Vilorio

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Vilorio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.

Andrea, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.

Working in public health and in the education system in the United States and in Ethiopia, I’ve had to learn to meet people where they are at. To become a better communicator, a lot of time has been spent on learning about communication: what does it mean to be a good communicator, what does it mean to be a bad one, what helps to inspire others, and what do you need to do/say for your point to be made. Communication can be a tricky thing because it’s a two-way dialogue – what do you say and how does the other person interpret what you said. During these pathways and connections, it’s common for miscommunication to occur. In a professional setting, we like to regurgitate the information back to the speaker and provide a summary of what we thought we heard. In a text, where it’s common to misinterpret something as you can’t read body language or syntax, we ask questions.

It’s a business practice of Planting Positivity, LLC, to ask questions because it helps us understand what you want to happen, what you’ve tried, and it helps to gauge what advice we might give you for the next time. It’s also a great way to learn “your why” and connect on a personal level. What we love about plants and communication is that it is also a two- way dialogue, but without words. Plants will find a way to tell you in their own way that they need more sunlight, that they need more or less water, or that there is something wrong – the key is to be open to seeing the signs. Plants teach us to take a step back and observe, to not be so quick to make judgments, and to be curious. The plant community teaches us to ask questions and to play detectives, because when it’s given the right environment, a plant can flourish – just like people.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Planting Positivity, LLC came about to expand people’s concept of what plants are, what they bring to our lives, and to show that there is a certain “artistry” to plant care. I wanted to help how society sees “artists” and help them understand that being one is more than a painter, a carpenter, a sculpture, a singer, and so much more. Being a person in-tuned with nature and at peace with working with their hands can be an artist and it’s a beautiful thing. As a Latina, a plant business owner, and an artist, I am proud to hold space for individuals going through all walks of life, from novice to more advanced plant people, looking to be an artist in the plant world. This business allows fellow individuals to dive into the plant world and become a plant mom or plant dad.

Planting Positivity, LLC has been actively engaged in the Atlanta community market space for more than five years. During that time, we’ve interacted with many members who are interested in plants, who have been a collector for years, or even those who had a little reservation about diving into the plant world as they’ve killed so many. Navigating these conversations in an authentic way has meant taking a personal reflection on our own path and making decisions that can make an impact on us long-term. These decisions have led to seeking help from others with more expertise, taking business and financial classes, seeking mentorship from well-established businesses, and seeking out opportunities to become better known.

Now being in a doctorate program at Georgia State University, Andrea is taking business and financial classes to become aware of how to better support the business and continue her education in supporting the plant community.

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?

Immigrating from Honduras, Central America at age 8, leaving the only place, and home I had known was hard and it was an adjustment. As a young and impressionable young Latin girl, I wanted to fit in with the new culture I was immersed in, but I never quite did. It turns out not fitting in was the biggest blessing as it meant not fitting into a box. It’s what led to my time in the Peace Corps (Andrea C. Vilorio – A Latinx, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer finding her way through travels and spirituality – https://losingmyselfinservice1.wordpress.com/.) in Ethiopia, a country I fell madly in love with, my curiosity with different cultures led me to learn languages, my desire to education led me from becoming a teacher to aa public health advocate, my desire to connect with something bigger than myself led to becoming scuba certified, and my desire to find connections with the community led to the start of this business.

In this entrepreneurship journey, it is grit, resilience, mental toughness with a whole lot of stamina, and determination that helps Planting Positivity, LLC push forth. Research shows that grit and resilience go together as it’s the ability to overcome obstacles, but I would also insert that mental toughness, stamina, and determination despite negativity is what keeps humans going. The beautiful thing about humanity is the ability to have options and opinions, but sometimes, this can cause conflict and insecurities to come out. This allows “imposter syndrome” to come to light and it highlights anxiety, self-doubt, and a vicious cycle of overworking to prove oneself. To overcome imposter syndrome, focusing on self-validation and surrounding yourself with mentors or coaches who support you is key, as this is the way to battle the fear of being exposed as a fraud. Your purpose, passion, words, and your “why” during this life matter. For those who are early in their journey, we would recommend “try small, try big, try anything. And fail as often as you can.” Get out of your comfort zone, travel a bit, have conversations with people that are different than you – with time, you’ll find yourself slowly evolving. It is during these moments, where you feel like you’re at your lowest, where you want to give up and try something else, or where you’ve killed so many plants and are unsure of trying again, that we recommend “try again and this time try something a little differently.” Maybe this time, it means taking a class to learn, maybe it’s talking to a professional, maybe it’s moving to a new place, or picking a new plant – try again.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

Depending on who you speak with, some will say that being excellent at one thing is the most important thing in the world. They’ll spend hours on hours perfecting their craft, learning about one topic, and dedicating their life to excelling at that one thing. Those years of hard work, determination, sweat, blood, and effort will pay off and they’ll go off to be known as one of the best in their art.

Me, on the other hand, I prefer to be good at a bunch of things. I find joy in the simplest of things and find that building connections is the most important thing. Being a business owner, being authentic, credible, and having an aura of curiosity has been the lifeline I’ve needed to be able to converse with others who are different from me. My schooling has led me to focus on finding what’s missing (in programs, in conversations, in books, etc) and provide solutions to those gaps – this is what helps reach as many audiences as possible. Being a big picture thinker, a mental health advocate, a system change supporter, and being able to ask the “why,” has opened doors into places where we can have conversations about what matters to the individual. As someone that prioritizes building connections, ensuring the community has the resources they need to take care of themselves, and getting to meet people where they are at, it’s so important to be well-versed in many topics. In the case of Planting Positivity, LLC, it is better to be good with the intra and interpersonal skills, than being methodical and an expert in one area.

In addition to my full-time job and my plant business, I also provide pet sitting and babysitting services. I keep myself busy with volunteering with horses at Stride Ahead, volunteering at the Georgia Aquarium and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. For fun, I enjoy traveling, eating new foods, and scuba diving.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Eddie Wedman.

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