From the Night Shift to the Discord: Meet KDCC’s Community Moderator, Alecia Belmont
If you’ve asked a question in the KDCC Discord lately, there’s a good chance Alecia was the one who answered it.
Alecia Belmont is our newest Community Moderator, and she’s keeping an eye on both of our servers: the free community server and the members-only server for Group Coaching. Before she joined us, she spent years at Domino’s working her way up from customer service rep to assistant manager, all while baking her own treats and running a baking channel on the side.
We sat her down for our creator interview series and talked about theatre, the weight of being the one in charge, and why “good enough” is usually already better than you think.
Get to know the newest member of the team (and maybe ask her about cake).
Before people knew you for what you do now, who were you?
"Well, I was (still am) an introverted night owl that would either read or binge-watch anime or tv shows until morning, and spend a lot of my time in choir or singing in my room. But once I made it to high school, I explored more of my creative side."
She took up art and photography classes, joined the yearbook staff, and spent a lot of her time in theatre. Putting her heart and soul into a project, or even being a helping hand to someone, was what she enjoyed the most. After high school, she wanted to try college life and study more in photography.
"Unfortunately, I dropped out in 2020 during the pandemic. Which led to me working at Domino's to make ends meet. I was a CSR (customer service representative) for 3 years, then moved up to assistant manager for another few years. During that I really got into baking and creating my own treats."
It’s a familiar story for a lot of creators. The day job pays the bills, and the passion project lives in whatever hours are left over. For Alecia, those hours turned into baking and, eventually, a YouTube channel.
Was there a whole other life you almost went and lived?
"I'm sure there are several, but there are two that come to mind. I could have been a high school theatre teacher or been a full-time photographer."
Life often takes you places that you never expect, but sometimes it takes you full circle. So who knows, maybe there will still be a chance for Alecia to become a photography or theatre teacher. Or maybe another dream that she mentions later on in the interview.
Who did you tell at first about working in content creation, and why?
"I told my husband. He's my biggest supporter and yes man to give me that push to do the things I want."
Big shoutouts to Joseph Belmont, who is a creative as well! He is a composer, singer, songwriter making punk funk and synth rock for everyone to enjoy.
What do you think you got lucky on, and what did you earn?
"I think I got lucky by having great friends. Because of them, I gained a support system that fills me with courage."
Creating a genuine connection can be difficult in our current times. The internet makes the world small, yet the distance is greater than ever. A lot of people want instant gratification without putting in the work.
So I can understand why Alecia feels like she's lucky to have such great friends because I feel the same way.
Tell me about the low times, the part of doing this stuff where walking away would have been the sensible move or the easy one.
"I honestly should have left Domino's ages ago, but I needed money. At the start, my work schedule was great and so were my coworkers. I used to have time to be with friends and pursue my baking journey to the point that I did a YouTube channel on it."
Unfortunately, when Alecia became an assistant manager, her job became all-consuming. Her schedule was full, and she became too tired to do anything, including her YouTube channel. She watched her work environment get worse over the year, before she finally decided to choose herself and leave.
"I was conflicted about leaving because it would put them in a bad spot, but I knew nothing was going to change for the better by staying. I did my best and gave my all. It was time to go."
When TubeBuddy was acquired, I felt something similar to Alecia. My health was declining. My boss was replaced by someone who had a different vision of what the company should be. After talking to my friends and coworkers about it, I eventually left and pursued my own work.
Life takes us in directions we never expect, and perhaps because of her decision, she has found her way to the KDCC.
What did you tell yourself to keep going?
"I would tell myself that this is another stepping stone, an experience that will help me achieve my big goal, to run a bakery one day. Anything aside from that comes from my husband. He always knows the right things to say to keep me going. I also keep going for him and the future we’ll grow together."
A bakery is a long-term goal, and long-term goals need something closer to hold onto. Alecia had both: a stepping stone she could see, and a person beside her who believed she’d get there. Sometimes that’s all it takes to keep going for one more day.
What did getting bigger cost you that nobody warned you about?
"I think it’s how heavy the weight of responsibility is. Moving from a CSR, where you care about yourself, to an Assistant Manager, where you have to care about everyone, food counts, and the company was a big leap.
No matter what happens on a shift, that’s my responsibility to bear. It was overwhelming at first, but once I got used to it, it became easier. I can talk it down and say it's a really easy job. It can be on good days, but when the days are bad sometimes the weight of it can be crushing."
I’m starting to feel a version of this myself. With Hannah, Kathy, and now Alecia joining the team, the KDCC isn’t just Andrew and me anymore. When something goes wrong, it’s not only my own work on the line. It’s the people who trusted us enough to join. It’s a good kind of weight, but it’s still weight, and Alecia’s right that nobody really warns you about it.
How do you tell the work that energizes you from the work that just drains you?
"When I worked as an Assistant Manager at Domino's, I mostly worked the night shift. On my shifts I made sure everyone had time to take care of themselves, like eat or take mini breaks. It does come at a cost where often I don’t."
Alecia talks about how she didn't regret her actions, but it took a toll on her. Then came the conflict with the day shift, and how it turned her shift into a balancing act of everyone's emotions while she aimed for perfection with her other duties. "It became so draining and toxic," she said.
"Once I have my days off, I would bake, create some concoction that may or may not work out, and it brings me so much joy. I do get a little sad when I don’t get to bake. I admit baking can be a bit stressful, but in the end I have a good time. Compared to a shift at Domino's, I’m not dreading to start baking again versus clocking into whatever disaster is waiting for me to fix."
The test Alecia lands on is a simple one: do you dread starting it? Baking can be stressful, but she still wants to come back to it. Her shifts drained her before she even clocked in. If you’re trying to figure out whether you’re burning out or just having a hard week, that question is worth asking yourself.
Now that it’s your living, how close is it to the idea you had when you started?
"Honestly, I had a vague idea that I would be helpful in some way, and in a way I was correct! However, now fully understanding the true scope of my helpfulness is not what I expected. I guess I didn’t realize or take in how intermingled and connected I would actually be with the community. I’m really excited to be a part of it!"
And we’re happy to have her. A lot of what makes the KDCC work happens in the small moments: answering a question, welcoming a new member, nudging a feedback post along. That’s where Alecia shines, and we’re glad she’s the one doing it.
Walk me through how you actually do the work, from the spark of an idea to the finished thing.
"My process, no matter what I am working on, usually sparks from something I find on Pinterest or from talking to my friends/family. I’ll write down my rough thoughts/ideas then research the topic to see if it’s been done before, see how others went about it, and I’ll find images for inspiration.
Afterwards, I’ll expand my idea, jot down more notes, and do some self-reflecting of how I wish to execute this idea, who am I doing it for, what seems more appealing to me. By then I’ll have made a decision, make mockups and run it by friends and family members."
Inspiration, research, reflection, then feedback. Notice that she checks whether an idea has been done before, not to abandon it, but to see how others approached it. Learn, don't copy.
How do you keep this from swallowing your whole life?
"I would take a needed break which is easier said than done. For me I would usually play a video game, like the Sims 4. It’s my comfort game when life stuff becomes too much I would lose myself in Sims 4. Which is a bad habit I have because sometimes I would lean too much into gaming that I procrastinate on my other duties like chores.
Nowadays, I’m more self aware of this that I limit game time with the Sims, and instead I’ll encourage myself to try something new or something I haven’t done in awhile. It could be playing an old game, sketching, reading a new book or watching some Dungeons and Dragons videos.
Doing this usually brings back my creativity and motivation to get back to work and gives me that space to be able to solve whatever my obstacle was for that week. Being with my friends and family is also helpful. It helps me feel human instead of being a cog in a machine."
Taking a break to prevent work from consuming you... only to then be consumed by video games is all too relatable.
The trick isn’t quitting the comfort game. It’s noticing when rest turns into avoidance, and swapping in something that refills the creative well instead of draining the clock. Sketching, reading, an old game... anything that gets you out of the loop and back into your own head.
If you could hand the earlier version of you one sentence, what would it be?
“You are truly doing an amazing job."
Simple words, but it can be everything for your younger and doubtful self.
What do they lose sleep over that ends up not mattering?
"If they are similar to me, it is worrying if something is 'good enough.' Because of this, it pushes and overwhelms people chasing over this idea of perfection when in reality what they created was already amazing. You're wasting your time and energy that could be placed elsewhere."
We say this a lot in the KDCC: publish beats perfect. A video that’s 80% of what you imagined and actually uploaded will teach you more than a perfect one sitting in your drafts.
Your audience can’t watch the version you never finished. And more often than not, the thing you thought wasn’t good enough is exactly what someone needed to see.
What are your thoughts on the KDCC?
"I think what’s being built here is amazing. I especially love the guidelines/system that pushes the community to communicate, connect, and help each other out. I love the positivity and feedback everyone can receive.
It's nice for others to see and realize that they’re not the only ones dealing with any creativity or technical issues, and they can learn from one another. I also love that KDCC promotes growth and shares any new developments that can help improve anyone’s channel."
We don't want the KDCC server to be a place where people dump their video links and then leave. We want them to stick around, asking questions, getting and giving feedback. Which is why we give them their first feedback post for free, and if they want another, they have to review someone else's post.
If you could turn the tables, what is one thing you would want to ask Andrew Kan and Ike Do?
"What is your end goal for this community?"
I don't know about Andrew, but I want it to grow to a point where it's self-sustainable where it's the community helping each other out. This starts with retaining members and getting them ingrained in the community. And to do that, we have to be there for them first and let them know that they're not alone.
What is a question you wish more people asked you, and how would you answer it?
"If I had to choose, I guess baking questions. I don’t have anything specific in mind. I just love to talk about baking and asking questions of possible flavor combos or cake designs that could be fun to create! I love learning and exploring new/cultural desserts.
Aside from baking, I wish people would ask for my opinion on their creative projects. I just love helping and seeing a tidbit of someone else’s passion project."
So if you need a flavor combo for your next bake (or a second set of eyes on your passion project), you know who to ask in the Discord.
A few fast ones
Answer these with whatever comes first, no overthinking.
A habit you would never give up?
"I tend to scroll on pinterest a lot. I’ll never stop doing it because I’ll find a lot of cool ideas and inspiration there."
The tool or app you would fight to keep?
"Coming back to Pinterest. I will fight to keep that app. It holds all my ideas old and new that I like to reference back to often."
The compliment about your work that lands the hardest?
"I’ve been told that people like to listen to my voice and hear what I have to say. I know it’s not much, but being heard and learning that my voice isn’t bothersome means the world to me."
What has you fired up right now?
"Right now, I’m excited to work for KDCC. I can’t wait to discover and learn new things along the way. This is a life experience I can’t wait to explore and do my best."
What are you building toward that you have not told many people about yet?
"I want to build myself back up to work on my baking channel again. Hopefully with this new job and more time on my hands, I will be able to reconnect with my baking."
Where can people find and support Alecia?
You can follow Alecia on Instagram @aleciasinthemoment or follow her baking YouTube channel, Spontaneous Treats. And if you're in the KDCC Discord, you'll find her active and ready to help.
The KDCC is one of the most active YouTube Growth Discord servers, with 2,500+ creators helping each other improve YouTube titles, YouTube Thumbnails, YouTube SEO, and audience retention.
Whether you're stuck at 100 subscribers or pushing for 100K, the Kan Do Creators Community gives you the tools and support to grow.
