When it comes to matters of the heart, it takes a real friend (or a pushy one!) to knock some sense into us. With the rise of social media, there is no need to look further as popular content creator Darbie Kim Estrebilla or Darbs takes it upon himself to drop the sugarcoating and give us THE talk we deserve. Darbs’ passion to help gave birth to “Real Talk Darbs.”
Before being a go-to online figure for life and love advice, Kuya Darbs, as he is fondly called, tried to pursue a career in the Middle East. He worked as a key account sales executive in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In his early 30s, Darbs is successful in shifting gears and embracing an online platform well-received worldwide.
Delving into real and serious concerns, Darbs’ “Pagod Ka Na Bang Maging OFW?” (Are You Tired of Being an OFW?) became a hit. In the episode, he addressed our kababayans or overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and gave them a list of reasons why they should not give up easily.
“One changed soul is worth more than a billion views. I intend to just give value to my audience in every content and video I produce. To tell you the truth, I am not just after virality or huge online traffic,” Darbs said. “If you’re doing content creation just for the fame and money, you are setting yourself up for possible failure,” he added, mincing no words.
“Every video I upload is meant to save at least one soul. I guess that’s the reason why people follow me. They see and feel that intention,” the passionate host emphasized. True enough, a note from a viewer who almost attempted to end his life is proof of how Darbs was able to save someone from giving up. “Sincerity and intentionality, aside from consistency, are crucial,” he echoed.
If there’s anything consistent and impressive about Darbs, it is his passion for what he does. He loves his craft so much that he even thought of spreading the joy to others. He founded RTD Creator Academy and RTD Creatives where he shares his content-creating expertise with aspiring creators through his academy, live talks, and speaking engagements.
As if being a hit online figure and branding guru is not enough, Darbs is also a published book author (The Ultimate Guide of Moving On, Is it Worth It?, and Heartbreak to Breakthrough) and a love advice expert. He backs his books up and online videos with individual and group heart-healing sessions. He is that kind of virtual big brother who gives you the bitter pill to swallow but also hands you a drink to wash it down.
Since it’s Valentine’s season, I asked Darbs what love advice a la Real Talk he would give to anyone if given a chance. He gave answers for two categories and said, “For those who are in a relationship, take the chance to love truly and deeply. Make the other person feel what he or she is supposed to feel. Show them the kind of love you can give because, in the end, there are only two things than can happen. First, you’ll end up together which makes it all worth it, or second, you’ll break up but also realize the other person is not worth pursuing.”
“For those who are single. Learn to celebrate this occasion,” Darbs shared. “Celebrate your strength, celebrate your vulnerability, celebrate you.”
Darbs also added, “Being single teaches you one thing, how to be happy alone first so that having a companion is just a notion. Remember that you are worthy to be loved, taken care of, and not treated like an option.” He finds value in hammering these into our heads as two of the top concerns from his viewers are having a third party in a relationship and the difficulty of moving on and getting back with a cheating ex.
“Until you learn the art of being happy alone, you will never know if you are choosing someone out of love or out of loneliness,” Darbs added.
Asked how he handles people questioning him for giving relationship advice when he is single, Darbs laughed it off and replied, “’Cause coaches don’t play!”
This is real talk right here, the kind you need to hear this love month.