Our next live Embraced:Fully Interview Series session will be Thursday, November 3, 2022 at 6:00 pm Pacific. We’ll be recording the interview in case you can’t make it.
Our special guest for this interview is Carlos Vasquez, CEO and founder of How to Battle – a coaching and mentor business that helps people develop a mindset for success.
Carlos Vasquez was born and raised in Southern California, predominantly in Los Angeles. As a child his only dream was to become a professional baseball player. His parents put him in sports, Catholic school, and he received straight A’s. Everything in his world started to change by the age of 13. His father left, mother went into a deep depression, and teenage sister got pregnant at 16.
By 14, life at home became so unbearable, he ran away. Carlos started off living in the streets, joined a gang, became addicted to drugs, and committed himself to a life of crime. At 16 his best friend killed himself in front of him while they played a game of Russian roulette. That caused Carlos to develop PTSD and become even more violent and destructive. He started his own criminal organization by 17 and shortly after was wanted for multiple bank robberies and home invasions.
At 18, Carlos was arrested after being hunted down by US Marshalls. He received 20 years in prison for armed robbery. For the first 13 years in prison, Carlos remained violent, he organized crime, and eventually became a shot caller on the prison yard.
It was on a trip to solitary confinement that ultimately sparked transformation in his life. He sat in solitary confinement preparing plans to commit suicide when a Chaplin noticed his pain and convinced him that he had a purpose in life, then challenging him to figure out what that was. From that point, everything in Carlos’ life changed.
He went on to finish High School, then college, receiving degrees in Psychology, Liberal Arts, and Entrepreneurship.
His last four years incarcerated Carlos became a Mentor and Coach creating and organizing self-development workshops within the prison. He paroled on June 25, 2021 after serving 17 years.
Today, Carlos is founder and CEO of How to Battle a coaching and mentor business that helps people develop a mindset for success. He is a Motivational Speaker, Content Creator, Screenplay writer, and Playwright. He also serves as a Teaching Artist and YouTuber sharing inspirational stories.
Carlos is living his purpose, which is to inspire positive transformation in others every chance he gets.
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