The Inspirational Woman Project believes that every woman is inspirational. It's our mission to tell their stories.
Audrey Bellis is a first generation Latina actively building the tech community in downtown as the founder of StartUp DTLA and as a cofounder of Grid110. Bellis was motivated to build this community that she desired to be a part of, instead of waiting for someone to build it for her. She likens this process to "absolute living."
She also supports female tech entrepreneurs, executives and creatives as the founder of #WorthyWomen. Worthy Women started with a vision and a belief that to do big things we must act from an intentional place of worthiness. In doing this, Bellis has created a safe space and supportive community of amazing women who dare to play by their own rules, forge their own path, and live their true self worth.
Mayor Garcetti's office honored her as one of five "Inspiring Latina's of L.A." and TechOutLA named her "a key player in the Eastside/DTLA tech movement." Her first book (a self help style memoir) "Dirty To Worthy" is being published in 2016 through Hay House.
What's your relationship with femininity?
{Bellis} When I think of femininity I think of my soft side, my sensual side, my ability to surrender. Surrendering is not something I've been able to do easily, it has been hard. Which comes from my need to feel comforted by perfectionism. It's only been in the last three years that I've learned what it means to surrender physically and surrender emotionally to myself and other people. Surrender is a daily practice for me.
I've found that I'm only able to surrender when I feel worthy of being seen. Throughout the day, if I catch myself in moments of struggle or putting up blocks to keep distance from people, I will call in my energy and give myself a little pep talk of "You're worth so much more. Let yourself be seen."
What is your gift?
{Bellis} My gift is my ability to embrace my imperfection. Being a woman that's willing to show up in my imperfection and be authentic. I see it reflected to me all the time following my Worthy Women events. Women share their gratitude for my honesty and they share that because of my authentic imperfection, they feel safe to be themselves and talk about their struggles.
Why are you inspirational?
{Bellis} I am inspirational because I'm willing to get back up. I fall on my face a lot. I've made some epically bad decisions. Anyone that is willing to get back up and try again and keep trying is inspirational.
It's easy to give up. I had a major depressive episode following my broken engagement. I compromised integrity and lost my way, which was the scariest place to be. Coming back and living to fight another day is one of the bravest things a person can do.
What is your favorite thing about being a woman?
{Bellis} My strut! My bounce! I'm a woman's woman. I'm curvy. I'm petite. I'm sexual. I exude all of those things. I haven't ever woken up and thought, "Life would be easier if I was a man." I don't need to act like a man to succeed like one. My biggest gift is that I'm a woman.
What drives you to get up every morning?
{Bellis} I'm not done creating. Everything I create leads me further along path of "there's a just a little bit more." The deeper I get into my learning the more I want to know. I get up every day eager to learn those things.
The other really fortunate part about this is that I don't have type of career that requires a 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. commitment. I don't get up to punch a clock. I have created career of myself that is a natural extension of my personality. My job everyday is to get up and be me. I don't dread it. For the most part, everyday is a deeper exploration of understanding and getting a little closer to my own self.
What is your super power?
{Bellis} My super power is my willingness to listen, relate in the form of empathy, and show compassion for other people (but only because I've learned to have compassion for myself). People open up to me about intimate things all the time. It's a big deal when someone trusts you with their story and it's the deepest thing you should honor.
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