Born in McMinnville, TN, and raised in Nashville, Julie Solomon is no stranger to Southern culture. Long before she left for a thriving PR career in Los Angeles and married her now-husband (actor and activist Johnathon Schaech), the South was her stomping ground — she even earned her degree in journalism and digital media from the University of Tennessee. Her career trajectory includes publicity for Grammy Award- and Golden Globe-winning artists, being featured in FORBES and Entrepreneur, and getting in on the ground floor of influencer marketing, which prompted her current career as a highly reputable speaker, author, consultant, podcast host (of the top-rated The Influencer Podcast), business coach, and brand-builder. Her successful online course, Pitch It Perfect, has generated over seven figures in revenue, and her newly released book, Get What You Want: Go From Unseen to Unstoppable, is an empowering look at owning and growing your personal influence. Please welcome our new FACE of the South, Julie Solomon.
How did you get in on the ground floor of influencer marketing?
I moved to LA … in 2013, right when the whole world of what we now know to be influencer marketing was becoming a thing. Back then, it was called blogging or YouTubing. But I found myself enmeshed in that world. I started blogging as a way to connect to the community and try to find some footing and a sense of belonging out there. When I started to connect to a lot of the women, they saw that I didn’t have a big reach with my blog, but I was able to monetize it quickly and effectively because of my skill set and background. Many started coming to me and saying, “I don’t mean to sound rude, but how is it that you have no following, and I have all of these followers, and you’re consistently landing brand deals, collaborating, and doing partnerships? I’m barely making money off of affiliate income!” When that happened, I thought, There’s a need for something more than just sharing mom and lifestyle tips on my blog. There’s something deeper here. I started to test the waters and create content that focused on marketing tips, PR support, and ways that content creators could start to think of their content more as a branded opportunity — to start building a business behind it. That took off and gained traction, and from there, it was a snowball effect. I started taking on clients.
I created an online course in 2016 called Pitch It Perfect, which is still around today. That course completely changed the entire trajectory of my business … I was able to hit a big-felt need for a niche of people who wanted what I was sharing and teaching.
What brought you back to your Nashville roots from Los Angeles?
I’m a mom of two — I have an 8-year-old son Camden and a 20-month-old daughter, Lily Joe, and my husband is Johnathon Schaech. He’s an actor and an activist, and he had been in LA for 30 years. (He’s 15 years older than me.) When we met, and I moved out there to start a family with him, there was always this idea of Nothing really films here anymore; do we need and want to be here? LA was really good for me because it put me where I needed to be to unlock the business that I now have. If I had stayed in Nashville, I probably would still have done a version of what I do now, but it wouldn’t have been the scope it is. LA is the mecca of content creators and influencers, and it’s the top 1% of the top 1%. It thrust me into that community, but once I could lay the foundation, we got this tug. My son was starting kindergarten, and my entire family is here. My friends are here. It felt right, so we threw it out there and said, “We’re gonna start putting feelers out to buy a house in Nashville, and if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”
Tell us about your book.
Get What You Want: How to Go From Unseen to Unstoppable is meant for that woman (men too, but I have 99% women in my sphere) who’s sick and tired of being sick and tired. This book was a three-year process. I started working on the proposal back in 2018, but because we moved, then I had a child, and then COVID-19 hit, there have been a lot of changes. The process took a little bit longer, and I’m glad that it did because I think it was meant to come out now, in this post-pandemic haze — especially for women. Some are going back to the workplace, and some aren’t. Some are reevaluating how they’re showing up in the world, how they want to work, and how they want to share their message. There are a lot of women who finally feel this sense of wanting to crack open and do something, but there’s something that keeps them stuck — usually limiting beliefs, the scarcity mindset, the struggle with balancing being a parent and wanting to do all of this. We’re really hitting that now that we’ve gotten two-ish years removed from the pandemic, and we’re starting to settle into whatever this new normal is. So, it’s for that woman who’s not only curious but ready to take that leap and trust the process of what’s really possible for her to get what she wants. And that can be different for everyone.
You wear so many hats! What do you do to make time for yourself?
I don’t beat myself up for being selfish. I don’t subscribe to the mommy shame; I opt out. I made that decision a very long time ago. I was raised by a single mom, and she didn’t have a choice — she had to work. My dad, too. We were a blue-collar working family. Neither of my parents went to college; I come from humble beginnings. Seeing how my parents grew up — and especially how my grandparents grew up in extreme poverty — resonated. My grandmother lived in a trailer her whole life; they didn’t have indoor plumbing until I was about 10 years old. I remember walking to the outhouse to go to the bathroom, and that wasn’t 1945; it was 1991. I think that seeing their resoluteness and resilience — there’s really no other choice. We can either be a victim of our own circumstances or accept what is and move forward. It helped me to bear witness to that. I believe that the more I can “put the mask on myself first,” the more I can show up for my kids.
Another way I take care of myself is that I’m really mindful of how I use my time. I don’t clutter it with busy work. I say “no” to almost everything, which is incredibly freeing — and I’m someone who used to say “yes” to any and everything, all the time. I love to ask myself the question, What is essential? As women, we feel like we have to do it all (or at least I did for a very long time) because no one will do it as well as we can. But that’s a form of control; it’s learned helplessness. When we feel like we have to do it all because it can’t get done, we’re essentially saying, “I’m helpless to my circumstance; therefore, I have to jump in, save everyone, and be the hero to all of the problems.” That caused way more chaos in my life than good. Therapy, reading books, and being mindful of how I was showing up in the world helped me create these boundaries that gave me a lot of great self-care. I have a morning practice where I give myself 15 to 20 minutes to just be with me.
Given that you grew up here, what local spots do you think deserve more attention?
I love McCabe’s Pub. It’s just good and consistent. I also grew up going to Sportsman’s Grille, which isn’t the shiniest place in the world, but it’s a great burger and French fries. It feels homey, and it’s got a little pub vibe. I really like pubs. Jimmy Kelly’s is another place; that was the big steakhouse we would go to. And Sperry’s. There are a lot of great new staples, but there are also some old ones that warm my heart. The Picnic is another great one.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Go easy on yourself.
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what are three things you can’t live without?
Meditation, a Yeti filled with water, and my phone (mainly because of the meditation apps).
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Julie, and thanks to Kara Coleen for the images.Â
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Read more interviews with our inspirational FACES in our archives!
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