Latina Leadership Podcast

You've heard it from someone in your family. Probably more than once. "Te miras más bonita callada." Stay small. Play the role. Don't want too much. And a lot of us obeyed not because we believed it, but because we didn't yet know we had a choice. Josseline Carr immigrated from El Salvador at nine years old and built a life in Jasper, Indiana a small town with cornfields and not many Latinos. She's a real estate agent in the process of opening her own brokerage, co-manages a construction company with her husband since 2019, and recently got certified as a motivational speaker through Speaker Magnetica. She is also the founder of the upcoming conference "Libérate de tu Jaula de Oro." She built all of it while raising three kids and doing the hardest work at the same time: healing the wounds she carried since childhood. In this conversation, Josseline names what the golden cage actually is, where it comes from, and what it took her 32 years to finally decide. You will leave with something concrete: the first step to breaking free.

Growing up between two worlds often feels like you're divided, never fully belonging to either. For many of us, navigating the intersection of our family's heritage and our daily lives in the U.S. creates a unique sense of disconnect. Sylvia Gallardo spent 18 years as an educator and ESL specialist before taking the bold step to write her bilingual picture book, I am from aquí and allá. She recognized firsthand that the stories we tell our children matter, and that growing up bicultural is something to celebrate, not overcome. In this episode, we dive into the urgency of representation in literature and the strategic choice to self-publish. You'll learn how to own your narrative, validate your unique cultural identity, and lead with purpose in your community. Share Your Story Your story matters. Have you reclaimed your voice from a difficult experience? Share it with us. DM us on Instagram: @LatinaLeadershipPodcast or email us at info@latinaleadershipodcast.com. Found this powerful? Please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to join our community of support and storytelling. Prefer audio? Find the full podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latina-leadership-podcast/id1539009007 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1OD36YHq4caQaCY5iYfMO4 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8755c9e9-bba6-4e6a-9283-9fab5696a017/latina-leadership-podcast Connect With the Community: Don't miss a beat of the Latina Leadership Podcast! Head over to our website and follow our socials to keep updated, join the conversation: Website: latinaleadershippodcast.com Instagram: instagram.com/latinaleadershippodcast Facebook: facebook.com/LatinaLeadershipPodcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/latina-leadership-podcast

Ready to step into your power and unlearn the narratives holding you back? Dive into the most transformative moments of Season 12 and discover how real Latinas are redefining leadership, legacy, and community! 00:00 - Welcome to the Finale: The Quilt of Season 12 01:44 - Episode 1: Leading with Purpose & The Power of Our Voices 03:06 - Episode 2: Owning the Room & Phoenix Confidence 04:52 - Episode 3: Latinas and the Future of Work 06:39 - Episode 4: Culture, Family, and the Hustle 08:14 - Episode 5: Resilience in Real Time 10:00 - Episode 6: The Business of Us 11:31 - Episode 7: Our Permission Slip 12:54 - Episode 8: The Voices We Carry & Finding Connection 14:47 - Episode 9: The Passport You Already Have 16:29 - Episode 10: Si Se Puede Mija (The Language of Legacies) 17:41 - Episode 11: Money, Self-Worth, & Negotiating Your Salary 19:13 - Episode 12: Healing Our Minds & Accessing Care 20:49 - Episode 13: What's Next? Reflect, Share, and Keep Telling Your Stories Share Your Story! Your story matters. Have you reclaimed your voice from a difficult experience? Share it with us. DM us on Instagram: @LatinaLeadershipPodcast or email us at info@latinaleadershipodcast.com.

Stop mistaking your exhaustion for "strength." Therapist Lucia Fernandez joins us to explain why your healing is the ultimate act of honoring your ancestors, and how to start without the guilt. Chapter Marks 00:00 - The Cost of the "Strong Latina" Narrative 01:57 - What Cycle-Breaking Looks Like in Real Life 04:51 - Why You Are an "Ecosystem" (Systems Therapy) 07:31 - Survival vs. Values: Why We Normalize Pain 11:10 - How to Find Therapy on a Budget (Tools & Apps) 17:55 - Your 1-Step Homework for the Week Share Your Story: Your story matters. Have you reclaimed your voice from a difficult experience? Share it with us. DM us on Instagram: @LatinaLeadershipPodcast or email us at info@latinaleadershipodcast.com. Connect With the Community: Don't miss a beat of the Latina Leadership Podcast! Head over to our website and follow our socials to keep updated, join the conversation: Website: latinaleadershippodcast.com Instagram: instagram.com/latinaleadershippodcast Facebook: facebook.com/LatinaLeadershipPodcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/latina-leadership-podcast

Are you working twice as hard but getting paid half as much? Stop shrinking and start negotiating, learn the exact mindset shift that helps Latinas claim their worth and close the gap. Evie Prete is here to silence that voice. A mechanical engineer turned negotiation powerhouse, Evie went from shrinking herself in corporate spaces to negotiating nearly $200,000 in raises for herself and over $750,000 for her clients. As the host of the Págame podcast, she doesn't just teach negotiation tactics; she teaches the internal healing required to wield them effectively. In this episode, you will learn why "hustling harder" is keeping you underpaid and how to shift your mindset from "needing to prove" to "reporting on value." You'll walk away with a specific, 10-minute exercise to prepare for your next negotiation grounded in facts, not fear.

We often think of legacy as something left behind in a dusty will or a bank account after we're gone. But what if your legacy is actually a "compact package" of history and faith passed down through the very phrases your parents whispered in your ear? For many of us, navigating the "first-gen tightrope" means balancing individual success with the deep-seated cultural weight of familismo, the loyalty we feel toward those who sacrificed for us to be in the room. Today, we are joined by Yurisa Garcia, a high school counselor and the founder of the Si Se Puede Scholarship. Yurisa took her father's mantra and turned it into a financial lifeline for students in the Rio Grande Valley, proving that leadership isn't just about climbing the ladder, it's about throwing a rope back down. In this episode, you will learn how to identify your "received gifts," recognize the friction points in your own community, and design a "catalytic intervention" that creates a lasting impact without needing a million-dollar checkbook. Amiga, your legacy isn't waiting for you at the finish line. It's in the "Si se puede" you whisper to yourself today and the door you hold open for the woman coming up behind you. You are already a leader, now go translate that wisdom into action.

Erasing the Map: How to Unlearn Your Deepest Fears with Listener Michelle.  Reframing solo travel, generational fear, and the superpower of unlearning. We all walk around carrying maps we didn't draw. From the moment we are born, we absorb stories about what is safe, what is dangerous, what paths are open to us, and which ones are strictly off-limits. For Latina professionals, especially first-generation trailblazers, these maps are often drawn with heavy borders of caution, scarcity, and inherited fear. You might feel a deep pull to expand your life, your career, or your perspective, but something heavy is holding you back. In this episode, we meet Michelle, a listener who grew up in Colombia in the 90s, believing the world was wildly out of reach. Fast forward 25 years, and she has traveled to 100 countries, 65 of them solo. Michelle is not just a world traveler; she is an expert in the art of dismantling inherited fear. Today, we are talking about the most powerful skill Michelle learned on her journey: unlearning. Whether you are navigating corporate spaces, starting a business, or just trying to exist outside of the stereotypes handed to you, you will learn the exact three-step blueprint for taking off the lenses you were given and seeing your potential with your own eyes. "Travel was not teaching me to discover the world. Travel was teaching me to unlearn it. Unlearning became my true passport." — Michelle Mentioned in this Episode Gabriel Garcia Marquez ("Gabo"): The Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author whose magical realism inspired Michelle's journey. 100 Years of Solitude: The iconic novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Mexico City (Zócalo): The location of Michelle's first solo trip in 2001. Key Takeaways Name the Inherited Map: Acknowledge the beliefs you hold about your potential, career, or the world that feel like givens rather than choices you made. Find Your Counter-Narrative: You just need one crack in the old story. Read a book, listen to a podcast, or talk to someone who successfully lives outside the narrative of fear. Practice the "Tea-by-Tea" Method: Transformation doesn't require a grand leap. Have a coffee with a coworker you don't understand, or try food from a culture you were taught to be wary of. Use Unlearning as a Leadership Strategy: Challenge standard operating procedures and biases in your workplace to create room for real human connection.

The Voices We Carry: Rosanna, Maritere, and Paola on Reclaiming Leadership Hola, amiga. In this special episode, we move beyond standard self-improvement to witness stories of survival, reclamation, and the profound strength of the Latina experience . We feature three powerful video submissions from listeners—Rosanna, Maritere, and Paola—who demonstrate how leadership is often found in the rebuilding of a life after something tried to break it . Persistence as a Form of Leadership Rosanna, a survivor of domestic violence, shares the reality of her seven-year court battle to maintain a relationship with her daughter, Destiny . Her story illustrates that leadership is often the stubborn, daily act of not giving up, redefining strength as the ability to endure sterile courtrooms and supervised visits to keep a family bond alive.  Reframing Cultural Responsibilities as Superpowers Maritere, the founder of Mija Books, discusses her new book Tío Ricky Doesn't Speak English and flips the script on the common Latino experience of being a child translator . She transforms the narrative of translating for family members from a burden or chore into an act of love, linguistic pride, and a unique "superpower" that builds cultural confidence . From Surviving to Post-Traumatic Growth Paola, a relationship coach and insurance agent, opens up about her journey from domestic abuse survivor to helping women move from "anxious to secure" . Her segment highlights the necessity of safe spaces within our community and the profound realization that moving forward requires understanding that there is nothing "wrong" with you—only a need for a safe environment to heal . Mentioned in this Episode - Mija Books: A company creating diverse children's books. - Tío Ricky Doesn't Speak English: A children's book by Maritere. - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: The song played by Destiny during a supervised visit . - Post-traumatic Growth: The psychological transformation described in Paola's journey . Quote of the Episode "Your voice isn't your weakness — it's your material."

Where does self-improvement meet self-compassion? Following our conversation on the external pressures of building "The Business of Us," this episode turns inward to the quiet pressures we put on ourselves. Host Andrea Diaz shares a listener's powerful story about "romanticizing" daily life and finding joy in the mundane. Instead of another rigid plan for the new year, we discuss the three essential "permission slips" you need to move forward. You will hear about permission to let go of last year's unfinished business, permission to chase a feeling instead of just a milestone, and permission to build through tiny, consistent actions. This is a conversation about replacing the harsh internal critic with a more curious and forgiving guide, so you can build a year that feels sustainable and truly your own.

When you're the first in your family to build a business, the business plan is only half the story. In this episode, host Andrea Diaz shares listener Vanessa's journey from a corporate role to founding a pet photography studio and the community project "Girls Do the Work." Vanessa gets real about the heavier weight of risk she carries as a daughter of immigrants, explaining that failing didn't just feel personal, it would feel like letting my family down. We explore the psychological concepts behind these pressures, like the cumulative stress of economic insecurity and how our drive is deeply tied to family networks, offering a new map for navigating entrepreneurship that honors both your dreams and your foundation.

What does resilience really look like when you're living it? In this episode, we go beyond the motivational posters for an honest look at the everyday grit it takes to move forward. Through intimate listener stories, from navigating corporate spaces to building a creative life, host Andrea Diaz explores the quiet power of finding your people. We'll talk about the science of how our brains handle chronic stress and how we can start to make meaning from our toughest challenges. This is a conversation about the real time toolkit we build, not to simply bounce back, but to build a stronger way through.

This episode dives into the beautiful and complex dance between our cultural roots, family responsibilities, and personal ambitions. Through an extraordinary, real-life story from a listener spanning teenage motherhood, homeownership, higher education, and building an accidental business empire, we explore how the very things that feel like pulls in opposite directions can actually become our greatest source of strength. We'll unpack the social science behind family as a strategic foundation, challenge the myth of "work life balance" with the more powerful concept of a "portfolio of purpose," and offer practical insights on turning daily tensions into sustainable fuel. It's a conversation about building a successful, authentic life not by leaving parts of yourself behind, but by letting your whole story, your cultura, your familia, and your hustle power your unique journey.

In this powerful episode, we explore the evolving landscape of work for Latinas, moving beyond the anxiety around AI and automation to uncover a path of profound opportunity and agency. Weaving together an incredible listener story of heritage, resilience, and community building with insightful research on technology's impact, we discuss how to leverage our unique cultural strengths our bilingualism, emotional intelligence, and deep community ties to not just adapt to the future, but to actively design it. This conversation offers a practical and empowering blueprint for turning challenges into leverage, using new tools with intention, and building a career and life rooted in authentic purpose and collective power. Tune in for a dose of clarity, strategy, and inspiration to claim your space in the new world of work.

We're rewriting the confidence playbook together this week, exploring how confidence for Latinas isn't about being the loudest voice, it's rooted in the quiet strength we inherit, the resilience we've earned, and the community we build. Through three powerful listener stories from incredible survival and rebirth, to bridge-building leadership, to authentic storytelling, we break down what it really means to own your space at work, in leadership, and in media. This episode is packed with real talk and practical takeaways to help you advocate for yourself, speak your truth, and show up unapologetically as who you are. Tune in and discover how your story is the foundation of your most authentic confidence.

Season 12 is here, amiga, and we're kicking things off with a powerful episode. Your co-host, Andrea Diaz, is taking the mic to dive into the heart of this season's theme: your story. You've already started sharing your incredible journeys with us, esas historias of resilience, growth, and triumph, and in this episode, Andrea explains why this act of storytelling is so revolutionary. She explores how our shared narratives are the bedrock of Latina leadership, how they dismantle isolation, build comunidad, and fuel our collective rise. We'll talk about finding your voice, claiming the power of your heritage, and why one story can inspire hundreds. This is more than a podcast episode; it's an invitation to see your experience as the leadership blueprint it truly is.

Hola Amigas! On today's episode, the LLP traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to attend the Mom 2.0 Summit. Mom 2.0 is a gathering of influencers and leaders who make content online about a number of topics, creating a very educational and diverse gathering of women! Anjelica got the chance to sit down with 10 amazing women at the Mom 2.0 Summit, each of them specializing in different fields such as, affiliate marketing, fertility, marriage and family therapy, and a whole lot more. Tune in to hear these women share their different experiences and perspectives on motherhood, life, culture, career, and more!

Hola Amigas! On today's episode, Anjelica is joined with twice the fun, Rosibel Madera Vialet and Jatnna Abreu, the 2 co-hosts of the Dos Bold Latinas podcast. Similar to our mission here at the LLP, Dos Bold Latinas provides a safe space for Latinas everywhere to have conversations about life, culture, and being a woman. Tune in to hear more about Rosibel and Jatnna's early lives in the Dominican Republic, and how they use their work to not only uplift Latinas around the globe, but uplift themselves as well. The dynamic duo becomes a dynamic trio on today's episode. Listen to Anjelica, Rosibel, and Jatnna become the Tres Bold Latinas!

Hola Amigas! On today's episode, Anjelica sits down with Barbara Holguin, the owner of the Discovery Alcohol and Drug education program. After noticing a lack of accommodations for Spanish-speaking people in the courtroom, Barbara decided that something needed to be done. Barbara has trained many bilingual Latina instructors and counselors, helping to empower women in her niche field of work, as well as helping to meet the demand of Spanish-speakers who are seeking their services. Listen to Anjelica and Barbara discuss what started it all, and how Latinas are often overlooked in niche fields such as this one. If you or a loved one are struggling with Alcohol or Drug addiction, Discovery has expanded their services to accommodate those looking to conquer their struggles with substance abuse. It's never too late to make a difference, whether it be for you, or for someone like you!

Hola Amigas! Joining Anjelica on the podcast today is Melissa Toledo, an entrepreneur who recently launched her consulting business in January 2024. Melissa uses her 8+ years of experience in SaaS sales to help post-seed SaaS start-ups develop and implement go-to-market strategies. Anjelica and Melissa discuss what it's like being a career-driven mother, authenticity in the workplace, and the importance of building relationships with others to help further your career. Tune in to listen to Melissa share some of her own sales tips and tactics with the audience, and learn more about her life as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant. Making Melissa proud to be 100% Mexican and 100% American!   

Hola amigas! On today's episode, Anjelica sits down with El Salvador artist Geraldina Interiano Wise to discuss matters of art, women's autonomy, and life in El Salvador. Geraldina shares her experience as a woman in artistry, and how it has served as a means of empowerment for her and women alike. Tune in to hear Geraldina and Anjelica further the conversation surrounding women's rights and being a woman in general. We are all queens!