We had the good fortune of connecting with Valeria Sweet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valeria, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I’m always taking leaps of faith when it comes to my life and career. I wouldn’t be in US, I wouldn’t be in LA, I wouldn’t be an actress/filmmaker if I didn’t risk it all. One of my favorite quotes, “If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.” I see it as inevitable if you want to live your dream life. There’s nothing that I haven’t done that didn’t lead to a great result when stepped off the ledge of possibility and let God and the Universe catch me. You put your trust in what’s ahead and take that trust fall — it’s very, very important. Whether it’s investing in yourself before you know how it will pay off, putting your script or film out there for critique, or putting out a book or a course to find its audience. Trusting a new friend or colleague, betting on a new partner — you just have to continually put yourself out there and that’s what it’s been for me. As a Russian proverb says, “Who doesn’t risk, doesn’t drink champagne.”

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve paved my own path as a creative and embraced the hyphenate of my nature, wearing multiple hats on films. Most of my credits are in acting and producing, but I write a lot, as well as direct. I’m really fortunate that I can live my dream and also fulfill my want to help others through my films and life coaching — I write soulmate romantic dramas with motivational themes.

On TheSweetPost.com, I send out a free Monday Motivation Newsletter, help people live their dreams via my signature course “Million Dollar Dream Life”, and deliver love-life self-help through my books, “The Most Wanted One In the World” and “Book of Soulmates”.

It wasn’t always easy, sometimes I’ve questioned if I’m on the right path, if I was living out my purpose, if I was aligned with myself, had a quarter-life crisis… then I remembered what I wanted to be as a kid, and ever since then I’ve been realizing my childhood dream. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is to trust that everything I need to know is inside me and stop looking for answers outside of myself. Just do you, babe! I’m lucky to be able to do what I love and help others do the same!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First of all, I love LA! It’s so diverse and there’s always something to do and something for everyone — biggest things, the outdoors and food. When my best friend visited, I took her to Catalina Island, Universal Studios, Venice Beach, Magic Castle, got pasta at Bottega Louie, pastries from Pitchoun. On her next trip, I’ll take her to Grand Central Market, Larchmont Village, Laguna Beach, and up PCH to see Big Sur. We’ll eat at Cafe Gratitude, get waffles at Go Get Em Tiger, and get coffee at Blue Bottle! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Special thanks to God for always leading me in the right direction and watching over me. Also thank you to my parents, grandparents, sisters, my husband and his family, and all of my extended family for always supporting all of my endeavors. I have one of the most supportive families out there! Whether I’m funding a film, need a place to crash while I visit them in their city, or need a location to film, they’re always there to help!

Also big thanks to all of my best friends and my partners in crime, thank you for believing in me and going along with all of my ideas! Special industry shout out to Valeria Emanuel, Bonnie Gillespie, Chris Game, and Phillip Andre Botello for constantly inspiring and motivating me!

Website: imdb.me/ValeriaSweet , thesweetpost.com

Instagram: instagram.com/ValeriaSweetOfficial

Facebook: Facebook.com/ValeriaSweetOfficial

Other: TheSweetPost.com – love-life self-help books + life coaching courses

Image Credits
Elizaveta Dirat, Jose Mendoza, Rina Semenov, Phillip Faraone, Ernie Gilbert, Sean Decker, Carol Kim.

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.