Meet Juan Lopez

We were lucky to catch up with Juan Lopez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Juan, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

My self-esteem was built through many years of hating myself. I grew up with a stutter (and still have it), so from an early age, I was ridiculed. I felt terrible. I felt so different, so inferior, so odd. Everyone else could speak normally but me. Why?

Everyone’s opinions of me took so much weight in my life that I hated talking and I hated myself. I believed all the bad and hurtful things everyone said about me.

I was fortunate to go through speech therapy as a child, but it didn’t help. I felt so abnormal, so low.

After years of hating myself and purposefully limiting myself, I worked to re-train my thinking around the time I was about 25. By this time, I was in college working on a masters degree. I realized that as much as I believed what everyone else had said about me, I needed to change what I believed about myself if I wanted any chance at a happy life.

So that’s what I did. I flipped the switch. I decided to change my perspective about my stutter and look at it as a gift instead of a curse. My stutter gives me perspective and empathy most people don’t have. My stutter gives me understanding and patience unlike most others. And it’s given me resilience to know I can work through anything and persevere through anything put in front of me.

My confidence and self-esteem was built on me proving to myself that I can accomplish difficult things and I can change my mindset to change my life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I currently own RAWBRY Juice Bar & Cafe in Las Vegas. RAW + ROBBERY = RAWBRY. Our aim is to help people “Steal Back Your Health”. We serve healthy foods, nothing is pre-made, no additives and no preservatives. What you see is what you get.

I’m also a licensed real estate broker in Las Vegas and work on remodeling properties in distressed areas.

I was a public speaker in my late 20s for many years but have taken time away from it to focus on my businesses and being a father to my 2 young children, but I can’t wait to get back to public speaking to youth and the community.

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?

3 qualities that have been most impactful in my life:

1) Perseverance. Too many people quit or stop when things are difficult or perhaps not what they expected. Following through on what I set out to do has helped me build self-confidence to know that I won’t quit when things get tough. Having grit and pushing forward is a key to success.

2) Adaptability. I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism. After college, I could not find a job in journalism. So I took a job at a local gym as a receptionist. I told them about my writing and social media skills, so they asked if I wanted to work with their marketing department. I had never thought of business or marketing before. But it was a perfect fit for my skillset. Being adaptable to new opportunities has helped lead me to where I am today. Don’t be rigid. Be open to new opportunities, even if you’ve dedicated much time to going down 1 single path.

3) Growth Mindset. I believe there is always room to grow and improve as long as I work & study diligently. I do not believe how I am now is how I will be forever. I believe in growth and am open to new concepts that will make me better.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Going through regression physically, mentally, financially and spiritually. From ages 24-32, I had a great streak of self-discovery, achievement and consistent progression in all areas of life.

I felt close to God, I felt very self-aware, very mindful, my finances were growing steadily, my health was great and I felt fantastic about myself.

In about 2022, I started a period of big regression – my wife and I had our 2nd child, I was sued for a business I sold, I lost 2 apartment properties I owned, I went almost 1 year without consistent income. It was just a complete 180 from what the previous 8 years of my life had been. I lost so much of the progress I had made.

Going through regression has been one of the biggest challenges of my adult life, but I’m learning a new sense of perseverance and perspective through it. I’m grateful to be going through this now and it’s sharpening my a lot of my business & life skills more.

I believe God has set these challenges in front of me now so I learn how to protect and grow what I’ve been blessed with even more in the future. Still going through it, but my mental toughness is at its peak.

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