Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Rizo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Laura, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Born and raised in the projects, my life experiences relate to both youth and adults. Messages on overcoming poverty, depression, alcoholism, an identity crisis, and a lack of self love reaches the hearts of the audience. I love trying to connect to youth through overcoming challenges and I love connecting with adults through transparency and vulnerability. I truly believe in reaching hearts before minds and sharing my heart with those I encounter.

As a School Counselor, I found myself speaking to teens about overcoming depression, anxiety, and life challenges. I began speaking 23 years ago about my life challenges, but in 2018, I turned that experience into a message for young kids about SELF LOVE. I am now also a speaker and developer for teens, for organizations, for educators, and strive to inspire youth to be boundless in overcoming obstacles and live their purpose with passion. I highly value adults as difference makers in kids’ lives and strive to inspire them to BE LOVE for kids.

As a youth mentor for over 20 years for various organizations, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Extreme Youth Leadership, Project MALES for Texas, Teens in the Driver Seat Texas, Advance Via Individual Determination, and the Texas Say What Tobacco Free Organization, I have spoken life for many events. Topics such as drug and alcohol awareness, state testing pep rallies, Shattered Dreams drunk driving simulations, teacher professional workshops, mental health awareness conferences, and much more, my passion is to bring life and love to those I speak to and continue working on my craft.

Knowing what I know now, I could have sped up perfecting my craft by learning from other female Latinas that love to inspire as well. Becoming a school counselor was an amazing learning process to understand that teens now and will always need guidance in life in some sort of way, but now I use that counseling experience to guide me in helping all grade levels. As a female Latina speaker, it is important to have faith, drive, and desire to learn, but more than anything, an energy that attracts.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Born and raised in El Paso-Juarez, an LGBTQIA++ latina, overcoming obstacles of poverty, depresssion, suicidal tendencies, mental health challenges, alcohol abuse, and much more has driven my purpose of speaking life to others. I currently reside in El Paso and speak to schools, organizations, students, adults of any profession on overcoming and self drive to find their purpose.

I work with schools and school districts to provide:

Empowering student presentations, on a variety of lessons related to social emotional learning, emotional intelligence, and LOVE.

Empowering Staff Development (and/or PLC small group facilitation):
Based on EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE and CASEL’s SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING competencies

Student Presentations and Small Groups:
Working with most needed self development students on their social emotional learning competencies (Collaborative for Academic & Social Emotional Learning), or as we would call it emotional intelligence.

Family Empowerment/ Engagement:
Working with families to connect with each other and support each other through family activities and reflections.

Red Ribbon Week Presentations:
Presenting prevention programs to students that address substance abuse awareness & give the history of Red Ribbon week every October.

Leadership Conference Planning/Training:
Presenting researched based strategies & training teachers & staff to facilitate a youth conference on their campus that leads to the development of community based projects.

I also speak and provide services to professional teams and organizations as a keynote speaker, team builder, and leadership facilitator.

BUT one of my favorite presentations to give is: The Power of social emotional LOVE! It gives educators the background of social emotional learning and addresses giving LOVE to all students before anything else. This session assists educators with strategies to teach and reach the heart before teaching the mind, produce hard working students, help students believe in themselves, and learn about their students with a few minutes a day of SEL strategies in every class period school wide, and for parents, every day after school and before school. Attendees have opportunities to reflect on relationships with kids, students or their own children, and opportunities to teach them LIFE for successful futures. Through personal testimonies & audience participation, I love to challenge students/ teachers/parents to work on their own identity & the battles they fight with themselves and be a hero for themselves before they become a hero for others.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal and mission in this purpose is to be love to those that are struggling with their own self love and tell them to believe they can and will overcome self doubt. I love coming into a room to fill it with love and hope. Love drives my purpose- love for people, love for the craft, love for others, love for self.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of this journey has been knowing that I am making a difference in at least ONE life. I am CONSTANTLY learning and growing how to be better and how to improve my craft! Every single creative should do the same, as it helps us grow together and learn from each other!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rizospeakslife.com/
• Instagram: rizospeakslife
• Facebook: rizospeakslife
• Linkedin: rizospeakslife
• Twitter: rizospeakslife
• Youtube: rizospeakslife