Meet Summer Ayala | Consultant & Investigator

Photo by: Steve Ellinger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Summer Ayala and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Summer, what is the most important factor behind your success?
This question has come up quite often over the past fifteen years during conversations with friends and clients. When I saw this question, to be honest, it took me a while to figure out what I was going to write that would inspire anyone given that I am coming out of an unexpected life transition. What surprises me the most is how much my answer evolves each time I’m asked this question, and my response has turned into this sort of… personal checks and balances system that not only helps my clients, but also helps me daily with personal growth.

One thing that has caused me to develop an indomitable will, so to speak, is finding faith and acceptance when I have to start over every 2-5 years. Refusing to give up every time that reset button was hit can be exhausting and defeat anyone, but in my mind, I know that I am doing my best to find the gratitude and adventure in constant change and chaos.

During the past few years, my clients and mentors, along with my own personal obstacles, have helped me to fine tune a set of guided questions for growing through your successes. And I say successes because you can have as many as you are willing to obtain! The common process I use involves the LOVE check:

L – Live your life on purpose
O – Ownership & open-mindedness
V – Value yourself & others
E – Evaluate, Educate & Empower

This little word has surrounded me for years and it’s even tattooed on my wrist. I am always seeking the good, and this system allows me to check myself or remind me of where I’m at in life/work, and where I want to go. The study of this word truly fascinated me in college during philosophy class and I’ve sought the beauty of it ever since. I have found this LOVE mindset is useful for creatives, the legal field, as a business owner in general, or even with your friends. When you have to reinvent yourself or your brand in order to keep up with economic changes/demands for meeting client needs, then you must find a way to project manage yourself more than anything else. If you’re a mess, then you will only attract a bigger mess. Law of Attraction, right? Multi-potentialites can also find themselves in many messes along the way due to having their hands in many opportunities at once. So, this definitely helps me slow down and clear my mind. In therapy, this is called “sticking to the facts.”

To break down what I use in a consult or even for myself, review this summary of the mental guide that helps you stay focused on success –

Live your life on purpose:

What brings you joy will lead you to your purpose, and ultimately the most happiness in your successes. You are in control of this and only you know what you define as success in life. To me, that’s being happy and doing what I love every day. As a creative or business owner, you should be able to lead yourself and others into being the best. If you find yourself in a situation where you are depressed or unmotivated, do not be afraid of walking away from whatever it is that does not bring you joy, fulfill your purpose or make you happy. Stay focused on your purpose. With that said, you will be tested and you will be sidetracked.
As a boss, never force anyone to live their work life without happiness. A company is nothing when it is filled with emotionally defeated employees, and the same goes for the bosses if they’re overworked – no one wins.

Remove anything that is not checking off your “happy boxes” daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.

I’ve noticed that if I do a review and look back every 6 months, then I can see the reasons why everything worked out the way it did – creating a habit of faith and acceptance.

Be ok with change or the unknown, but do not settle for lack of purpose because it seems easier. Remember your “why.” Those who are actually happy living out their own definition of success rarely accept the typical easy way or unethical way. To earn your success, you must be willing to work for it.

Notes: Are you settling, or are you living as the best version of you for future self and others that you are influencing every day? What do you think your purpose is, and what are you doing to find it? Did you research the career that would bring you joy and are you following the steps to get there? How are you involving the people around you on your success path?

Ownership & Open-mindedness:

Simply put, successful people take ownership of their entire lives, including their work, and they are extremely open-minded to new ideas. Innovative is a key word here. How can you move forward or help other people be their best if it’s only one way? (aka your way) I’ve often found that some seemingly successful people are incredibly fake because they are dead set on everything being their way, and they never take responsibility for anything they do wrong. This creates a very toxic environment and they typically have awful reputations, as well as short-term clients and a revolving door of short-term friends. True leaders accept, grow and learn so they can grow and their business can grow with them. As a business owner, you will make mistakes, but it’s how you handle those mistakes and eventually become a stronger leader, person and friend. I believe that fear plays a huge role in lack of ownership and open-mindedness because some have much bigger egos than others, and losing that false image is most important to them. Be real and genuine. Your clients will appreciate it very much. Remaining humble and open to ideas will gift you with long-term quality clients, and it might even lead to you truly enjoying your work, which affects everyone around you. I have worked with seemingly rich and successful people who are insanely miserable and toxic. On the other hand, I have worked with calm, well-rounded, open-minded business people who are extremely content. The latter have taught me most of this thought process.

Notes: Are you taking responsibility? What about calmly and collectively finding the root cause of any issues in work or life? Are you collaborating openly with many different types of people and brands? Are you willing to make sacrifices short-term in order to meet your long-term goals? Are you a true leader, or are you just leading people for you own ego boost?

Value yourself & others:

One word = vacation. It took me almost 40 years to learn that setting boundaries and taking vacations will save your life. When you enjoy your work life, then you can also enjoy the time outside of work. Things that are ok: Say no, and leave the office. Say no, let’s reschedule. Say no, and turn your phone off. Say no, and delete the social media apps. Say no, and leave the toxic friendship. Say no, and leave the toxic workplace. Say no, and leave the toxic relationship. Say no, and leave the country. Say no to anything that is devastating to your well being.
Whatever it is that you must do to find peace and disconnect, please do it. Rolling with every punch, pull, and bending over backwards will affect you, as well as the people closest to you.

I started working when I was 5 and had no idea what it meant to take a break until my health forced me to. Once I was forced to be away from work due to no internet on a cruise ship and my entire perspective on life changed. Sure, life is stressful and you must prioritize accordingly, but it is 100% ok to do things that bring value to you and your work. Invest in yourself.

Example: In the 6th year of building my talent agency, I was stressed out working on a talent booking while in a private airplane tour over the most beautiful parts of Seattle… I’ll never get that time back.

Another Example: I slept 30 minutes a night for several years and ended up with a vitamin deficiency, hormone imbalance and a collapsed lung. Not only was my health being affected, but I was surrounded by people who were sucking the life out of me because I wasn’t valuing myself, slowing down and setting boundaries.
If you don’t place value on yourself or your business, then no one else will and they will take as much as you give. Another thing I have learned is to value your business enough to know that your employees and colleagues are not the boss. You are! You cannot expect anyone else to care about your business as much as you do. Show the people around you how much you do care about them, and thank them for their support by encouraging much-needed life or work breaks. After all, if you are always stressed, imagine how much they are carrying around your stress + their own!

Notes: Are you setting mental or physical health goals for yourself? Are you taking any time for yourself? Is your lack of boundary setting affecting you or your work? Do you value your own time enough to set a professional boundary and schedule with your clients? Does your tribe actually care about you or what you can do for them?

The most successful and happy people I know have strong boundaries, say no a lot, understand business, and have a flexible schedule.

Evaluate, Educate & Empower:

This is the last step and most important to me because it incorporates the PAUSE method used by healthy communicators. I was raised in a very toxic, yell-all-day, and close-minded household. As you can imagine, that way of life is rather difficult for a professional overthinker. When you learn to stop, take a step back, and evaluate your situation, only then will you begin to see the best for yourself and others.

Also, when you educate yourself in any way, then you are empowering yourself with knowledge, as well as anyone associated with you. Most of us can further heal ourselves by teaching others what we’ve learned. Read about anything that interests you because knowledge is power. Plus, a healthy habit is to figure out what works for you, your business or clients, and what doesn’t. The saying “don’t look back” is one I definitely disagree with. As a business owner, you need to look back occasionally and then keep moving forward. You must know if your methods were successful or not, and find out exactly why. Successful people pay attention and ask a lot of questions.

Notes: How are the people around you damaging your progress, mental health or your reputation? How are your decisions guiding you to where you want to be? Are you living with the best intentions for yourself and others? Are you willing to take a break in order to continue being your best self? Are you finding any joy throughout your day? Are you empowering yourself and others to be mindful leaders and listeners? Who are you connecting yourself with and are you allowing them to influence your life decisions? Are you checking yourself?

One of the biggest ‘E’ phases of my life began August 1st, 2021 when I had to say goodbye to my lifelong dream business. To say I’ve been through this checks and balances processes with myself many times is an understatement. This LOVE check is a daily habit for me now because I have the mindset of only pursuing my best self. The best version of you will find many purposes, successes, start over points and milestones.

When I began working in entertainment as a kid, I had no idea that I would actually own an agency, much less, become a consultant, work in law, digital forensics and become a private investigator! Everything I have been through and learned has put me exactly where I need to be. I’ve sat with billionaires and lower class income business people. They’ve taught me the same things – have some faith, choose happiness, lead with your heart that’s backed by your education, and be a good person. My work and brand are based on everything I’ve absorbed being around an array of business minded individuals.

Everyone is a walking business – if you don’t love who you are, love what you’re doing, and love who you’re around, then what are you doing?

What should our readers know about your business?
My favorite part of what I do is connecting clients to their need. I love working side-by-side with my clients to help them reach a goal, assist them with a legal case, or at the very least, they know that they’re working with someone they can trust. I’ve worked with very successful, wealthy and influential clients, as well as people who have nothing to their name. The things I’ve learned from every single one of them was equally as valuable and I appreciate all of them for letting me be a part of their lives. When I started working at 5 years old, I was in acting and commercial modeling, which lead me to the dream of owning a talent agency. Throughout my life, I’ve worked in fast food, telemarketing, production, casting, web design, kids fitness instruction, and marketing. Every field I’ve ever worked in has led me to being a consultant and investigator. What I do now encompasses all of my natural skills, education and work history. Was it easy? Absolutely not. I’ve had my fair share of failures – jewelry business, a magazine, and an e-commerce store. Being a woman in any field has its limitations and frustrations, but I’m grateful for the men and women who have encouraged my growth along the way. One thing I’ve learned is to never underestimate yourself or anyone else, but if someone chooses to underestimate you, then keep smiling and prove them wrong. Also, apologize for your mistakes and move on. Having anxiety about things you can’t control will only make you suffer through the situation twice. Trust your instincts when working with anyone because there’s a great chance your gut is right. Pay attention and stay alert. Lastly, never judge a book by its cover. Some of the most incredible people I’ve worked with are extremely humble and not flashy or obnoxious. No one is perfect, so never expect it because you’re setting yourself and the other person up for disappointment. Lastly, the common denominator in all of my clients is that everyone seeks happiness, peace and success. When my clients work with me, they should know that they are a priority and the team I work with has vast experience in investigation, consulting, engineering, law and forensics. We care about our clients and my own personal foundation is built on ethics. I want what’s right and the best for all of my clients whether it’s law, forensics or entertainment.

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?
Well, my friends know me and I’m not a planner. I’ll admit my worst trait is that I wing things quite a bit, but that’s also because I know nothing works out as perfectly planned. Leave room for the unexpected! I’ll share my favorite things that my friends and I might do during a week of fun: Any speakeasy in DFW is a must because they’re all different and have fantastic menus. I love roller coasters, so of course, we’d have to go to Six Flags. My favorite rooftop bars in Dallas are Waterproof at The Statler Hotel and the new Skyblu Bar at Tru by Hilton. I also have deep country roots, so we’d go to the Stockyards in Ft Worth or a country concert for dancing, shopping and dinner. For a chill night out in Dallas, I’d say Deep Ellum has a great variety of things to do, especially if there’s a comedy show in town. There are also pop up outdoor movie theaters that play classics, like The Sandlot and it’s great for a nostalgic family night. There’s obviously way too much in DFW to do in one week! I love searching for events and things-to-do on Eventbrite and on Facebook. Those outlets help my friends and I entertain ourselves all year.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My life wouldn’t be complete without my small circle of best friends that I’ve known for 20+ years who I can call day or night. They’ve seen me at my best and worst, but they’re the true definition of family. My mentors are priceless (Joseph Brewster, Arleen Gregg, and Marlo Cadeddu). Pray for them because they honestly have the most difficult job in the world considering I am growing every 5 minutes while flying through life 90mph most of the time. They taught me everything I know and the world is a better place because of them. My little sister is my biggest fan since we met when I was 14, and I’m so proud she’s a fellow boss babe. My beautiful daughter is the most important person in my life and has taught me the meaning of true love. She given me a lifetime of purpose and she’s the reason I do everything to be successful. She inspires me! All of these people are precious to me. I’m extremely grateful and blessed to be a part of their lives.

Website: www.summerayalainc.com

Instagram: @summerayalainc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/summerayala/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summerayala.tx

Other: www.cfsiusa.com

Image Credits
R Wade Monroe