We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ixamar Palumbo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ixamar below.

Hi Ixamar, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

The best gift my single, immigrant mother gave me was financial literacy. This all stemmed from survival, but it has helped me immensely in life. I grew a healthy relationship with money; one that my mother had to learn on her own.

She taught me how to buy my first car at 20, open up a high-yield savings account, and understand interest rates, compounding, and the power of investing. She always emphasized the importance of emergency funds and wise money management.

Because of this, I understood the impact of debt and was motivated to pay off my first student loan of $35K after grad school in just two years, even while still helping my mother financially.

Recognizing the privilege I have, I use my platform to talk about personal financial literacy in an effort to help first-generation families like mine. My “Big Sister Advice” series on @TheWandertog has allowed me to share my journey by empowering others to take control of their financial destinies through the topics of life, career, and wealth.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I feel like I’ve lived multiple lives in my short 33 years Earth-side, but if you’re just hearing about me…WELCOME! I’m Ixamar, a Miami-based content creator and social media marketing professional. I’ve made a living in this wonderful digital world, working remotely and enjoying quality time with my little family while doing what I love.
I started my career working in the music industry and now recently transitioned into tech, where I get to work at my dream company while still pursuing content creation and freelance consulting. It’s the best of both worlds and I get to share it all transparently with the community I’ve built over on @thewandertog as ‘your social media big sis with the life tips.

I’ve been helping small businesses leverage their social media presence with the power of influencer marketing and authentic social media strategies since 2016. Parallel, I teach influencers about the creator economy and how to turn their hobby into an additional stream of income while still working a 9-5. Pay transparency and the creator economy have always been my jam, and if I can help at least one creator make an extra thousand dollars a month, I’m complete.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I like to believe I cracked the Instagram Reels code in December 2023. For context, I had been stuck at 10K followers and low engagement since January 2021. I lost all faith in seeing a future for @thewandertog; a food & lifestyle page I had been building up since 2016.

I decided to clean up my page, delete inactive accounts that were following me, and block all the possible bot accounts. I had heard that those types of accounts flag Meta to not push your content. Not sure how true it is, but I wanted to be safe. Two hours later, I went from 10K followers to 8K. I wanted genuine interactions on my page, not vanity metrics.

That was step one.

Next, I decided on the type of content I wanted to share on @thewandertog. I’ve always said that the best way to find your niche is to imagine yourself giving a 10min TEDtalk on it without interruption. I no longer identified as just a lifestyle influencer; I wanted to talk more about personal finance, life, and career. With this in mind, I grabbed a mini-mic and hit record. I dropped a video that was a complete 180 from the content I usually push out. It was a vulnerable moment, but I knew that the right tribe would find me if I let go of fear and just jumped.

That video alone kickstarted my ‘Big Sister Advice’ series where I share the life, career, and personal finance tips I wish I knew in my 20s.

The content immediately resonated with my ideal audience and now, one month later, I’m at 20.1K followers with a new motivation to keep building my brand while telling my story to the world.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I didn’t always have my career aligned with my ideal life goals. The shift presented itself when I became a mother and was only given 8 weeks of maternity leave and an immediate back-to-office request from my employer after successfully being remote for two years.

I felt an emptiness the day I left my premature newborn to go to work. I knew then and there that I needed to change the direction of my life; I needed to pivot.

While battling postpartum depression all thanks to my work situation, I cleaned up my resume and applied to the one company I was determined to get hired at. I applied seven times to seven different positions within the company until the right one got me an interview. Two months after my maternity leave was up, I put in my two-weeks notice and said goodbye to the job that opened the doors to my new job.

I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunities that have been presented to me; both good and bad. I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and every pivot, although scary, will always be in your best interest if you truly believe it.

It was the best decision I’ve ever made for me and my little family.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thewandertog.online
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thewandertog
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ixamar/