We recently connected with Bri Olivares and have shared our conversation below.
Bri, 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?
Growing up, I struggled with body dysmorphia and a lack of confidence in my own smarts and talents. Because of this, I questioned my purpose and potential for success. It wasn’t until I became a mom and poured into my faith that I found the unshakable self esteem and motivation I had always yearned for. I realized who I was, was already written in stone by the God that created me. This reminded me that feelings are fleeting and if I ever doubted who I was because of outside opinions, I could turn to the scriptures that point me back to the truth. Building a strong foundation on something that isn’t changing with trends has helped keep me in a positive place while walking out my purpose. I no longer question what I’m destined for, deserving of, or defined as, no matter what room I walk into.
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 became a mom at 21 and after finally saving up enough to take a leap of faith to pursue my passion, at 24 I opened my business Bricasso Beauty in Houston, TX. But I feel like a lot of people don’t know I also went to UTSA for Business Information Systems. While the two seem completely unrelated-and were…with the rise of social media, I found myself using platforms such as tiktok to create content not only for my
beauty business but for genuine entertainment and other brand deals. Being able to utilize social media along with using my expertise to design my website, create campaigns, SEO, etc.,
I realized I was in the best position of being able to combine my talents as a beauty professional and creator while truly enjoying it all.
When I first started, I wasn’t sure how people would take my business seriously because I was determined to continue to be my (self proclaimed) comedic self when creating online content. Being 30 now, the beauty and creator industry has grown exponentially since I first begun my journey, but it has shown me how much potential there is when you put yourself out there and stay true to what you believe in. I have gotten to a place where I am able to be a present mom while pursuing further qualifications to expand my business and still find a way to express my own personality on my platform.
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?
Looking back, I think the three things that were most impactful in my journey as far as qualities, skills or areas of knowledge were- staying positive no matter what, studying social media analytics and learning to not care about the judgement of others.
The best advice I could give someone early in their journey is to figure out what YOU love, what you want to put out into the world, what you’re good at and then learn how you can monetize from it. You can never go wrong using your God given gifts, desires or dreams!
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest obstacle I’ve had in my journey, is a neurological disorder I was diagnosed with at 17. Essential Tremors, it is a progressive condition that causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking. It can affect almost any part of the body, but the trembling occurs most often in the hands, it is most often mistaken for Parkinson’s and worsens with high stress or emotions. Being a Microblading and makeup artist, shakey is not ideal. While there are medications for tremors, I unfortunately had such negative side affects from them that I had to find natural ways to calm my hands. It has truly been a blessing to be able to keep my tremors under control in this way. But, there was one year I was dealing with so much, that my tremors had progressed to the point of not even being able to do my own makeup or carry a drink with no lid.
I had to block off my bookings for months and thought I was going to have to give up on dreams I had worked so hard to make a reality, I didn’t want to take videos because I was embarrassed at how shakey I was and I felt like I couldn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want them to doubt my ability to perform my services.
This was such a low time for me, but I did everything I could to eliminate anything making my tremors worse,I stopped letting myself to be embarrassed to go around people if I’m shakey, I found better natural medicines, and I prayed, a lot.
This obstacle became one of my biggest motivators and surprisingly allowed me to find alot of peace and reassurance that I don’t believe I would have today if I didn’t walk through this and learn how to live with my Essential tremors, no matter what.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.bricassobeauty.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/the_bricasso?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@The_bricasso
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_bricasso
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@the_bricasso
