We had the good fortune of connecting with Mo! and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Mo!, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I would say risk is the ultimate learning experience in life. Like the saying goes, no risk, no reward. I took a risk by leaving my career as a massage therapist to pursue a career in radio. If I didn’t take the risk of reaching out to someone in radio to find out the best way to get to my destination, I know I would feel like I wasn’t living my life to it’s fullest potential. It’s like that with anything you do, from something as big as your career, to something so little, like going to the grocery store and potentially running into your future love. Everyday we have the opportunity to take a risk, we should embrace it more often.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Ya know, as sad as this is going to sound, I’m proud that I’ve gotten to where I am in a rather short amount of time as a hispanic woman in a male dominated industry, especially in the rock genre. I’m not sure why there aren’t more woman, but the ones that are, kill it. From Allison Hagendorf to Megan Holiday at KROQ to Natasha Castles on Live 101.5 here in Phoenix (she’s actually one I look up to the most). The number one thing we all have in common is we are unapologetically ourselves on and off the air. I think that’s the most important thing to remember no matter what field you are in. If you come from a fake place, people can see that and no one wants to support a faker. We want more people that we can see ourselves in, it’s how we can connect so well to one another.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Gosh! There’s so many awesome things to do in Arizona. This is my home, I’m born and raised here so I would give them the ultimate experience. I would make sure they show up in the middle of summer. The wear all black to all outdoor (and indoor) events. Of course we’d have to hit up some local shows at some of my favorite venues like Crescent, Rebel Lounge, Van Buren or Valley Bar. Maybe break into a hotel pool since the closest thing I have to a pool are the sprinklers at the neighborhood park. Definitely gotta get some tripa tacos at Tacos Marys food truck off of Alma School and Broadway. Maybe even a helicopter ride off of Camelback mountain after a long hike with hardly any water. Just really get that summer in Az feel.
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?
Oh man, there’s so many! My three biggest shoutouts are for Brett Vesley of 98 KUPD, Tom McLaughlin and Marc Young. Brett, because he’s the one I reached out to with the best advice: Apply for the bottom of the barrel jobs in radio just to get your foot in the door and BE AVAILABLE for anything! So I did that. I reached out to Tom McLaughlin at X1039 for an internship (even though I fibbed about doing it for college credit) and he gave me my first job in radio as a promo intern. From there, Marc Young, the program director for X1039, recognized my ambition and hopes to be on the radio one day. He gave me my first job on the air and allowed me to help out with the morning show when the station flipped in 2012. To this day, he’s always giving me advice on how to continue to grow my career and has continued to support me even though he is no longer my PD. I owe all of them so much for helping me get to where I am.
Website: https://altaz933.com/shows/the-mo-show/
Instagram: Instagram.com/MoRoRadio
Linkedin: I have one but I barely use it.
Twitter: Twitter.com/MoRoRadio
Facebook: Facebook.com/MoRoRadio
Youtube: Youtube.com/MoRoRadio
Image Credits
Chris Marks