I am Cuban-American and damn proud of it. My grandparents and parents came to the United States at a young age to escape the Castro Regime, to experience freedom and have a better future for themselves and future generations. My sister, Becky, and I are the product of a family that left it all on the island to do something with their lives. And they did. The came to Miami with hopes and dreams of a better life but didn’t sit back wait or wish for someone to help them—they helped themselves and took no handouts from the U.S. government. They learned the language, they went to school, they fought through bullying and shaming daily. They were called “spics” in a predominately white Miami. But they not only survive, they thrived!

Our parents led the way.

My mom, Elsa, graduated from college with a degree in teaching but quickly realized the classroom was not for her. She switched careers and entered the legal field. She rose in the ranks through various law firms, being one of the most well-respected legal administrators in Miami. What do legal administrators do? They run law firms. Not easy. Once I became a lawyer myself, I realized that the business of law is nuts and lawyers are nuts. So my Mom deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. My dad, Rafael, began working with his father (my grandfather) in his acoustical ceiling company. Having no business skills, only really good people skills, my grandfather was not cut out for running a successful venture. My dad took over as President, and not only saved the company, built it to become a top contender in the acoustical ceiling business in all of Florida.

Becky and I get our work ethic from our parents. From a very young age we had the entrepreneurial spirit. We sold lemonade, avocados, and pretty much anything we could get our hands on. Later in life, we started our first company, Live It Up Activewear, Inc., selling workout clothes out of the trunk of our car. True story! I also taught spinning and step aerobics. And since we loved fitness and were daily gym-goers, we had once dreamed of opening our own gym. But our education came first.

Following in their footsteps.

I attended the University of Miami (Go Hurricanes!) and graduated early with a degree in Business Management. I went straight to law school at St. Thomas University where I graduating near the top of my class. I then began my legal career in 2005, I had landed an awesome job at a great firm in Miami. I was following in my Momma’s footsteps. Becky went to Florida International University and achieved a degree in Construction Management. Her dream was to eventually take over the family business. She was following Pop’s footsteps.

This was it. This would be our life. It was all planned out.

But that nagging dream to have our own business never left. It was part of our DNA to want to have more and do more. And of course, the fact that we couldn’t make ends meet with our great jobs, fueled our entrepreneurial fire. But what would we do? Network marketing never crossed my mind—EVER. Until Becky stumbled onto the Beachbody business opportunity.

Enter, Beachbody!

Becky’s discovery of Beachbody could not have come at a better time. Our families were drowning in debt and losing our homes. I am sure most will agree that what happened between 2008 and 2010 in the U.S. nearly destroyed all families and their financial futures. US TOO! We were not immune. Despite having great jobs, nothing seemed to help get us out of that deep and dark financial hole. And while Becky saw the opportunity as a means to an end right away, I didn’t.

Network marketing!? YUCK! No thank you.

But I got results. I got real results. And people started asking me questions, especially about Shakeology. And then I attended an event with my sister where I saw the opportunity through a totally different lens. I CAN DO THIS. And so I did.

I finally gave Coaching a chance.

Our business, our organization, our dream of having a business together was born. Yes, in a non-traditional way, but it was born. It started small, but it started, and soon it was more than just the two of us. And we continued to share our passion and bring people along for the ride. Our Coaches were single-handedly changing their lives—both physically and financially. THIS ROCKS!

When I realized that we could use this opportunity that does so much good to pay down debt, my soul was set on fire. Instead of sending $25 as minimum payments to our credit cards, I started sending $200. All of it from my Beachbody earnings. This was a BIG DEAL! I kept working, and after paying off the first credit card, I decided complete financial freedom was the goal.

Although this Coaching opportunity was helping us financially, I never wanted to stop practicing law. I made that very clear to everyone.

Then things changed…

Being a lawyer was my identity. It was my everything. I had worked so hard for that degree and to land my job. But the Universe thought otherwise. At 18 months my seemingly perfect baby boy was diagnosed Autistic. Read about that story here.

Although it took a few weeks to realize it, I knew that being home with him and my daughter Marli was what I really wanted. We did the math, we took a deep breath and we set out to triple my income as a lawyer to be able to come home. Why triple? Because we needed to be able to pay for COBRA insurance to continue DJ’s ABA therapy without disrupting his services. I always said that I would work forever if that meant DJ would get everything he needed. That’s the truth. So I worked HARD and grew my Coaching business. See how I did it and my advice for growing your business here.

In May of 2014, I turned in my resignation and came home!

Since then I’ve grown so much as a wife, Mom, and business owner. We accomplished so much as Coaches, including all the major accolades one can achieve. Superstar Diamond, 5x Elite Coach, Million Club, Coach Advisory Board Member, and much more. But my ultimate joy is paying it forward to those willing to work for their dreams. Sure, the business has afforded us so much, but the one thing I will cherish endlessly is the freedom of choice. We get to chose what we do daily. It’s the ultimate blessing.

The work continues!

*“Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings located in the Coach Online Office for the most recent information on our Coaches’ actual incomes.”

But if you’re dedicated, you can do anything you set your heart on! And I want to help you do that.