We recently connected with Vanessa Veloz and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Vanessa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I entered a season in my life choosing between following my passion and purpose verses society’s path of success. We all have the right to make choices in life but when the time presents itself for finalizing a decision, an uncomfortable feeling happens. I realized in the moment when I felt uncomfortable, the start of growth started for myself. I worked at a law firm for almost 2 years and felt super unfufilled day to day. I had an opportunity presented to work at a local non-profit in Dallas for the summer which meant I would be closer to my passion & purpose than feeling uninspired. My faith became bigger than my fear of going from a full time to part time. I made the decision to leave my first full time job for a summer internship in 2018. I found myself taking a risk that has brought me to where I am now. I am forever grateful for praying through my hesitations and allowing myself to take the leap of faith on what my calling is in life. Being creative in the workplace and connecting with people are what drives me. I receive a ray of support through the interactions with local businesses, artists, and creatives. Stepping into a new space that allows my strengths to be seen and impacting communities are the backbone to creating No Hush. When I decided to trust the process for my career and business goals, I realized there is a need for different perspectives to be shared. I hosted my first marketplace event in 2020, called No Hush BLM MKT. The marketplace event highlighted black owned businesses in Dallas including music, art, and food vendors to uplift the community. I combined my love for people winning in their passions, bringing awareness to black & minority owned businesses, and impacting positive initiatives for the community. The start seemed tough and there were definitely moments that I paused on my passion and purpose because of the step I knew I would need to take in order to elevate. No Hush is evolving from marketplace and mixer events, podcast, and non profit programming. Success indeed has similarities but the journey to get there has differences. Allow yourself to take risks that will pour into your growth. I told myself in 2020, “I am planting a seed”, and that is what I challenge you to do!

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

My name is Vanessa Veloz, community curator that builds bridges for entrepreneurs that are local, black & brown owned, and community focused. My career currently involves connecting people and I have that opportunity through No Hush and my corporate position as a private client advisor at Louis Vuitton. Curating community focused events that incorporate the importance of developing black and people of color owned businesses all year round including mixers that are connected to the No Hush Podcast sheds light on building strong relationships.

I was born and raised in Dallas, TX. I have a love for art, music, and bringing positive change to the community. As a biracial woman, I embrace African American and Mexican American culture. People are the core to my calling involving interactions that hold genuine meaning. My passion of bridging the gap between what is seen once success hits verses the the real moments throughout the journey is the part I want to include with No Hush. The journey highlights the reality of what truly drives you. I have been driven by leaders in my life, especially my grandpa that left an impact on my perseverance. I have seen creatives with my self included, that pushes for the desired outcome sooner than the process that is needed to see flourished progress. By embracing my personal journey, I strive to accomplish my goals and help others live their passions shamelessly.

No Hush started with intentions of creating events that holds a space for passion and progression in the black and brown communities. Living purposefully is what I strive to reach through the stages I have endured in my personal growth. In 2015, I realized the vision of what I wanted to bring in the entrepreneurial and non profit world. I desired to host many events earlier and had doubt with fearing to fail. I had to let go of unhealthy relationships, bad habits, and truly allow myself to trust in God. I personally built a strong spiritual community and alignment happened effortlessly. I know that making that decision in my life had a major effect on the momentum for my career and entrepreneur path. I am grateful for the push I received from friends, family, and a renewed mindset.

The start is the most common stepping stone that many struggle to face. I overcame overthinking during quarantine in 2019 and was able to successfully host my first marketplace event in summer 2020. The event was a huge milestone that inspired many black and people of color owned businesses to be persistent in their craft. I faced business relationship trials that involve partnering with aligned businesses that truly understand my mission. A No Hush experience highlights a creative space that houses as a resource for small business owners, a showcase of black and people of color owned entrepreneurs, and an interactive element for networking. As I continue to lead my community organization with consistent events that pour into the community with impact, collaborating community centric messages reveal the purpose of each initiative. The foundation of No Hush is community and impact, which is connected with collaboration for all events. The marketplace, podcast, and mixers are all connected with the mission of creating a safe space for the community as well as impacting non-profits that are actively changing black and people of color communities.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson that I had to unlearn is oversharing ideas to everyone. I am huge on sharing and coming together with creatives on collaboration and support. In the journey of building confidence in my mission for my business, I have learned to create boundaries that allow intentional growth towards my goals. In the process of collaborating and developing my ideas to reality, there is an openness that is cherished in the creators lab. I have my own creators lab which is the time I write down my visions for the year and I connect with different businesses to execute my ideas. In the meetings that I have with creatives, it is important to share information needed for a plan. In learning to limit oversharing and keeping my ideas in my creators lab, I am aware of what is needed to share at the right time. I also, understand that everything has a process. Influencing my community is the result of business partnerships that align with No Hush and community initiatives. By expressing my ideas to those that are in a creators block, I have seen the urge to replicate my ideas and the lesson I have come to terms on is to share with caution. My habit of wanting those around me to win, fuels me to continue doing what I am called to do which, is to connect people to experiences that capitalize their purpose and passions.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When in doubt, pivot to create alignment for your success. There are big and small wins that tailor a point of view as a business owner in different stages. I encourage consistency and momentum through each No Hush marketplace and community events. Last summer I decided to host events every other weekend in July, which gave a huge perspective on time. The time I chose to introduce a new approach for my events, I realized that quality over quantity is more aligning to the mission of each No Hush event. I had to pivot by allowing the needs of the community and bringing awareness towards a No Hush experience for businesses to elevate. Leading with a growth mindset gave myself insight to adapt a new outlook. In order to see progress happen, a pivot defines to move in a different direction or start a new way to achieve results. In my career along with life balance, there has been times where pivoting became uncomfortable in unexpected situations. The takeaway of the pivot I made last year, created meaningful outcomes which has opened endless opportunities for any season I enter as an entrepreneur.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nohush.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nohushnow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nohushnow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-veloz/
• Other: https://anchor.fm/no-hush

Image Credits
Jeremy Thigpen Coiya