From Pain to Purpose : Roberto Corona's Journey to Global Impact - The Smile Collector

Do not settle for a life that does not belong to you. Uncover and activate your fullest potential in this lifetime. Live your greatest life experience.

This is the Full Potential Living Podcast with Coach Kevin Ferguson.

Hello and welcome to the Full Potential Living Podcast, where our mission is to help you self- actualize in the most important areas of life and live your fullest potential. Today, we have a very special guest. We're coming to you from Los Angeles, California. We have a very special guest today, my man, Roberto Corona. So let me ask you guys, have you ever felt like you've been on the journey for success, working hard to reach your potential, But something was missing, like you weren't really being your full authentic self. Something was off. There was a lack of purpose, or maybe you just felt stuck. Today, Roberto shares his incredible story and talents and impact that he is creating all around the world. I want you guys to really listen in today because this is This is an incredible man, incredible person who's really, really doing positive, amazing things in the world, and he has so many different talents. So, I just want to introduce you guys to my friend Roberto because this is going to be a great conversation.

Thank you so much.

Yeah. Roberto Corona, known as the Smile Collector, is a visionary photographer and philanthropist From Chile. His journey began with a personal quest to capture the essence of joy and connection across the globe. After a transformative experience that shifted his focus from material success to emotional richness, Roberto embarked on an extraordinary mission to collect smiles in over 80 countries. Seriously amazing. His work transcends photography, touching lives through his unique ability to connect with people's hearts. He's the founder of Robbie Smiles Foundation. Roberto is dedicated to spreading happiness and emotional education. His story is a testament to the power of dreams, resilience, and the universal language of a smile. My man, how are you doing today?

Wow. Such a great introduction, my friend. Thanks so much for the invitation. I feel really honored to be here and share with you this space of conversation.

Yeah. Yeah, my friend. And it's, it's really been an incredible, incredible day, really. All the things that have happened here.

It's crazy, no?

Yeah, the fact that we met, I mean, can you tell people about like what happened, like how we met here in LA?

Well, the story starts in Estonia, actually.

That's right.

Yeah, because the first time we met was in Mindvalley University last year in July 2023. And I remember it was this first celebration party when you had to dress up as your culture, and you were like there, an American.

Yeah.

And I was trying to look like a Chilean guy. And I said hi, and that's where we met for the first time.

Yeah.

Then we were like crossing paths so many times, and we ended up recording a podcast for a friend of us, a common friend.

Yeah, Carlito Fluito.

Yes. And randomly, I say randomly, but nothing is random. It's like everything has a bigger reason that is beyond our understanding.

Yes.

So in this event where hundreds of people get together in this big theater, coaching summit of Brendon Burchard here in LA.

Yeah.

I was putting my stuff in the second row.

There's like hundreds of people here.

Yeah. And you were just in front of me. How is that possible? This was meant to be.

Yeah.

So we ended up connecting in a deeper level because even we've been like sharing time, we never sit down to talk about deep stuff. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And I'm excited to get to know you even more and for the audience to get to know you. And really, because I just— the more I've gotten to know you throughout yesterday and today, the more I'm just awed by your talents and your skills. I mean, from everything you're doing by traveling the world with Robbie Smiles, to these nonprofit, you know, this school, to the meditation music that we were listening to. I mean, You're an incredibly talented person, man. And I see the divine in you, like I said today. And I just think you have so much to share with the world. And the more and more I get to know you, even beyond the incredible story and everything that's going on on social media with Robbie Smiles, I think the world needs to know you even more because there's so much. About your journey that I think is really important for a lot of people that may be stuck or have a lack of purpose or feel like they're driving in one direction, but they're not really fulfilled. They don't have a purpose. And there's like this level of life, of like level of success you can have in life where you're riding this wave of excitement.

Yes.

And I think so many people, like we talked about this earlier, They either are not doing very well, they're kind of not happy with their life and they're not doing well, or maybe they're kind of comfortable, but comfortable doesn't necessarily mean growth. It doesn't necessarily mean contribution. And then there's these people that, hey, they're really successful, but they don't feel fulfilled. They don't feel happy. And so, there's these people out there that are really doing and they might fit in one of those buckets or something similar.

Yeah.

But they're missing this next level of life. That's not even like a next level. It's more like alignment with excitement and intuition and purpose. And I feel like you're a real light ambassador of that.

You know what I mean?

Yes.

Wow. You're right. It's like, I remember when I first started this journey, I felt lost. And I wasn't aware I was running away from pain. I felt this soul calling, like there was something more for me. I used to have my own business. I was a really successful entrepreneur and I thought, this is it. I achieved success.

Yeah.

But I have a misconception of that. Success wasn't to be busy all the time and have a lot of projects. Even I have financial freedom at that moment. And I have this feeling of, okay, what else?

So you're successful and you had financial freedom at that time?

Yes, I was just hiring more people in my team, growing really fast, but I forget to enjoy the ride. I was too busy trying to put so many projects together that I didn't have a really healthy lifestyle because I was sleeping probably 3 to 4 hours a day.

Wow.

And at the end of the year, when I had the big projects deadlines, I was like probably 2 or 3 days in a row without sleeping just to finish some of those projects. And even I have a big team behind me, I was always like paying attention to all those details. So I wasn't living. I was like, I become a slave of my own business.

Ooh, wow.

And that's not a good position to be, but I didn't know better. I wasn't aware there was a different way to success. And I had to go through a really difficult time. I think it was so needed, a disruption that changed everything. I remember with so much clarity. That was the 6th of March, 2012. Um, I woke up at 3:33 AM and I had this feeling of something wrong is happening. I didn't know what.

Yeah.

But there was something in me that told me, go to your studio. I, I thought at first that it's just this feeling of I need to check those last projects that were about to, to be done and to the next So I will go earlier.

And this business, what was the business? So everybody understands out there.

I used to have a production company. So I was working at first creating information systems for different companies and then escalate to create not only the system, but the websites. And I was connected to graphic design and brands. And then we were doing photography and videos and creating ads and big commercials for TVs. I ended up doing weddings because I was so in love with photography and videos that the celebration of 25 years anniversary of my parents, I already have a camera in my hands. So I decided just to take pictures of the whole event. And during the dinner time, I show a video of all those pictures with their favorite song and everybody was crying and they loved it. 2 couples that were in that wedding celebration asked me to do the same for them because they were about to celebrate their weddings and they want the same service. They ask, how much do you ask for this service? Yeah. And that wasn't my work. So I, I says, no, you don't have to worry. That would be my wedding gift for you.

Yeah.

Oh, wow. And that's how I started. And a few years later, I, I was the wedding photographer that everybody wants in their special day. So I was fully booked for an entire year. And I says, I need to clone myself. I am not— I can't Do all of those weddings on my own. So I was teaching a group of people in my team to help me and support me with videos, with photography, with edition. And at some point we were 12 people in our team.

Okay.

And everything changed that day.

Tell us about that.

Yeah, it was this feeling of being still in this dream state. Like, I thought it was a nightmare because I enter into my studio, in my photography studio, and there is a door that is connected to my home. So my production company is a different building, but it's connected through a common garden to our home. So there is like 2 minutes walking distance from my room to the studio. So it's really convenient. I was always working in my office.

I see.

And then I enter to the studio and I realize everything is different. And I was, what's happening? It's like, where are all the computers? All the cameras are gone. All the big TVs.

Oh my God.

The really expensive equipment, lenses, everything was gone. So at the beginning I thought, okay, maybe someone coordinated a deep clean in my— but nobody told me.

Very deep clean.

I couldn't understand what was happening. And then I realized there was 3 guys in the main door, and I only was able to identify the silhouette of them. And I realized they were taking everything from me. They broke into my company, those thieves. took all the most valuable equipment. I just couldn't handle that information is what my mind couldn't comprehend what was happening. So I think this is just a nightmare, I need to wake up. And this scream come from my soul, it's like— and then I feel weakness in my knees.

Wow.

And I just, I just went to the floor. Those guys run away. And then I thought, what's happening now? All my effort, all my work for more than 8 years was gone in one night. And then I realized there was just one camera left behind and at the end of my photography studio. And I says, this is a sign.

Hmm.

This camera is more than what I have when I first started.

Hmm.

And I can start all over again because I love what I do. was the invitation to reconnect with my passion.

Yeah.

Because when I achieved success, I stopped doing what I love the most. I had to deal with the team, with the clients. I had to go through the projects. So I stopped doing photography. And for the first time, I had this big realization that even I achieved success, I wasn't happy. There was something missing. There was a void in my heart. I couldn't understand what was that.

Yeah.

And then I saw myself taking pictures of weddings, being the witness of the celebration of love, but never brave enough to love. I was postponing my happiness because I, I didn't accept myself. I wasn't, I wasn't someone that felt proud of who I was at that moment. I felt like I was using my business and my success as excuse to be always busy. And I said at that moment, no more. I can't live like this. And this divine emotion comes to me, like overwhelmed feeling of protection and surrender. When I believe that this come when you are in a state of pain, when you can't do more, it's like—

Something takes over?

Yeah, it's too much pain. And I was like so frustrated, sad, and disappointed that I couldn't go against that. I just surrendered.

Surrendered to the pain. Yes.

And that moment I felt peace. When I finally surrendered, there was this immense feeling of peace that put me in this beautiful state of connection with the divine.

Yeah.

And I felt this calling that was something else for me. And that's where I connected with my purpose. I remember feeling the need to go out there and explore the world.

Yeah.

Since I was a kid, I was dreaming to travel.

Yeah.

And everybody says that was impossible because I, I live in this small city at northern Chile, Iquique. It's so, so far away from everything that it seems impossible to go out there and explore the world. And I had this realization, this is the time for me to go out there and to learn. And I said, what I really need to experience is love.

Hmm.

So, I decided to create this book, Love Without Boundaries, 12 love stories that represent the celebration of love from different cultural backgrounds, people that come from different countries, different languages, and they have different color of their skin, but they put love overall. And I said, I love that. 12 couples from 5 continents. And in the last chapter of this book, my own love story. That's how I felt like this is what I want to, to do. So it was time for me to say goodbye to family.

Yeah.

Leave all my fears behind, leave the pain behind, and start a new stage of my life. I was living Yeah. And I received this beautiful gift. My sister come to me and said, Roberto, I love your pictures, but you're never in it. So from now on, every time you get to a new destination or get connected with someone new, please take a picture of Robbie. And she gave me this little doll.

Wow. Robbie Smiles. Yeah.

At the beginning, I laughed at the situation. I thought, I can't take Robbie with me. I can't take this dog. People will laugh at me.

Yeah, like you're weird. Yeah, just think like, what is this?

So many excuses, like I don't have space in my luggage, I will lose him in the first destination. But she said, Roberto, this dog is from your niece Martina, and she was so concerned. that you might forget about her while you are traveling the world, that she decided to give the most precious gift, her little doll.

Yeah.

So you can remember her.

Yeah.

And that melted my heart to the point that I make this commitment to make her smile. Every time I get to a new destination, I will do a video of Robbie playing, dancing, jumping, doing something to make her smile. So I was sharing first those videos in with the family. So I created a Facebook account. So I was posting all those videos.

When did you start that?

So first I started in Facebook. Facebook was in 2013.

Okay.

And Instagram came probably 2 years later.

Okay. It's been since like 2015 that you've grown a huge following.

I was posting since 2015.

Yes. Yeah.

And it was really random at the beginning. I never make a plan to create a movement or a concept behind this. It was just for family. But then I realized what was behind this, because every time I asked someone to hold Robbie, I realized it was an invitation to embrace your inner child.

Mm-hmm.

And the opportunity to connect with that beautiful emotion and a story that you can share with the world. So, I was asking the people, what makes you happy? what brings you joy. And that's how my Smart Collection started. Since then, has been more than a decade in the journey. Yeah, this year I will be completing 100 countries.

Wow, congratulations.

Yeah, it's an amazing journey.

That's incredible. So, so you've— how many lives do you think you've, you've touched? I mean, you've taken so many pictures, or people have taken so many pictures with Oh yes, Robbie. So like it's got to be like multiple people per country, right? Or how?

Yes, yes, yes. It feels like the message gets amplified. It's a ripple effect that you can know how deep is the impact because I have received messages of people that has been touched by the story of Robbie. Yeah, without me being there. I received this message from this guy Tobias Baumann. He is from Germany. And one day he sent me a message saying, Roberto, I was following the journey of Robby and I love what you're doing. But at the beginning, I felt a little envy because Robby has been traveling the world and I'm trapped in my body and I can't move my muscle. I have severe muscular dystrophy and the only thing that I can do is to move my hands. So I'm using my computer. to travel through the stories of Robbie.

Oh, wow.

So you are showing me the world and giving me inspiration to go beyond my limits. So I decided to send a little friend of mine named Frida to travel the world for me. So now every time I wake up, I want to see where my friends are taking this little stuffed animal traveling the world. Frida was following Robbie's journey, and that was so amazing because I never met this person, but he was touched by the story of Robbie. So I decided to visit him. I was seeing Frida, his plush toy, traveling as Robbie has been traveling the world. But this, this little toy was creating awareness about muscular dystrophy because that was the message of Tobias.

Wow.

So we were about to meet in March. 2016. I wasn't able to get there before he passed away.

Hmm.

By the time he passed away, I, I was in my journey to Germany to meet him, and I felt sad and trying to wonder, like, why I couldn't meet him in person. And then I saw one of the publications of Frida. And I realized that he left a legacy behind because Frida is still traveling the world.

Ah, so it's another doll. It's another Frida. Yes, it's similar to Robbie.

Yeah, yeah, he was—

I think I remember seeing this. Yeah, yes, yeah, it's also traveling the world after he passed away.

Yes.

Wow.

And Frida has been in, in multiple TV shows and red carpets and really like popular artists has— wow— take picture with Frida. It's the same concept of Robbie, but creating awareness of this severe muscular dystrophy, dystrophia. So that's how I feel the ripple effect can impact the world, because I wasn't physically there, but I was part of that journey too.

So what, what do you think, you know, Robbie, what does he Do to— I mean, you're going around the world to all these different places, over 100 countries, right? What does he do to kind of connect the world? You know, it's, it's like he's almost like connecting all of us. How does he fit in? Or what, what is the meaning that comes from that?

I feel that I'm just an instrument, and I'm just the messenger of love and happiness. So when I take Robbie with me to different places, it's a way to show that we are all connected. We are all one. And because of that, I can inspire others to believe in the beauty of their dreams. Everybody smiles in the same language. So when I ask them about their dreams, I dare myself to dream even bigger.

Yeah.

Because I realize, wow, I get inspired and my energy gets elevated by those beautiful dreams of so many people that I have met. Every time you ask, you can with clarity see in their eyes how they connect with their inner child, that little kid that was allowing himself to dream big.

Yeah.

Because when you're a kid, you don't know about limitations and you dare yourself to dream big.

Yeah.

My message through Collecting Smiles is that invitation. Embrace your inner child. Recover the capacity to get amazed of simple things.

Yeah, yeah. It's like, that reminds me of today at, you know, the last couple days at Growth Day with Brendon Burchard. It reminds me of standing up and saying to Brendon, I can do what you're doing.

Yes.

I can do what you're doing. And asking him a question and talking to him and meeting all these incredible people. And it's so important for people out there to be around people that Elevate you. If I would say though, like the number one thing to help you get over your own limits is to be around people like this guy, to be around people that really help you break your own models. You had this journey and I feel like so many people can see that version of themselves for whatever reason. If it's self-doubt, it's that they're not really sure what their purpose is in life or they just feel stuck. They're stuck in a job or stuck in a relationship. Like, first of all, like, how did you kind of fund that journey? You know, if you stopped your business, how did you fund that? And then how can people get over this limit or self-doubt that they might have when they're reaching their potential, when they're going after their dreams, as you say? How can they overcome that? What would you say for them to really go for their dreams?

I believe that everything starts having this powerful illusion of everything's possible. When you create the reality first in your heart and you manifest that reality in the here and now, it feels like the whole universe conspires in your favor.

Ooh.

Because at the beginning, I didn't have a clear map. It's like I was just following this, this little dream that feels like, okay, I want to get out of my comfort zone and then leave first this painful reality where I don't want to be anymore. And then I was discovering the world one destination at a time. I didn't have the money to travel the world, but I have my freedom back.

Yeah.

And I knew how to make money. So I thought, okay, I will take like a few months to figure out what's next.

Yeah.

Because when I had the money to travel the world, I didn't have the time to do it. And now I have my time back and the freedom to create this new reality.

Yeah.

Connected to my soul calling. And then suddenly it feels like everything was unfolding organically. Like, first I was using this community, Couchsurfing community. It's like Airbnb, but free.

Yeah.

You know, you have a community of friends that are willing to open the doors of their home to host you. Uh, so maybe because I was really naive and I didn't have any, like, budget to travel, I was Just staying in random houses.

Couchsurfing, yeah.

Yeah, those friends that you know that will become friends once you get there, but you don't know them yet. So I was connecting with so many beautiful strangers that were like opening not only the doors of their home, but this beautiful space to connect with human generosity and kindness. That was thanks to one person that I met the first time I decided to travel. Even I didn't go that far. I just was traveling in Santiago de Chile, the capital of my country. And I met my friend Babita. She's from England.

Yeah.

She was about to visit my hometown, Iquique. And I said, wow, this is amazing. You are more than welcome to stay with me. And she says, really? Can I do Couchsurfing? in your place? And I was really confused. What is that? What's Couchsurfing? And she explained to me the concept and I said, wow, that's amazing. So I signed up and I opened an account and I was hosting so many different travelers.

Yeah.

Because at that point I didn't speak much English. My English was really basic. So I thought, what if I practice my English with travelers from different countries around the world? And I was using the Couchsurfing community to connect with a new reality. So I was inspired by all those travelers that one day stayed at my place. So now it was my turn to stay in their places.

Yeah.

So that's how I started traveling. So I didn't have money at the beginning. I just had the freedom. And I think my biggest source of wealth was purpose. Oof. And then—

What happens to your life When your biggest source of wealth is purpose.

You understand that you don't need the money to create the new reality. You just need that certainty in your heart that the life that you're living is first created in you. You are in control. Yeah, I was creating my life day by day. I wake up in the morning, and I wake up with so much gratitude to have a new day to live to the fullest.

Yeah.

Because I was in a new city. I was a kid again. I was exploring. I didn't have money to pay taxis or I just walking everywhere.

Yeah.

And then I put a rule like the next destination, I will not pay more than $40 to get to the new destinations. So every time I get to a new destination, my budget was $40. And that's how I start traveling. And I says, this is only for a short period of time because at some point I had to come back to my business. and make money again. So I thought, that's the plan.

Yeah.

This is something I never shared with anybody, but my business, I never thought that I would come back to my production company because when I felt this calling, I found this big mission that was beyond my understanding, that was creating this new extraordinary life.

Yeah.

And then when I was about Like out of money. Like I didn't have more resources.

You're running out of money.

Yeah. Like not even to buy the next meal or not even to take the taxi from the airport to the new place I'm staying.

Yeah.

Like I have already a ticket to Australia and I couldn't afford to travel to Australia. I paid for the ticket, but I couldn't take a taxi to the airport to take that flight. And it was because I have in my plans something that didn't work out because I was projecting the rest of my travel, thinking of everything that I put in my plans with Love Without Boundaries, doing weddings around the world, will work out and I will be making some money with the weddings.

Yeah.

But the first wedding was canceled.

Oh.

And the money that I was expecting from that wedding never came. And then I felt like, this is not working and I will have to come back home with this failure and people will laugh at me. And it's like, I don't want to feel like that, but I can't keep traveling in this illusion that I will be able to make it if I don't have nothing in my pockets. So I decided to put this ticket, this Australian flight in social media and says, I will not be able to travel to Australia anymore. So if you want this ticket, you can have it. And you only have to pay the transfer to your name.

Just on Facebook? Like you put up a—

Yeah, I put it in Facebook and it was shared like 300 times. So a lot of people want the tickets. And I says, you have to have the Australian visa and you had to pay. In that moment, we're like $150. to transfer the name of the ticket to the new person.

Yeah.

So that's the possibility of my ticket.

Okay.

And because of that, I connect with someone that says, I need to come back to Australia because my grandma is in the last stage of cancer and I need to see her. And that's the only opportunity that I have to go and see her. So I said, this ticket is for you.

Wow.

So I give the ticket The family, they were really grateful. They take me to dinner. That even I didn't have money to buy dinner, I didn't thought about selling the ticket. This is a gift. This is just for you.

Yeah.

And I was working as a volunteer in this nonprofit organization at that moment. And they drive me to this big event they were organizing. nonprofit organization in Chile, Desafío Levantemos Chile. They were doing a campaign to raise some funds. So, I volunteered my work as a photographer and I took pictures of all the kids in the south of Chile. And they used those pictures to raise money in this big event. And I remember seeing those beautiful smiles on the big screen. And thanks to that, they were able to raise so much money, like 300 million pesos. That's a lot of money in Chile.

Wow.

And I felt so proud to be part of that. I didn't have any idea that without any money in my pocket, I was serving the higher good because I never put any interest in taking a participation or ask for money back. And nobody knew that I didn't have nothing.

Wow.

And then the celebration of this event was in a beautiful venue where A few days later, they were having this big seminary, Work and Happiness. And I said, oh, that's it. I had to go to that seminary and learn how to use everything that I've been learning in this journey of gratitude, in this journey collecting smiles, to put it in service of others. And then I realized that I can't afford the ticket because it was too expensive.

Yeah.

But because it was in the same venue, I asked to this nonprofit if they can add me in the list so I can enter for free. And they said, no problem, Roberto, you're welcome. And in that venue, I met the people from Instituto of Wellbeing and they loved my story and they asked, do you want to be our keynote for Iquique? We need a keynote speaker.

A keynote speaker.

A keynote speaker in Iquique, in my hometown. I didn't have the money to fly back to my hometown, but they flew me back to give us a keynote. And then—

Oh my God.

The money started to come.

Oh, wow.

I didn't—

And that's where it all started.

Yeah, that's where everything started. So, it was like, you know, the butterfly effect. It's like I didn't plan for that. It just come because I was connected to my purpose. And after that, I didn't know that I was getting paid to just Share my story. And people love my keynotes, so they call me again, and then they call me again. And then I have a contract to do a book for a mining company. And thanks to that contract, I was able to pay my debt because I was in debt. I was traveling in debt. And then it feels like I reset my finances.

Reset your finances.

Yeah. So I have, I can start from zero.

Yeah.

And that's how I started earning money with the keynotes. And I realized that nonprofits can raise a lot of money to support different causes. What if I start my own nonprofit organization to support emotional education programs and mental health? And that's how I started my nonprofit, Robby Foundation.

Yeah.

That's part of the story. And then my father was this big inspiration for me since the beginning. He reinvented himself so many times to the point that he started not having any money, exchanging magazines in the market for like the equivalent of 20, 25 cents, something like that.

25 cents. Wow.

For every time he exchanged a magazine, he has 25 cents. And that's how he started. But he always wanted the best for us. So he wanted the best education. And he was trying to find a school that has values. And he couldn't find it. And then we talked about, what if we start our own school? My auntie is a teacher and she can be one of the teachers in our school. And then—

Yes.

collective dream was even bigger and bigger and bigger. And today we, we are proudly the founder of Corona School that is providing free education for more than 800 students a year.

Wow, 800 students.

800 students.

What's the education like for those kids?

We talk about values. Like, my, my father was so connected to giving these powerful tools to become great human beings. Because beside everything that you learn in the school, like history, math, language, but what about learn to be a good citizen, a good person, a generous human being?

Personal development.

Yeah. So we were focusing all of our effort to give them values to create great human beings. Yeah. Wow. And recently in the school, we launched these beautiful photo exhibitions with all the pictures of this journey around the world of Robby next to people that represent so many cultures.

Yeah.

Yeah, these are some of the pictures.

So many of these amazing photos.

These pictures are different stories. Each of those represent a story and experience that gave me so much value. It's a life lesson that I carry with me. Yeah. And those are part of the emotional education program that we are implementing in our school and in, in other schools around the world.

I see.

Wow.

So, okay, so let's kind of summarize that because there was a lot there. You had that whole robbery happen and you had left this company that you had before of videography for weddings.

Yes.

Right? It was this incredibly emotional, overwhelming frustration, sadness that you felt, and you sort of surrendered to it when all that happened. And then you decided that there was a calling for you, and you decided to go for it. You said that your purpose was the greatest wealth that you had, and it was really leading you forward.

Yeah.

And you completely ran out of money, and you had to give away a ticket And it ended up leading to you being a keynote speaker.

Yes.

I mean, this is ridiculous. This is crazy, man. This is amazing. And now you've been around 100 countries, thousands of people have taken pictures with—

With Robby.

Including myself, with Robby Smiles. Now we come to this moment and now, can you tell people where you're at now? Because you just told me today that you're like the closing speaker for NAS Daily.

Yeah.

And I've seen, you know, some of your other talents that are all just driven by purpose. They're driven by love, driven by making the world a better place, like the music. Yes, we're just listening to, you know.

Yes, I ended up being a keynote for NAS Summit and NAS Daily.

Huge. How did that happen?

Yeah, so many like coincidences. The first time I met Nasir was here in LA.

Hmm.

But as a consequence of being a friend of Franco Dovini, he was working with Nasir at that time. And I was visiting Jerusalem and he was in Jerusalem. He was creating a video. I remember I was there with a friend and we ended up seeing Aline. And she was giving a talk that week. I was taking her back home after the talk. So we have the opportunity to talk and she was really kind and nice. And, and we didn't see each other until a few months later when we decided to come to LA with Franco Dubini because we had this big dream of creating a movie and pitching our movie.

A documentary, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Documentary. I'm actually, The dream is big. It's still big. It's not only a documentary, it's an animation movie and a film, like a live-action film of the adventure of Robbie around the world.

Wow.

So we were like creating this— Like a Disney movie. Everything. It's like the Robbie land. It's like, so we are pitching this to different producers here in Hollywood.

Wow.

And we are going to their houses with the, iPad and a trailer and putting play so we can show what we were doing. And Nasir from Nas Daily—

Nas Daily, yeah, yeah—

comes to LA.

He's like 68 million, yeah, people or, uh, followers across all networks.

Yes. So he was crazy. He was traveling here to LA and he was working with Jay Shetty.

Yeah.

So they were creating some content with Jay Shetty and Dhar Mann and And they need some lights and assistants. So he called Franco and says, hey, I'm meeting Summer. Both of them were with me and we were planning to go to Yosemite.

Yosemite?

Yeah, we were like planning this trip together. I always rent a car when I'm going to new places.

Driving?

Yes. So I was driving them to drop them with Nasir and they said, hey, we need to print the script. Roberto had a printer at his friend's house and I says, okay, I will print the script. And Nasir sent me this script from his personal email.

Hmm.

And that was like a direct connection with Nasir. And then I print the script. I go that night to drop Mitch and Franco at the Airbnb of Nasir and I ended up Staying the night there. They said, okay, you can stay over because the next day we are leaving to Yosemite really early in the morning. This is Nasir, this person that I've been following for so many years, and now we are talking like friends and he's invited me to stay over in his Airbnb.

Wow.

And then time passed, I was traveling, and Nasir moved to Singapore. And because I remember I have his email, I sent him an email saying, I'm visiting Singapore. Can I stay at your place? Out of the blue? Yeah. The worst thing that can happen is—

He said no.

But he said yes.

Oh my God.

And he gave me the code of the door and says, hey, Egon and Aline will be at home, so coordinate with them. And that's how I ended up doing a photo session for Aline and for Egon. And I was connecting with them like in a different level as a friend. So when they— Aline was in the process of creation of their Aline retreats. So she was in the first retreat and I was—

When you said Aline?

Yeah, at that moment she was the girlfriend of Nasir.

Oh, I see. Of Nas Daily. Got you.

Yes. So when we decided to, to go together to pick up a beautiful gift for some of the girls in the Aline retreat. Yeah. All the experience was really beautiful. It's like I was seeing their content, like observing from really far away, and then I was sharing time as friends. Like I was getting to know them in a different level.

Yeah, personally.

So when they were celebrating the NAS Summit, the first NAS Summit in Dubai, I asked, can I be part of it? And they sent me I was getting there as a guest, not as a speaker, but that was the first time I met Vishen Lakhiani from Mindvalley. He was a speaker there. And I go with him and I said, wow, he's Vishen. He's from Mindvalley. I want to say how proud I feel to be part of his community. And I was saying hi and giving him a random card, a picture, the Oracle of Happiness that I create.

This is a great story, yeah.

took randomly this card of Ukraine. And that year he was raising money to support Ukraine because of the war with Russia. And he was doing this—

I remember him posting, Vishen Lakhiani of Mindvalley. I remember him posting about Ukraine. Yes.

And he says, wow, this is amazing. This is not a coincidence. This is what I'm doing this year in A-Fest. And then in a second thought, he says, you must come. You must come to A-Fest. And I didn't have any clue what A-Fest was.

Oh my God.

And A-Fest is a more like high-end personal development retreat festival.

Stands for Awesome Fest.

Yeah. Awesome Fest. Yeah. I asked, where is this festival? Where is this retreat? And he says, in Jordan. Okay. We say goodbye. A few minutes later, I have a notification in my phone saying, 3 years ago, you were in Jordan. What? This is weird.

Yeah.

Okay. And then I was talking to someone in this NatSummit event, giving him a card of my Oracle of Happiness, and he took Innocence. the connection with your inner child. And he started to cry and was so emotional. He was connecting with Robbie, but I didn't know his name because he has his username of YouTube, but not his name. So I asked, what's your name? And he said, Jordan. I said, wow, second sign. And then they welcomed us in the event. And the first speaker of the night, let's welcome Jordan Matter!

Remember Jordan.

And then another Jordan. So I couldn't believe that how powerful were the signs of the universe.

Synchronicity.

So I can go to—

Like crazy.

So long story short, that's how I, I become part of the Mindvalley family. I ended up giving a talk in Mindvalley University in Estonia. And because of that, I was invited to do a keynote for NAS Summit Singapore.

Oh my God.

And that was so surreal, like almost 2,000 people in that stage. And then at the end, everybody was crying and then invited me again. So I become like the keynote speaker that was closing the events of NAS Summit. I felt like, wow, so this is such a unique, beautiful Opportunity, and, and that's a beautiful honor. Yeah. And I feel so blessed and grateful for that journey.

What do you think these people that are listening and crying and hearing your story, what— why do you think, like, what gets to them? Like, if you could put it succinctly, like, why is it so important and emotional for people, your story?

It's an emotional journey. It's an emotional journey because I believe that everybody get related to this feeling of being lost at some point in their life. Yeah, trying to find happiness. The more you try, it's the most far away that seems.

So the more that you— more that people go after happiness, the further it goes away from them is what you're saying?

Yeah, yeah. It feels like the, the more you try, the farther it seems.

Kind of strangling happiness, wanting it so bad, maybe even from external things that might bring people— they think will bring them happiness. It's almost like they're pushing it away.

Yes.

Is that what you mean?

Yes, because this journey is all about self-discovery. It's not about traveling the world. People think that I will take them in this journey to different countries. It's part of my storytelling, but the main goal is to take them in, in a journey of emotions. Like, they can reconnect with this beautiful emotion of vulnerability because we were talking of this at lunchtime. It's like a hero's journey from Joseph Campbell.

Yeah.

There's different stages that you go in order to create this roller coaster of emotions.

Yeah.

I wasn't aware of that. until I've become a more like professional keynote speaker, I realized there was a great structure to give more power. Yeah, to the storytelling.

Yeah. What are those things that you take people through so that they feel emotion in, in the storytelling?

Yeah, first element, it has to be really authentic. Yeah, you can't fake emotions. So in order to, to create this journey, you have to talk through your heart. Even if there is a structure through the Joseph Campbell hero's journey, it will not work if you try to use this as a script and you disconnect from the emotion.

Yeah.

That helped me to actually put in order my thoughts because there were so many stories and so many things that I want to share, But there is limited time. It's like, we are lucky that we are like talking more like freely at this moment. But normally when you are in a keynote, you have 20 minutes, 15 minutes, or if you are the main keynote, you can have 1 hour. But when you are part of a big event, you have a really tight schedule. So you have to fit in those 20 minutes or—

Right. So you have to elicit emotion through the ups and downs of the story.

Yeah, the hero's journey talks about the ordinary world. That is an invitation to get related with the audience because it's not about you, it's about them.

Relating to the audience first.

Yes, it's that they can feel that they're going in that journey with you. Yeah, then, then there is a part of connection where They want to join you in this pursuit of happiness. Everybody wants to be happy, but not everybody's aware of that's what they really want. They are looking for things that might bring joy, but—

Temporary.

Yeah, but the end goal is always happiness and love and peace. Those are the 3 main reasons. Of why we do the things that we do.

Happiness, love, and peace?

Yes. Yes. Happiness is feeling of well-being and joy. Love, that overwhelming emotion of like everything is possible when you have love in your heart. And then this feeling of tranquility and inner peace, like, but none of those emotions are constant. It's the journey of life. In order to experience that will bring you lows and ups. So that's the journey. So that's how I tell my story because at some point I was in the most beautiful state of joy, but then—

Boom.

Yeah, feeling like a frog because I was in conflict with my identity. How come the ambassador of happiness, the smile collector, can keep collecting smiles and spreading joy. If he feels sad and depressed, I'm a fraud. And that's how I felt at some point in my journey. I remember because—

You felt like a fraud.

Yes. And actually, that was after my first talk in Mindvalley. They asked me to do a second one, a second talk.

Yeah.

And I felt like, wow, this is the best thing in my life. I never thought that I will have such a unique, beautiful reception of my message and people want to listen to it again.

Yeah.

And then that's how I was in this bigger place where I get up on the stage, but this time with my heart broken because just a few days earlier I received the news of my niece, Maciel, committing suicide.

The one that gave you the doll?

No, this is another niece.

This is a different niece. Okay.

My niece Martina is the one that gave me the doll. And Macia, she's such a unique, beautiful talent. She, she was always singing and dancing, and every time I saw her, I, I, I saw so much talent. And I says, oh, I will become your manager. And I was creating some videos for her.

Yeah, video taper.

Yeah, and she was dancing and singing, and there was such a beautiful voice. Yeah, and I couldn't believe that She gave up and she took her life, and I couldn't understand why.

Yeah.

And I thought, how come?

Wow.

Being his uncle and spreading joy and positivity around the world, I wasn't there for her.

She committed suicide.

How come? Yes. I, I— she couldn't find support in our family, in the people that love her. And, and I feel like so sad. And that night I went to bed with, with my heart broken. And I remember I saw her in my dreams, and, and she gave me so much peace. She smiled at me and asked, hey, come with me. And she started to run, like playing with me, like I had to follow her.

Is this like a lucid dream?

Like, yeah, it feels like a lucid dream because I, I was aware it was a dream. The colors were so vivid I remember her using the white dress, uh, in, in a beautiful garden, like really green and a, a blue sky, like really beautiful landscape. Wow. And she was running, running, running, and then she jumped really up high and she explode in, in light. Wow. And then—

This was right after she committed suicide? This is a dream you're having?

That night, that night.

Wow.

And then I understand. She become my bigger reason to fight for. She's now my Northern Star. And that's why I'm doing what I do. It's like, I can make a bigger difference today because I feel that she's my angel and she's guiding my path. And because of that, I will prevent other kids to stop believing in the beauty of their dream. I will inspire them to live their life to the fullest. That's my mission today. And that's why I do what I do.

So powerful. It's, it's so interesting how yet hard, yet many different emotions that we may feel. It's, it's Fascinating. I don't know what the word is, but it's interesting. We'll just say how those tough times, those downtimes, are really the catalyst for us to bring out the best in ourselves.

Hmm.

They really are. Like, if we don't go through those, I don't think we wake up to more of our potential without those down moments, there's no reason to rise up more. There's no reason to grow more without the down moments, you know. And sometimes we, we need that little wake-up call to be like, you know what, I'm not living my full potential life. I'm not going after my dreams, you know. And there's so many people out there that are like, they need a little Kind of wake-up call.

Yes.

And hopefully, you know, sometimes it doesn't have to be something tragic. Maybe you can just listen to a podcast like this and be like, you know what, I'm not going after my dreams. You know, I'm stuck in this job, or I'm, you know, not really giving my full effort to life, or this relationship is okay. Or so it's like sometimes we get in that, that comfort mode. But we need something to wake us up. Like, wake up. We are living this sort of dream here where we can create anything. Like you were saying tonight, like, anything is possible. And there's times in your life, I'm sure people listening, where you can feel that and you're like, oh my gosh, you're right. Anything is possible. And then other times where They lose that. They lose it. The self-doubt comes in. The friend comes in and tells them they can't do it. The parents or the family tell them that's ridiculous. So how did you do it? Like, how did you— and how do you teach people how to go after their dreams? Because there's so many people out there that want to, but they're holding themselves back. How do you stop holding yourself back?

Yeah.

From your truest potential?

The funny thing is like, I didn't know. I didn't have any clue. But then when I started to live following my authentic self, this journey of self-discovery allowed me to just live in a beautiful state of present.

Yeah.

Like, I was so distracted for so many years. that from the moment I, I was realizing the power of the present moment, I become grateful for the gift of life.

Yeah.

And I discover in gratitude the key to happiness. Because of that, I create this framework. Every time you feel lost or stuck in your life, use that GPS of happiness.

The GPS of happiness.

Yes. The GPS is the acronym for gratitude, purpose, Ooh. And smiles. So everything—

I love that. Great, good purpose and smile.

You need that guidance because it's easy to go to a place and search in your phone for the address using your GPS.

Yeah.

But it's something that is so common in the daily basis.

Yeah.

But we never use a GPS to find our path to happiness. It's like, we are lost in our life. Yeah.

So tell us about the GPS of happiness.

So I figured out this framework that actually has helped me so much because so many times I feel lost in this journey around the world. Yeah. That I realized that people is so used to use their phones and put an address and use the GPS to get to their destinations.

Yeah.

But we are not doing that in our daily basis. It's like, how come we're not using a GPS to find happiness?

Yeah.

And then I created this framework. GPS is the acronym for gratitude, purpose, and smiles. You start with gratitude. You will find this beautiful, abundant mindset because you are grateful for the thing that you have in the present moment. And you can recognize in gratitude the key to happiness. And then when you are connected to this beautiful emotion of abundance, you know that you can give back and you connect with this sense of contribution that leads you to purpose. When you live in purpose, you have the energy to wake up each day with a clear direction. You know where you're going because you are connected with this vision of something greater than you.

Yes.

Yes. And you, you realize you are here to impact others, to serve.

Yes.

To serve the higher good.

Yes.

Happiness is only real when it's shared. And then when you share a smile, you share happiness. It's the most genuine way to express gratitude in your heart. And that's how I find out that the GPS of happiness is the way to find ourselves. Wow.

That's amazing. So how, how can people use that? How can they use gratitude, purpose, And what was the S?

Smiles.

Smiles, of course. How can they use that? Like, how somebody that's listening right now, is there something they could write down? Like, what am I grateful for?

Yes.

How could they use that?

There is so many ways to be aware of the GPS of happiness. Like, for example, triggering yourself. Like, each time you open your map and put an address on it as a GPS. Yeah. You think about being grateful for what you have in the present moment. And once you are grateful, you are already in this abundance mindset.

Yeah.

And then you have to think about how to serve through that abundance. And that's your purpose. What you can do today to make a difference in this world. What can inspire a movement? What can bring a smile to others? And that's the S.

Okay.

How can I? make someone else smile. Because in the joy of others, ours gets expanded.

I love that. So, okay, so it's like gratitude is the thing that gets you into that place of abundance. It gets you into the right mindset.

Yeah.

And once you have a state of gratitude, maybe you could say 3 to 5 things that, wow, and like really feel that. Like, I like to think of like, it's not just saying affirmations or gratitude, it's like feel it. Like, elicit your own joy in the moment. Like, do your best to elicit it. And, you know, feel that gratitude. What am I grateful for right now? What are 3 things I'm grateful for? Get into that abundance mindset. Even if there's all these things I don't prefer around me, what am I grateful for though?

Yeah.

What am I— and train your mind to think that way. Because when you think that way, you start seeing those things. It's not really about attraction. It's about your perception Is starting to look for those things, right? So, it's like gratitude first so that you start to see what you might be grateful for. And then purpose, I love purpose because it's really, it's where the most joy in life comes from. When you understand that your life isn't just about you, it's about some higher calling, that's the most joy that you can possibly get from life because it's not a joy that's based off of a material thing or something you buy. It's joy based off of just giving. And that's the best joy out there because you can't run out of it. And so, it's like purpose is connected to that higher power and connected to God and the universe and contribution. And then, by doing that, you're going to create smiles on other people's faces.

Yeah.

And a smile on your face. And so, you can see how that structure could really get people boom right out of it because you're feeling grateful, you're connecting to a higher power. And, I just want to just emphasize that, that whenever I feel the happiest, whenever I feel like I'm crushing it in my life, especially lately, it's like I just focus myself on service. I'm just like, what can I do to be here for this person right now? How can I acknowledge them? How can I listen to them? How can I empathize and, and be there for them, understand them? And I think when they see that, they're like, oh wow, this person really actually cares about me. It brings me so much joy. It brings me so much joy. I'm sure you—

Yes.

See that with all the people you Yes. Or in contact with too.

Yes, I realized that at the end, this is not just a photography project. It's a life mission.

Yeah. Amazing.

And now that I'm in service, I'm just an instrument. I'm the messenger of love and happiness. And I'm the vessel of blessings and messages that I carry in my heart. And sometimes I'm open to channel the right message for the right person in front of me.

Ooh, ooh. So you're just like open and you're, you're a channel first of what somebody else needs to hear in the moment.

Yeah.

Instrument of God. Yes. I love that.

Yes. At the end, all of us, we can serve as an instrument of God. At the end, we need to be aware that we are all connected.

Yeah.

And when we have that clarity, it seems like life gets easier.

Yes, it does. And it becomes no longer feeling like lack. And I go in and out of this state, but lately I've reconnected to it. And we all go through ups and downs, you know?

Yeah.

But it just— when you're in that place, it just feels like you're not focused on lack. You're just seeing all these abundant things happen around you and these synchronicities. You're like, oh my God, how did this happen? How did I see you at freaking Growth Day? Like, how are we here? Like, it's crazy. I mean, full of excitement.

And you start to see everything with the eyes of compassion because you stop judging and the events in your life are no longer good or bad. Yeah.

Whew. So that is a powerful message. I think we can start to wrap it up here. We can, you know, this is one of the questions that I ask all the guests on the Full Potential Living Podcast. And it's really something that just sets your life in perspective and sets anybody who's listening their life in perspective to help them think about it. But it's like, fast forward to the end of your life. And whether you're laying on a deathbed or whatever, maybe people won't be laying on deathbeds at that time, it will be doing something else. John and Missy were like, yeah, we're gonna go in a chariot and we're gonna be taking off into the sky at that point. I'm like, yeah, I believe you guys. But whatever, you're at a point where you know you're about to pass away, you know you're about to go into the next dimension, the next life, whatever you believe in. And you look back on your life and you realize, you know, there was 2 to 3 things that you did Whether it was philosophies you lived by, goals you accomplished, whatever it was, ways of living, you know, there's 2 or 3 things you did. And because you did those, you feel like you can pass away with peace. You can be like, you know, I did what I needed to do here in this lifetime, in this human body. You know, what would those 2 to 3 philosophies or ways of living or goals be for you? to pass away with peace at the end?

Wow. That's a powerful question because it feels like it's all about love. It's like, it's, it's the invitation to connect. It's, it's the awareness of seeing each other in directly to the eyes and recognize our reflection in those eyes. Hey, I see you. I recognize you from a place of love and acceptance. That's what I have learned in this journey around the world collecting smiles. Even we are so different, we are all connected.

Yeah.

And everybody's smiling the same language.

Yeah.

That's my premise. That's my, my message. And it's really simple, clear, but powerful.

Yeah.

And that's the invitation to recognize each other Looking into deep into our eyes.

Yeah.

And see that in the reflection of those eyes, we are connected.

We are one.

Yeah.

We are just 2 separate kind of energy, just 2 separate bodies, but really—

It's like the air, you know. You can go through different rooms in your, in your house and you can feel different essence and And you can go through the kitchen and feel like the essence of the food, and I'll go and probably to your room and feel this essence of the perfume you're using. It's the same air, different essence. Yeah. So that's, that's what happened with us. Yeah. It's like we are this—

Same soul, different body.

Yeah. And we are from the same Divine source. We are the divine expression of God.

Yeah.

We all have the opportunity to live to our full potential. Yes.

Yes, we do. Anybody out there listening has that potential. It's just about uncovering and activating that part of who you are. Where, first of all, I still have 2 questions, but where can people find you?

My personal website is robertocorona.com. That's my name, .com. That's where—

robertocorona.com.

Yeah, that's my, my personal brand.

Okay.

Where I offer my services as a keynote or a coaching, a life coach, or if you want to join me in, in an adventure around the world, I offer this immersion, Destino Felicidad experiences. It's a 3-day immersion where you can Yeah, fine. And connect with—

I might be going to that at some point, that retreat, 3-day immersion.

Yes. Oh my God. And then I have collectingsmiles.org. That's a nonprofit organization where I share about our nonprofit supporting different causes, the emotional education program for schools. And we are about to launch this children's book collection of emotional education and mental health.

Yeah.

And our music. We are working with beautiful lyrics. Those lyrics have been a collection of poems. And I remember the first time I wrote a poem was when I was 13 years old. And I have been keeping all of that. And with technology today, I bring all of those beautiful words to life. And thanks to that, I already have 2 albums out there in all platforms— Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Spotify. Yeah, so yeah, you can ask Alexa, play Roberto Corona. Yeah, then you will listen to some of my songs.

Yeah, absolutely. Music making frequencies and vibrations, one thing. Music on Spotify. Yeah, um, you know Obviously, Collecting Smiles with Robbie, nonprofit, so many things, so many talents. I can't even keep up with all of them. But I do have another one, another interest. I'm just fascinated because there's so much, such a journey that we went through today, like listening to you.

Yeah.

And that story from where you were to where you are is magnificent and how you led with purpose and purpose was your The wealth. Yeah, like that's the biggest wealth you had at the time and it still leads you. And but now I'm curious, like, to kind of wrap this up today, like, what, what's the vision now? Because there's so many big things that are like, could happen, you know, like, what's the vision and where, where are you headed? And where is this whole mission headed now?

This is powerful because I can keep dreaming. big and big and even bigger. Of course, part of my vision is to, to make a bigger impact, make that this movement of love and happiness touch life everywhere in the world. I would love to, at some point, have an animation series, a movie and a documentary.

Wow.

But I believe that the true next stage is to be open to love. That's the journey, because I've been learning to heal myself, to accept myself, to open my heart. But still, I've been in so many places where I'm still under this shield, like—

Not fully being yourself?

No, I'm at a stage where I'm authentic with myself.

Okay.

But I'm still in a position where The rhythm of life make me believe that this stage of my journey is a solitary journey.

Ah, yes.

But I know that that was a limiting belief where I was thinking that in order to accomplish my mission, I had to do it on my own.

Alone.

And now I'm open to love. And I think at some point, I will find that right person that wants to join me in this, in this mission. Yeah. And build something even more magnificent and creating this extraordinary life together. Yeah.

Beautiful. Well, I hope you find that, brother. And, and I know you, I know you will. And I know you'll keep collecting smiles and eliciting smiles and bringing joy and purpose. I want to honor you for For really being a light ambassador, a light in this world.

Yeah.

I really mean that. And it's, it's super important, you know, with all the things going on, all the people that, that are lost out there from scrolling on TikTok or, or, you know, getting lost on Instagram. And that's one of the biggest killers to creation and knowing the self. And so I just want to, you know, honor you for really being a light in the darkness for people because you really are.

Thanks so much.

Seriously.

This has been such a unique, beautiful journey. Yeah, it's a conversation of a lifetime. Like, I hope if the people listen to this whole journey can get inspired and motivated to live their life to the fullest.

Yes. Full potential or nothing.

Yes.

Let's go. All right, that's gonna do it. Peace.