Sit down and strap in because this week’s episode is more exciting than a telenovela! 

It all started when Yanet somehow joined the Courage Driven Latina program AFTER the link was supposed to have stopped working. We were literally closed but the universe wanted us to meet so what could we do? Fast forward to now when Erika flew out to Houston to meet with her private clients, met Yanet in person, and then heard the story of Yanet’s incredible life. This story is so wild the two hopped on a mic and hit record so they wouldn’t miss a second of it!

Yanet Borrego was born in Havana, Cuba and eventually settled down in the United States with her mother at the age of 12. Her goal was to secure a high-paying job and support her family, which she achieved after earning her chemical engineering degree. But after spending 8 years in corporate, Yanet discovered her purpose and dedicated herself to giving her clients the clarity they need to be their true selves. Through her coaching program, Yanet guides others to find their inner knowing, create their own reality, and walk in alignment with their true selves. Her mission is to empower others to feel fulfilled and empowered in all aspects of life.

In this episode, Yanet tells Erika the story of how she and her mother escaped communist Cuba, started a brand new life with a six-figure income at 23, and then left her six-figure job to start her own coaching business. Yanet went from growing up in a scarcity mindset to trusting the universe and living her life in abundance. Tune in to hear this incredible story of love, strength, and perseverance. 

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Connect with Yanet:

Website: https://www.ybcoaching.com/ 

IG: Instagram @yanetbcoaching 

FB: https://www.facebook.com/HealthyLupe.Rodriguez

Yanet’s Podcast: With Clarity and Purpose

Sign up for Yanet’s FREE Permission to be Powerful Master Class

Yanet:

Yanet Borrego was born in Havana, Cuba and eventually settled down in the United States with her mother at the age of 12. Her goal was to secure a high-paying job and support her family, which she achieved after earning her chemical engineering degree. But after spending 8 years in corporate, Yanet discovered her purpose and dedicated herself to giving her clients the clarity they need to be their true selves. Through her coaching program, Yanet guides others to find their inner knowing, create their own reality, and walk in alignment with their true selves. Her mission is to empower others to feel fulfilled and empowered in all aspects of life.

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Website:
www.theerikacruz.com

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

How to work with Erika:

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here.

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Post-production for this episode was provided by CCST, a podcast production company. 

Episode Transcript

Erika: Hello, hello, and welcome back to Ch*ngona Revolution podcast. I really love episodes like this because they aren’t planned. And if you haven’t noticed already, I am a pretty, um, I was going to say intuitive. I’m also intuitive, but that’s not the word I was looking for. What’s the word I’m looking for?

Impulsive. That’s the word I’m looking for. I can be really impulsive.

This interview is starting great already. 

Yanet: I was thinking spontaneous. 

Erika: That’s a better word. Let’s use that. We’re gonna keep all this in here. This is great. Okay. Yes, spontaneous, adventurous. I love that. Okay, so as you know, We’re all about going with the flow and letting things kind of lead us. So I have a super special guest today.

I am currently in Houston, Texas for a VIP day with one of my amazing private clients. I cannot wait to hype her up and tell you all about everything that she’s been able to accomplish in the short time that we’ve been working together and just like what she’s been able to accomplish in her life. So as we were sitting in her VIP day and we were talking about her story, I was like, People need to hear this story.

So what did we do? We packed up our stuff, came to my Airbnb, and now we are sitting next to each other about to record this. I already know it’s going to be an amazing podcast episode. So I have my private client here, Janet Borrego. Hold on. Let me say that again. Cause that was me stumbling. I have my private client here, Jeanette Borrego, who is such a badass.

Please introduce yourself. Tell us who you are and what you 

Yanet: do. Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me here. I love this as spontaneous and adventurous side of Erica. It’s really hot outside. So we were literally commenting on how good of an idea this is of recording a podcast episode inside.

Your amazing Airbnb. So thank you for having me here in 

Erika: the AC when it’s a hundred degrees outside. This is definitely the best place to be. 

Yanet: It’s really hard. So my name is Janet Borrego and I’m a purpose and mindset coach, and I help people fulfill their potential with clarity, courage, and confidence.

And I think. Erica and I, we have similar visions and missions and we support similar people. So that’s why we have connected at such deeper levels. I’m so thankful for you. 

Erika: We definitely vibe. That’s for sure. So, okay. Obviously, you are this ch*ngona and I like, it’s just such an honor to work with you and support you, but tell us, take us back.

Tell us a little bit about it. Where, who is, who is little Janet? Like, where were you born? What was, your childhood? Like, tell us a little bit about those early years because your life now is totally different than it was when you were a 

Yanet: child. Totally different. So I was born in Havana, Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean.

And then I was, I lived there until I was nine years old. And I lived with my mom who was single, my dad and her, they divorced when I was a baby. So I really didn’t grow up with a father figure. My uncle was more of that. father figure and then my grandmother. We were just like a family of three, really small family.

And my mom. Since I was little, since I was born, she always had a dream. She had a dream that one day her daughter was going to have the freedom and the possibilities that she couldn’t have because Cuba is a communist country. So if you’re born in Cuba, you don’t have the. Freedom that you get to enjoy here in the United States.

In Cuba, the government has most of the control, and that includes the control of the people who are born there. So for example, if you want to visit a country, if you want to live somewhere else than in Cuba, that is not possible. The government has to approve everything. And the only two ways of living Cuba is.

One, if you have family outside of Cuba, and two, if you’re working for the Cuban government, that’s it. Like, you cannot live just out of pleasure like we do here. And also the education is highly controlled. So one day she had a dream that her daughter, her only daughter, was going to have that freedom that she couldn’t enjoy.

But she didn’t know how, she didn’t know. Like the details, the logistics of how that was going to happen. But she had that dream. Yeah. So when I was nine years old, she met my stepfather who she married and they were in love and he was working for the Cuban government. And during that time, he actually got an assignment for the Cuban government to work in Mexico City for three years.

Three years only after three years, we need to go back to Cuba again, because we, I mean, there, there is not that freedom that we enjoy here. So I was nine years old. We left to Mexico city. And then I did their part of my school. I had amazing friends. And when the three years mark hit one week before going back to Cuba, we had the flight tickets and everything.

My mom. Tells me in our apartment, Jeanette, we are not going back to Cuba. This was one week we were going back. We are not going back to Cuba, but you cannot tell. You cannot tell anyone, you cannot tell your friends, you cannot tell our family, of course, and you cannot tell your stepfather. 

Erika: This is better than a novella.

I literally have chills all over my body and I have so many questions. Okay, keep going. 

Yanet: Literally, I mean, my stepfather was living with us. Now, let me give you some background on the relationship. He had cheated on her. Like the relationship was downhill completely. And I’ve always been the priority of my mom up to date, like literally.

She lives with me now, but she knew what she wanted. She had a vision. She wasn’t supporting the relationship and she chose her daughter, not her, because she had to leave every single thing that she knew resources-wise, family-wise, knowledge-wise, language-wise, she left everything. So I could have what she didn’t have.

And I think she’s the most courageous. woman I’ve ever met and she has been a great example for me to continue reinventing myself. So I was like, okay. I mean, I was 12 years old. I’m like, okay, that makes sense. Yeah. I mean, that doesn’t make sense, but I’m going to trust my mom. And that night, funny enough, my friends had organized a surprise party.

My Mexican friends. a surprise party because I was going back to Cuba and I went there and I couldn’t tell anyone. No, I’m not going back to Cuba. We are just running away without no one knowing. So it was this process of being, Oh my God, thank you. And they gave me so many toys, Eric and so many cards. And this is going to be harsh.

What happened next? But we had to do it after we came back to the apartment. My mom gave me scissors and she was like we need to destroy all of these because we cannot take any of the things They gave you isn’t that great? I mean, I know I was told yourself but thinking back. I’m like, wow, that’s an intense thing to happen to a child, you know, but I always trusted my mom.

I knew this was for the better And the day when we were running away arrived and my stepfather, he went to his work at 4 a. m. and then after he left, my mom literally woke me up and she’s like, okay, let’s go. And we had the luggage ready because we were going back to Cuba supposedly, but we were actually running away.

something crazy happened. So when I woke up and I started getting ready, he came back. I know like, you’re not gonna believe it, but it was crazy. He came back because he forgot to drink coffee. And my mom was like, Janet, go back. Act like you’re asleep. I know I’m like holding my breath over here. I mean, imagine like, if I am my mom, I think I would have had an anxiety attack.

I’m like, I’m like a board. Like this is not happening. Literally he, he came back because he forgot to drink his morning coffee. So he got his coffee, he left, and then we finished preparing everything. And we had someone waiting for us downstairs, and then that person took us from Mexico City to Leon, Mexico.

We went there, someone from Puerto Rico was helping us, my mom’s uncle, and we went there without knowing how long we were going to be hiding. We didn’t leave a note. We didn’t leave anything. So when he came back, he was like, where are these people? And then of course he needs to contact the government embassy.

And at this point they don’t know where we kidnapped or did we run away. I mean, they don’t have the information to figure it out. We didn’t leave anything. And later on they figured out that we ran away, but our family didn’t know either, because it wasn’t safe to tell. anyone, not a single soul 

So we ended up staying for six months, just hiding in little Mexico. And after the six months we were given the signal of, okay, let’s go. We are going to take you to the border. They left us in a side before the officers could see us because of course that’s not legal. Um, and then we walked towards a building that we saw like between Laredo, Texas and Mexico in the border.

And then they started yelling at us. They were like,

Yanet: signal of, okay, let’s go take you to the

border. T before the officers could course that’s not, that’s Um, and then we walked towards a building that we saw like between Laredo, Texas and Mexico in the border. And then they started yelling at us. They were like, what are you doing? Because they don’t know who we are. But then when we showed our Cuban passports, they calmed down.

Because at that point, I don’t know if this is true now. I think it is, but I’m not sure. At that point, Cubans have the right. to remain in U. S. Territory. Once we touch land because of the damaged relationship between Cuba and the United States, they know that if you go back to Cuba, you’re really in danger of what could happen to you.

So we asked for political asylum. They interviewed us. Part of the process is that my mom had to demonstrate. They call it scenic panic. Basically, panic of going back to Cuba. You know, it has to be believable in a way. And then the next day they gave us the, like kind of a green card where you need to contact a lawyer in the next six months.

So you can start working your permanent residency. And from there we flew to Puerto Rico where my mom had an uncle. And then those were my early earlier years until 12 years old. Wow. Yeah. So that was my upbringing on the 12 years old of like really reinventing ourselves, starting back over again, a lot of uncertainty.

And again, I cannot imagine what my mom felt with the only child doing things she has never done before. It’s crazy. 

Erika: Oh my goodness. Okay, so I didn’t realize that you were in Cuba until you were nine. So you were raised 

Yanet: there. Yeah, I was raised there until I was nine 

Erika: years old. Those are your developmental years.

Yanet: Exactly, exactly. And it was, I had a great time. I was telling you, I remember writing poetry. I’ve been a very deep person since the beginning. My uncle would always, you know, like give me books to read. And it was a lot of planes outside. Mm-hmm… And when it was raining, I was playing in the rain. Um, I, I enjoyed it, but of course I wasn’t adult.

My mom was, I didn’t see that bigger picture like she saw. Right. And it was your world. It was all you knew. Right. It was all I knew. Yeah. My world. 

Erika: Yeah. So what about when you went to Mexico? How was that transition? ’cause you were like, I, I think about, you know, us, like as we’re growing, we’re almost like, A tree where we like grow these roots.

Yeah. But you were literally like picked up and planted somewhere else for a little bit and then picked up and planted somewhere else. And it’s like you were just moving around. So how was that 

Yanet: experience? From Cuba to Mexico, I had, from what I can remember, I had pleasant memories. I went to a school where the embassy placed me, where there were a lot of international students too.

There were a lot of Mexican, but also international students. Like from France, from Spain, there was… Two more Cubans. And I really, I really enjoy the culture. I, I mean, I ate a lot those years. If you see pictures of me, I look like a little like balloon because I Erica, Oh my God, I would be hiding my food because I think Mexican food is just amazing, but I really enjoy the cultural aspect.

I remember writing poetry and I connected a lot of spiritually, like a spiritual connection in Mexico, like doing spells, like since a kid, I was doing like just crazy spells. It was just a lot of fun for me. 

Erika: Oh my gosh. I have so many questions. Okay. Oh man. I like want to ensure I don’t forget these, but I want to ask about your uncle and then I want to ask about spirituality as well, so don’t let me forget.

Yes, I will. But so now tell us, okay, you, you go to Puerto Rico and then like, at what point do you come to the U S like the mainland U S obviously Puerto Rico 

Yanet: is part of, of the U S as well. I went to Puerto Rico. We crossed the border on October. So when I got to Puerto Rico, that was almost the end of one of the school semesters, and it was really hard because honestly, the only thing I always worried as a kid, it was like, Oh my God, what about school?

Like, I’m not going to make it. I’m going to be behind. That was my concern. And when I got to Puerto Rico, of course, we were looking for schools. And my mom’s uncle placed me in a really great all-girls school. People there were very prosperous financially. It was like a lot of great education, but it was an all-girls school.

Never had experienced that in my life. Although that moment and also the language. Even though Puerto Ricans speak really Spanglish, the educational system in Puerto Rico, most of the textbooks, at least in that school, were in English. And I didn’t know, I mean, I knew a little bit, but I didn’t know any English.

So, I was literally starting the semester super late in October in an all-girls school. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t know the language. I think it was really overwhelming and also I was in this society that was highly prosperous which was different to my upbringing and to me that was again, finding the sense of like where do I belong because I feel I don’t necessarily fit.

feeding right now. And I don’t remember these. I probably suppress these memories. But some people, later on, told me, Oh my God, I remember when you got in school, you would be crying almost every day at the end of the school day because I think it was so much the pressure I was feeling. And I was, as I was entering that high school, some of the teachers were like, she’s not going to make it.

I mean, this is October. I mean, we have two more months like there were teachers that believed in me, but there were some that they were like, no, she’s not going to make it, but I don’t know. Somehow I was able to apply myself and I didn’t get behind. I ended up taking a summer not because I did. Bad, but because I needed to advance like the material I didn’t take.

But everyone was very, very supportive in Puerto Rico. And I studied there chemical engineering. So I finished my high school. I did chemical engineering. That’s what I chose to study. Why? Because I loved chemistry at that point. And I. Part of my vision in life was always to give back to my family. I knew my mom had sacrificed every single thing that she had.

And since earlier on as a kid, it’s like, how can I give back? How can I support, you know, I was carrying that with me at all times. And chemical engineering made sense because it pays well. And then he had that chemistry component, but I really didn’t know. What I was choosing to study, to be honest with you.

So I did my chemical engineering years. And during those years, I did a couple of internships in the mainland with Marathon Oil, with Exxon Mobil. And they ended up giving me two full-time offers, which that’s why I came to Houston, Texas to work with Exxon Mobil. In my first corporate job. So it was a lot of fun.

And at that moment I thought like I made it. I mean, I’m 23 years old, six years, five, six years salary. I literally followed the success checklist I was given. Now I can give back to my family. And even though I had all of these things, the first year I realized I’m not fulfilled. And that’s when my true journey of finding my purpose and getting to know myself started.

Erika: I love it. Okay. Let’s put a pin in that. I have so many questions. So you, okay. The reality in Cuba is that you can’t just walk to the store and go buy like groceries or go buy toothpaste. 

Yanet: Right? Yeah. You, I mean, they give you a ration. They give you a ration, right, like a portion of food, the government gives you a portion of food per month.

Okay, for example, they give you 12 eggs for the whole month, or… I 

Erika: need more than that myself. 

Yanet: Oh my gosh. Me too, me too. My mommy is like, you wouldn’t have survived back in Cuyahoga. Now things have opened up a little bit because there is so much scarcity that they need to do something about it. And now people can go to the market to buy things.

But the thing is, like, where is the money coming from for people? Because so many times things are way more expensive than what they earn. And that’s where the disparity comes into place. There is a lot of scarcity. Even my uncle, dying, he died from cancer. But they were trying to find a… A tank of oxygen for him.

Mm-hmm. and they couldn’t, so I know isn’t like the scarcity is at that. Yeah. Unfortunately. It’s at that point of like medicines and food and things like that. It’s really tough. Wow. 

Erika: Okay. So that’s specifically what I wanted to talk to you about. Yeah. Growing up in such. Uh, like scarcity was the norm and then like, whenever you went to Mexico, did it feel 

Yanet: more abundant?

Oh my God. Yes. I, you know, people have, have asked me where in your life was the happiest moment, like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Kiowa. And I’ve always said Mexico because I felt that Mexico was the place where I had. Everything in a way, like I had a father figure, which was my stepfather. I had my mom, I had the opportunities.

We weren’t going back to Cuba because of course we are in Mexico, legally working for the Cuban government. So I had everything at the same time, but then when my mom chooses freedom over. scarcity, then there is a big trade-off, which is family and the known, what we had known before. 

Erika: And then you go to Puerto Rico where like in this school of Puerto Rico, obviously people are doing very well financially, right?

So I guess like my question for you is, how have you navigated Literally your development years being in such scarcity and then being exposed to so much abundance? And how do you, how has that played a role into who you are now as a person and a business 

Yanet: owner? I love it. I think how I navigated Erica, to be honest.

To be honest, when I look back, I think I was in survival mode since a very young child. I was like, how can I support you? How can we survive? And when we are in survival mode and we are reacting, we don’t get the, we don’t create the abundance or the time to really dig deeper and be more proactive and ask the questions.

My uncles always told me. You know, meditation and, and all of these things are people who have made it to a certain degree, because the people who are in survival, they’re not worried about meditation, they’re worried about what’s next to eat, what’s the food that I need to get in the table, which is so true.

And we are so fortunate that we get to work on these areas. So I think as a kid. I was adapting, I was following the checklist of what do I need to do to help my family and for me to get there, to make what success is for the American dream. Of course that helped me because I was able to make it and thanks to that, I created abundance to go to personal development trainings, to hire mentors, hire coaches, which is what ultimately led me to more clarity and more, more purpose.

Did I answer your question? 

Erika: Yeah. I don’t even know what I asked anymore. 

Yanet: I am like, I feel I haven’t answered all of it, but I think that’s all. Oh yes. The other lesson Erica was. The only constant in your life is people, it’s relationships. Because as we reinvented ourselves, we had to start many times from zero and we have to start like resources from zero language from zero.

We didn’t know anything, but throughout this journey of reinvention, what sticks in your mind is really the connections, the relationships, the people. And I think that also inspired me to align my career. Which is my business now to really help people reinvent themselves, fulfill that potential, fulfill that dream that sometimes in your mind, you don’t think it’s possible.

But look, look at my mom. What are the odds of living Cuba? And what are the odds? I was telling Erica, my mom, the maximum salary she had in her life was 20, 000. 20, 000 and here I was 23 years old with a 100, 000 salary, breaking all of the, the odds, the conventions. I had never imagined in my life that that was possible for me.

And I have so many stories about even getting interviewed. I was so afraid to speak the language. In Puerto Rico, there are a lot of people who. Are afraid of speaking English or going to the job fair. I saw it in my, in my college years all the time. And the first time I spoke fluid English was in an interview the first time ever, but I was, and it was here in Houston, Texas.

Isn’t that crazy? I know it’s a full circle moment and even more full circle than that. I gave a speaking engagement to that corporation, Marathon Oil, like few months back. 

Erika: Wow, freaking chills all over. 

Yanet: And they were the first company who gave me that opportunity. I remember thinking there are people here from MIT, Georgia, take all of these, like I’m coming from Puerto Rico.

The only one from Puerto Rico was me. It was like a scholarship fund that I had earned and I was so concerned. But when you trust, when you dream and you show up, anything and everything is possible. 

Erika: Yes. Oh, okay. So many good things. I want to just quickly highlight because we obviously have very different stories But I feel like there’s a lot of common themes and one of those common themes is that our moms paved the way for us, right?

Like they, I mean, yeah, if you compare like how much money they, they make or what their life was like, it’s, it’s not comparable, but like our lives wouldn’t be possible without everything that they’ve done. Right. So when I look at my mom. Like, yeah, she’s kind of traditional, but she’s also a rebel herself.

And she’s been the one that made it okay for me to be a rebel. Even if she thinks I’m too much of a rebel. I’m like, woman, you’re leading the way. So with your mom, like you’ve already given her like so much credit. Right. But yeah, like what would your life be like if you were still in Cuba? 

Yanet: So different.

And my mom gave me that example of breaking the mold of. Following the unconventional path of taking risk. I mean, now, I think now she’s much more afraid of things, I think, because of everything that she went through her life. But she, she gave me that example of creating my own reality and reinventing myself.

It doesn’t matter what the goal is. It is possible. 

Erika: Yeah. Yes. So, okay. So tell us a little bit about the power of belief and faith. 

Yanet: I think, oh my God, even like when we take the story of being in Cuba, right? You have this government, this government is so much bigger than one person. And my mom had this hope and this dream that one day she was going to get out.

She, the why was clearly defined. The why was freedom for her, for her daughter. The what was getting out of Cuba. The how, she didn’t know how. In her wildest dreams, she wouldn’t have… figure out how things unfolded. And I think so many times we get so attached and so focused to how to wanting to know the granular steps of how everything will unfold that we lose faith.

We lose the connection to the why. But the lesson here is. And I say it on my business all the time, as you know, because I’m creating something I’ve never created before. But the lesson here is as long as you’re connected to the why, and you believe that you have all the resources within yourself to succeed, and you keep believing and you keep showing up with that unwavering faith, which takes practice of connecting to it every single day.

The how will magically unfold in ways we can not even imagine it. I think that’s, that’s, that’s a real importance of, of believing. Yeah. 

Erika: Yeah. And you’re right. And I think that was such a perfect example of the situation your mom was in, you know, getting you out of, out of Cuba, but also, I mean, like with you even getting the, like, you knew that you were going to provide for your family, but you didn’t know how.

Right. And then like ending up in Houston and ending up with a six-figure salary and then leaving all of that behind to start your business. Right. And even last year you were like, is this even going to work? And now it’s obvious that this is literally just the beginning and you are about to kill it.

You’ve already started killing it. 

Yanet: Thank you so much. I mean, now I feel so much, you know, I feel stronger. I feel because I’ve worked on that spiritual aspect. I think that spiritual aspect is so foundational and it’s not a spirituality in terms of religion or anything like that is spirituality in terms of connecting to that greater purpose.

However, the label is if the label is God universe. The universal intelligence within yourself, it doesn’t matter, but it’s knowing that you’re always divinely guided and supported along the way. You’re not, we are not alone. Yeah. And I think that’s really helpful. It has helped me tremendously. 

Erika: Yeah. It’s helped me a lot as well.

Erika: And I think you bring up such a good point where it doesn’t, sometimes we think of spirituality and we think it has to look a specific way, like maybe how our parents taught us that religion was, but. It’s more about you connecting to whatever you feel aligned to, whether that’s source/universe like you mentioned.

And I almost feel like when we allow ourselves to be divinely guided, it just takes the pressure off of us. But when we try to do everything ourselves, or we’re so much in our logical mind and make it about us, we’re just setting ourselves up for failure. While when we believe in something bigger. Even if it’s just believing that coincidences are on your side or that magic can happen, like whatever it is that you want to believe in, when you start to believe that, that’s when like nonattachment happens.

That’s when you can just let go and surrender and let things happen for 

Yanet: you. I think so many times we are, we want the certainty of things. Yes. But in certainty, there is no creation. Because the only moment we can create from is the present moment. And if you think of the present moment, that’s just uncertainty to its fullest.

We think we know what’s going to happen next, but we don’t. So bringing the present moment, we really tap into that creation energy, which is also a feminine energy that you talk about. And even one of your four Ms, you know, like. It’s all about creation, like masturbation that you talk about all the time.

It’s all about creation, energy, giving birth. It’s all about creation, energy. That’s the fullest manifestation of feminine. So getting into a feminine is relying more on uncertainty and intuition, like doing this podcast. Like Erica didn’t plan this podcast. I didn’t. She, she looked at me and she.

smiled and laughed and I knew this laugh was a laugh of this is a crazy idea. I don’t know if you’re gonna do it but she has this laugh of like I knew what that laugh means and you brought up the this idea and we went intuitively trusting. Yeah. Because that was a download. That podcast idea was a download from your higher self, from your intuition of like, do it.

And it just went with it. And I think that’s the magic, that’s the power. Yeah, 

Erika: you said something that was such a mic-drop moment. You said. From certainty doesn’t come creativity, right? Like creativity and creation comes from the present moment. And the present, the reason it happens there is because we, there is no, there’s not already that plan laid out.

It’s like, you are the author of your life and you get to create that. And that’s the power of that present moment. And that’s huge because all people want is, I just want to know, right? And all they want is the certainty, but it’s like, what’s the fun in that? The whole reason we came to this physical plane was not for certainty.

It was to like explore, to be adventurous, to be spontaneous, to allow the present moment to take us to the next place. And you recently held a masterclass all about creating certainty during uncertain times. Right. So like, was this one of the things that you talked about in your, in your masterclass? 

Yanet: I think uncertainty is the advantage.

It’s our competitive advantage. Damn. Oh, 

Erika: man. All of us are out here trying to like plan our, you know, weeks and lives. And 

Yanet: it is really the competitive advantage because I think. That the people that rely more in uncertainty, and I think we are all working on this. This is a lifelong journey, but the more you rely on uncertainty, you tap more into this gift that you have been given as you were born into this physical life, which is the gift of creation.

I think that’s the power of uncertainty because if we rely on certainty, we are just so small-minded. We have so many subconscious programming that limit us and wanting to project things is. Too small for our magic, you know, like living in certainty, it’s like kind of following the status quo is boring.

But uncertainty is like, okay, I’m just, I’m just trusting this inner voice that is talking to you at all times. We just shut it down until something happens on the crisis.

And I think that’s one of the biggest lessons we were talking about your, uh, breaking your engagement. I was talking about stepping out of my corporate career and we did it from a place of things are good. You know, this is not something because I hate it or anything is because I know within myself that it’s not aligned and I got to trust that and go with that.

Yeah, and so 

Erika: many people stay in situations because they can convince themselves that it’s not that bad. 

Yanet: Mm, tolerating. We run this pattern of tolerating pain. Let’s see who tolerates the most pain. Yeah. And that’s related to self-worth. 

Erika: And then we tie it back to like, oh, my parents went through so much and sacrificed so much so like I can manage this.

But it’s like, we’re just repeating the cycle. If they went through that sacrifice, why would we do 

Yanet: that? To ourselves. Exactly. We got, we owe them to step it up and actually, actually do better. 

Erika: Yeah. Yes. Okay. So earlier we were talking about how, uh, a lot of times we ourselves need to work on the things that we’re helping our clients through.

And it’s so crazy how clients can just be mirrors. Right. And I, the coaching I was giving you earlier was. You are such an intuitive and spiritual person, but people don’t know that. And you know, it’s so crazy. The same thing is with me. People don’t know that I actually pull cards for my clients. They don’t know that I meditate every single day and that I journal and that I actually am, I feel like I’m divinely guided.

So what was the reason I brought this up? The reason I brought this up was, ah, yes. So as you know, you are the last private client that I took. And I’m so glad that we worked 

Yanet: together. And she almost, she told me, she admitted, she almost doesn’t take me. Remember you’re like, I really thought about taking this call, but I guess you went with your gut and you 

Erika: didn’t.

You broke in. I don’t know how you got the link. It wasn’t even available anymore. 

Yanet: I know, I don’t remember because now your calendars are grayed out because I remember looking after and I’m like, I don’t know how I got in, but that’s, that, that, that meant that was meant, those are the crazy things that you’re like, how did we end up connect?

Like magical manifestation. 

Erika: Exactly. Yeah. And then like you, you gave me a little bit of like, Oh, I don’t know. I just made another big investment. And I was like, well, that’s totally fine. Cause 

Yanet: like. She was, yeah, don’t worry. I’m not in a hurry. I’m not taking any more clients. And I’m like, no, no, no. Let me, let me figure this out.

And I think I emailed you like hours after or the next morning. I, I, I think when I know, I know, and I knew, and I think even that energy of like, I’m good. I mean, let’s be honest, that energy of like, I’m good. If you’re here or not, you know, like, don’t worry. I mean that energy, I’m like, okay, you know, but that’s the power of the energy of that abundance of that.

Like, I’m good. I’m a coach. It doesn’t matter if, um, I mean, I’m coach disregard, like, it doesn’t matter if I have clients or not. I’m coach is not letting that environment shape your identity. You are who you are. No matter what I am a bond on. And I know this is hard at times, but I’m a bond and it doesn’t matter.

of the outcome. I know who I am and I’m being that. Yeah. Yes. Now we want clients and all these stuff. Okay. I’m not saying the opposite, but it’s about remaining truthful to who you are and letting go of attachment to the outcome. Exactly. And I think that’s powerful. 

Erika: Totally, totally, totally powerful. So the reason I brought this up is because I want, I’m so glad that we’re working together and that you snuck in and that you ended up signing up, but.

I already knew I’m creating a mastermind that’s going to take place of my, my private coaching. And as I was trying to figure out, and I knew I wanted it to be called Magnetic Mastermind. And the reason it’s called Magnetic Mastermind is because when you put two magnets together, what happens? They immediately, they energetically are attached to one another, right?

But I think a lot of us are out here picking up rocks and we are magnets and we’re out here picking up rocks. And what happens when you put a rock by a magnet? Nothing! It doesn’t stick, right? So a lot of us are out here chasing jobs that are unfulfilling, relationships that are unfulfilling, um, maybe like chasing clients instead of attracting them.

When we are all such powerful beings that can attract so many amazing things. So that’s why that’s the name of it. But as like, I was really looking at what I wanted to work with my clients on. I realized the missing piece was spirituality. So what I decided is for this mastermind, it’s focusing on three things.

It’s helping you improve your strategy because we all need strategy, but simple strategy, spirituality, and yourself. So it helps you improve those three things. So I think it’s so crazy that I was giving you this coaching earlier and I was like, Erica, you needed that coaching like yourself. So we just end up being this mirror to one another for our clients.

So now my question for you is where, like, what is it that you’ve, okay, wait, now I’m like jumping ahead in the story. You moved to Houston for work. You left it to start your business. So I want to ask you about your experience with your clients, but maybe tell us a little bit about that jump from going.

From a very successful career to becoming a business owner. What happened? 

Yanet: Beautiful. So I started working in corporate as a process engineer and as a capital projects engineer, and within the first year and a half, I just realized, yes, I’m successful on the outside, but this is not what success means to me.

And I don’t know what that is because I never asked myself. Who am I? How do I work? Why do I think this way? So I knew that I had to do something in order to start gaining clarity on my purpose and who I was. So the first training I ever went was Unleash the Power Within with Tony Robbins. And I walked on fire which was really funny because I’m like I was in a refinery and I’m like I’m sure these people they don’t think this is safe safety in a refinery is like number one And people were like you walked on fire and I’m like, yes, I did and it was amazing So I started investing in myself, getting surrounded by the community of people that I didn’t have, because I realized one pattern.

Most people were unfulfilled, but they were too afraid to do something about it, and that motivated me. For me to do something about it. And not only that make of my purpose, actually guiding and leading people to fulfill their potential and live out of love instead of out of fear, because there is this fear epidemic.

We are really leading our lives with fear. So I figured that out. Also, I had an anxiety attack because I was tolerating so much misalignment that the last piece that is going to yell stop is your body. So my body literally was like the last indication of this is not aligned with me with an anxiety attack.

And that moment I started aligning my corporate career to my purpose. So I started aligning all the skills I needed. In my corporate journey in order for one day to have my business, the business I have right now. So from engineering, I went to supply chain because it’s services-oriented, more people-oriented.

I was negotiating, you know, multi-million dollar contracts with suppliers, which was super fun. And it was a lot about behavior, about understanding people and how I can influence them. And I got my first coaching certification back in 2015. It was a leadership coaching certification on the John Maxwell team.

And I was using just all my corporate vacation in order to build my skills as a coach, because I always knew that was my purpose as a coach and as a speaker. And then from supply chain, I went to consult. Because that was even more aligning to coaching to that long-term vision that I have for myself.

And I moved from ExxonMobil to Accenture. I really loved. At the beginning, I was like, Oh my God, this is so different. I mean, consulting is just another beast is way more entrepreneurial, which was perfect because I started getting familiar with that piece and I stayed two years there, loved it, did really well, was promoted to manager and in the side, I started my side coaching business with paid clients already.

So I was doing it professionally on the side, on the weekends, in the evenings. And. In 2021, my uncle, which was like a father figure to me and a mentor and a mentor. He taught me about meditation and I’ll be, he taught me about most of the things I know today. Other, I mean, of course I’ve been strengthening the content, the, the information, but he passed away from cancer and he had many dreams he couldn’t fulfill.

And for me, that was such a big wake-up call of. What am I waiting for? I have the foundations built. I have clients. I started getting referrals while working on corporate. I don’t know if i’m gonna leave tomorrow. So i’m just gonna take this leap of faith and make it happen So again, I didn’t hate my job.

I wasn’t moving away from anything. I was moving towards a bigger aspiration. I was moving towards helping people fulfill their potential and I needed to lead by example at that moment. So I told my corporate job and they were actually, they were really nice. They gave me a one-year leave of absence.

They were like. That was the sweetest thing. They were like, wow, well, we respect, you know, like your dreams and we understand the uncle situation. What if we give you a one-year leave of absence for you to test full-time entrepreneurship and if not, you’re welcome back. I mean, it wasn’t paid of course, but it was, I was an inactive employee.

And it doesn’t matter. That, that was a safety net in my head is like, I’m following through with plan A and there is no plan B. I’m not going back. And at the year I quit, I mean, I was doing full-time entrepreneurship already, but I officially quit and I’ve been loving, honestly, I just love being a coach.

I love speaking. I love making a difference on people’s lives and helping them realize their dreams because. Dreaming big is practical. That’s what the practical, that’s where the practicality is. We think many times that it’s impractical, but it’s the total opposite. The practical part is staying where we are driven by fear.

And that’s, I mean, that’s what I’ve been doing. And of course I hired you as a coach recently because I think integrity is such a big value for me. So. I think that the best coaches have coaches like you have had for years and I always need to continue improving myself for my clients. I want to show up for them and what I help them with is fulfilling their dreams in every sense, helping them manifest their career, their dream career, their dream partner.

I mean, really fulfilling their potential spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physical in whatever they need. So that’s exciting part. Have you 

Erika: seen versions of Janet 

Yanet: in your clients? Totally. I see. Here’s the thing. When I see a pattern in in several clients, So when, for example, a client is arriving late and then I see another client arriving late to a call, this is an example, I start asking myself, what, what is this an example of for me?

For me, it’s a boundary violation. Like, I, I think I’m very. I’m very with integrity, punctuality, that’s important to me. And I ask myself, where am I violating a boundary? Because that I’m attracting this pattern into my reality, it means that I’m doing it somewhere, or maybe I’m doing it with myself. self.

I’m not setting or enforcing boundaries with other people. So every time I see a pattern on my clients or them struggling with something, I got to do my inner work as a coach and ask, how is this also a projection of what’s going on in my life and what’s going on with myself? And that’s the beauty of being a coach because I think your clients are coaching you all the time.

They don’t know it, but they are coaching you all the time and they are showing you areas where you need to work, where you need to show up bigger with more integrity. And I’ve had the, I’m so grateful that I’ve worked with amazing clients and they have gotten amazing results because they show up. I think taking action in coaching is really important.

What you put in, you get out and I just love helping people. Yeah. 

Erika: And you know, I’ve just. Geez, there’s so many things I want to say, but I have to commend you because you are such a coachable individual. Um, like I’ll tell you something and you come back and you do that. And more like one day I was like, okay, write down all the unhelpful thoughts and you sent them all to me right away.

And I was like, okay, great. She’s got it. Like anytime I give you any type of direction, like you take that action. Um, so I just, and I already know that you’re an incredible coach because of the amount of resigns you get, which is incredible. And I have to share with all of you listening. So we were at the WeWork location where we were having our In-person coaching session slash VIP day.

And what I like to do during these is capture content so that my clients can have content so that they could use on their social channels. So I grabbed my phone and I was like, okay, just talk to the tripod and pretend that you’re like coaching me on something. Janet went into this, I thought it was going to be like 30 seconds.

It was a seven-minute speech that I was like, I feel like I need to pay you right now because this was so good. You’re so funny. I cannot wait to see that cut into, cut up into little pieces because your Instagram needs to see like what I just saw today. Because your clients get visibility into that, which is no reason, like, no wonder they keep resigning with you, but I’m just so excited for you to like show, like literally for this podcast episode and for people to hear your story and hear your wisdom.

And you are just, you are gifted. You are very gifted and you are going to, you’ve already impacted so many lives, but you’re literally just getting started. And I’m so 

Yanet: excited for you. I appreciate that so much, Erica. And I’m so thankful of you because. Erica has given me some ideas that I’m like, uh, I don’t know.

She was like, why you don’t record a live on a podcast at the same time? And I think I gave you a little bit resistance. I’m like, uh, I don’t know how that works, but that is also important to me because if I also want to attract coachable clients, I got to show up like that and be coachable. And I’m like, why not let me try it and see, and I was able to do it.

It was super efficient. So I think trusting you as a coach and seeing the results over and over on the strategies that you have given me. I mean, I think I paid the investment with, with the ideas and strategies you gave me in like few weeks in a month. I don’t know, a few weeks. Can we, can we share your wins?

Yeah. You’re so sick. So the mastermind, I mean, this woman is magic. So magnetic mastermind. I mean, that’s a must. 

Erika: So, okay. You, thank you. Thank you for that. I received that, but, um, tell us a little bit about, okay, you, you’re, you came to me and you were like, my goal is to have a six-figure year. And then earlier today I asked you why, and you gave me one of the best responses because it’s always important to know why people have specific goals.

And your response was, if I am making enough money to survive and thrive, I can give back to my community even more because I’m not worrying about surviving. If I have enough to give to myself and give to others. And that was like the best response. So that was your goal when you came to me and then you told me how much you had already made this year.

And I was like, you don’t even need me. You’re literally going to make that already. 

Yanet: I love Erica gives a lot of certainty in a good way of like, Oh yeah. Like that’s the done deal. It is. And I’m like, yeah. 

Erika: So within the first. three weeks of us working together, you made 18, 000. 

Yanet: Yeah, what I appreciate of you is the simplicity of the execution because I was making it so hard on myself.

And I think it’s because I had this belief of I have to work the hard, the harder. If I want to make six figures, then I need to work twice what I worked last year. And you gave me a strategy, which is resigning a client, which now sounds like, hello, why I never, I probably lost a lot of money in the process.

She’s like, have you ever, do you have a resigned strategy? And I’m like, what is that? And she’s like, as the same clients, if they would like to coach again with you. And I’m like. Wow. Isn’t that crazy? I had never thought of that. And just with that, I was able to resign for four clients that I had, which if, I mean, if I wouldn’t be coaching with you, I would be probably trying to figure out and I would have lost that 

Erika: opportunity.

I remember you came to me and you said, I’m worried because my clients are, we’re getting to the end of their package and I don’t have new people to take their spot. And I was like, well, what about just offering to keep working with them? So simple. 

Yanet: And that’s what I appreciate of your style and strategies.

They are simple to implement and there’s things that are not obvious sometimes for us that based on your experience, you can identify that immediately. So, yeah, I was able to resign the four clients, like, which was. You know, 24k, of course, I’ve raised my rates. She’s like, think bigger, let’s go bigger, which I appreciate because I need to be challenged.

You also 

Erika: raise your speaking rate. Well, yeah, I raised my speaking. After what I just saw. I’m like, dang, we better like double that soon, too. 

Yanet: And also the speaking, I think it goes back to tapping into that uncertainty and letting things. Because I don’t, I mean, she told me just speak. I don’t know what the heck I was going to speak about, but I think when you let yourself trust and you speak from your heart, that’s when you, you connect to source and then you speak and it flows.

I think that was really powerful to one speaking. 

Erika: I couldn’t agree with that more. Any, I remember when I spoke on the stage of We All Grow, that was probably the biggest conference that I spoke at. So there was about 600 people there. And I’m talking about a vulnerable story of calling off an engagement and no note cards, your time, do you have to be on time or else they turn off your mic.

It was, it was pretty intense. So, and I remember just before I went on, I was like. Universe, use me as your vessel, use me as your vessel. And the moment that I said that, everything else was just like. I’m going to say what I, what needs to be said because it’s not even me, whatever’s channeling through me.

So I think this is a great example of how tapping into spirituality can allow us to be more abundant because we’re no longer making it about us. And we’re just letting these things kind of come through us. And even like for this podcast, we didn’t prepare any questions for this. This was just us, nothing, 

Yanet: nothing.

We just surrendered and allowed. Yeah. And made it fun, made it so fun. I think. I think we, and I’m guilty of this. We take life so seriously, so rigid and the certainty wanting to want, wanting to have that certainty. But when you let go and you make it fun and you focus on serving and contributing, it changes your life completely.

It does. 

Erika: It really, really does. So. Is there anything that I did not ask you that you’d like to share with the podcast listeners? 

Yanet: I think maybe the masterclass, the upcoming masterclass. Duh! Yes. 

Erika: Okay. Wait. Well, 

Yanet: I was going to ask you. I’m asking, Erica. 

Erika: Yeah. So, oh man, I’m so, let’s, okay. Cause usually at the end, I’m like, how can people work with you?

But no, I feel like this, this part requires, um, a little bit more like an explanation of to why this topic is the one that, that you’re, you’re having. So tell us when is the masterclass, what’s the title and topic and who should attend? I love 

Yanet: it. So the title of the masterclass is permission to be powerful and why permission because we are the only ones who can give ourselves permission to think big because most of us are playing small.

We have blind spots in some areas. Permission to be powerful, how to lead with confidence and live with no regrets, because this life is all about playing big, is all about making the most impact you can and really fulfill that potential. I think this is for the people seeking. More clarity, more confidence, or more courage to pursue their dreams so they can make a huge impact in this world.

Permission to be powerful. If you’re struggling with being powerful, with taking up space, if so many times we are given this advice, fake it until you make it. I am completely against that because faking it presupposes that you cannot be you and succeed. You need to be someone else. You need to fake it in order to make it.

So this masterclass is about the opposite. It’s about permission to be powerfully you, yourself, who you are, authentic, because that’s the only way you’re gonna… Shine in this world. 

Erika: I feel like that topic was also a channel. Do you remember we were on the coaching call? Yes. And we, I was like yelling in my, in my home Yes.

Of excitement because it was so good. I was like, oh, I cannot wait for this. So can you tell us about a time in your life? Like when you maybe gave your power to someone else, maybe an employer or looking for validation from others and like what helped you, uh, give yourself that permission to be powerful because now you know, you’re a powerful being.

So tell us 

Yanet: a little bit about that. And I forgot the date. It’s actually on August 9th at 6 p. m. I forgot about that. 6 p. m. central. 

Erika: 6 p. m. central, 4 p. m. if you are in Pacific time, and 7 p. m. if you’re at Eastern 

Yanet: time. Totally. I think I’m gonna go with the first moment that came to mind. Because that’s like trusting intuition.

And it was in a romantic relationship. Okay. Okay. Um, it was… I was with this person for three years and a half, and he was, he was an engineer too, but he also had a side business on Teaching and dancing bachata. And he would travel the world. He would spend a lot of time just traveling. So my mind went to, well, I cannot travel as much.

I cannot do the personal development training. So we get to spend time together. I was sacrificing my own happiness, my own goals, and my own pursuit of my purpose in order to. Kind of like have this fulfilling relationship, which really I wasn’t receiving, it wasn’t 50 50 or 100 100, it was like most of it, I was just maintaining that energy in that relationship.

And I almost, because I was doing that, I almost didn’t complete one, one of my Neurolinguistic Programming Certifications as a Master Practitioner. And I… I just had this big realization because I started to have a lot of resentment towards myself. And I think resentment is such a big, um, a big indicator, a red flag that we are not honoring our self-worth, our own boundaries.

And as I started to get more resentment, I started to project. Projecting that resentment everywhere around me. And I wasn’t happy anymore. I wasn’t fulfilled and I kept communicating what I needed to my partner. And the actions didn’t match the words, you know, because sometimes we, we can, and I believe he was doing the best he can.

This is nothing. He had his path and my path was different, completely. And how I played big and I stood into my power was I decided to. in that relationship and truly honor and prioritize myself. I decided to choose myself to realize that I didn’t need to sacrifice my happiness to make others happy, that I needed to please.

I didn’t need to please others to be able to be accepted, that the person that I needed to accept and dedicate that time was myself. So what I was seeking of him, I needed to give. To myself. So many times what is missing in our lives, we want others to fulfill that when we really need to give that to ourselves.

So after that. My life thrived after that. I, I started aligning more on my certifications, my business. And later on, I found the love of my life who I’m married to him. Last year, we got married and we are having a lot of fun. 

Erika: That is beautiful. That is so beautiful. So if you are listening and you’re like, I wonder if this is for me.

This is for you if you are looking for permission to be powerful in relationships, in your family dynamics, in your workspace, in your career, or in entrepreneurship, in any of those areas. So, uh, my team will be sure to link the registration page down below in the show notes so that you can register. And then, um, where can people connect with you?

How can people find you 

Yanet: and work with you? Yeah, so I have Instagram, Janet, with y b coaching. I’m also in LinkedIn and Facebook, Janet Borrego, and my website is yb coaching.com and I’m also a podcast host of, with clarity and purpose. Amazing. I’ll 

Erika: give you a copy of this so you can put it on with 

Yanet: clarity and purpose.

I love that you’re so, I’m all about the efficiency. You’re, you’re, I love it. You’re so giving. I love it. That’s why I love Erica, you, you truly give from, I mean, based on what I’ve seen, you truly give from your heart, and that’s why. You’re receiving tool. Oh, thank you. Yeah. I mean, 

Erika: well, you know, and yeah I’m just so excited for all your clips that are gonna come out of this too because I Had Jeanette record herself on her phone while we did this interview because you said so many amazing things I want to see a clip about the uncertainty piece.

I want to see there was like a few I marked them down on here So I’ll tell you like around how many minutes they were so that you can put them. Anyways, this was Such a great way to spend the last part of your VIP day. And now we get to go to a really nice dinner. I’ve never been there, but you said it’s great.

I’m 

Yanet: so excited. Oh my God. We are going to have so much fun. 

Erika: Yes, we are. Thank you so much for 

Yanet: coming on the show. Thank you so much, Erica. I really appreciate it. And thanks everyone for listening and tuning in. Can’t wait to 

Erika: connect. Yeah. Be sure to tag us both. If you took anything away from this podcast episode and I will see you all next week.