We were lucky to catch up with Caroline Balbuena recently and have shared our conversation below.

Caroline, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I was looking for something to do while also being a SAHM for my daughter and I went through lots of ideas and scenarios about what to do.
One day I saw some videos about UGC Content Creator and that looked like something I could do. At the time I didn’t know anything so I assumed it was going to be really easy (which it’s not) but as I set my mind to it I just kept going.
I doubt myself a lot about succeeding but after some months, as I made my first clients, I became more and more confident about my skills and my work.
I like to keep a bigger picture in mind and I often sit to write goals about my business, this way I remind myself how far I’ve come and also about the path that I still want to follow. This way it feels like worthwhile because I know I’m learning and growing as much as my business.

Caroline, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Caroline, I’m a 32 years old content creator in the beauty niche and I mostly share reviews of skincare and makeup (and sometimes clothing). I work with brands to create content about their products, showcasing how they work, highlighting the ingredients and benefits, textures, etc.
I’m proud of showing my skin as it’s really is, in an online setting full of filters and editing, I want to keep it real and represent and celebrate our skin diversity and talk about how beauty is supposed to be empowering and a tool of self love and care.
When I started I had a hard time finding my voice and point of view because it felt like the beauty industry was only for perfect people, young, attractive, etc. I’m in my thirties and I’m a busy mom to a toddler. In the early days I thought that no one would like to see content from a “simple, everyday person”. But then I remembered myself why diversity and inclusion is so important and that I was also allowed to share my reviews and thoughts, even though I didn’t feel confident. I then surrounded myself with a community of other creators with the same passion and objective and it made me feel more comfortable and passionate about this business. I’ve met amazing women from all over the world and I grew confident in my work and skills.
So I bring all of this to my creations and this point of view sometimes resonates with like minded brands. I’m happy to create entertaining and informative content that are relevant to my audience but also to the brands, generating organic sales and traffic for them and also helping with bringing their vision to life.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have many stories but they’re so similar and relatable to all work from home moms I believe. It’s hard to keep focused and to balance the duties in the house, with the baby, and the work goals and deadlines. It often feels like an impossible task: to be on top of the many things we have to do.
But it’s also a fight for our identity as women, for our personal passions and interests. I often try to remember that. I’m also obviously doing this for my daughter, since I wanted to help contribute to the household income. I had many days that I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish a project because I had no time or energy, I always find my own way though. I had some days that I cried because I thought I wasn’t skilled enough or that I would never learn how to navigate the industry, but I kept going and showing up anyway. At the end of the day I think any job comes with challenges and how we face them is the real opportunity to grow.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

This is literally the whole story of my life. It’s a bitter joke for me because I had a hard time accepting it but now I realize it’s the beauty of my path and how it made me who I am.
I studied 5 years in Brazil to get my Psychology degree, which was my dream profession. Two years after I graduated, and when I was finally getting more patients and feeling more confident in the position, my husband got a job offer to come here to San Diego. We accepted because we both wanted to experience a new culture and really immerse ourselves with a new language.
One month after we moved I fractured my foot (my first fracture ever in life) and it was a bad one that made me unable to walk for 4 months. That really put me into a depressed state and I didn’t handle it in the best way. When I was finally healed and starting to walk properly again, the pandemic started. Because of these things, I was unable to fit myself into any career since moving.
The pandemic also got me really anxious about my family in Brazil, it was a hard time as well.
I couldn’t be a psychologist here in the US before studying some more years and getting some licenses and certifications, so I put that on the side. Then I worked as nanny for a while, and then decided to do Gaming livestreams (another passion). I was really invested in it and when it finally started to work and I had a solid view and was starting to monetize, I got pregnant, so I had to abandon that project as well because I wouldn’t have time to game as a new mom.
Then I decided to start this business of content creation and I’m diving again into a new career path and trying to gain more skills and experience. It’s been quite a ride but now I see it made me really strong and resilient because I dealt with so many internal struggles and frustrations. And that’s only minimal compared to others who have to deal with way more challenging situations, so I understand it’s just how life is and I always try to find the silver lining and focus on the good things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thisgirltest/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@this.girl.test?_t=8nmVzoRGbn9&_r=1