We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natalie Robles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Natalie, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
It has definitely taken a lot of self-work. I was very quiet and kept to myself when I was little. My dad was culturally very traditional and reserved, so he would scare me quite a bit. I was in a rather toxic relationship in my twenties that almost destroyed my self-esteem and confidence. After it ended, my dad became very sick due to strokes and dementia, so I became one of his caregivers along with my mom. It’s not that I pictured my life one way or another, but I never really thought I would be caring for my dad the way that I did. He essentially became immobile. After his passing in late 2022, I fell apart. I was so lost and had quit my job in order to be able to grieve. I put threw myself out of my comfort zone and took a solo trip to Copenhagen in March of 2023 for two weeks. I only had a room reserved in Amsterdam, so I knew I had to make my way there from Denmark. I was able to visit 4 countries in the two weeks I was there, all by train and bus. It was so much fun, but more than that, I was just incredibly proud of myself that I was able to navigate through part of Europe by myself without any prior knowledge of almost everything. I felt like my dad was with me the whole time. After that trip, I felt so much more confident. My self-esteem had slowly been building after the toxic relationship, but throwing myself into the unknown in addition to taking on a role that I never knew I had to capability to and going through the grieving process, I feel so much more confident and just internally happy. I am still finding out who I am as a human, which has been an exciting process to go through.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a culinary instructor and pastry chef, however, I went through a career change when I was 29. I earned a BA in International Development Studies and worked for a non-profit in Los Angeles for a few years, but I was laid off due to budget cuts. I decided to turn my passion into my career, so I enrolled in and completed the culinary program at Cerritos College. I have been in the kitchen for about 7 years, working at a few smaller bakeries in Long Beach, and the Ritz-Carlton, and now at a vegan bakery. I have amassed a wonderful foundation of knowledge and experience, which has allowed me to become a lab instructor for the Baking and Pastry program at Cerritos College. My instructors are now my coworkers! It has been so much fun to be in the kitchen and be able to share what I know with the students, along with being able to play with so much equipment! I also own a small business that I put on hold for the last 2 years or so, but I will be ramping back up! Knead and Sugar will be having a pop-up at the end of January in the Arts District. I will be having Valentine’s Day treats, warm beverages, and fresh churros! Stay tuned for more info!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Hmm. I think the three qualities that were most impactful have to be trusting my gut/instinct, being patient with myself, and writing everything down. The first two are definitely connected with my self-esteem and confidence, which have improved substantially over the last year. It’s easy to second-guess yourself if you don’t think highly of yourself or don’t give yourself as much credit as you deserve. The last one was important for me because I would always forget important dates, details, conversations, etc. I now try to keep a little notepad in my bag, and in the cases that I don’t I keep notes on my phone that I title in all caps so I don’t get overwhelmed by tons of random notes with gibberish. Journaling and keeping a planner in my room are also very important so that I can organize any notes I have taken while out and about throughout the day.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
They gave me a lot of love. My dad was stoic (and yes I was scared of him), but he also made sure that we always had what we needed. Although he seemed mean, looking back, he was actually a big ol’ teddy bear. He would make this special voice when he’d talk to us when we were little, like he was babying us. My mom has always been such a nurturing soul. She’s so warm and magnetic – which is why my dad fell for her. Although there can be so much darkness in the world and society, their warmth, love, and security have not only played a pivotal role in my overall well-being, but it has allowed me to stay soft in a rough world. I will always have them to thank for that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kneadandsugar
