Conversations with Gabriella Shimkus Plimack

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Shimkus Plimack.

Gabriella, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
“There is more than corn in Indiana” is a vastly inaccurate slogan. Growing up, I never felt like someone who fits in with the expectations that fell upon a woman from my hometown. I graduated high school early and was off to the races. Moving here and there for a little over a year, then landing in the wild west to attend school in Fort Collins, CO. That was 10 years ago.

I finished my degree at MSU in Denver in Hospitality, Tourism, and Events, which also included a semester abroad in Prague. As cliche as it sounds, a trip that was life-changing, particularly for someone who didn’t leave the country or see the ocean ’til the age of 21.

After dabbling in events and a touch of the music industry, gears shifted completely. In the early stages of a start-up, I pitched my dream position to my manager and somehow it came to fruition- I must be a decent saleswoman. For nearly 4 years, I headed an international learning and development department of 14. One of my greatest successes in life was I started this position without the first bit of L&D knowledge, and ended it with countless moments of feeling like, “dang, I/we did that!”

Those years in a hyper-growth environment mixed with one and a half years of a pandemic… well, this part of the story is not so original. It was time to shift gears again and this time down a speed or two. After squirreling pennies away, I left my position in January 2021 to focus my health and wellness and kick up some passion projects (and with full awareness of how privileged I am to be able to do so).

The chapter I am currently in might be the most exciting yet! My foodie Instagram has been catching a little lift with several collaborations, including a few allowing me to adapt other elements of life that I love such as fitness. But my handle says it all, the apple of my eye will always be sharing bites, my favorite of those being spicy street eats!

After a decade in Colorado, my husband, pets, and I are leaving our RiNo home, putting a few things in storage, and hitting the road for a 2+ year nomad life adventure along the Pacific Coast Highway. Staying in Airbnbs, the road starts in LA and ends in Seattle, with a whole lot in-between.

My creative and adventurous side is reignited, I feel the best I ever have in my own skin, and I can’t wait to share this story on my soon-to-be YouTube channel!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Considering we all live this thing called life and for almost 2 years we’ve been in a pandemic, it’s safe to say there are always obstacles. When I think of myself, I’m very quickly realizing just how lucky I am- the challenges that come to mind are quite small in the grand scheme of things. But hey, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Leaving my most recent position was one of the hardest adult decisions I have had to make. I built that department and program from the ground up (not alone) and with that had a lot of emotional attachment. I still can’t believe how lucky I was to work with the talented, hardworking, and hilarious people I did.

After stepping away from that position it was easy to fall into the anxieties societal norms cause. Frequent thoughts of, “what the f**k am I doing with my life,” “what do people think of me leaving my career behind,” and all things alike. It is hard to silence those voices- something I think a lot, if not most of us, have experienced in one form or another.

As I am preparing to embark once-in-a-lifetime nomad journey, I have started to narrow in on what I want to offer people. I have a passion for the art of story-telling and want to share my unorthodox lifestyle via a YouTube vlog. The vlog will have a heavy focus on eating my heart out at hole-in-the-wall joints, finding the city’s best-kept secrets, and sharing what it’s like to live in these places- a very different perspective from a week-long vacation as a tourist. The cherry on top: vagabond life looks a little different when you’re bringing four pets, a Peloton, and plants. You’ll probably think I am unhinged.

Challenges here are a laundry list! Content creation and video editing are a lot more difficult than I ever imagined. I am a very social human and fear feeling isolated as we are moving from city to city. I have also adapted to a very comfortable way of life with my material possessions and it’s wild to imagine living out of a suitcase for an extended period of time. All that to say, the fear of the unknown is fueling ambition to jump-start a new and totally different chapter. Cheers to the unknown!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The first word to come to mind when I think of what I am most proud of is Fearless. Leaving the comforts of a cushy office job and all the things I know behind takes a great deal of courage.

There are a lot of foodie influencers and travel vloggers in the world, all with their own unique stories and personalities. And a whole lot of them have been doing this much longer than me!

What I hope to bring to the table is not just food and the polished look of living the nomad dream. Authenticity is number one. If the food isn’t my jam, I am not going to promote it (even if it is a hyped-up spot!). I want readers/viewers to get to know me and feel like they were a part of the experience I had. I want to encourage people to be playful, dance and have the loudest laugh in the room, dive into late-night eats with sauce on their face, and be confident rocking a full sequin dress on a Tuesday. Bottom-line, to inspire people to carve their own path and bless the mess; we do not need to follow a checklist to live.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Questions with such huge scope of time always trip me up! After the last 2 years of pandemic living, big shifts seem to be a way of life now and happening at a rapid-fire rate.

The newer shift that I have noticed companies tapping into is the micro-influencer group (like myself!). It is really easy to look at a page with 10K+ followers and think, “ok, this is who I want to represent our brand. They have exposure.” That number doesn’t mean everything. Several people have reached out asking what my secret is to the level of engagement I receive on my posts. It’s simple: I interact with my followers on my page and theirs; I form a connection.

Influencers and vloggers have forever changed the face of marketing and promotion. With so much of the world on social platforms, companies often solely leverage that tool to get their brand out goodbye commercials, hello influencers. Think about the reduction of the company’s cost. I can’t see a reason for this trend to backtrack!

Contact Info:

• Email: gabie@nosauceleftbehind.com
• Instagram: @nosauceleftbehind_