Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yvonne Liao. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Yvonne, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
I had a job interview some time ago and was in the process of preparing for the interview questions when I had an epiphany. Rather than focusing all my efforts on memorizing the answers to all the potential questions that the interviewer would throw at me, my gut instinct told me to focus on developing a genuine curiosity in the interviewer and engaging in authentic conversations with him/her. Most importantly, I told myself to just enjoy the process and go with the flow. I followed what my heart told me throughout the entire interview process with three different people and got the job in the end.
The powerful lesson I learnt from this experience is that although we all look different on the outside, what lies behind the façade are probably similar aspirations and fears that we all share. People value genuine human interactions, and being able to simply show up as myself and authentically relate to others is what really matters. So, whenever I attend an event or meet with a group of people who are strangers, I always focus on showing up as myself and try to connect with them beyond their appearances and job titles. I find that when I set this intention in mind in meeting with other people, I tend to forget about whether I am the only one who looks like me and am more successful in forging with connections with people who eventually become my lifelong friends.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Growing up, I have always wanted to be a fashion designer. When I was 15 years old, I visited my best friend who was living in Hong Kong. His father owned a shoe factory in China, and I fell in love with shoes after my first visit to the shoe factory. It was exciting to see first-hand how shoes were made in a factory, and the best part of the trip was that I get to choose as many shoes as I wanted from the sample closet. I ended up choosing shoes with the most colorful and outrageous designs. Since that trip, my love for fashion design gradually focused on shoes and footwear design. Personally, I felt like wearing brightly colored and fun makes shoes allowed me to express my creative individuality amidst a conservative society where I always felt like I had to conform to invisible societal norms.
However, after spending many years wearing fashionable but uncomfortable shoes, coupled with being an avid runner for over 20 years, my feet suffered from the painful effects of plantar fasciitis when I was in my late thirties.
When I could no longer wear fashionably high heels or pointed sandals, I started searching for fun, colorful and comfortable shoes to alleviate my painful heels for everyday wear but was frustrated because I could not find any footwear (other than boring sneakers and running shoes) that met my needs.
It was not until I started sharing my shoe problems with other women that I discovered that many of them encounter similar problems in finding fashionable, versatile and comfortable footwear that they could wear from day to night.
Therefore, I decided to launch my footwear to fill the need and void in the marketplace for women who like me, want comfortable shoes that express their unique personalities. I design and create bold, vibrant, and comfortable footwear that the modern rebellious badass women can wear every day and anywhere – from boardroom meetings and dinner parties to lazy Sunday brunches and relaxing beach vacations at Bora Bora.
The exciting part of this process is seeing my designs come to life at the factory. I am very particular about my designs and the choice of materials because I put a lot of thought into thinking about the women who are going to wear my shoes – what are their lifestyles and the issues they are having with their footwear so that my shoes can help alleviate their problems. I like to design and make my own shoes first so I can wear them and know what to improve before I send over my designs to the factory. It is a very rewarding feeling when the factory can execute my idea and elevate my design into an even better product. What gets me the most excited is when my customers love my shoes and knowing that they are going to step into fun and exciting adventures in my shoes.
I am launching my capsule footwear collection this Fall on my website and am excited that this lifelong dream of mine is finally coming to life!
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?
My first permanent job as a secondary school teacher taught me a lot of skills and provided a strong foundation for me to tackle many of my challenges later in life. The first skill is being detail-oriented. Growing up I was a pretty careless person, and I almost did not get into university because I missed out on filling in a large portion of my application! When I became a teacher, I learnt to be very detailed-oriented because many of the responsibilities I undertook required me to have the accurate information, such as setting examination papers and planning for overseas trips for students. Many of the projects required me to be involved into rounds of thoughtful planning with my colleagues.
The second skill is the ability to multi-task. As a teacher I had to wear so many hats – I was a teacher, a counsellor, a disciplinarian, a Red Cross officer, a newsletter writer, and many other responsibilities all rolled into one. There were so many days when I was pulled into different directions, and everything required my attention at the same time. I learnt to think on my feet and developed time-saving hacks so I could complete my tasks as quickly as possible.
The third most important skill I learnt is communication. I taught primarily 15- and 16-year-old teenagers and had to condense difficult and complex information into simple concepts in my lesson plans so that they could understand. There was nothing worse than being in a classroom of 40 teenagers with blank looks on their faces after spending an hour of teaching and knowing that I wasted their time and mine and nothing was accomplished. Being a teacher taught me to constantly think about how I can communicate my ideas across to other people in the most succinct way so they can understand.
My advice to develop these skills is to put always put your best foot forward and be willing and open to learn from your colleagues and bosses. You may currently not be working at your ideal job right now, but there is a saying in Buddhism that nothing is ever wasted. When you put your utmost effort at whatever you are doing right now, opportunities will open up for you in future that eventually bring you to where you want to be.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes! I would love to work with talented fashion stylists, photographers, and videographers to create my marketing assets. I am also very interested in collaborating with fashion bloggers to promote my footwear. Interested folks can DM me via my Instagram account and I look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yvonneliaonyc.com
- Instagram: @yvonneliaonyc
- Other: Tik Tok: @yvonneliaonyc Pinterest: @yvonneliaonyc
Image Credits
Boone Bussey Keiko Hirosue
