Life and Work with Cristina Garcia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Garcia.

Cristina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up in a small city in Los Angeles County, I never truly understood how diverse and accepting L.A. truly was. I come from a family who mastered the car dealership industry, so ultimately, I thought that was where I belonged. I worked in the same industry for a long time, not necessarily because I enjoyed it but because it was easy. People often say you are your own worst critic and I couldn’t find that to be truer. The challenging part for me was that I knew I would never settle for anything less than my full potential. The question that would constantly run through my mind was, ‘what is my full potential’? Being 23 and making significant money from the car industry was great, however, I found myself spending day and night there. When you wake up with no enthusiasm about wanting to go to work, you start to find the job miserable. I had to realize that spending 12 hours a day, six days a week making someone else money was something I didn’t want to do. Why not invest that time into myself? Soon after, I quit my job to focus on my business and the true voyage commenced. To be able to walk you through my journey, I would have had to complete it. My journey is still an ongoing path to success; I can say I imagined writing an article on me and company one day, but never for one of the trendiest magazine in Hollywood.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
To say the least, I was lost, but being “lost” is okay. We often forget that when one door closes another one opens. Growing up, I tried using every reference in the book so I could find MY path to success. I attended school, but that only lasted so long. I even went as far as enlisting in the Navy branch of the military for the United States to see where that would take me, but still ended up being a huge mistake that I have learned from. Eventually, I told myself that I needed to work. I worked for the retailer after retailer and found that the money was pretty significant. But seeing as I was in my early twenties making enough money to pay my bills and still enjoy life, why did I still feel reluctant? I just could not find myself settling for something less of me. We spend so much time being lost our first few years of adulthood that instead of being able to really focus on what YOU as an individual want to do, we end up falling into the peer pressure of what society thinks you should do.

Growing up many always assumed I stemmed from different ethnic backgrounds, little did they know I was Mexican –America. In my younger age I was often teased for being dark skinned and having “curly” hair, but being a child I really never understood why. What I did know was that my father was of a darker skin, curly hair and brown eyes decent while my mother of a light skin, straight hair,  and colored eyes decent. I looked different but I didn’t feel different so why was I getting teased? As a young child my mom always styled my hair into pigtails or different ponytails due to the fear of lice. I never wore my hair down getting the chance to truly embrace it. From about 5^th through 9^th grade I went through a series of stages. I was a tomboy for a while and ultimately went through the, ‘wanting to be like other girls’ stage where I had it straightened. It wasn’t until about the 10^th grade where I began to break out of the ‘pretty girl with straight hair’ stereotype and began to embrace my curly hair. After high school I began to play around with my hair so much more, and the possibilities became endless. I began to mix my own organic oils and products and discovered what worked for me. Now I am able to style my hair in so many different ways that I look like five completely different people sometimes. From big bold curls, to a sophisticated slick ponytail or bun, my hair is still natural with no heat or no damaging products.

In essence, it is important to NEVER settle. Do what you love, and love what you do. Challenges arise so that we grow, and prosper. “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” I’ve learned to love my curls and embrace my hair and now I want to share it with the world.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Be true to yourself and learn from your mistakes. As humans, we naturally fear fear, but when you face and overcome it the reward is blissful. Learn to never look back and perceive your past in a negative aspect, better yet always focus on the positive aspects of life. Realistically, not everyone is fortunate enough to have guidance in life. When it comes to mentors I can’t particularly say I’ve had one, but what I have had  is a lot of support from my peers and family, that to me has been so much more rewarding. Just because you were not handed the guidance of a mentor does not mean you quit. The same way that you are your biggest challenge, you are also your best teacher. Networking comes from personality, some are born with the natural gift, others need tweaking, and some are just hungry to learn.  I have always been easy to approach and very social, my line of work has definitely given me the upper hand. However, networking  does not come easy, especially in this day and age, many people are quick to judge. Being a women in a “man’s world”  it becomes demanding, even when everyone is impressed by you, but you are looked at as just a woman. We are all,men and women, programmed with this integrated chip that perceives women as just domestic. Oh how times have changed, when we permit ourselves to realize what women are and what we are capable of we are LIMITLESS. Not everyone will like you, and you will not reach every person you encounter, but I have learned that rejection and the word ‘no’ are your most rewarding obstacles. All in all, you with or without a mentor you are your biggest blessing. I never let the negative discouraged me and still, I stand by what I believe and by who I am.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 6262722708
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @_xtiiinna and @attitudecurls(business/brand)

Image Credit:
Corey Spencer

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