Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victoria Sallie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Victoria , thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Safe Space was created to address a personal need. As a woman of color and a survivor of domestic violence, conversations about mental health were few and far between in my life. Talking about feelings felt taboo, and it was hard to express myself. I never felt like I had a place to share my emotions safely. Writing was the only outlet I had – putting pen to paper helped me find my voice, process my thoughts, and hold myself accountable. The times that I experienced the most growth in my life were when I wrote consistently. The mission behind Safe Space is to bring the freedom of writing to other women. It is to provide others with healthy outlets for coping, and start a longer conversation about wellness. The mission of Safe Space is to offer a place for others to be authentic and share how they are really feeling. Safe Space is an introduction to the different modalities we can use for healing and becoming. Through the journal, our workshops, and our yoga classes, people reflect, connect, and realize that they are not alone.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Victoria Sallie. I’m a RYT 200+ yoga instructor, certified in both vinyasa and yin yoga. I’m also the creator of the Safe Space journal, which I published in 2022.

I was born and raised in New York City, and have been living in SoCal for close to a decade. I started my journey into wellness when I first moved to California. I am a survivor of domestic violence, and with my independence I wanted to explore my interests and discover ‘myself’. It started with developing my own yoga practice. I went on to publish my memoir, a book named “It’s A Long Story” shortly after.

After my memoir was published, I continued writing and moving my body. I decided to create the Safe Space journal to help my healing journey. Safe Space is a 90 day journal with writing prompts, positive affirmations, free creative space, and more. The journal is great for accountability and mental/physical health tracking. It provides a private place to reflect, and is a great first step when starting a self care routine.

Creating this resource led me to cultivate and facilitate guided journaling workshops. They are intimate events where people get a set of writing prompts they can respond to, with the opportunity to share their thoughts after. The workshops take writing to the next level – they open up the chance to be vulnerable and connect with others. We all walk away afterwards feeling seen, supported, and lighter.

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

Coming into the wellness space was a giant pivot for me. Even though I’ve always considered myself a creative, I was taught to find a job that would just pay the bills – happiness was not a factor for employment. As a result of that, I spent a lot of time working in corporate for companies that I didn’t connect with. I hated getting up for work everyday. The pandemic caused a big shift in my life. The company I was working for had to pause operations, and we separated under good terms. With the newfound freedom and time, I decided to be a little more intentional. I tried the radical idea of going after a job that I would actively enjoy. And I found it! The space and ease I had on a daily basis in a less stressful environment also gave me more opportunity to work on the Safe Space journal, which I published not too long after!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Putting myself out there and trying new things has been the best source of new clients for me! I love connecting with people in real life, so I started attending a bunch of vendor markets in my area as a way to meet people. On social media, I try to post frequently as well as engage with new friends as much as possible. Word of mouth and collaborations have also introduced my brand to others. Partnering with like minded companies to put on different activations has exposed me to different communities, and it’s been wonderful!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thesafespace.store
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesafespacejournal
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesafespacellc