We were lucky to catch up with Amberlina Medina- Cuello recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amberlina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Never did I think that I would transition careers after an 18 year stretch as a blue collar worker. I was living the American dream; 6-figure job, great benefits, small family, and a beautiful home. But the 18 years of rigorous work was daunting and the long 12 hour stretches of the shifts kept me from raising my boys. All my family ever knew was Mom working day or night shifts and missing for 3-4 months at a time during turnaround season. It was not only unhealthy for our family unit but it took its toll on my mental health, we won’t even begin to discuss the health issues working in a chemical environment did to my body.

After our second child was born, I knew I needed a backup plan. I dove right back into college, studying hospitality and marketing. After two years, it wasn’t fulfilling anymore and I almost felt as though I was going in a never ending circle. So I dropped out :Cue Kanye West the college dropout: Knowing how successful my husband had been at starting his own company after being let go at his consulting job, I knew it wasn’t a degree that I needed to obtain the level of success I strived for. Nevertheless, I still attend bootcamps and trainings within the design world while still working my full-time job at the refinery. I had always been good at structure, planning, coordinating, and training other colleagues in my workplace so I sought out trainings in that realm. It wasn’t until I took the route in the UX design world did I realize that it was experiential design that I loved. Then covid hit.

We were one of the few essential employees who continued to work throughout the pandemic. My husband had to pause his business and care for our boys full-time while I still worked. It weighed heavy on me that even during the craziest time within our timeline I still couldn’t be with my family. I will never forget asking my boss if I could work from home because childcare was so expensive (babysitters were charging double during covid due to risk of exposure) and his response being, “Well cancel your cable then to make up for it.” That was my breaking point with that place. One evening on shift my husband called me and jokingly said, “If you had an abundant amount of money what would you do with it right now?” I didn’t hesitate. “I would buy my retirement home in Lake Havasu.” See working blue collar work the only thing you look forward to is your retirement age and your pension. How sad it is to say that now out loud. But it’s true. You work all of these hours for a company that at retirement age, offers you a pension to carry you until your dying days. I didn’t want that anymore and covid showed me that there was more to life than just a pension… and a boss telling you to cancel your cable to make up for childcare.

You know there’s a funny thing about me. All my life when I have put my head to something, no matter how hard the work is or the goal to achieve, I somehow make the s*** happen. When I manifest something, somehow the universe hears me. It provides the ingredients and its up to me to bake. Well, we purchased my “retirement” home in August of 2020. a couple months into the pandemic. We had to make some sacrifices to make it work, went through hell with contractors ripping us off for money, and used all of our resources to create an experience within a home. I had no plans to turn it into what it is today. Nor did I have any plans of launching an experiential design business. I also had no plans of launching a creative members-only social club. But for some reason the universe provided me with enough ingredients to start the bakery. So I baked.

Casa de lo Que Pasa, Pasa is now one of the most successful short-term rental units in the heart of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. From that success, I launched Roam + Home Co., an experiential design company specializing in experience settings for the STR + Hospitality + Event Industry. Roam has helped numerous home owners curate their own short-term rental units. It has pivoted numerous times to find its niche, which where we are currently at. From that, I took our family home, which was once a long-term rental unit, and transformed it into a members-only social club. That has been my passion project. It is where I get to help struggling creatives get off to a good start. It came from a belief that everyone deserves to live out their dreams, no matter where they start.

In the end this world would be beige and grey if it weren’t for those brave creatives making a change like myself. I have a belief that it’s not where you start but where you end, and I don’t see any end in sight for Roam + Home Co. or myself. Although it has been, officially, a year since launching this company, it has brought me such fulfilling life. I have finally “retired” from my blue collar job. I have no regrets because nothing can replace the time I lost but only the time ahead that I can change. I have come to the realization that it’s not money that makes you wealthy, but accomplishment. I am living a life worth living.

Amberlina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Roam + Home Co. is a full service experiential design company offering services for those who want to curate a short-term rental, offering travelers who seek out something different than just a dwelling. We curate everything from lighting design to audits for the surrounding market for the hospitality industry looking to reach a target audience and to stand out amongst their competitors. Our newest service, experiential design for events, aims to provide clientele with creating one of kind memories for their setting, themselves, and their guests, everything from weddings to brand activation. We work with numerous contractors and trades within the building contractors to speciality niche trades like florists. With our extensive vendor list, our imagination is wild and capabilities endless to what we can create. Our audience is the brave and bold who want to stand out amongst the crowd and who are fearless.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I started my career at a young age, 17 to be exact. I made more money than I had ever seen in my life at that age. At first I was foolish, spending it lavishly on inappropriate things and places. It wasn’t until I got pregnant with our first son at the age of 22, that I realized I need to set up a future for my child. At the time, my husband (then boyfriend) was working overseas making a decent amount of money as well. Once our son was born, we realized how expensive it was to have a child. So we decided to not live the same lifestyle we once were and to not keep up with the Joneses… our friends. We were reserved and we saved up enough to purchase our first home. That house will forever be, what we call our diamond, never loosing value and always giving back some shine. We followed the financial structure of a few mentors we had along the years. We refinanced and reinvested our funds into other property and ventures. As a team my husband and I invested into stocks, real estate, and businesses which in turn, had provided the funds to keep going. We thought we were doing a great job but it wasn’t until we obtained a CPA did we really start to make our money work for us. I kept my career that funded all of our businesses ventures until the very end. So word of advice, build your side hustle while working your 9-5 until that side hustle can support you 2x over and don’t be stupid with your money. Material items don’t matter in the long run.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

So many times when telling a story I always say we instead of I. That is because I am one of two. My husband is my partner, my equal, my support system, and we are a team. This wasn’t always the way and I won’t get sobby with the reason behind it. What I will share is that during two of the most difficult times of my life, each after having our two sons, my husband carried me when all I needed was someone to hold my hand. He sacrificed all for my care and well being. No one ever tells you the things motherhood does to you mentally. You hear how it changes your physical appearance but speaking about its mental dynamic is still taboo to this day. At the times where I felt the most vulnerable, this man carried me. Vulnerability is my kryptonite. And I have had to teach myself that it is okay to be vulnerable at times because that is what humbles you.

From these two times that my husband carried me, I have learned to lean on those for support when I have felt too ashamed to ask for help. Resilience isn’t about coming out of something alone but learning how to do so with grace. And if that takes asking for help or receiving it, than so be it. Journeys are not meant to be traveled alone. Through all of the projects I have taken on, I have learned to be resilient amongst other lessons. But it has been with the help of others that I was able to bounce back. It takes village to raise a child but it takes a unit to raise yourself up above anything else.

Contact Info:

• Website: roamandhomeco.com
• Instagram: @roamandhomeco, @casadeloquepasapasa, @wiredavinc, @theguesthouse90260

Image Credits
image credits to @throughirenslens, Irene Samayoa