We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joel Insilo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joel, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Leaving Maryland to move to Miami, Florida in 2018, in which it was the day of my uncle’s funeral was a major risk. The Sole purpose of me moving was because I got drafted to the Rivals Professional Football League which is a professional developmental league. Driving to Miami was extremely emotional and traumatic because I had lost someone who played a vital part in my life. He wasn’t just a regular uncle but he was legit a father to me and the concept of losing a loved one was an extremely difficult and still is til this day. After the season I took another risk and deciding to live in Miami because I saw an opportunity to grow and expand my network in a promising city. Most of 2018 I lived with two different families, one from Cuba and the other from Venezuela. I lived in two different motels in Hialeah for two months in total and one hotel for 13 days. In the midst of that, I had a variety of jobs ranging from working for cleaning companies , door to door sales, home improvement company, driving Uber, night life security, and now I’m in an actual career as an educator in a city that I’m not even from. I’ve taught for over 3 years as a literacy professor at two different middle schools and started my motivational speaking company in the midst of the pandemic. I’ve spoken on multiple platforms ranging from podcasts, schools, athletic banquets, radio shows and etc. my story truly defines the word perseverance and this is a story folks must hear.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been a motivational speaker for 7 years total but made it into an actual brand during the pandemic. Starting this organization gave me the ability to express stories that I held in for over two decades. It’s interesting I was just a kid living in Congo from 1997 to 1999 during one of the deadliest Civil Wars in world history to living in a city like Miami, Florida speaking and teaching.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Born on November 16, 1992, in Rockville, Maryland, and raised in Kensington, Maryland which is right outside of Washington D.C. Joel and his family moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1996 and survived one of the deadliest Civil Wars in history. Five million people died and Joel and his family survived. Joel was extremely thankful to move back to the United States in 1999. Joel Insilo attended Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland where he played football. A three-year starter, Joel’s accomplishments also included, being named as a 3A All-County selection (2010) as he found himself in the top 3 in tackles during his high school campaign.

Joel attended Bowie State University on a Preferred Walk-On football offer. Things didn’t necessarily go as planned, and Joel joined the Bowie State Track and Field Team instead. In 2012, Joel transferred to Virginia State University where he was originally recruited to play Running-back. After Red-shirting in his first year, the entire coaching staff was replaced and Joel was moved to play defense. In 2013, Joel was fortunate to be apart of the CIAA Northern Division Champions and affiliated with a defense that was ranked 4th in the Nation. In 2014, Joel transferred to West Virginia University where he tried out twice as a walk-on but did not make the team.

In 2016, Joel signed with 4nario Sports Agency with aspirations to play in the CFL. He also worked at his alma mater, Albert Einstein High School as a Paraeducator and as an assistant football coach for two seasons. With Joel’s coaching contributions, the team reached its first playoff berth since 1999. In 2017, Joel signed with JAMM Management and tried out for the RPFL (a pro developmental league). Out of 85 tryout participants Joel was one of the eight selected. On January 22, 2018, Joel suffered a traumatic loss in the family, a man by the name of James L. Bullock Jr., who he considered a father. This man raised Joel since he was two years old and played a vital role in his life. Drafted as the first pick in the 28th Round by the Miami Blaze and during the season, and eventually traded to the South Beach Silverbacks. Joel had a standout season with the South Beach Silverbacks in only three games had 20 tackles 5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. After the season, life began to hit Joel hard, without a stable housing situation he went from motels and hotels throughout Miami, Florida.

Joel was involved in multiple industries during his unstable living situation. He worked for the Florida Home Improvement Company, Business to Business Consultant Company, Allogenic Health and Wellness, and driving with Uber. Joel obtained a security job at the SLS Hotel on South Beach and was invited to the Globe Bowl, a professional football free-agent showcase game, run by East Preps. Joel played for Team World and performed well enough to be selected for Team America, an International Travel team which he still plays for to this day. Thus far, Joel has played in the Friendship Bowl in Cancun, Mexico, the South Beach Bowl in Miami Beach, Florida, and the Pura Vida Bowl in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Joel is also proud to be an English Language Arts teacher at Kipp Courage Academy located in Miami, Florida.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve always worked extremely hard and that was something that’s embedded within me. Due to multiple mistakes and extreme stress from being an educator, I was told it’s better to work smarter than harder. Since that moment it helped me avoid conflict that I was always accustomed to getting.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thejoelinsilostory.com
• Instagram: @thejoelinsilostory

Image Credits
This was myself at the Brick By Brick Networking Event.