We recently connected with Coco Vonne and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Coco, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Where do I begin? Lol! As a young girl I knew I was destined for greatness! I would pretend to Oprah with my teddy bears and cabbage patch dolls as my guest and studio audience. Being the only child I was very creative and talked to myself a lot. I knew one day I would be on TV, radio and in magazines! What I didn’t know is being a fat kid who loves cake wouldn’t see body’s like mine in those fields.

As I grew older, naturally I felt the pressure to lose weight and fit in with the girls! I went as far as asking the girls basketball coach if I could do drills with them just to lose weight. He said no, I had to join the team. Honestly, I wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t great but not an All-star. Nonetheless, I loss the weight, boosted my confidence and forgot about my dreams!

As an adult life started to LIFE! I dropped out of college, met my husband and had two kids but not in that order! I gained so much weight and the stress wore me down. I decided to go back to school for my nursing degree, so much for TV and magazines because that was never going to be my dream again. But what’s that saying, never say never, one day I saw my children mimicking my bad behaviors in the mirror. They were pulling on their stomachs and calling themselves names. That was it! From that moment forward I vowed to be better from the inside out.

I secretly began seeing a therapist and working through my past traumas. It was a very long year but I was open and honest with myself and my family about therapy. I finished nursing school and continued therapy throughout my first few Years of nursing! Therapy didn’t help me lose weight, it helped me lose fear.

2018 for my birthday some friends and I went to Miami, they had no idea that was my coming out party! I was Coming out of fear, Self-doubt, insecurity and walking into my purpose! No one had a clue. I kept my goals to myself and just wanted to show those closest to me and myself, it’s never too late to start or start over. Since that day, I’ve fulfilled two of my three goals, I’ve been on radio, modeling and in magazines with many more goals I didn’t even know I had. I absolutely love being a creative/influencer and model.

Coco, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

First thing first, tell no one about your plans. People, especially closest to you can sometimes speak doubts into your plans. Not because they want to purposely discourage you but because that’s how the think. You have to be brave and have faith. My faith in God is strong. I knew he would lead me on the right path as long I did the work he would guide my steps.

My first steps were research! I did a lot of research on posing, body language, communication and language of photography/videographery and all things plus size fashion. I looked up fashion trends and styles from head to toe. I learned what I could about social media and I’m still learning!

To push myself, I signed up for a fashion show. I had no idea what I was walking into, literally but I bombed it! Seriously, I was told to stop and start over. I was so embarrassed and felt so small in front of these professional models but with each step I shook the fear off and killed it. I’ve actually been modeling for He Loves Curves Boutique ever since!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

FREEDOM! I can create whatever I want to, however I want to for myself and still have enough to share with others! I absolutely love being a model and influencer. I want to be change I need to see! I want to be thr example I never had. I want exceed my goals and create new ways showcase products!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my audience in silence! Sounds crazy! I literally came out of no where with creative ways to post! I didn’t tell my family and friends, well I didn’t tell my followers either what I had planned. I slowly started to post modeling pictures. In the beginning, I really just wanted to be a model. I slowly started to tap in to becoming a influencer. I was so nervous to try it like it was something new, not only have I been “influenced” my whole like I’ve also been an “influencer” since the birth of my children! Lol! I went from following trending sounds and challenges to creating looks with a little laughter! Creating my own lane and staying true to who I am. It’s easy to get caught up in what every other influencer is doing, you can lose track of your ideas. There’s nothing wrong with your ideas, some are better than others but you won’t know until you DO!

I again, had to let go of fear and hold on tight to my faith, I started Coco Curves and Beauty for EVERYTHING Curves! I want to my community to be able to come to my page for uplifting, confidence, inspiration and fashion tips idea. I want my community to say I have a wedding or brunch to attend and come to my page for a look and a good laugh over a glass of wine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/cocovonne
• Instagram: @coco.vonne
• Youtube: Coco Curves and Beauty
• Other: Tiktok: @cocovonne

Image Credits
Kenyatta Crisp (white dress) Lace and Pearl’s photography (swimsuit) Ned Sanders (the remainder)