Some Actresses work 9-5 jobs, others have their own… peanut butter company! Actress and Model Paulina Pino Rubio began her career in Mexico. We share how to study the structure of successful companies and approach our own creative careers through that lens too. We also talk about what you can learn from your corporate job that benefits you in your creative arts career as well. Paulina's journey has not been easy. In this interview, she shares a vulnerable story of how she developed her superpower. Content Warnings: This episode contains discussions of abuse. An abuse incident and aftermath occurring from 19min00sec to 21min00sec.
Mentioned in the show:
- Pinot botter Crema de cacahuate 100% natural
- Password managers
Amora Brown:
Test test test. Okay. Welcome back to another episode of Corpartainment. I am your host Amora and today I'm here with a wonderful actress, a writer and teacher Paulina Pino Rubio. Did I pronounce that-
Paulina Pino Rubio:
You pronounced it perfectly, actually. Most people have problems with "R's", but you did it.
Amora Brown:
I had to get that "rrrrrr"- I had to get it now.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
We can practice it.
Amora Brown:
Congratulations on your most recent audition, I'm super excited for you. What happened?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Oh, well, I've been casting like crazy in Facebook groups and everywhere I run into. You know? So it's starting to give me some results and I just did a casting right now and actually got selected immediately! I'm so excited!
Amora Brown:
Congratulations! So excited to hear that as well too!
Amora Brown:
Because I know it can be kind of hard to chase after your dream in the arts and at the same time work a nine to five job. When you find that your results are finally paying off, it's like the best thing ever. I know that you used to be a kindergarten English teacher and you study international trade. So for you to move over to be an actress, that's, that's, that's a huge jump. What was it like being an English teacher? Like tell me your story there.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Okay! Actually it was my first job ever. So it was complicated because it's not easy to work with kids and it's not easy to work with kindergartens, you know, like you have to teach him how to go to the bathroom. You have to teach him not to bite anybody. You know? So it's kind of complicated. My mom is a kindergarten teacher, so I kinda knew what I was getting into. But, when I accepted- well, when I had my first job, it was with 32 kids in first grade of kindergarten. So it was insane.
Amora Brown:
Wow!
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Yeah. And I had only one person helping me with the bathroom and everything. So I cried. The very first day. I cried on my way back home. Like, "this is not for me. What am I doing? This is all messed up". You know? But I kept on going, I needed the job.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
I- you know, you have to go for it, you have to eat. So I stayed there and I started to get prepared while I was working. So that was also kind of tricky because I was learning how to be a teacher and being a teacher at the same time. So it was intense, definitely it was a lot of work. But I remained as a teacher because I started to enjoy it actually, and kids are- . I mean, it's wonderful to work with kids because once they start to be more confident in English, I was teaching them English, they started to talk in English. And it was so rewarding for me. And it was beautiful to see these little kids that they're barely speaking Spanish now, speaking a second language because of me. So it was beautiful. I stayed as a teacher, only as a teacher for four years in Cancun, in Mexico.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
And then in Puebla, that's my hometown. So I stayed like that. And then I started my degree in international trade while I was working as a teacher. Yeah. And I chose that because I've always liked, business. I've always had like this thing for commerce. I'm very good at selling. And I saw in Cancun that that was paying off. So I said to myself, "Okay girl, I like good things. I like good life. So let's get going". And so that's why I chose it and started that degree. And I never really took off from modeling or small acting like for commercials or stuff like that, extras or whatever, but I wasn't really taking it seriously until I finished my degree.
Amora Brown:
Thank you. I had myself on mute.
Amora Brown:
I don't want the audio to like sound bad. So I'm like, I'll mute myself to like avoid the background noise, but that's wonderful. What did you learn from working your stable/ 9-5 jobs that you were able to incorporate back into yourself when you started writing films and short films and getting into the acting scene?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Well, I learned a lot about discipline, about self-management, trying to work on a schedule gives you the advantage of preparing yourself mentally and physically to do a certain job and to give yourself to it from a starting point to the point that you are going to finish. I mean, if you're going to be working at an office from nine to five, your body itself programs to work in that office for that period of time. So I learned a lot about that. I learned a lot about discipline, about finances too. To how to handle my finances, because I had the income from my job. I had an income from modeling or whatever I was doing, and I had an income maybe for tutoring or from selling things or whatever. So I had a lot of incomes, but I needed to organize myself not to spend it all.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
You know? So that was what I learned and definitely right now, what it has given me, it's that right now with COVID and working from home, what I do is that I also work on a schedule. I know that from 9:00 AM, I have to be productive until probably 11(AM), 11:30 (AM), depending on my mood, depending on how well did I sleep the night before, you know, all those kinds of things. And then I start again, my productive time at 2:00 PM until 6 (PM). So it has given me that structure, you know, and also to learn how real companies work, because sometimes as a creative, you just think that you're just gonna create something out of the blue, like without a process. And that is what companies know: that processes have a reason to live. You know? You need to start with the idea and then start developing it, now we integrate that into the creative process. It has given me a lot of structure. And I'm a Capricorn, so I need structure.
Amora Brown:
And I'm a Taurus too. So I need that structure too! Okay? Because what I learned by working in tech, I looked at what I was doing everyday when I came to work. And I said, okay, I noticed when you get hired at a new job, there's usually some sort of structure in place. And they have certain goals that they want you to accomplish by the end of the week, by the end of the month. And they're always measuring you. And I said to myself, I can literally make that a template for myself every day that I go into work. I have a certain routine that I do. That's literally a template. I can copy that exact same template. It might be a little bit more flexible in the sense that I can wake up at 10:00 AM. I don't have to wake up at 8:00 AM, but it's easy because working a 9-5 oftentimes you get perspective.
Amora Brown:
Like if you have a product, well, there's contracts in place for that. So in my mind, I was thinking, okay, well, if I have my own business, I'm going to have certain contracts. Another thing that we don't really take advantage of, I think is the people that we work with. It's like, you work with lawyers when you're at work. So you could literally go to somebody's desk and pick their brain and just be like, "Hey, I have a question about ABC", on your lunch break. And it's like, once you get that direction, it's a lot easier to know where you can go and find more information to apply to your business. But I think taking advantage of the resources that you have at work and just keeping a mental note of everything that they want you to do know that they're doing it for a reason.
Amora Brown:
Like for example, another thing that's really- I think is awesome is when I work in tech, they're very big on security. And they're not doing it because it's cute. They're doing it because they're trying to protect customers are doing it because they're trying to protect themselves. So, you know, they use different software. Password managers and stuff like that, and a lot of password managers are free for the simple subscription. And so in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, well, maybe I should get a password manager. If these tech companies are doing it, maybe that's something I should do too. You know, it makes sense out of it. So it's like, I love that. You said that you were kinda like learning, you know, on the job as well too.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Exactly. You have to take advantage and take all the information that you are getting from anywhere to do it yourself, for whatever purpose you want. If you want to do it for another business, if you want to do it for your creative process, whatever you want, they're doing it because of something. Somebody probably messed up in the past. So let's learn from their mistakes. Right?
Amora Brown:
Exactly. And you get paid to do it. That's the funny thing you're getting paid to learn. Yes. You're getting paid to do your job and you actually do your job. You do your job as well as you possibly can do it, because that's what they're there for. But you're also learning on the job. And that's one thing that got me thinking and when I was younger, I was like, what's a way that I can learn while I'm on the job. And I don't have to worry about going into debt from a university. If I don't have to. Certain things you have to go to university to study, but there's some things you don't. You can always go back to a university.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Exactly. And that's actually one thing that I have always thought about myself. You know? Like I do teaching, I do the trade I do acting, I do writing. You never can get enough things for you to learn from, you know, and everything at certain point, everything is going to merge somehow, but that is up to you and that is up to your goals. And right now it's totally paying off for me because right now I have a structure right now. I'm very organized with my time. And right now I get to do what I love most that is acting and also getting paid by doing something else. So it's amazing.
Amora Brown:
You brought up a good point. From what I took from that is just being adaptable. Leads me into like my next point. And I remember you and I talked about the importance of not putting all your eggs in one basket. And as a result, you also have your own peanut butter brand. And I thought that was just so creative. I would never even thought about a peanut butter brand. So how did you even come up with this idea that this was for you and tell us how you got into it?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Well, it was certainly random. Totally. Like I started a diet, the nutritionist told me like, okay, you have to eat peanut butter, but you have to do it naturally. Like you can get like Skippy's or *inaudible* or whatever brand you want to say, you have to do it yourself. Here's how you can do it. Get yourself a food processor. And I'm like, "okay, I have the food processor. Okay. I have peanuts. Okay, let's do it. And I did it". It was great. And then I started thinking, okay, in Mexico, we don't have like here in the states that you can go to the supermarket or whatever grocery store is your favorite and just grit yhe peanuts. We don't have that. We only have brands of different peanut butters that have conservatives that have salt, that have sugar that have tones of things that are not really good for your body.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
So I started thinking to myself, "okay, what if I put this in a jar and then just sell it through Facebook, through marketplace, through whatever?" And I did. And I started it and people loved it because it was cheaper. And, the jar that I use is made of glass. So you're not contaminating. And also what I do is that I do refill. So you buy one for a certain price. And then your second buy, if you give me the jar back, it's half the price. So it works for everybody, works for the environment. It works for me, it works for the people. It's great. And actually, it's, it's still going while I'm here, because I've been working with that for- now it's going to be two years. So now I have people that can handle it over there in Mexico while I'm here in the states. So it's amazing.
Amora Brown:
What's the name of the peanut butter brand?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Pinot Botter. Because my last name is Pino, so I just added like a "T" for it to become peanut. It's quite simple actually.
Amora Brown:
You play on words. I love it!
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Yeah!
Amora Brown:
Okay. One of the previous people that I interviewed is very analytical, like an economist as well, too. Like she's very analytical and she's also a podcaster, loves food and just discovering new things. She has a question for you.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Oh my God.
Amora Brown:
So the question is this: If someone gave you $10,000 and there were no strings attached, meaning that you didn't have to pay taxes on it, you didn't have to give it back. It's like a donation it's just given to you. What would you do with that $10,000?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Probably produce a short film and invest it. Yeah, definitely make it work for me.
Amora Brown:
A Capricorn.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
It's what I've learned. It's, it's the best thing that I can think of. Like make that money work for me. I don't know right now with COVID and with all this situation, what I've learned is that you can never take for granted anything. Not even your job, not even your house, not even your health. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you see it. We live in a capitalist world. So we need money to live on it. If I'm getting this gift, make it work, baby!
Amora Brown:
That was a similar answer to what I had as well too. I was like, I wouldn't spend the entire bit of money because I look at it as I need it again in the future. And I want it to be available to me if I don't need it heavily right now.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Exactly! Of course. I thought immediately like "Oh, traveling all around Europe", of course it will be lovely. You know? But then again, what happens if at certain point you're in Europe and another pandemic strikes and I don't know, maybe you get stuck in there and you spend all this money and what's going to happen then? Definitely invest it. And I've love to produce a short film or a series about females. And I have a lot of texts that I would love to produce. So definitely that and invest the rest.
Amora Brown:
Have you thought about putting any like short films on YouTube as well too?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Yes, I have. Well, the problem that I've been facing is that it's very difficult to film while COVID is happening. So I haven't really started that. I have the text, but I'm still like pulling it off, like making it perfect because Capricorn of course I have to make it perfectly. So it's been quite complicated for me. And also I want to do it in English. So it's not as easy as if it was in Spanish. You know, it's not my first language. So I think it will have really a problem, but it's not the same. You know? Most of the time the vocabulary could be really basic or the expressions are not the same. So I'm trying to make it work perfectly that this investment of the 10 grand will pay off also with that short.
Amora Brown:
Don't forget to consider me if you need an actress or a singer in your podcast- not podcast. Your films. Don't forget.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Never, never girl.
Amora Brown:
Yeah. That's such a cool idea. Like I even thought about writing a script and I got- I tried it, I did half a page. And then from there I was just kind of like, "I'll come back to it", but I didn't. So, people that can write amazing scenes and movies and films, I really admire them for that because it takes a lot of work to do. And there's a lot of creativity, creativity involved. I don't know why I'm not able to talk. I'm not usually-
Amora Brown:
Just going to relax a little bit.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Say aguacate many times. That's a trick. I learned.
Amora Brown:
Avocata?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Aguacate. Advocado, but it's a difficult word.
Amora Brown:
Oh, advocate?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Aguacate.
Amora Brown:
Aguacate.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Exactly.
Amora Brown:
Avocuacata.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Aguacate.Aguacate.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Then you come back again,
Amora Brown:
Oh okay! I felt, I felt the gentleness in my shoulders kind of go down.
Amora Brown:
Okay. *laughter*
Paulina Pino Rubio:
You melt, as an avocado melts in your mouth.
Amora Brown:
Oh! Now people get mad at me, but I don't, I don't actually like to eat avocados. I appreciate them because they make my friends happy. So you all can have all the avocado you want this. Now you see? It works out for everyone.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Yay! Exactly! Actually my cousin and my soul sister, she's allergic to avocados and I love, I even have socks with avocados. Okay. I put it everywhere in my hair-
Amora Brown:
On socks?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Yeah! So I think it's kind of the olive theory from "How I Met Your Mother". If you find your soulmate and they don't like avocados, that person is meant for you. So Girl...
Amora Brown:
Question for you: What is a question that you might have for the next person I'm going to interview?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Ummm. What is the worst thing that has happened in your life that right now has made you believe that that is a superpower?
Amora Brown:
Ooh.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Is that a good question?
Amora Brown:
I think so. I'm curious to see their answer. Ooh.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Okay. What will be yours?
Amora Brown:
Oh, um, Ooh, I don't know. Oh, um. "The worst thing that has happened" that I see now during COVID it's actually- that that reveals my superpower? Or?
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Maybe. Or well, for example, I will give you my, example.
Amora Brown:
Okay.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
I was abused when I was a child
Amora Brown:
Oh no.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Okay.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Yeah. It kinda sucked. It kinda gave me a lot of traumas while I was younger. Right now I've been to therapy. I've talked about it, but now what it has given me: it's a voice for women and for people around the world to tell them, "okay, this is abuse". This is not okay. Okay? And this is what you can legally do against those people. So it kind of gave me this superpower to believe in myself, to believe that the world can be a better place and that men have taken away a lot of things from us, but they are not going to take them anymore. So now it's a superpower.
Amora Brown:
Wow. That's beautiful. That's amazing. I'm sorry that you went through that. Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. It just makes me so sad to hear when people hurt children because they are innocent. They can't do nothing. You know, it makes me sad when people hurt each other.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
I feel it.
Amora Brown:
I wish I can give you a hug right now.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Thank you so much.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
And I, I mean, it's, it's complicated and it's a complicated thing, but actually a lot of people are coming out to say their stories. And I know that my story is not the first and it's not going to be the last sadly. But if I can maybe inspire someone or tell someone where to go in case of that is the best reward I can get.
Amora Brown:
That's beautiful. I'm gonna put a link in this video as well, too, for people to seek help as well too.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Yeah.
Amora Brown:
Thank you. I always wanted to be a performer, an entertainer and a singer and I didn't- I never had direction of how I was going to get there. I never had direction of that. So I always dreamed that it would happen. And I knew that I needed to put in work, but I didn't really have very good direction on how to do that. And that was before social media became a big thing. But now during COVID, I'm able to work on this podcast and I'm able to do Tik-tok videos, all the random things that come to my mind. There's a place for it now because it can go into content that I can put online and share with other people, all that random stuff that would go through my head and just creativity. And there's a place for it now. And so that's my superpower is that-
Paulina Pino Rubio:
You can now put them into a place. Wow.
Amora Brown:
Yeah! It's great to see that there are other people that are like that and I'm able to follow them on social media accounts as well, too. And, and be like, oh cool. There's a place for this now because I've always been super outgoing, bubbly person like that. That's always been my personality, but I just never knew where to put that. You know, you work in office desk like "office desk" (correction) an office job. It's not really a place for that there. So it's kinda like, I would still make my place while I was at work to do that. But now I feel like, wow, now that I have my own podcast, I can actually be my personality and be my own self be WILD HEY! If I want to. So, I'm really happy. So that's my superpower.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Thanks Covid.
Amora Brown:
Yes, thank you to Covid in that way. Thats the only thing I'm grateful for to Covid, otherwise Coovid is terrible!
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Definitely. Definitely. But I think Covid too, because otherwise I wouldn't be here in California. So thanks Covid for giving me something good.
Amora Brown:
Yeah, absolutely. Paulina, thank you so much for coming on the show. I really appreciate your time.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
It was such a pleasure to be with you and you're lovely and amazing. And please keep on doing this because you're inspiring a lot of people to get out of their comfort zones and do what their heart is telling them to do. So thank you.
Amora Brown:
Thank you. Have a wonderful rest of the day.
Paulina Pino Rubio:
Thank you. You too. Bye!
Amora Brown (Outro):
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