Badass Women: Erica Valenti

ERICA VALENTI

When you hear the sound of roaring Harley Davidsons you’d be forgiven expecting them to be manned by big, burly dudes with beards. Enter Erica Valenti, a passionate and stereotype-smashing motorcycle afficionado. She’s doing awesome work making motorcycle culture accessible to a generation of women with her all-girl motorcycle group The Throttle Dolls.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

Sparking a worldwide movement of a whole new generation of women who ride motorcycles. We have been so lucky to be part of a global girl gang, who are unapologetically themselves.

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU MOST?

I take so much inspiration from spiritual leaders like Oprah, Brene Brown, Eckhart Tolle. I am working hard on myself to live in the present moment with an open heart. And I’m loving Jameela Jamil for promoting self love and acceptance….. But what really gets me fired up is seeing my friends around me do amazing things – chasing their dreams and facing challenges head on with grace and grit. That’s goosebump stuff and deeply inspires me.

YOU HAVE 3 HOURS TO YOURSELF. NO ONE ELSE IS INVITED. WHAT DO YOU DO? WHERE DO YOU GO?

Actually, as I work for myself this is not such an unusual scenario, and I enjoy alone time as I need it to recharge.

My perfect 3 hours to myself would be : roll out of bed with nowhere in particular to be. And then jump on my Harley Davidson and ride through the bush to a secluded beach for a swim in the ocean. Afterwards I’d enjoy a little picnic to myself and bask in the sunshine. Heaven.

NAME ONE TRACK THAT TOTALLY RECHARGES YOU.

LCD Sound System – Home. I defy anyone to resist those percussiony beats.

HOW DO YOU PICK YOURSELF UP WHEN YOU’RE NOT FEELING GREAT?

My go-to is a warm bath filled with healing salts and smells. And then I visualise myself surrounded with white light and say (yell) my personal mantra out loud for a few minutes. That always shifts my energy.

WHAT IS ONE MOUNTAIN YOU’VE CLIMBED TO GET WHERE YOU ARE THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT BE AWARE OF?

I quit what many people would consider to be a dream job in pursuit of my vision & to live life on my terms – working flexibly and freely. It was incredibly scary to let go of the security of full-time work and all the perks that came with my cool job. It also can trigger all sorts of feelings around not being good enough if the work isn’t flowing, and going through the process of letting go of your ego which has defined you around your job. I was really surprised to have to confront those issues… But wow, it feels good to be living my values.