Overcome Rejection, Stop Waiting for Permission, and Make Your Own Luck with Selina Ringel

Selina Ringel is an award-winning filmmaker, entrepreneur, and author of Be the Train. She’s built a multi-faceted creative empire—from directing films to launching fashion collaborations—showing that with mindset and persistence, you can turn dreams into reality.  She shares her unconventional journey from film student to award-winning filmmaker, revealing how setting bold deadlines, embracing rejection, and cold emailing her way into Hollywood changed everything. Her story proves that success isn’t about knowing all the answers—it's about showing up and trusting yourself when it counts most.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How Selena pivoted during the pandemic to turn a personal tragedy into a powerful documentary picked up by HBO Max.
• Her innovative approach to cold emailing—like how to research your prospects and frame your message to build real partnerships over months.
• Why vulnerability is your secret weapon in business and life.
• The mindset shifts that allowed her to launch a clothing line, land collaborations with major brands like Alice and Olivia, and build momentum even when success felt out of reach.
• How discipline, morning routines, and celebrating small wins create the confidence to take risks and spark creative momentum.
• How she got Mel Robbins to write a quote in her book
• Why trusting your gut saves you from costly mistakes, the importance of enjoying the journey, and how a simple five-minute visualization can totally shift your energy.

Whether you're dreaming of breaking into film, starting a new venture, or just navigating life's unpredictability—this episode is your blueprint for turning fear into fuel.  Ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs, creatives, and women ready to elevate their careers—Selina shows that the most important thing is to start before you're ready. 

If you're tired of feeling stuck or overwhelmed by rejection and uncertainty, this episode will inspire you to embrace vulnerability, act boldly, and create your own momentum today.

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Selina Ringel: https://www.instagram.com/selinaringel/?hl=en

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to the Happy Go Lifestyle Podcast with Sarah Farooz, your destination for all things health, wellness, and mindset. Each week we explore ways to elevate your life through holistic living, self-growth, relationships, motherhood, divorce, and reinventing yourself after life's changes. My goal is that you leave every episode feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to embrace life with purpose, joy, and confidence in living your best life. An award-winning Mexican-American filmmaker, Selena Ringel, has carved a niche in the independent film scene with her compelling narratives and unique voice. As a writer, producer, and actress, her recent feature film, You Me and Her has won 15 awards and was released in 250 theaters nationwide. She's also known for her engaging comedy special on Amazon Prime, Two Moms, One Mike, and her internationally recognized film, The Best People. Selena recently wrote a best-selling book, Be the Train, The Mindset and Tools You Need to Make Your First Feature, to help inspire others to take control of their creative careers and get into motion with their own projects. Her story is inspiring not only for aspiring actors and filmmakers, but for anyone navigating career or life in general. In this episode, I sit down with Selena as she shares her insights on maintaining a positive mindset and the importance of momentum in achieving success. She emphasizes taking control of one's path, manifesting goals, and the significance of showing up consistently, even when faced with challenges. We explore the power of vulnerability and how embracing it can lead to meaningful connections and opportunities, especially through the art of cold emails. Her story is a testament to the power of belief, resilience, and the courage to pursue one's dreams despite uncertainty. And at its core, it delivers a powerful message. If you want something, you can't wait for permission. You have to go after it and make it happen. Selena, welcome to the podcast. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

It's so good to see you. I remember when we met, we met recently, and you were just this ball of energy, and you just have this contagious energy. And I'm just so glad that you're here with us today to spread some of your wisdom.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

So you have created three feature films. You have a comedy special, a podcast, you've written a book, you have a manifestation clothing line. Someone may look at your resume and say, I could never do that. I don't have what it takes. I don't have the right connections. I don't even know where to start. So can you walk us through your journey on how you got started and what you learned along the way?

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Yeah. Um, well, it's funny to hear you say all those things because, you know, it's not necessarily what I thought I was going to be doing either. And there's all so many pieces to what I've done that have come, you know, as I'm going that weren't necessarily part of the plan when I started. But I I came here for undergrad. I went to Loyola Marymount, and then I worked in international distribution for a year at a big company, and then I did my master's at AFI at the American Film Institute. And that's where I met my husband. And he is a director, and we decided to start a company together when we graduated, which is very risky. Yeah, very bold. Yeah, very bold. But we really wanted to make movies, and um also we're honestly like didn't know what we were doing. So we were like, well, just start a company. Like, what's the worst thing? Ignorance is bliss. Yeah, exactly. Like, which is like we just had no idea what we were even running up against.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

So I think that's some sometimes like not knowing gives you permission to try anything because you'd like don't know why it probably won't work. Or like all the things we tell ourselves about things not working is a lot of why we don't start things. Right. And so I think in a way, when you have like a a fresh slate and you just are like, oh, anything can happen, then you can just try anything and give it a shot. So anyway, so yeah, we we started our company, we started out making commercials for other people and acting reels and all sorts of stuff. And at some point, we really wanted to make our first feature film. And so we decided that we were just gonna set a date and that we were just going to meet that date no matter what happened.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

And you had no experience, you really had no idea what you were doing, either of you.

SPEAKER_01 4:34

No, I mean we did have a master's. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

You had the education, but you didn't have a real life experience.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

No. I mean, we had not made a feature film before, but we had made short films. Yeah. We just realized if you don't put a date on it, then it's one of those things you could just keep trying to do forever.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah. I like the idea of setting a deadline and holding yourself accountable to that.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yeah. It was very life-changing for us. And we've kind of done that since for everything we do. That was our first feature film. Then we made another one after that. That we actually filmed once a month throughout my pregnancy in real time. Oh wow. And then the pandemic hit. And that one was really crazy because I actually had a miscarriage while we were filming, which was really awful. And then we had emotionally kind of like to go through that.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Um was that embedded in the film? Because I know the film was related to your pregnancy.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Yeah. So we actually put it into the film because it's relatable. We felt like it's a subject that, you know, people don't talk about, but it's really important and a lot of people go through it.

unknown 5:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

So we're like, well, if it happened to me, I'm sure it's happened to a lot of other people. Um, so we put it into the script. But then as we were filming again, um, then the global pandemic hit, and then the whole script that we had written completely changed because everything that we had written couldn't be shot anymore as you know, written. So that movie was really crazy because we ended up writing 10 pages a month, shooting and editing in real time. Wow. And what was the name of that film? Single Mother by Choice. And it's on HBO Max. Um, and we got a really good sale from HBO, uh, which was amazing. But we were also really lucky because we had a fully finished film during the height of the pandemic when 95% of productions had shut down.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Yeah. So I love that you were able to pivot. And there's something about embracing uncertainty. You know, I really admire aspiring actors, aspiring filmmakers, aspiring musicians. We live in LA, we're surrounded by all of them. I really admire people who go into a field with so much uncertainty. It's funny because I studied to be a dentist at UCLA. My dad was a dentist. I loved the structure that it provided. I was like, okay, I'm gonna get good grades, I'm gonna get it to dental school, I'm gonna come out and I will become a dentist, I'll make a certain amount of money. And I just had everything figured out. And I just loved the how the path was so defined. Of course, I didn't end up going into that, but I really admire people who go into the industry and in an industry that faces so much rejection. How did you deal with rejection and how did you push through it and and keep your head up high?

SPEAKER_01 7:17

I deal with it every day still. I think that what's so interesting about anything creative is that there's like an enormous amount of self-doubt. Yeah. Because, you know, you're kind of waiting for someone else to say this is good enough. But the reality is people have different opinions, people come from different places. Some people might love something, some people might hate it, some people might not watch it. There's so much that's out of your control. So even getting through the whole part of making it, which is already like a miracle. When then you stand on the other side of that and you have something and you know you made something really good or something you're really proud of. That doesn't mean everyone's gonna love it. And then the people who do love it or really, really touched by it, it can feel really amazing to have that impact on those people. And then there's gonna be all the people who it just doesn't resonate with them because they're coming from a different place or that's not their genre. So there's so much there in terms of rejection. And I'm a very big cold emailer as well. Actually, my book, it's called Be the Train: The Mindset and Tools You Need to Make Your First Feature. But it's really for any creative entrepreneur. Um, and I have a whole chapter on cold emails because I'm a really big believer in how much power a good cold email can have.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Yeah, talk to us about that because people really shy away from cold calling, cold emailing. I really want to know. I know that you you're a big believer of it. How did you find success in that? And what was your experience like with it?

SPEAKER_01 8:46

First of all, I do it all the time. And I I think the biggest thing that I tell myself is like for everyone who does an answer, that was a no I already had. So like nothing's changed. I've just wasted some time. Right. For the people who say yes, or for the people who jump on a call with me, it can be life-changing. And I now have a collaboration with Alice and Olivia for my manifestation wear line that came through a cold email. Wow. And we're gonna talk about that later. Yeah. But I mean, all these things, you know, our movie went to 250 theaters nationwide. That came through a cold message on LinkedIn that we sent.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

So walk me through that. What does that email look like? What do you say in the email for someone who doesn't know what to say or what to do?

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Do have it all broken down in my book, but uh, the short version is so say, for example, for you know, the guy who who helped us put our movie in 250 theaters, he was building a new platform. So I'd say the first part is research. It takes researching who are you emailing and why are you emailing them, right? So, like, don't just email anyone. That's a waste of time. Email someone who it would be a win-win situation for both of you.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

Understanding what their motive is.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Yeah, what their motive is, where they're coming from, and and knowing that a partnership would be a win-win, right? So we researched that they were already doing something to build out more independent theaters for independent filmmakers. So they still hadn't launched, okay. And they mentioned that they had Sean Baker backing them up and Patty Jenkins and Damien Giselle. So some pretty big people. So obviously, right off the bat, that's intimidating because it's like, well, if all those big people are backing them, then why should we the self-doubt creeps in? Yeah. But what I would say is my first email was not, hey, we need to partner. My first email was, hey, I heard you're building something. I'm so curious what you're building. I'm in the independent film space and I'm doing a lot of disruptive things in this space that I would love to share, but I really just also want to learn what you're trying to do.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

I love that because you're putting the focus on them and not on yourself. You're not saying this is what I need from you. You're saying, I'm so impressed by what you've created and what you've achieved. I want to hear more. And I think that I can maybe contribute. Yeah. That's a great angle.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah. Exactly. So just so you know, by the way, from that message to us making a partnership with them, I think it took between six and eight months. Wow. Again, this is just something for people to be aware of is no one's gonna, on a cold email, go, let's sign a contract and become partners. It takes time. People need to trust you. People need to understand what you're bringing to the table. People need to know why the partnership would work. But it did literally come from a cold message. We had a phone call with them. They said they wanted to see the movie. We rented out a theater to show them the movie. They loved the movie. And then they were basically like, we're trying to get bigger films than this for our launch. But we kept following up. And so at some point, I actually said to them, You could be waiting a very long time for money. If you launch now, you're more likely to have money come because then you're already in motion. You're already doing the thing. You're not just another person who's waiting for money to start. And they were like, We see what you're saying, but if we're gonna launch now, why would we launch with you guys? You know, you guys are a small, they were like, you guys have a great film, but you're a much smaller film than what we were thinking of launching this whole thing with. Yeah. Um, and I was like, you know, the truth is if you launch this with someone like Scarlett Johansson and it works, then everyone's gonna go back and say, well, yeah, it was Scarlett Johansson. Like that's why it worked. But if you actually launch this with a truly unknown independent filmmaker and it works, then what you're building actually works. And there's gonna be a lot of bumps in the road. And it might not be such a good idea to take that chance with Sean Baker. Maybe take that chance with us. Like we're willing to take that chance with you guys.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

And I love that you believed in yourself because if you don't believe in yourself, no one's gonna believe in you.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Yeah. And they were like, okay. Uh and I mean that changed our lives. I mean, going to 250 theaters nationwide for an independent film is unheard of for the budget of the film that we had. And I'm I'm the star of the film. I wrote it, I heard it.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

It's crazy. I think the underlying theme with a cold email is really that you are vulnerable. Yeah. And a lot of people resist being vulnerable. But I think if there's anything worthwhile in life, whether it's a career, whether it's love, whether it's friendship, is gonna require a level of vulnerability. And that's exactly what a cold email is. It's you putting yourself out there, but that's the only way to really get what you want.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Yes, but I would also add to that, I think that you can be vulnerable, but you have to add value to yourself. So, like I get this email a lot. And I think it's one of the worst emails you can get. Hi, Selena. Um, I would love to one day take you out for coffee and just pick your brain. I love, you know, what you've done, and I'm just uh would love to sit down and chat with you. Um, to me, the reason why that's such a bad email is because uh everyone is so busy. Yeah. And no one's trying to be mean. I would love to grab a coffee with every single person who wants to go for coffee. That'd be wonderful. But I also have like a two-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son, and I'm running a business, and I barely get a date night with my husband, and I, you know, I'm trying to work out and I'm trying to figure out the house, and I have to make food. And so just like the amount of things that need to happen on my day-to-day are like- You just say that I'm getting anxiety because it's so true. No, I mean, as women, we juggle so much. It's so much, it's so much. And so to me, that kind of like lack of specificity makes it very, very hard. And if someone also comes to me and they're like, just you know, I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what I'm gonna do with my life, but I'm wondering if maybe I can have a call with you. It's like, whoa, that feels like an enormous job that I cannot overtake. I think you need a therapist or a life coach, right? Yeah, exactly. So it's like so I think yes, being vulnerable is good, but being vulnerable in a way where you also maybe position yourself like, here's why I'm very valuable. And also here's why I'm really curious about this very specific thing. And this specific thing is this. So then it can be really easy for someone to go, oh, you're curious to talk about that thing. Yeah, I could talk about that thing. Or, oh, I could put you in touch with my friend who does that thing that you need help with, or whatever it is, you know?

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Yeah, it makes sense because even when you go on a job interview, you can't go on the job interview and be like, well, what's in this for me? And how much are you gonna pay me? And you know, what are my benefits? You have to think about how are you gonna provide value to the other person. So it's just removing yourself from the equation, and and usually you get your foot in the door that way. So any business really or any successful business owner will tell you that they have made mistakes along the way. Can you think of a particular mistake that you made that you learned from and ultimately helped realign you to getting to your goals?

SPEAKER_01 15:55

This is a stupid mistake, but we hired someone at some point that we really, really felt was not a good fit. And we hired them because they were very close friends with someone else we were working with. And so we felt like we kind of had to. And then it ended up being every moment that we didn't fire that person made it worse and worse by the time we fired that person. Had we just listened to our gut in the beginning and not hired him in the first place or immediately fired him, we would have saved ourselves so much trouble. Um, and it was such a bummer because it was like such an easy thing to have avoided. And we did it in a way to avoid hurting someone else's feelings. But in the end, it probably hurt everyone anyway, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:40

Yeah, it did. It did. Yeah, and it wasn't worth it because it didn't feel right to us. Well, what I noticed there is that you said that in the beginning you knew from the get-go and you didn't trust your intuition, you didn't let your intuition lead you. So I think that's a really big part of running any business, is to or really anything in life, but just to entrust your gut. Yeah, 100%. It sounds like mindset is a big part of this puzzle because you're you're putting yourself in all these vulnerable situations. You're going out there and doing things that you've never done before. Um, I'm a big believer in mindset. It's something that I talk a lot about on my Instagram. I really believe that our mind and our thoughts are our most powerful tool that we have. Our thoughts create our beliefs, our beliefs create our actions, and our actions create our reality. How what was the role that mindset played for you in achieving your success?

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Yeah, I mean, I think everything.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

I think mindset is the way we keep going all the time because there's so much that gets in the way or is out of our control. There's so many moments where things are working and then moments where things feel stagnant. One of the biggest things as an artist or an entrepreneur that you hear really often and it's still really hard to process is how often you feel stuck or unsure or not knowing what you're doing next. And I think ultimately you just it's almost like a muscle. It's like going to the gym. You have to just keep showing up, even when you're uncomfortable, even when you don't know what you're doing, even when you don't know what the next thing is. But it's hard to do because there is a lot of self-doubt. Um, I'm I'm recently on this workout journey where I work out every single day. And this was I see, are you at burn? Yeah. Uh yeah, that's an intense class. I always walk out of there like super sweaty. Yeah. I go every single day and I absolutely love it, but it is like a mindset that has affected other parts of my life as well. And no matter what, I'm gonna show up to this. And like rain or shine, I'm showing up. And it's hard because there are definitely days where I really don't feel like it, or days where I feel like I have to move my entire schedule around to figure out at what time I can go. And there's days where I'm waking up at five in the morning to go, but it almost like builds out an identity of I'm the kind of person who shows up every day. And then that identity starts to go into everything.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

One of the things that I love about working out and exercise is that it forces you to have like a system and habits in place and you hold yourself accountable. I want to talk about momentum because I feel like it's coming up a lot when you don't really have the motivation or you don't really know where to start, but there's something about momentum. There's something about just starting and getting into that flow, getting your creative juices going that really propels you. Why do you think that momentum can be more important than motivation?

SPEAKER_01 19:31

I think momentum is like an energy that everyone jumps onto. If you're on a high note and you come in with a really strong energy, people feel that, perceive it, kind of like jump onto it. If you put a pause on that momentum, it's really hard to bring it back.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

But from momentum, even if you don't know where you're going, you will go somewhere. You will build something, you know. And the question is, what is it going to be? And you don't always have to have all the answers. But I think coming from like an energy place, there's so much that's possible. And that's kind of like how, you know, when we've done this whole thing where we set a date, that builds so much momentum.

unknown 20:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

It's like no matter what happens, on this date, we are shooting.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

It's so true. If you don't pencil it in, it's not happening. Yeah. You don't actually set it in the calendar.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Yeah. I think motivation is great. I just think motivation can come and go. Well, I mean, this is my book, it's called Be the Train. And the metaphor is literally that. It's instead of waiting for the train, the train being the opportunity that's going to take you to your destination, you have to be the train. You have to be the opportunity that other people want to jump on to. Um, and that's really the only way to create things for yourself.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

I love that. Your book is so inspiring. And not only just for aspiring filmmakers or creatives, really anyone that's starting out in life or career, there was a line in the book at the beginning. You say, I didn't always know exactly where I was headed, but I was in control. And that feeling alone was worth everything. What did that feeling of control mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 21:06

In control of my own energy, of being in forward motion. I think life we can be in either stag stagnant or forward motion.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

Yeah. And that goes back to the momentum, getting into that rhythm.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

Yeah. And I love that because especially in your industry, there's so much that you don't have control over. You don't have control over if people are gonna like you, if they're gonna like your films, but you do have control over your energy. You do have control over showing up. And sometimes all it takes is just showing up. I mean, I've realized that myself in my own businesses. I'm creating this podcast, and sometimes it's just showing up, and then the momentum and everything else will follow.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

I think the hardest part is when you start showing up for something, there's a lag time between you showing up and the universe giving you what you deserve for your time. So there's This moment where you're like, wait a minute, I've been showing up. I've been showing up for like a year. What's happening? Why is this not like breaking through? Why am I not at this next level or this next phase of what I thought this should be? And I think the lesson is things take a lot longer than you think. And it is all happening, and things are happening in ways you don't even see. Yeah. There's so many opportunities that are being created in moments that you're not even acknowledging because you're can get so focused on the end result. But if you do keep showing up, things do happen.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

I think it's about enjoying the journey, not just the destination. Like celebrating the small wins. Just stop and smell the roses and appreciate. Oh, I just did something new today. Someone responded to my cold email and I'm building some momentum here. I love that you maintain that positivity throughout because otherwise, what are you doing? Right? You need to enjoy the process.

SPEAKER_01 22:55

100%. And I have a whole chapter on that too, but I really do believe joy brings so much inspiration.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Yeah. And brings so much creativity. It's so true because my biggest moments of creativity come out when I'm happy. When I'm in a good mood, when I'm going on a walk. It's never when I'm in a bad mood or I'm feeling down or I have lack of momentum or lack of motivation or self-doubt. It's always in the moments that I'm feeling happy that the creativity flows. You have this comedy special on Amazon Prime, and I'm so fascinated by the fact that you do comedy because the thought of getting on a stage in front of a group of people and hoping that they find you funny is probably the most terrifying thing to me. Yet you do it with so much confidence and so much charisma. I watched your clips.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Thank you. You should do it once for fun, just to scare yourself.

SPEAKER_00 23:47

Oh my God. I mean, yeah, I am in, I am, I am in my era of doing things that scare me, but I'm curious if you've always been confident and how you find the confidence to get on that stage. I think confidence comes in a lot of different ways.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

I don't think I've ever been scared to get on a stage, but I don't think that means I'm always confident. A group of people doesn't scare me. Like I might feel more self-conscious about one person who I love judging me than like getting on a stage and speaking to a thousand people I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

What would you say to a woman who's struggling with her confidence, maybe hasn't found it yet or has lost her confidence because of a life circumstance?

SPEAKER_01 24:26

The easiest way to build your confidence is to do the things you say you're gonna do. I think that a lot of times in life, if you literally say you're gonna do something and then you do it, then you build confidence in knowing you're the kind of person whose word means something. Whatever that is. So whether it's like meeting up with a friend or going to the gym, or let's say you want to write a book. You know what? Every day I'm gonna write one page. And that's all I'm gonna promise myself. I'm just gonna write one page a day. If you start showing up for yourself in that way and you actually start writing that one page a day, your confidence will build because all of a sudden you can count on yourself.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Yeah, I love that. That is so interesting that that you worded it that way because I also think that confidence comes from being able to trust yourself. I trust that I can get through anything that comes my way. I have faith in my ability. I have faith that even if I don't know the answers to something, I know that I can figure it out. But it's like I trust myself. So it's really interesting to hear you say it put that way that you have to just hold yourself accountable. And when you see that you can actually trust yourself, that does build confidence.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Yeah, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Um, your recent feature film, You, Me and Her, has won 15 awards and release in 250 theaters nationwide. What was the most gratifying part of creating that film? I mean, just those numbers in and of itself, but I can't imagine the feeling of sitting in the theater and watching it with the audience and knowing that you've created that. Like, what does that feel like?

SPEAKER_01 26:01

It was amazing. I'm we did our own marketing campaign and it was so much work. It was the most work we've ever done. But it was incredible. We partnered with 20 brands and we partnered with 250 influencers across the nation. And it was amazing to see what we were capable of doing. And it's funny because sometimes when you have moments like that, it was such an intense, like adrenaline-filled moment of my life. And I was doing press tours and I was on red carpets every day, and I'm getting my hair and makeup done every single day. I felt like my brain was gonna actually explode, but it was also very exciting. And then you kind of like come off from a moment like that, and it's weird. You almost feel like you're having a little bit of like an existential crisis. Yeah. Because you're like, who am I now when I don't get a thousand emails a day? Like, who am I now just sitting in my living room in my pajamas with just my normal face? Yeah, because then that ends, right?

SPEAKER_00 26:58

And then you have to start a whole new project.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

Yeah. Yeah. It's hard. But I'm so grateful we had the experience. Watching it in theaters with other people was amazing. I think one of the biggest things you have to navigate as an artist is is the shift between the you're in it and then you're kind of like not in it. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 27:16

Yeah, it makes me think of real estate because I was in residential real estate for about 17 years on and off. And you'll have a sale and you're in it, and every day is chaotic and you're in this escrow, and then you get your check and you're like, okay, now what? Okay, let's start this all over again now. I gotta get the momentum. And speaking of cold emails, I mean, I would send probably, I don't know, hundreds of emails to the same person. Do you like this house? Do you like this house? What about this house? What about this house? Yeah, with no response. And actually, one of my biggest sales was um a year of sending someone emails with no response. And finally, one of the emails, like, actually, I want to see it. And that one turned into a sale. Wow, amazing. That's crazy. Yeah, but I can totally relate to that feeling and that roller coaster of like, okay, now what? So that's my question for you. You've completed the three films. Yeah. Now what?

SPEAKER_01 28:11

So I did a tour with my book as well. Now I'm relaunching the book in Spanish. Oh, amazing. Yeah. So I'm rewriting it in Spanish.

SPEAKER_00 28:19

What's your background?

SPEAKER_01 28:21

Mexican. Mexican-American. Yeah, my dad.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

I speak pretty good Spanish.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

That was it. Um, I'm doing like a little book press tour for the Spanish version. Um, and then I have some events going on with Alice and Olivia right now with my manifestation wear, so that I have an event actually at South by Southwest in Austin, which I'm really excited about. Um, and then I'm also writing a new movie on cell phone addiction. And so those are kind of the things that are on the periphery.

SPEAKER_00 28:54

Is it geared towards cell phone addiction in adults or children or just everyone?

SPEAKER_01 28:59

It's like a family dynamic and how it's affecting us as a family.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

Is it like a personal story?

SPEAKER_01 29:04

Is it based on your life or everything's always taken from a personal place, but we always exaggerate things to make a better movie.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

Well, I think that's such a great and relevant topic. Funny enough, I was just listening to a podcast this morning on Oprah's podcast about cell phone addiction and social media addiction and how it's totally robbing Denzi and really a lot of generations of social interactions, of enjoying life and enjoying their childhood experiences.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

And I can talk to you in five minutes when I'm done. Okay, just say hi. Hi. Hi.

SPEAKER_00 29:41

Well, this is a perfect segue because I was gonna ask you how you balance all of this and two young kids. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

He's usually at school, so when we scheduled this, he wasn't supposed to be here in my house.

SPEAKER_00 29:52

But but you know, it is real life. This is actually the perfect way to demonstrate that this is real life for moms. We get derailed, our kid gets sick, you know, doctor's appointments or whatever. How do you juggle all of this and two little kids dating?

SPEAKER_01 30:08

No, it's hard because especially like my son now is five, so at least he goes to school. My daughter's two. Like you have to watch right all the time.

SPEAKER_00 30:14

Yeah, you basically have to be a shadow at that at that age.

SPEAKER_01 30:17

Yeah. So it is really, really tough. Um, and I do really appreciate that I, you know, can have some help and so that I can get some of the stuff done that I need to do.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

Where do you find yourself squeezing out the extra time? Because I biggest challenge is time. I feel like there's not enough hours in the day.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

I usually wake up super early so I can work out and then come take them to school. So I'm usually waking up around like 5 30 in the morning. I work out between like six and seven or six and eight, and then I come back, then I take them to school. They go to sleep at around like eight. I usually get like a good three hours between eight and eleven.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

But that's yeah, it's like you're the CEO of your home. I mean, that's like a whole nother job. I commend you for doing it with your kids being so young because I was a stay-at-home mom when my kids were that little. I'm very, very grateful and very lucky that I had the opportunity to be home with my kids. But I was there was a piece of me that was missing that creative outlet and that adult interaction. So I know, I don't know, it's a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's nice that you have your own identity and you have your own projects, but it is hard. That juggling with motherhood is really hard.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

It is, and it's also hard because ultimately you want to be with them and you don't want to miss anything. I think it helps me show up better as a mom because I feel like I get to do some of the things I really want to do. And then when I'm like, this is them time, like uninterrupted. There's nowhere else I need to be.

SPEAKER_00 31:46

You appreciate the time that you have with them because it's not constant. And then you have your own time to do the things that make you happy. So I I think it's actually it's a great balance. I want to talk about your manifestation line because when we met, I think you were wearing one of your sweaters. It was so colorful and so much going on. I'll put one on, yeah. Yeah. So tell me about your manifestation line and what why you started it and how you started it. Love it. Nice. And you made that yourself.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

So yeah, so um basically I designed all the patches.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

For those who aren't watching this and they're just listening, she has all these beautiful patches and they're all sparkly on this like sweater. It's it's a great conversation starter. I mean, I can imagine you wearing that anywhere, you're gonna start talking to strangers.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Thank you. Well, that's actually how it started. So I literally made it for myself because I was doing all this press for the movie. And then I was like, I want to wear something that makes me feel a certain way that sets me up for success, makes me feel good, brings like good energy, good juju. Yeah. And um, and then people kept being like, Oh my god, this is amazing. Where did you get this? Where can I buy one? And it was like, and it happened so many times that I turned around to my husband and I was like, should I be making this available to people? And he was like, Well, yeah. And I was like, Well, how? I've never done anything like that. I've I have no, I'm not in the fashion world at all. Like, this is so out of the realm of anything I do. He was like, Why don't you just start looking into it? What I ended up realizing was that the best version of doing something was like drops. So because I could customize, and so basically on my social media, I started dropping like maybe 20 at a time, and then they would sell out.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

So you started selling them on your social media. Yeah. And it's not just threaders, you have like shoes and accessories and and other things, right?

SPEAKER_01 33:35

I did like a shoe collaboration with some brands and some celebrities, and I did I have some jackets and I have some hats. Then I remember having a conversation with my husband where I was like, what would be like the next version of what I want with this? I was like, Well, my dream would be a collaboration with Alice and Olivia because they're my favorite brand, and they stand for this. Like, this is the kind of thing they are already in the business of. So, like manifesting and women's empowerment and feeling good in your clothing and something fun and sparkly and colorful. So you collabed with them.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

I know you had that event.

SPEAKER_01 34:13

Yeah, so basically, I had that event and now I have a few more events with them. And the idea is that you go into the store and you use their clothing with my patches and you make like a once-in-a-lifetime piece.

SPEAKER_00 34:26

That's so cool. That's amazing. Maybe we're gonna add fashion designer to the resume. I welcome all the possibilities. But I love that you just like did it and it was birthed out of something that you were passionate about and something that you were proud of. And I'm sure when people were asking you about it, just like when I met you, that energy was very obvious, and people pick up on that energy and they want to be a part of that.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

Yeah. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

So, speaking of manifestation, I love manifestation. It's something that I really believe in and I practice on a regular basis. What would you say to someone who's new to manifestation and doesn't know where to start? How could they learn to manifest their goals?

SPEAKER_01 35:09

I think one of the biggest things with manifesting is if you can envision yourself for five minutes a day being in the life that you would want to be in, like in present mode. I think that's really, really helpful. I want to work on doing that more. I also think vision boarding can be really strong. But I actually think that if you can put the time there five to ten minutes a day, every day, it's life-changing because you're changing your energy around what's possible for yourself. We have so many limitations. Like we see the world and we're like, oh, I can't do that, or oh, that's too hard. Or, but I think a lot of what manifesting does is it goes like, no, I could do anything. I could be anywhere. Imagine it. Then I can put my heart and my soul into what it would take to get there, and then I can just start working towards that.

SPEAKER_00 35:54

Something that I've recently started doing is positive affirmations. And I too am trying to do like five minutes every morning of gratitude. The mornings that I can just have a slow morning or you know, on the weekends where I can fit it in, I really try to practice positive affirmations. So something like I am capable, I am smart, I can do this, I'm worthy, I know I have what it takes, and just repeating those things to yourself over and over again. When you start repeating positive things to yourself, you're gonna start believing those things. And conversely, if you have negative thoughts and you keep repeating those negative thoughts, you're gonna start believing those. So I really believe in the importance of the way you talk to yourself.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

I think the most important conversations we have are the conversations we have with ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 36:42

A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 36:44

I do believe in visualizing too. Like anytime I've had a really hard moment in my life, I actually close my eyes and I picture myself on the other side of it. I picture myself really happy and I actually like see it and I picture it and I'm smiling and I'm like, okay, like that's my North Star. I'm gonna get there. And it really, it really works.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

I love that. I also really like affirmations. I think gratitude can also be very, very powerful.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

Yeah. So if you could give one piece of advice to the women listening out there who are starting out in their career and they don't know where to start, what would you tell them on how to start their career, their creative journey?

SPEAKER_01 37:24

I would say no one knows where to start, and that's okay. Let go the part of you that needs to be ready. You're never gonna be ready. Just start and just don't worry so much about how it's gonna go or where you're gonna go. Like you'll find out. Yeah. Life will tell you. There's a there's so many roads you might take you never even thought you were gonna take. So much that is out of your control. But if you just show up and you go, I think I want to write a book, I don't know what the book is about, then start writing about what you would want to write about. And just see like what flows, what feels inspired, what's interesting. I mean, there's so many things you can learn to do on your own. With ChatGPT, there's just so many ways to inform ourselves on what are the next five steps for me to do this thing I want to do. And take it one step at a time. And just don't worry so much about the bigger picture because the bigger picture is out of your reach anyway, right now.

SPEAKER_00 38:14

And things evolve as you go along. Yeah. I think that's the best advice, honestly. Just to just do it, to just act on it right now, just take action, and everything else will just come to play. I like to end every episode with three questions that I ask every guest. And it's meant to encourage a growth mindset and perhaps give people a different perspective and inspire them. So I would like to ask some of you what habit do you think everyone should try for 30 days?

SPEAKER_01 38:43

I think exercise. I really do. It's completely changed my life. Yeah. And I I think there's, you know, different exercises for different people. But I think just doing a form of exercise for 30 days can just change your identity.

SPEAKER_00 38:58

I believe in that. But what is one belief you let go of that completely changed your life?

SPEAKER_01 39:02

That I need to feel validated by other people to validate myself.

SPEAKER_00 39:06

You're your own biggest true leader.

SPEAKER_01 39:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:10

I love that. Lastly, for the woman who's done it all, what is one thing you want to do that you haven't done yet?

SPEAKER_01 39:16

I want to do a TED talk. I'm actually going to do a TEDx talk. I'm in the process right now of preparing for it. Yeah, there's so many things that I still want to do. But that's that's a big one. I want to make more movies. I want to help a lot of people. I want to inspire other people to pursue their dreams um and their creativity. So kind of brainstorming what's the best way to do that, you know.

SPEAKER_00 39:42

I love the TED Talk. My favorite TED Talk is Brene Brown's The Power of Vulnerability. I love that the best one. So tell us where people can find you.

SPEAKER_01 39:52

Yeah, at Selena Ringel, S E L I N A R I N G E L. And I'm on Instagram, I'm on LinkedIn, I'm on Facebook, but I'm on Instagram the most.

SPEAKER_00 40:04

Thank you so much, Selena. This was so fun and so inspiring.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

Thank you. And here's my book, too.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

Be the train. It's so good. And look, I got a quote from Mel Robbins. I noticed that, by the way. That's amazing. That was a cold message. Okay, so the biggest takeaway from this episode is don't be afraid of cold emails or cold calls. No.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

That's right. Thanks, Selena. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 40:30

Thank you so much for listening to the Happy Go Lifestyle podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends, and I would be so grateful if you could rate and review it on your podcast app. You can watch the full video version of this episode on Spotify or YouTube. You can also follow me on Instagram at Sarah Peruz for more wellness, mindset, and lifestyle inspiration. And I'll see you next time.