July 25, 2025
When Isaías Rivera stepped to the microphone at a 2011 Hispanic gala in Newark, the rising political aide wore a tuxedo and the mayor’s confidence. Moments later he delivered what he now calls a “pathetic speech” so clumsy the event host stared at the floor and dinner-table strangers avoided eye contact. “Driving home with no music on Marta Highway, I told myself, ‘I will never let that happen again,’” Rivera recalled on the third episode of Vintage City Stories.
That humiliating debut ignited a decade-long obsession with public speaking. Rivera devoured TED talks, hired coaches, spent “thousands upon thousands of dollars” on storytelling courses, and eventually “cracked the code.” In 2020 he founded Rivera Speaking Academy, where he coaches CEOs, entrepreneurs and job seekers to speak “with confidence, clarity and purpose.” His mission, he told host Don Trice, is simple: “I let my long road be your shortcut.”
Rivera’s signature method centers on narrative. Whether pitching clients or interviewing for a job, professionals must lead with why, not résumés. “The first question you’ll hear is, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ Most people list their MBA and years of experience,” he said. “I tell them: leave the bullet points, share your why story.” That switch, he added, has helped recent clients land positions because hiring managers “see the person, not just the candidate.”
The academy’s impact now stretches beyond boardrooms. Rivera has begun coaching high-school and college students and is developing an online course so “people all over the world can benefit.” Closer to home, he hopes to launch a TEDx event in Elizabeth and host communication workshops at Vinty, the mixed-use anchor of the city’s Vintage City district.
Asked what excites him about Elizabeth’s future, Rivera pointed to its diversity and growing entrepreneurial scene. Like a musician perfecting an instrument, residents should treat their voices as tools for progress. “Your voice is the musical instrument of communication,” he said. “Constantly tune it, master it, evolve it.”
That philosophy extends to young leaders. Rivera’s advice: embrace kaizen, the Japanese concept of continuous improvement. “If you’re not learning, you’re not growing—and if you’re not growing, you’re dead,” he said. Coaching and mentorship, he noted, remain indispensable. Rivera credits his own mentor, 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking Craig Valentine, for sharpening his storytelling craft. “Even the best professionals have coaches,” he told Treich.
From that first disastrous gala to a thriving academy, Rivera’s journey underscores Vintage City Stories’ central theme: personal passion can transform not only a career but an entire community’s confidence. For Elizabeth’s aspiring entrepreneurs, his message is both cautionary tale and call to action: master your story before the next spotlight finds you.
