Mena Cardenas

29/04/2025

What do audiences of 10, 100, 200, or even 500 people have in common?

They’re all made up of human beings — each with dreams, struggles, and a deep desire to connect.

I’ve spoken to audiences of all sizes, and I can tell you: the number doesn’t matter.
What matters is the one person whose heart you reach.

Last Thursday, I had the honor of speaking to 200 incredible people at and once again, I was reminded:

It’s never about the size of the audience.
It’s about the connection you create — one person at a time.

When you speak from the heart, when you share your story with authenticity, you bridge the gap between strangers.

You create a space where people see themselves in your journey.

And that’s exactly what happened — the feedback, the stories, the moments of resonance…
That’s the real magic.

Because whether we’re leading, speaking, or simply living — at the end of the day, we all want the same thing:
To feel seen.
To feel understood.
To feel connected.

✨ That’s the intention behind every talk I give: to move people on a human level, inspire meaningful change, and unlock new levels of personal and professional success.

If you’re planning an event or looking for a keynote speaker who can spark connection, clarity, and purpose in the room — I’d love to co-create something powerful with you.

Let’s talk.

03/03/2025

“if it’s not broken, why change it?” Raise your hand if you believe that 🙋🏽‍♀️

But I’ve learned that change doesn’t have to come from something being broken or not working.

My greatest lessons and successes have NOT come from moments when life forced me to change

My biggest growth has come from daring to change even when, on paper, everything seemed great

💼 Resigning from my banking job after 10 years, even though it was the job I once dreamed of, because internally, it no longer felt aligned

🚀 Closing my membership after 3 years, even though I had active members and it was running smoothly, because my heart was no longer in it

🎨 Changing my brand name and identity more than once because each previous version no longer resonated with me

The most expansive (and hardest) change happens when we stop forcing what looks good on paper and dare to follow the feeling of alignment

True growth doesn’t happen when everything goes perfectly.
It happens when you take the leap, face uncertainty, experiment, and learn in the process

Because what doesn’t change, stagnates. And what stagnates, stops growing

Evolution and success require courage. They require letting go of what once made sense but no longer feels aligned—even when, on paper, it looks “right.”

So tell me… what are you holding onto just because it looks good, but no longer feels aligned? 💡✨

🔥 And with that, I invite you to visit MY NEW WEBSITE (link in bio)

While you’re there, download your free guide and start rewriting your own evolution

04/02/2025

A few weeks ago, I was cleaning out my fridge, excited to start the new year with a fresh, spotless kitchen.

Determined to get everything in order, I decided to remove all the shelves for a deep clean.

Then—it happened.

One of the glass shelves slipped from my hands and shattered into a thousand pieces.

It was like a glass explosion, scattering shards all over the floor.

I stood there, stunned, with a cut hand, watching the mess.

My first thought?
“Oh no, this is bad luck.”

Then, as I let go of that thought, others quickly replaced it:
❌ “My husband is going to kill me.” (He always says I’m not careful when I clean.)
❌ “What will the landlord say?”
❌ “What if I can’t replace this shelf?”
❌ “This fridge is already small – now we have even less space!”

With all these thoughts racing through my mind, I washed my hand, swept up the glass, and did my best to organize the fridge.

When my husband got home, I nervously told him what had happened. His response?
“Oh well, it is what it is.”

In that moment, I realized—my first thought, my biggest fear, was completely false (hello stories that we tell ourselves that are false)

A week later, as we were putting away groceries, I caught myself saying something unexpected:

“You know what? I kind of like that the shelf broke. Now we have more space to store things vertically. That extra shelf was actually limiting us.”

And that’s when it hit me:

👉 Sometimes, the things we think are supporting us—the structures, beliefs, habits, or even relationships we rely on—are actually the things holding us back.

We don’t realize it until they break.

We fear letting go because we believe we need that stability, but what if breaking free is exactly what allows us to grow?

So today, I invite you to reflect:
💡 What’s your glass shelf?
💡 What thoughts are keeping you from breaking through?
💡 How could you create more space for growth if you chose to let go?

That “glass ceiling” you’ve been afraid to break? On the other side of that fear is expansion, freedom, and the ability to rise higher.

To grow, we often need to break through the ceiling that keeps us from rising higher.

So what “glass” are you going to break?

30/01/2025

Reading my story in a magazine hit differently.

For years, I normalized my life events. I didn’t think my story was a big deal—I mean, everyone goes through hard times, right?

I believed others could be wildly successful. But me? A Latina, a refugee, with an accent—how was I ever going to make it in a country as big as Canada?

Until one day, I met someone from Colombia who had built the exact life I dreamed of. And that moment shifted everything.

I realized the power of role models—and how important it is to be one.

That day, I told myself: If she did it, why not me? But deep down, I was still living in all the reasons why I couldn’t.

So I turned the question around and asked myself…Why ME?

That shift changed everything. It led me to connect with the power and greatness that had always been beneath the surface—the same power you have when you stop focusing on the reasons why you can’t and start owning the reasons why you can.

✨ The belief you have in yourself is the belief you give others.

Every time you own your power, you give someone else permission to believe in theirs.

Every time you show up (even when it’s messy), you give others permission to do the same, and that’s how we inspire change

So I’ll ask you: Why YOU? What makes you unstoppable? Let’s hear it.

And if you want to read the article, head over to the link in my bio

09/01/2025

Waking up at 6 am to hit the gym in -17°C weather SUCKS and It doesn’t get easier— even after 7 years of consistent training. There’s NO motivation 🤣 to my fitness competition days

When my alarm goes off, motivation isn’t what gets me out of bed. It’s my WHY. And guess what? It’s not a deep, life-altering why.

It’s as simple as: I want to feel energized, accomplished, and amazing for the rest of the day.

I know the short-term discomfort of leaving my warm bed and walking into freezing temperatures will pay off in the long run.

Today, I tried the HYROX style of training for the first time—a new challenge introduced to me by and it was uncomfortable.

My body wanted to quit, and I caught myself thinking, I can’t do this anymore.

But in that moment, I chose to shift the narrative. Yes, I CAN.

I closed my eyes, focused on my breath, and committed to just one rep at a time.

One step, one meter, one moment. Before I knew it, I was more than halfway through.

This experience reminded me of the power of ONE and the compound effect.

It’s not about massive leaps all the time. It’s about showing up and making small choices—one at a time.

One rep.
One thought.
One decision.
One choice at a time.

Over time, those small, consistent actions create the ripple effect that leads to big results.

So, what’s one small, meaningful step you’re committing to take right this minute? (Could even be to unplug to be more present😝)

Let me know in the comments

14/10/2024

Breaking my own barriers 😎 450+ people, 3 incredible days and an unbelievable experience

I had the pleasure of being the closing Keynote speaker for the congress “Project Connect” in Punta Cana and I’m still on cloud 9

What an amazing experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better audience 🙏 the energy was absolutely amazing and I’m leaving with my heart overflowing with joy

My Keynote “Break Barriers, Materialize Success” is designed to help the audience break through self-imposed limitations, so they can unlock their full potential and materialize their very own definition of success - a success that FEELS fulfilling and purposeful (beyond the accomplishments)

Hearing the amazing feedback from the audience and how my keynote changed their perception of themselves in a positive way made me whole weekend

Hearing someone say “you just changed my life for the better” is priceless 🥺 what an honour

And this right here is my definition of my million dollar self 🤩

03/05/2024

Yesterday, I did something I DIDN’T want to do 😭💔

But it was the decision that my “millionaire self” would make - and my “millionaire self” is basically a version of me that has accomplished everything I want, prioritizes herself, is confident, has boundaries, is kind...it’s the identity of my “higher self” but I call it my “millionaire self” because I think it sounds cooler 🤣

A few months ago, I had committed to giving my motivational talk to a community of over 100 Hispanic women in Toronto.

However, 5 days ago I lost my voice (literally from talking so much and using it 🗣️) to the point where my vocal cords swelled up and it hurt to talk.

Worried about the talk I had scheduled for this Saturday, and ALL the commitments and tasks I had, I started doing everything to get better and get my voice back.

I canceled commitments, stopped talking for 4 days, followed every piece of advice given to me, bought all the throat remedies, went to the doctor, drank all the turmeric with honey, lemon, ginger, and even onion that was recommended to me.

And my voice didn’t come back to the point where I could give a talk for 30 minutes plus an interview, etc.

So yesterday, I made the difficult decision to let go of this talk and give someone else the opportunity 🙏

Part of me wanted to push through and think that by Saturday I was going to be better (today I finally got my voice back).

But my millionaire self understands that more opportunities will come and that I don’t have to stress and set a deadline for my recovery.

My millionaire self understands that her body is wise and needs to listen to it.

And Saying NO from a place of abundance is always better than saying YES from a place of scarcity

So I made the decision to cancel my talk with full faith that other opportunities will come and that there is more than enough for everyone, and with the joy of giving another speaker that space to shine 💖

And this reminded me of the path of manifestation...Sometimes we have plans, structure, and take all the aligned action possible to materialize our dreams, at the same time, we need to let go and be flexible because the universe may have a different plan for us 🙏

10/12/2023

This week, I did something brave.

In case you don’t know, this year I set the goal of becoming a speaker, and I’ve been working on my talk all year long… I worked one-on-one with and recently invested in an in-person mastermind with my mentor Michelle Poler from

My keynote is my baby. I’ve been working on it for months

This experience has been the deepest process of introspection and personal growth I’ve gone through this year, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. 🥳

This is already a success for me🎉

This week, I opened myself up to feedback from the “audience” and presented my keynote to more than 70 people to get their feedback.

I received ALL kinds of feedback—positive, tough, constructive, and even feedback that made me question myself. It all came from a place of love, and I received it with much love. 🥰

But for a moment, I wondered if being a speaker is really MY THING

But thanks to everything I preach and practice, I now ask myself better questions and changed the question quickly

WHY ME? Why am I the right person to do this?

And I remembered all the reasons why I CAN be a speaker.

I recalled that I’ve worked so hard on this keynote and given it my ALL. I’m SUPER proud of myself and the result I have today. I am already successful!

But I also know I will keep growing, learning, and evolving.

This talk represents who I am TODAY, and I can’t wait to bring it to the world because who I am today is ALREADY ENOUGH.

I want to share this story with you because opening myself up to feedback helped me a LOT in achieving the result I have today. However, it made me realize the importance of knowing why you CAN.

Because it’s also easy to get lost in the feedback or completely shut ourselves off from it (both extremes are dangerous). There’s a fine line between receiving it all with love, taking what you need, and dimming your light. 🫶

This week, I received it all with love and take exactly what I need today. 🙏

THANK YOU for being part of this process with me.

From this fantastic feedback, wonderful things emerged, like my new word “Menafest-action.” 🎉

I’m ready for my first official stage 🥳😎 Miami 12/12

29/04/2023