3. Meet Motivational Speaker, Emmanuel Lopez, alias “Motivatorman”

The first time I met Emmanuel was during a conference organized by CAMP (the networking organization of internationally-trained professionals in the Communications, Advertising, Marketing and Sales sectors). He was the guest of the day, invited to speak about how movies can make our lives better. He calls himself “Motivatorman”, an “award-winning Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker and Movie blogger”. I invite you to visit his website: http://www.motivatorman.com.

Very easy-going, Emmanuel shows a certain freshness, lightness and sympathy along with a strong optimism. All these traits convinced me to learn more about him. I find his blog is an admirable tool that open doors in all people’s minds, regardless of their genders or nationalities, and helps them see their lives from another angle.

Last week, we met in a coffee place in mid-town Toronto.

While wearing his rollerblades, Emmanuel showed right on time. He was just getting better from a bad cold.

 

 Emmanuel, how would you introduce yourself in a few words?

The word “play” really describes me. Life is about having fun and enjoying the ups and downs. Enjoying the latter is possible when you are self-aware and that you know that everything is going to be okay, even if it is raining. Personally, I keep seeing life with the eyes of the child I used  to be. This is especially noticeable when I eat food. I love food!

I’d also like to quote Winston Churchill: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” (that might explain why Emmanuel’s key word is “resilience”).

My personal goal is to find people who are like-minded and believe in what I believe.

 

How did you come up with this idea of creating a blog?

At the beginning, several people recommended me to write about my passion for movies and food.  Which I did. The blog is now eight years old and contains more than 750 posts. I feel that I have so much to share with the world. I usually write two blog posts per week, and I get comments from all over the World!

At a personal level, writing a blog showed me that movies are very important in personal development. Through my blog, I am using my natural gifts and talents to help people in trouble.

 

What type of mentality do you expect from the visitors of your blog?

Steve Martin stated in the film Grand Canyon  “All of life’s riddles are answered in the movies”. Therefore, the ideal readers would be people seeking answers for problems in their lives and who love movies.

 

What are the best feed-backs you have ever got from your readers?

I remember this college student who wanted to know how to improve her communication with her mother. She had been reading my blog where I recommended the animated film “Brave” and after watching it she wrote me a deep thank you message. That touched me a lot. There is also this message from Larry Gilman, one of my instructors for “Mastery of Self Expression” workshop. He congratulated me for being quoted in a published book from a doctor in the US reading my blog and posted on Facebook that I am an example of a person “living my passion and having the courage to write what I see”. To finish, I was discovered through social media by a reporter for The New York Times and was the only Canadian featured in an article called “Who Will Be Oprah’s Last Star?”. The reporter loved the idea my “Movies that Motivate” blog was helping people around the world stay resilient and positive!

 

 What is your biggest dream?

I want to share my life experience  with my dream girl who I hope shows up soon! I also want to keep traveling, speaking and touring around Europe as well. Finally, I would like to fly in a starship and connect with other species (laugh).

 

What is your vision of interculturalism?

Interculturalism is everywhere, and this is the key reason why I love Toronto. We see it with the Pride parade, but also with all the food festivals (the polish festival, the Danforth Greek festival and others) happening in Toronto. It is a celebration of differences and cultures. It is an excellent way to connect people in a deeper level. This is where I believe my mission is, movies and food bringing people closer together!

 

Thank you Emmanuel, I wish you an excellent continuation