A Driven Entrepreneur And Self-Leader – Exclusive Interview With Alizé Utteryn

Alizé Utteryn is an award-winning serial media entrepreneur, businesswoman, publisher, journalist and international networker based in New York. After a successful professional career as Senior Human Resources executive in France and the Czech Republic, she came in 2009 to the United States. She has since become a leader in Media, Communication and Public Relations. She is the CEO of AlizéLaVie, a global media and marketing company. promoting cultures diversity and talents around the world. Her mission is to empower change, share stories, elevate and inspire... Passionate philanthropic, her leadership and unfailing determination to make a difference in this world are often praised while inspiring others.

Alizé Utteryn, Serial Media Entrepreneur and Publicist

Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.

My name is Alizé Utteryn (Also known as AlizéLaVie) 47 years old and I am an award-winning serial multimedia entrepreneur, businesswoman, and international networker based in New York. I was born in Cayenne (French Guiana) and raised in Paris. I am holder of a Master of Sciences degree in Human Resources Management.

After a successful professional career as a senior Human Resources executive in France and the Czech Republic, I came to the United States in 2009, leaving everything behind to take up a new challenge and live my American dream. I quickly made a name for myself, thanks to my different skills. I am coming from a close-knit family who lives in French Guiana. I have 3 siblings, one sister, two brothers and I am the oldest. I love my parents. They represent everything for me. Because of them I am the woman I am today thanks to the values they instilled in me. I am extremely grateful.

In addition, I am a free spirit who loves people, networking and traveling. I consider myself as a citizen of the world appreciating cultures. My first passion is dancing, that turned out to be my second job as artist for many years. Indeed, I used to be a professional dancer touring and performing all over the world. My specialty is African dance, but I do know how to dance everything. I have been dancing since I was 3 years old.

I always strive to be out of the box and never limit myself. Nowadays in this highly competitive world, you have to stand out and get out of your comfort zone, if you want be successful. Scarcity makes value. I am glad and blessed to have done and experienced so many things in my life so far that gives me the luxury to do what I love and be flexible with multiple hats. I can do anything I want, when I decide. I have choice, which is the most beautiful thing in life to achieve. I don’t dream my life, I live my life the one I created based on who I am. I live my life to the fullest with no limits.

But I think if I am successful in my career it’s because I am unique in my way of doing things differently. I easily attract people like a magnet due to my positive energy and mindset, which is linked to my personality. I have this aura of confidence that emanates naturally from me. But believe me or not, my French accent is perhaps my best asset that makes me unique. Being a black woman with a French Parisian accent, which is very uncommon, truly has opened doors for me to amazing opportunities. Wherever I go, the minute I open my mouth to speak, all of sudden, I catch people’s attention, who usually love my accent. Since I have been living in America I realize my accent was making me different, and I should use it as a positive asset and fully embrace it. It is a part of my identity, who I am and I enjoy it. There is no need to try to sound more American or pretend to be. I stay true to myself, authentic. That works the best so far. What is your business name and how do you help your clients?

The name of my business is AlizéLaVie that includes different subsidiaries. It is made up of my first name and LaVie meaning life in French. Because all started from my own life experience, and I wanted to keep the French touch and have something with my name to leave my legacy. AlizéLaVie is both a global media and marketing company. AlizéLaVie Media’smission is to

stimulate creativity, inspire change, and support innovation. It is dedicated to promoting talents from all over the world and all fields related to art, culture, and entrepreneurship by sharing their highly inspirational creations and life-stories. We help our clients by offering them a wide range of content reflecting the world diversity in which we live. Thanks to our different mediums from magazines, blog articles, TV shows to podcast, we are offering them larger audience bilingual (French and English) for more visibility, exposure and a chance to be known on an international scale. Last but not least we help our clients with our Academy, which will be launched by the end of the year 2023.

AlizéLaVie Academy immerses you into entrepreneurial training with complete classes of theoretical and practical lessons, to develop and teach current and future entrepreneurs essential tools of starting and owning a business. With trainers’ contributions specialized in that subject matter from direct mentorship, coaching opportunities, pitch practice and appropriate content, AlizéLaVie Academy highlights training programs at all stages, from guiding start-ups through their first years of operation, to supporting established businesses looking forward to growing in their chosen industry. On the other hand, AlizéLaVie is committed to its clients to promote their brand and business with AlizéLaVie Agency, our marketing and creative agency.

AlizéLaVie agency team offers its expertise to develop and highlight our client projects, by implementing specifications, defining a relevant strategy according to his or her needs, but also concrete actions to be taken in order to make his or her success OUR pride. In addition, the consulting aspect of our company will provide our clients with sound advice on how to increase his visibility, market, share, communicate effectively and ensure the sustainable good governance of their company’s interests. What are your current goals for your business?

To continue and expand all of our activities internationally, What kind of audience do you target your business towards?

Our target is mainly the working class, entrepreneurs, business owners, future entrepreneurs and the artistic world, What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?

I would like to become a media mogul and a billionaire to use this money to make positive change by impacting people’s lives, invest in the global diaspora and youth. Most importantly, to give back to the community: becoming rich for the full benefit of others. As far as my business, I would like to build a solid, reliable, profitable, structure with six figure earners focus oriented on making social economic change. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?

My mother. She is my backbone and my biggest inspiration. Being a teen mom at 16 years old, then shortly raising 4 children was not easy at all. As a loving mother, she sacrificed everything to give us the best. She didn’t have a chance to go to school but she made sure we enrolled in the best schools and colleges. We are all post graduate with successful careers. Over the years her health has deteriorated. She has been facing a lot of serious illness with courage and a lot of strength, sometimes suffering in silence without complaining. She has survived and keeps fighting every single day. I am simply amazed by her strong character and the way she handles her situation with poise and positivity. That encourages me to be the best version of myself and have no excuse when I feel I want to give up. I have to keep pushing like she does, no matter how tough it is. Where there is life, there is hope. My mother is a living proof.

What is your work inspired by?

My work is inspired by people I meet, their stories and experiences, my traveling and cultures around the world. Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.

My biggest achievement happened last year in November 2022, I received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Awards from the White House, signed by President Joe Biden, and Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Atlanta. Despite struggles, doubts, disappointment, pain, tears and loneliness, I have never given up and backed down. I've stood strong and still made it.

What pride I feel as an immigrant, female entrepreneur to see my hard work being recognized at the highest level after 14 years in the US and also globally for the diaspora. This is what it takes to get to this level of leadership, especially in America where I've learned the hard way what truly means survival, hustling and becoming a leader. No pain, no gain! No other choice to succeed. I paid my dues. "I have sown with tears but today I am reaping with songs of joy! I am black excellence and proud of it. I will continue my mission always higher for the benefits of the global diaspora. Sky is no limit! I am a living proof". My motto is "Prove them wrong, everything is possible” If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?

The diversity and inclusion gap in the media and entertainment industry. Creating a safe space within the media industry for minority, creators can lead to a better media landscape, with varied viewpoints.

Nowadays, representation matters. Indeed producing diverse marketing materials where all demographics are represented is important because it can help broaden your consumer base and increase overall awareness. Doing this makes your brand accessible and palatable to your audiences. Diversity is good for business, and it has a positive societal impact: it boosts sales and increases profits. But we are getting there slowly but surely. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.

When I decided to quit my job where I was being taken advantage of and exploited. I was not happy, since I never received the credit for my work and there was no appreciation at all. My boss used to undermine me, being an immigrant, and told me I will never be able to do any business in America because of my heavy French accent. That was enough for me to ignite the fuel in me and prove to him he was wrong, and I could do even greater than him. I am thankful to him because he was the trigger for me to change my life. Because of his negative behavior he brought the best out of me while surpassing my own expectations. Without him I would have never known my full potential and capabilities. When I walked out, I had no job waiting for me, very little money. It was the complete unknown; I had no clue about the future. But guess what? That was the best decision I have ever made. I had no other choice to survive and make it happen. At that critical time, all I knew was I had no money to pay my rents and bills. There was no trail, especially in New York, which is a tough city to live in. You do it or not. That was the day in the adversity. I have become an entrepreneur and found a way to get back on my feet doing something I am passionate about and love. That marked the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey as CEO of AlizeLaVie. I have no regrets and never had to look back. Here I am today as a self-leader celebrating my 10 years anniversary, a big milestone. I am still there stronger than ever and determined to do bigger things.

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