Story & Lesson Highlights with Chelsi Molina of Hollywood Beach

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chelsi Molina. Check out our conversation below.

Chelsi, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m most proud of building a life for myself when it felt impossible. January 2023, I sat slumped on my couch with tears streaming down my face. Numb, hurt and terrified mostly, the life that I had known was gone and the path before me, uncertain. There are stats out there about how hard it is to leave an unhealthy relationship. I don’t know the exact numbers, but I had tried to leave before, but never had the courage, or I was drawn back in by fake promises and fear. I was also so embarrassed that this person I always painted as amazing and loving had betrayed me and left me in the dust without an afterthought. It was a BIG pill to swallow. I could barely eat or sleep, but with a broken heart, I told myself I wasn’t going to give up. Putting one foot in front of the other, day by day I pushed forward to my new life. My focus shifted on what could have been, to what it could be. I held onto the joy I found in adventure. Now, looking back nearly three years later, I’m so proud of myself for picking up the pieces of my shattered world and creating something new and even more beautiful with them.
It’s what I am most proud of, building a life of my own.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a cup is half full kind of person, a Pisces, and I am obsessed with the ocean. It’s what brought me here for college. I grew up in Germany in the military world. My parents are American and Spanish, so I grew up in a multi-lingual home.
An environment filled with different people is my favorite place to live. Different cultures and hearing different opinions are in my opinion, the key to personal growth and understanding. It’s what living overseas as a third culture kid has taught me.
Life has been a journey for me. From military life where you end up probably having a friend from high school in every state, to leading a run club in Hollywood Florida. It’s what I love most about my journey starting over. I was able to decide what I wanted this whole new book of life to be about, verse just starting another chapter. As a former soccer player, I love to run. You will often find me running around (literally) South Florida. The next upcoming race is Flannigan’s Rockin’ Rib Run 10k, one of my ultimate favorite races. I just completed my first marathon this year, the Berlin Marathon. That person that always says, “I’ll never do a marathon!” Yeah, that was me, too. So, the next question that follows, will I do more? Time will tell…

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I always say growing up overseas really made an impact on who I was, so it’s hard to pin point a specific moment. But there was a time a few years ago when I was sitting in a therapy session reflecting on what it feels like you are in an unhealthy relationship verse after. I love a good visual aid and plants, so I imagine my life prior was like being a plant in a flower pot. I was blooming and growing, but limited by the space and lack of nutrients inside the pot. Growth was stunted, and I was rootbound. When I was “removed” from the pot and planted into the ground, (aka out on my own), it felt overwhelming at first. So uncertain, so vast. But, finally having access to the things I was denied, I grew much faster and healthier.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You can do hard things.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I love this question because growing up, I struggled feeling I needed to be the person for everyone to be enough. As I have aged and gone through so much, I have realized people will like you or not, no matter what you do. So its a lot easier to do what makes you happy, be as you are, and just focus on those that focus on you. I am proud of my successes just as much as my failures, and I have no problem talking about them. I’m grateful I built a platform on who I authentically am, because it’s not work to maintain it. What you see is what you get.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
You are the key to your own happiness and you need to recognize your patterns. Therapy taught me to look at all aspects of my life, even the things I didn’t want to look at or felt too hard to change, including patterns that were holding me back from life and happiness I really wanted.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chelsi_molina