Story & Lesson Highlights with Christina Fuentes of Stone Mountain

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Christina Fuentes. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
These are all fabulous questions! It was hard to pick. However I will say something that is bringing me joy lately is being able to give back to my community and family. Recently I hosted a charity pickleball tournament to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (now Blood Cancer United). My brother Jordan was nominated as a Visionary of the Year and asked me to be on his team. I was honored and of course said yes! To help his fundraising campaign I decided to host a tournament. It was a lot of hard work but it was rewarding – we had a great time and turnout. I have also started volunteering at a local cat shelter. I am a big animal lover so this is something that has brought me joy and excitement.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! My name is Christina Fuentes and Atlanta has been my home now for about 10 years. I originally moved here for the film industry but in recent times have decided to redirect my focus. I moved here from the small town of Avon, New York which is outside of Rochester/Buffalo. And yes, I am a die hard Bills fans (Sabres too). I grew up in a sports family (I have two younger brothers) so I kind of didn’t have a choice. I’ve been toying around with the idea of returning to the film industry but we shall see. These days I keep busy with other creative projects. Right now I am working hard to publish and launch my first book. It is a self-help book that has been a labor of love and am very proud to share it with the world. These past several years my mental health took a little bit of a toll and am continually each day finding my glow (a nod to the name :-)) I wanted to share my story while motivating and inspiring others to never give up on yourself, you are your greatest investment! I am also working on talking points as I will be speaking to some film students at an expo for Georgia Gwinnett College next month. And of course I am a fashion girlie, I have a Bachelor’s in Fashion Design, I love thrifting pieces and giving them new life, tie-dying, sewing/restructuring pieces as well.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
TRUST. When you lose trust in any sort of dynamic that will most certainly erode any type of bond you may have with someone – whether it be friends, family or romantic. We are all human and we will all make mistakes. Something that I always tell people is your mistakes don’t define you, how you own them and come back from them does. That’s what truly defines your character. Do you blame shift/deflect? Do you play the victim or project? It takes courage and humility to own your mistakes but you grow and become stronger in the process. Honesty, transparency, empathy, generosity and kindness are all qualities that will never fail you in life; they will restore and build any type of bond.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
This past year I took some time for myself to get into Therapy, self-reflect and refine my skills. There was one day I listened to this podcast interview and it changed my life. It changed how I view my pain, changed how I view myself and truly inspired me to continue on my path of healing/growth. I highly recommend watching it, Diary of a CEO with former secret service agent Evy Pompouras (she has two and both are equally as incredible). I’ve been hurt very badly by people close to me whom I thought I trusted and loved me but that was not the case. I had no one to defend me and had other things going on in my life where I felt very alone. One day I decided enough was enough. My pain doesn’t define me nor do lies or gossip. I dived into Therapy, mediation, books – some of my favorites are Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher and of course Becoming Bulletproof: Life Lessons from a Former Secret Service Agent by Evy Pompouras amongst a treasure trove of others. Then I decided I wanted to write a book of my own. Truly turning my pain into power by helping others. As I mentioned before I want to use my story to help motivate and inspire others. This world is a crazy, hard place but there’s still so much to learn, live and enjoy. There’s always a silver lining we just have to find it. My pain has fueled my creativity again and I am finding my way to consistent happiness.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Family. My family means so much to me and I love them with everything that I have. I do my best to always be there for them whenever they need me. I am very blessed and grateful to have a strong family bond with them. We’ve been through our fair share of things in life but we’ve grown stronger because of it. Life is so precious and the days seem to get shorter and shorter. Cherish every moment you have with them as you never know when it could be the last. Sometimes family could look different for others. For some close friends are basically family, whoever you consider to be your family, try to always find it in your heart to treat them with love, kindness and grace. There’s so much hate and anger in the world, an act of love and kindness will always have a profound effect for the better. I recently lost my grandmother on my mom’s side and I miss her so much. She always greeted me with a smile, always made me laugh and I always felt cared for. I love you Grandma <3

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Any project I decide to do or work I choose to engage in, I always give my best regardless even if I am not praised for it. I touch on this in my book: process over praise. If you are doing something for the praise of others chances are you are doing it for others and not yourself; for the wrong reasons. Only you can assign your worth and value to yourself, other people don’t deserve that power. Whatever you choose to do in life, do it for yourself because it makes you happy, do it because you feel fulfilled, do it because it gives you purpose and serves others. That’s also a way to stay true to yourself and be authentic. It can be easy to get caught up in the noise and try to please everyone. Along with praise, comes with harsh critics. At the end of the day someone will have something positive or negative to say no matter what you do. I’ve learned to stop playing small – to glow and shine like I was meant to regardless of what others may say. I’m doing what makes me happy and I’m staying true to myself, staying genuine.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @christinamariefuentes
• Other: TikTok: @_christina_fuentes_

Image Credits
Kenan Hicks