Meet Jose Barreiro

We recently connected with Jose Barreiro and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jose, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?

Growing up my family did not have as much as most of my peers. This ultimately led to me being picked on a good bit once I hit middle and high school. This taught me to be grateful for anything that I did have or get. It also helped me develop a strong sense of empathy and compassion for people.
I also had an older brother, a younger brother, and a baby sister. Our mother passed away from breast cancer when I was only 13 years old; she was only 36 years old. She battled cancer for over three years, underwent chemotherapy, radiation treatment, a ton of experimental treatments, and a bone marrow transplant before succumbing to her illness. Throughout that fight we received a lot of help from others. A local Tampa news station even did a story on our mother that ended up being the most responded story of that year. That also led to an overwhelming number of people and organizations reaching out to help our family get through what was the hardest time in our lives. As hard as it was, I still remember how good it felt to know that there were people out there that cared enough to do for others in need.
As I grew into an adult I joined the Army as an Army Ranger serving in Ranger Regiment because I wanted to give back. I wanted to do more, though. So, I have dedicated my life to doing for others. All I wanted to do was to provide that same amazing feeling that I felt as a child when we received help. While doing so I became somewhat addicted to the feeling of gratification that came with serving others and the look in the eyes of those who received help when they genuinely needed it. There is no feeling in the world like doing for others. However, you still have to do the right things for the right reasons. You shouldn’t do for others for the recognition. You should be doing it to see others do and be well. Denzel Washington has said that the most selfish thing someone can do is do for others. However, the converse of that is not doing for the attention it gets you. Do it for the feeling you get personally and for what it does for the person/persons you are helping. Not for the recognition.
So, the short answer would be that my generosity stems for the help that I have received for others throughout my life and feeling the need to pay it forward.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a retired Army Soldier of nearly 21 years and retired professional mixed martial artist (MMA), turned model, actor, coach, and consultant. I grew up in south and central Florida with my Mom, Pop, and three of my siblings. We didn’t have much, but we had what we needed. Especially each other, until my mother passed away from breast cancer at the age of 36.
I learned early on that life isn’t always fair, but, it is only as bad as your outlook on it is. I fell into a deep dark hole for a few years. I was only 13 years old when she passed away, and for the first couple of years I was bitter and hurt. It took me a little while but I eventually found purpose. I joind the Army. I entered the Army with a Ranger contract and served he majority of my career within the ranks of Ranger Regiment and as a Ranger Instructor. I devoted my life to the service of others.
While I was serving I was an advicate for the Army Combatives program as I felt that it was the pillar of what made a Soldier a true Warrior and the best at accomplishing any mission. This let me to training extensively and ultimately testing my skills as a mixed martial artist. I did this also to set an example for my Soldiers by living the ethos that I felt they should also embody.
Through my journey as a fighter I also became a coach. I ended up taking the lead of an outreach program in Hawaii that worked with and trained at-risk youth. This is when I fell completely in love with helping others. I spent the rest of my Army and MMA careers teaching, coaching, and mentoring others, both within the Army ranks and in the civilian sector.
After retiring from both I started speaking to high schools and mentoring teenagers and young adults. I also still train military units and consult businesses as a defense contractor.
My modeling career began by chance when my wife reached out to a world renouned photographer, who was doing a charity project for the Semper Fi Fund. My first photoshoot aided in raising $30,000 for that organization. Since that shoot I have been featured on the cover of over 100 romance books. I volunteer my time at signing at events all over the world for authors and readers. I have found that many avid readers have suffered from some form of trama and my interactions with them help them heal by reinstilling their faith in, particularly men, but people in general by showing them that good people who genuinely care about other people. That also let me into acting. The majority of my acting career has been through reenactments for true crime tv series. However, I have been in a Lifetime network Christmas movie or two, and most recently the newest Paul Thomas Anderson by Warner Brothers starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn.
My long-term goal is to help as many people as possible through working with disaster relief organizations and aiding fellow veterans in crisis.

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?

The qualities that I feel attributed most in my many journeys have been mental and physical toughness developed and forged in fire and hard times, trying to always uphold a state of perpetual optimism, and having respect for every person I encounter, at least initially.
In my opinion, mental and physical toughness is the biggest key in living a fruitful and meaningful life. Life can be extremely hard, more so for some than others. However, I have learned that it is better to learn from those times than to let them beat you down and let them keep you there. It doesn’t matter if those times are caused by events or people. We can not allow ourselves to live in a perpetual state of victimhood. I believe that we do not initially choose to be a victim, but we can choose not to continue to be a victim. It is a mindset. When bad things happen one should grow from them, become stronger, sharper. It is ok to take time to adjust and figure things out, but do not let it rule the rest of your life. Hard times come, and they can go, but you have to be willing and able to let them go. I know better than most that PTSD is a very real thing, but I also know that it does not have to run your life. Acknowledge that something bad has happened and process it, but do not hold on to it.
This can all be easy to say, but very hard to do. That is why a solid support system is possibly the single most important part of achieving all of the above. I lean on those around me, and they lean on me. However, nobody wants to be around someone who is always negative. So, trying to be a light as much as you can, rather than a dark shadow.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I mentioned how important a strong support system is to overcoming hard times. That same support system can be key in success as well. In my case they have been the key to mine. Everything that I have managed to survive, take on, and/or be successful in has been because of them. The foundation of my success has been my wife, Andrea. She has been one of my best friends since single digit ages, and my absolute best friend and wife for almost 25 years. She has been my partner, the mother of my children, and my biggest supporter through a life that most people could not even imagine living, let alone actually experiencing.
She has also been my agent and manager through all things. She found me sponsors as a fighter, set up my fights, reached out to organizations on my behalf, and has been the one that unlocked and turned the knob on every door that I have opened, saving me from blowing them off of the hinges like a juggernaut.
ur daughters have been my “why.” I have always strived to be a positive example and influence for them. About the only things I will not try in this life is anything that may cause them to see me in a negative way, or that I would be ashamed of them seeing or hearing. They and their mother have been my biggest support and reason for success.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbarreiro217?igsh=MWZ0YnJ5ZzE2cnh1YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17DQfmd4MD/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-barreiro-148a2631a?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app

Image Credits

Photogrphers:
Regina Wamba
U.S. Army PAO
Greg Honda Photography