Victoria Tollossa, MBA

Director of Marketing 

Illume

Founder & CEO

Mitchell Sandler LLC

Centre Law & Consulting, LLC.

Marketing Manager

First Edventures

Founder

IDL Entertainment Group

Co-Founder

Victoria Tollossa is a two-time founder, Grammy-nominated storyteller, and the creative force behind Illume — a personal branding agency helping executives and mission-driven entrepreneurs amplify their influence and visibility.

Blending business acumen and brand strategy, Victoria has helped clients secure funding from top firms, attract high-level talent, close multi-million-dollar deals, grow powerful social media platforms, earn industry awards, and land major speaking opportunities — not by chasing attention, but by owning their narrative.

Her work has been featured in Entrepreneur, Inc., Fortune, and Business Journals. She’s collaborated with both Fortune 500 brands and high-growth startups, including high-profile clients like Target, Ford, Seventh Generation and Bravo’s Real Housewives.

A trusted voice on storytelling, social media strategy, and the future of personal branding, Victoria is a frequent speaker, strategic advisor, and a fierce advocate for building businesses that reflect both purpose and power.

This morning I drove by the Section 8 apartment my mom and I used to live in.

It’s the apartment where I first started singing, writing songs and stories, and dreaming of a better future.

I drive past it almost every morning on the way to drop off my son. 
But today I thought about how much those years still shape the way I see the world and the way I lead.

Here’s why that matters.

When people talk about “thought leadership,” most stick to surface-level insights: industry reports, trends, generic advice.

But real thought leadership is about perspective. 
And perspective comes from lived experience.

It’s like three people looking at the same sky through the same telescope:

- A child sees something magical.
- An astronomer sees constellations and data points.
- A philosopher sees answers to life’s biggest questions.

Same sky. Same stars. Different perspectives shaped by lived experience.

For me, moving to a new country, being homeless, and learning to dream from that Section 8 apartment window gave me resilience and resourcefulness.

Those lessons aren’t just personal memories. 
They’re the filter that shapes how I build and how I lead today.

If you’re building a personal brand, don’t leave your story out of it.

Your lived experience isn’t separate from your work. 

It’s the filter that shapes your professional perspective and that’s what makes it impossible to copy.

Victoria Tollossa

CEO @ Illume | Grammy-nominated Storyteller & Personal Branding Strategist for Executives

I was the only person of color everywhere I went during the first decade of my life. Literally.

As a child of mixed race growing up in Soviet Ukraine in the 80s and 90s, I was the minority of the minority.

There was no one who looked like me — except for a handful of students from Africa who came to study at local universities (one of them being my dad).

I was stared at. 
Pointed at. 
Laughed at.

Every time I stepped outside, I was reminded that I was different — and somehow less than.

When I finally made it to America, that feeling didn’t go away.

Now, I was the only immigrant kid in school who didn’t speak English.
Later, in private school, I became the only student on public assistance among a sea of privilege.

For years, I felt ashamed of that. I tried to blend in, to minimize myself, to fit.
It took a long time to work through those feelings of inadequacy.

But today, I’m proud of who I am and where I come from:

→ I’m no longer afraid of being the only one.
→ I see my differences as a source of strength.
→ And I bring my full self to every space I enter.

Looking back, my biggest regret is that I let my differences hold me back for so long.

That’s why I’m so passionate about personal branding.
Because at its core, it’s about owning who you are.

At the heart of every powerful personal brand is the courage to show up authentically and unapologetically.

So to anyone who’s ever felt like the "only one" embrace your differences, stand tall in your identity, and be proud of your story.

You are not less than. You are more than enough.

🟢  If this speaks to you, I’m hosting a FREE webinar on How to Build a Personal Brand That Stands Out in 2026.

I’ll share how to show up online with authenticity AND strategy — so you attract the right opportunities and show up with confidence.

Authenticity is your edge in 2026. And I’ll show you how to make it your strength.

Link in profile and comments to register.

People don’t fall in love with content. 
They fall in love with how it makes them feel. 
Here’s an AI prompt to see what emotions your brand sparks 👇🏽

The most impactful personal brands aren’t built on industry insights alone.
And if you think education or trends are enough, you’re missing the piece that actually makes people remember you.

Emotional resonance.

Think of your favorite personal brand. Why do you love them?
It’s not just the information. It’s how they make you feel. 
Seen, confident, inspired, etc. 

Run this prompt in AI:

Act as a world-class digital brand strategist and researcher. Your task is to conduct an in-depth audit of my current digital footprint across all platforms, including my website, social media activity, and other public content. I want to know my brand's emotional resonance. Analyze patterns across time, not just recent activity.

Here is my linkedin profile link: [Insert Link]

Answer the following questions:

1. What emotions do my posts most often spark?
2. Which posts feel persuasive vs purely informational?
3. What themes connect most naturally with my values?
4. How do I come across? Mentor, challenger, friend, expert?
5. What energy would make my message hit harder?

IMPORTANT: If you’re using ChatGPT, run it in Deep Research mode for best results.

Try it out and drop your results in the comments👇🏽


🟢 On Sept 30th, I’m hosting a live class where I’ll show you how to use AI to:

 – Align your brand with your values and goals
 – Turn scattered thoughts into a message only you can share
 – Build trust at scale so the right clients and opportunities come to you

You’ll get access to my custom GPT to help you build your brand strategy and create content.

🟢 DM me “AI Brand” if you want the link.

Someone less qualified than you is winning on LinkedIn right now. Simply because they're showing up. And you’re still overthinking.
 
Let’s change that.
No more waiting.
No more watching from the sidelines.
 
The people who post consistently aren’t necessarily smarter or more accomplished. They’re just visible.
 
That’s why they get the:
– introductions that lead to new partnerships
– emails from recruiters who “suddenly” notice them
– inbound leads while they sleep
– credibility points that stack with every post
 
It’s not about perfection. It’s about proof of presence.
 
So if you’ve been holding back, here’s the shift:
Don’t aim to post the “perfect” thing. Aim to post something.
 
Show us what you’re learning.
Share what you believe.
Tell a story that shaped you.
 
Every post is a brick. And before you know it, you’ve built a brand people can trust.
 
You don’t need more credentials.
You need more courage to hit publish.
 
Start today.
 
🟢 And if you want to show up more strategically and authentically online → join my free webinar on Oct 15. 

🟢  I’ll show you how to clarify your message, sharpen your positioning, and show up with authority. Register via the link in my profile.

2 years ago I started on LinkedIn with 800 followers.
Most of my posts got 10-20 likes.
 
Today, I’m closing in on 50k.
If you think I'm over exaggerating, scroll back through my feed.
 
(...although please don't. I post a lot)
 
What worked for me wasn’t luck.
It came from being intentional about how I showed up, every single day.

Here are the 5 building blocks that made the difference:
 
1. Clarity
Most of us create personas as a survival mechanism.
It helps us fit in, avoid judgment, and feel safe.
But over time, the gap between who we are and who we pretend to be grows so wide we forget our real selves.
The moment you drop the mask, you create true clarity. That’s when you stand out.
 
2. Connection
I didn’t just post tips and tricks. I focused on creating an emotional connection. People don’t remember every insight, but they remember how you made them feel.
 
3. Community
Posting isn’t enough. You can’t post and ghost. That’s like hosting a party and leaving your guests behind. Doesn’t work, does it?
 
4. Consistency
I treated posting like a job, not a hobby.
At work, you don’t get to skip meetings because you’re not “inspired.” You figure it out. You push through. And you get it done. I brought that same discipline to LinkedIn.
 
5. Credibility
This is “why should we believe you?” Authority comes when you show the receipts and own the scars. It’s built through results (metrics and outcomes), recognition (press, roles, awards), and real life (the lived experience that qualifies your POV).
 
And now I’m teaching this process in a FREE webinar: How to Build a Personal Brand That Stands Out in 2026.

I’ll show you how to sharpen your positioning, clarify your message, and align your story with your strategy—so your brand grows with intention, not luck.

👉🏽 Link to register is in my profile and in the comments.

Meet Xania Monet.
She just hit the Billboard charts and signed a $3M record deal.
She’s also AI.

No touring. No live performances.
She was created using AI tools. 
Yet her songs are generating real money and real attention.

But Xania isn’t just a music headline.
She’s proof of where most industries are headed.

For the last decade, we’ve been living in the Attention Economy.
Post more on social, write newsletters, start a blog.
More, more, more content!
We measured success in clicks, followers, and virality.

And now with AI, producing content is even more possible.

Songs, images, and even entire personas can be generated at scale.
Content is no longer scarce. It’s easy. It’s a commodity.

Which means attention alone no longer matters.

When content is over saturated, possibly fake, and all sounds the same, authenticity becomes the differentiator.

It’s no longer about “are people watching?”
It’s “do they believe you?”

That’s the shift into the Trust Economy™.

The artists, leaders, and brands who will thrive aren’t the ones who produce the most content.

They’re the ones people trust enough to believe.

PS.

When I listened to Xania’s music, the lyrics really struck me. 
They definitely felt lived. I even teared up.
Why? Because they were written by a human. 
A poet who actually lived those experiences.
Watching Xania's AI videos on IG, I wasn’t thinking about the fake face on the screen. 
I was connecting to the poet.
And that’s the point: even with all this AI, what moved me was the human story.
Just saying!!

If you keep chasing trends and “content hacks,”
you’ll watch people with half your talent outshine you online.
 
Because in 2026, the only brands that break through
are the ones that make you think AND feel.
 
Too many “thought leaders” are respected but detached.
Too many “influencers” are relatable but hollow.
Both are building personal brands for a world that doesn’t exist anymore.
 
When AI can fake authority, style, and even authenticity faster than you can post, credibility without connection becomes invisible.
And connection without credibility is just noise.
 
The future belongs to those who can do both:
lead with authority and humanity.
 
So stop hiding behind your credentials,
your titles, awards,
your perfectly polished posts.
 
Start showing up like a human with receipts.
 
That’s the new power move.
 
Wanna learn how to do that and crush it in 2026?
 
👉🏽 Join my free webinar: How to Build a Personal Brand That Stands Out in 2026. I'll show you how to build a personal brand for the new economy. 

Registration link in my profile and in the comments.

Taplio

Victoria Tollossa's Linkedin Analytics

What is Victoria talking about?

Who is engaging with Victoria

's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?