Claim OwnershipWOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas
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© 2026 WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk with Elaine Lou Cartas
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Struggling with what to do next? Need honest realtalk cause you're tired of the curated highlight reels on the socials? And want strategies to get out of your own way?
Your host, Elaine Lou Cartas, the oldest daughter of a Filipino immigrant, is an award-winning Business and Executive Career Coach for women of color and allies. Elaine is like you - she’s been fired, quit jobs, changed careers three times, and been in debt. Elaine’s success story? She’s always done what’s true to herself and wants you to know it’s possible too. She’s a former grassroots organizer and nonprofit fundraiser who raised $11 million.
LA Weekly awarded Elaine as the #1 Thought Leader in 2023, and MSN recognized her as the Best Leadership & Executive Coach in 2024. Elaine has online courses with LinkedIn, Duke, Brown, Penn and USC.
On the WOC and Allies: Business and Career Realtalk® Podcast (formerly known as the Color Your Dreams podcast), Elaine reminds you that your definition of happiness in work and life can evolve. Elaine's podcast guests include team members, clients, friends, and even family members who discuss real challenges and how they honored their own voices. As a business owner and career leader, this podcast is here to help you overcome overwhelm, while protecting your peace. So bring your coffee, tea, or boba for some realtalk every other Thursday! @elainelou_ // www.elainelou.com
130 Episodes
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Main Points It’s the second month of 2026 & despite the uncertainty, my business is growing not by hustling, but with more calmness and focus: In this episode, I share the practical, how-to techniques I taught in a live workshop with 19 minority-owned business owners and allies, including: How editing my P&L helped me measure ROI (one change led to 500% ROI, another to 5,000% ROI)How I increased email open rates from 25% to 75% through trust and storytellingWhy high-touch,...
Main Points Burnout seems to be a trending word, so what do we do? It’s not about working harder. In this episode I share: Why you SHOULDN’T be doing a lot in 1 day (it takes ~ 23 minutes to refocus)Why “doing nothing” is actually how clarity forms (there’s science behind it)Why and how over-availability becomes a survival skill especially for womenMy results of when I stopped designing my life around “urgency”Resources Mentioned: Episode 110: How EMDR Therapy HEALED Me (& why you might n...
Main Points Why my losing pitch led to salesPersonal brand > AI: my actual techniques on how my conversion rate is 70%How I grew my email open rate from 10% to 75%Resources Mentioned: Connect with Monica SchrockFollowing Monica on Instagram: @moneyschrockConnect with Monica on LinkedInMonica’s Podcast: Play Like A TheyPorsche Human Made CartoonWhere We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out...
Why I stopped drinking alcohol, it’s been 9 months nowHow pausing, rest and reflection helped me getFive reflection questions to help you ensure your calendar & bank account aligns with your valuesResources Mentioned: Follow Elaine on Instagram for Philippines photos + reflections: @elainelou_El Nido ResortsWhere We Can Connect: Schedule a Business & Career Review call with me to see if it’s a good fit to work together: elainelou.com/call Check out our 300+ reviews on Google | LinkedI...
This episode is the replay of my biggest talk to 10,000+ AI founders and engineers at /function1 Dubai. I spoke about Emotional Intelligence (EI) at an AI conference, and they listened. I broke EI down in a way technical audiences understand: patterns → systems → data → small improvements. Because no matter how advanced AI becomes, the most complex system I’ll ever work with is a human. In this conversation, I share how EI shapes leadership, communication, and opportunities — and I also learn...
Addicted to chaos and busyness? Maybe it’s cause your body learned that busyness felt safe. In this episode, we explore how to unlearn that pattern.I share the science behind why high achievers struggle to rest including the dopamine loop of achievement, the cortisol trap, and the trauma of chaos.You’ll learn why rest is important for your nervous system resetting.I’ll share how to replace overwork with presence, peace, and purpose cause you don’t need to EARN rest. You already deserve it.Res...
Main Points Money isn’t just math, it’s a relationship. In this conversation with Certified Financial Planner and poet Uchechi Kalu, we unpack the real stories behind your bank account:Why your money mindset starts with culture & family, not spreadsheets.Uchechi’s 3-part framework: Technical · Psychological · Cultural; and how to use it like a wheel.The “Cost of Being You” exercise that reveals what enough truly means.How women of color can plan preventatively in an unstable economy...
How do you even start a business in 2025!? I sat down with my client (and friend) Uchechi Kalu, CFP®, 2024 Olympic Poet to talk about what it really looks like to go from being laid off… to working with over 700 clients, landing contracts with 5 major literary arts organizations, and already hitting 50% of her 2026 revenue goal. Uchechi’s layoff story and what it was like to start from zeroWhy starting a business isn’t for everyone (and why you probably shouldn’t work with me)How integrating ...
Do you remember when the American Psychological Association came at us in 2023 and declared that middle age starts at 35? The absolute disrespect…In this episode, I’m talking about the conversations I’ve been having with so many of my clients that I’ve also been going through myself. Maybe you’re feeling like: “I’m done giving 100%—even my 20% is what most people call their 100.”“I don’t need another title bump. I just want to embrace enough.”“I can’t deal with the gaslighting in this industr...
My turning point internship story that taught me doing great work isn’t enough—you also need to understand workplace culture, politics, and unspoken power dynamics.How to deal with workplace politics without being dirtyHow emotional intelligence (EI) drives leadership success research shows it outperforms technical skills and IQ.The four trauma responses (fight, flight, fawn, freeze) at work and practical scripts to stay calm in high-stakes conversations.How to integrate AI tools with EI for ...
Being “the only” in the room, the only woman, the only woman of color, the youngest person, the only one who thinks differently can be both an honor and a heavy responsibility. In this episode, I share how to navigate that experience while still earning respect, making an impact, and opening doors for others to join you at the table. You’ll hear: My personal journey of being “the only” from being born, my childhood to adulthoodThe tug-of-war blending in with honoring yourself6 proven strategi...
The science behind why your brain craves busyness (Answer: dopamine) How I’ve been rewiring my busyness cravings (& how you can too)What “rest guilt” really means, and how to repattern it especially if you’re a first-gen immigrant like me5 questions to help you reconnect with the version of you beyond your job title.Resources Mentioned: Rest is Resistance by Tricia HersheyEpisode 114: My 1st Place Pitch Replay from SCMSDC and how I hit 2024 Revenue in May: You can listen to this 34-minute...
Today, I celebrate 8 years in business, and in true realtalk fashion, I’m keeping it REAL so you don’t have to repeat it. In this episode I’m honest about: Following copy-and-paste frameworks I didn’t believe inBurning myself out where one day I slept at 9PM and woke up at 6PM the next day Hose I use to joke, “I’m a broken Asian - I don’t understand numbers” (until a mentor called me in)Thinking MORE is better (Spoiler alert: it’s not)AND - there’s so much to celebrate: I’m having the be...
Things are feeling heavy especially as a woman of color navigating work, family and everything else, so how do you even work right now in this chaos without betraying yourself? How do you make sure you honor yourself?How do you advocate and educate WITHOUT the burnout? Or how do you not feel guilty if you don’t have it in you? How can you be transparent with colleagues with how you’re feeling, while setting boundaries?In this episode, I’m sharing what I’m doing to personally naviga...
I just ended an incredible May, increasing my revenue by 65%. This month, I’m working on 2 courses for a company and partying a lot. But it’s not what you think, I have kid birthday parties literally every weekend #weold We’re half way through the year, and it’s my half-time, so I’m doing my own mid-year check-in to hopefully motivate you to also do your OWN mid-year check-in. Special bonus, I’m also sharing exactly what I’m doing to honor a slower summer season, and what I’m focusing on for ...
Replay + Breakdown of My SCMSDC #1 Pitch (& why that wasn’t even my goal) This episode isn’t just for business owners, it’s for leaders, job seekers, and anyone navigating relationships (yes, even the hard conversations with loved ones). Whether: You're pitching an idea at your next team meetingPrepping for a job interviewOr presenting to a clientThis episode is your reminder that pitching isn’t just about “selling,” it’s about being understood. 🎧 Listen in for the replay of the pitch tha...
I always get asked, ““Elaine, how are you even getting all these speaking gigs and clients when you don’t even have 5,000 followers on IG or LinkedIn!?” Great question. And the truth is... I don’t. 😅 But what I do have are real relationships and a strategy that works offline. I’m headed to the B3 Conference for Minority Business Owners next week in LA—where I’ll be speaking, pitching (as a finalist!), and meeting with procurement officers from companies that are actually hiring. There’ll also...
“Ugh that generation is so entitled!” But are they really? As Jackie Dacanay shares, “The problem isn’t Gen Z asking so much, it’s not having the conversation early enough.” So how do you lead a team made up of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers especially when there are unspoken biases, stereotypes, and different values at play? In this fireside chat I had at HR Retail, I talk with Jackie Dacanay, Northern California Regional Director of Service Culture & Engagement at Fairmont Hotels, a...
Got a team member who keeps missing deadlines and making mistakes? Dealing with a colleague who seems annoyed by anything that comes out of your mouth? Last month, I did 3 speaking gigs back-to-back with different audiences: A C-Suite Retreat in Laguna Beach (fancy, right?)A session with the West Valley Warner Chamber of Commerce on teamwork cause the teamwork makes the dream works!)A private retreat at Lido House in Newport Beach for API government affairs execs from Intuit, Coca-Cola, Turo,...
“My job as a therapist is to get fired by you.” When my EMDR therapist said that, I was like, “Wait, what!?” 😳 I’ve been going to therapy since college because it was “free” with my tuition. But after almost a decade of talking about the same stuff without much change, I started noticing how my body reacted whenever I got triggered—tightness in my chest and throat, that fight-or-flight mode kicking in. That’s when my therapist shared how EMDR can heal my trauma and triggers. And I responded -...
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