Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Cleary.
Emily, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I want to start by setting the record straight – I’m a full-time human and part-time everything else. I started in the 1990s as Emily Cleary, and I’m still Emily Cleary… just with the musical alias Soleil.
I’m a New York native originally from Yonkers. I moved to Florida when I was 15 and to Miami in 2017. Music has always been my number one passion – singing, to be more specific. I took piano lessons for eight years and was in choirs throughout my life until I entered the live music scene here in South Florida. My debut EP is nearly finished, and I’m thrilled to show that part of me to the world!
The Emily Cleary version of me is a UX Designer and Content Marketing Manager by day. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Business Administration, and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology. I was a university and college instructor and writing tutor before I decided to leave the academic universe to become a conceptual designer and writer for a video production house. I grew with that company for three years, being promoted to the content marketing manager for their SaaS tool and moving to Berlin, Germany because of it! I was able to travel through Europe on my own – this time in my life was nothing less than an eye-opening, explorative, and growth experience for me. I transitioned into UX Design when a friend of mine told me about the career and the growing need for UX in the job market. I received an Uber scholarship for an accelerated program at Ironhack, and now I’m working as a UX Designer. Once I graduated from the design academy, I began picking up my own clients as a freelancer, and I’m still freelancing on the side. I recently filed for my LLC, Cleary Co., and I’m excited to further define the services and products I’ll provide.
What I credit most to my focus and success is my biggest accomplishment thus far – losing 80 pounds pretty much on my own back in 2012. A great friend of mine named Ife really helped me get things going. She guided me in the beginning, meeting me for workouts and reviewing my nutrition plan. Once our schedules no longer lined up, I met with her once every two weeks to learn a new workout. Overall, nine months of tunnel vision and dedication completely changed me as a person. Yes, of course, the changes are physical, but the real changes are in the mind – the mental shift that accompanies weight loss, and the most difficult part of it all – maintaining the weight loss. Thanks to this mentality, I was able to finish graduate school, travel and live internationally on my own, finish my debut album, and accomplish other personal goals.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Choosing the path less traveled is no easy task. The amount of fear, negativity, uncertainty, and risk are incredible but worth it. Just show up is my greatest advice – that’s half the battle. Get out there and network, promote and market yourself. Work smart and hard at the same time! Have a clear goal but be willing to surrender how you’ll achieve it because most of the time, you fail and figure it out along the way. Every failure is a lesson, so learn to find the silver lining.
More advice? Find mentors. Surround yourself with the right people – if you’re the smartest in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Be financially smart, have a life coach, spiritual coach, financial advisor, therapist, and fitness and health regimen. Read and research all the time. Be ready and willing to sacrifice many things – habits, social time, some friends and family. Sometimes, in order to move forward, you must love people from afar. If they’re true to you, they will understand and always support you.
Bottom line – have an immense amount of faith and trust yourself.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
When it comes to music, I’m a soul singer at heart. My voice is soulful with undertones of jazz and blues. I call my style ‘soul fusion’, and my album is more “radio-ready” – there are hints of r&b, pop, alternative r&b, jazz, classical, and of course… it’s all soul based!
When it comes to the young professional version of me, my work falls into various categories. I do UX/UI (product design), content creation in various forms, content marketing, copywriting, conceptual design, PR, public speaking engagements, and workshops. I enjoy working with different people and in multiple industries because I get to consistently learn new things. Check out my portfolio (site is listed below) to see more of what I do.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
There are plenty that I can touch on. I work in a male-dominated industry, which is quite empowering. Being confident in who you are and your skills helps surpass any barriers. If you do find yourself hitting a glass ceiling or dealing with some sort of harassment, understand it for what it is, take legal actions if necessary, and move on to the next thing. Don’t dwell on it – that won’t get you anywhere.
Always, always stand your ground and stand up for what you believe in while being professional about it. If you won’t stand up for yourself, who will? Also, you’ll never get what you want in life if you don’t ask for it. So, make sure you ask – the worst that can happen is someone tells you ‘no’! Chances are, you’ll get a thousand ‘no’s’ before you get a ‘yes’… so just keep asking.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emilycleary.co
- Phone: 9547983433
- Email: emilyvcleary@gmail.com
- Instagram: @solefulsoul and @clearyco_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soleilshines
- Twitter: @solefulsoul and @clearyco_
- Other: https://www.soleilmusic.co/ (website in progress)
https://www.theclearyco.com/
Image Credit:
Images with the orange background taken by Lea Grandvalet (@leagrandvalet / @imagemephotography), Live singing shots taken by Carlos Gallego (@ventigoth)
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
