I’m ready because it’s time

Welcome Back And Meet Magdalena

SPEAKER_01 0:04

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the Unlearned Podcast. This is your host, Jaquita, and we are back with season two, episode two of the second act. This is the place where we come to reflect on where we've been so we can redefine our now and rewrite our next. Yay! Okay, so listen, friends. Okay, you know when you meet somebody, and the moment you meet them, you just automatically lock in because you know that this person is a destiny helper, that this person is somebody that can really push you and move with you into your next season. When I met Magdalena Madrigal, okay, I met her at the podcast summit. Shout out David Shans, shout out Podcast Summit 2026. The moment I met her, we were back there in the back seats of general admissions, in the nosebleeds of general admissions. But the moment I met her, I knew there was something about her that was so special. And the more we talked, the more we realize how connected we were and how excited we both were about the place that we were uh that we were being birthed out of and what we were being birthed into. Okay, so I'm gonna do a formal introduction, but I really, really wanted you guys to know how special my friend is to me, okay? Magdalena Madrigal is the host of the creating connect of Creating Connections, a podcast about getting unstuck, following your curiosity, and building a life that feels like yours. Through honest conversations and solo reflections, she helps people recognize their potential, trust what keeps pulling at them, and create meaningful impact from there. I introduced to you guys the host of Creating Connections, Magdalena, Magdalena, Magdalena.

SPEAKER_03 1:56

Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to be here, Quito.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

I cannot believe that this is what has come from meeting each other at the conference.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

And it was just, you know, it was so random. I was, I think I was already sitting again back there in general admissions. If you guys come to the podcast summit next year, get the VIP seats. Okay. Now, if you if you need to get that gin, that gin admin, you know, go ahead. But go ahead, if you can splurge, go ahead and get those VIP seats. Um, but I was sitting there and I remember you just came and you just sat next to me. And I think the moment we first started talking to each other, we were like, oh, okay, this is gonna be my podcast.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

We're on a similar mission, yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Yes, yes, yes. You know what's crazy?

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Conferences make me super nervous. So I am the kind of person that like looks for someone, and like if I can connect with you and bond with you, I feel so much better. And just I'm so glad that you were that person for me at the conference.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

Listen, no, same, because I I went to that conference alone. And you know, I've been to I work in higher ed, so I've gone to a lot of higher ed conferences. And when you go to higher ed conferences, you know, you begin to know people. And even if you go alone, you know you're gonna see people that you know. When I went to this conference, I I literally prayed as I was driving my two-hour drive to Atlanta. As I was driving, I was like, Lord, help me to meet the people that I'm supposed to be connected to. And Magdalena was one of the first and absolutely the strongest. We stuck it through. Listen, we stuck it through. We were like, give me your number. Where you go, I go. Are we having lunch? Are we having dinner? Listen, and it was just amazing because there's something about when you find people who are in a similar life situation as you, who are really who are looking for more, right? And it's it's kind of like we recognized each other's search. I recognized your seeking and I saw myself in it. And we were able to connect on that. And so all the information that we were getting from this amazing conference, which again, you know what, you know what, David Shares, what you want to be a uh you want to be a sponsor of the alert podcast? Okay, because I'm shouting you out. Yeah, he did, he really did. Um, but it was it was really, really amazing. And when she started telling me about creating connections and she used the word unstuck, like anybody who knows me from the early 2012, the 2010 through like 2018, it was all all my posts are unstuck on purpose. And so the more you talked about getting unstuck, I was like, okay, this girl, this girl knows me for real. Because unstuck is like my that's my core theme. That's my yes, a core theme. And so it was just really, really cool. And so when I thought who I was gonna have on the second season of the second act, I was like, I gotta have my girl. I gotta have my girl. Yeah, okay, friend. I'm wondering, okay, because I met you at the podcast and I met you in the season where you were just kind of bursting with energy and excitement about what was coming next and and what you were about to walk into. And we were full of ideas and full of just, you know, excitement about what was what

Childhood Dreams And Helping Others

SPEAKER_01 5:20

was ahead. I kind of want to take a look behind, and I want you to talk to me about young Magdalena and what her journey was. What was her dreams when when you were just kind of just beginning to get to know yourself?

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Mm-hmm. Oh, young Magdalena. So grateful for everything that she's done and gone through because I wasn't always the nicest to her. Um, but now I'm learning to really, to really love all of that, right? So for me, when I think of what got me here, I think of answering the question, what did you want to do when you grew up? Um, and when I was young, that question was influenced by my parents, just like everybody else. Of course. Um, it's what you're surrounded with. And so both of my parents are immigrants. And my dad used to work as a translator in um in a courtroom. And then my mom, my mom was waitressing. And so obviously with those two professions, I'm like, I gotta do something big. They came to this country, they did it for opportunity. I need to do something just as big. What can I do? So I was like, based off of this, I guess a lawyer, I guess like that just makes sense. Um, because internally, when I asked the or when I answered the question, like, what do I want to become? It's like, I just want to help people. And I guess like a lawyer sounds right. And just like many of us when we're young and trying to pick a profession, again, you're just like boxing yourself in something. Cause you're like, this sounds right, this might be the thing, but who knows? And I never became a lawyer, but it definitely I think drew me to just like wanting to help people and what does that process look like? So I started off there, just like, I want to help people. How can I make that happen?

SPEAKER_01 7:05

But you know, I think it's so interesting because even though we rarely become like what it is that we first set out to do, you know, I teach a Sunday school class and we just asked them this past Sunday, I teach the children, you know, shout out to my kids. Um, but we just asked them this past Sunday, you know, what do you want to be when you grow up? And somebody said, a superhero. And we were like, all right, baby, that's right, you know. But I think that there is so much information, even though those things don't always come to pass, because I wanted to be a pediatrician. Like, and like from fifth grade to like 11th, I was stuck on I'm going to be a doctor and I'm going to be a pediatrician. And but there's even though when I got to college, I was like, you tripping, you actually do not want to do that. You know, now, uh, for those of you who know, producer Joy is our medical friend. Okay, she's the one who had the grit, um, the determination and the work ethic to take all those math and science classes. I ain't have it, okay. Liberal arts, me, okay. Humanities, me, okay. Religion classes, uh, history classes, English classes, that's where I wanted to live. But there was still so much information in the idea of what what what my what my original quest was, right? And so I'm I'm I'm hearing lawyer, right? And I know there's a significance there. When you imagine yourself being a lawyer and helping people, what did that look like?

SPEAKER_02 8:41

A voice for the voiceless. Like it was like helping the person who's too nervous, who's too shy. Um, and it's crazy because I guess I've never connected that dot with like the things that I've done since then. I'm always gravitating towards the shy person. I'm always gravitating towards the person that's like in the corner, not sure if they like should belong here. They're kind of questioning it because I want to make sure they feel included and also feel like you're important, you can make an impact in this world, and you have a voice as well. Let's discover it. Um, but yeah, it was the voice for the voiceless, which I think a lot of lawyers do.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

No, see, and I knew I knew there was a nugget there. I knew there was a nugget. I just had to dig. I love that a voice for the voiceless. So when you were, let's think, teenage years, friendships, social circles, how did that voice for the voiceless show up in the ways that you operated in those spheres?

Divorce And Finding Your Voice

SPEAKER_02 9:41

Yeah. Um, well, high school Magda was going through some troubles because her parents got divorced.

SPEAKER_04 9:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Her parents got divorced at 11. So she obviously was really mad and she was, you know, mad at her mom because she did it. Now I'm like, it's fine. I'm glad my mom is like, you know, I'm glad they're separated. Everything worked out the way it's supposed to. But Magda in high school was a little bit of a rebel, but I was a quiet rebel. Um so, you know, not necessarily a voice for the voiceless at that time, more just really in my head about like, is anyone paying attention to me? Because my parents are not. My parents are focused on their thing. Um and I do think a lot of that still shows up in who I show, like how I show up in the world today. Um, just wanting to be seen, but not me again, like not about me at this point in my life. But again, making sure people who felt like that at some point in their life realize like we're adults now, we can grow, you can make something. You don't need to be, I guess, seen by um by by everyone. You can make your own thing happen. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

But I think that's interesting. And you know, I I think everybody, you know, it's funny. I always I keep going back to high school because when I think about, you know, you call yourself Magda, I'll call myself Qui. Uh, when I think about young Quee, you know, when when I think like high school was that really defining point. And sometimes it's you you look back and you see what you had that you learned how to use, but then sometimes it's about what you found. And I that's so interesting to me because even when you told the story, you you talk about like how you kind of internalize things and and like I'm I'm imagining that you had to find your voice um and understand and understand kind of those internal thoughts and feelings and emotions in order to really figure out how to express those things in a way that both advocated for yourself and then learning to advocate for other people.

SPEAKER_02 11:55

Yeah, yeah, I would agree. You're on it. And I think for me, it was more so my college years, I think, when I started to like really try those things and

College Freedom And First-Gen Reality

SPEAKER_02 12:05

just like express myself more. Because again, in high school, I think I was just mad. Um, yeah, I was just upset. And so come college, that was my time to spread my wings. I moved out right away.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

Um, and you were gone. I was where'd you go to college?

SPEAKER_02 12:22

I went to um so Purdue has a satellite university in Hammond. Yeah, so it's Purdue Global now, but at the time it was Purdue, I think Calumet, and then Purdue, it got a couple name changes, but nonetheless, it's a Purdue satellite campus.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

And how far was that from home?

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Only 45 minutes. But you but you was out. But the distance, the distance helped, yes, yeah. So that helped, and just like being in college and allowing myself to be like, what do I want to make of my life? What career do I want? And then having those certain teachers that noticed me and noticed, like, oh, try this, try that, and like pushed me, right? Because both of my parents didn't go to college. So having that experience and then having people look out for me really helps me find my voice.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

First gen in the house. I know. Also first gen. And you know, the thing I tell people about first gen is that college was so impressed upon me when I was in high school that it was a very clear goal. But what was not, what was not expressed or what was not illustrated is what comes after college. Like after I got the college degree, I was like, all right, guess I'll go get another one. Y'all like that? Y'all like these degrees? Okay, let me, I'll do it again. Um, and so, and then, but then there was a moment when I got out of my I got a Masters of Divinity. So when I finished my Masters of Divinity, there was this moment where I was like, so what do the first gen students do after they get the degrees? Because nobody, yeah, what do we do? Like, nobody, you know, the path of you're gonna go to college, you're gonna get your education, because that's gonna take you far. Great. Where? Where is it taking me and how do I get there? Okay, because the path to college and through college was was laid out and I figured it out, but it took me a while to really figure out okay, now this is how you navigate career and professional life and building a grown-up world, you know, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Um, so I I got the MBA as well. Come on, MBA. I think I did the same thing. I think I was like, okay, I graduated. So I went to school for political science because I still thought I wanted to be a lawyer. And I'm like, I don't know. I think this is the degree people take to get into law school eventually. Then I find out it's better if you have like a different background. So you come from a more diverse background, like engineering or something like that. And so I go to school, um, it's a small school, there's a professor, and he's like, Okay, you want to go to law school? Let me take you to a couple of the conferences. Like, let's take you to some of the meetups that we do with like 50 law schools come out.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

Uh Professor Callucci. I still shout out to Professor Callucci.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

Hi, Professor Callucci.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

Um, but he was like, Okay, if you really want to go to law

Career Detours From Law To MBA

SPEAKER_02 15:18

school, let's take you to this one like forum where there's like 50 law school reps and see if it's something you really want to do. I remember going, I'm talking to all these people, and everybody just seems unhappy. And I'm like, I don't know if this is the path for me. Um so I was like, this just doesn't seem like it. So then, same professor is like, okay, there's an internship with the Indiana Senate. You're gonna be working for some legislators, doing some policy-related work and just internship, right? So I was like, all right, again, let me spread my wings, get to know some things. I go out there, I learned some things. I liked it, but I didn't love it. Um, but after that job, I did get uh, I did continue working in the state legislature. So I worked for the an Illinois house rep. Same thing happened where I was like, I'm liking it, but I'm not loving it. It's interesting because I get to help people by like learning about policy that could help them or pushing policy in the state house that could help them through my state rep. But at the end of the day, I'm like, something's missing. So then that's when I decided to go back to get my master's.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Okay, so you get you got the the MBA. I know MBAs have concentrations. What was your concentration for your NBA?

SPEAKER_02 16:33

I didn't, I didn't do a concentration. Okay, so you just did master's business.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

So we're we're we're moving away from kind of the box we placed ourselves in, right? Because when we had kind of like a limited understanding, limited view, you know, we're just we were young. All right, we were just doing something. Exactly. Right, you know, lawyer, that sounds good. Let me do this. Voice for the voiceless, right? So now we're we're moving and we're we're going towards the MBA route. When you finish that MBA, what was next? Or what what was Magdalena saying? This is what I'm gonna do.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

What was next is what happened before, which is I feel like I've always just taken whatever life threw at me. So, like if someone's like, this is an opportunity, take it. I usually interview, I do well, and I'm like, okay, I'm here. And I'm usually there because the opportunity came, but like, okay, so currently I'm in consumer insights. Again, it's another job where it just feels like another box, but I'm like, it's a box that doesn't feel like me. So let me start something on my own, my podcast. Um, but that's kind of how like each job was given to me. Like, there's an opportunity, interview, I get it, but it's not something I sought out or something that like I knew this is exactly what I wanted. It was more so just like, this is the path of the things that I've exposed myself to. I guess it's there. I guess I'll go in. And so that's what's been happening, but because that happened, there's a little voice in you, a little fire in you that's like, oh, is this really it? Is this really all you wanted? Um, and so because that answer was never really sought out for like by myself, by my own interest, because I've never been able to pull the pieces together to be like, this is really what I want. Um, I just always fell into the jobs that came my way. But now I'm discovering how to build this job that I want for myself.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

Okay, no, that's really good because some, you know, I think that there are moments in live, in life, especially, you know, I, you know, most of my uh viewers, they know my age. I'm 39, okay, about to hit that 40. Um, and but then come on, 31?

SPEAKER_03 18:50

30s, 30s is where it's to be 30s is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

To be in the early 30s again. What a time. What a time. No, I tell everybody, I was so excited to turn 30. I was like, hey, get me out. The 20s is is is ghetto. I do not want to do I do not want to do the 20s again. But who am I? What am I supposed to be doing?

SPEAKER_02 19:12

But the beginning of your 20s, I argue that the beginning of your 20s and the latter half of your 20s are different. Oh, because like the beginning of my 20s to me, they were exciting. I was like, I can spread my wings. And maybe again, it's because of the whole college experience for me. That's where I got to be myself, that's where I got to explore. Because high school, I was two in my head. So to me, early 20s was like, oh my God, there's so many things I could potentially do. This and that. I'm so excited. And I'm and I would just take them, right? Um, like the internship, the opportunity. And then my later 20s, I feel like that's when the little thing in my head started to pop up like, is this really what you want to do? Oh, if it's not what you want to do, do you even know what you want to do? Like, we're kind of lost, aren't we?

SPEAKER_03 19:54

And we're like 28, 29 at this point. What are we doing? Um judge.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

I think your internal, your internal voice is so strong.

SPEAKER_03 20:04

It's so strong.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

You have you have really good internal internal conversation with yourself.

SPEAKER_03 20:09

I think it's my mind.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

And you know, shout out to mom. Love you, mom. Yeah. Um, you know, I think it's so interesting. You know, I really feel like now I need to go do some internal work because when I think about the 20s, I really blob them all into like the 25 to 29 experience because it was so significant. But the 20s is where I met my

The Late 20s Wake-Up Question

SPEAKER_01 20:35

best friends. It's where I explored what it really meant to be me. It's where I changed my major from psychology to religion. And, you know, I started taking all of these different courses, and I don't give that enough credit. So, all right, I'm gonna receive that advantage.

SPEAKER_03 20:50

There's some good snippets, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Yeah, yeah. There was some good stuff in the 20s. Um, I was so excited for the 30s, though, because I think it's exactly what you were saying. In the 20s, you kind of take life as it comes because you know, you're trying to figure it out. You're doing a lot of discerning in your 20s. Like, you know, the who am I? Okay, I'm I don't think I'm supposed to be a lawyer. I think I'm supposed to do this, I think I'm supposed to move here, I think I'm supposed to, you know, this I I've moved into this new spot, but it doesn't feel like enough. I still have yeah, I still have this nagging question, right? And so you kind of you're taking things and you're like, can I can I hold on to this? Or more importantly, more importantly, will this thing hold all of me? You know, because you move from I'm trying to hold this thing to can this thing accommodate all my gifts, all my dreams, all my goals, all my talents, right? But in your 30s, I think you're so on it. You start to build. And I'm wondering because building takes a different confidence than accommodating. What has your Your early 30s taught you about confidence.

Imposter Syndrome And Dark Boxes

SPEAKER_02 22:06

Confidence in me have been have taken quite the journey to get here. Um, because like I shared with you before, imposter syndrome rained heavy on me in my 20s. Oh Lord, talk about it. And and it was crazy because I've always been very outgoing and very vocal about interests and things and opinions, like opinions like, oh, I don't know, just like how can we better the world, right? Um, and so in my 20s, I tried to better the world to some capacity, but imposter syndrome was still very prevalent in me. Like I didn't know how I could better the world and how I could make the world a better place. Yes, I'm saying the same thing, make the world a better place. But I was like, I know I can do it. I just don't know how. And so in my 20s, a lot of people kind of like believed I could before I could. And that was a sticky situation because it was hard for me to accept it. It was hard for me to be like, I don't, I really don't see what you're seeing. I just think we could make the world a better place, but I don't get why you also believe in me and my capability of doing that. So I was struggling for quite some time in my 20s to like own what it is I'm trying to do in the world. And now in my 30s, I think the shift for me that has allowed for me to be more confident was honestly how dark it got in my 20s by not by not accepting myself. So in my 30s, I told myself, like, if I continue doing what I did in my 20s, which was not accept myself, not give myself the space to try, then this isn't gonna, this isn't gonna, 30s aren't gonna go well. Like it's just gonna be kind of sad, you know. Like I'm getting a little teary thinking about it because I'm like, yeah, if I don't try to give myself the okay and the permission to try things, what else do I have? More of the box, more of the limits. So you got me to cry, Jaquita.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

Oh no, listen, this is the first tear pulled on the second act.

SPEAKER_03 24:15

Um I'm an emotional person though, so this was bound to happen.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

No, no, let it all out, girl. Let it all out. Uh you you you you are bringing forth some imagery that I just can't ignore. The box being a dark place, right? I think when we think about breaking out of the box, you know, a lot of us focus on the excitement of finally bursting through and getting out, but we don't think about the time that we spent stuck in in a dark place, right? And darkness looks, it looks different for for all of us, right? Like we've all had situations that created that place of I I have got to find the light in my life. And I love that it's the imagery of the box, is that, you know, because I don't know how many of y'all have had to move and had to pack your stuff up. Okay, but when you pack a box, you go and you get that heavy duty tape, okay, and you're taping that box down like three, four times. Like my stuff is not gonna fall out of this box, right? And a lot of times we create those boxes ourselves because we're like, this box keeps me safe. This box, I know what to expect in this box, I know how to live in this box, I know how to navigate this box, right? I'm really, really familiar with the box, but the box is also dark. Once you tape that lid down, it's dark in there, right? And so I'm I'm I'm seeing us beginning to come to an intermission, right? And and for the second act, those of us on the second act, the intermission is where when you think about a stage, right? When you're on the stage, the lights are up. When you go into the intermission, you're in the back in the dark, right? But it's also the place where you start having real conversation with your creator and and real conversation with, hey, excuse me, I'd like to talk to the writer of the script, okay? I'd like to talk to the person who is responsible for producing this production, okay? I wanna, I need to have a one-on-one moment because there are some things that happened in this first act, okay, and I need I need understanding because I want the the next place that I'm going into, I want it to look absolutely uh, I want some resolution, right? I want, I want, I want the the places that I felt stuck. Sorry, I don't use this word as much usually, but because you're here, right? The places that I feel stuck in, the places where I feel like the lid has been taped down on me, right? Like when when I come back on this stage, I'm ready to go after it. I'm I'm ready to I'm ready to get to it. When when would you say was that moment for you where you felt like you were at an intermission where you had a a one-on-one conversation with yourself, the creator, all the things?

Intermission Moments And January 1 Reset

SPEAKER_02 27:24

January 1st of 2026. Girl, that was because I made it a goal. Because I told myself, like, okay, if this is not the reality that I want, then I need to put steps in place to get out of here. What do I do? It looks like taking my content seriously, because to me, my podcast is the way that I can help people. So I was like, okay, we'll start slow. One podcast a month, one um post on Instagram a week. I made my metrics so slow because I was just coming out of such a dark box. And at the beginning of my podcast journey six years ago, I was posting five episodes a week, four episodes. Like I had so many series. I was, this is why I think my early 20s were so great. I was just like, oh, I have so many ideas and the limits are endless. But then again, the voice got loud at some point. I let it take over. And so yeah, January 1st, literally was when I was like, I need to take it slow because confidence is built slowly and it's not built overnight. That's one of the things that I've learned. Yeah. Um, and so I gave myself the time to slowly build trust with myself by posting once a month and once a week on Instagram.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Okay, wait, you're saying buzzwords and they're sticking out to me. You said confidence is built slowly.

Confidence As Action And Small Goals

SPEAKER_01 28:50

What has building that confidence looked like for you?

SPEAKER_02 28:54

It looks like action. It doesn't look like I think before I used to think confidence was, I don't know, putting on a good outfit and and just being like, okay, I'm gonna go. Yeah, yeah. And it there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with that. But it doesn't, I need to test something. And so to me, it was like, okay, you have a goal of posting one episode a month. Can you do it? You did it. Great. You can trust in yourself again. Like it's it's that like do a small goal. And then trust me, there was a month I didn't post and I wasn't beating myself up about it because I understood that like I set my own cadence when the in when the confidence is internal, I can I can make the cadence, right? And I could be like, okay, I didn't do it. What went wrong? And let's actually like come up with the plan as opposed to just going off of the feeling or going off of whatever. Like I was very action-oriented at the beginning of the year.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

I love this relationship that you've drawn between confidence and trust, right? Like that you have you're becoming more confident because you're learning to trust your own good. And I I just recently, and by recently I mean today, I had a moment where, and uh shout out to producer Joy, who had a 6 a.m. conversation with me. I love you, Joy. Um, but I had a moment, listen, we out here, we out here killing the game, okay? We out here working hard. But I had a moment where because I didn't trust myself, I didn't trust who I was, I didn't trust the decision that I needed to make. I didn't trust that I didn't trust that everyone else would see the leader in me and understand why I had to make decisions that I had to make for the greater good. Um, and so because I didn't trust myself, my lack of confidence led me to two hours of indecision. You know, it let and it and when you don't when you lack trust in yourself, you will move less and less. You will take less and less action. And you cannot build the confidence to move forward without having an internal trust that, okay, the I know who God created me to be, I know what he put inside of me, and I know what he's called me to do. And I'm gonna trust that. I'm gonna trust it when it's not popular, I'm gonna trust it when I look crazy, I'm gonna trust it when other people don't understand, but but I have to ground my confidence

Validation Fades When Trust Grows

SPEAKER_01 31:28

in my own trust in who God made me to be.

SPEAKER_02 31:32

Yeah, yeah. And it's really tru and this sounds so corny, but it's truly trusting the process that you have to do. Because another difference in my confidence now and the lack of confidence I had before was before when I got excited about something and other people weren't, I'd be like, oh, is this the right thing? Maybe it's not a good idea. Maybe it's like the lack of validation would affect me. Now, like that Thursday accountability group that I do, I don't care if one person shows up and they don't show up again. I don't care, like it's okay because the reason why I'm hosting it is not for people to validate if it the reason I'm hosting it is for the right person to show up. And I trust in myself and my ability to lead those sessions that like I know what I'm saying is gonna resonate with someone.

SPEAKER_04 32:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:26

Obviously, if if no one shows up, okay, I maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I'm not like before, where if a couple people disagreed, I'd be like, oh, maybe my idea is bad. Maybe I need to, you know, completely pivot, even though I was on the right path.

SPEAKER_01 32:39

Mm-hmm. No, because girl, now you ministering to me, you really talking to me. Because I'm I'm telling you like that, and I was just telling someone today, because again, you know, I'm about to be 40. And let me tell you, holler at me when you get to the later 30s, okay? And we'll we'll have a chit chat. But you know, I I'm recognizing that there is a I am moving from a place where I got to tag along behind people and be their second and use their authority and their wisdom and their name and their power and just stand behind them and go, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. And and now I'm the person in the forefront. That is, I went from having to learn to trust myself to being the one that is trusted. And it's such a it's such a critical shift in the way that I navigate how I build relationships, how I build an understanding of, okay, guys, this is the way forward, like being the visionary, because if I lack trust in myself, I'm not gonna inspire anybody else to trust in me. And people don't trust in you because you're right. They, you know what I'm saying? Like they trust in you because you're proven to be steady, you're proven to be reliable. Like we know consistent, we know the consistent results that we can get from you, right? And so And that, yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 34:07

And that right there is also confidence, like the matured version of confidence, being able to realize that like consistency is the answer and not being right every time. I think before when the confidence came from outside of me, it was like, oh, I didn't do well this one time, so I should stop. And it's like, no, when we're, I'm gonna call it matured confidence, when we're going through a matured confidence, it's like, okay, we're gonna show up and we're gonna understand that not each time it's gonna be perfect. It's just a couple of those times, but it's the reps that are important as opposed to the perfection in each one.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

What are you currently getting your reps in on now?

SPEAKER_02 34:45

The so the posting schedule has increased three times or threefold. So I'm posting three reels a week and I'm posting four episodes a month. So that alone has pushed me to be like, okay, I'm really in it. I'm really trying to serve my audience because the person I'm trying to help in my podcast is a person trying to um create impact in the world and then connect with their community. So by committing to more time, it's forcing me to get deeper into that person's problems so that I'm showing up to help them stay unstuck, to help them stay consistent.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Oh,

Vulnerability Online Without Performing

SPEAKER_01 35:26

I love that. Okay, so you and I I want y'all to know, you know, I've been telling everybody if you are around me at any point, I'm like, you know, I'm trying to be a content creator. Okay, so I went from posting nothing. Like if you look on my my Instagram page for like the last three years, it is nothing but unlearned podcast episodes. Because I wasn't really in my birthday picture, because I always come through with a nice little birthday picture. With the birthday picture. The birthday pic, okay, celebrate, you know. But for years, I because I just kind of became disenchanted with with posting. And also there there becomes this need to like really feel like I need to draw in. Like, and and you know, one of the things that I really learned from podcasting, um, and that I had to learn, and I actually learned from Joy and the other Unlearned Podcast host, Ruth Abigail, um, was that it's okay to be vulnerable. And that's and because I am not, I am, I'm a very vulnerable person in person. Like if we're talking, I want you to have all of my story so that it can help you. But on these internet streets, in these internet streets, and where I see y'all constantly, yeah, I see y'all constantly coming for the folks, okay, and using something that they said casually 10 years ago, okay, and cancel culture is real, but even more so than cancel culture, there is a piece of my ego that doesn't want people to associate me with the bad parts of my story or with the struggle points. You know, you want to be for a lot of us, we go through the season where you want to be identified by what you do well. And I have had to learn through podcasting, putting all my business in these internet streets, uh, and I'm still I'm still listening I'm still growing in it. Y'all ain't getting all the business. Okay. Yeah, I can't, I can't give it all to you. But but like really learning how to give more because it's needed, you know, and your podcast is creating a space. So when when we talk about vulnerability, right? And because podcasts opens you up, right? And talking and talking to people about being unstuck and moving from one level to the next and and keeping them accountable, like that. I don't think we always count the cost for ourselves. So what has opening yourself up in these internet streets, what has that, what has that taught you?

SPEAKER_02 38:10

Yeah, um, what has it taught me? Well, I've never been nervous to do it because I've always thought of the person who maybe needs someone to relate to. So I'm okay with putting something vulnerable out there because I'm like, I'm worried about the person who feels alone, who needs to hear something. So what I've learned, luckily, is no one's come at me by being vulnerable. Um, and that's something that's in our heads. I feel like when people are being authentic and not performing, like you're not being vulnerable for the sake of getting like attention. You're just being vulnerable because truly you're like, this is something I went through. I don't want someone to feel alone. This is what helped. Hopefully it helps you as well. Um, I think people will understand that you're being genuine and be like, I'm not gonna judge that person for sharing this piece of information about themselves. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I feel like they just take it differently, it's perceived differently. Um, but yeah, being vulnerable on the internet has always, yeah, my experience has always been different. I think it was the feeling alone after my parents got divorced that made me more open to people on the internet because I was like, I don't know who to talk to.

SPEAKER_03 39:25

So let me just share information with people I don't know. Um, and in hopes that no one feels alone.

SPEAKER_01 39:33

But I love how you drew that connection, that that like a pain point became a purpose point. Right. I I I love that. I love that a hard moment, like, you know, sorry, I'm again, I'll tell you, I'll tell y'all who I am up front. I told you I was a religion major. I told you that I got a master divinity. I don't hide who I am. Okay, but I I had the image of Jacob resting his head on a hard rock, you know, and being in a hard place, but that was where he saw opportunity, right? That was where the heavens opened and he saw the ladder coming down from heaven and the angels ascending up and down. And I and I think it's our hard places that open up our seasons for us that open that open up the box. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Yeah. Absolutely. And it's a lot of what I talk about in my podcast. I feel like a lot of our purpose, a lot of the impact that we're here to make is being able to once we get through our own dark tunnels and we've seen the light and we have like hope and we have joy again, and we found um our connection to just God. I think once we get to that point, it's very important to help people that are still not seeing the light in the tunnel and that we're showing up for them, even if it's not like getting them out of it, but providing them resources, right? So like maybe they can't get out of it yet, but maybe we can donate to causes or give back to something because maybe that leads them a little closer to like some light at the end of their tunnel. We can't force the light, but we can definitely support getting to that tunnel.

SPEAKER_01 41:08

Like I love that. And uh I'm I'm sorry, I'm still with this box imagery, right? Yeah. Because I'm I'm seeing creating connections as a place that is taking the lid off for people, right? And and helping them to break out of dark places, yeah, and create the dots. Yes, yes, yes, yes, connect the dots for sure. What in this next season? Because I before we we uh went live on the air, um, we're not live on the air, but we are live for recording. You know what? I love doing live stuff. We should do something live one day. Um that'd be

Press Down To Launch Into Growth

SPEAKER_01 41:50

fun. Yeah, but I I'm wondering in this next season, because I told you before we we we came on that you can really sense that like you are on the verge of something, right? Like you are you're on a launch pad, right? You know, like and when you're on a launch pad, you know, like you you have to press down and put pressure on where you are so that it can release you into something. And and what you're doing right now is you're you are applying pressure, right? And and you can see it, yeah, like you can see it like in in her post. And and again, I think I was gonna say it earlier. If you're wondering why I'm posting more, it's because Magdalena told me that I am the content, okay, and that I need to just post more of my journey and stop making it such a big deal. And so I got out of my head and I just started posting, which has been a fun time. So everywhere I go, I tell people, hold on, I gotta get this picture. I'm a content creator, okay? Uh, and I'll tell a funny story in a moment. But um, but you are you are applying pressure, right? And and you can really tell, like since January 1st, 2026, right? That you came out of that moment really, really clear about something, right? Like when the curtain raised to your second act, you were like, okay, I think I know, I think I know. I may not know the totality of where I'm going, but I know that I'm called in this moment to to press down right here so that I can so that I can launch forward. Um and that's such a that's such a critical place to be because there's a lot of people who feel stuck and and in our minds we're thinking, I gotta escape, right? Like I gotta get out of here. Like I gotta go do the new thing or be in the new city or be in the new relationship or be in the new place, right? But there's something really, really intentional about taking what you have, taking what's already in your hand, what you've already been introduced to, and moving that from impact to influence, right? And pressing down on it. Until it becomes something. And I'm wondering, now that you're in the season where you're like, all right, I'm I'm I'm giving it all I got, what is your hope for what is going to come of the thing that you're building?

SPEAKER_02 44:18

Growth. And growth to me is defined right now by getting more clarity on the people I want to serve and how I'm going to serve them. So what I love about the confidence that I have right now is that I do not know what this job I'm creating for myself. And I'm just calling it a job because it's just like what I would like to do full time. Um I don't know. Yes, I don't know what it's gonna be, but I know what I want it to look like. And I'm doing those steps now, and I'm just putting so much, so much action out there. So it's interviewing, it's podcasting, it's creating content, it's understanding how people um just really becoming an expert and helping people create impact. What does that look like, right? What does that look like in this digital age? There's so many ways you can create impact in this digital age. And I would argue it's the reason why people should all be doing it because it's so much more accessible and our reach is a lot wider. Um and so I'm just learning to become an expert in how to not just motivate people, but truly help them in their particular journey. If you want to create impact for something to do with immigration, what does that look like? What steps exist? If you want to create impact with starting a skincare line, because that resonates with you and that creates impact in your own world, what does that look like? Like I want to know it all. And so I'm a student right now. I'm learning as much as I can, but I'm not letting learning stop me from posting because putting out what it is you want to do is very important and calling in what's next. So by learning, I'm by learning, I'm also, you know, taking people along the ride. I'm hosting these Thursday meetups, telling them what I'm doing, what's working, what's not, seeing what's working for them. Um, and just really grinding right now because I know the more effort that I put towards it, the more clarity will come. Like that's all I know. Although I don't know what the end vocation is called, it doesn't matter because I just know these actions are gonna multiply.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

Hold on, girl, because you hit me with something and it's gonna change

Learn While You Produce Your Way

SPEAKER_01 46:46

my life. And I need to make sure that the audience does not miss it. I don't let learning stop me from basically producing. And I am a person, I'm not, I tell, you know, the people closest to me know I'm not a great multitasker. Like if you're on the phone with me and I'm reading something and you're talking, I didn't hear anything you said. Um because I'm reading, I cannot read and hear at the same time, right? If if I am if I am eating something, I am fully like, man, this chips and salsa is delicious. And I I might have missed that really important thing that you told me. But I and I have, I um, if anybody, if you know strength finders, right? Like my top strength is input. So like I love like learning and gaining information. But then I get to points where I'm like, all right, you've learned enough. Mm-hmm. That's enough. Taking it in, right? You got you gotta produce, you gotta push out, right? And I think a lot of us, what you I think a lot of us think of it like a cycle, like I learn, then I produce, and then I learn and I produce. But what you're saying is that they can walk together. That you can that you can learn as you produce, and that neither one of those energies have to prevent the other from flourishing. Me producing does not stop me from learning, and me learning doesn't stop me from producing.

SPEAKER_02 48:18

Because I think when you do that, you create a very unique path for yourself. So, what I mean by that is like before I would learn, and then I think when you learn something and you go to apply it after, you almost apply it the same way everybody else does. You're like, okay, I need to be a more productive human being. I learned that it takes waking up early, drinking a whole glass of water, um, hitting the gym, then showering, then doing an ice plunge, and then doing all these things. Okay, now I'm gonna go do it. I go do it for a couple days and then it doesn't stick. I feel like when you learn and when you apply, you create your own version of it. And that's when like your real unlocks happen. That's when you're like, oh, I love this and I'm gonna apply this. And I created something new, even though, yeah, I created a morning habit, but it's not the morning habit that worked for somebody else. It's the morning habit that worked for me. I feel like that's what happens when you do both at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 49:17

Oh, that's so stinking good. Because I I think you are saying exactly, I told you we're gonna change my life because that's a lesson I I desperately need. Um, but I I think that that when we commit only to learning and not producing, a lot of times we create repeated paths, just like you said, where it's like, okay, whatever I learned, I just repeat and replicate and move forward, right? But you have a purpose and a destiny and a call and an assignment. You have light to shed that is yours, that is yours to give, right? Like when we talk about not hiding our light under a bushel, a lot of times the bushel that we're hiding under is the shadows of other people's success and other people's understanding and what other people have have have given us and endeavored, but there comes a point where you have to take the shade off and allow your light to really shine. I got like five lights on in here right now, right? Like, right, I'm again I'm a content creator. I told y'all, right? But but there comes a point where you have to take yourself, you have to figure out what have I been under that has prevented my light from shed from spreading from from from really impacting and really shedding on all of the areas that I'm called to, right? There's something that has been keeping me, not that my light isn't turned on, but there's a shade on it that only allows the light to go in in this one little area when I'm called for greater impact. And what you're what you just spoke to me that I'm gonna take with me is that you have to find systems and a rhythm that allow you to that allow you to shine in a way where you're uninhibited.

SPEAKER_02 51:22

Correct. You have to trust that as you're learning, you can already apply.

SPEAKER_01 51:28

That's good. That is that that's really good. Hope y'all heard that because that was really good. Um I'm I'm so I'm so excited about where you're going and what else is inside of you to do because I really feel like you've only just started scratching the surface of it, right? Like, and and and I feel that for a lot of people, but for you specifically, I feel like because you are you locked in on it, right? January 1st, 2026, right? And when I met you, I think that was what July like 3rd, it was right, yeah, July 2nd. It was right before 4th of July. When I met you, it was let's go. Like, like we were both like, we're taking all of this information and we are and doing something. Yeah. Yeah. Because we're we had already gotten to the point where we were willing to do the work. All we needed was that little spark that said, okay, you're you already put the you already, uh, there's a scripture in the Bible that says put the wood in order, right? You've already uh you've already started assembling the logs, you already got all the necessary ingredients together, you've already done the work of bringing everything to the right place. And all we needed was that little spark. And we're like, okay, as long as I can keep this going, right? As long as I can keep this thing lit, okay, we out. It's on. It's on, you know, and there is something watching your content and seeing what you're doing on your page, that's exactly what I see every time I see you post. I'm like, oh, it's on. Like, like that light is it's shining and it's growing because you you're continuing to feed it. And I think that's another thing we do when you get one big infusion, you're like, man, I can eat off of that for a while. But if you're actually doing the work, you are using up the energy that and you have to keep you have to keep eating, right? Like you have to keep learning you in order to grow, you have to keep bringing something in, but it's gonna help you to put something greater out. And um I really, I really see that with you, friend. I I really see I see the output, but and when I see output, when I see great output, I know that there's great input. Um and the point of the second act is for people to really understand what you know they're they're seeing you post, they're seeing, hey, Magdalena got meetups.

SPEAKER_03 54:00

Oh yeah, she's been doing this, she's great, she's another one. Yeah, like yeah, no, she's yeah, she's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 54:06

And she always believed in herself, and she was always confident and imposter syndrome, only I struggle with that. And it's and and taking people, if you would, because this is the second act, taking people behind the curtain and really allowing them to see, like, you know, I I had to figure this out. And I had to, I had to learn to trust myself. I had to believe that I not only did I have to trust myself, I had to believe that what I had was worth something. Right? That's when we started investing in ourselves was when we looked at it and we was like, you know what? This might be worth something.

SPEAKER_02 54:43

Yeah, and allow it to be baby steps. Yeah. Allow it to be baby steps because sometimes you're just in such a dark place where you're like, it's gotta go big or go home. And it's like, no, you can take some baby steps and it's gonna work out and it's fine, you know? Like just get yourself out of that mental mental space.

SPEAKER_01 55:01

I

Where To Find Magdalena And Final Charge

SPEAKER_01 55:02

absolutely love it. Okay, Magdalena, tell the people where they can find you, where they can listen to you, and all the things.

SPEAKER_02 55:11

All right, so creating connections pod on Instagram and then creating connections with Magdalena on Spotify.

SPEAKER_01 55:20

Okay, perfect. So creating connections pod on Instagram. And then what was it on Spotify again?

SPEAKER_02 55:28

Creating connections with Magdalena.

SPEAKER_01 55:30

Yes, and we will also have those things linked. Uh, one last word of encouragement slash advice that you want to give the people.

SPEAKER_02 55:41

Yeah, actually, it kind of popped into my head as you were speaking because I know I talked about how I have this new level of confidence and I dealt with imposter syndrome in in the past. But one thing I want to share is that even though I dealt with it in the past and I'm more confident now, it can still return. And that's okay because it has. And when it when it returns, what's interesting is I don't let it stop me anymore, but I do observe it and I'm like, oh, what's actually happening here? Why am I nervous again? Why do I, you know, why is the voice big in my head again? And I'm kinder to myself because I realize that I can get myself out of it. But all that to say is it doesn't mean you're gonna stop dealing with the voice in your head or any of that, but you will be stronger at moving forward from that situation.

SPEAKER_01 56:33

I love it. I love it. It may come back, but you are equipped, right? You are ready to deal with it. You're you're ready. Yes. And I think that's that is listen, I think that that is the theme of your story right now. Is I'm ready. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_02 56:51

I'm ready.

SPEAKER_01 56:52

I'm ready. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 56:54

I'm gonna make myself ready because I'm it's time.

SPEAKER_01 56:57

It's time. It's time. I'm oh girl, I'm ready because it's time. That's gonna be the that's gonna be the title of the episode. We just found it. I've been searching for it. I'm ready because it's time. Oh, girl, that's good. I like that. Okay, listen, friends, listen. I want you to go follow Magdalena on all the things. She's absolutely phenomenal. She's building something. Get in on the ground floor, don't wait till she's big. All right, get in now so you can be one of the day ones, okay? Uh, and you can say, I was there the year where everything popped off. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 57:32

2026.

SPEAKER_01 57:33

2026. That was the year where it all popped off. Um, so listen, guys, I want you all, as you are continuing to endeavor through your journeys, as you are continuing to understand who you are and what you're called to, I want you to make sure that you don't get stuck in the intermission. You, yes, you can raise the curtain to your second act. Okay. I'm so excited to see what you all do with all of the great information that's shared here. Like, share, subscribe, and we'll see you next time. Bye, friends. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 58:15

Thank you once again for listening to the Unlearned Podcast. We would love to hear your comments and your feedback about the episode. Feel free to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and to let us know what you think. We're looking forward to the next time when we are able to unlearn together to move forward towards freedom. See you then.