who is
coach vino?

Back in the 1980's, when the rest of Bronx was burning, the only thing smoking on Arthur Avenue, was the mozzarella. This would be the backdrop of my childhood. Spending half the week with my grandparents on the troubled streets of South Bronx and the other half with my mother and step-father in the enigmatic neighborhood of Little Italy in the Bronx.

​

It was on these streets that I first cut my teeth. I didn't know it back then, but a poor Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx with my backstory wasn't supposed to make it out of the hood. As far as I was concerned, all the crime, abuse, drugs, and other forms of trauma I experienced, were just part of growing up for a kid like me. None of the Latino or black families I knew where anything like the Cosby's. Shit, even the Italian's I grew up with thought the Seaver's were "fugazi". So what hope did I have?

 

Though the odds were stacked against me and I had little in the way of role models, something in me began to think that maybe a life on the streets wasn't preordained. I started to explore the concept of the growth mindset and the potential of my best self. I was confident that if I could surround myself with like minded people, people who believed in my greatness and their own, then I could find a way to succeed. That's exactly what I would do but it wouldn't come easy. There would be a lot more pain and loss along the way but from it came great strength and wisdom. That which would serve me well in the future.

​

Though I would live many lives over the course of the first half of my life, I would eventually find myself in a successful career in the hospitality industry (thus the nickname Vino was born). It was here that I first became aware of my natural coaching chops. Over a bottle of wine or a couple glasses of whiskey, individuals from every walk of life, from wealthy Wall Street investors to barely getting by waiters, came seeking everything from advice and counsel to maybe just needing someone to listen, when no one else would. It all felt so natural and rewarding.

 

When the opportunity came to pursue coaching as a full time career, I didn't think twice. I got my certification and have since set out to help others tap into their growth mindset and realize the potential of their best selves. Since becoming a coach, I've had the good fortune of developing relationships with individuals of great significance in the worlds of coaching, spirituality, finance, psychology, mindfulness, health and other areas that have informed and nurtured both my personal growth and my coaching practice. I've successfully leveraged my life experiences, formal coaching education and numerous resources to help my clients on their path to self-improvement. Hopefully, that next client will be you. Cheers!