Peak Support Q&A: Daniel Gutierrez

Danny is a recent addition to the ever growing Peak Support family. Now that the weather is getting warmer, he likes to grill steaks on his back deck, pair it with some cold beer and good company. He wants to travel to Cuba someday, so that he can visit his grandparents and parents’ hometown. Growing up in Miami, Danny and his family would always have key lime pie, that’s why it has become his favorite dessert. He considers the plane ticket he bought recently – to go see his family, who he hadn’t seen in over a year – as his best purchase so far. What car would Danny like to have? A Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. It’s the perfect companion for all his exciting off-road and mountain adventures. If there’s one thing that Danny is really good at, it’s playing Mario Kart! Read this month’s Q&A blog to get to know Danny a little more.

What drink brings back wonderful childhood memories?

It’s a tie between orange juice and Capri Sun. I grew up in South Florida and we had orange juice with breakfast every morning. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized it’s almost all sugar, and probably not something you should drink everyday. But it still brings back great memories every time I have a glass. And Capri Sun just brings back awesome memories of summertime and playing sports in the park as a kid.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how patient are you?

That’s a tough one. My friends and family would probably say I’m not very patient (maybe a 3 or a 4). It’s something I’ve made a conscious effort to work on as I got older, but definitely an area where I could stand to improve.

If you could make anything bigger, what would it be?

Peak Support Monthly Recurring Revenues! (just kidding…kind of)

Which Hogwartz house do you belong to?

I actually took a Facebook quiz on this years ago and got Ravenclaw as my house (overall would say I agree with it). I tend to be a very curious person, and I like to understand how things work and why, and then use that to try to plan ahead. I also love learning and experiencing new things.

Is there anything that you would like to have more of?

Time. It’s the great equalizer. We all have exactly 24 hours each day, and how we choose to spend it defines us. Learning to manage that time and making the most out of it is one of the important things we can do (and something I hope to continue to improve at).

What’s your favorite season of the year?

I’ll go with summer. 15 hours of sunlight (if you live in the north), warmth, the beach, and spending time outdoors with family and friends. What’s not to love?

Who makes the best pancakes?

I’ve actually never been a big fan of pancakes. However, my favorite breakfast spot in Boston is a place called Mike & Patty’s. They make this delicious sandwich called the Grilled Crack, which I order at least once a week.

If you could meet any fictional movie/TV character, who would it be?

I’d probably go with Michael Scott from the office. I’m not sure what we would talk about, but I know that we would have some great laughs along the way.

Which celebrity home do you wish was listed on Airbnb?

Bill Gates would be an interesting one. I’ve read that everything in his house is automated and personalized to each person as they enter a room.

What’s something that you would like to accomplish before you turn 50?

I’ve always wanted to be part of a team that built a company up from an early stage into something really great that could withstand the test of time. Luckily, I don’t need to wait until I’m 50 to be a part of that!

Are you overly critical of yourself?

I probably am at times. It’s easy to fall into that trap when you are working to improve at something, and start to focus only on the negatives or the areas where you’re not yet where you want to be. Whenever that happens, I try to take a step back and remind myself that the process of iterating (and oftentimes failing) is more valuable than the end result. I find that if I can trick my brain into enjoying the failures that happen along the way, and view them as taking me one step closer to the end goal, then it’s much easier to push through those difficult times.

If you could get an exclusive interview with anybody, who would it be?

I’ll go with Elon Musk. I read his biography a few years back and was fascinated by his story. I would have so many questions for him – ranging from how he manages time and effort between so many projects, to his thoughts on the future, A.I., climate change, space exploration…the list just goes on.

Name 5 things that you can absolutely live without.

• Spam calls
• Losing one sock in the dryer.
• Cold showers
• Onions
• 3% battery life

What magical power do you wish you possessed?

It’s not exactly a magical power, but it would be pretty awesome to fly around in Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit for a day.

How can we make the world a better place for future generations?

I like to think that in many ways the world has made a ton of progress over the past 50 years. But in other ways, it seems that not much has changed. I think closing the education gap is one really effective thing we could do to make the world a better place for future generations. With tools like the internet, Zoom, distance learning, etc., we should be able to provide high quality education at an affordable cost for anyone who wants it, regardless of where they live or what their income levels are. I’m hopeful that this is something we will see in our lifetimes.

Check out our other previous Q&As below:

Peak Support Q&A: Alyssa Hedrick

Peak Support Q&A: Mari Lou Nina Pineza

Peak Support Q&A: Jim Ray Gacita

Peak Support Q&A: Maria Cecilia Acido

Peak Support Q&A: Manuel Co Jr.

Peak Support Q&A: Bianca Lazaro

Peak Support Q&A: Shirleen Telis

Peak Support Q&A: Roland Allan Papa

Peak Support Q&A: Marichel Natividad

Peak Support Q&A: Hannah Steiman

Peak Support Q&A: Carlos Cornista

Peak Support Q&A: Francis Eronico

Peak Support Q&A: Raezalaine Tayag

Peak Support Q&A: Bryan Rosario

Peak Support Q&A: Patrick Pilares

Peak Support Q&A: Honey Faith Belnas

Peak Support Q&A: Jonathan Steiman

Peak Support Q&A: Hazel Abijay

Peak Support Q&A: Kevin Calatrava

Peak Support Q&A: Leizl Joy Yee

Peak Support Q&A: Jan Merrick Lazaro

Peak Support Q&A: Kathleen Egger

Peak Support Q&A: Kaci Barker

Peak Support Q&A: George Tillotson

Peak Support Q&A: Mark Pabriaga

Peak Support Q&A: Iar Indus

Peak Support Q&A: Mimi Abelarde

Illustration by Rhea Avanceña