Persistence in Adversity with Dr. Adame

In this episode Heather Ayala Segovia shares about her early years and entrepreneurship journey. She also shares about her childhood dream of becoming an author, which is now a reality. Heather is the owner of St. Michaels Ambulance Service and an author.

Dr. Annabelle Palomo, a native of the Rio Grande Valley, boasts an impressive academic background, having obtained a bachelor's, master’s, and doctorate in education from the University of Texas Pan American. With 17 years of experience in various educational roles, including teacher, principal, and executive director, she eventually pursued her passion by establishing a post-secondary institute to enhance educational opportunities for local students.

In addition to founding Rio Grande Valley College (RGV College), where she serves as CEO, Dr. Palomo has made significant strides in the Nursing and Allied Health Fields. Starting with just five students in a Certified Nurse Aide program, she utilized her educational expertise to expand RGV College to offer nine programs, including vocational nursing, medical assistant, pharmacy technician, and others.

In this episode Dr. Palomo shares about her early years growing up in the RGV, shares life advice, and how she was able to reach her goals. She also talks about being a woman of faith, and how God has blessed her, and provides life advice. At the end of the podcast Dr. Palomo shares a bit of advice in Spanish.

In this episode Dr. Nora De Hoyos Comstock, La Comadre, share her story of Las Comadres and a bit of her story. Dr. Nora is originally from the Rio Grande Valley and is the Founder of las Comadres para las Americas. This network of women was created with the purpose to support other women to excel in all areas of their life. Dr. Nora shares a bit of her personal story, her education, and also about how this network of extraordinary women began. She also talks about her struggles and what helped her succeed.

Marie Salazar Garcia is a passionate professional with a diverse range of expertise. She currently serves as the Business Development Representative for SAMES, Inc., where she specializes in the residential, land development, and economic development industries. Additionally, Marie holds the position of Sales Director with Mary Kay, where she finds fulfillment in inspiring beauty and enriching lives. In this episode Marie share about her early years and becoming a mom at only the age of 19. She also talks about her adversities and how she defines success.

Marie provides advice to moms and to those that want to have a long-lasting impact in the community and shares about her 100-year plan. Also discusses her experience being a young mother of three and how she juggled work and mom duties.

In this episode Dr. Felipe Sustaita shares his story of how he went from being a migrant worker to having a seat at the table. Also shares about not having a bed until he went to Michigan State University, and how picking strawberries and other fruit made him the person who he is today. He wrote a book dedicated to his father who taught him the importance of keeping your word. Felipe also discusses how he came up with the idea of the book, how it was growing up, working 12-14 hours when he was just 11 years old. Also talks about growing up in Donna Texas, the RGV, and arriving to the university without being able to read or write, and now he has earned a doctorate degree.

In this episode Dr. ET shares her story of being an immigrant to this country and how she would travel every day to and from Mexico to come to school in the United States while in elementary. She discusses some of her struggles and how this has impacted her life. Dr. ET provides life advice and also shares how she fell through the cracks in high school and later earned a GED.

Dr. John “Push” Gaines, former at-risk youth, is the CEO and founder of PUSH for Dreams. He's a best-selling author and Emmy-Nominated Speaker.

Dr. Gaines Holds a bachelor’s degree from East Central University, where he was honored as The Outstanding Student in Business and Led the Football Team to Victory as Captain. He Also Has A master’s degree in business leadership and a Doctorate in Business Administration.

Dr. John Gaines shares his life story and how he overcame all of the adversities. Being a foster child, he faced many roadblocks however none of them turned him bitter. One day when he was seven years old, he wrote a goal of one day being a doctor and be a role model just like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and now he has reached that goal and is changing the world. Author of three books and a fourth one coming soon. Being a family man is his greatest accomplishment. Some of the life advice he shares are: trust God's timing, enjoy the present, focus on the positive, have a positive mindset, and you don't have to do life alone. He also shares that his faith and relationship with God is the most important thing in his life.

Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Ontiveros is an entrepreneur and community leader in the Rio Grande Valley. She is the owner & broker of

NextHome RGV Realty, which has been recognized with the Pinnacle Award as one of nation’s top 23% out of +500 franchise offices. Ronnie is the CEO and President of Med-Care EMS; one of the largest 911 emergency medical companies in South Texas and the sole owner and president of Lifeguard Aero-Med. Born and raised in Kingsville, TX, Ronnie grew up in a business-minded home where she gained a deep understanding of the skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur. Her parents Juan, a migrant worker, and Nora Flores instilled a hard work ethic in Ronnie by getting her involved in

their rental property business with small duties like cutting the yard and painting walls. In this episode Ronnie shares about the different hats she wears as a business owner, a mother, and a community leader.

Dr. Yvette Martínez-Vu is a Chicana mother-scholar who works as an academic coach and consultant. She has a Ph.D. in Theater and Performance Studies from UCLA. She is the producer and host of the Grad School Femtoring podcast and founder of Grad School Femtoring, LLC where she empowers first-generation students of color as they navigate higher education. Dr. Martinez-Vu is the co-author of the forthcoming The Grad School Femtoring Guide: Successfully Navigating Graduate School Applications with the University of California Press. In this episode she share about her early years, her adversities and what helped her persist as well as some life advice.