Nashville native Julie Solomon pretty much does it all. As a brand strategist, digital marketer, influencer marketing educator and host of The Influencer Podcast (not to mention a wife and mother), Julie feels as though it is per personal mission to lead women to success. By helping women “up-level their influence, purposefully connect, and monetize their platform beyond tiny affiliate payouts, dead-end Google searches, and Pinterest/blog rabbit trails”, she will make your influence becomes valuable. After leaving her home in Tennessee to pursue a career in music publicity, she landed a job a top music PR firm that worked for bands like Def Leopard, P!nk and Lenny Kravitz. Once realizing that the hustle of NYC wasn’t what she wanted long term, she moved back to Nashville to work for Harper-Collins’ Thomas Nelson Inc. She soon joined forces with one of her girlfriends to start her own boutique PR firm, OMG Publicity, where she secured clients from Emily Maynard Johnson to Emily Ley, turning them into bestsellers.

After meeting her husband, an actor based out of Los Angeles, she uprooted once again to LA, welcoming their first child together. There, she started a blog, incorporating her PR hacks into her business model. Needless to say, she began making a notable amount of money through her blog and decided to share her tips with the world. From there, The Influencer Podcast was born, along with her rebrand. And now, she has recently been named one of the Top 100 leaders in influencer marketing.

You’ll meet her at our Body + Soul event on August 17th, where she will be discussing how to maintain a work/life balance, staying mindful day-to-day, and a few handy business tips. Get a quick overview for who this boss lady really is by reading our interview with her below.

The Nashville Edit: What inspired you to help women build their brands?

Julie Solomon: Being able to help other women step into their uniqueness and get more comfortable with owning their power is something that I am incredibly passionate about. I teach women how to become leaders. Sometimes women are made to believe that the smaller and quieter we are and the more we blend in, the more we will be accepted – and that’s just not true. That is not a “leader mindset”. I am a leader for women who may feel powerless in a lot of situations, but they want to reclaim that power for themselves so they can attain the freedom they want so badly in their life and in their work. Even though I may be a few steps ahead of someone on this entrepreneurial path, my job is to turn behind me, extend my hand out and say, “Hey, let me help you get up here!” I think open and honest communication is a great way that we can empower ourselves and each other. I also think that taking ownership and responsibility in how you show up–with your family and friends, on social media and in the world–are great ways to empower yourself.

TNE: How did your experience with journalism and in PR help you to do the work you’re doing today?

JS: My passion is service, which I learned a lot about from the PR world. And my service comes from empowering women to think and feel for themselves. It’s interesting… I tend to teach and share things that I either need to learn myself or that I have needed to learn at some point, so my passion really drives from that need and desire to live an empowered life and have 100% ownership in that.

TNE: And how do our passions play into our work lives?

JS: I think that passion is important because yes, you’ve got to really love what you do in order to wake up every day and do it with joy, care, and heart. But, its equally important that we ask ourselves, “What do I really want to do with my life?” And “Do I want to be the absolute best at that?” Because I think that wanting to be the absolute best at something is the only thing that’s going to keep anyone going.

TNE: What advice would you give to women who are trying to get their brands noticed?

JS: I hope they know there is a unique one-of-a-kind genius coded in their DNA. No one else on this planet has their unique skills, stories, perspective, experience, and point of view. I hope they know if they don’t do everything they possibly can to share their heart and gifts, the world would have lost something truly irreplaceable. It would have lost them. I hope they know the miracle of having this opportunity to make an impact on the world. I hope they know that, at the end of the day, they are in control of their destiny. It’s very much a part of the reason that I do what I do today. I will tell you, as someone who came from a very small, rural town in Tennessee, who has built this thing over the years, over time with a lot of hard work, I can proudly say that I control my destiny now. For every single person that is a part of my audience and community, that is my intention. There is so much freedom in that. You just need the courage to believe it.

“I will tell you, as someone who came from a very small, rural town in Tennessee, who has built this thing over the years, over time with a lot of hard work, I can proudly say that…I control my destiny now.”

TNE: Describe the term “influencer” in your own words:

JS: Influencer means creating purpose and cultivating impact to help others live a life they truly love.

TNE: What does it mean to be an influencer?

JS: It means having a positive impact and persuasion of growth on someone else’s life.

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TNE: Who are some top influencers you’ve had on your Influencer Podcast?

JS: Everyone from Rachel Hollis, Marie Forleo, Amy Porterfield, Gal Meets Glam, Jasmine Star, Lauryn Evarts of The Skinny Confidential, Jana Kramer, Sazan Hendrix and so many more!

TNE: What makes a “side-hustle” investment-worthy?

JS: When you want to be the absolute best at something, that side hustle becomes the small voice within you that just keeps getting louder and louder. It’s not a question if it’s investment-worthy or not, the question becomes how will you make the investment worth it!

TNE: What tools do you provide to help business owners to know their audience?

JS: It’s really about repelling the audience that isn’t right for you and attracting the audience that is. Because if you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one. We have a ton of free resources on our podcast and our website to help business owners know exactly who their ideal customer is, and exactly how to target them. We have a free worksheet that anyone can download that helps people guide through an entire process to major clarity on making sure you’re talking to the right audience. We also go through a more personalized process in The Influencer Academy.

TNE: You’re currently living in LA. What do you miss most about living in Nashville?

JS: I’m currently living in Nashville and LA, so I don’t have to miss it anymore!

TNE: Where do you like to frequent in town for dinner?

JS: City House, Henrietta Red, 5th & Taylor, and Sperry’s (old school but so good!) are my favorites!

TNE: What about when grabbing cocktails with friends?

JS: Urban Cowboy, Dream Hotel and any great Mexican spot with fabulous margaritas!

TNE: Any travel tips for that long BNA-LA treck?

JS: Yes!! Fly into Burbank instead – Southwest has nonstops into BUR now and it’s way easier than dealing with LAX! Also, make sure to bring backup chargers for your laptop and noise cancellation headphones. American Airlines and Delta also have good non-stop flight options to LAX, so check those times and fares, too!

TNE: What do you think about the changes we’re seeing in Nashville?

JS: Man, has it grown! I grew up here so it’s quite incredible to see how limitless this town is while at the same time keeping its small-town roots intact.

TNE: What part of Nashville feels like home to you?

JS: My momma’s house! I also love Radnor Lake, Warner Park and anything near Belmont makes me feel like I’m home.

Learn more about our Body + Soul event hereTickets still available!