Feature 004: Shilo Alamillo
"If you believe you need a fresh start, you need to wake up first."
For Shilo Alamillo, starting over wasn't about having all the answers, it was about finding the courage to choose herself. After navigating a difficult chapter during her senior year of high school, she embraced a fresh start by leaning into her creativity, exploring new opportunities, and building a life rooted in authenticity.
Today, Shilo channels her passion through graphic design, content creation, journalism, photography, and collaborations with local businesses. Her journey is a reminder that growth isn't always loud or immediate; sometimes, it begins with the quiet decision to leave behind what no longer serves you.
In this conversation, Shilo opens up about the challenges that shaped her, how creativity became her outlet for healing, and why believing in yourself is the first step toward any new beginning. If you've ever questioned where you belong or wondered what comes after starting over, her story is one you'll want to read.
The Fresh Start Interview: Shilo Alamillo
Shilo: What “Starting over” means me to is like waking up. Waking up from a life where every day I was left wondering what more I could do to feel fulfillment and prosperity. Some days I couldn’t get out of bed I was so unmotivated to do anything. I fell behind in school, wasn’t as social anymore and felt like I just simply needed to disappear to really figure out where my life was going to go from there.
At one point I felt really alone, and for once it didn’t bother me as much. I think what I really needed was to quiet down with some of the things I was involved in and just simply sit down and take a sec. After a while of getting myself back on track with school, making new friends and making time for me, I started to tap into creative opportunities like participating in photoshoots, painting more, graphic designing and content creation.
I slowly but surely started to grow fonder of my creative self because I am truly me when I’m in my innovative mode. Not only that but surrounding myself around those who listen to what I have to say and who I also have fun with, really brings out all the best bits of myself. It took a while for me to get to where I am mentally and spiritually. So, if you’re in a place in life where you believe you need a fresh start, you need to wake up first.
Q: What does “starting over” mean to you?
Q: What season of life made you feel like you had to begin again?
Shilo: My senior year of high school. Right off the bat I’m just going to say things weren’t easy. School was exhausting, I wasn’t as social anymore, and mentally I was checked out. I found myself trying so hard to fit in spaces with others and found out slowly that I wasn’t where I was meant to be. So, I left. After graduating I immediately felt a sense of relief and was left with so much optimism for my future. During the summer before starting classes at my university, I was grinding hard at work getting my money up, paid for my first ever car in full, met new people, tried new things like graphic designing and content creation and before I knew it, things had finally felt like they were falling into place.
Shilo: Putting myself out there has really helped me rebuild myself and has also paved the way for all the amazing opportunities that I have been able to do. For example when I started school I was looking for a job on campus and I saw online that the library was looking for a library assistant and I thought to myself “that’s great!” So I applied, got an interview and when they were interviewing me they had mentioned they were also hiring for a social media assistant and I was all ears. I expressed my love for journalism, graphic designing, content creation and also included that I was very tech savvy.
I made sure that they knew that my love for media is HUGE and I put passion and thought into everything that I do. With that, I had received an email later that week saying that they’d love to have me at the library! A lot of people say “fake it til you make it” but where is the feeling in that? Where is the passion? When you show yourself in your truest form while expressing your love for the hobby or the work you do, it shows, and that love radiates off of you. Passion can be contagious and inspirational, and I’ll also say that the support from others also goes a very long way.
Q: What helped you rebuild yourself?
Q: Is there a passion, project, business, art, music, or creative work that came from your fresh start?
Shilo: I’d say content creation and planning collabs with small businesses as well as photoshoots, has all come from this fresh start of mine. I have always wanted to tap into a deeper version of my creative self because it’s truly something I believe is a superpower. My creative side has been built up little by little throughout my whole life, but I think as of recently, I have been in a creative flow with inserting my visions and ideas into content videos, the way I dress and also the way I simply carry myself. I would also like to add that my favorite project I’ve done so far has to be the collaboration post I did with Aura Magaziine and Lumikha Space in downtown Tacoma! Getting to know people in my community along with women-owned business’s is something I’ve dreamed about doing for a long time and I constantly count my blessings because every time I think about the things that I am doing/ getting to do, I just smile with absolute thankfulness.
Q: What would you tell someone who is currently in their own starting-over season?
Shilo: What you’re doing right now, what you’ve been focused on and what you have been grinding on do not stop. Don’t allow yourself to be held back, when you fall, pick yourself up dust your shoulders off and keep going. Never quit on yourself or your goals. Little you is watching, it’s time to make them proud. Also! Make sure to celebrate the all the wins, whether that’s getting a check, hitting a fitness goal or getting good test scores. You deserve to celebrate, life is too short to not!
Q: What’s a quote, lyric, mantra, or piece of advice you live by that motivates you to keep going?
Shilo: “What? Like it’s hard?”- Elle Woods, Legally Blonde
Shilo's story reminds us that starting over isn't about becoming someone new, it's about giving yourself the chance to become who you've always been. Through moments of uncertainty, she discovered that growth comes from choosing yourself, embracing your passions, and having the courage to leave behind what no longer feels like home.
As she continues to create, collaborate, and inspire through her work, one thing is certain: this is only the beginning. Her journey proves that the most meaningful transformations don't happen overnight, they're built through small, intentional steps, unwavering passion, and the belief that every ending can become the start of something extraordinary.
At MindFlo, we believe every fresh start has a story worth telling. Shilo's is a reminder that your next chapter may be closer than you think, you just have to be willing to take the first step.
