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Denise Soler Cox’s passion project took close to two decades to manifest, but once she committed to it, there was no looking back.
“Up until that night I believed that my cultural identity experience was all my own,” explains Soler Cox. “I did not have an awareness that I shared this experience of not feeling Latino enough for my Puerto Rican family and friends while also not feeling American enough for the mainstream culture that I was raised in.”
The light bulb moment that this dissonance was a shared feeling is what led to the creation of Project ñ, a documentary and various digital touchpoints, all relating back to a first generation of Latino-Americans.
“Our mission is to develop into an iconic new media brand and share the story of 16 million Latinos though our films, online content and live events,” shares Soler Cox. “The impact of our content is transformational and often leads to a profound cultural awakening.”
After finally taking the jump to quit her 9-to-5 job, Soler Cox has managed to create a movement around Project ñ, which includes the documentary itself, their social presence and her speaking engagements.
Here’s more on how this Latina trailblazer managed to create a platform out of her long-standing passion project.
Vivian Nunez: What made you take the jump from your 9-5 career and pursuing what would later become Project ñ?
Denise Soler Cox: About 17 years passed before I found myself at my kitchen table on January 1st writing my goals for the year. I was about to write the goal that I’d written so many times before, and I felt myself feeling disappointed that after all these years writing it, I still had done nothing towards fulfilling my dream. I used to get impatient and irritated with people that would have great ideas but who were not taking any action to make their vision a reality. That day I realized I was the biggest culprit of this activity. I “one day some day’d” the idea to death until January 1st of 2012 when I made a vow to myself that if I allowed myself to write it down one more time and I didn’t act, then I wouldn’t ever allow myself to write it down again. To me this was the leverage I needed to get started because the idea of giving up on this dream was too awful to imagine.
Nunez: How has public speaking played a role in your career?
Soler Cox: Public speaking is something I’d been doing for years before I began working on the film. Most filmmakers I know prefer to be behind the camera, in my case, I enjoy and thrive being on both sides. Having a chance to hone my skills in that area while sharing the film has been such a personal gift. From a business point of view we’re always imagining additional revenue streams. Once we identified this as a possible vertical, things really took off and my speaking revenue is now one of our highest revenue generators next to the licensing the film.
Nunez: What public speaking tips would you give a Latina?
Soler Cox: My most valuable piece of advice is to be as authentic as possible. Speaking about identity and sharing my own personal stories from the stage can at times be emotional for me. In the past, I would push those feelings down because I wasn’t ok with being my full self in front of one person let alone an audience of 500 people. As soon as I let go of that consideration everything changed and I became more effective from the stage. The more real you are, the more relatable you are. The more relatable you are, the more people you will connect with and that is why you’re up there to begin with right?
Nunez: What's the best career advice you've ever been given?
Soler Cox: Last summer I hit a wall and realized that unless I changed something drastic about my life, that I would completely crash and burn. I was operating at a pace I couldn’t sustain and ignored the advice that I’d heard so many times but I hadn’t applied to myself which was to take time to invest in yourself. Meaning, take time to develop yourself as a human being and also take care of yourself body and soul. Seek out things that will develop you into a better more self-aware leader. The more self-aware I become and the better I take care of myself, the more clarity I have on the vision of the business.
Nunez: Oftentimes Latinas are usually between two opposing forces - being family oriented and pursuing what would make them happiest - how do you encourage Latinas to go about this?
Soler Cox: The greatest personal revelation for me was understanding that I come from two different and conflicting ideologies – the collective versus the self-reliant. As Latinos we inherit the collective way of thinking from our parents. They teach us that the group (i.e. our family) is more important than the individual and we should act in the best interest of the group. Conversely, we are raised in US culture that rewards self-reliance and the individual experience.
Understanding this at a fundamental level helped me unlock and understand my own struggles in a brand new way. I decided to reclassify what’s truly important in my life — having a fulfilling business and a joyous home and family life were not going to exist in opposition to one another. I’ve chosen to take the best of both ideologies and create a life that works best for me and my family. The best way to get past this is to understand that both of those ideologies are at work in all of us. They can either drive us mad or we can use them to reinvent ourselves.
Nunez: How have you leveraged social to support the story you want told?
Soler Cox: It’s all about relationships and our ability to touch and connect with people in an authentic way on and offline. We’ve taken a very personal approach to social and tried hard to engage with as many people who reach out to us. I’ve met some of the most extraordinary people through our social media channels because I’ve taken the time to engage with people one on one. It’s quality versus quantity with us and we’re 100% ok with that.
Nunez: What advice do you have for a Latina who wants to get a similar project off the ground?
Soler Cox: My advice would be to do whatever you need to do to fulfill your dream. There is never going to be a perfect time to start something and your ducks will never all be in a row. Decide what you’re willing to do to attain that which you say you are committed to and begin. Find and surround yourself with positive people — the ones who are getting stuff done. Don’t spend a second on the naysayers because there will be many. Finally, do whatever you need to do to keep your vision alive for it is your belief in that vision that will carry the day on the hardest of days.
