Rhonda Swan 0:11

Welcome back to the Rhonda Swan Show New York edition. We've been hanging out here in the Big Apple, not only in Times Square billboards, but also at the New York Stock Exchange, and now we're sitting right here in the New York studio, and I have a guest today that I'm really excited for you to meet. In fact, if you are a woman that is looking for not only mentorship or someone that has been there and done the work and created not only a business but also now is willing to give back their time, then this is going to be the episode for you. My guest today is Manuela Mejia Escobar. In fact, she is a Latina woman that is from Colombia. That is a entrepreneur that has literally built herself from nothing to now something, and she is ready to give back to others and show them exactly what she's done and utilizing her support, so I want to welcome right now, Manuela. Thank you for coming to the show.

Manuela Mejia 1:05

Hi, thank you for inviting me.

Rhonda Swan 1:08

It's so great to have you here. I love, I love what you do. Can you share a little bit about your journey and how you got to where you are now with your not only your nail business but now helping other women build theirs.

Manuela Mejia 1:23

I started to work very young. I didn't have money or help, but I had passion, the most important thing. And I start to learn about nails, makeup, and little by little, I start to I started to yeah my own income

Rhonda Swan 1:45

yeah I well I I love what you're doing um not only with your nail business right but like helping women expand their beauty brands and working with other women now because your business has been successful and so how are you now working with other women to build their businesses and their brands. The

Manuela Mejia 2:03

mostly women are waiting for the perfect moment to start.

Rhonda Swan 2:11

Yeah,

Manuela Mejia 2:12

and so I want to help them, guide them.

Rhonda Swan 2:17

Yeah,

Manuela Mejia 2:18

To believe,

Rhonda Swan 2:23

yeah, believing in themselves, yeah, yeah. It's really challenging, I think, when you see women that have so much possibility and potential, and they're afraid. Were you supported when you were younger with your family? Like, who supported you? How did you get so confident to build a business?

Manuela Mejia 2:40

No, I didn't have help for

Rhonda Swan 2:48

like family for

Manuela Mejia 2:49

my family and teachers and anybody

Rhonda Swan 2:53

yeah

Manuela Mejia 2:54

because my family my parents want I have other career different career, but now they they are support supporting me.

Rhonda Swan 3:08

Yeah, supporting. Yeah,

Manuela Mejia 3:09

yeah, supporting

Rhonda Swan 3:11

me. And and so you, they had other ideas for you.

Speaker 2 3:14

Yes,

Rhonda Swan 3:15

and you said no.

Manuela Mejia 3:17

No, because when I was young, my mom always touch me to have a good image.

Rhonda Swan 3:27

Yeah, good image. Oh right. Yeah. Okay, Latina. So is that like part of the culture?

Manuela Mejia 3:31

Yeah. Right. So I have the yeah. So always when when I was very very little, I don't know. I have six year. My mom always beg to the manicurist to go to home to come.

Rhonda Swan 3:48

Yeah, come to the home. Yeah, yeah,

Manuela Mejia 3:49

to make the nails, my nails, and for my tooth also for my mom, my dad, my grandma. So always, I I was very happy when I I want

Rhonda Swan 4:07

with yeah when they're doing your nails. Yeah.

Manuela Mejia 4:09

So I I didn't study about nails.

Rhonda Swan 4:13

Ah. I just start

Manuela Mejia 4:14

to watch the that woman and watching TV videos on YouTube.

Rhonda Swan 4:22

Really, that's how you learned. Yes. And how young were you? How old when you started your like doing not only nails because then you have built a business.

Manuela Mejia 4:32

I I think when I was 12 year.

Rhonda Swan 4:35

Okay. Yeah.

Manuela Mejia 4:36

Old, but in an in an I start in my school with

Rhonda Swan 4:43

doing your other girlfriends.

Manuela Mejia 4:45

Yes, in my free time, also with my teachers.

Rhonda Swan 4:49

You were doing your teachers' nails.

Rhonda Swan 4:52

Did they pay you?

Manuela Mejia 4:53

The teacher, not my classmate. Yes.

Rhonda Swan 4:58

Okay, so you built it.

Manuela Mejia 5:00

But I was very happy with that because I was I I felt happy when I was doing that.

Rhonda Swan 5:07

Yeah, and so now it's your business is in and you are now and you do a lot of nail art. I know that's something that's very unique of the work that you do, and because now your business has been successful, you're now giving back to other women that want to build the same beauty brands or their own nail salons. Is that is that correct?

Speaker 3 5:30

Yeah,

Rhonda Swan 5:30

yeah. And and what is something that you are excited about when you're helping other women?

Manuela Mejia 5:40

Because I want, I want that women believe in their passion.

Rhonda Swan 5:51

Yeah, yeah, and and to be able to help other women build something with your like experiences, your coaching and your guidance now,

Manuela Mejia 6:03

because it's very important to have a mentor,

Rhonda Swan 6:06

yeah,

Manuela Mejia 6:06

a person who guide to them,

Rhonda Swan 6:11

yeah.

Manuela Mejia 6:11

For example, my parents didn't want to to support to me, but because They they they was only thinking I'm going to fix nail, but I was thinking a little bit more bigger to have business.

Rhonda Swan 6:35

And and what do they say now? They say okay.

Manuela Mejia 6:38

They support to meet everything because they feel very, very happy and and proud of me.

Rhonda Swan 6:49

Yeah. Do you have sisters?

Manuela Mejia 6:52

I have a twin.

Rhonda Swan 6:55

You have a twin. Oh, that's right, a twin brother.

Manuela Mejia 6:57

Yeah.

Rhonda Swan 6:98

Yeah. And so, how was it as a young person? How was it growing up with your family? And were you, you know, always doing something that you shouldn't do? Like, how was your relationship with your family, your brother, growing up?

Manuela Mejia 7:16

I think it is is is perfect because they they learn from me because and show showing them the different things. I wanted to be an example for my family.

Rhonda Swan 7:37

Yeah, and you're doing that, and you're showing other women to do the same thing. Well, I'm really excited for you. Thank you also for being here and being so brave, because I know this is your first interview in English, and you did so well. It's not easy. I could never speak Spanish, be interviewed, and speak Spanish. So I want you to know how amazing this was, and it's such a great example for women that are watching, especially those that may decide to work with you. How courageous it is to be afraid and to be nervous and to do it anyways. So thank you, muchas gracias for being here. Yeah, for being here and the work that you're doing, and I'm also excited. I know you're going to share your story in one of the chapters in our new book, Leadership for Women. Is sharing your story so that other women globally around the world can learn what it takes to start and to keep going, even if you're afraid. So thank you again for being here.

Manuela Mejia 8:39

Thank you. Yeah.

Rhonda Swan 8:40

Thank you. Well, there you go. Imagine being the first time on an interview, not speaking your native language, but taking a stand for women around the world on what does it take to just go for it, to be afraid, and to still have passion for what you love. And that's what Manuela is doing. And I'm so excited for not only you to follow her, but also to follow the journey of when that book launches at the end of this year. Manola's story is going to be part of that, along with 25 other amazing women that didn't know what they were doing, but they did it anyways. They did it scared, but they did it with passion. So thank you so much for being here on this episode, and I can't wait to see you now. In the next editions, we'll be going back to LA and filming this next week with some unbelievable stories. Thanks again! Don't forget to bandstoppel and stay wild.