November 5, 2019

Meet Trailblazer Alexandria Ponce

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandria Ponce.

Alexandria , let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Like most kids growing up I had a desire to do more than just one thing. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up you would hear responses like ” Gymnast, Actress, Artist, and Writer.” The answer seemed to be constantly change and I was urged by my single mother to STOP and just focus on one thing… I began my elite gymnastics career at the age of nine and quickly became a TOPS gymnast, training six hours a day five days a week. While swinging on bars one day my coach Barry asked “Who’s that beautiful lady watching you from the window?” In between tap swings I responded, “My mom, why?” “Can I take her on a date?” he said. “Uh, no” I responded. “Well go run till you say yes” was his final response. I’m happy to say my Mom and Dad (Barry) have been blissfully married for over eighteen years. A few years after my parents married I began having a strong desire to experience “real school.” You see from the age of 9 to 13 I was homeschooled using the Texas Tech curriculum by four educators acclaimed in their fields. It was a lot of fun but hearing all of the cool stories from the “Night Group” (MS & HS girls who went to public school) it made me feel like I was missing something. I too wanted to be in high school experiencing all of the fun they were. I quit the sport but never lost my love for it.

My parents enrolled me in a christian private school on the Northside of san antonio. I was one of the only chocolate chips in the sugar cookie world if you catch my drift. I experienced my first of many encounters with the idea that I wasn’t enough. I was told my crush liked me but said my hair was “poofy.” I cut my hair and wore it straight everyday. We never dated. I made the varsity cheer team but still didn’t feel like I belonged. Flash forward to my junior year of highschool, I was at a party and my best friend’s boyfriend was there. I felt safe because he was like a big brother to me but that wasn’t the case. He drugged me and that night my virginity was stolen. When I arrived at school the following Monday word had already spread around but it wasn’t the real story. I was hated by my peers and felt like I had nowhere to turn.

Flash forward to my senior year, our cheer team competed in a national competition with college scouts present. I caught the eye of a school in California called Azusa Pacific University and was offered a scholarship to cheer there. After visiting I knew California was where I wanted to be but just before graduation I met a boy. He worked at Abercrombie & Fitch and it was the first time a hot guy liked me back, I was head over heels in it to win it. I chose to stay in san antonio and go to UTSA so I could be close to my boyfriend but before the Fall semester of my freshman year we broke up. I chose to still attended UTSA and made their cheer team. This is where the belonging began.

I had no idea there were other people in the world that looked like me. The culture that I got to experience at UTSA was diverse and empowering. I even began bartending at a local sports bar and eventually made my way to working larger venues. While at UTSA I studied Kinesiology but realized I still had a desire to do more than just coach. It was apart of me but not all of me. I decided to transfer to Texas State University to study Mass Communications and Family and Child Development. I realized how much I enjoyed being apart of a community as well as creating a community for others. During my fourth year in college I had a realization that even though I loved hanging out in the campus quad I had zero desire to attend my classes. They just didn’t seem to correlate with what I saw my life looking like. The school system didn’t have the path for my perfect future. My dreams went beyond majors and minors, they are full of life and not easily boxed in.

I was lucky enough to have parents that not only believed in higher education but were willing to pay for me to receive it. I empathized with this and didn’t want my parents waisting their money. I had a meeting with my parents and asked them to invest in my future in a different way. I was choosing to leave school and pursue my acting career. After much deliberation my parents agreed and assisted me with building my first reel and connecting me with a mentor which ultimately led me to signing with my first agency.

I continued to bartend in the evenings and spent my days auditioning. When I wasn’t auditioning I was personal training clients. I took a practical approach to my dreams asking myself along the way what I wanted and thought I needed to succeed. I felt led to find a different talent agency that had bigger clients they could pair me with. I found Page Parkes Agency and was signed by them shortly after.

My acting resume began to consistently increase as did my personal training roster. Unfortunately I was experiencing challenges in my bartending career. I had begun dating my boss and after a few years our relationship turned toxic. My job at the bar began getting taken away from me and given back at his leisure depending on how he felt about me that day. I knew I needed a change but didn’t think it would be possible with the tight knit bar community I was apart of.

While scrolling through instagram one afternoon I saw a video by a gentleman describing his life as a walking prayer. I had been diving into my spiritually more and his message resonated with me so much that I re-posted the video and tagged him in it. Garrain, had hundreds of thousands of followers so I was genuinely surprised when he struck up a conversation with me in a direct message. ” I love what you’re doing with your friend Jasmin, JAM Camp sounds like a lot of fun! I do something similar called GUMBO” I checked out his profile and saw Herbalife everywhere, I’d never heard of it but I thought it was lame. One day Garrain asked me “How’s your heart today?” I’d never had someone ask me that before and it shook me. Garrain face-timed me and I broke down crying. I spent the next six hours sharing my life, experiences, and challenges with him. The next day Garrain called me and asked if I had done my personal development that day. This was the first I was hearing of “personal development.” He introduced me to a man named Norman Vincent Peale, and suggested I begin listening to his audiobook The Power of Positive Thinking. Garrain called me every day and we would listen to different speakers and compare notes afterwards.

A few weeks later my boyfriend fired me for the last time. He called the next day and apologized requesting that I come back and work. I was driving down the highway and something in me just clicked, NO. NO I’m good. Thanks but no, find someone else. The call ended and I felt AMAZING! Then my mom’s worrisome voice entered my head, “..and what about rent?”

Shit. Rent! What am I going to do? I wasn’t really expecting this…. I know, I’ll call Garrain! I called him with intention of asking for money. I left the call with an opportunity that changed my life. He explained to me the Herbalife business and how I could be success in it. I took the plunge and joined Herbalife mid October 2015. I’m happy to say within my first two weeks in the business I was able to make enough money to pay my bills on time and even have some money left over. I started seeing results in all areas of my life and soon my peers as well. This led to intense personal development, coaching, mentoring, and community building. All while simultaneously building my acting career.

My desire for California grew as each year passed and I felt like I was finally ready to move. I wrote out a 90 day plan to achieve my goal and forty-five days in something remarkable happened. I had an audition that day, I was parked and getting ready to walk in when I stopped to pray. “God if there’s anything you want to show me just make it super plain. In Jesus name amen.” I left my car and walked to the casting agency. I walked into the casting agency and this is the conversation the director and the casting agent were having. “GEORGIA, I’m telling you man GEORGIA is where it’s at.” The casting agent , responded “Atlanta man, the next five years, I’m thinking of getting myself an agent out there.” I took this as my sign and said “God If you want me in Georgia, will you make it an effortless transition.”

I spoke with my agent at Page Parkes and she agreed that Atlanta was a great next step for me. She even paired me with an agency before my move to ATL. I worked with a real estate agency who found me an affordable apartment in the center of the city. My parents graciously helped me move and on one of their first days here they had a miraculous encounter. My dad was in line for coffee and received from God through the gentleman next to him. “Your daughter tell her she it, she isn’t waiting on the world the world is waiting on her. Tell her to write the script.” That is how I began writing what I now call “Finding Alexandria.” Following this in my first few weeks in Atlanta I received an audition for a feature film, Tales From The Hood 2. I went on to book the movie and made my first big screen debut October of last year.

Since moving here I have dove deeper into exploring who I am and who I am created to be. I’ve come
to learn I have multiple passions that intertwine effortlessly. Not only am I an actress, writer, and coach but I’m also an artist. I’d been doing alot of diy for my apartment and starting seeing things for what they could be not necessarily what they were. For instance I was walking my dogs one evening and I saw two pieces of wood by a dumpster. I thought these are some awesome canvases, I’d love to create something on them. I posted a picture of my new found canvases and received a Direct Message on Instagram from a friend asking if I could draw him a great big owl in the 3ft by 3ft canvas. I agreed and gave him a quote. Over the next six weeks I went into detail creating every little intrigue design I felt led to create. Those six weeks went by in a flash and upon delivering The Owl the client was well pleased. After sharing my success on social media a few other people sent me requests for art pieces, I was quickly realizing that I was also an artist in the midst of everything else I’ve been doing. I received an additional message weeks later from a Event House requesting I showcase my pieces in an upcoming show. I was able to not only showcase my art but take my DIY skills to the next level as I turned a basement into a swanky art gallery.

As I said, I still love gymnastics and never could quite get it out of my system. I found myself flipping around my local LA Fitness and made a couple friends by doing it. A guy said I should get into stunts and told me about an upcoming short film needing a female stunt woman. We went through the choreography and I loved it, it was like taking my gymnastics to the next level. While on set for that short film I met a Director who said “YOU’RE PERFECT FOR THIS UPCOMING SHORT FILM I’M DOING!” We connected and filmed that over the summer. It was able to showcase my gymnastics in a new light right alongside my acting.

Actress. Stuntwoman. Director. Writer.Artist. Designer. Personal Trainer- The list goes on I’m still growing… My mindset is- I’m going to be all that I can be even at the risk of being too much for other people.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Im grateful for my path and along it I have had to overcome obstacles to get me to where I am today. What i’ve learned is…

#1. Not everyone is going to understand your dreams or believe in them. It’s not their job to believe or fuel your belief in you/your dreams.

#2. If you’re passionate about it it’s almost definite that it’s apart of your purpose.

#3. Create a Morning and Evening routine that activates the best version of yourself.

#4. Visit your big vision goals daily by setting aside time to imagine yourself living them.

#5. Use your big vision goals to break down into yearly, and monthly, goals that are the stepping stones to get you where you want to be.

#6. Write a daily agenda the night before using your monthly goals to create the next day’s flow.

#7. Practice love for yourself in ways your future self will say thank you.

#8. Growth comes from within, work on yourself and everything else will work for you.

#9. Place your foundation in what God says about you and you’ll always be secure

#10. Allow yourself to be all that you are even at the risk of making other people uncomfortable.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about your business – what should we know?
ARTIST- I enjoy creating zentangle art and curated my first show a few months ago. I only have a few pieces left from that show that aren’t already sold. You can find them on my website or if you’d like a custom piece you’re welcome to email me with your design ideas.

ACTRESS- Constantly working, auditioning, and perfecting my craft. To see my most recent work check out my website.

HEALTH COACH – I recently created a new online program called 21 days to a Better Me. This program combines internal and external health by teaching the practices of affirmations, intentions, and goal setting. Combining these practices with herbal products to give the individual participating a tangible connection to their new found self betterment.

PERSONAL TRAINER- I currently coach at Spelman College as well as with Fitspot as a corporate trainer. I do provide freelance one on one training, meeting my clients in their homes/local gyms.

WRITER- I’m writing a TV Series, Finding Alexandria, based off of my life and the lessons I’ve learned. I am also writing a feature film based on one of my favorite books, Island of The Blue Dolphins.

STUNTWOMAN- THE DIFFERENCE is my latest short film.It’s currently in post production.

What sets me apart? I don’t allow the limitations of others to limit my belief in myself.

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
When it comes to finding a mentor– ” Don’t take advice from someone you wouldn’t trade places with.” Find someone you can look up to they don’t have to be in person to be your mentor. There are so many mentors I’ve learned from via Youtube – Lisa Nichols, Brene Brown, the list goes on. I would say don’t let the issue of not having a mentor keep you from learning. There are so many books an free resources at your disposal you’ve just got to get creative with it.

Networking in general- What do you like? What do you want to learn about? Get intentional and find events that resonate with you. If you can’t find one, create one. Set an intention before you enter a networking scenario, “What does a successful networking event look like to me?” I want to leave this place feeling like ______. I’ll know it was a success by _____________.

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