Mind, Body, and the Writing Bug

Alfredo Zapata joins Richard Lowe (The Writing King) on Author Talks for a conversation that starts with two books and opens into a whole life: a single-parent childhood in Mexico City, an immigrant’s road to Los Angeles, and a wellness practice built on connecting mind and body.

It is also a candid exchange between two people who left corporate stress behind and had to learn, the hard way, that building your own thing means learning to market yourself.

Alfredo Zapata is a nutritionist, fitness coach, speaker, and co-author whose program, Connect Mind and Body, brings over thirty years of experience to a holistic approach to wellbeing. His most recent co-authored book became an Amazon bestseller.

For more conversations with authors about craft and the business of books, see Author Talks with Richard Lowe.

DISCUSS YOUR BOOK

Full transcript of the interview follows.

Richard Lowe: Good day. My name is Richard Lowe and I am the writing King. I sell book coaching ghostwriting and LinkedIn branding services. Alfredo is my guest today. And he is a passionate nutritionist, a fitness coach, speaker and author. He comes from New Mexico, excuse me from Mexico. And he brings over 30 years of expertise to his holistic approach to wellbeing.

With his program connect mind and body, he has dedicated his life to understanding the intricate connection between physical and mental performance. Welcome, Alfredo.

Alfredo Zapata: Thank you very much for a chance to be here.

Two Books, One a Bestseller

Richard: My pleasure. My pleasure. I’m happy to have you on. So you said you’re an author, what have you written?

Alfredo: Well, I’ve been a co author in two books. One of them became bestseller. But the first one, it was an incredible introduction in Spanish market, because it wasn’t in Spanish, about self development, and how people went through different trials. And finally, they saw the light at the end of the tunnel to help people keep it up, wherever a challenge they may have.

And it was awesome. Don Miguel Ruiz. The one for the Four Agreements was our godfather. So he spoke highly about the book. And from there, we went to do some speaking engagements and up in the Spanish community.

Richard: Excellent. So tell me more about what’s what is the book, when I read the book, what does it do for me?

Alfredo: Well, it shows 13 different walks of life because it was made with no authors or writers. Only couple of them at the race work like Ella people, a chef, someone that was doing investments hypnotherapist housewife, a real estate woman. And it was very diverse by the shows they no matter what country no matter what background, people have stories.

And sometimes we don’t feel like we can relate. Or we can find some type of relief to what we’re going through. So I help us analyze basically, make better choices and continue in life.

Growing Up in Mexico City

Richard: Very good. Yeah. I certainly could have used that earlier in my life. Maybe even now. You said you live in Mexico, near Mexico City. Yeah. And Mexico City, I was born and raised in Mexico City.

Alfredo: And the only child from a single mom growing up in the 60s, it wasn’t quite common. Because you know, normally, Latin families, they’re like, two three brothers or sisters, the dad moms. But it happens that I was the only child. I’m a single mom. So it was kind of like, awkward.

I grew up with my grandparents, my aunts, and my uncles. But I was always feeling a little void inside of me. Okay, what did you do about that void. And well, I start at early age trying to, to find a way to feel secure, to feel accepted way.

But because I know much about life, it was kind of like intuitive. So I grew up in the downtown area. So on the weekends, there was not too many people around the area. So I will ask permission, you know, as soon as I went out with my uncle, my grandparents, but I want to go by myself.

So I run the locks, right, but the city hall and I start running. So the running, moving my body and filling in some way in control. It gave me some kind of power like superhero. And as they’re making me feel good, and feel like I can control something even though the outside you know, society wise, it was in maybe kind of like, normal.

So I felt good doing it by myself. And then from there started doing sports martial art rebuild game, and it gave me so much support in terms of myself scheme. Very good. Very good.

Richard: So Mexico city is located about in the middle of Mexico, isn’t it? Yeah, that’s right. Pretty far inland.

Alfredo: Yeah, so it’s about about three hours flying from Los Angeles where I live for about 20 years.

Richard: My understanding it’s a pretty big city. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is is full of people and and right now I kind of multiply the people that were not even born already. They are they have kids and yeah, so it’s a big city. Yeah, I’ve always wanted to go to the IKEA There’s a Aztec pyramids, it’s ruins things around there.

And it was wanted to visit those, but never quite made it down there been to incent out a few times on a cruise. But not Mexico City, unfortunately. Yeah. My late wife was from Guatemala, which is south of Mexico. I think it’s Nicaragua and Guatemala. Yeah, they’re gonna close by the South.

Yeah, she’s a pure Guatemalan. Or was she passed away? But it’s a long time ago. But thank you. Anyway, what else? So why did you start writing?

How the Writing Started

Alfredo: Yeah, that was a good. Good question. I asked myself when that happened. Because can i Little backtrack after I graduated from nutrition because I wanted to do medicine. But in young adult, I was trying to figure out life and being the only child because that was kind of like a little thing carry me through my whole, you know, young adult life.

I wanted to fit in. So I messed it up in high school. I tried to make it up. And my mom said, Well, your dad used to be, he was a doctor. And you said, when you were young, that when you grew up, you want to be a doctor.

So you got to be a doctor. So it was kind of like, trying to feel the pressure and trying to find the life on my own and I minister. So I was doing bodybuilding after martial arts. So the nutrition career came out in Mexico. So I said, I need to hang on to something because I messed up with my mom.

So I need to make it up. So he asked my uncle to sponsor me to go back to school and study. So I graduated for nutrition. But before I finish my thesis and everything, friend of mine from the gym, I moved to LA to Venice, California at the Mecca of Bodybuilding.

And because that was our passion. I wanted to go visit Alex, which was my friend. And I said, I need to go so I got my passport, my visa, I gather a little couple dollars in I saved. And I went in 36 hours, because I got to the border, I hand out my documents.

And the officer said, Okay, where are you going? I’m going to Angeles to visit a friend and put everything in paper. One second. He went inside the office came out. And he handed me the passport and cancel, cancel the passport, the visa, and you cannot enter. So I question why.

He said, Well, you can enter. And then he said next, because it was people behind me. So I will never send it back home. And I felt so bad because I said, I want to do the right thing. And why is this happened to me? It was kind of like another cold water bucket for me.

So I said, I’m not going to ask permission. And when I finished my school, and I’m going across illegally. So that’s what I did. There was a you know, long story on it, I cross. And I went in to LA. It was the new discovery and beginning. So I started doing personal training after I got certified a couple years later, I was always working out, which kept me sane, in a way.

And then I went to this spanic network mixer to you know, promote my services because mainly I did all my career with English speaking. People are at that meeting, I met this woman and she had a show, a show for self development in Spanish television. I met her we talk I tell her what I do my program connected mind, body and everything.

So she said, Well, that’s great that you got to talk to the Spanish community, you’re missing out of radio, you gotta come to my show. So I went to her show. I went well. He said, I want you to come back. But that show was paid advertisement. So you had to pay to be on the show.

And I said, Well, I just got married. We had the first kid so I don’t think I can pull out some dollars to go in there. Don’t worry, come back. So I went there for five episodes with her. And it was awesome because she you don’t have to pay like you.

You have a good spirit. So she invited me to this show where she was speaking. And I met this guy from Mexico who was living in LA and he became a writer, a guy who grew up with polio. He got like three kids last week. I’m blind with kidney failure.

So became a self development writer. And he invited me to meet this group of Hispanic people that were finishing a book. And he said, I want you to meet them. Maybe under the second edition, you can join us. And I said, Okay, well, that’s great. There was a bunch of people like 1516 people, I went back home at midnight, he called me and said, Alfredo.

About five people of our group are quitting. Because work and distance and everything, they cannot finish, I want you to be in it. You have one week to write a chapter to be in the book. And I say, Well, I never wrote anything. What am I going to write about?

Those Alfredo, everybody has a story, to write something that is meaningful, something based in your heart that you want to speak and people to know. So I started writing like, three, four days, and I couldn’t make any sense. So I finally came out with a chapter and the title.

And that’s how I started my writing career. And there was a couple of stories before the book released, but it was amazing. Because it wasn’t just a personal trainer, or nutritionist. It was a speaker and a writer. So it was awesome.

Richard: Very cool. That’s a great story. You said you wrote two books, correct? Yeah, yeah. The last one was here, about a year ago.

Alfredo: It was someone that I met, I reached out to that person, because I saw their profile, it was one of those challenges to improve yourself and become better. So this woman and her husband, were doing a lot of different events to help people to connect with themselves and become better.

And she put out, you know, the group of friends they had on Facebook, she said, I’m writing a book, because I’ve been in my life with different traumas and dramas. So I was able to come up out of that, and become a healer and a coach. So I said, she said, I want anyone interested to send me a DM.

So I sent her a DM and I said, Nigera, I would like to be included. And I wasn’t expecting to be chosen. And she says, You have no problem. Let’s get in zoom. And then we have a writing coach. And we have different people the editorial, and it was amazing.

The book was released last year and become bestseller in Amazon, where 33 authors. And the book is called repair for black family that again, repair of the black family. And the authors out there, I’m the only Mexican. And it was amazing because it was another shot to write something for me now being like a former writer, like a study anything else but it was also my thing, it was another calling for me to share to the world. You have another book in mind. While I’m thinking in writing something about myself, too.

Richard: I don’t have a qui set was going to be but I’m sure this year I’m gonna I’m gonna put that into paper. Awesome. Yeah, you should keep going if you’re into books, and you probably have the writing bug, as I like to call it. And definitely keep going.

It’s a very much your own. You know, it’s a very fulfilling mission. Speaking of mission, what is your mission as a writer?

Connecting Mind and Body

Alfredo: Well, my mission is for people to be more aware of their health, that not just physically but mentally. Because I think in the 21st century people or ours, we’ve been living from the neck up. Seeing hearing speaking, and from the neck down, we only pay attention when we feel discomfort when we feel pain.

If you have a shoulder pain, you want to put a cream or if your lower back, your knees hurt, you’re trying to find something, but you never look for the origin of the problem. So connecting your mind and finding what it is. You have better chances to prevent, to become healthier, but more self aware.

So you can really put your best self into whatever you do, and be successful, not successful just having a big bank account, but actually feel fulfilled in order to feel secure by yourself and not us trying to impress or trying to pretend because pretty much everything like that is just appearance for a felon inside you You know, there’s something going on, you know, you’re wealthy, you’re successful, but you have colitis, you have a bad mood, you have vices.

And you know, for me that that person, including myself in the past was those just empty. Writings help you through that. Yeah, basically in some of the topics in our right, because you know, health and fitness, I put a big emphasis, especially in my program, my program is connected in mind and body, and is based on three points, analyzing people’s stress, based on the posture, the posture of our bodies, reflects a lot of stress and discomfort that we might have.

So once we are aware of that, we can fix it with the metal then I have, so people become aware of what they look like, and how they feel. So if you have a good mood, you’re gonna be prompt to eat healthy. But if you’re in a bad mood, even though you know what to eat, you’re gonna say for Eric, I want to eat cake, I want to have a glass of wine for the people who drink because I want something to eat me, peace, give me come for another day, the salad, the chicken or whatever.

And then what they do, they go and bolster energy on the gym, massage, sauna, CrossFit, whatever they do, they drain their energy, they feel peace at the moment, and then they come back and the cycle never ends the cycle. But once I point them what to do, okay, have that connection, of good posture, feeling better, even better.

And the detonator is a physical activity, because it’s gonna give you like a dynamo, an enhancement of your energy, and you’re gonna feel well, I feel good, if you’re strong, even though I’m 80, or 90, which some of my clients were like 70s 80s. And they said, I don’t care about the age.

I feel good mentally. And physically. Now, I’m not six pack guy, or muscles or for like, some of the females, but I’m functional. I feel good. That’s the whole thing. Yeah, I know, my problem through my life has been stressed. That’s one reason why I became a writer was I worked in corporate, and the stress was just killing me.

The Stress of Corporate vs Building Your Own Thing

Richard: You know, aches and pains and body problems and mental problems and emotional stuff. And finally, I just said, 10 years ago, I said, I’m done with this, I need to go do something else. And I became a writer. Now, of course, there’s still stress as a writer, because I have to make a living, I have to find jobs.

And that’s my whole living. But it’s a different kind of stress. Because I have control of it. If, if I don’t market, my services and my books, I don’t make money. And it’s my fault. If I do market it, and get clients in, and I feel good. So it, it talks against me being lazy, because I can’t be lazy, because I won’t make money and then you know, we’ll be able to pay the rent.

So the stress is a different kind of stress, it’s a more healthy stress, I think, because I’m in control. The other stress was I’m out of control, I got people telling me what to do people who didn’t know what they were doing. People who I thought were quite often stupid, sometimes they were smart.

And that’s the most frustrating stress of all, because you can’t control it. I’m so wonder if you found that out, too, is is the it’s the uncontrollable illness that makes it really stressful. For me, it’s better to control or know that I can control it and can take steps.

Then, like when I first started writing, it never occurred to me to be a writer that I have to be a marketer. I have to market my books, I have to sell them. And that caused a lot of stress because I didn’t know how to do it. And I needed to make a living because I quit my job and moved and so forth.

But once I figured out the marketing customers, the stress went away because I had a wired I could do it. And I wonder if you found the same kind of thing with your clients.

Alfredo: Yeah, actually, Richard, you, you know, a big important point. Because when I start making a living in in a different country after I moved there, maybe the whole action movie drama scenario, I began to find ways that I can be more effective. One because I was learning a new language I was trying to immerse by myself fully and someone that I met with him from Venezuela who was writing music for SPO and other shows he say Alfredo in order to improve your English.

And to become more familiar. You gotta see all the CNN News. News, read business news, don’t listen to any radio music in English and trying to figure out or Arsenio Hall Show or anything, they, it kind of switches the slang and different ways of communicating because you want to train your ear.

So I was going to the, you know, night school for adults. And that helped me a little bit because the teacher was playing the Beatles songs, and she will break them into small pieces. And then she asked us to kind of sing along, to start getting the right words, and the right, listening, you know, the right ear, and they start giving me more sense of confidence.

Then after recording myself, that helped me a lot. And then from there, I started going in different routes to find what to do when I became a personal trainer. So if I went for different trainings, and I was kind of boxing myself only to be a personal trainer, and everything else and I wanted to do to share with people it was kind of like in the back burner, and Cana, waiting to come out until someone says, Why don’t you go to toastmasters to improve your skills, your communication skills, as you have a lot of knowledge that you want to share with the people.

So people know who you are and what you do. And in a bigger scale, not just confined to do one thing. That’s when I start losing that kind of fear of speaking, but also to relate to others. And then I started saying, Well, no one is paying me for that.

But I need to market myself, like you said, so I started going to some of those breakfast and lunch mixers, to promote myself. And I was single, but when I got married, it was a different story. Because then I needed to make more income to provide for my wife, then the first child came out.

And at three years old, he had diagnosed with autism. So it was more like, Well, yeah, I’m a personal trainer, I studied nutrition, and I’m going to the gym to get paid, but my expenses went up. And the whole thing of you know, dreaming and doing things, it cannot lead me into I need to market myself, I need to promote myself.

So I started going to different things. But I found that I didn’t have much knowledge because it was back then, you know, in the late 90s When things started going, you know, internet and advertisement and stuff was kind of difficult because I was all over the place in my mind.

And I know how to do it. So I was banging my head quite a bit. Because I wanted to be the the one man orchestra, you know, playing all those instruments, being a dad, being a husband being a personal trainer, and nutritionist and promoting myself. So I was really puzzle, even though this woman invited me to TP and books and everything.

It was difficult. And I think having mentors like like you and other people they have already reached that level is something they start hanging on in order to make it.

Why Marketing Is Where Writers Stall

Richard: Yep, yep. And marketing is the part where most writers fail, I think. Because I think a lot of writers go into writing because it kind of introverted writing is a way that they can talk so to speak, without being in front of people. And they write and write and write and write, and then they have this book finished that is their masterpiece.

And then how do they sell it. And that’s the what I call it the wall of marketing, they hit that and come to a screeching halt, and got to either learn it or they don’t. Some people get somebody else to do it. That’s expensive. But marketing like anything else, it’s not hard.

It’s just a new thing you need to learn, you have to learn new stuff. And it’s always that’s, that’s been the surprise for me, of marketing is it’s always changing because of the internet. And it’s always you know, one day you’re in Google one day, you’re not one day, you’re doing well on LinkedIn, and they change the algorithm and then you’re not.

And you just gotta roll with it. Because what can you do and you can’t call up LinkedIn and say, Hey, fix it. Because we did that on purpose. So it’s, it’s I’m actually starting to have fun with the marketing now for the first time ever. One of the things you got to also I’m sure you had to overcome it.

And I had overcome is when you’re marketing yourself, you’re talking about yourself. And I don’t know how it is in Mexico, but in the United States, we’re taught not to talk about ourselves. We’re taught to talk You know, if you’re talking about yourself, it’s bad, you’re narcissistic, blah, blah, blah, you’re arrogant?

Well, when you’re marketing yourself, you don’t have a choice. You know, you’re a good writer, you know, I gotta say, I’m a good writer, I gotta say, I’m a good coach. And I’m sure you’ve run into the same kind of, I would guess you’ve run into the same kind of mental thing where it’s kind of a cultural thing.

We were not taught, I certainly wasn’t taught how to market myself to make my I was taught actually taught the opposite to kind of hide a little bit, because you don’t want to be seen as Oh, my God, that would be bad. And well, it’s not bad to be seen. Yes, actually good. So what do you think?

Alfredo: Yeah, no, I think it’s something very common. And I think yes, even being social. Without any marketing, I think life, sometimes we’re told to be quiet to behave. And you know, even in Mexico growing up in the 60s 70s 80s, when I left, Mexico, there was still some stigma.

And there was only the salespeople who were kind of like trying to get you to buy something, even if you don’t need it. Because that was kind of like the, the idea of the salesperson, just try to convince you to pay the money. And they leave, because that’s how they get the commission and everything.

But then things start evolving. So I always, I think, wanted to look for answers. And sometimes was kind of like, fearful looking for it. I never backed up, I always look for options, in terms of marketing, and it was kind of like, what can I do the maybe fits myself, then I don’t sound like someone else.

Because I found sometimes kind of like little holes in between. And I say, well, that person is taller, or speaks more loud. And I’m a little more quiet, and I’m sure. So I start kind of comparing that a third learning day, you have to be yourself. But you have to be liking yourself first.

So you can present yourself as you are and not pretend them. So with that enthusiasts and that positive energy, people will start resonating with you. And that’s how you’re going to start doing that attraction, which they call attraction marketing, but no with a hidden agenda, but just being you like, you know, being without combing your hair, like maybe in your pajamas and say, Well, I’m drinking my coffee, because I had a late night talk or whatever.

And then people want to say, hey, Alfredo is real. And I can relate to him. I don’t seem like the top guy who’s on TV and stuff. So I can relate. And maybe I can get some confidence, which is what I did. When I train some teenagers. The dads came to me and one of them was like, in Mexico, you know, before COVID, he said, My son is going to Germany for camp for one month, the kid was a 14, he only had like maybe four pounds to lose, but mainly the self confidence that what I did with him, was building rapport, connecting with him to have empathy to feel confident, confident, and when he’s feeling comfortable.

And that’s how I was able to market to the kid and then to the dad. But it wasn’t a hidden agenda to say, well, you know, my fees are this much. The one sign up, sign up now. It was more like, on the other side more than a human

Rapport Over the Hard Sell

Richard: connection. And that’s when I didn’t realize I’m marketing myself. I’m not speaking about how good I am. But I’m giving some type of connection with the person. And I still learning. I think we’ll be learning that till the day we die. But yeah, I mean, I sell a pretty big ticket item.

ghostwriting is not cheap. And the thing I have to do is create a report, as you say, with people, and it has to be really I have to have self confidence. Because if if I don’t have the self confidence, they’re not going to buy my product or my service.

And it’s it can be pretty tough. It can be very interesting. But like today, I had a conversation with a potential client, it went very well. And he is at the end of he’s like, yeah, we’ll sign up, give me a couple months and we’ll sign up you know, and I was like, okay, you know, if he will, it’ll be a good project.

But I one thing I insist on is working with people who are good people don’t work with toxic people and I was in corporate and I just got so tired of the toxicity not necessarily If the corporate itself if some of the people, and there’s nothing you can do about it, now, it’s it’s still work, they’re gonna be your you got this person in the same workplace and he’s you know what I mean by toxic, he’s a bad person.

And now I pick my clients, and I’m in a position where I can pick my clients and have turned down $200,000 contracts, because the client was not going to work out. And I wasn’t going to do nine books with him having to cry every night, because he was that bad, like, Nope, not gonna do it.

And of course, new business came in, and then it was fine, then I’m confident enough where I can take the risk of, yeah, I can turn that down, because it’s going to be bad. I’ll make a lot of money, but I’ll probably pay for it doctor bills. That’s the stress part.

And I went to toastmasters to it’s one of the things I did to help break the shyness and, and so forth and get learned to be a speaker and do these interviews and things. I love doing these interviews because it’s great finding out about other people and how they overcame whatever they had to overcome would be what they’re doing.

Yeah, I do two interviews, I do the author talks. And I do conversations with influencers to separate things. So I find influencers who have a large audience, and there’s somewhat famous in the field, and I interview them. And that’s a whole different ball of wax. What we’re coming to the end of our time, and I wonder if you had anything else you wanted to add?

Well, first of all, I want to use thank you again, for the opportunity to be here with you. I think you have a wealth of knowledge and all the different points and you touch they’re like a golden nuggets to me, because I think they always listening to someone who’s already there, or who’s doing great things.

And that’s why I request to be on your on your show. I feel very fortunate. And just so glad to be here and you know, to share with the world. I have this incredible knowledge, then I help people to become healthy from the inside out. And I’m happy to connect with anyone who’s really looking to improve their 32:17 lives. How do people get ahold of you? Yeah,

Alfredo: well, now Instagram is the main platform where I interact and my link is in the bio, and I have a free discovery call. My handle is Alfredo Sebata. Coach. 32:34 Now I will have that link in the video page for this video. So they’ll be able to click on it.

Sure. Good. Excellent. Excellent. Well, this has been the writing king. And this is author talks. And I am a ghostwriter. And I write books on technology and such. I’m also writing coach. So if any writers out there need some help, what I do is as you do I do a free consultation where we figure out what’s wrong, and what you think is wrong with your writing, come up with a personalized plan and we work through it.

And also do LinkedIn branding. So if you’ve if you’re not getting any value or reach from your LinkedIn, call me up and we can help with that. So this has been a great interview. I thank you for coming on and stay in touch. Yes, I will. Thank you very much.

Quotable moments

Frequently asked questions

How did Alfredo Zapata become an author?

He was invited into a multi-author self-development book in the Spanish-language community and given a week to write his chapter. That first published chapter started his writing career, and he has since co-authored a second book that became an Amazon bestseller.

What is his approach to health and wellness?

His program, Connect Mind and Body, treats the link between physical and mental performance as the foundation of wellbeing. He analyzes stress through posture, builds awareness of how the body feels, and uses physical activity as the trigger for lasting energy and confidence.

What does he say about marketing for authors and coaches?

That marketing is where most writers stall, and the block is often cultural: we are taught not to talk about ourselves. He reframes it as building rapport and human connection so people relate to you, rather than a hard sell.

Where can you find Alfredo Zapata?

On Instagram, where he offers a free discovery call. His handle is Alfredo Zapata Coach.