Meet Christy

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christy, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter Syndrome is the lack of belief that you possess the skills, talent and abilities to create your own successes despite evidence to the contrary. It’s the mistaken thought that it’s all luck not you and, for some, a fear of being found to be someone different. I have always worked super hard since I was 14 years old – I had 3 part-time jobs while attending school. And so began a long journey of feeling like I had to prove myself to everyone around me. I had many successes by society’s standards but always had that self doubt or feeling of “I have to do more.” I remember praying and asking God to help me see myself as He sees me. It wasn’t until I prayed that prayer that I started to make an effort to see myself clearly and to change those things about me and in my life that I wanted to be different. I was over 300 pounds and started eating better and walking. I needed more income and decided to do something that I enjoy for extra income. I got more clarity as I used self help books to improve my situation. I stopped eating and drinking the wrong things, like alcohol, and diligently pursued a healthy lifestyle. I worked hard on becoming debt free because I had so much debt it was drowning me. And through all of these slow and consistent changes a metamorphosis took place. I was seeing successes now I felt them deeply because I knew I had worked for them and humbly accepted them. You’re not an imposter if you’re taking action to get to your destination. You, like me, are a work in progress measured by incremental successes along the way. God had a plan for me. He has a plan for you too. I just had to embrace it and consistently move towards what I wanted in my life – not for anyone else but myself.

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?

There’s so many exciting things on the horizon for me and my businesses!

Social Media Marketing by Christy Maldonado celebrates it’s 10th year anniversary in July 2025. My other paralegal business celebrates 20 years this July as well!! 20 years of the ups and downs and ups of being an entrepreneur will all be used to educate and pay it forward to others in my new book to launch January 2026 – STAY TUNED!!!

My 3rd author collaboration launches July 24, 2025. The book is called Networking is Not a Dirty Word. Soon to be on Amazon, it’s the 3rd collaboration where I’ve authored a Chapter in a series of business books. The others – The Best Business Minds in Tampa Bay and How to Maximize Your Network – have become Amazon Bestsellers in different business categories.

I’m in the top 10 for the 3rd year in a row to vote for Best Marketing and PR Agency in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2025. Daily Voting begins July 17th, 2025.

I’m also working on getting off the last 25 pounds – so far I’ve lost 156 pounds – so let’s keep it going and be healthy entrepreneurs TOGETHER!

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?

Get your education, self or taught, skills and training done and then build on those things. Determine what you think you’d like to do and then research – do your homework – as to what that entails and what the job or career or business actually takes on a day to day basis. Interview successful people doing just that and ask real questions. Intern or apprentice if you can to see if you’ll enjoy doing it.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I would love to collaborate with publishers, people looking for keynote speakers, organizations offering grants to businesses and healthy entrepreneurs to share insights.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than

Highlighter Series
What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?

We think this is an essential question because so often there is a disconnect between

Highlighter Series
Is the public version of you the real you?

We all think we’re being real—whether in public or in private—but the deeper challenge is