Who?
Justin Baldoni, actor, director, producer and entrepreneur
Where?
Los Angeles
What?
Best known for his role as Rafael Solano on The CW’s Jane the Virgin, Justin Baldoni is much more than an actor, having created Clio award-winning documentary series My Last Days and directed the feature film Five Feet Apart.
And his meaningful work isn’t limited to show business. As an entrepreneur, Baldoni co-founded Wayfarer Entertainment—a social impact media production company focused on creating content that highlights inspiration, unity and the power of human connection.
In addition to developing projects from ideation through release, Baldoni created the dinner conversation series Man Enough, which explores traditional masculinity while focusing on topics like body image, relationships and fatherhood. Himself a husband and father in addition to his diverse career, Baldoni has spoken about his own journey with masculinity in a viral TED Talk.
When I’m not working, I de-stress by…
Being with people I love—connecting with my wife, playing with my kids, finding time to see my guys. Also, working out and finding some way to sweat and move my body is really therapeutic for me.
When I need inspiration, I…
Look for it everywhere. I believe inspiration comes through us. We don’t create it, we just create the space for it to come. I try to quiet the outside world—and the inside world in my head—and really get into my heart. I pray and ask to be a “hollow reed” that’s open to inspiration, because I truly believe that it’s everywhere. We, as humans, just forget to notice it. We forget to look.
I always smile when I…
Come home at night and hear my kids scream, “Daddy!!!!”
The book I most recommend to people is…
Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings on Spiritual Reality.
I work to improve myself by…
Listening! Listening to my wife, my friends, my co-workers and employees, my children—being open to their insight and expertise. Not taking feedback personally and listening to the point where I actually hear and am willing to make a change. And also listening to my own thoughts, and being aware of their patterns and how those thoughts then translate to my actions.
To avoid distractions, I…
Put down my phone. (I am terrible at this, but I’m getting better.)
My goal in life is…
To be of service. To try to quiet my ego and give away more than I could ever acquire. To love.
I define success as…
Connection—how connected I am to my wife and kids, my family, my community and the world; and service—how much have I served others? I think of success spiritually—not materially. If it all went away, could I still be happy? That only comes from being content and happy with what I have now, not with what I want to one day have.
My personal “aha” moment came when I…
Realized that one day, hopefully when I’m old and gray, I will no longer be here physically. That my time, and all of our time, is finite, and one day my life will become a distant memory to those I loved and who loved me. My actions today will become my children’s memories tomorrow, and I want those memories to be filled with love.
Photo by © THE CW NETWORK, LLC
