Meet Cynthia Garcia Williams

We recently connected with Cynthia Garcia Williams and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cynthia, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I’ve always loved acting. In my early years, I performed in school plays, with a local company, and even at church. Being on stage just felt natural to me. I was that kid who loved storytelling and performing, Broadway was the dream. For a while, I even majored in theater arts. But it was a different time, and coming from my background, a career in entertainment wasn’t exactly encouraged.

My young adulthood was tough. I went through some hard years, and eventually I rebuilt my life to do something meaningful. That led me to college and eventually to earning my master’s in psychology. I loved working in mental health, especially helping families. It was fulfilling work, but it always felt like something I did, not my purpose. Maybe I didn’t really know I was missing it until I found it.

Funny enough, I found my way back to storytelling almost by accident. After I finished grad school, my husband went back for his MBA, and while he was buried in schoolwork, I decided to start writing, a script of all things. I had no idea what I was doing, but I dove in and taught myself. And when I say I taught myself, I mean years of studying: YouTube videos, classes, writing groups, books, conferences, podcasts, articles, panels, all of it. It has been a decade of failure, pain, tears, doubt, and still finding the will to keep going.

Writing is a craft, and I take that seriously. Loving movies and storytelling is what sparked it, but learning the craft is what sustains it. The studying, the practice, the trial and error, the tears, that is the work that made me a writer.

Over time, that little experiment became my passion and my career. I have now been directing for about five years, and writing has become the thing I cannot imagine living without. This past year was especially different. I found my voice. I can see it in everything I have made, though I am not even sure how it happened. It just clicked. Suddenly, the work started to sound and feel like me.

Looking back, it feels like everything, even the detours, led me here. I did not plan to end up in entertainment, but now I cannot picture my life any other way.

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?

Today, my work centers on writing and directing. After years of learning and refining my craft, I finally feel that I have found my creative voice, and everything I do now is about bringing emotionally grounded, character-driven stories to life.

What excites me most are the characters who live in the gray areas, the ones who are not all good or all bad. I have always been drawn to villains, not because of what they do, but because of why they do it. My background in psychology plays a huge part in that. I love exploring what drives people to cross lines, to justify choices, to hold pain or power in complicated ways. I think there is always a part of us in the people we call villains, and that truth is what makes them so fascinating to me.

At the same time, I have become more focused on the idea of culture, the importance of knowing where we come from, what we remember, and what gets passed down. Our stories are not just our own. They are built from the people who came before us, from our ancestry, our communities, and the versions of history that shaped how we see the world. That sense of memory and identity inspires me deeply. I want my work to honor those roots while still asking new questions about who we are and what we carry forward.

What I find special about my work is that it bridges two parts of me, the storyteller and the observer. My years in psychology taught me how to listen and to see people beneath their behavior, and my connection to culture reminds me that every story begins long before the first page. Both perspectives shape every script and every scene.

Right now, I am focused on continuing to grow as a filmmaker and writer. This past year has been transformative, finding my voice, earning new recognition for my work, and feeling more confident than ever in the stories I want to tell. I am developing several new projects that explore moral complexity, ancestry, memory, and the ways our past continues to echo through our lives.

For me, this is not just a career, it is who I am. Every script, every character, every late night of rewriting reminds me that storytelling is both personal and ancestral, it is how we remember who we are.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I would say the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are humility, curiosity, and discipline.

Humility keeps you grounded and open to learning. It is what pushes us forward when we make mistakes. It allows us to grow and to stay teachable no matter how long we have been doing the work.

Curiosity is what keeps you moving. You have to stay interested, keep asking questions, and remain willing to explore new ideas or approaches. Curiosity pushes you past fear and routine, and it keeps the work alive.

Learn about the 10,000-hour rule. Mastery is built in repetition, in failure, and in the tiny lessons that come from doing the work again and again until it becomes second nature. It is not about perfection, it is about commitment and showing up even when it is hard.

As for advice, someone once told me, “If you can do anything else with your life, do it. Run.” I remember being completely confused about why a successful filmmaker would say that, but now I understand. This has to be a part of you, like breathing. You have to need it, because it is hard and it is easy to quit.

And one more thing, make sure you are in therapy. I mean that seriously and with love. This path demands everything emotionally, mentally, and creatively. There will be times when you say no to events because you are in a creative bubble. It can be hard to turn that off, and it can hurt family and friends. Of course, we learn to balance, but long set hours and creative isolation are part of the industry.

Take care of your mind, your spirit, your family, and your community. Maybe we do not do it all at the same time, but we keep striving for progress, not perfection.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

A few years ago, I came across an idea that really stayed with me, although I cannot remember exactly where I first heard it. The suggestion was to cut a small two-by-two-inch square of paper and write down the names of the people whose opinions truly matter to you, the ones you love, respect, and would actually take advice from. The idea was that if their names cannot fit on that little square, then maybe their opinions should not take up space in your mind either.

I did it, and it has been one of the most helpful things I have ever done. My little square only has five names on it, and I keep it in my wallet. Whenever I start to doubt myself or feel overwhelmed by noise, people’s opinions, criticism, or the constant pressure that can come with working in entertainment, I pull it out and remind myself whose voices really matter.

If I am confused or uncertain, I call one of those people. They are honest with me, and they know my heart. That small piece of paper has helped me quiet the outside world so I can focus on the work, on growth, and on what truly matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cynrgentertainment.com/cynthia-garcia-willaims
• Instagram: @cynthiagwilliams
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007514538666
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-garcia-williams-07547628b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cynthiagwilliams

Image Credits

Paola Guzmán
Bahareh Ritter