Meet Javier Mota

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Javier Mota a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Javier, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I’ve never been afraid to take on new challenges and learn along the way. Back in late 2012, Estefania Diaz-Balart and Sabrina Macias approached me with a simple but unexpected question: “Do you know someone who could take care of the relaunch of NASCAR’s Spanish-language website?”

The timing couldn’t have been better. I had just joined what I jokingly call the “Univision´s Hall of Fame for Exceptional Talent We Can No Longer Afford” after being laid off on June 1, 2011, at 1:05 PM.

That moment set me on a new path of professional reinvention, and their question opened the door to something completely unfamiliar — but full of possibility.

I decided to approach NASCAR´s offer the same way I had tackled the Miami Marlins and loanDepot park beat I got for Miami Herald (El Nuevo Herald) back in 1993 — despite never having attended a single baseball game and knowing next to nothing about the sport.

My knowledge of NASCAR was even more limited. My only real exposure came at the end of the 2011 season, when I wrote a 10-column series on “The Chase” — the postseason format used to crown the Cup Series champion — for The Huffington Post.

When I told NASCAR that I had no real knowledge of the sport, their response surprised me: “Even better! We want someone with a fresh perspective.”

Apparently, they liked what I wrote after watching the 10 races on TV — or perhaps my name was simply the first one Estefanía and Sabrina remembered when planning the new Spanish-language site: NASCAR Latino.

Before long, I realized that I actually did know the right person for the job: me.

I had experience launching major digital projects, including Univision.com and its Autos channel. At the time, I was also working with About.com and hosting a weekly bilingual SiriusXM Radio show thanks to another amazing opportunity offered by Sachari Milian, then Programming Director at Cristina Radio Network / National Latino Broadcasting, LLC (NLB).

Yes, I was stretching my bandwidth — but even when you are presented with a great opportunity, you take it.

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?

I am not a car enthusiast by nature. I never dreamed of racing in Formula 1, nor did I grow up with posters of Ferraris or Lamborghinis on my bedroom walls. I did have that legendary Farrah Fawcett one with the sarape in the background, while in High-School at Maur Hill – Mt. Academy in Atchison, Kansas.

In fact, my first experiences behind the wheel of a car, an AMC Eagle Station Wagon with a manual transmission on the steering column, began when I was about 13, but they were more practical than exciting. Cars, for me, were and always have been a means to an end, not the end in themselves. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Porsche AG 911 or a Toyota Motor Corporation Corolla.

What motivates me is what automotive journalism offers; the people I meet, the stories I discover, and the places I’ve been able to visit during nearly 25 years of traveling around the world.

For example, my recent visit to the BMW Group plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico was more interesting to me for the positive impact that the nearly 4,000 direct jobs have created in the local community, than for the opportunity to drive the BMW M2 that is built there.

Every trip or assignment is a new chapter that leads me to meet fascinating people and stories. Whether it’s a presentation at an Auto Show or a quiet conversation with a designer in a studio, I love uncovering the different layers of the industry, understanding what makes it tick, and most importantly, sharing that knowledge with my audience.

For me, cars are simply the vehicle – literally and metaphorically – through which I get to live in a world of new experiences every day that I would never have otherwise encountered. They serve as the backdrop to the larger story – the human connections, diverse perspectives, and unexpected adventures I get to document.

I enjoy telling those stories, not so much as the mechanics or aesthetics of the cars themselves. So while others might find joy in the roar of an engine or the gleam of chrome, my satisfaction is in the journey.

My position as Auto Editor at Univision.com lasted until June 1, 2011, when it was eliminated due to budget cuts, but the experience I gained during those nearly 12 years served as a springboard into this fascinating world of cars. Since then, I have had the privilege of continuing to cover the automotive industry on multiple platforms: television, SiriusXM Radio, print, digital and social media.

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

Choosing freedom over image.
Choosing risk as a teacher, not an enemy.
Choosing gratitude as a compass, not an afterthought.

I’ve learned that bold moves don’t always look dramatic from the outside, Sometimes, the boldest thing you can do is quietly realign your life with what really matters to you.”

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

Ironically, some of the most profound lessons in my life didn’t come from boardrooms or newsrooms — they came from the side of a snowy mountain.

I started skiing later in life, It was terrifying. Every fall reminded me how vulnerable I was. But it also reminded me how alive I felt.

Learning to ski became more than just a hobby. It was a metaphor for growth.

On the mountain, you can’t overthink. You have to commit to the turn. If you hesitate, you fall. And honestly, that’s life. You have to lean in — even when it’s scary.

Through the ups and downs of those first runs, Javier found something unexpected: skiing taught him how to navigate transitions, accept uncertainty, and find joy in the process of learning all over again.

So, in short, I would go skiing.

Image Credits

@javiermota