Personal growth is something I am extremely passionate about. After spending ten years doing interviews with people at the top of their fields — from the arts to science to sports- I noticed that these super achievers had many things in common from their ability to be self-aware of their potential to their daily habits and need to give back.
As a part of our series about “dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gaby Natale.
Gaby Natale is a triple Daytime EMMY® winner, TV personality, bestselling author and motivational speaker. She is the executive producer and host of the nationally-syndicated TV show SuperLatina on PBS’ VME network.
One of the most prestigious media personalities in Spanish-language television, Natale is among a few women in the entertainment industry who owns not only the rights to her TV show but also a television studio. This unique situation has allowed her to combine her passion for media and her entrepreneurial spirit.
People magazine named Natale one of 2018’s “25 Most Powerful Latinas”, highlighting the inspirational story of how she went from a local TV show that started out of a carpet warehouse to becoming the only Latina in US history to win triple back-to-back Daytime EMMYs. Her popularity grew even further when her first book, “The Virtuous Circle” by HarperCollins, became an instant bestseller, topping Amazon’s New Releases charts in 3 different categories (Business, Inspiration and Self-Help).
Natale is also the founder of AGANARmedia, a marketing company with a focus on Hispanic audiences that serves Fortune 500 companies such as Hilton Worldwide, Sprint, AT&T, eBay and Amazon. In the digital world, she has a thriving fan base with over 52 million views on YouTube and 250K+ followers on Social Media.
In 2019, Natale launched Welcome All Beauty, her own hairpiece and extension line dedicated to women who need to be camera-ready on the go.
A tireless advocate of gender and diversity issues, Natale is a sought-after bilingual speaker and a frequent collaborator with nonprofits such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign and Voto Latino. She has keynoted conferences from the United Nations to tech shows and trade gatherings across the US and Latin America. Natale has been featured in Forbes, CNN, Buzzfeed, NBC News, Univision and Latino Leaders magazine. She is the recipient of NALIP’s Digital Trailblazer Award and of a GLAAD Media Award nomination for her portrayal of Latino LGBTQ youth in media.
Natale holds a bachelor’s in International Relations and a master’s degree in Journalism from the University of San Andres and Columbia University. Prior to starting her career in television, Natale taught Communication and Journalism courses at the University of Texas. Originally from Argentina, Natale holds triple citizenship from the United States, Argentina and Italy and has lived in London (UK), Mexico, Washington DC and Buenos Aires.
Thank you so much for joining us gaby! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?
My name is Gaby Natale; I am a 3-time EMMY award-winning journalist, author, speaker, and entrepreneur. I am originally from Argentina, where I graduated in 2001 with a Master’s Degree in Journalism ready to take over the world but had to face the harsh reality of graduating in a country that had a record 20% unemployment rate, a severe economic crisis, and an unstable political landscape that led us to have five presidents in ten days.
I endured almost two years of unemployment without much hope of a better future. One day I volunteered to work pro bono as a helper at an international marketing conference. A few hours into that day, we learned that the translator had canceled last minute. I was bilingual and asked to replace her. To make a long story short, I translated for a delegation of professors from George Washington University that would eventually end up offering me telework -first- and a full-time position — many months later- in their PR agency. I went from unemployed in Buenos Aires to public relations executive in Washington DC in a matter of months. That’s why I believe you should always bring your ‘A’ game to work even if you are doing something pro bono. The truth is you never know when opportunity will knock on your door.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am working on many exciting projects. I just launched my first product line. It is called Welcome All Beauty, and it’s the first hair extension line with a focus on women’s productivity. Every single style is carefully crafted to be done in five minutes or less without professional help or special hairstyling skills. 21st-century women are achieving incredible things, but they are also time deprived like no other generation before.
The idea came when I was doing a book tour and realized that I was spending a lot of time and money on getting my hair ready for keynotes, TV interviews, or meet and greets. I felt that there should be a better way than spending 40 plus minutes in front of hairstyling tools. I was a frustrated customer who could not find the product she needed. So, I decided to create it!
Our Welcome All Beauty clients are using our hair solutions all of the time to look great in just a few minutes…from business meetings to destination weddings to right after showering post workouts! They realize that our hair solutions give them back 3–4 extra hours per week. By streamlining their hair routines, they now have more time for what’s meaningful in their lives.
In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?
We truly care. We want our projects to be an authentic expression of what we want to put into the world, and we want to do it with excellence. We apply this principle to whatever we do, whether it is a TED talk or a hair extension line that will boost women’s productivity by allowing them to be ready-to-go in five minutes. I am convinced that a job done with love will never go unnoticed.
Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?
Absolutely! I just finished a TED talk that was exactly about that. It is called “PIONEER: How to be what you can’t see,” and it’s all about believing in your vision even BEFORE you have the results to validate it.
As an immigrant Latina, I frequently encounter people who want to put me in a box. Accentism — the perception that certain accents are inferior to others — is very real in today’s world. Even to this day, I come across people who mistakenly assume that I am uneducated only because English happens to be my second language. That’s C-R-A-Z-Y! It makes no sense. But if I believed someone else’s low expectations about me, they would become self-fulfilling prophecies.
Let me give you a personal example of people trying to put you in a box.
I started my media career in local news when I was in my twenties. As an aspiring journalist, one of my greatest hopes was to share who I was with the audience authentically.
But it soon became very clear that as a young Latina working on camera the industry had only two types of media personas that I could embody: the sexy reporter or the formal news anchor. The first one was only expected to navigate shallow waters. The latter was expected to trade spontaneity and individuality for authenticity.
I soon realized that if I wanted to grow in the local news sector, I would need to erase part of who I was in order to fit into one of these two stereotypes. But I didn’t want to be a ‘wannabe,’ I wanted to be me!
So to make a long story short, I quit my job to start creating authentic content for multidimensional women. We started doing a show in a local market out of a carpet warehouse. We grew to become a regional show and eventually a nationally syndicated one. We now have three Daytime EMMY awards and were the first independent production to win in our categories (including Best Talent, twice!).
But it all started with the deliberate decision to recalibrate my belief system.
In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? 🙂
I don’t even remember them. I don’t believe in doing things to prove people wrong. My motivation is my own growth.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are many. Of course, my family and my parents played a crucial role in supporting me so I would have a good education and allowing me to grow in a loving environment during my childhood and formative years. My husband is very supportive and has been a champion for me since we met almost 20 years ago.
Also, I am a big fan of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s work. He is the friend and mentor I never had the chance to meet. He is also the person I never met in real life that I cried the most for when he died. His books have been by my side since I was 16 years old. I wholeheartedly recommend his work to anyone who wants to start the journey of personal growth and development.
It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?
Starting from the bottom in a new country is a humbling experience that teaches you a lot about resilience. You don’t have the friends, family, or safety net you had back home. You can really feel that you are in a vulnerable position when you are a newcomer. Some people want to help you. Others take advantage of you.
When I first arrived in the United States, I was financially abused by my first employer. He took advantage of me, forcing me to pay for both my taxes as an employee AND his taxes as an employer. My already modest 37K gross salary shrank so fast I still don’t know how I managed to make ends meet in a city as expensive as Washington DC.
What he did was not only immoral but also illegal. But -at the time- I was in no position to demand what was fair. My job depended on an employment-based visa that his company had sponsored. And that visa allowed me to legally work and live in the United States ONLY if I was able to keep my job. Basically, I had to endure financial abuse so I would not become undocumented.
Time has passed and things have changed for the better for me. I am now a US citizen and an entrepreneur, and I have used my position to speak up for social justice in many stages from TEDx to the United Nations to the Daytime Emmys.
Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible? (Please share a story or an example for each)
Personal growth is something I am extremely passionate about. After spending ten years doing interviews with people at the top of their fields — from the arts to science to sports- I noticed that these super achievers had many things in common from their ability to be self-aware of their potential to their daily habits and need to give back.
I summarized these patterns in my upcoming book “The Virtuous Circle” which will launch in June in partnership with HarperCollins Leadership.
I am the first Latina to be signed by HarperCollins Leadership, so I am thrilled to open the doors to many more minority authors. I am joining a roster of bestselling authors such as John C. Maxwell and Rachel Hollis, so I am very happy.
Below there’s a summary of how people can use The Virtuous Circle in their own lives:
The Virtuous Circle is made up of seven archetypes that live within ourselves. Each one constitutes a phase and corresponds to a particular action. The seven archetypes and their respective actions are the dreamer (visualize), the architect (plan), the maker (execute), the apprentice (perfect), the warrior (persevere), the champion (achieve) and the leader (inspire).
1. The Dreamer: The dreamer’s stage is one of thought and visualization. It begins with the possibility of imagining something that is not yet present in reality. It represents the spark that starts The Virtuous Circle. This is the time to connect with the essence of our inner child, the one who danced happily and carelessly, without wondering how the dance steps came out or if their toddler companions had better rhythm than they did. It is an opportunity to begin to unlearn external conditioning and self-limiting thoughts in order to let our minds fly and see beyond the apparent.
2. The Architect: In this phase, an action map is created with the ideas and concepts that were born in the dreamer’s stage. It is time to make plans, evaluate options, and analyze what the best ways to bring our visions into action may be.
3. The Creator: This is where theory and reality meet. The architect’s plan is put into practice. It represents the moment in which the world returns to us a sometimes unexpected reflection: The challenges may be greater or different from those we anticipated, the skills we have may not be sufficient, or we may underestimate the time it takes to achieve our dream. We may realize that sometimes even the most “perfect” plans end up being “ferpect” and we need to reassess the next steps.
4. The Apprentice: It is time for improvement. The apprentice stage represents the moment of listening to the internal GPS that asks us to recalculate some aspect of our path to continue moving forward. Now that we’ve seen our ideas in action, it’s time to make adjustments. In the creator stage, we saw what happened when we began to put all of the plans and ideas of the architect and the dreamer into practice. Now, the apprentice has to undertake the search for excellence along the path that makes them a teacher. What talents need to continue being polished? What skills have to be learned to keep moving forward? What strategies worked, and what strategies need to be changed?
5. The Warrior: Here, our commitment to the dream is put to the test. In the apprentice stage, we improved our skills and adjusted the plan of action. Now is the time to strengthen our tenacity and resilience. We have the skills we need to achieve our goals, but the opportunity we dreamed of has not arrived yet. The frustration and the feelings of injustice for not having achieved it remain close by. The temptation to abandon our dreams is great. It’s the time for the brave, the bold, and those who keep going when others throw in the towel. We have reached the last mile of the dream, but we still don’t know it — and we constantly wonder if it’s worth so much effort. At this stage, we will learn that sustaining a dream over time requires a true warrior.
6. The Champion: The preparation and all of the work of the previous stages finally meet the opportunity we so longed for. It is time for laurels, achievements, and recognition. However, beware of success, because not all that glitters is gold. After achieving the dream, champions can lose their way, succumb to new temptations, and become a magnet for bad company.
7. The Leader: One who has become a champion and, at the same time, inspires us. The champion achieves their goal. The leader not only achieves it but goes one step further by making it something bigger than themselves. The leader not only obtains triumphs, but they also lead by example. Not all champions are leaders, but all leaders are champions.
And it is called The Virtuous Circle because with your next idea you go back to the first archetype “The Dreamer” and the process starts all over again. The Virtuous Circle is all about embracing life as an opportunity for constant learning and evolution.
What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?
“Don’t Jump to Permanent Conclusions Based on Temporary Circumstances” is one of the things I like to remind people the most. When we are feeling low or going through a bad phase, it is easy to underestimate our potential and possibilities.
When I was 23 and living in Argentina, a country with a 20% unemployment rate, I almost gave up prematurely on my dream of working in media. I almost gave up based on a circumstance that was only TEMPORARY. Time proved that the dream I almost gave up on was within my reach. That’s why we have to be very careful not to jump to permanent conclusions based on circumstances that will change.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I want to invite everyone to embrace a PIONEER SPIRIT. How does it work? It is very simple. You look around, you see what everyone else LIKE YOU is doing and you open yourself up to the possibility of doing something no one LIKE YOU has ever done before. You open yourself up to the possibility of BELIEVING IN YOUR VISION even before you have the results to validate it. You open yourself up to the possibility of becoming a PIONEER.
Because there are moments in life when you must take a leap of faith, step into the unknown and DARE TO BE FIRST.
DARE TO BE FIRST in your family, DARE TO BE FIRST in your school, DARE TO BE FIRST in your community. Because it doesn’t matter how big or small the step you are taking is… EVERY TIME YOU CHOOSE TO PIONEER, YOU MOVE THE WORLD FORWARD.
And this is a concept that is important for everyone, but it is particularly relevant for communities who have been treated as outsiders because they look, sound, love, or pray differently. And if you are reading this and you have the privilege of not having to ask yourself whether or not to pioneer, use that privilege for good. Staying on the sidelines only perpetuates the problem. BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION. We could really use more allies!
Can our readers follow you on social media?
Of course. My verified social media accounts are @GabyNatale on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. My website is www.GabyNatale.com, my beauty line is www.WelcomeAllBeauty.com and my media company is www.AganarMedia.com
Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!
Emmy Award Winner Gaby Natale: “They Told Me It Was Impossible & I Did It Anyway” was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.