Pia Theissen

Pia Theissen is an emerging model and social media influencer that is quickly making her name in the fashion and beauty arenas. At the ripe young age of 23, Pia left her life, family, and friends behind in Germany to bravely pursue modeling internationally. She decided to visit Medellin, Columbia, where she was able to get interviews with Colombia’s top modeling agencies and signed to her top choice, Iconic Models, after four short weeks.

Despite her beauty, life has been far from beautiful for Pia. Constantly striving for perfection to gain love and acceptance from others, Pia chose to live a life set out by her parents – replacing the dreams of becoming a model & actress with becoming an occupational therapist after graduating from the University of the Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR) in Cologne, Germany.

Despite how much Pia enjoyed helping others through her work as an occupational therapist, it didn’t outweigh the fulfillment she’d experience once she committed to living for herself.

“I always lived for everyone else and now I live for myself. I’ve realized that people don’t always want to see me grow, but now I’m not scared of losing people because the ones who don’t support you, you don’t need anyway” – Pia

Today, Pia’s potential in all she pursues is limitless – her self-confidence finally where it needs to be to allow her to live out her dreams.

Where did the idea for your career come from?

I believe the idea came when I was just a child and became friends with a remarkably beautiful girl at my school who influenced me to want to learn about fashion and beauty. I began watching makeup and beauty tutorials and became obsessed with learning as much as I could about the industry.

Unfortunately, anytime I tried to share my hopes of becoming a model or actress with anyone, they shot me down. It took a long time for me to build the self-confidence needed to pursue this career.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My entire life has dramatically changed over the past few months, but typically I like to wake up early and get a workout in right away. This allows my brain to wake up and prepare for the day. I’ll then get with my assistant and we’ll go over whatever tasks and content are planned for the day before getting to work.

How do you bring ideas to life?

It all starts with inspiration. It doesn’t matter if it’s music, fashion, or any other type of art – I’ll get inspired once I come across something that touches my heart which leads me to finding a way to incorporate it into my art.

When you’re passionate about something it’s so exciting to find different ways to express it.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Fashion. I love how it’s constantly changing and evolving with the times.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Morning cardio! That always activates my brain and makes me feel good about myself right away, so I’m primed to take on the day. Yoga in the morning is great, too, as it clears your mind and allows you to focus on whatever tasks are in front of you.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Whatever you want to do in life, believe in yourself and just do it. Make sure to live for yourself first and not let what anyone else has to say hold you back because the ones who truly care about you will always be there to support any decisions you make.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

One day, I’ll go to Mars.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Practice! It’s the only way you’ll get better and grow. I’ll regularly practice posing in the mirror or go over my content and be extremely critical of my performances, so I know what I need to improve on.

As Marilyn Monroe once said, “A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none”.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I knew I wanted to model in Medellín, Colombia, and so I did my due diligence and researched the top modeling agencies there before reaching out to them and expressing my interest in working with them. Being confident, kind, and humble with my approach has allowed me to get meetings with all three and pick the one I felt was best mutually suitable.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

The only failures I’ve had in modeling were when I listened to others and gave up and believed in them more than I believed in myself. I had a very difficult childhood and never had a lot of self-confidence, so whatever my friends and family thought carried a lot of weight. They’d tell me I wasn’t tall enough, or I wasn’t as skinny as I needed to be, and I just believed them. It took years of working on myself before I realized that the only one holding me back was me. Since then, I refuse to ever give up on myself again.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Of course, I want to do campaigns with big companies and brands, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on anything because my interests are always changing. I like to go with the flow, where new things always come and inspire me.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I’d have to say the best $100 I’ve spent recently was when I booked my flight to Ibiza. It was originally supposed to be for two weeks but ended up being a month when I met some incredible people who helped me realize my potential and make the decision to leave Germany and pursue my dream of modeling around the world.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I use Instagram to stay current with beauty and fashion trends while always networking with potential clients and brands I’d love to work with.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
“When your attention moves into the Now, there is an alertness. It is as if you were waking up from a dream, the dream of thought, the dream of past and future. Such clarity, such simplicity. No room for problem-making. Just this moment as it is.”

What is your favorite quote?

Either…
“A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none” – Marilyn Monroe
or
“Sometimes things fall apart, so that better things can fall together”

Key Learnings:

• Always believe in yourself and just go for it. Never stop dreaming big!
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, every experience makes you stronger and wiser.
• Learn not to take what others say to heart. Only you know what’s best for you.