@chenobarajas: I come from immigrant families, my roots trace back to a small town in Colima, Mexico called Madrid. Both my parents had to drop out of middle school to help their families, and when things got too hard back home, they came to the U.S. looking for a better life. My dad was killed when I was one. For the first 15 years of my life, I lived in a one-bedroom house with five other people, sometimes more. I didn’t have my own bed; I’d crash on the couch or the floor. The people around me were doing their best to survive, but most of the men I looked up to ended up addicted, in prison, or gone too soon. I grew up surrounded by struggle, but I also grew up dreaming. In elementary school, I had a chance to play soccer in Europe, but my family couldn’t afford it. Later, I walked on to a Division 1 soccer team at Seattle University. But even then, I battled self-doubt. I didn’t believe I belonged there, and that mindset held me back from reaching my potential. As a kid, I learned what it meant to “be a man” by watching the men around me. But those lessons weren’t always healthy. They affected how I handled my emotions, how I treated relationships, and how I dealt with pain and injustice. The truth is, a lot of us grew up seeing things no kid should ever have to see. So yeah, I’m flawed. I’m still unlearning, still healing, still figuring out what needs to be fixed. But I’m also proud. Because like Tupac said, I’m a rose that grew from concrete. 🌹 Our petals might be torn, our stems might lean, but we grew from concrete, and that in itself is beautiful. Everything I do, from fitness to the IBLV apparel, is to show others who come from similar struggles that they’re not stuck. If I can make something happen, imagine what you can do.🖤🌹

Cheno Barajas

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Region: US

Sunday 02 November 2025 01:28:55 GMT