Life & Work with Victoria Riollano of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Riollano.

Hi Victoria, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Don’t use motherhood as your excuse.

I will never forget the day these words were spoken to me. At the time, I was a mom of five children, a worship leader, and had just begun a career as a psychology professor. Yet, after a church service, these words were spoken to me by a visiting minister. I was initially offended. Am I still not doing enough? The truth is, I had earned every degree, ran a successful business, and led in ministry all while being a mother. However, I knew deep down inside there was more. There were songs yet to be written and books the Lord had placed in my heart. Rather than going for it, my biggest excuse was that I was a mom. I had used these beautiful blessings as my reason not to step out and do things I knew I had been called to. The truth is, I was simply afraid.
Afraid of failure.
Afraid of people thinking I was “doing too much.”
Afraid of the unknown.
Yet this minister continued her words to me, “If you were to stop using motherhood as your excuse, you wouldn’t recognize yourself next year at this time.”
So, I decided to go for it full force. My motto has always been, “If you are going to do it, do it with excellence.” I investigated the steps to becoming a traditionally published author and put together a plan to work the process backwards. I started a blog in 2017 called Victory Speaks, which focuses on helping people find victory in Christ. This blog taught me the rhythm of writing, gave me an opportunity to network through guest blogs, and taught me discipline. As I built a following here, I wrote a self-published book called The Victory Walk: A 21 Day Devotional. I used this book to get onto local radio stations and share the Gospel. From here, I wrote for national publications like iBelieve, Christianity Today, and crosswalk.com. And by 2018, I truly did not recognize myself. I went from hiding in the silence to finding myself on national radio stations and speaking at writing conferences, bible studies, and numerous motherhood events. Truly, when I made the choice to be unafraid, the Lord blessed my efforts; I saw opportunities unfolding quicker than I could keep up. Even more so, by October of 2021, I had scored a book deal for a book that gave me the biggest opportunities of my life with Kregel Publications.
In this book, Warrior Mother: Equipping Your Heart to Fight For Your Family’s Faith, I have been able to share with the world the beauty of motherhood and faith.
Since the minister spoke over me years ago, I have now authored three books, become a recording artist, helped start a church with my husband, and had four more children with my husband!
Yes! A mom of nine, married twenty years, thriving in ministry, full-time career, and writing books! I have dedicated my life to encouraging women worldwide that motherhood is not a disability but a catalyst to do some amazing things in the world! I am a firm believer that children are a blessing from the Lord, as we see in Psalm 127:3-5.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
On a personal level, to be a mother and complete any task requires a bit of multitasking. It has always been important to me to not have my craft supersede my number one responsibility, family. I never want my children to resent my craft, but I also never want to resent motherhood because I neglect my craft. For this reason, I strategically bring my children into my journey. I get their ideas for books, article ideas, and marketing. I also schedule intentional time for work and spending time with my family. A vacation has never been missed for a writing or speaking engagement!
On a professional level, this journey of being a writer and speaker is more than expected. It comes with rejection as you reach out for guest opportunities or publishing deals. Writing also requires a level of vulnerability that can invite critique. This has taught me to use my words wisely and with intention. In doing so, writing has helped me to recognize the importance of how we show up whether in person or behind the “screen.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My heart is to worship God through words. Whether through music, written words, or speaking, I want to use my words to inspire people to walk in their God-given calling and find victory in life. In doing so, I try to meet people where they are through conversations and sharing personal struggles I have overcome. I also use my experience as a professor of Social and Developmental Psychology to connect with people on an intellectual level. Ultimately, my goal is to integrate personal experience, biblical truth, and psychological research to help people improve their daily lives and walk in faith!

I am best known for my three books The Victory Walk, Warrior Mother, and The Worship Problem. More recently, I have also begun to record music with my most popular song being. “How Can It Be” available on all platforms.
However, I am most proud of being able to do all that I do while being a mother. Having many children is unique but doing so while still being faithful to career, craft, and holding to my faith is what sets me apart. My prayer is to be an inspiration to the masses but most importantly to remind my children that their calling doesn’t stop based on other people’s expectations. They can freely do ALL that they have been called to do and do it well.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Adaptability.

I feel like the reason most people lose momentum is because they want what works in one season of their life to work in the next. As mentioned, I have had four children since beginning my writing career. This means that there are times when writing is my focus and other times when it has to be set down for months at time. As a writer/speaker, adaptability is also required as different publishers and platforms have different expectations. If you are set on being inflexible and people catering to your gift you won’t get many opportunities. Being able to live in the right here/right now is how you go far in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.victoryspeaks.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myvictoryspeaks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vriollano
• Books: The Victory Walk
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@victoriariollano9904
• Books: Warrior Mother
• Books: The Worship Problem