22: Mariana Gaona Lopez on Life After… Leaving My Home Country: Growing up between Mexico and Australia, and navigating identity and entrepreneurship
Description
How does it feel to be shaped by two cultures, always searching for where you truly belong?
This week, I’m joined by Mariana Gaona Lopez, a digital operations strategist, mum of two, wife, queer Mexican woman, and founder of Pink Ocean, where she helps service providers systemise and streamline the backend of their business.
Mariana’s story is one of resilience, curiosity, and the ongoing search for identity. Migrating from Mexico to Australia at 15, she knows what it’s like to navigate life between two cultures.
Through her sexuality journey, motherhood, and entrepreneurship, she’s embraced her identity as a Mexican Australian and created a life that honours all parts of who she is.
In this episode, we chat about:
- Moving to Australia as a teenager and learning to navigate Australian slang, humour, and culture
- Navigating life as a mother of third culture children, a queer person, a business owner, and a dual citizen
- The painful reality of femicide in Mexico, and how it impacts her connection to her homeland
- Building a business, life, and sense of self across two countries
- Her path to entrepreneurship, creating Pink Ocean, and supporting women to streamline their businesses
Mariana reminds us that identity isn’t fixed, it’s something we create, layer by layer, as we move through life.
Her story is both vulnerable and empowering, showing that belonging can be found in the spaces between.
Connect with Mariana:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkoceanvs
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@pinkoceanvs
Website: http://www.Pinkoceanvs.com.au
Join The Break Newsletter: https://pinkoceanvs.myflodesk.com/instagram
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Life After I Left - the live event - is back in Melbourne on 16 Oct for our 4th unforgettable event. 4 brand new speakers sharing 4 raw, powerful stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Grab your tickets now: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/life-after-i-left-oct-2025-tickets-1514579691629
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