Meet Melyna Blanco

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melyna Blanco. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melyna, 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 developed my confidence and self-esteem by loving myself unconditionally. By putting yourself first, you train your mind to prioritize YOU. In the process you learn to trust, encourage, and forgive which in turn fuels development of these traits. Trusting oneself helps you lean into your intuition allowing you to make easier choices. Confidence is competence. The more you understand, the more you will feel empowered. Encouragement allows you to become your biggest cheerleader. By motivating myself, I do not need to rely on external sources for validation or to push me to be a greater version of myself. At the end of the day, the only person that has to live with you is you. Lastly, I believe forgiveness is one of the most significant factors to confidence and self-esteem development. We must provide ourselves with the same grace we give to others. Instead of punishing yourself, it teaches you to learn from past experiences and move forward with more information than you had before.

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?

There are so many facets of my professional experience. I will speak to the three core components that comprise what I do. I am a sports facility nonprofit professional, ice skating coach, and content creator. My career in the nonprofit industry is the newest component of my experience, however, it has taught me so much over the past three years. I have gone through tremendous growth that has placed me in position of leadership. Currently, I am the Administrative Director of Youth Tennis San Diego which owns and operates the Barnes Tennis Center. A racquets sports facility breaking records and economic barriers throughout the city and beyond. We just hosted San Diego’s first Major League Pickleball Tournament!

I began ice skating at a very young age and it was something I enjoyed incredibly. After years of practice and performance, I turned to coaching and realized I had a strong desire to share my passion with others. I still skate myself, as it is something I do not think I will ever be able to let go. It is an outlet that challenges me physically and mentally. I attribute many strengths in my career to skills I learned and cultivated throughout my figure skating journey.

Finally, I use content creation as my creative outlet. I discovered content creation is high school and have continued with it since. It has gone through many phases and in a sense grown up with me through my own phases. Currently, I post online about lifestyle, beauty, and fashion. I seek to inspire others and share my finds with them as well. I have a few upcoming trips to Miami and the Almafi Coast that I am very excited to share with my audience.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three things that I consider most impactful in my journey are interpersonal skills, the love of reading, and humor.

People and relationships with people will be a common theme in anyones journey. Strong interpersonal skills will allow you to communicate with others in the best way possible. The relationships you develop will lend themselves to experiences and opportunities you might not have otherwise had. My advice to improve this skill is to get out of your comfort zone. It won’t be easy, but the more you nurture current and new relationships, the more empowered you will be. Ever since I can remember I have loved reading books. Although it is not something I realized until later, reading allows you to live different lives and learn lessons in a way that does not directly impact you. I understand this is not something everyone enjoys so I encourage reading the types of books that interest you whether it is fiction, history, or self-help and more. Adapt the quality into one that suites your learning style. That can look like watching documentaries or listening to podcasts. Last by not least, humor has carried me throughout my journey. A good laugh is healing. It allows you to look at situations through a different lens inviting perspective that was previously clouded.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was support all my interests will unwavering loyalty. They enrolled me in every sport I wanted to try as a child, they got me my first camera to create content, and most importantly they were present. Without their support, it would have been much more challenging to explore and foster my individual curiosities.

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