We were lucky to catch up with Frances Trabal recently and have shared our conversation below.
Frances, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
“Success Isn’t Loud — It’s Built in Silence”
As a retired business owner, I’ve come to understand that trust is one of the rarest currencies in business — and in life. Success has a way of changing how people see you. Once you reach a certain level, many assume it happened overnight. They see the highlight reel, not the behind-the-scenes reality.
What they don’t see are the sleepless nights, the risks that kept you awake, the setbacks that tested your resilience, or the quiet moments of doubt that forced you to dig deeper than you thought possible. They don’t see the years of discipline, sacrifice, and perseverance that built the foundation beneath the visible success.
When you finally arrive at a place of achievement, the applause can be loud — but so can the criticism. It’s a truth few openly discuss: when you rise, not everyone celebrates. Some watch, waiting for you to stumble. Yet those moments reveal something invaluable.
Success teaches you who was there during the humble beginnings — the ones who believed in you before the wins, before the recognition, before the rewards. Those are the relationships worth holding onto. Because long before the accomplishments and the material milestones, there were loyalty, faith, and shared struggle.
In the end, success isn’t about what you acquire — it’s about who stood beside you while you were building it.
Frances, 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?
I’m a content creator, writer, and the founder of Mrs. Foodie (Sigue mis Comidas) — a platform where I share curated culinary experiences, travel discoveries, and lifestyle insights through an authentic and relatable lens.
My journey began in sales and marketing, where I worked primarily in the fashion,tourism and hospitality industries. That experience gave me a deep understanding of branding, customer experience, and what truly connects with audiences. However, my passion for food and travel had always been personal. Growing up in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and later spending time in San Juan and Santo Domingo, I developed a deep appreciation for culture through cuisine. Food, to me, has always been storytelling.
What started as sharing restaurant visits and food discoveries organically evolved into a full digital platform. I launched my blog to create a space where people could find honest recommendations, visually engaging content, and helpful insights — whether they were looking for a hidden gem restaurant, a luxury hotel experience, or ways to enjoy great food while being mindful of budget and value.
Today, I create high-quality digital content for restaurants, hotels, and lifestyle brands, but also consulting I specialize in reels and visual storytelling that not only showcase a product or experience but capture emotion and atmosphere. I also collaborate with brands on UGC (user-generated content), helping them build trust and authenticity with their audiences.
The problems I solve for my clients are visibility, credibility, and engagement. In an oversaturated digital space, brands struggle to stand out and to connect in a genuine way. I bridge that gap by combining marketing strategy with storytelling.
What sets me apart is that I understand both sides: the business perspective and the creator perspective. My background in marketing allows me to think strategically, while my passion for food and hospitality ensures the content feels natural, not transactional. I’m intentional about quality, details, and presentation — because in the food and travel industry, experience is everything.
What I’m most proud of is building a platform from passion and consistency. Turning something I love into opportunity
For potential clients and followers, I want them to know that my brand is built on trust, taste, and intention. I value long-term partnerships over quick promotions. Every recommendation I share reflects my standards and my commitment to delivering value to my audience.
At the core of everything I do is simple: I believe food is connection, travel is education, and great content should inspire people to experience both more fully.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
Early in my career, I spent two years consistently reaching out to a potential client who never took my calls and showed no indication that he was interested in doing business with me. Most people would have given up, but for me it became a personal challenge to prove that persistence, professionalism, and relationship-building matter.
Eventually, I decided to take a bold step — I traveled to his country to meet him in person. That meeting changed everything. I was able to build trust face-to-face, understand his needs, and demonstrate the value we could bring. He agreed to work with us, and that relationship started 23 years ago.
To this day, our relationship has grown into something that feels like family. That experience taught me that resilience, initiative, and believing in your value can turn a “no” into a lifelong partnership.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is turning something invisible into something real.
An idea starts as a feeling, a memory, a question, a curiosity — and through creativity, it becomes a story, a dish, a photo, a brand, a movement. That transformation feels powerful.
But even more rewarding?
Connection.
When something you create:
Makes someone feel seen
Inspires them
Helps them solve a problem
Makes them hungry, nostalgic, hopeful, curious
That moment where someone says, “This spoke to me” — that’s magic.
Creativity is also freedom. It’s choosing how you want to see the world and inviting others into that perspective. It’s impact without permission.
And in my case — as someone who blends food, storytelling, and travel — the reward is even deeper. You’re not just sharing plates. You’re sharing culture, emotion, memory, and experience. That’s legacy work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Http://www.instagram.com/mrs.foodie
- Facebook: Http://facebook.com/followmyeats1
