Cynthia Perez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Cynthia, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
In this case, I stood up for my team and my horse. I founded Monarcas de Matamoros, a team built from the ground up, where I invested years of training, marketing, and creating the perfect image and logo. But the team was later taken from me by people I trusted, including members of my own family, who used the work and reputation I had built without giving me any recognition. It cost me seven years of dedication and the chance to see my vision grow. Watching something so meaningful, beautiful, and full of cultural significance be taken and destroyed was painful.
When I stepped away, I turned to writing and storytelling—magazines, articles, and journaling—to share my experiences and preserve a legacy for my future family. Realizing the problem was theirs, not mine, brought me a deep sense of peace and strengthened my resolve to honor Charrería and equestrian culture on my own terms.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Cynthia Pérez Alfaro, and I come from a charro dynasty in northern Tamaulipas. I was raised on both sides of the Matamoros–Brownsville border, growing up immersed in the traditions of Charrería, our national sport protected by UNESCO. I am the founder of Casa Alfaro Joyería Ecuestre, where I create equestrian-inspired jewelry and small leather designs that honor the artistry, heritage, and strength of women riders.
In addition to my creative work, I contribute to equestrian magazines and books across the United States and Canada, sharing stories about Charrería, escaramuzas, and border culture. When I’m not creating or writing, I work professionally as an international security coordinator and specialist. My work, whether in design, storytelling, or professional life, is always guided by a commitment to preserving culture, empowering women, and honoring the legacy of my family and the borderlands that shaped me.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
In April 2025, everything in my life collapsed at once — I lost my job, my engagement ended, I experienced a miscarriage, and the team I had founded was taken from me. It felt as if every foundation I had built disappeared overnight. In that moment, when I believed I had nothing left to lose, I chose to rebuild myself from the inside out. I focused on my own story, my own decisions, and the kind of woman I wanted to become. I went trail-blazing, literally and metaphorically, reclaiming my voice and my purpose.
And then, without expecting it, love found me again in November — someone with a probability of less than one in a thousand. We met unexpectedly, and he understood my history, my culture, my sport, and the weight of my experiences. More importantly, he chose to support my path, even if it meant staying here to stand beside me.
That season of loss and renewal reshaped my entire way of seeing life. I chose myself — and the moment I did, everything shifted.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me a truth that success never had the power to reveal: who I truly am when everything is stripped away. Success can decorate your life, but suffering exposes your foundation. When I went through some of the most painful moments of my life — losing my team, my stability, my engagement, and even a pregnancy — I realized that strength is not built in the moments when everything is going well. It is built in the quiet hours when no one is watching, when you are forced to confront yourself with honesty and courage.
Suffering taught me resilience, discernment, and self-worth. It showed me who stood beside me and who only stood beside my success. It taught me that I can rebuild from nothing, that I can choose myself even when it feels impossible, and that identity rooted in purpose will outlast any setback.
Success can celebrate you, but suffering shapes you. And in that shaping, I found a version of myself I might never have met otherwise.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I admire Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen of the Old West — not for the crimes or the myth around her, but for her defiant spirit in a world determined to silence women. She lived in an era where women had little autonomy, yet she carved out her own identity, unapologetically and against all expectations. What inspires me is not her notoriety, but her refusal to be defined by the limits society tried to place on her.
Her story represents resilience, rebellion, and the courage to exist on her own terms — even when the world expected her to disappear. I admire that kind of character: someone who stands firm in who they are, regardless of circumstance, power, or approval.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think the greatest misunderstanding about my legacy will be the belief that I chose to walk away from my family’s dynasty — that I abandoned it. In reality, I went solo because I had to, not because I wanted distance from my roots. When my team and years of work were taken from me, it wasn’t a departure from tradition; it was a continuation of it in my own voice. But from the outside, especially within my own family, it looked like I had left everything behind.
What many didn’t see at first was that I was still honoring the same heritage, the same bloodline, the same art — just on my own terms. It took time for people to understand that my independence wasn’t a rejection, it was a rebuilding. I wasn’t stepping away from the dynasty; I was expanding it, carrying it forward in a new direction when the old path no longer allowed me to grow.
My legacy will always be rooted in where I come from. The only difference is that now, I am the one choosing the direction — and that choice took strength, clarity, and time for others to see.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: cyndidrug
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyndidrug/
Image Credits
Instagram: @cyndidrug
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