Need Less, Give More with Ruben Alvarez

In this episode of The Rocky Garza Show, I sat down with my good friend Ruben Alvarez—founder of Marketing Hunters, author of Brand Sharks, and someone I deeply respect for his raw honesty and personal evolution. His mantra is clear: sales bring you money, but brand brings you legacy. But today’s conversation wasn’t about branding. It was about something even deeper—identity, discipline, and what happens when you strip away the noise to finally hear what matters.

About Ruben Alvarez

Ruben Alvarez is the Founder of The Marketing Hunters, a company that specializes in Branding and Market Positioning. His experience in Manufacturing, B2B sales and indirect marketing for nearly a decade allows him to create dynamic and powerful brands for others. Ruben was born in California, but migrated to El Paso when he saw the potential to help the city grow into Texas' next big city. Through events like Thrive IN Your City and The Moment Conference, he has helped bring the business community together to collaborate on the growth that is to come in El Paso.

He is the Author of the International Book Brand Sharks: Unstoppable Strategies from Industry Leaders, a book endorsed by Tim Storey. In the book, he encourages new business owners and entrepreneurs to create unfair advantages for themselves. In becoming successful, it is critical to create in the mind of your potential client that you have something unique that cannot be found anywhere else, other than with you. Brand Sharks has been called The #1 Book For Young Entrepreneurs Looking to Grow their Brands.

Ruben's story has been featured in Forbes, NY Weekly, El Dario De Queretaro, and many other news outlets for his disruptive Branding methods. 

What Discipline Really Looks Like

Ruben and I dove into what the last year has looked like for him—and it’s been a season of real transformation. He’s been hitting the gym daily, eating clean, and making hard decisions about what stays and what goes in his life.

But he didn’t romanticize it. In fact, he admitted that almost every day he still has the same thought: “I don’t want to do this.” And yet, he does it anyway. Because it’s not about motivation—it’s about building the muscle of consistency. That kind of discipline doesn’t show up overnight. It’s earned.

Shifting From Self-Doubt to Self-Discipline

We talked about the negative loops we’ve both found ourselves in—thoughts like “Why bother?” or “I’m not good enough.” But Ruben made a point I loved: once he got clear on his why, those thoughts didn’t vanish, but they lost their grip.

Now, the battle isn’t about self-worth—it’s about staying committed, even when the feeling isn’t there. Because when the why is strong, the resistance becomes background noise.

Personal Conviction Meets Professional Ambition

One of my favorite parts of this episode was exploring the space where personal conviction meets professional ambition. When those two align, that’s where the real fuel comes from. For Ruben, that alignment has meant getting serious about his lifestyle—not just for his business, but for the person he’s becoming.

He’s not building a brand—he’s building a way of being.

Giving Up to Grow

Over the last two years, Ruben made some big decisions: he sold his house, gave up expensive habits, and traded comfort for clarity. Not because he had to. But because he chose to.

He realized that most of what was “normal” in his life—extra subscriptions, extra responsibilities, extra stuff—was cluttering his mind and stealing his ability to think. And for him, thinking clearly is his edge. So he simplified. He got lean. And he created space to breathe.

Why Most People Fail at Change

We talked about why 84% of people give up their New Year’s resolutions by January 21st. It’s not because they lack willpower—it’s because they only tried to change the action without changing the thought, the energy, or the focus.

But Ruben didn’t just change what he was doing. He cleared space to think about why he was doing it. That alignment between what we say we want and what we actually tolerate? That’s where real change starts.

Your Life Is What You Tolerate

Let me be real: Ruben hit a point where he had to decide if he was going to keep putting up with things that didn’t align with his vision. He made a choice to raise his standards—not out of pride, but out of purpose.

He said it perfectly: “Everything around me is either going to step up—or I need to walk away.”

That hits. Because whether it’s habits, people, or even our own internal patterns—what we tolerate becomes our reality.

Breaking Down to Break Through

Ruben shared a moment I won’t forget. He told the story of being alone in his garage, going through a divorce, unsure how to make it all work. He put his phone down, hit record, and captured himself crying—because he knew he never wanted to forget what it felt like to break.

That moment didn’t give him clarity—it gave him the need to create it. And brick by brick, action by action, he started rebuilding. Not from hype. From honesty.

The Simpler the Life, the More You Can Give

At one point, Ruben said:

“The less that I need, the more I can give.”

That stuck with me. Because when we declutter—our minds, our schedules, our bank accounts—we create space to be generous. To think clearly. To lead well.

This episode reminded me: simplicity isn’t scarcity. Simplicity is strength.

You’re Not Leaving People Behind

One of the most powerful truths we landed on was this: when you change your life, you’re not “leaving people behind.” You’re choosing alignment.

Everyone gets to choose their path. And when you choose yours with intention, not everyone will come with you—and that’s okay.

You don’t have to explain yourself. You don’t have to apologize. Because when you start living like the person you’re becoming, you finally start becoming the person you’ve been trying to be all along.