MAURICIO MEJIA’S JOURNEY FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY
BY EBBY MAGAZINE
Meet Mauricio Mejia, the visionary architect of lifestyle transformation, whose journey from the pulsating streets of Los Angeles to the helm of Silicon Valley’s social scene is a testament to resilience, triumph, and unwavering commitment to community upliftment.
“NOTHING OR NO ONE WOULD GET IN THE WAY OF MY SUCCESS OR MY PEACE. IF ANYONE DISRUPTS MY PEACE, THEN I KNOW THEY DON’T BELONG IN MY UNIVERSE.”
MAURICIO MEJIA, ENTREPRENEUR, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, MENTOR, INVESTOR, AND PHILANTHROPIST
In today’s diverse and dynamic landscape, one local luminary stands out, his story weaving through realms from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Enter Mauricio Mejia, the visionary architect of lifestyle transformation.
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, mentor, investor, and philanthropist Mejia’s journey unfurls from the vibrant pulse of Los Angeles nightlife to the helm of San Jose’s nightlife scene and now as the social mayor of Silicon Valley. His narrative isn’t merely a tale of rags-to-riches; however, he achieved millionaire status by age 25. It’s a testament to resilience, a majestic symphony of triumph over adversity scripted by destiny.
Mejia’s voice resonates with compassion, attracting advocates of positive change and contribution. He actively nurtures relationships and seizes opportunities to broaden social impact. With a backdrop steeped in Latino heritage, navigating gang life, and bootstrapping his way to success, he intimately understands the world’s inequities and is fervently committed to paying them forward.
Today, he is a well-known and respected Silicon Valley owner, CEO, founder, and business investor. As the CEO and founder of Punch King Fitness, Mauricio orchestrates wellness journeys across multiple U.S. cities and three countries. Under his stewardship, California Development Group (CalDev) shapes high-density mixed-use real estate landscapes. California Labor (CalEx) Exchange, another brainchild, provides temporary jobs and puts roofs over heads and food on tables, echoing the essence of community.
Mauricio’s impact extends far beyond the boardroom. San Jose Live, his consulting arm, propels Silicon Valley Music Week and various festivals to new heights. His books encapsulate his experiences to enable others to view life as a grand landscape of opportunity and possibility: Smoke & Mirrors, Decide, Commit, Execute., Address, Assess, and Move On. His next book, Inflict Power: The Architecture of Highrise Thinking, will be released in the coming months. He was also recently coined the Latin Joe Rogan for his popular podcast “Mauricio Mejia Live,” which explores the core realities of resilience in business, leadership, and life—now trending as a top business podcast.
Live on stage, in the boardroom, or at the gym, Mauricio exudes greatness. His infectious energy and positive mindset weave the essence of success and self-actualization while effortlessly transforming moments and the mindsets and lives of those around him. He resides in San Jose, CA, within the heartbeat of Silicon Valley, where he continues to be a maestro in crafting experiences that linger in the hearts of those fortunate enough to witness them. He is in Silicon Valley. Join us for an exclusive interview.
LUXURY FOR MY SOUL IS PEACE.
“BEING AT PEACE IS A LUXURY TO ME; IT DOESN’T GET ANY MORE THAN THAT. I DON’T NEED MATERIAL THINGS; I’VE HAD THEM AND BEEN THERE, BUT THAT DOESN’T SATISFY ME. I NEED PEACE AND TO HELP OTHERS.”
Mauricio, you’ve achieved so much, and your journey has been truly inspiring. Could you share insights into your mindset and what drives you to such incredible success?
Mauricio: When I speak I like to tell the story about the crabs in a bucket, right? We want to get out; sometimes we get pulled down, and part of my story, or in my conversation with people, I’m a different version of a Latino. I’m the one who throws the rope into the bucket and tells you to grab on with desire because you have to do your part, too. I’m going to pull you up. I hope that when you’re out of this bucket, you do two things: continue to pay it forward; and, number two, don’t throw me back into the bucket.
Those are some of my talking points out there. I don’t see it, but you know, maybe this is the time number if I see this kind of evolution or revolution of Latinos, whether it’s in music or movies. I’ve seen it since I was a child. I’ve seen it, you know, when the whole Ricky Martin was huge, with all the Latinos coming up, what happened to the next generation?
I’ve learned that I’ve acquired many new skills and am continuously in student mode. I’m constantly developing as much as I can. I’m a sponge, and I look at that and use that childhood as my rocket fuel, man. I’m even going to get emotional talking about it. I use it as my rocket fuel because even though I became a millionaire and started hitting that 25, I started when I was 15 in the streets, passing out flyers for nightclub promoters in LA. I mean, I grew up in the streets of LA.
I had two options: going to the gangs and drugs or falling in love with music and the glitz and glamour of nightlife. Luckily for me, God and the universe put an opportunity in front of me, and I could catch it and run with it. I fell in love with nightlife from 15 to 25. I moved from Los Angeles to the Bay Area, wrote about it in my book, and shared the story. I was living at the time with my mom, a single mom, and I had a younger sister in a broken household. When my mom couldn’t support us anymore, when she hit rock bottom and couldn’t afford to keep us together anymore, I ended up moving in with a gentleman named Timothy Nugent, who was the head editing director for Steven Spielberg at the time.
And the crazy part was the connection; my mom was a hairdresser with high-end clients. When my mom decided to move us out of the ghetto to a small city called South Pasadena, many wealthy people lived there. My mom had a hair salon, and Timothy Nugent was her client. His son and I went to South Pasadena Junior High, so we became friends and got to know each other. His father liked me, and when my mom asked him for that favor, he took me in and gave me a helping hand. It was crazy as a young teen; I would spend the weekends sitting in the studio with him, and our studio was behind the Star Search building. I remember seeing the stage; I remember walking on that stage, and I said one day, I’m going to do something greater. As a kid, I manifested and decided to commit to executing my business and mindset.
I decided I did not want to be poor anymore. I didn’t want my mother to tell me no; she couldn’t afford the Jordans anymore because I was tired of getting teased at school, and then I committed to my decision and executed it. Part of that was instilled, too, as a child. It was just crazy. I listened to this crazy guy on the radio, Tony Robbins, talking about where there’s a will, there’s a way. I fell in love with Tony Robbins’ way of doing, you know, just his stuff, and yeah, I just thought, as a kid again, I just started focusing just hard on my work and my work ethic and in the marketing and promotions.
So, living with Timothy Nugent, I mean, we would be working long hours, and he introduced the word internship, and I’m like, “internship.” I said, Oh, you mean I don’t get paid for this? So yeah, then I learned there is a paid internship. But what I did learn at a young age was my work ethic, and then two, you know, I was able to be premiered in some short films and helped in a cooking show; I was an extra, and I did a documentary on recycling Christmas trees. It was funny as a kid.
Then, you know, when I ended up moving to the Bay Area, I just used that street skill, that street smarts, that edge that I had, and from that point, I just had a catapult. By the time I hit 25, I decided to drop out of college in my last year of education. I was like, **** this, I’m making more money and driving a $100,000 car. I’m like, I got more money than the professor; I started to play with my mind, and I said, I’m done. I started, and then I decided to commit and execute. I jumped over the cliff and said I was going all in on my career to be a nightclub owner-operator and concert. I want to be the number-one concert promoter in the world.
“I FELT GOD IS NOW PUTTING THE PLAYERS IN MY LIFE TO HELP CATAPULT THIS VISION BECAUSE IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY IN MY BANK ACCOUNT BUT WHAT IMPACT I HAVE AND WHAT IMPACT I MAKE ON OTHERS, SPECIFICALLY IN OUR COMMUNITY.”
I was blessed to have two mentors in the Bay Area. I was doing all the clubs in San Francisco, and then I was doing all the clubs in San Jose, the capital of Silicon Valley. When I made my millions at 25, when I was able to, you know, step up to the plate and cut my deal, I cut my first million dollars—actually a multi-million dollar deal—but it was the first time that I made a million dollars, and I was like, damn! And from that point on, all I knew was success. Yeah, all I knew was success from 15 to 25, and from 25 to 32, all I knew was that at 28, I bought myself a Ferrari 360 Spider. I mean, I was living life. I had a 360-gallon saltwater fish tank with a baby shark in my house. I mean, how crazy!
My purpose is much larger than just helping a few Latinos. I want to make a global impact. My manifestation is that I wanted to hit the billion-dollar club, and in 2019, I hit $100 million and built a 100-million-dollar company in 2020, Latin Life; we had filed our SCC forms to get onto the Stock Exchange. Our platform was all the Latino concert promoters and all the Latino artists; we were to do content for Bad Bunny, Nicky Jam, Enrique Iglesias, and Pit Bull. We partnered with Live Nation and were already building, but concerts and events drove our platform. Well, in 2020, obviously, COVID hit, and it blew us up. Santa Clara was the first county in the United States to shut down the shelter.
I went from 100 million to turbulence and that partnership because my partner got to his head once we hit it, but I pivoted. I said I wasn't worried about the 100 million. I will hit the billionaires club with my Latin life, and we go public. For me, it’s to raise awareness and create an impact in our Latino community. I could be a product of the streets and, you know, have the opportunities, some blessings, and some people who came along the way. Still, those blessings don’t happen. They don’t take place, and you don’t take action on them if you don’t absorb them, so it’s like that story.
By trade right now, I’m with the developer. I’m a real estate developer. I’ll hit that billion-dollar mark by 2025–2026, the worth of the company empire we’re building. I’m surrounded by many great people, but that doesn’t fulfill my soul. I felt God is now putting the players in my life to help catapult this vision because it’s not about the money in my bank account but what impact I have and what impact I make on others, specifically in our community.
I want to be inclusive, but I am also going to be exclusive where I can help our community first, right, and be an inspiration and not just an inspiration and motivator, but, look deep down, you know, let me do it, let me give it my all, let me see what a real struggle is. You can go deep. When I was 13 years old, I met an African American gentleman out of Inglewood, CA. I remember polishing cars, and a gentleman, tall and elegant with a suit, an African American guy looking sharp, came up to me and told me, Son, continue doing what you’re doing; you have an entrepreneurial spirit. Sir, what is entrepreneurial spirit? He goes, Keep doing what you’re doing; you’re going to do great things in your life. That turned on my switch at 13 years old.
So, what he did was engage my mind to start manifesting whatever this is: entrepreneurial entrepreneur being the boss right, crazy forward, one of my most prominent advocates is Stedman Graham; he loves the Latino culture. He is a great supporter; we spoke the other day and said, Mauricio, we’re going to go on speaking engagements when I get back. I am having you come with me, and I said, Great, I love it. I said, I have my third book coming out, and it would be perfect timing.
When you lose a $100 million company and a billion-dollar opportunity, your senses awaken. You built such momentum to get to that point; when you lose it, your senses awaken, and then my mindset shifted quickly. I can recoup it and get it; I’m not there yet, but I’m on my trajectory, which will get me there, so I will because I will represent the Latinos in the billionaires club. I will make it happen because my eyes are set on that. It’s because I want to be able to return and say that if I can get up here, you guys can get up here. Now let’s work together and make an impact on our community. You know, let’s start educating because it all goes back to education; it’s all about education, and it doesn’t have to be formal education; it’s education; it’s knowing; knowing just knowing!
Mauricio Mejia’s journey is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of giving back. His unwavering commitment to uplifting others and making a difference in his community defines his legacy. As he continues to reach new heights, Mauricio inspires us to pursue our dreams with passion and purpose, knowing that success is about personal achievement and our impact on others.
