Meet Alexis Forteza | Author & Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexis Forteza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexis, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
The most difficult decision I’ve had to make so far in my life was when I had to move away from my hometown. Dallas has now become my new home, which I love so much, but my roots are actually in Florida. I tell most people that I came to Dallas for work and a new environment, but that’s just the surface answer; The real reason I came to Dallas, besides God providing me a divine door of new opportunity, was to heal from my past. I believe people are the way they are because of the experiences they have gone through. Everything about us, down to how we perceive the world, is influenced by something that happened to us in the past. I came to Dallas with a new sense of hope, but a broken heart that needed mending, and I mean serious mending. When I arrived here to Dallas, COVID pretty much locked me in my apartment, and boy did I do a lot of soul searching in that time. So yes, leaving my hometown to come to the an unknown city was very hard, but it turned out to be the best decision I have ever made for myself as a woman, and my purpose was found through making this tough decision.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Since I am not a full-time mentor just yet, I do have my normal 9-5, which is in finance. I don’t know who needs to hear this message but keep your 9-5 and let it sow into your passion until it’s time to part ways with it. But, I digress……

In terms of my mentoring business, one of the main things I always promised to myself was to be an authentic and honest mentor no matter what others do online, or what the latest trends are. I’ve seen a lot of life coaches/mentors sell a false narrative of their life, and their values just to gain a following and make money. I peeped that kind of falsehood as soon as I became a coach and I was instantly turned off by it. I live a life of integrity, on and off social media, and I know that if someone comes to me to seek advice, or to share some personal information to me, a complete stranger, how dare I not honor them and my business with respect and integrity. With that, I take pride on living a life of integrity and truth. However, I am shy so I do struggle with how much I should share with the world, but I am beginning to find a nice balance.

In terms of whether this has been easy for me: my answer would be yes and no. It’s been easy in the aspect of me naturally flowing and using my God given gifts of listening empathetically, and providing sound wisdom to my clients. The hardest aspect I personally deal with is my sense of doubt; am I being effective enough? I am really being a light to others? Do people even care what I have to say? Those are just a couple of internal thoughts I struggle with, but I manage them all by simply putting one foot in front of the other as I keep trucking along this journey I call life. It is quite a journey I must add, which leads me to say what I would want the world to know about my brand/story: life is going to be full of good times and bad times, but enjoy them all. The wisdom I have today came from my times of pain, uncertainty, doubt, even my frustrations in my life. Although none of us can control when those times occur, make sure you are always seeking the hidden lesson within them. Life gives you what you need to shape you to become who you were meant to be. I would also encourage those who read this to divorce those ideas of what and how your life should look and go. No matter how much you plan to avoid things, life will throw you a surprise, and not all of them are bad. Surprises are ways I think God likes to remind us that He loves for us to rely on Him, and that unexpected detours (aka surprises) can be blessings in disguise. You just have to embrace them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Where do I begin…..I guess I can consider myself a Texan after being here for 2 years right? If any one of my friends or family came to Dallas, I’d definitely show them around downtown first. I love Klyde Warren park and all the great food in Victory Park. Hands down, my favorite restaurant in Victory Park is Mesero. Mouth is watering as I think about it. Next, I would take them to explore the art district, visit the Dallas arboretum, and the Reunion tower for sure. Then, I’d have to take them to my favorite healthy fast-food spot Cava (shoutout to my friend Anna for birthing a Cava addiction in me). I’d probably then take them to Legacy West to get some of my favorite gelato, walk around a bit, and who knows…..just get lost exploring the city. I still have so much to see and explore myself so my list is very short.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I have to give thanks to God. Without my relationship with God I honestly would not be where I’m at today, let alone answering these questions for the Shoutout Series for Voyage Dallas. Like what?!? Crazy. I also have to shoutout my family for always being there for me no matter what. I believe family is truly a gift to have because that is where you get the opportunity to experience unconditional love. I also want to shoutout all of the great women I have met here in Dallas (they know who they are) for accepting me, making me believe in authentic friendship again, and also being a sisterhood for me to explore Dallas, and all the wonderful things it has to offer.

Website: www.alexisforteza.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexisforteza_/?hl=en