What if the parts of your story that feel out of place are actually the reason you’re meant to do the work you’re doing?

In this episode of Voted Least Likely, I share the parts of my life that don’t match the assumptions people make about me as a jewellery designer — and how learning to stop hiding them changed everything.

For years, I believed I had to smooth out my story to be taken seriously. I felt embarrassed about my background, my lack of formal education, my mental health struggles, and the ways I didn’t “fit” the image of my industry. I thought these things disqualified me.

They didn’t. They shaped me.

This episode is an honest walk through the truths I used to keep quiet — and why embracing them has helped me build a brand, a community, and a life that actually feels like mine.

Why you don’t need to fit into your industry to succeed

Being an extreme introvert in a very public-facing business

How protecting your energy isn’t selfish — it’s necessary

Dropping out of junior high and building a career without formal education

Letting go of shame around “unglamorous” career paths

How years of entry-level jobs became one of my greatest educations

What it’s like to build a brand without family support

Choosing your life, even when others don’t understand it

How community can grow out of loneliness

Growing up on a lighthouse island — and how it shaped my creativity

Feeling behind socially, emotionally, and professionally

Mental health struggles at a young age and learning their impact later in life

Why versatility, function, and intuition drive my design process

Not traveling, making sacrifices, and trusting long-term timing

Letting go of the need to fit in — and choosing to grow instead

You don’t need a polished or traditional story to be worthy of success

Your differences are not liabilities — they’re connection points

Confidence comes from acceptance, not approval

It’s okay if your version of success doesn’t look like anyone else’s

You’re allowed to build a life that makes sense to you

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt out of place, behind, unqualified, or “too different” to belong — and wondered if that meant they were doing something wrong.

You’re not.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is stop trying to fit in, and start becoming more yourself.