Are You Awesome Today? Podcast Interview

Building Confidence and Resilience After Failure (The Real Story You Don’t Hear Enough)

If you’ve ever been knocked flat — by a failure, a rejection, or a gut punch that made you question everything — this conversation is for you.

We’re talking about what actually builds confidence, what resilience really looks like, and how to keep moving when you feel like life just handed you a ‘no’ for the thing you wanted most.

Here’s what we covered:

[02:00] From Puerto Rico to the South Bronx to Silicon Valley
My full origin story — first to get a diploma, first to own a passport, first to start a business. No blueprint. No roadmap. Just me figuring it out every single step of the way.

[07:10] How I Accidentally Fell Into Sales
I wasn’t “born a salesperson.” I never planned this path. It took one friend pointing out my natural storytelling gift to open a door I didn’t even know existed.

[12:00] If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get
The biggest truth I’ve learned: you only get what you’re willing to ask for. If you stay quiet, if you stay small, you don’t eat. Period.

[18:30] Selling Yourself in a World That Doesn’t Owe You Anything
Why “I’m not in sales” is no longer a valid excuse. You are selling every day — your value, your voice, your work. And you better get good at it.

[24:50] The Truth About Failure and Why You Need to Mourn It (Briefly)
When something doesn’t work, you have to mourn the vision that didn’t manifest. But then? You celebrate the learning as the win.

[30:20] Success Always Looks ‘Overnight’ To Outsiders
We break down how so-called “overnight success” is always years — sometimes decades — in the making. The work behind the scenes is what nobody sees.

[36:00] Trauma Happens For You, Not To You
The mindset shift that changed everything for me. Your worst moments will, eventually, make sense. You just have to stay long enough to see the lesson.

[42:10] Where My Confidence Really Comes From
Let’s get real: I didn’t “build confidence” reading quotes on Instagram. I built it getting disrespected, doubted, underestimated — and still showing up anyway.

[48:30] Everybody’s Just Figuring It Out
Even the people you admire most don’t fully know what they’re doing. The secret? They just keep moving. So do you.

[52:00] You Can’t Do This Alone
The fastest way to build resilience is surrounding yourself with people who will hold the mirror up, hype you up, and plug you in when you start second guessing yourself.

If you’re tired of hearing the empty “believe in yourself” advice and want the real conversation about what resilience looks like on the ground — this is it.