TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Dr. Alejandro Plascencia

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Dr. Alejandro Plascencia seemed to have it all. A decorated entrepreneur, a respected leader, and a man with advanced degrees and prestigious honors to his name, he stood as a symbol of vision and achievement. Recognized with a Doctor Honoris Causa from UNAM, the Palmas de Oro, and even featured in Forbes México, he had built a career many only dream of. By every outward measure, he was unstoppable.

 

But beneath the surface of success, Alejandro was fighting a silent battle. Even as he rose higher in business, depression was quietly pulling him under. Outwardly, he was the man others relied on, the leader with answers. Inwardly, he was unraveling. The very strength people admired became the mask that hid his despair. It was a paradox few could see—immense success paired with an inner collapse so profound that it nearly cost him everything.

 

From that reckoning came Surviving Me, Alejandro’s deeply personal memoir. Unlike self-help books filled with quick fixes and hollow affirmations, it is a raw, unflinching look at what it means to hit bottom and fight your way back. “Surviving Me is written for anyone who’s ever felt lost, broken, abandoned, and you’ve got nothing left. It’s about hitting rock bottom so hard that you don’t just break… you shatter.” Readers call it “powerful, honest, and uniquely human.”

 

To understand his own struggle, Alejandro became a psychotherapist. To share it, he became an author. Today, he has transformed his pain into purpose, helping others find the courage to face their own darkness. His words carry the weight of lived experience: “No one is coming to save you. So what do you do? You fight. You break. You bleed. You crawl your way out, one brutal step at a time.”

 

We sat down with Alejandro to discuss the book, his journey, and his perspective on healing and happiness.

 

Alejandro, what inspired you to write Surviving Me, and why was now the right time to share your story?

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I wrote Surviving Me to help people recognize when they may be struggling with depression or anxiety and to let them know they don’t have to face it alone. Inside the book, I even included a QR code so readers can reach out to me directly with questions or connect for therapy. Mental health challenges are everywhere right now, touching people of all ages—even children as young as eight who are already contemplating suicide. If sharing my story gives someone the courage to see that there is a way out of the darkness, that they are not abandoned in their pain, then I consider the book a success.

 

How do you define happiness?

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I define happiness as “sparkles”—those short flashes of happiness. They don’t last long, so you have to find those brief moments of happiness every day. It could be just stepping outside and seeing a beautiful tree or finding a ladybug on your window. Happiness is a decision. A beautiful tree could be in front of you, but you don’t see it because you’re angry. If you choose to be happy, those sparkles appear everywhere. The more of them you find in a day, the happier your day becomes.

 

What was the most difficult part of your journey to write about, and how did you decide which moments to share?

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The most difficult part was confronting the silent collapse that happened behind my professional success. Admitting that I was emotionally exhausted after years of being perceived as strong, competent, and accomplished wasn’t easy. I had built an identity around being the one who had it all together, and breaking that illusion publicly meant facing my own shame, vulnerability, and fear of being misunderstood. Writing about the moment when I realized I was no longer connected to myself was painful and humbling. I chose which moments to share by focusing on what could help others feel seen and less alone. Every scene had to serve a purpose: to make the reader feel safe, understood, and empowered to begin their own emotional reckoning.

 

Can you share a few self-reflective questions from Surviving Me that might help our readers right now?

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Absolutely. Self-reflection is at the heart of healing. These questions aren’t meant to give quick answers, but to gently open doors we often keep closed:

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1. Am I living a life that feels true to me, or just one that looks good from the outside?
    

2. What parts of myself have I silenced in order to be accepted or successful?
    

3. When did I stop feeling joy—and why didn’t I notice?
    

4. What would it mean to be gentle with myself—truly gentle?
    

I wish someone had asked me these questions when I was silently struggling. More importantly, I wish I had known it was okay to ask them of myself without guilt, fear, or pressure to have an immediate answer.

 

If you could offer just one piece of advice to people who are struggling, what would it be?

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Stop minimizing your pain. What you’re feeling is valid, even if you can’t fully explain it. Depression and anxiety often wear disguises—productivity, perfectionism, detachment—and many people learn to function through the fog until they can’t anymore. The longer you tell yourself, “I should be fine” or “this is just a phase,” the further you drift from the part of you that’s asking to be heard. Real healing starts not when things get worse, but when you stop pretending you’re okay. You don’t need to earn help by hitting rock bottom. What you’re carrying doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human.

 

How does it feel knowing Surviving Me has already become a bestseller and is helping so many people?

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I’m so happy to see my book is already helping people. Even though I cried while writing it, the process was cathartic because I knew it could give others hope. Hearing from readers who tell me it made them feel less alone or encouraged them to reach out for help—that’s the greatest reward.

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Dr. Alejandro Plascencia
Author of Surviving Me
Website: www.alejandroplascencia.com
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dr-alejandro-plascencia-52012555
Instagram: @alejandro.plasencia35.