In this episode, John Haremza sits down with Cynthia Grace Miranda, the visually impaired founder of the fragrance house SINTA. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at 16 and told she was going blind, Cynthia spent years hiding her condition and living "in a box." She shares the moment she decided her vision loss was a blessing, how vulnerability became her biggest game changer, and how she built a luxury fragrance brand around the sense she trusts most: smell.
You'll learn:
• How Cynthia navigated school, university, and business while slowly losing her sight
• Why "one step for you is ten steps for me" and how she keeps moving half a second at a time
• What "tumbling forward" means and why trying and failing is part of the process
• How Meta glasses now describe the world to her out loud
• Why negativity spreads faster than positivity (the orange juice and water story)
• How to rewire your brain and protect your mind from negative influences
• Why "my mind is my vision" changed how she sees the world
Whether you're facing a challenge you think is holding you back or you just need a reminder to try again, this conversation will change how you see your own obstacles.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:45 Meeting Cynthia at the CAMH event in Toronto
02:02 Building a business while visually impaired
03:18 Retinitis pigmentosa and her first memory at age 3
06:09 The driver's test that revealed everything
07:54 "You have RP and you're going blind"
09:27 Teased, hiding it, and living in a box
11:20 Ten steps for every one step
12:43 When her vision became a blessing
14:20 Vulnerability as a game changer
15:07 Graceful Essence and creating SINTA
16:12 What SINTA means and the story in every scent
17:30 Where to find SINTA and giving back
19:41 How Meta glasses describe the world to her
21:49 Advice: just try, and try again
22:54 Tumbling forward
23:31 What's next for Cynthia and SINTA
24:52 The white space and opening the box
25:28 If you're not changing, you're choosing
28:24 Rewiring your brain for positivity
29:28 Zig Ziglar and protecting yourself from negativity
31:21 "My mind is my vision"
33:35 Mental health and one small change
34:51 Final words
Connect with Cynthia
🌸 SINTA: https://www.trysinta.com
📚 Connect With John Haremza
📖 If you'd like a copy of my book, text POI to 26786
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