Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marta Spirk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Marta, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
The biggest risk I’ve taken was leaving Brazil, my parents house and everything I’d ever known for 23 years to move to the US and marry my American husband. I was so young and had such little life experience but knew in my heart I had to take the leap and leave safety and wealth for love and new opportunities. Looking back, I can now see 12 years later how BRAVE I was. From the outside in it looks a lot more different than it felt when I decided to go. It wasn’t an easy decision because my parents felt sad and offended in some ways, but I know this opened up so many doors for me in figuring out my identity and purpose in life.
After that, I was blessed with triplets and embarked on my entrepreneurial journey, starting a business in a field unrelated to my previous career and taking it to six figures, publishing a book and getting to speak for TEDx.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the younger of two girls. My mom was a stay-at-home mom and my dad was an engineer who then opened up his own company. We moved to a different city when I was 6 and the change prompted my mom to follow her heart in starting her own church. I grew up seeing her speak boldly to small and large groups of people and eventually, at 14, I stepped up to share my own story and message with her church. By 18, I was an integral part of the ministry, from worship (singing and playing the keyboard) to ministering and interpreting for American preachers that would lead conferences through her church. After graduating high school, choosing my majors was not a hard task at all – I had an easy time with languages and a natural talent for communicating my thoughts and helping others do the same. I earned a BA in Translation in Brazil (Portuguese, English and French) and a Master’s in Applied Linguistics at the University of Colorado Denver.
Fast forward and in 2016, I was blessed to give birth to triplets, Samuel, Benjamin & Gloria. This huge plot twist in my life showed me I had yet another chapter to live: start my own business. When they were only 9 months old, I joined a network marketing company and dove into the world of personal development. This opportunity opened a door for me that would eventually take me to my ultimate vision: mentoring other women entrepreneurs as a speaker, author and marketing expert. I started creating my own coaching courses and programs, launched my podcast in 2018, landed my first speaking engagement in 2019 and was featured on TV, TEDx and published my book, The Empowered Woman: The Ultimate Roadmap to Business Success.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
One of my favorite books that really describes my personal journey and message to the world is Napoleon Hill’s book, Outwitting the Devil. The quote “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” has been the core of my message: I have lived it and continue to carry this wisdom with me. No matter what life throws at me, I can overcome it and believe in the blessings within the hard times. My empowering message to the world is that we must take responsibility for our own dreams – and success. Sure, there will be hardship and people who are unsupportive, but that should not hold us back. We all have a very important role and part in this life and it is our responsibility to own up to it, step up to it and serve the world with our God-given gifts.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I feel two pieces of my story that demonstrate my resilience were the ones I shared on TEDx. My talk is titled “The Transformational Power of Defeat” and in it, I explain how the struggles in immigrating from Brazil to the US and having triplets were also the catalysts for so many accomplishments in my life. Whatever feels like defeat can also be turned into an amazing opportunity for incredible success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.martaspirk.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/martaspirk
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/spirkmarta
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/marta-spirk
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/martaspirk
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/martaspirk
- Other: my TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Sx9Ab6c8M&t=1s