Meet Gigi Shumway | DIY Extraordinaire

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

Hi Gigi, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Grow Through What You Go Through” As I have grown my business, I have learned so much about myself as an entrepreneur. I have always been a resilient person with a positive mindset. When I go through challenging experiences, I always look at it as an opportunity to grow. There is always an opportunity to grow whether you’re celebrating something really amazing or pushing through some tough challenges. As cliché as it sounds, I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. For me, this has only affirmed the need to continue to find the best in every situation by continuing to grow as things come along. We are not supernatural beings that can control the space time continuum. You eventually learn to pick which hill to climb, embrace the moment, and use it as an opportunity to grow as you push through the moment. Through some of the best moments of my entrepreneurship life thus far, I have used that as motivation to continue the positive momentum. You can never stop learning. You can never stop growing.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Over the years, I have been able to learn many lessons from experiencing unique opportunities. These experiences have allowed me to grow professionally and greatly influenced my success as an entrepreneur. Most importantly, the creative skills I have developed have given me the ability to resolve complex issues and challenges with confidence. I believe that creativity is an important professional skill. Often times, my creativity is downplayed and seen as a natural talent than a skill. By using creativity as a skill, it has helped me become more efficient with time, generate new ideas, and find resolutions for problems with different perspectives. It also helps provide balance to keep me driven and motivated to work hard. I am hoping to continue developing a new addition to The D.I.Wifey called the Crafted Sprouts Club! This collection is designed with little sprouts (children) in mind by developing curated DIY/Project kits to help plant the seeds of curiosity and encourage the growth of creativity. Since creativity has played an influential role in my life and success, I want to be able to encourage families to be creative and nourish that development. Creativity is the one skill I think everybody should have to create the balance they need.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of the most unique things that I have experienced is learning the Basics of Falconry with Sky Falconry. This is a very hands on experience that’s different from other animal experiences. They teach you all about the biology of the birds, the practice of falconry, and conservation. These birds are known as raptors in their environment and when you learn about how powerful they are in comparison to their physical appearance, it seems terrifying. But the guidance of the instructors really makes it a very empowering opportunity. I love visiting small cafes like Holy Matcha. The quality is the amazing and they have many different delicious ways to drink matcha. It reminds me of being back home in Japan where matcha is implemented in a variety of ways in addition to tea. Geraldine Is also an inspirational local business owner and it shows throughout the cafes. For a casual dinner, we usually go to Kyoto Sushi on Midway Drive. The owners Mike and Maria are the kindest people we have ever met here in San Diego. They really take care of their customers. They really focus on the quality of their food and service. We’ve been going to them for years and can’t imagine going anywhere else for casual sushi dinner. There are a lot of fun opportunities for impromptu photoshoots. Touring the unique murals painted throughout San Diego would make fun Instagram worthy photos. My favorite collection of murals are painted in downtown by the Ladies Who Paint organization and Pandr Design Co. Many of the local shops like Pigment and areas like Liberty Station also have amazing shops and photo opportunities.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I like to think that I have a support ecosystem where they have collectively been able to support me on this journey. My husband, Casey, a.k.a. Mr. D.I.Wifey. Casey has provided me unconditional love and support from the beginning. He’s the first person to help me celebrate the good and the first person that pushes me through each challenge too. Additionally, my family who were the ones who really helped build the foundation of my resiliency and supported my creativity. When I was younger, they took me to a local craft store on the weekends to take art classes and workshops when we lived in Hawaii. My CEO Collective has been an amazing community that has really helped me become a stronger entrepreneur and CEO of my business. Solandrah is a wonderful coach and has created an awesome community of other women who are CEOs of their business. The group is extremely diverse and having feedback from other perspectives has been so insightful. Working with these ladies has motivated me to show up, stay accountable, and be the best CEO that I can be. I grew up in a military family so a lot of my friends are from so many different places and chapters of my life. Altogether though, I have a great group of friends who I consider to be an important part of my support ecosystem and they are there to send words of encouragement, dope memes, emojis, and light the fire when I need it. The cheer squad includes: Ernestine, Jia, Josie, Stacy, and several others. For all the late nights of grinding, I’d like to thank Hulu, Spotify, and Pinterest for giving me inspiration and entertainment. Most recently, using Clubhouse has also given me the opportunity to connect and learn from so many others that include people I have looked up to. Most importantly, the dogs: Jaz, Honey B., and April May! They are just as important as anybody else in my support ecosystem. No matter what, they keep my morale up and work hard to make sure that each pet I give returns an equal or greater amount of happiness to keep me going.

Website: https://www.thediwifey.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thediwifey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thediwifey

Other: TikTok: @thediwifey Clubhouse: @gerawlbean

Image Credits
Lexi Hope Photography