Meet Pia Villanueva-Pulido | Educator, Writer, Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pia Villanueva-Pulido and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pia, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The success of my brand has to do with its genuine mission.

Conceptualized in 2018, TexaPinay is a brand that strives to build a multiculturally inclusive place of belonging for the historically underrepresented.

As a Filipino-American (Fil-Am) growing up in Texas, I felt like I was not “Filipino enough” but also not quite the “all-American” girl.

I am TexaPinay, a combination of both of my cultures. Texas is my home, but my roots are in the Philippines.

I designed a logo that represented my unique cultural identity, and I found a community of Filipino Texans who shared the same cultural experiences as me.

So we made stickers to brand this experience and sold 100 in the first 3 weeks. 100 more in the next two weeks. Now we’re on to shirts, mugs, and trucker hats. We’ve even expanded to California as Calipinay, and I’m thrilled at the growth within just one year.

Last summer, I hired my first freelance employee who was a former student of mine. She is my social media specialist who is responsible for helping manage my Fempowered Filipina series in which we spotlight amazing women showing up as their best selves. She will handle vendor requests in the future.

Brand building is community building. That’s TexaPinay.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a writer and teacher by trade. I’ve always loved to write. In fact, my first nationally published piece was from a writing contest I won in the 7th grade when I submitted an informational article about elephants which was published on the back of an Archie comic book. I was paid for it! From that point forward, I was hooked on writing.

As a writer who needed a stable job to provide for her family, I took on a long-term substitute position that soon turned into a permanent contract to teach. I realized that I was good with kids and teaching kids how to do what I do, so I decided to pursue the profession and received my teaching license in Texas. I’ve stayed in teaching for two decades now while creating, writing, publishing, and developing a brand.

I am most excited about expanding Texapinay to Calipinay and eventually to all of the states! I really do see this initiative expanding on a national level because so many Fil-Ams are hungry for authentic representation. We want to amplify our shared experiences growing up within the Fil-Am diaspora.

Ultimately, when our voices are amplified through storytelling, we can better enhance the lives around us! I’ve got more to offer than my cultural identity. I have Doodle Therapy, which is a journaling project that combines hand-lettering art with doodling as a way to cope with anxiety. It encompasses workshops and online tutorials to relieve stress.

The opportunities are endless for creative “teacherpreneurs.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Downtown Dallas, so my favorite spot is the DMA Cafe where the Chihuly sculpture is on permanent display. It’s the stunning glass artwork displayed in the museum’s floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s a great spot to read and write!

I also love visiting Pegasus Tattoo studio (located in Oak Cliff) where my daughter, a visual arts alumna from Booker T. Washington of the Performing and Visual Arts, interned for a year. She learned so much from this collective of artists, and the private studio fosters such a welcoming environment for everyone.

For the best Mexican restaurant, I like to visit Gonzalez Restaurant in Oak Cliff. It’s a super festive, family-owned and operated spot in Oak Cliff is decked out to the nines in colorful Mexican decor.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shout to Michael Pulido, who is both my life and business partner and has been my collaborator for over 20 years. His creative enthusiasm and practical knowledge of business analytics have been instrumental in bringing the Texapinay brand and community to life. From late-night brainstorming sessions to our shared vision starting in 2003 with our children’s picture books for early childhood literacy, we are constantly looking for ways to evolve. This year, we are celebrating our proudest accomplishment: sending our daughter off to college to study entrepreneurship in Wellesley, MA at Babson College as a recipient of the Roger Enrico Scholarship award. Shout out to Zoe Pulido, whose entrepreneurial spirit has been imprinted on her since Day 1.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texapinay/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/texapinay

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/texapinay/100084690805868/

Image Credits
Image credit to Michael Pulido