Adopt the mindset of YOU vs. YOU. Own your problems and outwork them. Blaming others or circumstances will NEVER be a solution. There were times that I knew I was not at fault for something that was blamed on me (example, a discussion with my husband). However, I decided to just see what I could have done better and learn from that situation and release the judgement I was placing on him. It was an opportunity for growth for me. It was about me and not him. This is a you vs. you mindset.
Resilience has been described as the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. Times are not easy now. How do we develop greater resilience to withstand the challenges that keep being thrown at us? In this interview series, we are talking to mental health experts, authors, resilience experts, coaches, and business leaders who can talk about how we can develop greater resilience to improve our lives.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Marisol Quiroz.
Marisol Quiroz is the founder of Catalyst Seed Co., a speaker and a top sales leader with revitalU. She is a mom, wife, and wellness enthusiast who teaches you about the mind body connection helping you make empowering and transformational choices to magnetize health and wealth into your life.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. I was born and raised in a small town in Mexico called Cotija, Michoacán. It may sound familiar to some of you since we are famous for our Cotija cheese. My parents migrated to Sacramento, CA when I was eight years old. I never forget those first few weeks starting third grade in North Country Elementary school in Mrs. Sailor’s classroom. I did not understand the language or the culture at all. I felt sad, confused and intimidated. All I wanted was to go back to Cotija because that was my comfort zone. My siblings and I cried every day for the first few weeks begging our parents to move back to Mexico. Fast forward to fifth grade, I was an honor student and won all the awards for being the top student in spelling. 25 years later and I still have all those spelling ribbon awards in a box. I cherish them.
Being bilingual turned out to be the biggest blessing that gave me an advantage over the other kids in my class and this experience is what taught me the importance of developing a resilient mindset. I went from knowing nothing at all about a new language and country; having fears and doubts consume my thoughts to being proficient and one of the top students in the school; becoming confident in my abilities to learn, adapt and excel at the age of 10. I graduated high school class of 2005, went to Sac State for two years, moved out to be on my own at the age of 18. My parents divorced in February of 2007. My mom and siblings moved back to Mexico and my dad had just gotten out of prison. I was left alone to basically figure it out once again. To be transparent, I was afraid of my dad at the time which gave me the courage to move. At the age of 19, I drove across the country in my 2004 VW Jetta.
A 46-hour road trip from Sacramento, CA to New Rochelle, NY. At this point in my life I was surviving and just paying bills by working as a waitress, as a teller, an office receptionist for an orthopedic surgeon and babysitting on the weekends. 2008 economy recession happens, and I am broke. This leads me to make the decision to move out of NY and drive down to Texas. 2010 I graduated college and received my bachelor’s degree from Lamar University which helped me get a job as timekeeper in the oil and gas industry, thank God. In June of 2012, I got married and had my first daughter on July 29, 2013. By March of 2014, I was divorced. Single parent, no help from the father and back to survival mode. Once again, resilient mindset activated. December of 2015, I started dating again and met Edil, who is now my husband and the father of my second daughter; born April 17, 2017. At this point in my life, I was yearning for more. When I turned 30 on July 7 of 2017, it’s like something within me got activated. I now had two little girls to mentor and be a role model for and I was stepping into a new decade of my life. I started to pray for signs that would guide me in the path that I needed to take to fulfill my God given purpose.
I was now seeking purpose and fulfillment and not just a paycheck. That prayer was answered, and my sign came when I was let go from a job very unexpectedly. This was truly a blessing in disguise. Thanks to that situation, I was “forced” to seek other opportunities. The three things that I for sure knew I wanted were: time freedom, flexibility, and something in the industry of health and wellness. Here is what happened next. As I sat in my kitchen island, scrolling through Indeed and Facebook, I saw a post on FB from a friend that read “Who wants to make 1000 dollars in 30 days or less from an app on their phone.” Well, I did. I was on unemployment and seeking something new. Turns out, it was a network marketing opportunity. I had never done something like this in my life. I had to google what network marketing was and what MLM meant. Ignorance on fire and authentic enthusiasm to share the smart coffee that I had tried from this company revitalU is what got me not just 1k dollars but more like 3k dollars in 60 days. This was the start of a new beginning for me and finally stepping into my calling and gifts. The beginning of my entrepreneurship journey. Fast forward to today, I have founded my own company; Catalyst Seed Co. and I am a top sales leader with revitalU.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I’ll share the pivotal moment. In 2019, I made two huge investments on myself. This was the very first time that I practiced what Jim Rohn teaches; work harder on yourself than you do on your job. It was SCARY and the mom/wife guilt was haunting me. I had invested hundreds of dollars in buying a ticket to UPW- Unleash the Power Within by Tony Robbins and then I invested, not just hundreds but thousands of dollars in a one-year long mastermind where I had the privilege to be mentored by Joseph McClendon and Carolyn Rim. I walked alone into that arena in Dallas, TX filled with over 7,500 people on July 11, 2019. After the 4-day event, I left with this deep desire within to never stop learning and become one of the top leaders in revitalU and eventually launch my own company. That’s when Holy Spirit spoke to me as I read a devotional while sitting on my bed, feeling lonely because a lot of my family and friends didn’t support this new version of Marisol that was blooming. Becoming a CATALYST in my family lineage to BE the change I desired to see in my family’s dynamic and culture is my mission and very much attached to my WHY and of course teach and empower others to do the same.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
First, I will speak on what makes revitalU stand out and why I am still building within that company. I am in love with their mission committed to creating a culture that revolves around giving rather than taking. That set the foundation of being trademarked as The Sample First Company. Their motto is “give your way to prosperity.” It just feels so good to take the business everywhere I go, bless people I meet with a sample of our amazing beyond organic products and create a residual leveraged stream of income as I do this. A story that impacted me and taught me the power of this idea of giving is when I sampled my mom’s mail lady. That was in 2018. I simply told her that I wanted to bless her with a product for energy and focus. She tried it. 3 years later and her health has been transformed and she is still a customer. A perfect stranger turned into a friend and customer, and it all began with a sample. Now, the Catalyst Seed Co. is special simply because it’s an idea planted by God in my heart. It is my unique footprint in this world that only I can bring. My superpower is emotional intelligence and being obsessed with the mind-brain-body connection. I am seeing the fruits of me practicing this wisdom and how it’s already having a powerful and positive impact on Kayli and Emmy, my 8 and 4-year-old daughters, respectively.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I agree 100%. It is very much a Biblical truth. Without the help, love and support from others, we cannot succeed. For me personally, there have been many mentors that helped me get to where I am today. I’ll talk about Andrew McWilliams, the CEO of revitalU. It was thanks to him that I was introduced to the world of personal development and it was thanks to him that I started to believe more in myself. He once said “you cannot out earn your own self-worth. So, focus on becoming the best version of U.” That statement really intrigued me and after hearing that for the first time in 2017, I have committed my life to truly becoming the best version of me and reaching my God given potential. Making everyday count.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
I would define resilience as a verb. It is the act of remaining faithful to the Truth, guarding our mind and persevering despite the adversities that may come our way. It is a way of life. The characteristics of resilient people are having an attitude and perspective that life happens FOR them and not TO them. It is being able to rejoice when faced with unfair or unjust treatment, to shine in darkness, and learn to become more and more stable with every storm they weather. They don’t fall or fail. They stand and move forward. Above all, they learn to turn down the volume on the noise of the opinions and expectations of others, and raise up the volume to their inner voice being guided by Holy Spirit.
Courage is often likened to resilience. In your opinion how is courage both similar and different to resilience?
They are similar in the sense that they are both required when facing challenges. They are both reinforced and built upon each storm we are faced with. However, resilience is a way of life. It is a mindset. A heart thing. Courage is more of a collection of moments. It is not constant.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
I think of Jamie Kern Lima. I recently read her book “Believe It” and I was in absolute awe of her resilience to continue to fight for what was set deep in her heart. Her WHY. She was the CATALYST for change in the beauty industry. She set a new standard. To be a disruptor and a catalyst of change, you MUST be a resilient person. She is one of my favorite mentors and women to follow for inspiration and guidance in my own journey of entrepreneurship.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
Absolutely. Actually, there has been several. One of them was when I moved to NY all on my own at the age of 19. Other instances come to mind. It wasn’t that they told me it was impossible, but I did receive a lot of the “it’s hard, you won’t be able to do it” type of comments. Those fuel me to keep going and persevere and make it happen. As Marie Forleo says, “everything is figureoutable.”
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
At the age of 28, I was a single mom living paycheck to paycheck and with a significant amount of debt. I never forget this. It was a Monday and I had been offered to become a full-time employee for a company I was working for that had brought me on as a part time employee. Thursday of that same week, I was informed that my position had been cut by the refinery I was working in and my employer had no where else to transfer me to, and just like that I was let go — reduction in force. I knew that God had better plans for me. There was no way that this was all happening for no reason. I had a choice to make. Endure the pain of being a single mom without a job and in debt but trust God or turn to victim mindset and suffer. I chose to grow my faith. Two months later, I was hired on by a company that would pay me double in hourly wage and pay per diem. In 6 months, I had paid all my debt.
How have you cultivated resilience throughout your life? Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
I have cultivated resilience throughout my life by not just reading and meditating on the Word of God, but by applying the truths that give me the strength and guidance needed to achieve a resilient life. Curating my circle of friends and people I hang out with and surround myself with, is also a big part of this. Very often, we do not realize the influence someone else is having on us. I would say that we all have experiences daily that are opportunities to choose between a resilient mindset and heart, or a victim mindset. Afterall, facing challenges, adversity, and change is an inevitable part of this life.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Surround yourself with likeminded people. When I started to choose my circle of friends more wisely and be mindful of who I am exchanging energy with, it was easier to bridge the gap between a moment of adversity or challenge and onto the solution. Solution-based and forward-thinking people are the ones you want in your circle.
- Choose a blueprint for your life. Your foundation. Meditate on what you want your legacy to be. Let that be your north star. It is hard to build a resilient life on a shaky foundation. For me, meditating on the book of Matthew always helps me to stay grounded and it sets the principles and core values for a resilient life.
- Pick a Bible verse, scripture, story or ONE thought as you anchor thought or anchor truth. The one thing that you can recite in your mind and suddenly you feel uplifted and you trust that all is well. For me, when times get tough, I always go to “ I HAVE A SPIRIT OF POWER, LOVE, and a SOUND MIND. I DO NOT HAVE A SPIRIT OF FEAR” and I repeat this as much as I need to and shift myself out of scarcity victim mindset if I find myself going down that rabbit hole.
- Unlearning to learn. Having a teachable heart that adapts. Learn to embrace the new. One of the fastest ways to block yourself from a resilient life is staying stuck in old ways. Example: times are shifting and the way we do business is shifting. I hear a lot of people complain about technology and social media. However, the ones adapting to this change and embracing it, are the ones capitalizing on it.
- Adopt the mindset of YOU vs. YOU. Own your problems and outwork them. Blaming others or circumstances will NEVER be a solution. There were times that I knew I was not at fault for something that was blamed on me ( example, a discussion with my husband) However, I decided to just see what I could have done better and learn from that situation and release the judgement I was placing on him. It was an opportunity for growth for me. It was about me and not him. This is a you vs. you mindset.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Thank you. The one movement I would absolutely love to inspire is teaching kids in school about the topic of emotional intelligence and for a course on mind-brain-body connection (quantum science) to be part of every school curriculum in the world.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
I love that! That is a blessing. I mentioned her once before. Can you guess? ? It would be Jamie Kern Lima. Her story of resilience building the company IT cosmetics and being such a huge supporter of other women while still being very raw and real in how she shows up in social media, as a mom, wife, and friend truly inspires me to be my authentic self and keep letting the inner voice gut feeling guide me in my journey.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Here is my link where they can find more about me ? https://linktr.ee/marisolquiroz
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Thank you. It was an honor for me. I am blessed to share my story.