We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hailey Mathis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hailey , 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.
When I was battling with imposter syndrome, the one thing that started to help me the most was building a network of other small business owners and makers. Sharing our experiences and our obstacles with each other helped us realize that we all struggle with imposter syndrome. We’ve been able to help lift each other up and overcome imposter syndrome! I still struggle with imposter syndrome sometimes but it’s not near as bad as what it use to be!
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?
I designed boho jewelry for my brand called Highway Hippie! I put my heart and soul into all of our pieces! Everything I make is small batch and some pieces are one of a kind!
There is so much in the works for 2025! We are in the process of working on a rebrand, a new website and bringing our charm bar online! One cool detail I can share about this current project is that one of the fonts we are using on our website was made from my handwriting! We are putting so many details into this project!
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?
Three qualities that have helped me the most is dedication, discipline and honesty! Owning a small business can be a lot of mundane tasks. 90% of it is constant hard work without any rewards and 10% of the time you may get recognition or the reward! The first three years in business was a lot of trial and error. I was failing on a daily basis. Failure is something that must happen to develop those three qualities. The best advice I can give anyone that is in the early stages is to focus on your path! Don’t focus on anyone else’s path! We all face set backs and failures but where they happen in your journey can look different in someone else’s journey. Stay disciplined and keep working towards your dreams. Keep showing up for yourself and your dreams! Always be honest and take accountability if you mess up or make a mistake! Trust me it will add up and help you get to where you want to be!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
A great friend of my who owns the Bijoux Fab recommended me the book Chop Wood Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf. This book is about how to fall in love with the process of becoming great. Most of the time the process of becoming great is doing the mundane tasks daily. If you don’t enjoy the journey, you’ll feel let down when you hit your destination!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://highwayhippiejewelry.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highwayhippie/profilecard/?igsh=MTd5bHp5azZ5bDhnYg==
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
