One day at a time. We only have today. So being present and in the now is absolutely vital for having happy and healthy to succeed and perform at your best! Always strive to be The Best Version of Yourself you can be đđđ»
As part of my series about âindividuals and organizations making an important social impactâ, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Alexandra Guglielmo. Emily is a model, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Besides being a model and professional mermaid (really!), Emily owns a mermaid inspired cosmetics line, Emily Alexandra Cosmetics. A portion of sales benefit her nonprofit, Supporting Water, which brings clean drinking water to people in emerging nations.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Well, ever since I was a young child, my father would take my sister and I and our girlfriends to the beach every weekend. That is where we would search for scallops with our hands and catch sand dollars with our toes. I learned to swim I just six months old. We always were very much a water family. My father was a professional surfer in Hawaii back in the 70s. Ironically enough though my mother never learned how to swim. I guess Its true when they say, opposites attract.
So I was naturally a born and raised Mermaid. But when I was about 22, I decided to invest and buy my own full silicon mermaid tail! At that time there were minimal people in the niche and only one real mermaid tail maker which again ironically was only two hours away from where I livedâââI grew up in Tampa Bay where The Sunshine State thrived. I ordered my mermaid tail from Mertailor and at that time they did not have a phone number or a physical address. I spent $3000 USD and ordered it upfront. It was months & months late and I was beginning to think this was a scam. Then âŠ. I finally got my tail eight months late and it arrived in an unknown box. To my manifestation, this gorgeous full silicone tail actually fit me perfectly.
I decided to do a photo shoot on the beach with my mermaid tail and people organically began to walk up to me asking to take pictures with me, asking if they could hire me for their childrenâs birthday party⊠Thatâs when I knew I had something here! From there it lifted off. I began to do mermaid gigs all over Florida, then all over the United States, and now even in other countries like the Caribbean and Africa!
From being a professional mermaid came the fruition of my cosmetic line, Emily Alexandra Cosmetics, in 2019. The entire line is water-resistant, vegan, cruelty-free, and ocean-friendly with coral reef safe SPF in the make up !
Now ever since I was a young girl I always had a passion and drive to help others in extreme poverty and in need. So I started my own foundation in 2018 and named it Supporting Water, where I find and raise money to bring drinking water to emerging nations in new and innovative ways!
And besides all of that, I have an absolute craving for the camera! I do everything from modeling and acting, to hosting and entertaining. If thereâs a camera, Iâll be there! Lol. I feel that came heavy from when we were young growing up, my father always had the camera in our face making home videos! But back then, it was with the humongous cameras you would put on your shoulder.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I feel we go through chapters in life and since I began my company and nonprofit, I have been through many chapters. But overall I have been extremely blessed to have partnered up with other brands and non-profits that have allowed me to accelerate even more to elevate to the next level. Brands like Viactiv, PADI, 1000 mermaids, Water is Life, Global Eco Army, and much more!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Oh my God⊠This one is extremely embarrassing and financially hurtful. We had just went to printing with over 1000 units of the Sunkissed Pearl Drops, and there was a word that was incorrectly spelled! It was very noticeable. Yikes! Moral of the story: Always proofread, and then get someone else to proofread again!
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
We just got back recently from our second mission for Supporting Water. It was our first international mission. This was in Mombasa, Kenya, where we handed out over 500 individual drinking straws that filter any source of water to be potable drinking water. Distraught south stops working naturally so the individual knows when to stop using it and to dispose of it. We also handed out many water filtration buckets for more compact communities surrounding Mombasa in the villages, Schools, and woman shelters.
Our first mission was in Yauco, Puerto Rico, where we put in a water filtration system up at the top the mountain hundreds of elderly live and donât have access to clean filtered water.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
We were able to supply 2 schools with all new school supplies and books! I know a couple of children were impacted so greatly that they wrote a special note to me. They were no more than eight years old and extremely grateful for fresh new books to learn with. At that time, there was one book to four children to learn out of.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
The government in Africa could be fixing many factors in the educational system. Specifically, in Kenya (where we were), public school is extremely expensive, which inhibits people from succeeding. They are forever trapped in this system where they can never surmount unless they have education. The education is so hard to obtain there. The system has made it extremely difficult for mass society to receive public education.
How do you define âLeadershipâ? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I feel I am still learning about leadership and Iâm always learning as I go. Iâve learned a lot along the way and all through honest mistakes. Knowing what I know now and looking back in the past two years, I have realized that leadership is compromise and coming to terms with people, meeting them halfway, always keeping up on what my employees are working on each day, and coming up with a game plan on Sunday to tackle the week coming up. I also feel leadership is friendship! I always make sure I have a rooted foundation of true friendship with my employees and people that I collaborate with for work and projects. It truly makes our work that we create so much more meaningful and fun! All business starts at the root of friendship.
What are your â5 things I wish someone told me when I first startedâ and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Youâre gonna need a lot of money.
2. Donât always say yes.
3. Have a five-year plan and goal and how youâre going to reach it.
4. Itâs extremely hard to create a brand, nonprofit, and company.
5. Make sure you have more money.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. đ
I am now looking into collaborating with Akon City in Africa where we invest in hospitals which creates jobs and allows for the economy to fuel and find itself for the long haul. I am very excited for future projects that will enhance and elevate multiple societies to the next level.
Can you please give us your favorite âLife Lesson Quoteâ? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One day at a time. We only have today. So being present and in the now is absolutely vital for having happy and healthy to succeed and perform at your best! Always strive to be The Best Version of Yourself you can be đđđ»
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. đ
Absolutely Elon Musk. I admire him so much and would love to pick his brain and work with him on a future project going up into space!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
On Instagram!
@emilyalexandracosmetics
@supportingwater
@theamericanmermaid_
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Emily Alexandra Guglielmo Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.