We sat down with Victoria Song, one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and an advisor to successful founders and CEOs of the world’s fastest growing technology companies in the Silicon Valley. In her new book, Bending Reality: How to Make the Impossible Probable, Song discusses her process, using the meta-framework behind peak performance, self-development, therapy, and meditation.
- Describe what you do in 280 characters (a Tweet’s length).
Victoria Song: “I’m a leadership advisor to founders and CEOs of the fastest growing tech companies. I support them in feeling calm, confident, and energized as they scale their multibillion-dollar companies by using the principles in my book, Bending Reality: How to Make the Impossible Probable.”
- How did you get involved in this industry?
Victoria Song: “I began my career as a venture capitalist when I was 23 years old. I love supporting founders, CEOs, and their startups. My curiosity and desire to support went beyond improving the company’s business model to unlocking the full potential of the entrepreneur. I wanted them to have both epic success and fulfillment. Then at 26 years old, I became a power user of coaches, sometimes working with four at a time. I’ve since worked with over 24 of the world’s best coaches, trained and completed three coaching certifications, and I bring the very best techniques and processes back to my clients.”
- What made you transition from being a successful VC to working with some the biggest names in tech? What was the inspiration/motivation?
Victoria Song: “The first inspiration came from hitting the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for Venture Capital and being featured in articles about my investments. Despite “making it” in an industry so many of my peers were trying to figure out how to break into, I felt empty inside. Then I looked around at my Yale and Harvard Business School classmates who had also achieved success in their fields and noticed a similar void that they were attempting to fill with their accomplishments. I saw this phenomenon play out with tech founders who’d made billions. They had everything they ever thought they wanted but they didn’t feel much joy, satisfaction, or love. I wondered why this was happening, and why we weren’t doing anything about it.”
“My new work quickly led me to working with remarkable tech leaders. I believe that when we’re in alignment with what it is we’re meant to do here on this planet, it appears as if the universe is conspiring in our favor. We experience the synchronicity of time as our ally, with things happening in no time at all. This is what began to happen in my life and in the lives of my clients.”
“I’m motivated to create new paradigms for success, wealth, power, leadership, and business. And to create new possibilities for love, connection, fulfillment, health, and spirit.”
- How is the work you do a benefit to people/society?
Victoria Song: “At its core, my work gives people freedom—mental freedom from limiting beliefs, programming, and old wiring. Financial freedom to buy/eat/wear/travel/invest/live/enjoy/love because they choose, not because it’s what they can afford. Freedom to spend their days only with the people and projects they want. Health freedom to live a full, healthy and whole life that supports all their desires. Emotional freedom to feel and be with all 88 keys of their emotional range, which gives them a complete sense of aliveness and frees them from the hold fear has on their dreams.”
“It’s the ultimate freedom to discover who you truly are when all limitations on your soul are removed. To enjoy a life that is worthy of this one, precious life. The freedom to choose because you choose. Not because it’s what you were taught, not because it’s all you know, not because you should, not because it’s what you can afford, not because you have to or need to, not because of any limitation. But because you want to. Who do you become when you’re free? What does your heart desire? What does the most fully expressed version of you create in the world?”
“That is what I live for, and this is my contribution to society. I’m creating the world that I want to live in.”
- What’s innovative about what you do?
Victoria Song: “Because of my background in tech, finance, and startups and my education at Yale and Harvard Business School, I’m able to be a bridge to those who may not traditionally seek out this kind of work. It’s multi-dimensional and ranges from leadership, business, wealth, power, and success to personal growth, relationships, fulfillment, spiritual laws and evolution. I’m modality agnostic, and I meet each client where they are using language that resonates. We can discuss strategy and tactics. We can go deep into the subconscious. We can go on a journey. The wisdom and teachings are infinite.”
- How, in your opinion, has your industry changed in the past 5 years?
Victoria Song: “It seems like everyone has a friend who’s become a life coach in the past 5 years. I understand why so many people desire to do this life-changing work, and I believe the world will be better for it. However, one thing I believe we must both hold ourselves accountable to as coaches and those whom we choose to learn from, is embodiment. Are we teaching what we’ve learned? Or are we teaching what we’ve embodied? As the saying goes, “Knowledge is only rumor until it lives in the body.” Before you become a coach because you hired a coach, wait to practice and embody principles that you then understand deeply in your bones. Until your life shows it, you don’t know it. Wherever you are on your journey, there are lessons you have already embodied, and that is the wisdom you can congruently support others in. Look for this embodiment in anyone you consider hiring to be your coach. Does their life show it?”
Victoria Song: “In the past 5 years, we’ve also moved away from “experts” talking to us toward “authentic, vulnerable leaders” who are talking with us. No longer do we trust “one-size-fits-all” tools and frameworks or experts telling us “the answer” or “what to do.” We don’t want someone perfect who has everything figured out and makes us feel like they know better than us. We don’t need to put anyone on a pedestal. Instead, we look for humans like us who are walking alongside telling us what worked for them in case it helps or inspires us. We learn from humans who genuinely care about our struggles and are shining a light on another way.”
“Consequently, the marketing for coaching has evolved over the past 5 years. The marketing copy used to capitalize on people’s fears with sentiments such as “You need this or else you’ll be stuck forever” “How much pain are you in?” “You won’t be fixed until you learn from me.” Today, a more elevated and less manipulative approach to marketing is inspiring people into action with a vision. Showing them the possibilities, supporting them in knowing they’re worthy of their dreams and desires. Nothing is wrong. Nobody needs to be fixed. Nothing is missing. You don’t NEED any of it. But you get to have more if you want it. This in my opinion is a healthier, more empowering way to serve in this industry.”
- What has COVID done to your industry? Has it been affected? Does your solution assist with the pandemic?
Victoria Song: “I worked remotely before COVID and most of my industry works over the phone or via zoom so the day-to-day has not been affected. However, the amount of uncertainty in the world impacting business and life has created more stress, anxiety, and overwhelm than I’ve ever seen before. Many who have taken this time to be reflective and intentional have sought out personal development work.”
“This pandemic has been a powerful test of my tools and teachings which support people to ride emotional highs and lows in a way that results in better outcomes than they thought were possible. They navigate the unknown and see opportunities where others only see problems. They dissolve any fear conditioning and anchor into their courage and vision. They achieve an optimal mental, physical, and emotional state that enables them to bend reality.”
- Describe the future of your industry. What does the future hold? What is society going to look like?
Victoria Song: “Every day, more and more people are awakening to the fact that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rat race. Just another hill to climb. These people are curious for another way. The path to success does not need to be one of sacrifice, suffering, seriousness and struggle. For my clients and I, it is one of fun and ease. I believe the future of my industry will lift us out of heavy and hard, and show us that epic success is reached through happiness, fulfillment, and play. You can make the impossible probable and have so much fun doing it.”
“You don’t need to feel empty inside and fill the void with highs. You can feel full and free from the chase. Those who realize this from their own experience will become evidence for others. Those who volunteer to go on this journey of discovery will report back and share their wisdom. This will expand our collective truth that’s subjective and ever evolving. I’m excited for a society of free, empowered humans who are fully, courageously living their lives.”
- What plans do you have coming up?
Victoria Song: “I’m excited to make my work accessible to more and more people every single day. I continue to offer 1:1 coaching and lead group programs. And recently, I’ve curated the most powerful wisdom and effective techniques I’ve learned through training with over 24 of the world’s best coaches, certification programs, and my own life experience and I’m now sharing it with the world at large through my new book, Bending Reality: How to Make the Impossible Probable.”
“I’ll be offering a new Bending Reality course for anyone who wants to go deeper with me after reading the book. To have gone from supporting dozens to hundreds to now thousands is an incredible ripple effect I didn’t realize would happen so quickly in my career. I’m grateful and excited to continue growing and evolving for my own wellbeing and for all those who I’m fortunate to support through a long-lasting, life-changing ripple on this planet.”
- Tell us a little bit about your new book, Bending Reality. What is it about and how can it help someone who is looking to make the impossible probable?
Victoria Song: “Bending Reality shares the principles of Higher Laws in a way that even a skeptical, analytical minded reader can understand and appreciate. I intentionally avoid language that can turn off someone who’s never been drawn to personal development such as self-love, inner child, God, spirit, energy, frequency, etc. It’s meant to feel like you’re getting in at the shallow end of the pool and being guided to the deep end. Those who’ve read many personal development books have shared that the principles, framework and language I use in Bending Reality has made everything they’ve learned click into place with a new understanding that is simple yet profound.”
“It’s also rare to learn such principles through hard, tangible business outcomes such as multibillion dollar exits, scientific breakthroughs, and exponential revenue growth. It’s more common to learn about personal development and spiritual laws through soft, intangible results such as more fulfillment, self-love, and self-growth. The codes to Bending Reality will teach the reader step-by-step how to make the impossible probable.”
- How specifically, can your book help companies and people in the tech industry?
Victoria Song: “All the examples in the book are real business outcomes that defy odds and defy logic. For the tech industry that is always looking to collapse time in producing breakthrough innovation and have its people tap into their creative flow state, Bending Reality is the how-to guide for accessing and operating from here all the time.”
“Specifically, it teaches how to master the physical, emotional, and mental states required to achieve unreasonable success; how to reach your personal peak without burning out; how to navigate change and face the unknown like the world’s greatest leaders; how to relax your nervous system to handle the stress and anxiety of uncertainty; how to master unpleasant emotions; how to plug into renewable, sustainable fuels for energy and motivation. More than intellectual concepts, the principles and tools support embodiment of the knowledge so you will not need to memorize tips and tricks as you will have integrated the wisdom into your being.”
Victoria Song is the Leadership Advisor to successful founders and CEOs of the fastest growing technology companies in Silicon Valley and celebrities with power, platform and influence.
Victoria began her career as a venture capitalist investing in technology startups, where she got to see first-hand what the most successful entrepreneurs did differently to win.
She was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her investment success. After studying economics at Yale University and leadership at Harvard Business School, she received her most valuable learnings from over 24 of the best coaches, therapists and alternative healers in the world who teach lessons not available in even the most exclusive universities.
