Life Advice from a Mentor: What I Wish I Knew as a Teen

so we've been talking for a long time and i ask you to contribute to our cause because we've been having some talks um i've known you for a long time you helped raise me always give me advice when i need and that's why i thought you would definitely be a good person to interview thank you how are you doing today doing pretty good how's you how are you pretty good excited to hear what you have to say um so we were talking about some things and one of the things that was so interesting to me was uh who was the most significant person in your life uh so can we talk a little bit more about that sure um i've had quite a few people that i can say has been there for me over these past i won't give my age maybe a few decades i'll say but the most influential person i have i have to go with my aunt anita she was like a second mom to me and often times she was like my mom when i needed her um she's been there with me since birth and i still talk to her like each and every day up until now like um if i have an issue um she's the person i'm gonna call she's the reason i've gone to college she's the reason i pretty much started my business like she keeps me going she makes sure i remember who i am and i don't give up on myself and i love that about her um [Music] outside of what she's done for me her as a person influences me because she of the way she is with her family um she's not one of those people that say oh you're 18 now so you're on your own she's there for you with you with her kids in even with me as her niece she's been there for me with for for the long haul i don't know how detail you want me to get with the question but to answer your question i'd have to go with my aunt ranita no that was perfect oh you're also talking about some of the things like how you've given me advice and help me navigate some uh or avoid some pitfalls thank you and always been there for me and then um we were kind of talking about it you're wishing you could give this advice to your teenage self so i guess the next question is what advice would you give to your teenage self if you could oh my god i've always been one that said that i don't regret anything i believe everything happens for a reason so if i had a chance to go back and change something i'm not sure i would just because i wouldn't be sure but knowing what i know now if i could go whisper in my ear um my teenage self i would definitely tell her don't don't take the easy way out i would tell her if it looks good too good to be true then most likely it is i would tell her to stay focused and be mindful of the individuals around you because not everyone has your best interests at heart it's those people that um outside of family i should say it would it's those people that seems to have a strong interest in your life that are the ones you need to watch out for i would definitely tell her that um because i made some decisions as a teenager that i i won't say i regret making but they made my life much harder than it needed to be and so if i can go back i would definitely let her know that um the easy way is not always the best way wow well that's really amazing and i really thank you for opening up and sharing all that with us you're welcome i'll talk to you soon you