Meet Carmen Martinez

We were lucky to catch up with Carmen Martinez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carmen, 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.

I would have to say I developed my confidence and self-esteem from modeling. I was always a shy person but modeling helped me become more bold, outspoken, and a confident individual. Being a model cannot make someone completely confident or all of a sudden have high self-esteem but it definitely helps you with the tools such as how to better communicate, teaches you poise, above all teaches you how to overcome rejection. With modeling, maybe you will gain more confidence in knowing that you are better at posing or that you will become more confident being in front of the camera without being shy, but being a model does not guarantee that your overall confidence will be improved so you have to do things internally to help you have better self-esteem. True confidence comes from within, to simply believing in your self worth, in your value. Surround yourself with people who lift you up, Give yourself permission to mess up. Self-confidence is about your skills, whereas self-esteem is about how much you value yourself. So I would say its a work in progress… continue to believe in your worth and don’t forget that its ok to fall short sometimes just keep building confidence little by little.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am originally from Nicaragua and grew up in the great state of Louisiana. I graduated from the University of Houston with a concentration in Business Management and Marketing. For the past 15 years, I have effectively managed and worked in the experiential marketing field expanding my skills in: event planning, team building and public speaking. In, 2003 I was introduced to Latrece Bell while attending North Harris community college. Over the years, we developed an unbreakable friendship that would continue after Latrece’s passing in 2011. Today, I continue as a mental health advocate on suicide prevention by sharing the story of our bond with Latrece and provides education and support with women with similar experiences. I have worked for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and as Special Events Manager for AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). I has been modeling since the age of 18, has booked tv shows, local and national commercials, and I currently teach at the Neal Hamil Agency. She has competed in local and national Bodybuilding shows and has recognized the signs both these industries bring when it comes to self image, depression and suicide. I promotes self care, body positivity, mental wellness, and helps break the stigma behind mental unbalance.

In coping with my grief, my outlets became fashion and fitness activities. I partnered with attorney & community leader Kevin Murray, fashion stylist Kele Helm to create “Fashion Fitness Swim” an annual fundraising summer runway event to bringing our Houston’s multicultural community together, providing awareness on this cause and highlighting the benefit of summer months.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

When I started this event it was suppose to be a one time thing, but friends and the community would ask me about the event so I decided to bring in back and make it an annual event. I would say three qualities, or skills that has impacted my journey would be: keep focus on your mission, be ready for rejection and stay true to the goal but ultimately surround your self with lots of support. There are days that I don’t know how all will play out but at the end its all worth it. The event helps many individuals suffering in silent or at least start the conversation to get help so to me its all worth it.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

This event goes beyond a traditional fashion show, its a combination of mental health advocacy, education and awareness. I would love to collaborate with other like minded individuals that love fashion, overall health and are passionate about helping bring awareness on health and wellness. Fashion Fitness Swim’s mission is to build a community of empowered individuals through promoting health and wellness in this yearly event. The main objective of our fashion show is to showcase that beauty comes in all shapes with our multicultural and diverse models, highlight the positivity of summer fashion and staying active! Our event brings people together to generate awareness for the cause, along with raising funds for suicide prevention in our local community while fostering connection and generating important conversations. We provide on site resources and we want this evening to bringing inspiration, make self-care a priority in one’s life, and encourage a joyful state of mind in regard for one’s own well-being and happiness. When we talk about health, we have to remember that“health” goes much, much further beyond how our body looks and feels. Health means taking care of our minds too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fashionfitnessswim.com
• Instagram: @fashionfitnessswim

Image Credits

Tommy Chung Photography
UserOfReality Photography