Today we’d like to introduce you to I. C. Robledo

Hi I. C., it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

My journey has been a fascinating winding road, full of unexpected twists and turns and exciting challenges. In college I wanted to be a clinical psychologist, but I ended up pivoting and getting my Master’s in industrial-organizational psychology. After finishing my degree, I changed things up once again and decided that I wanted to live life on my own terms – not necessarily going for a normal 9 to 5.

This was an exciting time, though if I’m honest, it certainly had an element of terror to it. I put a lot of pressure on myself… it was ‘Do or die.’

At first, I was unsure what my path would be. But the dream or vision I ended up crafting for myself was to become an author, and to be able to manage my business on my own terms. Starting out, the odds didn’t seem so great, but I was young and willing to work at it. Gradually, I learned every step of what goes into publishing a book… I essentially became my own publisher, learning every part of the business effectively enough to make a living at this.

To date, I’ve published over 15 books in mind-brain improvement, self-development, as well as in philosophical, life wisdom, and spiritual topics. In time, I’ve sold over 300,000 copies and given away over 1 million copies.

The journey has been surreal at times, as I’ve often felt like I was on uncertain, unstable lands, charting a course to a land that I couldn’t fully imagine or understand. Though in time, I’ve come to be at peace, happy, and feeling fulfilled with what I’ve been able to do.

I created my own dream vision, and that’s not something everyone gets to do. So I’m tremendously grateful.
And despite that I’ve written quite a few books up to here, some bestselling, with tremendous acclaim, and even mentioned by influencers and celebrities… I have no doubt that my best work is ahead.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Simply having the desire or plan to make a career authoring books – is on its own somewhat of a longshot. Many new authors have asked me for some input on their aspirations to succeed as an author, and none of them were able to turn this into a career. Most of them struggled to sell more than a few copies of their book – in total.

There are many struggles in this business, but personally, I’m savvy enough about who I am and the author business to know that the struggle is mostly self-created. If you desire something that an exceedingly small percent of people are able to do – such as make a living writing nonfiction books – then the type of person who can thrive through that is the one who will welcome the challenges, perhaps even love them. Such a person may even WANT to sometimes be ‘knocked down’ by life, just to be able to show them that he can get back up and triumph no matter what happens.

What I’ve come to understand is that the struggle is primarily with myself. So… am I going to complain about that, and allow myself to falter and slip and fall through the cracks, or will I understand that I chose ‘the struggle’ and therefore it’s not even really a problem. A self-created problem can be shattered in an instant, because the problem was never really even real.

At this point, I’m fine with the struggles that come. They just present new things for me to learn… and I’m the type that is very easily bored by a lack of challenge. So the truth is I need this struggle, wherever it takes me. Regardless of the challenges that may come, I’m committed to breaking through, fulfilling my life’s potential, and continuing to create quality books that can impact so many lives.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?

I’m an author with over 15 published books in self-development and spiritual topics.

I’m committed to elevating human consciousness and helping my readers develop and cultivate their true potential. We all have unique problems, but at the same time, we all cycle through the same old things. Much of what we go through in this life are the same things our neighbors are going through, that our parents went through, or that our friends are also dealing with. We sometimes feel alone, but that’s just an illusion. We’re all together in this, if we could only wake up and realize that.

Something that sets me apart from the rest is that I don’t have a single system that I advocate everyone to follow. You can read and learn, and seek to grow, but if you build up your mind to be as great as it can be, you don’t necessarily have to follow anyone. Understand that to follow implies you can set aside your mind, turn off your critical thinking, and go along with a trusted source… and while it can be great to find someone you trust, you should always keep your mind active, searching for what is truly right for you, NOT just accepting that what works for someone else, in a particular setting, is what will work for you.

And to elaborate this a bit further, what also sets me apart from other self-development experts or ‘gurus’ is that I don’t advocate for one particular philosophy, school of thought, or process to living your best life. I personally draw from everything that’s out there – psychology, spirituality, philosophy, and ancient wisdom… I’m even inspired by ideas from different religions. All this means is that I’m not locked in to one particular perspective – I offer an adaptable and holistic approach to self-development.

And in case you didn’t know, my true initials are “I. C.” –
‘I see’ is actually in my name! The reason I can SEE so clearly is I’m not coming to this world with one perspective, and then forcing everything into that. I’m committing myself to understanding practically an infinite array of perspectives, and finding some of the truth in all of them (and perhaps some falseness too).

This approach allows me to discover fresh insights that can make a true impact on each reader’s unique journey. I can quickly understand and empathize with someone’s life because I’m not looking to force my way of life on theirs.
What I’ve found is that many of us just want to find someone we agree with, but rather than that, I’m on a quest for true understanding… which means I’m fine with hearing conflicting viewpoints. From all that, my task is to neatly package some wisdom and insights for all my readers as well – in a way that can impact so many more lives.

In essence, my work isn’t about telling people what to do—it’s about guiding them to uncover their best selves, using wisdom from diverse perspectives to light the way. In fact, my newest title which has received much acclaim is “Awaken the Starlight Within” – a book of life-changing wisdom packaged to help you discover new insights on love, life, and truth, and elevate your life today.

Lastly, I’m especially proud of my website www.RobledoThoughts.com where I share my best insights for free with the world. I believe practical and useful wisdom should be freely given so that we can all seek to be better and lift each other up.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?

My parents have always been a positive force in my life – and I was quite fortunate to receive extra support from them when I was starting out as an author. They also allowed me the freedom to learn and grow in whichever way I felt that I needed to, which was a blessing. I consider myself lucky to have had great and supportive parents.

I’ve had tremendous luck in my career as well. I’ve attracted a wonderful team of people that help me with quite a few tasks such as mentorship, editing, translating, and organization. I also have at hand a variety of readers who are often willing to give me input or feedback as needed on my projects.

And I’ve received shoutouts or mentions from a variety of celebrities and influencers such as Shraddha Kapoor (for The Secret Principles of Genius) and Oliver James (for 365 Quotes to Live Your Life By). Both of them were covered on mainstream media or social media outlets, reaching millions of people.

Overall, I’ve had the good fortune of health, wisdom, and generally attracting the right people into my life – especially my parents, my wife, and J-Ryze, a modern-day life and business genie with great insights and endless encouragement (his podcast “Eyes Wide Open” is my favorite).

While I’ve received my share of good fortune, I also believe in creating your own luck through positivity, persistence, and being open to opportunities. And keep in mind that luck isn’t just about chance—it’s about mindset. Focusing on the good in every situation invites more good to come your way.

Pricing:

• $4.99 – Awaken the Starlight Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8JZWML4
• $3.99 – 365 Quotes to Live Your Life By – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QCCF54W
• $5.99 – The Secret Principles of Genius – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZIE9HS
• $7.99 – 7 Thoughts to Live Your Life By – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L5PZZ3Q

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.robledothoughts.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icrobledo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ICRobledo
• Twitter: https://x.com/ICRobledo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@I.C.Robledo