Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve clarified the mission of TBV. Since we have new people in the fam, I thought it important to elaborate on what I do here, why I do it, and who I am outside of TBV! I also elaborate on my backstory behind the blog and how it all started. Some of these answers appeared first on my LinkedIn page for Talk By Victoria. Some of the questions are answered in the third person.
How Did Victoria Start to Talk?
Back in early 2017, a high school swimmer, coder and sophomore by the name of Victoria Foley took from pen to paper to the mouse and keyboard instead. Since the beginning, Victoria has adored writing. From engaging in the school newspaper to writing short stories to even finishing a book, she’s admired the power of prose. In late 2016, a school science fair project required Victoria to code an app focused on research about what a healthy lifestyle for high schools girls her age looked liked. She found out that the app that she created to upload her research ran out of space, leaving out several articles that Victoria wrote out of the picture. Oh, no! Therefore, she created Talk By Victoria, at that time only a webpage, to upload the articles she wrote that couldn’t be included in the app. In early 2017, after a successful science fair project (earning first place!), she looked back at Talk By Victoria and realized that she loved the experience of website design, blogging and much more. From there, she ditched the coding and research (science wasn’t her thing anymore) and went straight into full-time blogging—well, kind of. She’s a full-time student before anything else.
Have you ever heard of the clothing brand Alice and Olivia? Every day on her way to high school, Victoria would drive by the Alice and Olivia storefront located in Georgetown, DC. She noticed that Alice and Olivia had a tagline right underneath it that said by Stacey Bendet. When it came time to put a name to her blog, Victoria wanted to avoid using her full name and instead come up with something short and sweet. She liked the original by Stacey Bendet line and thought to herself, “What do I do on this blog?” Talk! She technically talks as she writes. Therefore, the blog was named Talk By Victoria and has since happily stayed the same.
Mission Statement
Talk By Victoria strives to bring inspiration into this world and ignite people to make positive change through serving others and appreciating the little things. From smiling at a stranger, to writing a letter, to becoming a mentor for younger students and much more, Talk By Victoria intersects humanity, kindness and a passion to strive to always do good. Victoria highlights stories, people and ideas that bring beauty and benevolence to life. Acts of charity can happen in the most simplest of ways, seamlessly seeping into our quotidian lives.
Official Podcast
The Talk By Victoria podcast is affiliated with the blog and is hosted by Victoria herself! She interviews a diverse set of people who participate in incredible causes, inspire multitudes of people, have started their own initiatives, engage in social justice work and so much more. It’s episodes are in English and Spanish. Since recently launched in 2021, it can be found on all podcast streaming platforms, such as Apple, Spotify and more.
More About Victoria
Hey there! It’s back to Victoria in the first person. If you’ve been a follower of the blog for a while now, you probably have a good idea of who I am… BUT you might not know this about me… I recently joined my university’s equestrian team! I go to Amherst College (love it out here), and I decided to pick up the old sport from my youth. I surprised myself at the last show when I placed first in my class! Crazy!! All glory to God and the Virgin Mary cause I know they heard my prayers. I love horses and all things equestrian. I do not have a horse of my own… yet… maybe my parents could make that happen… Christmas?
Here are some pictures of my favorite horses that I ride! Thank you for visiting this blog post! I’m so hyped to engage in change with you.
Sorry, no horse for Christmas. Perhaps a book with horse pictures.
Good to know. Very informative, thank you!