Check Out Drea Lopez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Drea Lopez.

Drea, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Ooof! We’re going back! Coming from Colombian and Spanish roots, music was always present in the house. There was always an excuse to celebrate something so we could play music, sing, dance, eat, and just be together as a family. I’m pretty sure that’s where my love for music was born. In middle school, I had the unfortunate happenings of the mean girl bullying. Luckily, that just sparked more creativity inside of me. It really was the catalyst for my need to express myself, pick up my guitar, and start writing. But before I wrote songs, I just wrote out my feelings on paper in my journal. It really wasn’t until High school that a new friend of mine signed me up to audition for the school’s talent show during our sophomore year. I wasn’t a fan of this since the mean girls had come with me to this new school, but something told me to audition. I got into the competition and won! People started coming up to me after the show asking me if I was in their math class and random people started noticing me in the halls. That’s when I realized that music was the instrument, I could use to not only express myself but connect with others and make friends! From there I studied Music Business and had a 2 year long internship with 19-time Grammy Award winner, Emilio Estefan. I was in and out of the studio until I graduated. That is where we wrote the song, “Cuando Hay Amor” that ended being on Gloria Estefan’s album, #Brazil305 which won the Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Album in 2021!

Music is what kick-started my career in the arts, but my main focus has always been creating content that inspires people and connects them with like-minded individuals. In 2020 I started my own Podcast called “The Journey of Pursuit”. The show came about in the middle of the pandemic when I was listening to a bunch of different pods that were all highlighting people’s journeys that were all older than me. I kept wanting to know about their story at my age. What was that time like for them? It didn’t just skip from 20s to 50s and voila!!! Then I thought, “you know what? Why wait until you’re older to be seen as ‘successful’”? Why can’t the journey there be as big? So, I made it my mission to highlight how my peers are doing what they love and figuring things out right now so that others can do the same! Every conversation is meant to leave you feeling inspired, connected, and ready to go for your dreams!

As a one-woman show, the podcast has charted on 30+ Apple Podcast Charts across the world ranging from Spain, Argentina, Indonesia, Denmark, Mexico, Venezuela, Philippines, Canada, and more.

From winning a Latin Grammy, to releasing a top charting Podcast, I’m on a mission to prove that nothing is out of reach when you believe in yourself and you set your mind to enjoying the journey and to show others, they too can do the same!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! I don’t think anyone has a smooth road. For sure as a kid, the bullying took a big toll on me. A lot of people brush that off because it can seem that since it happened a long time ago, “you should be over it by now”, but the truth is that that never really leaves you. Yes, I’m over it in the sense that it doesn’t affect me like it did as a kid, and it’s now something I can reflect on, but it’s a huge lesson and constant reminder for me. It taught me how to be a kinder person, realize that you never really know what’s going on in someone’s life, and the importance of being a loyal friend. I really think that experience is what shaped me into an empathic person. Now as an adult, it’s clear to me when someone is my friend and when they aren’t and that has also guided me a lot both in my career and my personal life.

When I was creating my Podcast, “The Journey of Pursuit”, I struggled with focusing on something else other than music. It felt like I was shedding a part of me that people knew me as and identified with. Because of that I dealt with a lot of fear of what others would think, imposter syndrome, etc. I knew, though, that this was something calling me. I knew it was something bigger than me and I knew it wasn’t something that would ever replace music but would be a good addition to my creativity. Even though at the time it seemed like it might throw some people off, it actually did the contrary. It brought new opportunities and brought me closer to my peers and my community.

These examples are positives now, but that’s intentional because something we talk a lot about on the show is this idea that “failure” is really just something that redirects you to a new path you’re meant to take. So, although those are just two light examples of some challenges I’ve faced, they ultimately showed me a new way. Because we talk about this so much on the show, it’s now become a habit for me and my listeners to always look at any hardships and challenges as steppingstones to something better. My community has done a beautiful job at encouraging other creative entrepreneurs to do the same.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m most proud of taking messy action and learning as I go. It’s the way I started music, started my Podcast, and have moved from Miami to LA to now Madrid. I’ve learned that it’s worse to look back and regret than do it in the moment, suck at it, learn through it, and pivot.

I’m proud of the Patreon community (www.patreon.com/drealopz/membership) I recently started that is helping women focus on improving their mindset and starting conversations to support one another in that journey. Working on your mindset is probably one of the hardest jobs out there, but it’s always worth it when you realize that you are entirely up to you! The conversations and topics brought to the community are meant to not only inspire you but motivate you to take the small steps to transform your own life.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Connection makes me so happy. Anytime I see someone light up as I’m interviewing them on the Podcast because they’re realizing how cool they are after talking about their own accomplishments, or the times that I’ve seen someone sing back my lyrics to me, is a moment that honestly feels like magic. It can sound cheesy, but the truth is that what is better than connecting? Knowing that you have something in common, something to talk about and relate on with someone else? It’s beautiful and I think that’s why I fell in love with music because it’s its own language. Also, why I got so hooked to Podcasts. It’s a way to hear someone’s story and just like that saying goes “there isn’t anyone you couldn’t love, once you’ve heard their story” (Mary Lou Kownacki), I truly believe that.

As of late, what makes me happy is these quote-of-the-day emails I’ve been sending to my community every single day. It’s a way for me to spread more love to my community and start their day off on the right foot! The feedback has been truly inspiring. (If you want me to include you in these, you can visit my website www.drealopez.com).

Something else that makes me so happy is my alone time. It has taken me years to get to this place where being alone feels freeing and peaceful. I look forward to it. My favorite thing is going to a coffee shop with my notebook and pen and just writing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drealopez.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/drealopz

Image Credits
Cristina Del-Nero A