We had the good fortune of connecting with Dom Barrera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dom, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
My favorite affirmation is “Easy Day.” A common expression within Navy SEALs, meaning ‘this is a piece of cake. What we are about to do will be easy.’ In reality, what you are about to do might be a huge pain in the ass, but it’s time to grow up and motivate yourself to get it done efficiently.

The men and women who have served in the US military have always inspired me to push myself beyond my own personal beliefs. The sisterhood, brotherhood, loyalty, comradery, and determination they embody to complete a mission show me that anything is possible with good people and strong values.

As entrepreneurs, we face many barriers and obstacles – which makes it easy to get caught up in unnecessary anxiety, doubts, and conflicts. The journey of Oso Meals has had its fair share of ups and downs, and I have learned that regardless of what happens you still need to see things through. So when challenges arrive I use the affirmation “Easy Day” to help me acknowledge the situation in front of me and find an alternative solution to move forward.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Born and raised in Denver Five-Points, my environment consisted of gangs and police. If it wasn’t for folks like my granddad I wouldn’t be the entrepreneur I am today. Not only have I launched Oso Adventure Meals, I have also co-founded and served as the Chief of Staff to an organization called LOCOMY which cultivates economic mobility for marginalized communities by changing systems and leveraging technology.

Over the past two years, LOCOMY created an innovative federal and state partnership that has generated over $18 million dollars to deliver 8 million meals and snacks to kids in Denver schools since 2020. We were the first in the state and country to implement an innovative food delivery model utilizing existing federal funds. All thanks to the collaboration is due to the success of a diverse organization and female leadership.

This journey has not been easy by any means, especially with my experience with food insecurity, poverty, and racial injustices. However, this is what drives me to work every day and gives me the will, motivation, and perseverance to challenge the existing status quo. I’m constantly thinking about the what-ifs; like, how to redesign public programs to better serve our communities.

Oso Adventure Meals goal is to diversify the mountains with culturally authentic food and invest one percent of each product sold to nonprofits getting kids of color into the mountains.

With that being said, the biggest lesson I have learned from this journey is that in order to do what you think is impossible, you have to be willing to do the self-work. And it starts with understanding your habits and how you show up. What I really want the world to know is that the mountains not only provide great adventures but a place that brings people together and peace to the mind.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was coming to visit the area, I would show them the community I grew up in and the western slopes of Colorado. First, I would take them to the neighborhood I was raised in and show them my favorite food spot, the Curits Park Creamery. Second, I would take them to the Strawberry hot springs in Steamboat Springs. Lastly, drive through some of the neighboring mountain towns to do some fly fishing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my 7th-grade teacher. My attendance in middle school was awful, so my 7th-grade teacher would literally wake up an hour early to pick me up and take me to school. If it wasn’t for him, I believe my journey would have been totally different.

Website: www.osomeals.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/osoadventuremeals/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-barrera-a4b53a28/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dom.barrera

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