Episode 262 features Denise Varughese of The Connected Reader. A previous student of ours, we talk about navigating the messy middle of entrepreneurship. Listen now! Denise Varughese is a reader, writer, partner, mother, and friend. She is U.S. based, originally from New York, and now lives in Texas, with her husband, 3 children, and dog, Blue. Denise has 16 years of experience working in K-12 Education and loves facilitating communities where people can connect and grow. She is a co-author of Imperfect Parenting: Honest Stories from Global Parents and is currently building a co ..read more

Episode 260 talks about how to handle a layoff, featuring Orlenda Cortez of Pero I Can Do It Too! Listen now! Orlenda Cortez is the founder of Pero I Can Do It Too, a platform helping women of color build a life they have never seen their family experience. She's a Money Coach who believes that you can reach your money goals by prioritizing fun. Born in Guatemala, Orlenda started her money journey with ZERO knowledge and deep in debt. The phrase that kept her going was, “Pero, I Can Do It, Too.” She's here to tell you that if an undocumented Guatemalan can get out of debt ..read more

Episode 259 is another YQD® success story of one of our former students, Joanna Muñoz. She shares her journey from being a burnt out nurse to a thriving content creator. Listen now! Joanna Muñoz is a nurse, furniture artist, DIYer, content creator, blogger and the owner of Painting by the Penny, a DIY and interior design account. In 2016, she started refinishing furniture as a creative hobby that quickly turned into a side hustle. She loves designing and decorating on a budget, and shares lots of tips and tricks like thrifting, painting furniture, and mixing old and new to create a b ..read more

Episode 258 highlights Latina-themed candle business owner Melissa Gallardo of Bonita Fierce Candles. Listen to her inspiring episode now! Melissa Gallardo is the Founder of Bonita Fierce Candles, a premium heritage-focused home fragrance brand. Her mission is to revolutionize the toxic and generic home fragrance industry and create better-for-you products that cement a space for diverse, nuanced Latina voices and stories. As Founder & CEO of Bonita Fierce Candles, Melissa believes being Latina and American is not a linear experience and that feeling of belonging, of finding ..read more

Episode 257 is another YQD® success story of one of our former students, Lucy Ortega. She shares her journey from teacher to restauranteur. Listen now! Lucy Ortega is a first-generation Latina entrepreneur. She runs a food business – Sierra Mexican Cuisine and creates online content. She also coaches other first-generation individuals who have dreams of transforming their ideas into successful projects and businesses. Lucy is honored to share her knowledge and experiences in her entrepreneurial endeavors. Her hope is to be of service to other first-generation individuals, suppor ..read more

Episode 256 features another YQD® success story! We chat with Evie Prete & Taylor Gilbert, former students of ours. They share a real look at entrepreneurship! Listen now! Evie Prete is a salary negotiation coach helping women overcome self-doubt while building strategy and confidence to slay their salary negotiations. She is a first-gen college graduate, Latina, entrepreneur, podcaster and space rocket engineer. She works with women who desire to break generational curses by teaching them how to advocate for themselves in salary negotiations. Taylor Gilbert is a Licensed Clinical Social W ..read more

Episode 255 talks about how to become a first gen millionaire, featuring Genesis Hinckley of Genuinely Genesis. Listen now! Genesis has done it all! She's navigated motherhood raising a confident and curious little boy, worked in the corporate world as a Business Analyst at Google, curated content on social media sharing Spanglish financial literacy for low income communities, invested in 2 short-term rental properties, and is now working on publishing her first novel. On top of all of that, she actively seeks to heal her inner child wounds of growing up low income, understanding her iden ..read more

We have a surprise bonus episode you this week, mi gente! Listen to episode 254 and find out the secrets of six-figure creators! In this episode, we discuss the secrets to six-figure creators based on a report from Kajabi. We highlight the importance of diversifying income streams, owning your platform, the limitations of relying on brand deals and the need for multiple revenue sources. We also explore the success of online courses and the value of digital products. We encourage creators to build their audiences on social media while driving revenue on their own websites. We discuss the ethica ..read more

Episode 253 features how to stop playin g small, ½ of The Dream Lab. We talk about how to stop playing small. Listen now! Audrey Diaz is a Life & Confidence Coach with over 10 years of coaching experience helping Latina women build confidence in themselves by creating solid habits. Through her framework of developing daily disciplines for women to build out grounding techniques that nurture their mind, body, and soul, Audrey takes a holistic approach to ensure that her clients are thriving as a whole, and not just in the workplace. Born of Dominican parents, Audrey understands fi ..read more

Episode 252 features Giovanna "Gigi" Gonzalez of The First Gen Mentor. We talk about her new book, Cultura and Cash, and how your cultura affects your dinero. Listen now! Giovanna "Gigi" Gonzalez is a TikTok influencer, financial educator, and author of Cultura and Cash. During The Great Resignation, she quit her 10 year corporate career to pursue her true passion: teaching financial literacy to young adults. Gigi teaches personal finance and career navigation for First Gen at various organizations and on her TikTok account @thefirstgenmentor. She w ..read more