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

Rafael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The best investment I have EVER made has been the time invested in my own health and well-being.

If I’m being honest, this is THE single most difficult topic for me to talk about, so hang in there with me. I come from trauma. I come from insecurities, pain, anxiety, depression, anger, RAGE, and just about EVERY other negative emotion a human can feel.

At the age of 13 I weighed 242 pounds and was 32% body fat. My parents had recently divorced and I was STUCK in the emotions that caught a hold of my life. Along with the teasing at school, the beating and destruction at home, and the feeling of not being worth a SINGLE persons time, I didn’t know HOW or WHAT to feel.

For a kid at 13, I can look back and easily say,,, I was facing a MOUNTAIN.

So I took the first step. Jan 1st. 2003 was the day my life changed. I made the conscious decision to let go of the food I ate growing up, the terrible habits I had learned at home, and decided to take CHARGE of my life.

I decided to begin to exercise and eat healthy.

Over the next 8 months, I went on to lose 70 pounds.

I set the tone for my life, for my future. I became a 4.o student, left high school and went on to earn an Engineering College Degree, and even pivoted careers to now owning my own health and wellness business.

But here’s the thing, If you would have told me back then that that would have happened. Not only would I have not believed you, I would have gotten angry with you for even trying to talk to me. (Seriously lol)

So WHY did I turn to exercise and nutrition? Well I had just begun playing football, and I knew I needed to get into shape. But even deeper, I became OBSESSED. I mean there was NO other feeling like exercise for me.

It was a space to forget about the world I had just been thrown into. My childhood had ended and this is how I survived. But not only did I survive, I was able to thrive.

When I saw the changes in my body. When I began to feel great about myself, about the work, about the results I was creating in my OWN life, I found a focus I had never found before.

So why was that day In 2003 so critical? Well you see, after 18+ years in the fitness industry I can without a doubt tell you that the number one thing people struggle with is “time.”

And I’ll say this, I TRULY believe we ALL want to be healthy. However, somewhere along the line, we lost sight of what was truly important. We tell ourselves we don’t take care of ourselves because of our kids, our jobs, our stress, because we don’t have the TIME.

What that day in 2003 taught me was that the time I decided from that moment on to invest in myself would lead to some of the greatest times in my life. Not because of those times alone, but because of the hard work, time and dedication I got to invest in. myself, my craft, my passions, my life.

I learned self-love, I learned self-discipline, I learned how to grow past my struggles.

Now I’m not perfect, and I’ve had PLENTY of failures (some pretty dramatic ones too lol) but I do believe that because of the time I spent developing myself (not just in the gym or the Kitchen, but at home, and in my mind) I can now live the happy life I am so damn thankful for now.

I can now proudly say I am a husband and a father and I attribute this in LARGE part to the commitment, consistency, and connection that I was and am fortunate enough to learn through exercise and nutrition on a daily basis.

The lessons could not have played out any better.

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

About: I’m a husband, a father, a leadership speaker and an expert fitness coach. My wife and I have been together for 3 years and our daughter is 8 months old. I am a hard worker who craves self-development, meaningful conversations, and life-changing ACTION.

How did I enter the health and wellness industry? As a kid I was always in awe of some of the world’s greatest athletes and always strived to be like them, On the surface, that’s what drew me to exercise and nutrition. On a deeper level, I come from a Salvadorian Immigrant family,. My father had a stroke at the age of 48. . I was born into terrible habits, stress and anxiety, fear and self-deprecation. With this background I did not find exercise and nutrition, it more so found me.

My first career choice however was NOT always exercise though. As a professional, I studied at the University of California in San Diego and earned a degree in Environmental Engineering. I worked as a design engineer for Solar City up until 2016 when I was let go.

After 20+ years of schooling and following a career that I THOUGHT was for me, I decided to pivot and become a personal trainer with the ultimate goal of working in Corporate Wellness.

Today, I co-own Escobar Fitness LLC with my wife and I deliver customized keynote presentations, on-site workshops, and full-day events for corporate finance companies with the ultimate goal to reduce stress and increase energy, productivity and happiness in the workplace.

I help my clients lose weight, manage stress, and live a physically, mentally, and emotionally FREE life where feeling GOOD is the number one priority. I help them overcome the challenges I once had.

I’ll be honest, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who’s spent more time in the gym, the library, or learning how to apologize to his wife and set a good example for his daughter than the guy pressing the keys on this keyboard.

I don’t mean that out of arrogance, I mean that with purpose. I went through what I went through to HELP my clients, and in my heart, I believe THAT is what makes me different.

What am I most proud of? My wife and my daughter. They are a reflection of my TRUE self. They’re the reason I wake up when I wake up, I work when I work, and I rest when I rest, They’re my heart, my beat, my soul. They mean everything to me!

What do I want my potential clients to know about me? I want potential clients, followers, fans to know that I UNDERSTAND. I understand what it’s like to feel like absolute garbage and not want to move a damn finger. What anguish, sorrow, and real life PAIN feels like. I want you to know that the level of emotion I feel and have felt is EXACTLY what I use to impact your life In ANY way that I can.

Inside of me is a being that will treat your health, your heart, and your soul like his own. He’ll protect you fiercely, push you immensely, and ask of you the only thing he knows how to ask for… your BEST SELF. With fortitude, with strength, with love and compassion.

Exercise, nutrition, and mindset for me is not about the muscle, it’s not about the 6-pack abs or the instagram photos. It’s about the WORK, the SELF-REFLECTION, and the SELF_EMPOWERMENT that comes with leading a physically mentally and emotionally free life. I believe exercise and proper nutrition has the power to heal your world, if you let it and meet it halfway by putting in the work.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I was arrested for public intoxication for the second time in my life at the age of 29 in November of 2018.

THIS moment was the pinnacle moment for a life that I had lived under severe stress, anxiety, depression, and real life rage.

Childhood traumas, perceived failures, and an insurmountable amount of guilt and shame from making out of character decisions in my life at that time came to a CRASHING halt.

Here’s the thing. as I sat in that jail cell, I could only think ONE thing. My life is over. Because I had NO recollection of what I had done, I assumed the worst. And when you assume the worst in THAT particular position, your life is all about, quite literally…over. Life in jail I thought.

Heavy…. RIGHT? I came to learn it was a redeemable offense. And my life CHANGED. I knew I had to become a better person, a better human, Forget the trophies, forget the (please excuse my language) bullshit. I had to let go of the person I was to become the person I am.

Forget everything that you THINK matters and focus on YOU I thought, I was fed up with myself, my circumstances, and my life.

So what changed? You see on the surface, I had this guy who had amassed accolades, degrees, sales records, etc. etc.

What I had not tended to was the heaviness in my heart.

I spent 2019 off of social media, away from friends and family looking for the person I knew was in there.

I began to rebuild the relationship with myself. I found mentorship, I found my wife Amy, and eventually (through countless, I mean COUNTLESS hours of hard self-development) I found myself. The happy kid who loves being active, working hard, and being dedicated.

I sit before you now, a proud husband, father, and business owner. Words that in November of 2018 I thought I would have never seen myself sayoing and that today I feel so incredibly grateful to be able to say. .

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Can I get a hand up for March 2020?? The Pandemic. Man, I’ll tell you, as I”m sure many of us experienced… At the onset of the pandemic, stress, anxiety, fear, depression, and Rafael Escobar all became ONE.

At the time of the pandemic, I was running my own personal training (coaching) business inside of a studio as an independent contractor. My clients were from my previous gym and I was honestly not doing any active lead generation or sales development. In one word, I was DEPENDENT.

I was dependent on the gym staying open and on my clients staying on board for my own livelihood. So what happened?

Within a month, I had the realization I was no longer going to be in a gym. Partially by choice but primarily due to circumstance (as many others experienced). Additionally, I lost all but 1 client in that first month as revenue slowly winded to a mere 10-20% of what it was once.

So what the F do I do now? I thought to myself…

Fortunately I had already been let go in 2016, so I knew what the struggle was all about (lol), except this time it was in the middle of the pandemic.

As I saw so many run for shelter, lose their jobs, and really STRUGGLE, I decided to fight. Fight for my dream, fight for my life, and pursue my life. Truth be told, my wife Amy and I were already living together at the time so I HAD to make something happen.

Rather than wait for gyms to open, or things around me to change, I took CHARGE. I transitioned to live one-on-one coaching. I expanded my social media and marketing presence, I reconnected with old clients and lit a fire into my business.

But most importantly, after laying in bed for the first week of quarantine with Amy and binging on Game of Thrones and Recess peanut butter cups (no lie lol), I knew DEEP inside of me that it was time to act.

My wife Amy and I decided to place our focus on our nutrition, our exercise, our positive mindset, and most importantly our connection.

It was thanks to this bond and this experience with Amy in taking charge of our health that I was able to call on a good friend of mine. The old me. The kid who lost 70 pounds at the age of 13.

I brought back my effort, my hard work, my consistency and lost 30 pounds, 3 months into quarantine.

In March 2020, I chose to leave my comfort zone, to leave the mindset that had gotten me to THAT place in business in exchange for a new, more challenging and rewarding path.

The path of love. It’s been tough. As entrepreneurs, I think we can relate in that it’s an EMOTIONAL journey. Nothing is certain, and nothing ever will be.

What can be, is your habits, your effort, and the way you CHOOSE to live your life. As I left the gym for the virtual space, I didn’t know what I would find.

My business since, has never looked brighter. In June of 2021 I partnered with America’s Leading Focus Expert and Co-Owner of the top Speaking Coaching company in the world, Kevin T. Robertson to help mold the raw, unquestionably life-changing message I am here to share with the world.

From personal trainer, to online business owner, to now Leadership Speaking and Expert Fitness Coaching. The last two years taught me to put my head down and to find that same level of focus that helped me dig out of the hole life gave me at the age of 13.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.escobarfitness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_raf_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reescoba/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-escobar-6067345a/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/coach_raf_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC83A9Jaq_EUMZk9VRh-K1hA
• Other: SpeakerInfo Kit: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/61c3982f349da3bf33df6b7d/61c3a12d88fcd0a56eed71cc_Rafael%20Escobar%20Speaker%20Toolkit.pdf SpeakerVideo Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm1c3b-RPG0

Image Credits
Ben Hisoler Legacy 10 Photography Shannon Cox