Episode 15 - Empower Others As You Rise with Victoria Pelletier

By Jessica Garrison

Trigger warnings: rape, abuse

Our guest this week, Victoria Pelletier, is an accomplished public speaker and author. She’s been presented with honors such as an HSBC Diversity & Inclusion Award, Mentor of the Year, and was listed in the Top 50 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech in 2021. She has so much to share with us, not only about how she’s achieved these honors, but how she’s learned to embrace her layers along the way.

Victoria says her self-care evolved over time, reminding us that resilience is a muscle that continues to get stronger over time. She credits her adoptive mother for helping her learn, value, and communicate her emotions, which has helped Victoria create her self-care routines.

Victoria was quite open and vulnerable in the episode, telling us that her birth mother was an abusive drug addict, which in turn scarred her both physically and emotionally; Victoria suffered from abandonment issues and insecurities, which were only elevated at the age of 14 when she was raped. After her adoptive mother came into the picture and helped Victoria become mindful of her emotions, she was able to begin a journey towards self-healing.

A professional goal Victoria had was to achieve an executive role at 24 as she’s very interested in leadership roles and the dynamics of business. Most of the time, Victoria is the youngest executive, only woman, and only queer person in the room, which isn’t easy to handle. However, she began to fight past stereotypes so others don’t have to struggle to be in the room. She fights for more diversity and inclusivity, when it comes to the business world. In supporting women, Victoria brilliantly says, “Lift others as you rise.”

Ever heard the question, “How do you manage it all?” How could a woman possibly handle a job, children, a husband, and a household, as well as keeping up with their social life? Unfortunately, Victoria has heard sexist questions like this a time or twenty. To that, Victoria says, “Where there’s conviction, there’s capacity.”

To be in business, Victoria put a front up for others, and it took until her late 20s to begin the process of peeling back all of her layers. She thought she was always embracing her layers, but she’s since seen the evolution of herself becoming more authentic. She gained the confidence to live the life she wanted and accept the love that she deserves without letting the words of others get to her. Victoria has a very tight-knit group of people who love and accept her for who she is, and she doesn’t stand for unnecessary drama in her core group of people.

She’s chosen to not let others make her feel guilty for the choices she makes, which can be easier said than done. There’s nothing that makes minorities want to stay in places of business when there’s no inclusivity, and Victoria works to create safe spaces for people from all walks of life to feel comfortable pursuing their dreams in business and leadership.

I need everyone to listen to Victoria speak about her journey because no blog could ever do her justice in telling her incredible and influential story. For more information, you can check out Victoria’s website and the show notes on the Embracing Layers website!

Ways to Engage: Victoria touched on a lot of sexist language throughout this episode, such as the difference between a man in business being “assertive” and a woman in business being a “bitch.” What have you experienced with this? How did you respond? What language was used? How did it make you feel? I know every woman has a similar story, and we’re here to listen, share, and grow.