¿Quién Tú Eres?

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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Eddy Hiraldo is an experienced strategist, creative, and storyteller seasoned with 1 cup of the Bronx, NY; a 1/2 cup of Florida; and 3 tbsp of both Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico respectively. He’s a recent alumn of ONE School Atlanta (2022) and both the AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Student program (2018) and the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (2017). Currently he works as a Social Strategist at Wieden+Kennedy NY and spends most of his time being a student of internet culture. When he’s not, he’s a creative strategist for 14th and Market and the Brand Manager for Black Visionaries™.

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we discussed Mental Health & Emotional Intelligence and the impact it's had on our careers.
More specifically, we discussed:
- Different ways to think about mental health/ therapy.
- Have you ever tried talking to yourself? Pabel started live journaling and having self conversations
- The study of "human design"; energy management
- Are Personality Tests helpful for self awareness? What best helped describe you; how often do you get to know yourself. What tests have best described you?
- What’s the "weirdest" thing that you’ve done, in your mental health journey
- Lack of emotional intelligence within teams and managers.
- Trauma dumping

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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Nancy is a first generation Dominican-American Latina, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. 

She started her career in the corporate financial industry in 2003 after interning at American Express while in high school and later getting hired as an executive assistant. In her 20 years at American Express, she held different roles including business analyst, chief of staff, business strategy manager and project manager. In 2021, she transitioned to JP Morgan Chase & Co. where she is currently a Project Manager in the Corporate Investment Banking organization.

Aside from her day job, Nancy freelances for her best friend’s interior design business, Lucia Genao Interiors, where she provides strategic and operational support. Then, during install period, you’ll find her rolling up her sleeves building furniture and fluffing pillows!

Nancy earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and her MBA in managerial analytics from Mercy College in New York City, graduating summa cum laude in both fields. She was part of the Delta Mu Delta society, graduating with honors.

In her personal time, you can find Nancy trying out new eats, at the gym powerlifting, or dancing merengue, merengue típico and bachata with her friends and family. She has a heart for mentoring and has partnered with various business resource groups to mentor junior professionals and MBA students. She also volunteers for external organizations, such as Junior Achievement of New York, to teach financial literacy to low-income elementary schools in the Bronx.

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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This week's guest is Kayla Castañeda, who is the founder of Agua Bonita. Here's a quick bio...in Kayla's own words...

Much like the aguas frescas we make, my family history starts in Mexico and settles in the fruit fields of the Central Valley of California. My ancestors immigrated to the states pursuing the opportunity for a better life and following the migrant farm work as field workers, which led us here – where we grow 60% of the nation’s produce! 

Growing up here, my grandpa would bring us home super ripe fruit from the fields that he couldn’t just stand to let go to waste. This fruit would be sprinkled with chile powder or made into aguas frescas for the whole family to enjoy.

When I lost my job mid-pandemic, I took it as “when life gives you lemons, make aguas frescas.” I decided to create something that is reflective of my culture, my family, and my grandpa’s teachings of never letting food go to waste (and not too much sugar – he was diabetic), and Agua Bonita was born. We’ve carried on the tradition of taking real fruit from the fields and creating a delicious drink to share with everyone, from our home to your hands.

Resources & Links

1) Agua Bonita website

2) Quick video highlighting the unfortunate business practices from Coca-cola. It's an experience that's highlighted towards the end of the episode.

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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As Chief Experience Design Officer at VMLY&R HEALTH, Walter Geer is responsible for creating innovative design solutions to health. His role is to bridge technology, storytelling, design and user experience together to create meaningful health experiences. 

With an 80 percent focus on health and pharma he also maintains a broader range of clients like Dell Technologies, Coke and Walgreens.

Walter was honored in Adweek’s ‘50 Most Important People in Marketing, Media and Tech’ and Savoy Magazine recognized Walter in their ‘Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America’. He is not only known for re-inventing and revitalizing the way brands and advertisers connect with consumers, but also for being a passionate and vocal advocate. As the co-founder of Diverse Creatives, he has been outspoken in the charge for creating a diverse and inclusive culture for Black and brown creatives in advertising.
A veteran of the digital advertising space, Walter holds a total of six U.S. patents for digital ad formats and has implemented creative products and strategies for a variety of publishers and leading technology and media companies including Google, Viacom, NYTimes and MySpace. One of his most famous inventions was Skippable Pre-Roll (5,4,3,2,1 Skip video ad format). Walter has been an architect of market-first usability labs, applying biometric research to the development of creative executions while minimizing risk by understanding how consumer emotions and demographics impact brand engagement.

Prior to VMLY&R, Walter was SVP, Group Creative Director at TBWA\Worldhealth, where he ran Digital, Innovation and creative production.

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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April is Financial Literacy Month, so this week… @samaraconnects and @pabiceps discussed how knowledge (or lack of it) impacted life and career decisions.
$ isn’t a requirement to be your most authentic self at work. It sure does give you a boost of confidence knowing that when your savings account is stacked. If you’re disrespected at work, you can quit and let that savings account and investments hold you down for a while.

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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Antonio Morales is a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of The Liberated Self Therapeutic Services, LLC, a private practice dedicated to serving the mental health needs of Black and Brown folk, across communities. Our mission is “to disrupt and dismantle the psychological chaos and confusion of white supremacy, as we facilitate a transformative healing process that will allow Black and Brown folk to transcend the adverse impact of our current and historical, intergenerational, complex racial trauma.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Antonio identifies as a mixed race Afro Boricua and honors his indigenous African and Taino ancestors through his work, while grappling with the dilemma of knowing that European blood runs through his veins. As a product of the European colonization of the Western Hemisphere, Antonio understands the importance of addressing the historical, intergenerational, complex racial trauma that exists within him, as well as the communities he serves.

Antonio believes that healing from and transcending the adverse impact of white supremacy is, by default, revolutionary. The process of Black and Brown folk becoming self-actualized, whole and complete human beings, while giving ourselves permission to express our divine greatness, in the face of white supremacy, is the ultimate act of rebellion and a radicalized expression of liberation.

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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Illianna Acosta is no stranger to community-building and her leadership with ERG’s, with a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, goes hand in hand to help people and organizations amplify their connection to community, leadership and belonging. With an infectious positive perspective, confidence, compassion and layered high energy, Illianna draws inspiration from humble beginnings that taught her a great deal about choosing a future outside of what she saw in front of her.

With 20 years of experience in AdTech, partnerships, and sales, Illianna is a Senior Manager at LinkedIn, managing Global AdTech Partnerships. Her work focuses on accelerating innovation, revenue, and customer growth.

As a speaker and subject matter expert in the art of showing up, she not only knows how to connect with a crowd, but she also elevates them to visualize their potential. With crowd pleasing topics such as “No longer a seat warmer” and “You’re an ERG Leader, Now What?”, she captivates audiences and takes them on a journey to owning their voice, embracing their superpower, and building a positive, inclusive motivated ERG team.

“I engage willingly in the work that it takes to create long term, sustainable change so that future generations of Latinos never have to feel or go through the same things I experienced in life and in my career. “

Though grateful to have the opportunity to work in corporate America, she faced challenges and at times felt alienated, tokenized, or excluded. It was imperative to find her way, voice, and the support that would lead her to feel empowered enough to show up as herself. Joining LinkedIn was the first corporate experience where Illianna saw others that looked like her and spoke her language. A master in the art of making something out of nothing, she saw opportunities to make a difference. “I saw that I could help create safe spaces - places where people felt a sense of community and belonging, and where someone could feel empowered to do good work and be a part of something bigger than we could imagine.”

Today, she is the Global Co-Chair of LinkedIn’s Hispanic ERG. Illianna is on the National Board of the 100 Hispanic Women Organization, the Co-President of the Cornell Johnson School NY Alumni Organization and author of Lost In Translation, a newsletter focused on highlighting challenges and limitations for historically excluded groups, with experiences that have shaped who they are on how they show up in their personal and professional lives. She’s also joined the Chief network, where is continuing to invest in her own development and working with fellow women executives who are paving the way for more diversity in leadership.

Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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Most people think professionalism is about fitting in, but what if it’s actually the reason we feel disconnected from ourselves? This podcast explores the tension between who we are and who we feel pressured to be at work, in relationships, and in everyday life.

Through candid conversations, we unpack how different environments shape our behavior, how limiting beliefs form, and what it looks like to actually understand yourself beyond the roles you play.

Tools like ⁠⁠⁠Plurawl⁠⁠⁠ can help you break down your thoughts and understand what’s driving them → https://plurawl.com/

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Your two favorites (Odalys & Pabel) are back with another live episode of Unfiltered. For this episode, we will be discussing mentorship and the impact it's had on our careers.
More specifically, we will be discussing:
- How to find a mentor?
- What's the difference between someone you look up to and a mentor?
- Apparently people are building their own personal board of directors? WTF is that?
- Should your mentor look like you? Same culture/ ethnicity/ gender/ "insert other identity qualifier"?