We recently connected with Mia de Paula and have shared our conversation below.
Mia , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I get it from my mum. She’s one of the most resilient and adaptive people I’ve ever met. But also, I’ve had to be resilient my entire life. I’m a twice immigrant, latina, woman. Being resilient is in my DNA… I’m my nature. I have no other choice but to stand up, fight for what’s right, and fight for what I want to achieve in life. And that’s to help others.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I founded and created the Women’s Mountain Bike Network, which is a fully resourceful website for women in the sport of mountain biking. Our goal with this website is to provide resources for women by women, from a woman’s perspective, which is something that doesn’t exist. This is a first of its kind. I want this to be a central hub for women to come and find information about mountain bikes, mountain bike clothing mountain, bike gear, shoes, clubs, community, tips tricks etc. We are excited to be working with some brands who have given us access to clothing and shoes for us to demo, and review.
We’re also working with some bike brands who are providing us with both acoustic and E-bikes for us to review. The e-bike reviews/series that we’re working on is something I’m really excited about, because a lot of women shy away from getting E-bikes. Mainly because they think it’s too heavy and they won’t be able to handle the bikes. We really want to be able to test and ride the bikes long term, and bring that experience to folks. Someone’s age, weight, height, etc, should never be a barrier from stopping them from doing something you enjoy like mountain biking or doing something you always wanted to try like mountain biking.
Another exciting thing we have coming up on the website is the revamping of some pages: events, mountain bike clubs, and mountain bike coaches. We’re going to make it a little bit more user friendly, whereby there will be a map feature so folks can just go to a map and find things all over the world: If you want to join find club, find a coach, an event that’s coming up etc.
Lastly, another really cool feature we have on the site is a page where we list all women-owned/led businesses in mountain biking that we know of. These services are totally free.
The mission is to educate and inspire folks to ride.
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?
I am a very resourceful person and have a lot of passion for mountain biking, but especially passion for equity and equality. Being that women lack so many resources in this industry I wanted to be able to use my skills of connecting with people, web building, and my legal background to build this website, to continue to find resources from around the world on what is needed right now for women in the industry. I’m also not shy about reaching out to brands with this passion while educating them on what’s lacking for women in this sport. Being that I was never able to find all the information that I wanted online regarding mountain bike clothing, shoes or even mountain bikes, I felt like this service was very much needed and I’m really happy to be bringing this to people across the world.
Advice I would have would be not to give up on your goal, and find people who share your passion. Those folks can lift you up, guide you, and fill in areas that you may not be so well-versed in. But also, find resources online on what you lack in order to improve. I didn’t’ know much about SEO marketing until I took a few classes, watched videos, and connected with a friend who was able to help. So, don’t be shy in asking for help, it’s not a weakness, it’s actually a strength that will make you better and quicker at reaching your goal.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
They immigrated to Australia which changed my life and gave me so many opportunities that I would not have had if they stayed in Brazil. In doing so, it also gave me the power of resilience, compassion, and education. My family has struggled but nonetheless persevered through poverty, adversity, and everything else that comes with being an immigrant. And never, did my parents let me quit. But most importantly, they taught me the importance of compassion.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://womensmtbnetwork.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womensmtbnetwork/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@womensmtbnetwork
Image Credits
Hannah Schimidtman Skypark Bike Park Alexis Colin
