Meet Frances Naty Reyes Go of Goldlilys Media

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frances Naty Reyes Go.

Hi Frances Naty Reyes, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story begins in a San Diego classroom when I was 9 years old where I sat quietly, understanding just enough English to survive the day, but not enough to explain who I was.

I was the new kid. The one with the accent. The one whose lunch smelled unfamiliar. And the one who mostly wore hand-me-downs from relatives because that’s what my family could afford at the time.

I didn’t care about matching anyone, but I did notice that almost no one around me lived the way my family did. That difference made me feel both invisible and hyper-visible at the same time.

What made it harder wasn’t just feeling out of place, it was realizing how deeply the world erased people who looked like me. I’d turn on the TV and never see anyone who resembled my family. I’d watch “World Music Awards” shows that somehow forgot an entire continent existed.

The message was clear:
People like me weren’t meant to be seen.

And it wasn’t just media, it showed up in school, too.

In high school, I took AP Art History because I loved art and wanted to understand the masters.
But almost everything we studied was Western art, Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionism.
Beautiful, absolutely. Important, yes. But still only one part of the world.

Where were the scroll paintings?
The woodblock prints that influenced Western artists?
The calligraphy traditions that blended art and meditation?
The entire visual language of Asia?

It felt like being handed a world map with entire regions missing.

That reinforced the same message:
Your culture isn’t part of the narrative.

When you grow up never seeing yourself reflected, not on screen, not in “world” awards, not even in a curriculum claiming to teach global art, you start to believe you’re not meant to exist in the story at all.

That’s when technology became my refuge. Computers didn’t care where I came from or what I wore. They responded to curiosity and logic.

I taught myself to code by breaking things, fixing them, and discovering that in this digital space, I did belong.

Years later, when I discovered web development at UC San Diego, everything clicked. It wasn’t just about building websites, it was about creating digital spaces where people could finally feel seen and represented.

That’s when I knew:

I wanted to build platforms for the creatives, communities, and organizations reshaping what representation looks like, so the next kid who looks like me can see themselves somewhere, instead of nowhere at all.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Definitely not.

The first challenge began long before my business ever existed:
learning how to stop shrinking myself.

Even though I loved technology, I carried a lot of internal doubt. And that didn’t magically disappear after high school, it followed me into college.

When I attended UC San Diego as a Computer Science major, I was often one of only a few women in my classes. Sometimes five of us. Sometimes fewer.

The environment wasn’t exactly welcoming. The guys had their study groups, their collaboration circles, their shared notes. I didn’t always have access to that support.

So I adapted.

I learned to be quiet, mind my own business, and succeed in my own way.

I learned to figure things out independently, solving complex problems without the luxury of a built-in study group. That independence ended up becoming one of my biggest strengths.

UC San Diego taught me how to think for myself, rely on myself, and build things on my own terms.

And because of that, when I eventually became a solo founder, it wasn’t a challenge.

It felt normal, familiar, even.

By the time I started Goldlilys Media, the real challenges were internal ones.

I still battled imposter syndrome. I would walk into client meetings and think:
Who am I to advise them?
I was the kid who didn’t speak English.
The girl wearing hand-me-downs.
The quiet one in the CS lecture halls.

It took years to understand that being “the outsider” was actually my advantage. I had lived what erasure felt like, so I could see what was missing in digital experiences long before anyone said it out loud.

Another challenge came from watching industries preach diversity while maintaining the same systems, hiring the same voices, and building the same exclusionary digital experiences. Many organizations claimed inclusion mattered, yet their websites and messaging quietly communicated the opposite.

That’s what pushed me to build something different.

Learning to charge what I’m worth was another battle.

I confused being helpful with being inexpensive. I underpriced my work because I didn’t want to feel like I was “too much”, a belief shaped by years of being told, implicitly, to stay small.

But being a solo founder? That part was easy.
College prepared me for it.

I was already used to working independently, solving problems on my own, and creating things without waiting for a team to tell me what to do.

Being solo meant freedom, choosing my projects, owning my time, and building a business aligned with my values instead of someone else’s agenda.

And every time I partnered with a cultural organization, artist, nonprofit, or mission-driven leader, I was reminded why I chose this path:

Not to maintain the system, but to challenge it, and rebuild it into something that finally reflects all of us.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Goldlilys Media is a web design and development studio that helps mission-driven organizations share their stories with clarity and purpose. I create websites for museums, cultural institutions, nonprofits, healthcare and wellness brands, biotech companies, travel and tourism groups, and small businesses that serve their communities.

I am known for turning complex information into simple and engaging digital experiences. This includes organizing historical content for museums, translating scientific concepts for biotech teams, and helping healthcare organizations communicate clearly with the people they serve.

Some of my proudest work includes serving as the lead developer for several Balboa Park museum websites, including the Museum of Us, the San Diego History Center, and the main Balboa Park website. I also supported the launch of Integrated Genetics before it merged with LabCorp Women’s Health. More recently, I created the website for Warm Heart Senior Living, a Filipino-founded senior living facility in San Diego that supports families during the rise of the Silver Tsunami.

At the heart of Goldlilys Media is The Website Masterpiece Journey, my signature process that guides clients from brand clarity to design, development, and launch. It ensures that every website is visually strong, strategically structured, accessible, and aligned with the organization’s mission.

I also help clients improve their visibility in AI search through Generative Engine Optimization. This includes creating GEO schemas, glossary definitions, FAQ structures, and other structured data that help AI tools understand and accurately represent their brand.

What sets Goldlilys Media apart is the intention behind the work. Growing up with limited representation shaped how I design and how I collaborate with clients. I focus on creating digital experiences that reflect real communities, elevate meaningful work, and help organizations feel confident and visible online.

What I want readers to know is that a website is more than a place to hold information. It is your story and your first chance to show people what you stand for. My work is here to help mission-driven organizations bring that story to life so the right people can find them and feel connected.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is spending hours playing video games and watching anime. Those were the first places where I saw some form of Asian representation, even if it was animated. Seeing characters like Sailor Moon, Goku, Ash Ketchum, and the heroes from Final Fantasy felt like a quiet reminder that people who looked like me could be brave, powerful, and capable of saving the world.

I would get completely lost in those stories. Whether it was cheering for Cloud as he fought Sephiroth or following Ash on his journey with Pikachu, those characters made me feel connected to something bigger. They were the heroes I did not see in American media at the time, and they helped me imagine possibilities for myself long before I understood what representation really meant.

Those shows and games were more than entertainment. They were the first places where I felt seen, even if it was indirectly. They shaped my imagination, my love for storytelling, and eventually my appreciation for building digital experiences that help others feel represented too.

Pricing:

• Landing Pages start under 1,300
• Full Websites begin at 5,000
• Large scale or advanced projects start at 20,000
• Basic maintenance is 150 per month
• For full monthly support that includes updates, backups, performance tuning, security, SEO, GEO and ADA compliance, content edits, and priority support is between 700 to 2,800 per month

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goldlilys-media.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldlilysMedia
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesnatygo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@goldlilys
• Other: https://substack.com/@goldlilys

Image Credits
Hired a professional photographer for those images so it’s fine.