We were lucky to catch up with Mila Troncoso recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mila, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I think my resilience comes from the fact that life has tried to take me out a few times… and I survived every single one. I’ve had near-death experiences, including three days in a coma in Bolivia that stripped me down to nothing; no thoughts, no feelings, just existence. When I was about to call it, something in me shifted. I decided that if I got another shot at life, I wouldn’t waste it. I’d chase my interests until they led me to my passions, I’d love harder, be a brighter energy, and keep starting over if that’s what it took. I’d choose the life my soul actually wants, even when it’s terrifying.
So whenever things get hard, whether it’s acting, startups, moving countries, or actually surviving a kidney stone from garlic poisoning while building a company. I remind myself: I’ve survived worse. And if life keeps throwing me these ‘appreciate me!’ punches, maybe I’m meant to do something with the strength I earned from surviving them.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Right now, I’m in a really beautiful transition chapter. I just moved to Los Angeles, something my four-year-old self who memorized her lines would be very proud of. I’m focused on continuing my acting career here, finding the right manager, and planting roots in an industry I’ve loved since childhood.
At the same time, I’m building GoodTake, my AI creative studio. Before acting and tech, I was a graphic designer and illustrator, and my imagination always felt bigger than my tools. I could never translate what I saw in my head. Now I finally can and that’s been incredibly healing.
Especially because, in my mid-twenties, I went through years where I wasn’t creative at all. I was depressed, buried in paperwork jobs, and felt a part of me drying up. My experience in Bolivia, waking up from a coma, shook me awake. It felt like life saying, “You’re more than this. Start again.”
Today, acting and GoodTake let me live in two creative worlds that push me to grow and express myself in ways I never imagined. It feels like I reclaimed a piece of myself I almost lost.
And of course, moving countries again means rebuilding from scratch. Even driving has been oddly triggering… maybe old car-crash memories, maybe just the discomfort of being bad at something new, but I’ve learned that growth often brings old fears to the surface. That’s life though, you show up anyway.
What’s special about this moment is that I’m letting myself be a beginner and a leader at the same time. An actress starting fresh in LA. A founder building something new. A human with layers, just doing her best.
You don’t have to be one thing or choose one path. You can build your life in layers. You can be scared and still move forward. You can start over… and become more yourself in the process.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
First of all, the courage to reinvent yourself! I’ve had more “new chapters” than I can count: designer, bartender, manager, personal trainer, actor, founder… at this point I’m basically a human rebrand. Reinvention isn’t failure; it’s proof you’re growing. My advice: if something feels wrong, pivot. Life is too short to stay in a chapter you’ve outgrown.
Next would be resilience (the stubborn but gentle kind)
It’s all about being willing to try again, even when life drop-kicks you. I’ve been through things that forced me to rebuild, sometimes literally. Start with small hard things, and let discomfort guide you instead of stopping you.
Last one, always emotional awareness & empathy
Everyone is carrying something. Empathy has made me a better actor, co-founder, and human. My advice: be curious, listen more, assume there’s a story behind every reaction, including your own.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, I go back to basics: breathe, ground myself, take one tiny step instead of trying to fix the whole world in one go. And when that doesn’t work, I have the privilege of an amazing wife who usually knows exactly what to say. She reminds me of the positives, the wins, the love. And if that doesn’t quite work fully… a cookie and a deep breath will also do wonders.
I’ve learned that overwhelm usually comes from thinking we need to be perfect or fast… or fast AND perfect. But some of the best chapters of my life started with slow, shaky steps. Honestly, sometimes I just let myself cry it out, like after driving in LA. Then I keep moving forward.
My advice would be: don’t expect yourself to be a superhero. Break things down, be kind to yourself, and remember you’re allowed to grow at your own pace. We are all just trying to do our best out here. Forward is forward, even if it’s messy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://milatroncoso.com/ & https://goodtake.ai/
- Instagram: itsmilatae
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/milatroncoso
Image Credits
I own the rights to these images
