We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Raffi Umanzor . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Raffi below.
Raffi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?
My parents showed me the importance of taking chances and risks for yourself and for the ones you love. My parents are Salvadoran immigrants who immigrated to New York during the Salvadoran Civil War. They faced many obstacles that I myself haven’t had to experience, however, I know I absorb some of their tenacity and grit because it’s gotten me to where I am today.
Raffi, 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?
I started content creating through the pandemic after I created my own indie podcast, Wait! Don’t Do It! with my best friend, NuNu Paris. . From there, I started posting TikToks about experiences I had living in DC, and luckily people related to them. From there I sought opportunities to curate spaces for queer, latino people like me!
Have you ever had to pivot?
right now! For the majority of my adulthood, I’ve worked in Fitness as a Personal, Trainer, and cycle instructor. However, after getting fired from my personal training job during the pandemic, I just began my podcast, Wait! Don’t Do It!, after about a year of posting, we were able to breaking into a larger community in DC. It’s been about two years into working on the podcast and balancing my day job as a personal trainer, and it’s definitely been challenging. It’s a lot of hard work and high points of low points. However, patient has been a virtue. It’s always important to remember the success is the linear and then we can be our biggest motivation.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
relatability! Everyone is unique and different in their own way. However, the experiences that form human experience are often the key thing that bothers us. During the pandemic, I made comedic videos about relatable challenges about living in DC. People want to feel seen and heard, so it’s important to always think about who’s listening to your contact.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/waitdontdoit?fbclid=PAAaZy0HEGuWIBa5_fMssU3WK1zsSJO9KKjBCD_8rMeuPn2zW9cpYep-KCkSU_aem_AUyqnJU88P16aCt-B6gyNQSIE8E6NHl_M7ygG4kq745Ua6pJHR4LAZwxzo8XcxpB4Kg
- Instagram: waitdontdoitpodcast
- Other: reggaetonbrunchdc on IG
Image Credits
@realllyfarrah @voteforkoto