Are you a woman of color seeking a community to connect, grow and explore your identity?
You’re not alone.
Kristina Gonzalez Sander, founder of In Bold Company, launched this digital platform and community with the purpose of serving women of color and non-binary people of color.
It took time for Kristina to realize that she wasn’t alone in wanting to communicate and explore her identity. Now, she is providing a space for other women to do the same, together.
Along with a podcast, newsletter and other curated content, Kristina also launched the In Bold Community: a monthly-membership program with full access to all of their resources.
We couldn’t think of anyone more inspiring to feature in the Community Spotlight of Issue 19 “Make/Do.” Read ahead to learn Kristina’s story.
How and why did you start in bold company?
When I look back on it, everything is connected.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. From the time I was young, I dreamed about moving to NY, living in a high rise and working at a magazine. I always wanted to tell people’s stories because I felt like I couldn’t tell my own.
I couldn’t talk about growing up Asian American in a predominantly white community because I didn’t have the language to describe how I felt. I knew other people felt the same way.
I moved to Austin in 2015 after living in Spain for a year and studying journalism in college. In 2017, I finally spoke my idea about In Bold Company to friends.
I was nervous about talking and understanding my identity. I thought, do people care about this? What is it going to be like? It took me a lot of time to get the courage.
“I always wanted to tell people’s stories because I felt like I couldn’t tell my own.”
Things finally started happening in 2020. I received a lot of encouragement from friends. Hearing validation made me feel like I could go ahead and do it. I couldn’t sit on this idea any longer. I knew even if it doesn’t work, I’m going to be fine.
What happens when you don’t see yourself represented in media?
When you don’t see yourself represented in media and art, you start to wonder if these things are in your head.
You start to think, is there something wrong with me that I can’t relate? Why am I the only person who’s feeling this way or being treated a different way?
You internalize a lot of things. It makes a big impact. It’s important in shaping who we are and how we see the world.
How do you “make do” when running a business yourself?
I love learning. I took every free course on how to make this a sustainable business. Once I realized there’s only so much info I can input into my brain, I started talking to people to get that motivation.
“Once you start committing to certain things, you feel less pulled in all directions.”
I interact with people as much as I can to hear what resonates with them. Hearing other people talk about how something we did helped them inspires me to keep going.
What are some hacks you learned about running lean?
There are systems and processes that make your life easier. After feeling so burnt out, I changed how and when I worked.
Time blocking helps.
If I need free time in my schedule, I block it in. Once you start committing to certain things, you feel less pulled in all directions.
I create boundaries in my work so I feel less overwhelmed. I don’t stop one thing to do something else. I even schedule time for myself.
Is there a time you had to “make do”?
Event wise, the greatest lesson is that there’s always a fire. But, it’s a fire that can be put out. Now, I’m less worried when things don’t go as planned because that’s life.
There was an event series I hosted in September that required us to use Instagram Live for the first time. We were having so many technical difficulties.
After the event, the recording got flagged for copyright because of music in the background. I could not get them to lift it. Those small things feel so big in the moment, like they have ruined everything.
I got caught up in worrying about it being perfect, but sometimes you just have to do it and learn from it. It probably isn’t perfect, and that’s okay.
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