We had the good fortune of connecting with Isa de Burgh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
This is going to sound unconventional, but I don’t believe in taking every risk that presents itself as an opportunity. We’re told, as entrepreneurs, you have to take risks to be successful. After time, it gets in your head that you *must* be a risk-taker, which creates this sense of disorganized chaos.

I believe in taking evaluated risks. Use your logic built from past experiences, combine it with street smart and intuition, and weigh your threat x vulnerability x consequence. It seems too cautious, but as long as we’re open to risk and view the opportunity as a potential growing and/or learning experience, you truly can’t go wrong. Taking risks, and learning to evaluate which not to take, is crucial for growth but not always success in conventional terms.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started The Social Tale to bring light to eco-minded & conscious wellness brands. We specialize in telling brand stories via social media, digital, influencer and email marketing. From brand strategy to content creation, our goal is to help consumers choose conscious brands over their less-conscious counterpart.

The lessons I’ve learned over the course of building a business are endless, but the greatest lesson that I remind myself of daily is to always keep one foot forward. There will be times when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, confused, and unsure— but as long as you take time to recenter yourself and you have a purpose behind your mission, the universe will always have your back. And don’t make decisions when you’re not in your best state of mind. Decisions can wait a day or a week. They don’t have to be made immediately.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is perfect because my best friend from childhood visited this past weekend. In a perfect world, we start with a stroll to breakfast at Gjusta or Superba in Venice. Hang here for an hour or two. Meet other pals and hang outside somewhere. See what’s new at The Mart Collective. Head to a flea market, either Melrose or Los Feliz. Find cool art or furniture. Read or lay in the sun at Echo Park Lake or back on the west side (Mary Hotchkiss park is also a hidden gem), sunset in South Bay or on the patio at Great White with wine. Stop at Erewhon before taking them to the airport. It’s tough to choose because there are so many options!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Ahhh. I love this question so much. While there is one specific conversation that lead to a major turning point in my career, I believe it is all the little pieces— the people I met along the way, the small conversations, the big mistakes, the mentorships— that lead us to where we end up.

I was 22, driving with my brother on the freeway back to LA after visiting family. It was around 9pm. I was at a point in my life where I had worked my butt off for other companies starting at the age of 17 but hadn’t felt fulfilled. I was always a “hustler”. The first freshman to contribute to my university’s fashion publication, executive assistant to one of our country’s first leading fashion bloggers at 18 after giving her my resume at a restaurant, head contributor to a popular lifestyle brand based in LA at 19. You get it. But I was never fulfilled, just tired and under pressure.

My brother asked why I was pursuing a career in fashion when it had nothing to do with my true passion: nutrition and wellbeing. Such a simple question, but it triggered a massive light bulb. Why was I? Even I wasn’t sure. At this point in my career, I had already realized that anything was possible with enough grit and motivation, so I decided to go 100% in on this new venture that lead to IsaTales, a functional food blog, and eventually The Social Tale, a creative agency for conscious brands, shortly after.

Website: www.socialtale.agency

Instagram: www.instagram.com/isatales

Image Credits
Tiffany Le https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyy_le_/?hl=en

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.