We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa Ly a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

I recently became an author and will launch my swimsuit line soon, and it feels that strangers are more supportive than friends/family. But I have a few close friends that I consider my family, and their support has been fantastic. They have been my biggest supporters and sounding board, a safe space to feel like I can be myself. For that, I am grateful. On the flip side, I have family members that didn’t even congratulate me on my book release. I’m learning to focus on the positives and not the negatives.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m Lisa, and I am a mother of two. I have an adult son and a daughter who’s seven. We reside in Los Angeles, CA. I am an immigrant from Cambodia and migrated to America when I was six years old and was raised in the Bay Area. My mother was the first generation to arrive in America; therefore, we were strictly raised to preserve our traditions. In my culture, women are raised to become wives and caretakers. I’ve always felt that I was destined for so much more. From an early age, I was inquisitive and always wanted to make my mother proud, even if I had to break the mold and introduce some foreign concepts to my family. I wanted to show them we can do what we set our minds to.

Author:

I’ve always wanted to become an author, as writing was an outlet. I had a story to tell that many could relate to. After a tough breakup, I realized that I reverted back to being a caretaker emotionally and physically to the man in my life. I wasn’t working on the version of me that was destined to be and do more. I was determined to no longer let fear and criticism of who I knew I could become hinder my growth. I had to sit with myself and allow my pain to become my most prominent driving force to overcome my fear of sharing my story. Life is hard, and we all have our own unique stories that are worth being heard. I wanted to ensure that I contributed mine to the world.

Entrepreneur:

My swimsuit line idea came to me in April when I was on vacation in Belize. I’ve always loved traveling, especially to tropical destinations. Another factor was I was tired of being in corporate America. I wanted to do something I was passionate about and strictly for myself. I needed to evolve, so I decided to plunge into the swimwear world! I plan to launch my line Bronzed Babe Swim in March/April of 2023.

What sets Bronzed Babe Swim apart from the others? As a consumer of swimwear, as a mother of two, my body has definitely changed. I wanted to make swimwear that was super fashionable but still felt comfortable and hold us up in all needed areas. I also wanted to make the swimsuits so it does not cut into our body to provide support. I’ve had that issue with so many brands. It may look suitable for photos, but I would have to take it off immediately; I couldn’t just wear it for the entire time at the beach/pool. I wanted a good, fitting, and fashionable swimsuit that feels good and still turn heads!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As an author, my most rewarding aspect is when my readers tell me they can relate to my stories. They say to me, wow, your journey is incredible, yet some chapters are heartbreaking. It feels good when they tell me they are proud of me for penning my pain and growth as a person.

Sometimes, we all feel like no one can relate as we all have individual lives, but this world is so big that someone out there can share your pain, happiness, etc. Someone out there lives a life that may be parallel to yours, and it does help to share my experience and not feel completely alone. Ultimately, we all want the same thing: to be heard, understood, accepted as we are, and loved!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of my biggest lessons is learning to set boundaries and learning what those were. Being a Cambodian woman, I was raised to appease and accommodate. I was raised to sacrifice my own happiness to ensure the happiness of others first. That mentality has led me to not know boundaries and caused many disappointments in relationships, whether friendships and/or romantic. I didn’t want to say no or would sacrifice a little of my own happiness to make sure the other person’s needs were met. That was a recipe for disaster and pain.

After countless disappointments and heartbreaks, I had to learn to say no and set boundaries early on so I would no longer get the short end of the stick. I had to learn to put myself first and not feel guilty about it. Learning to love and put myself first has created healthy, thriving, and loving friendships/relationships.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: iamlisaly
• Facebook: Bronzed Babe Swim
• Twitter: bronzedbabeswim

Image Credits
Swimsuits by Bronzed Babe Swim. Photos shot by Rich Laru @richlaru