Meet Joshua Garcia

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

Joshua, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I did not get my Bachelors degree in “Travel Show Host” or even “Journalism.” Instead, I got my degree in Engineering and spent six years working my tail off. I was miserable. They knew it, and I knew it.

Eventually, I was fired from my only two engineering jobs which was devastating, but probably one of the best things to ever happen to me. It forced me to really think about how short life is, and that I better get my act together and figure out what I want to do, (not what other people want me to do). I had to do what I hated, only to find out what I loved, and once I realized that I wanted to host my own travel show, I bought a camera and worked my tail off making the best stuff I could.

It’s the hardest question, but if I can clearly answer “What do I want?” (not, “What am I told I should want.” But honestly, what I REALLY want!), without hesitation, without caring how ridiculous it may sound to my friends, then I’ll work my ass off until I get there. Eventually, I figured out the business, got an agent, and after eight years of trial and error, I finally landed my own show. “The Voyager.’ Lots of work, and some luck too. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

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?
There have so many obstacles, but if it was easy than EVERYONE would be a Travel Host right?

Almost like a video game, I often think my higher powers test me: If I am determined enough to conquer level 1, only then can level 2 be played. But just because I got to Level 2 doesn’t mean I can kick my feet up, boast and brag. I am not done. Because at the end of level 2, and every level beyond it, is a bigger badder tougher boss that I have to beat.

It’s the same in my industry. The more I accomplish, the more obstacles present themselves, and the harder I need to work. Which is why so many people talk about success but ultimately steer clear of it. They’re terrified of it. Because at a subconscious level, we’re all aware that successful people must become high-performance, because they will have more responsibility, and therefore more to lose. Which is why playing it small, remaining in my comfort zone, and living a “basic life” at just a fraction of my potential & aptitude is nothing more than another form of fear – which I refuse to succumb to. FUCK. THAT.

My “Level 1” Obstacle was answering the hardest question without hesitation: “What do I want?” (not, “What am I told I should want.” But honestly, what do I REALLY want!), AND without caring how ridiculous it may sound to my friends. If I can know this and believe in myself, and then work my ass off until I get there, then I must have a one-track mind and heart. But if I couldn’t say what I wanted out loud, I knew I wasn’t ready, I was still fearful. Eventually, I worked at it, I conquered my fears, and I had it memorized. “I will become a Television Host” became a part of my everyday vocabulary. I was 100% clear, I know now I have been truthful with myself, and I’ve done my one life on this earth justice — So… Let’s fucking go.

“Level 2” Obstacle was the work. It took me six years doing what I don’t like, to realize what I love. Then I pursued my dreams for another eight years. Yep. 8 long years, but I knew my higher power was testing me. I encountered constant rejection, more failure, and there was still nothing to show for it. Meanwhile, so many friends were reeling in six figures. I considered shifting gears. It was risky. I was scared, but failure was not an option. I continued to meditate deeper on the vision I was working towards. I’d ask trees for help, the caterpillars, demand the birds make it happen, and yell it at the mountains. I decided I’d work towards it until I have no more money. I’d sell everything to get it, which I did. Then finally, eventually, in 2016, I got the call.

“Level 3” Obstacle is the misconception that having my own travel show is synonymous with wealth, fame, but most importantly not having to lift a finger anymore. The idea that there will be a team at my beck and call was something the “idea of celebrity” teaches us, but the reality is sharply different. Yes, I have my own travel show and a brilliant team, but there is no time to “kick it.” The work has just begun. NOW, more than ever is the time to hustle. And those who make it past their 15 minutes of fame are the hustlers, which is why I’ve met some of the hardest working people and even experienced a bit of “recycled self-inspiration” during my time in the biz. I love it, I’m made for it. And if I keep this up, then I reckon I’m here to stay. The world belongs to the doers.

What were you like growing up?
While growing up, not much regarding ambition was instilled in me. Not because my parents were bad people, but because the possibility of being amazing was never instilled in them either. No one becomes. You either are, or you’re not. Amazing was for movie stars, who, in their eyes were a different sub-species of human.

1991, 11 years old. I remember sitting on my mom’s water bed, watching ESPN extreme sports. These guys were traveling around the globe just to jump out of airplanes, flip their bikes off half pipes, or conquer a marathon. My stepdad would light a cigarette and utter: “They’re crazy” almost like he was ashamed of them.

When my mom, folding laundry on the bubbling bed, whispered under her breath all kinds of things I couldn’t understand, but I knew her well enough to know by the way she paused and covered her mouth, they were something like “My goodness, so dangerous” or “my word” etc.

I was born in Corona, CA, and we hopped around So Cal until I was 5. Eventually, I landed in Temecula, another slow southern California suburb. Just irrigated tumbleweed fields of dirt that now boast a mall, a winery, and some awful rush-hour traffic. I liked it, but it was also all I ever knew.

My mom, my two sisters and I moved in with my stepdad after they married. We all got water beds, which at the time was considered a luxury. We never traveled, ever, but my parents loved slot machines, so, Vegas became the only exception. It was his house, but there was an unspoken rule that no smoking was allowed inside. He could’ve changed the rule at any time but to convince himself he was abiding by it, he’d stand in the sliding glass doorway with one foot out on the deck, and the other inside on the carpet where at least 1/2 his exhaust would enter the house. I don’t know if he was pretending to play by the rules or not, but, I guess this qualified as “smoking outside.”

I couldn’t blame him though. I hated everything about the cigarette smoke, and if I were him when ESPN is on, I’d bend the rules too. For both of us, watching those guys on TV was far more exciting than anything going on in our small town. And though I hated cigarette smoke, I was far too preoccupied with the newest trend in extreme sports TV to throw a tantrum – Men jumping from a bridge with a spring coil tied to their feet.

It was called Bungie jumping. “Bunch of idiots.” he’d say after a puff. I believed he was right, but then why did part of me wish I was them? And I think he wished he was them too. Unafraid to look foolish, proud, confident, athletes doing crazy things, feeling the elements & the forces crush loads of dopamine into their veins, really living. “Haha yeah, that’s dumb,” I said, too scared to be in disagreement. But what I really wanted to say is “Someday, I wanna be that foolish guy. Or even crazier.”

And there I sat on my parents’ half-made water bed, criticizing, but secretly envious of those jumping from a bridge. It’s easy to do when you’re an impressionable 11 years old and just as easy for an adult. They had the balls to take a risk and really live their life, even if it looked ridiculous, but my ego was too young & delicate to recognize this lesson. But in my imagination, the signs were everywhere that there was more to life than the hamster wheel we were on.

Animal Planet, Discovery, Travel Channel, & Batman were my other Vices. With my TV, I could escape the routine. I saw these shows, and I couldn’t understand why we choose normal if extraordinary is an option. In just a few years, I’d realize, extraordinary is a choice. But for now, it seemed like something I’d be far too normal to ever have. I wasn’t ever taught to dream big as a child.

The idea of doing what I love for work is something I had to figure out on my own in my late 20’s. So my childhood dream jobs were mostly jobs that don’t exist like steam engine train operator or driving a giant yellow tonka truck through the dirt. I always wanted to be Batman too, so I’d swing from a rope in my yard and practice cartwheels til I was blue in the face, but Batman never happened. Ha. I come from a traditional Latin family that stayed very much in their comfort zone.

We never really left southern California, so the idea about getting out was something I was always curious about. I’d dream about boating across the ocean, making friends with all the animals and creatures that inhabit the planet and meeting all the different kinds of people. I remember watching Jeff Corwin, Steve Irwin, and the Travel Channel and think, one day when I’m grown up, I’m gonna go see the world just like them. Little did I know….

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thejoshdgarcia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejoshdgarcia
• Other: http://www.youtube.com/user/thejoshdgarcia

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