We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maria Medina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Maria, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
Coming from an international background, I was never the only one in the room with a unique background. I grew up having been born in Bogota, Colombia and by the age of 16 had lived in Egypt, Spain and the United Kingdom.
My wife an I moved to South Florida in 2014, where I bought a print shop – a predominantely male dominated industry. The majority of leadership within the franchise was male, so I had some preconceptions about the industry before I was fully emersed in it.
As I started promoting my business, I was often mistaken for the sales person, and often had looks of shock when they found out I was the owner. Not only did I not look like I belonged in the industry, but I also had a lot of “otherness” to me.
I began to use it as an advantage. Being LGBTQ+, having a wife, being a woman and having a unique upbringing, I decided to use it as a differentiaror rather than a separator. I would use my uniqueness in order to make myself more memorable to other people. I openly spoke about my wife and my background, as well as running my own business and made sure they noticed me when I walked into a room.
I used my uniqueness to stand out, rather than as an excuse to fade into the background. People often forget the power of being memorable and different, and often try to fit in. I saw it as an opportunity to be remembered.
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’m originally from Colombia, I have lived in Egypt, Spain, the UK and South Florida. I trained to play professional soccer from the age of 5, but after a career ending soccer injury in 2006, I had to reevaluate my life. I pursued a career in Business Management and Marketing. Reaching the peak of my corporate career with a private University in London at the age of 24, My wife and I decided to fulfill our lifetime dreams of moving to Florida by purchasing a local Minuteman Press in 2014.
As soon as I moved to South Florida, I was interested in getting involved with local businesses and the local community. In the process of growing my business I got involved with a number of local networking and charitable organizations. I developed a set of tools to help me navigate the world of entrepreneurship. My business continues to be successful to this day and people regularly approach me to ask about my success and as for my advice.
Having developed a set of tools and techniques over the last 15 years through my career in Marketing and owning my own business, I developed a program for other business owners and professionals to take their goals and skills to the next level through The Coaching Network.
On my free time, I like to spend time with my wife and our furr babies.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Make sure that you are taking care of your body, mind and soul. Exercise regularly, eat well, practice mindfulness and feed your mind with books, podcasts and other educational content. You are you biggest asset, make sure you’re making an investment every day in growing and learning. I continue to add to my daily habits, and this year I’m really working on mindfulness and education. I’ll have to get back to body soon!
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I say go all in! Use your strengths to their fullest but also be open to learning. If you work with your strengths, you will become self-motivated and more likely to achieve your goals. But if you find you have gaps in knowledge, don’t be afraid to learn, ask for help or outsource. Learn what works best for you by focusing on your strengths and getting started. If you focus on being good at everything, you may not even get the opportunity to get things done. Start! Then work on what’s missing while you’re on your way there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecoachingnetwork.com
- Instagram: coachingnetworkofficial
- Facebook: maw1489
- Linkedin: mariamedinafl
- Twitter: mariamedinafl
