Raffinee A.J. Gonzalez III M.A. Is an entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, mentor, trendsetter, author and former model. As a leader within his home, his community, and the workplace, Raffinee A.J. Gonzalez III M.A has transformed the minds and the spirits of those he comes across. Through his anecdotal, vibrant speech, he delivers bursts of knowledge aimed at delivering empowerment through contrasting views of status quo. As a world-renowned speaker, one of the motivating factors for his current success was his upbringing. So often, people only see one view of who people are. Then there are people like Raffinee, that force us to look at all aspects of one’s life in order to come up with a comprehensive summary of our lives. At first glance, Raffinee is indicative of Black Excellence. At second glance, Mr. Gonzalez gives us an inner glimpse into what really fuels his passion. That fuel was his broken background. It was a landscape that even some of the best may not have made it out of. Raffinee Gonzalez was born to a crack addicted mother and abusive father. He grew up watching his mom suffer from varied degrees of psychosis. He describes he and his siblings running and hiding as his mom terrorized the home brandishing knives fighting invisible demons that were superimposed due to crack cocaine use and mental illness. If that were not enough, he describes pushing to go beyond being a statistic. Watching his siblings become parents at an early age and fall into the same cycle of lack that his parents were engulfed in was another push for him. In reading his latest book, Memoirs of a Nomad, Raffinee describes the moment as a young child wanting to take his own life rather than suffer further abuse from his father. Through the impact of his chartered course of motivational speaking and writing, Mr. Gonzalez has dedicated his voice to the voiceless. He knows all to well that there are those whose voices are being muffled through hardship, degradation, abuse and generational curses. Experiencing personal pain and loss is something that Raffinee Gonzalez has turned into badge of courage and growth. Taking on this charge isn’t necessarily easy, but according to Raffinee, its absolutely necessary. The biggest lesson learned in interviewing Mr. Gonzalez was that one look at any thing does it a disservice. In order to truly learn and grow we have to give everything and everyone and every opportunity more than just one look. Giving up is not an option. Growth at times can be a daunting task. But if we give our circumstances more than one look, more than one glance, maybe in that second or third look we will identify the light. If you are interested in being motivated, inspired and changed for the better, log on to www.rgonzalez3.com.
Felicia L. Hamilton
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