I grew up in East L.A., the son of Mexican immigrants.

Like many in our community, I learned early what it meant to live in survival mode.

My father was an alcoholic. And our home was unpredictable and chaotic. Filled with fear, shame, and anxiety.

I walked on eggshells every day.  Never sure if I’d get the dad who showed love or the one who turned the house upside down.

Back then, I didn’t have the tools to deal with any of it. I was just a kid trying to survive.

As a teen, I escaped the chaos the only way I knew how: partying hard, numbing the pain, drinking too much.

Later, as an adult, I kept doing what I’d always done: keeping my head down, working harder, fighting back when I had to, but never really facing what was underneath.

That “I’ll figure it out alone” mindset followed me into adulthood.

I tried to fix the pain with quick wins. More degrees, new jobs, leadership courses, and self-help books. But nothing really stuck.

Every time something didn’t work, the voice in my head whispered, “See? Maybe it just doesn’t work for you.”

On the outside, I looked accomplished. On the inside, I carried what I now call The BAG: my Beliefs, Assumptions, and Guardians like perfectionism and self-doubt — constantly whispering, “Don’t mess this up. Don’t let anyone see you fail.”

I kept chasing the next solution. But the truth was: I didn’t trust myself to change.

Then life took a detour in 2021.

A sudden illness and multiple surgeries stopped everything.

Lying in that hospital bed, I realized I’d spent years proving I could handle it all. But never learning how to heal or grow.

That’s when it hit me: life is too short to keep living in survival mode.

I stopped drinking. I went deep into learning, coaching, and understanding the science of post-traumatic growth.

I committed to being fully present for my kids, my wife and my health.

And for the first time, I invested in myself. Real coaching, not quick fixes.

Working with mentors like Dr. Benjamin Hardy changed everything.

That investment didn’t slow me down; it accelerated me.

I used to say I didn’t have time. But the truth is, not changing was costing me far more time and energy every single day.

When I finally invested in my growth, I didn’t just get better results. I felt liberated.

Through that journey I created The BAG We Carry™, a framework that helps leaders unpack the invisible weight that holds them back and turn it into fuel for growth.

It became the foundation of Behavior-First Coaching™, built on one truth:

Skills don’t silence the Inner Critic. Behavior change does.

And when your behavior shifts, your leadership does too — how you decide, communicate, influence, and build trust.

Once I started addressing the beliefs and patterns underneath my actions, everything shifted.  My confidence, my leadership, my relationships.

Today, I guide new Latina and Latino senior leaders who feel the quiet pressure I once carried.  The fear of not being ready.  The perfectionism that whispers don’t fail. And the worry that if they grow too much, they’ll lose the people who once defined them.

But here’s the truth I’ve learned: when you rise, the right people rise with you.

Growth doesn’t disconnect you from who you are.  It reconnects you to who you were meant to be.

What once felt heavy becomes your JetPack — the very fuel for confident, effective leadership.

I share this story to remind you:

You don’t need to be perfect to be powerful.
You don’t need more information. 
You need transformation.

And that starts when you choose to unpack the BAG you’ve been carrying.

Once you do, you’ll never carry it the same way again.

My Invitation to You

If you’ve ever felt like you’re playing small or second-guessing your every move, you’re not alone.

You don’t have to carry that BAG another year.

In just 5 days, you can uncover what’s been holding you back. 

And take your first real step toward leading with confidence and impact.

Ready to start?