Meet Dalia Van Lom

We were lucky to catch up with Dalia Van Lom recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dalia, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Confidence is something people often compliment me on, but let me tell you—I wasn’t always this way. Growing up, confidence didn’t come naturally to me. It was something I had to learn, practice, and develop over time.

Let me share a bit of my story with you 👇🏽

✨ Growing Up in a Big, Loud Family

I come from a huge family. My mom has 10 siblings, and I have 25 first cousins!

We all grew up in a small town in Peru before moving to the capital city for better opportunities.

In my family, everyone is loud, opinionated, and always ready to socialize. This meant I had plenty of practice talking and being around people, whether I liked it or not.

But, like many teenagers, I went through a phase where my confidence took a hit. Picture this: all-black clothing, metal necklaces with spikes, a room painted black (until my mom made me change it to purple), and a rebellious attitude. I just wanted to be left alone.

✨ Finding My Voice (Literally)

In Peru we have this thing call “lonche” which is a meal between lunch and dinner and you serve bread, pastries, fresh cheese and a warm beverage.

I grew up 10 minutes away walking distance from the family building, which was like a mini-community, with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all living just floors apart. And I would go there for lonche every other day. With all this socializing, I was unintentionally training myself to be confident in front of others.

✨ Embracing My True Self

It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen overnight. Confidence, I’ve learned, comes from really knowing who you are and what you have to offer. It took years of practice, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and a lot of rebellion against the idea of “What will people think?” 🤔—a question my mom used to ask all the time.

Instead I embraced the idea of “why not?” and I started putting myself in situations that scared me because I knew that’s where growth happened. I sought out opportunities to speak, to be seen, and to be heard. And guess what? The more I did it, the more confident I became 💃🏽.

✨Confidence Is a Journey, Not a Destination

Even today, I keep pushing myself. I create content, book podcasts, go to networking meetings, I put myself out there because I know confidence is like a muscle—you have to keep exercising it. And every time I push myself, I grow a little more.🤗

👉🏽So, if you’re struggling with confidence, know that it’s okay. It’s a journey, and it’s one that never truly ends. You just have to keep showing up, even when it feels scary, because on the other side of that fear is growth.

2 pro tips to build your confidence👇🏽

1️⃣Keep a journal to track your progress. Write down moments when you felt confident or proud, and revisit them when you need a boost.

2️⃣Create a “Praise album” on your phone and fill it with screenshots from your audience/clients/friends celebrating you and your achievements.

These reminders of your growth can help reinforce your self-belief!

If this resonates with you and you’re ready to start building your own confidence, let’s chat! Whether it’s about showing up authentically, speaking up in your business, or just finding your voice, I’m here to help 🤗

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?

I am a Social Media Marketer who focuses on video content. I help business owners create highly engaging content that helps them create a personal brand, establish their expertise and get found online by ideal clients.

I’m known for using video content to create a vibe that potential clients can’t resist to connect with! My teachings combine content strategy with personal branding and sustainable systems for content creation to convert followers into strong leads.

My handle is daliaforreels because I focus on video content but also because I teach you how to be “for reals” with your audience because that is your main differentiator from others in your industry: No one is YOU.

I customize my services depending on the business owner and their goals so we can get the best results. And this is why I love starting with a FREE connection video call so I can learn more about your business and brand to know how to best help you with my services.

For reference here are a few things I can help you with:

Social media strategy & planning your monthly content: https://daliavanlom.hbportal.co/public/contentstrategycall/
Branding video content session: https://daliavanlom.hbportal.co/public/brandingvideo/
Creating a Personal Brand
Creating a custom system to make content creation consistent and sustainable
Creating and editing reels for you
Posting and Scheduling

Book a FREE connection call today and let’s talk! Here is the link: https://calendly.com/daliaforreels/connect-w-dalia

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Throughout my whole journey as an entrepreneur these are the 3 main skills/qualities that were the most impactful:

Confidence: You gotta fake it til you actually believe it! No one is born being confident, this is a skill you gotta nurture and the more you do it the easier it gets to talk about what you offer. Once you are confident in what you’re selling you don’t even need to “sell” anymore because you are just so happy doing what you do that merely talking about it lights you up and this energy is contagious!

In content marketing: You gotta build your confidence so you can show up on video and spread your message.

Mindset: Oh entrepreneurship is never a smooth road haha and a huge part of making it as a business owner is working on your mindset because imposter syndrome shows up often and you got to know how to handle it. Nowadays whenever imposter syndrome comes up I get excited because it means I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone and that’s ok! It is how I grow the most! So feeling imposter syndrome has become a sign I’m on the right path and I need to continue.

In content marketing: You gotta work on your mindset so no matter what comes up you keep spreading your message consistently because you deeply believe it will help others.

Establish systems & be open to change: The life of a business owner is never the same. Yes you can implement systems for automating recurring tasks but you also have to check in every month to make sure those systems are still relevant. New platforms and softwares show up all the time so you have to remember to stay up to date, learn from your mistakes, and be open to pivot if you are not getting results.

In content marketing: You gotta go with the flow, use new features, experiment and stay up to date with the platforms you use to promote your business, plus review your strategy monthly to adjust to your goals!

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

Besides teaching me about the importance of community my mom also gave me the gift of traveling, which is what ultimately got me where I’m at today.

When I was 18, I had a dream of coming to the U.S. Not as a tourist, but as someone ready to experience everything I had seen in the movies—the land of opportunities, where dreams could come true.

But let’s be real—I wasn’t coming from a family that could afford to just send me on a trip to the States for fun.🤷🏾‍♀️

So, I pitched my mom on a “business opportunity” to send me to the U.S 😉. I found out about a work-and-travel program that would allow me to stay for three months, with a job, accommodation, and transportation all arranged.💃🏽

The catch? You had to work hard, save your money, and if done right, you could make it all back and more.

I told my mom, “I know you’re spending a couple thousand dollars on this, but I’ll double your investment!”

Of course, my plan wasn’t just about money—it was about living out a dream. Growing up in Peru, traveling the world wasn’t an option. You needed visas for everything, and opportunities were much more limited.

The States felt like a place where anything was possible. Where you could start from scratch, take risks, and build something bigger than you could ever imagine back home.

And guess what? I made it happen. I worked hard, saved, and at the same time, I got to experience the culture, improve my English, and live the adventure I had always dreamed of 😎

So, what’s the takeaway here?

As a solopreneur, the same mindset that helped me turn a dream into a reality is what helps me in business every day. We often face obstacles—financial limitations, societal expectations, or just plain fear—but if you can pitch yourself on your vision, work hard, and stay committed, the results can be life-changing.🤗

👉🏽So next time you hit a wall in your business, ask yourself: How can I turn this into an opportunity?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/daliaforreels
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daliaforreels/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalia-van-lom/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@daliaforreels

Image Credits

All photos were taken and edited by Meg Marie Photography @meg_marie_photo