“Like I didn’t think I was gonna be doing something like that. But I kinda fell into that…”

From memorable childhood memories to adulthood, Luciana covers her hardships from loosing her father and dealing with anxiety, to her triumphs which include her career path.

As a life and mindset coach, she hopes to succeed further in life. Hoping to make her father proud. Positively influencing, supporting and helping her clients.

She speaks of her childhood, recalling memories with her father and getting up for her siblings. The memories she knows she won’t forget, that will follow her for a long time. This is her story.

Transcript: 

Natalia Rivera:  First of all, thank you for coming or (uh) taking the time to participate in like, the interview. I thank you very much. Would you like to start with the interview?

Luciana Rivera:  Yes.

NR:  Okay. 

LR:  No.

NR:  No? 

LR:  [giggles] I’m just kidding.

Both:  [laughs] 

NR:  Umm, The first question! How would you describe yourself? Or like, what do you think is best about yourself?

LR:  Umm. What I think is best about myself is that umm, I’m a  very empathetic person and I really care about people. I love hearing people out and that’s a huge reason why I’m into the line of work that I am as a life and mindset coach and it’s something that comes very naturally to me. 

NR: Is this like what you wanted to pursue? Or is this like something you thought you were ever going to do?

LR:  Umm. It wasn’t something that I wanted. Or at least I didn’t think about doing it until it just kinda like came to me; and, yeah. I never thought I was gonna be doing something like this or pursue something that was related to coaching or…Honestly, like it’s related to business too. Like I didn’t think I was gonna be doing something like that. But I kinda fell into that so – 

NR: Do you think this was positive? Or do you think it was like, somewhat negative?

LR:  Uhh. The experience getting to that place, was somewhat negative. But the outcome of where I am right now is very positive. 

NR:  That’s good to hear! That’s good to hear. Umm, do you have any life goals for this year? Or if you do- like who or like what really inspired it?

LR:  Life goals for this year. [giggles] uhh, Life goals for this year.. Definitely, definitely, definitely umm, I already signed one client, so I am hoping to have more than 1 client this year. Umm, and really get my business going, and life goals, I would also say, move out of my apartment and into my own home and possibly get myself a brand new car.

NR:  Dang- Alright! So you have some plans!

LR:  Yeah! [Laughs]

NR:  Alright. Is there any inspiration like behind all of this? Or is it just cause.. You thought of it?

LR:  Inspiration, I guess one- well, maybe not inspiration but a huge driving [inaudible] huge motivation is, loosing my Dad this year and learning from that experience and really wanting to push myself, challenge myself, and attaining everything that I want to in order to provide for my family. 

NR:  So, has this- I know it probably has been negative and I’m sorry for your loss. But umm, it seems that, like, that motivation has really inspired you. Has- 

LR:  Yeah, definitely. 

NR:  Umm, What is like a big accomplishment in your life? Any that you can recall? 

LR:  Umm, One huge accomplishment for me was..well I have two.

NR:  Okay. 

LR:  But one of them being, having graduated from Cal State San Bernardino – 

NR:  Yes. 

LR:  With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and that was also, I would say a huge accomplishment for my parents as well- 

NR:  Yeah!

LR:  Because it’s something that they wanted for me and the other accomplishment for me is that umm, I used to have really bad anxiety and now after like two years, I’m in a way better place so that’s an accomplishment for me. 

NR:  That’s good to hear! Umm, Do you think that this was like every- I – know that you said that graduating college, I’m so sorry. I know that graduating college was a big thing for you and I know that overcoming this anxiety was probably very beneficial, wasn’t it? 

LR:  Yes. 

NR:  Good! Umm, What was it like uh where you grew up? Or like what was your childhood like? I know you don’t really tell me much about that. 

LR:  Umm, I grew up; my childhood..umm. Oh my God- like how do I answer that? Well, I grew up in the jungles. That’s a really, very ghetto area. It’s almost like South Central so it’s- I didn’t really move to a completely different area umm, and umm… My childhood, it was very simple. Like my parents, they both worked. My Mom worked during the day, so my Dad would take care of me during the day, and in the night, umm my Dad would go to work and my Mom would take care of us so that it’ll always switch out and I grew up with my Dad a lot, I spent a lot of time with him. And uh, things were just very simple. I grew up- we -well we grew up in a one bedroom apartment with five of us and one bedroom. So, it was a little bit of a struggle, my early years but things eventually got a little better.

NR:  Did you ever get annoyed by like any of your siblings? I know that probably; maybe Dad might have had trouble? 

LR:  Yes. 

NR:  Yeah..Umm, Do you have a favorite story? Or like a favorite story maybe about Grandpa or maybe about me? It doesn’t- I don’t really- It really doesn’t matter- but like what’s one of your favorite stories that like you can recall?

LR:  Umm. One of the ones that I always think about when it comes to my Dad is how YOUR Dad and umm your Uncle; they started going to school before I did , right? So, I was the baby, I was left at home with my Dad while my Mom was at work and uh, a lot of the times it would be that I would go with my Dad. To go drop off your Dad and your Uncle to school and then on our way back, we would have this thing where we would go to McDonald’s and he would get me like a breakfast like with the pancakes and stuff- 

NR:  After the- dropping them off?

LR:  Yeah.

NR:  Oh. 

LR:  And then we would get our breakfast or it would be like a sausage McMuffin or something and then umm he would stop by the-  I don’t really think they have them anymore but like the- where you get the newspaper, La Opinion, where you put in the quarter and then you get the newspaper. 

NR:  Mhm. 

LR:  And he would get his newspaper and umm, we would make our way back home. But at the time when I would usually go with him, I’m in my pajamas; like in a onesie, in a blanket. So I can’t walk in the onesie. 

NR:  Yeah. 

LR:  And my Dad always managed to carry me in one arm, with my cobija [blanket] and everything, the breakfast in the other hand, and the uh- newspaper. And he would basically carry me and the food up the stairs. 

NR:  Awh. 

LR:  Cause we lived upstairs.

NR:  Yeah. 

LR:  And then we would get upstairs and he would put on like Dragon Tails or something for me.

NR:  Dang. 

LR:  Yeah. 

NR:  Sweet moment; wasn’t it? 

LR:  Yeah. 

NR:  [giggles] I bet they were jealous, I bet they were very jealous.

LR:  That was my Dad for me.

NR:  Dang. 

LR:  Yeah. [laughs] 

NR:  Well Thank you for the interview, thank you for  like letting me like get this opportunity. I know we don’t really like talk much because like we both live- although we’re like- okay- although we’re related, obviously, umm, we don’t really get to see each other as much so I think this was like a very uh growing and/or like growing opportunity. So thank you for that! 

LR:  Okay. 

Both:  [Laugh]