Best friends for almost 12 years turned business partners for almost 2 years, Lucia and Nancy are trailblazing entrepreneurs in the interior design industry. Both 1st generation Latinas of Dominican descent, merged their backgrounds, career experience and love for creativity to create innovative and personalized design solutions.

Lucia Genao is the visionary founder and principal designer of Lucia Genao Interiors, a business she launched in 2022 after relocating from New York City. With nearly two decades of design expertise, this esteemed Fashion Institute of Technology alumna breathes life into functional and exquisite spaces. From admiring her father's house-building skills at a young age to fueling her passion for architecture and boundless creativity, Lucia's journey has been nothing short of inspiring. Her artistry shines through in every project, as she curates thoughtful commercial spaces and homes, blending clean lines and opulent details, creating timeless, luxurious havens that embrace each client's unique preferences.

Nancy Pineda is an accomplished strategic project manager with over two decades of experience in the corporate world, contributing her expertise to renowned Fortune 100 companies like American Express and JP Morgan & Chase Co and now a fintech company, Mobility Capital Finance (“MoCaFi”). Her profound knowledge encompasses business strategy, administration, operations, project, and change management. As a side hustle, Nancy is the driving force behind the business operations of Lucia Genao Interiors. Nancy's dedication knows no bounds; she fearlessly dives into hands-on work during installation periods, building furniture and skillfully ninja-chopping pillows!

Recently, both Lucia and Nancy have relocated to North Carolina. Lucia, along with her husband and two children, enjoys creating family memories, exploring the outdoors, listening to music, and savoring delicious food. Meanwhile, Nancy finds joy in traveling, powerlifting, and trying out new culinary experiences.

In this week’s episode, Nancy and Lucia share how they met, how they started a business together, and how they continue to uplift each other every single day. This episode is filled with a ton of fun anecdotes - including how Lucia proposed to her husband, and how Nancy became Luca’s business partner. These two prove that complete strangers can be as important to you as family. Check out Nancy and Lucia’s episode now.

Keep up with Nancy and Lucia on their website and Instagram. 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.