“I’m no longer that person that did those shameful things… … Shame… it would paralyze me sometimes from taking action, but now I bring the awareness to wait, stop, and say, ‘Hey you’re just a thought. Later. You are not my thoughts. I am not my thoughts. I am greater than that, I am worthy, I am amazing. I am bold.’ And I have to stop thinking about my fears because that’s selfish. I have to start thinking about the people I will serve by overcoming this thought of shame.” - Andres Ruiz

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Andres Ruiz. Andres is a motivational speaker, coach, radio host, and father of two boys. He believes that the best way to coach and motivate is to share your own vulnerabilities with your clients and mentees; he also wishes he received mentorship in this way as a young man. Now that Andres is utilizing this method himself, he is able to deeply connect with all the people he engages with, save lives, and learn more about himself in the process. In this episode, we’re excited for you to be inspired by Andres’s past, present, and future. Enjoy the show!

(1:25) Ashanti’s introduction.

(3:15) Andres shares a recent difficulty he had to confront and how Ashanti helped him through it. Then, they discuss the importance of releasing suppressed emotions.

(12:15) Andres introduces himself, his work as a motivational speaker and coach, his mission to prevent suicide, and his work with youth. He opens up about his own battles - using substance abuse, gambling, and much more to suppress emotional gaps in his life - and how he climbed out of this hole.

(24:15) Andres shares the front of his mask - positive, energetic, hard-working.

(26:15) Ashanti shares the front of his mask - passionate, caring, hard-working - and how self-care can be hard for him when he tends to sacrifice so much for his passions. Then, Andres shares his self-care routine.

(34:45) Andres shares the back of his mask - shame, anxiety, self-doubt, guilt - and how he teaches people to reframe their thoughts, while also applying these methods to control his own negative thoughts.

(41:35) Ashanti shares the back of his mask - worry, fear, self-doubt - and explores how his sense of worry and fear has shifted since childhood, and how he is becoming more able to control these thoughts.

(57:55) Andres tells the story about the day he found out why he was born. Then, Ashanti tells a story about two young men at a high school who are beginning to see friendship in a different light.

(55:25) Andres shares how he wishes his younger self was given advice and mentorship.

(59:15) Andres shares how you can get in touch with him.

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Connect with Andres Ruiz:

Instagram: instagram.com/ibelieveinmyselfcoaching

Facebook: facebook.com/ibelieveinmyselfcoaching

Website: ibelieveinmyself.org

Email: [email protected]

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Create your own mask anonymously at www.100kmasks.com

If you are interested in being on the Face to Face podcast, email us at [email protected]

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Connect with Ashanti Branch:

Instagram: instagram.com/branchspeaks

Facebook: facebook.com/BranchSpeaks

Twitter: twitter.com/BranchSpeaks

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashantibranch