Renzo Del Castillo shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Renzo, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
When I travel, I lose all sense of the clock. Whether it’s a redeye flight out of Miami or a slow evening walk through a city I’ve never seen before, I get pulled into the rhythm of a place—the scent of street food, the shuffle of languages, the way light leans across old stone. Hours disappear while I follow those small details that only reveal themselves when you’re unhurried.
That’s also where I find myself again. Travel strips away routine and leaves only what feels essential: curiosity, openness, the instinct to connect. Standing in a café in Paris or on a quiet overlook in the Alps, I’m reminded that the same discipline I bring to poetry and work—listening closely, noticing what most people rush past—is what grounds me. The journey isn’t just escape; it’s a way back to who I am.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Renzo Del Castillo, a poet before anything else. Born to Peruvian parents and raised in Miami, I grew up surrounded by overlapping languages and cultures. That mix shaped my ear and my imagination. Working inside traditional forms and experimenting with new ones taught me to be precise, to listen for what isn’t said, and to find the story that connects people. That discipline carries into every part of my life.
It even shaped my consulting practice, CastleBridge Solutions. We help organizations turn complicated challenges into clear strategies—whether the work involves healthcare, supply chains, or large-scale operations. I approach those projects the way I approach a poem: listen first, cut what isn’t essential, and build a structure that lasts. Good consulting, like good poetry, reveals patterns that were always there but hard to see.
My collection Still has received international recognition, and I continue to publish and perform while co-hosting Reel Poets, a podcast where film and verse meet. The creative work keeps me curious and reminds me that data, contracts, and processes are ultimately about people. For me, poetry isn’t separate from business; it’s the perspective that makes every solution more human.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Immigrating to the United States as a child shaped the way I see everything. I still remember arriving in Miami and realizing how quickly I had to learn to live between worlds—Spanish and English, the traditions of my Peruvian family and the pace of an American city. At first it felt like balancing on a bridge that wasn’t finished yet. But that space between cultures became the place where I started to notice details others might miss—the music of two languages meeting, the quiet resilience of people starting over.
That experience taught me to listen before I speak and to look for patterns that connect people who might think they have nothing in common. It’s what drives my poetry and my work at CastleBridge Solutions: whether I’m shaping a poem or helping an organization solve a complex problem, I’m always searching for the hidden thread that brings different voices together and turns them into something whole.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self: You are enough, exactly as you are.
Growing up as an immigrant kid, I carried the weight of my family’s sacrifice like a second skin. Every report card and every achievement felt like proof that their struggle was worth it. I believed my value came from what I could provide, not from who I was becoming.
I’d tell that boy that his worth isn’t measured in grades, promotions, or how quickly he can repay what his parents gave up. He already carries the gift they wanted for him—a life of possibility—and he doesn’t need to earn his right to it. His voice, his curiosity, the way he sees the world—that is the legacy. And that is enough.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, the public version of me is the real me. It’s exhausting to pretend to be someone else, and I don’t have the energy or the desire for that. Of course there are boundaries—everyone deserves a private space where certain parts of life stay their own—but what people see in my work and when they meet me is genuine. The same voice that writes poems and leads a project at CastleBridge Solutions is the one you get in person. The only difference is that I choose what to share and what to keep for myself, and that choice is part of staying whole.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I built bridges—between cultures, between art and analysis, between people who might never have met otherwise. That I used poetry and work to connect rather than divide, and that I listened as much as I spoke.
I’d like them to remember that I made room for others: that I mentored, celebrated, and lifted people up. That I showed it’s possible to be ambitious and still be kind, to be disciplined and still lead with heart.
More than anything, I hope the story is that I left things a little more open—more curious, more compassionate—than when I found them. That the poems, the projects, and the conversations I started continue to give people permission to create and to connect long after I’m gone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.renzodelcastillo.com
- Instagram: renzodelcastillo.author
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renzodelcastillo/
- Twitter: renzodelcastillo.author
- Facebook: Renzo Del Castillo
- Youtube: RenzoDelCastilloPoetry
- Other: www.castlebridgesolutions.com
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBT2Z7SB?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_3F192S5QW078RZNJGMAD
Image Credits
Carlos Canadas
