At this year’s AFLA Conference in Marco Island, two speakers took the stage with messages that resonated far beyond fleet management. Both addressed what it takes to thrive in an era of disruption and change, but from two different views.  

Juan Bendaña, author and leadership coach, focused on building confidence from the inside out. Kristi Faltorusso, tech executive and career strategist, spoke about designing your career with intention. Together, their stories painted a roadmap for courage, growth, and self-leadership in every stage of a professional journey.

A Walking Shot of Espresso

Juan Bendaña is often called “a walking shot of espresso,” and it was evident as he bounded onto the stage. His main message was that confidence isn’t an innate trait, it’s a skill that can be practiced, built, and renewed. “People meet your energy before they meet you,” he said, urging the audience to “be responsible for the energy you bring into a room.”  

Bendaña said that confidence begins not with credentials or experience, but with the mindset and enthusiasm we choose to project. To illustrate, he shared a truth from behavioral psychology: When people expect excitement, they actually generate it. He encouraged attendees to “schedule some excitement” each week — to attach their outlook to what they’re looking forward to, not what they’re dreading.

But Bendaña didn’t shy away from vulnerability. He revealed his early struggles with insecurity, social anxiety, and even depression. His journey toward confidence began not with success, but with the failures of a collapsed relationship, unhealthy habits, and a turning point that forced him to rebuild from the ground up.  

Change from Within

His breakthrough came when he realized that “change starts by changing the way we see ourselves.” One of his memorable lessons came in a story about fear — swimming in open water with sharks. “Scary is what you feel; courage is what you do,” he said. “Confidence isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about having the courage to act when we don’t.”

Bendaña outlined four strategies for cultivating confidence: generate energy, practice courage, prioritize progress, and reimagine what’s possible. He closed with a personal story of redemption. After years of rejection, he finally landed a book deal with Penguin Random House, which was a 15-year dream realized. The twist was that he sent the first copy to the high school teacher who once told him he’d never be a writer. She was proud. “There will always be people who doubt us,” he told the crowd. “But who we become is up to us.”

Owning Your Path

If Bendaña’s talk was about conquering internal barriers, Kristi Faltorusso’s session focused on owning your professional path. The former chief customer officer turned career strategist shared her “six pillars” for designing a fulfilling career: define your why and your what, understand what it takes to reach the next level, map your path instead of letting your company do it for you, cultivate allies, communicate your value, and be bold enough to take risks.

Faltorusso’s story began in marketing, where she climbed the ranks to become GM of a publishing company. She then pivoted into customer success, a field she helped define in the SaaS world. Later, in her forties, she reinvented herself again as an independent coach and speaker.  

Your Plan, Your Future

Her message: you can rewrite your career at any age. “Your company shouldn’t be the one mapping your career for you,” she told the audience. “It’s your plan, your path, your future.” She urged attendees to think beyond titles and org charts: “Stop chasing what you think you deserve — start asking for what you want.”

Like Bendaña, she stressed courage. Pivoting careers, leaving toxic leaders, or just advocating for yourself in a meeting all require risk. “The most common way people give up their power,” she said, quoting Alice Walker, “is by thinking they don’t have any.”  

Tell Your Story

Faltorusso’s practical advice echoed Bendaña’s emotionality. Where he called for energy and courage, she offered the structure to sustain them with the clarity of purpose, allies who advocate for you, and the discipline to tell your own story. “The absence of a story is horrible,” she warned. “If you don’t tell yours, someone else will.”

Together, Bendaña’s emotional confidence paired with Faltorusso’s strategic clarity. His mantra, “Let’s find out what we’re capable of,” met her message of “Be bold and take risks.”  

As Bendaña reminded the crowd, “People don’t remember what you said — they remember how you made them feel.” At AFLA 2025, both speakers instilled in attendees the conviction that, in both career and life, the power to grow starts within.