How Pablo the introvert found his voice

Victory doesn’t always arrive with fanfare.

Sometimes, it’s a solitary moment - a quiet nod to yourself in the stillness, knowing every inch of the climb was earned by you. 

Today, I share the story of Pablo, an agency owner whose journey reflects struggles many of us face.

Insecurity, self-doubt, the weight of expectations.

For the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring him.

We’ve recently spent 5 weeks together in the Dominican Republic, where I watched him peel back layers of doubt, confront challenges head-on, and step into the version of himself he was always meant to be.

He’s not the loudest voice in the room. He’s not the one you see coming. But that’s what makes him even more extraordinary. 

He’s proof that true strength isn’t about shouting from the rooftops - it’s about the quiet roar within, the relentless fire to rise when the world has counted you out.

In Spain (where Pablo’s from), life is deeply rooted in tradition.

Family, culture, and community thrive.

Stepping outside the lines is often met with raised eyebrows.

Comfort is king. 

It isn’t that Spain lacks dreamers. It’s that entrepreneurship is volatile. unpredictable. bold.

• Secure paycheck

• 7pm clock-out

• Potentially even a little siesta in between

Anything else is only a faint whisper.

So those who rise stand out from the crowd.

Pablo is one of those few. 

He’s defying every expectation, every sideways glance, and every bit of advice.

He’s clawing his way through insecurity, carving his own path in a world scarred by doubt, failure, and labels.

This is Pablo’s story. And it could be yours.



“Lazy,” they said.

The word hung in the air, whispered by teachers, muttered by friends, sometimes hurled straight at him.

To them, Pablo was destined to slip through the cracks, another wasted potential.

The breaking point came when he failed and had to repeat a course in school.

To everyone else, it was proof of their doubts. Yet another ‘I told you so’. 

To Pablo, it was a wake-up call.

He looked at the man in the mirror for the first time and saw the truth. 

He wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t incapable. He was lost.

In 2018, at the age of 21, he stepped into the world of Marketing – a university course that seemed like nothing more than a stepping stone.

But the moment his feet touched that ground, in the sea of uncertainty, something clicked.

As Pablo found his lane, a lifetime of doubt began to crumble.

And with it, a new goal emerged: he wouldn’t just pass. He would finish first in the class.

As he fed off this mission, he quickly became a hustler balancing two worlds.

University is supposed to be the proving ground for your future.

For Pablo, it was a war zone.

By day, he was the picture-perfect student, determined to crush his grades and silence the lingering scars of doubt.

By night, he stepped into a completely different battlefield. He was running ad campaigns for lawyers and insurance companies, juggling deadlines and deliverables.

Torn between the desire to fit in and the pull of something greater.

On one hand, his peers – living the ‘normal’ life of studying and partying, preparing for steady 9-to-5 jobs.

On the other, the unrelenting voice inside him that whispered…

‘there’s more’.

Late nights blurred into early mornings as he fought to keep his grades high while building his freelancing portfolio.

The grind wasn’t just about proving himself anymore – it was about breaking free.

Pablo didn’t want the life his friends were chasing – long hours, minimal reward, tethered to a system that drained their energy.

His dream was about freedom. Freedom to provide for his family. Freedom to rewrite the rules. Freedom to build a future that was truly his own.

Once he had this purpose to fight for, the darkest nights wouldn’t break him.

They revealed him.

By December 2023, he’d finished university and he had a little online marketing agency that had grown.

But scaling didn’t come wrapped in glory - it came with more scars. 

Bad hires drained his momentum. Unreliable team members added chaos to his workflow. 

The relentless grind of entrepreneurship began to close in.

And then came the perfect storm: his media buyer quit, his graphic designer followed, and Pablo himself was knocked flat by the flu.

He was frantically hiring replacements between coughing fits and client calls.

Everywhere he looked, it seemed like other entrepreneurs were leaping ahead – scaling faster, winning bigger, leaving him in their dust.

The weight of comparison was suffocating.

‘Is this even for me? Am I enough?’

When he felt like this wasn’t for him, a conversation with another Spanish entrepreneur Eugenio became his lifeline.

Passing the strength to Pablo so that while the struggles didn’t disappear, he had the fire within him to face them head-on.

So 2024 became the season of focus.

Grinding in silence, holding onto the vision, and pushing that stationary train inch by inch.

Then, in the midst of the storm that had become his life, Pablo stumbled across my LinkedIn profile.

It wasn’t the polished success stories that drew him in. 

It wasn’t the highlight reels of achievement or the shiny milestones that many would cling to as proof of their worth. 

No, what stopped Pablo in his tracks were the scars I wore openly - the struggles I laid bare. 

The raw truths of failure, perseverance, and clawing through the darkness to find light.

The path he was on - brutal, chaotic, unforgiving - wasn’t the wrong one. It was simply the path.

Soon after, I welcomed Pablo into the David to Goliath mentorship.

At first, it seemed like a practical step – a way to sharpen his sales skills, refine his approach, and push forward. But it became so much more.

He found perspective. 

Incremental wins started stacking.

His mindset shifted. 

The self-belief he had clung to by a thread was now roaring back, stronger than ever.

Even the strongest warriors need a moment of clarity, a hand on their shoulder to remind them of their strength.

For Pablo, this mentorship wasn’t just guidance - it was fuel for a fire he thought had gone out.

And then, it happened. October 2024. The first $10k month.

The result of months of persistence, patience, and refusing to break.

A goal which only 3 months earlier, seemed like a distant star.

But now, it stood as undeniable proof of what happens when vision meets action.

And the past three months have been nothing short of transformative for Pablo.

We’ve spent time together in the Dominican Republic, building his vision piece by piece.

He’s cold-calling ecom brands like a giant.

And with renewed focus on mindset and strategy, he’s about to double the size of his agency, closing in on his first $20k month.

Pablo still faces challenges that test him every day.

Building a strong, reliable team is a puzzle he’s determined to solve.

Learning to say no – to clients, to distractions, to anything that doesn’t align with his vision – remains a tough but necessary fight.

But stepping fully into the role of a leader is the ultimate challenge.

He’s no longer the student balancing two worlds. 

He’s no longer the entrepreneur questioning if this path is for him.

For introverts and those who’ve carried the weight of insecurity, the world can feel overwhelming.

It can seem like success belongs only to those who shout the loudest, command attention effortlessly, or exude unshakable confidence.

But the quiet strength within you is more than enough.

You don’t need to change who you are.

You don’t need to force yourself into a mold that doesn’t fit.

Success doesn’t require you to shout. It grows from your persistence, your reflection, and your ability to see the world in ways others might miss.

The doubts you carry, the insecurities that whisper you’re not enough - they don’t define you. They’re part of your story, yes, but they’re not the whole story.

The fact that you’ve faced them and kept going proves how strong you truly are.

Remember this: progress doesn’t need to be flashy to be real.

Every small step, every quiet victory, every moment of choosing to try again is a testament to your courage.

The world may not always understand your quiet power at first.

But don’t let that stop you.

Keep moving forward. Keep believing in your dreams, even when they feel fragile.

Because one day, the things that make you doubt yourself today will become the very foundation of your strength.

And when the world finally sees what you’ve been building, they’ll understand:

The giant was growing all along.

Remember: The best gift you can give anyone is belief.

But the best person to believe in is always yourself.

Yours truly,

-Nigel

To finish with a quick message from Pablo himself:

“I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to my family and friends. Your unwavering support, encouragement, and belief in me have been the foundation of my strength. You have not only stood by me during challenging times but have also been my greatest source of inspiration, reminding me of the beauty of perseverance and the power of shared dreams. Your love and guidance mean more to me than words can ever convey, and I am endlessly grateful for having you in my life.”