I loved my job as a structural engineer and had big plans to climb up the corporate ladder to become an engineering executive one day (it was why I went back to school). I had accolades and promotions building up, and there was a lot going for me.

At the end of 2017, I went on a 2-week vacation with my family to the Philippines. I had the time of my life in the first week, but felt miserable and stressed in the second. I was worrying about the amount of work I’d be facing when I got back.

So instead of working hard towards building someone else’s dream, I wanted to create real changeI gave myself 2 years to diversify and create new streams of income, and the influencer world sparked my exit strategy.

I came back to Instagram with new intentions and purpose: I wanted to help others live a life of purpose and create real, deep impact in the world.

In 2015, I decided to take a step back from my influencer career and focus on grad school and my engineering career instead. 

That’s when Outside My Cubicle was born: because true impact happens beyond the four walls of your cubicle.

For the next 2 years, I completely rebranded my Instagram and created a platform where I am able to create value for my audience through my story.

And I’m not gonna lie, it was not an easy journey. I learned and unlearned a lot of social media strategies and trends, and essentially had to find a new audience from scratch (I lost A LOT of followers when I changed my niche).

But through the growing pains, I also gained overflowing blessings out of it. I grew a new, more engaged audience up to 30k, made a lot of amazing new friends online, and mastered the art of working with brands where I earned $30,000 in brand partnerships in 2019, working with brands like Amazon, MLB, Sephora, Target, Disney and more.

ALL ON TOP OF JUGGLING A LEAD POSITION AT MY 9-5.

In 2020, I was increasingly frustrated over many influencers who took their platform for granted.

Blinded by the numbers and the desire to land every brand collaboration that comes their way, I noticed many influencers have lost sight of the power they truly have and have turned into sellouts, obsessed with climbing up without purpose. With that frustration, I felt compelled to share my thoughts on an Instagram post that blew up. People wanted more.

My community wanted to learn how I’m building my influencer career with integrity. The more questions I got, the more I realized something: there may be a lot of courses and products out there teaching people how to become an influencer and monetize through brand collaborations....

But very few speak on it from a microinfluencer’s perspective who also happens to be a veteran. And to be quite honest: a lot of people are teaching on the surface level.