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

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Growing up, I discovered my passion for the performing arts and even considered making a career out of it. I love to dance, play instruments such as the saxophone and the guitar, and even act (I was in the high school spring musical which was super fun). However, it was hard convincing family this is what I wanted to pursue in college because it was an unstable career choice that would not pay the bills forever according to them. I like to think a lot of us first-gens experience this because we are all born with so much imagination and creativity and want to pursue our wildest dreams. It is hard, however, telling your parents you want to be a movie star one day or a professional dancer because money and security comes into the picture, and these are professions that are extremely competitive. Because our parents love us so much, they try with their best intentions to lead us towards a path that will provide stability for our future selves and families. Therefore, we learn to become passionate about other options. However, I learned that I did not have to completely drop my childhood passions entirely. I often incorporate dance in my content for our social media pages which allows me to express myself freely and further explore my creativity.

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?
Even though my wife and I live in Washington state, we love visiting California. A fun weekend would consist of visiting San Francisco, Wine Country, exploring different parts of Los Angeles, trying new delicious food joints, going to the beach, shopping, and also visiting Disney Land / Harry Potter World.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shout out to my beautiful, loving and supportive wife, Maricarmen Garcia Peña. She has always been there to remind me of my worth and capability of reaching my dreams. She is a first-gen as well and I am proud to be her husband as we both navigate our journeys together. Maricarmen is the one who has kept the fire in me lit the entire journey, and I would not be where I am today without her gracious support.

Website: www.penaandco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pena.consulting/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/penaconsulting

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pena.consulting.llc/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@penaconsulting

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Elaina McCoy Photography

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