Meet Jorge De Los Ríos | Account Manager, Actor, & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jorge De Los Ríos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jorge, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
The concept of balance is very interesting to me because in various stages of my life, I have faced the challenge of simultaneously balancing multiple personal and professional projects. The secret to achieving balance in my life lies in thinking long-term. Sometimes, we tend to want all aspects of our lives to be perfectly aligned, and while this is certainly ideal, it often doesn’t reflect our realities. When we think about our long-term goals, both personally and professionally, we can allow ourselves to focus more intensely on certain areas of our lives that need greater attention for a specific period, and then later give more attention to other aspects.

An example of this was when I decided that my physical and mental health needed to be a priority. To accomplish this, I knew I had to dedicate hours of my life to this new focus, which meant reducing time spent on other activities such as hours with my wife, work hours, hours spent with family or social activities, etc.

Now that I have spent some time focused on this area and have my health in order, I can afford to be a bit more flexible in this regard, as long as I remain disciplined in the long term, allowing myself to allocate more time again to those other mentioned activities. Sometimes, the best way to balance multiple things at once is to do one thing exceptionally well before moving on to the next.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Like many others, the opportunities I’ve had in my life have been a combination of hard work, discipline, effort, and a bit of luck. I could talk about the different achievements I’ve obtained professionally, and while I’m proud of these recognitions, I believe the greatest achievement has been growing into the human being I am today.

The values and virtues taught to me at an early age have been cultivated over time and have borne fruit in various areas of my personal and professional life. I think what sets me apart from others is my self-confidence, while also striving to remain humble, understanding that there is much more for me to learn than what I already know.

The challenges along the way have been many, from long hours of work, balancing personal, work, and social responsibilities, dealing with betrayal and hypocrisy from others, learning a new language, the death of my father, working in toxic environments, etc. However, it is precisely these values that keep us strong to deal with all of this.

Over time, I’ve learned that we cannot control the attitudes of others, only our own, and that it’s better to assume that people don’t change and be pleasantly surprised if proven wrong, rather than expecting people to change and being disappointed when they don’t.

If there’s something I want people to remember about me, it’s that believing in oneself is the greatest power we can possess in our lives, and that when we combine this with humility, we can achieve a healthy balance in our self-esteem.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Los Angeles, California, so we have many activities and places to visit during a week; however, if I had to choose, I would start the day by going to Venice Beach. Not only is it an iconic place, but I love running on the beach while observing the different characters you can encounter in Venice. After running, we would take a dip in the water to cool off, then spend some time at Santa Monica Pier and have a meal at one of the nearby restaurants.

I enjoy hiking in Griffith Park and visiting the observatory, which combines physical activity with an educational experience. If my friends are up for it, I would take them to see the Hollywood sign, and after that long walk, we would dine at a restaurant on Hollywood Blvd.

I would also take them to Sunset Blvd and Beverly Hills to soak in the energy that we often see in movies and TV shows that define Los Angeles, followed by dinner at Mother Tongue on La Brea.

Honestly, there are many activities I could mention, and it largely depends on the type of activities my friends want to do. If it were up to me, I’d take them to practice jiu jitsu with me in Van Nuys, but I know not everyone wants to have someone attempt to choke them out during their visit to Los Angeles 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My journey is filled with people who have lent me a hand at various stages of my life. I would never have been able to reach where I am today if it weren’t for my mother, Nydia Santiago, and my father, Jorge De Los Ríos. These two individuals gave everything to ensure I had a chance to become someone in this life, and that’s why they deserve to be mentioned first. Next, my immediate family for their unwavering support. I had many teachers at Thomas Alva Edison School in Caguas, Puerto Rico, but a few names that come to mind immediately are Maria Aguilera and Miguel Diaz.

The person who gave me my first job was Carlos González at a clothing store called “Almacenes Plaza”. It was in this job that I began to develop my work ethic. During my university years, I had excellent professors, such as Roberto Ramos Perea, in the field of acting. My first opportunity in commercial acting was given to me by Francisco Zamora, and in the world of cinema, Juanma Fernandez París with his film “Party Time.” In the acting world, there were many people who extended a helping hand to me, and I will always be grateful for what they did for me.

It’s important to mention that while there were people who came into my life to help me to the next level, there are also those whom I choose to go to the next level with. These friends became part of my family, and no matter how much time passes, a brotherhood will always unite us. These people are few but significant, starting with my best friend since I was a teenager, Karla Vergara, followed by my dear “compadre” Jorge Mattei, my “hermanazo” Nelson Alvarado, my dear friends Alejandro Villalba and David Ocando, and culminating with the person who helped me not only professionally, but also personally in various stages of my life, Abimael Acosta.

My career as an account manager would not have been possible without the direct support of Melissa Rodriguez from Social Media Relations, Jim Kalmenson from Lotus Enterprises Group, Abel Alvarez from Seventh Runner, Sarah Lewthwaite and Clayton Calk from Vista Group.

For my physical training, I owe thanks to Alina Astilean, and New Ground Jiu Jitsu, especially Mike Frausto and Zak Rizzo for their training in martial arts.

To top it all off, I want to thank my wife, Kara Hassett, for being my partner in life, for being my backbone in everything I do, and for giving me a beautiful extended family such as my mother-in-law Janice Hassett, my father-in-law Michael Hassett, and my dear sisters-in-law, Julie Hassett and Deborah Hassett.

Website: https://jdelosrios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jorge_de_los_rios/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgegdelosrios/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jorgedelosriosvlog?lt_utm_source=lt_share_link

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeLosRiosTV

Image Credits

New Ground Jiu Jitsu