Meet Rafa Breviglieri, the Brazil Hub Director at the Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA). I worked with him during my time as an intern at LALA. Before jumping into the non-profit world, he joined a prestigious consulting company for a few years until he discovered that he wanted to pursue a different path: using his skills to elevate organizations with a social justice lens. This landed him his job at LALA. Today, Rafa shares why and how he made the leap from consulting to working with NGOs. I'm excited for you all to take a listen. I hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did.

Find Rafa on LinkedIn and read his influential piece, "Why I'm trading consulting for a non-profit after my MBA." Learn more about LALA and how you can support their causes. 

Aditi Nayak finds herself enamored by all things science. But unlike others, she wants to make science accessible and allow you (yes, you!) to comprehend and love all those big science concepts that otherwise seem intimidating. But they’re now so easy! At Amherst College, she started the Amherst STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) Network (ASN). She’s one of the most down to earth people that I’ve ever met. Between launching brain organoids into space (we’ll learn what that is in this episode), researching at institutions beyond Amherst, running ASN, and being a fantastic friend, she has a lot of wisdom to share.

Question of the episode:

Check out the Amherst STEM network. Listen to their podcast. Email Aditi at [email protected]. Music for this episode produced by Keegan Foley. Listen to his music and hire him for voice and music production.

Meet Dylan Mulroney, a 2nd-grade teacher in Pennsylvania in York City School District. Dylan is my cousin, so it was easy to find out about his work in the classroom and his journey teaching young students. Dylan is from Lancaster, PA, and graduated from Millersville University. Soon, he'll start his master's degree. It was a pleasure speaking with him and asking him about his experience teaching (he's loved it!) and how he confronts the challenges that such a diverse classroom faces. Have any questions for him? Shoot me an email at [email protected] to share them with him! 

Quote of the episode:

"You have to have confidence in yourself to say that I am the best person to be teaching these students right now."

Question for the episode:

Hi! Today, I’m speaking with Sebastian Cano. I met him at the Latin American Leadership Academy. From the beginning, Sebastian told us that he loved math and that his dream was to go to MIT. And guess what? He is part of the MIT class of 2026! Sebastian’s love for math drove him to start a Math Olympics league in Paraguay. Notably, he won a gold medal in the International Math Olympics! Incredible, right? I invited him to the podcast because Sebastian does more than just math: he helps other students, once like him, get excited about school and help them with their math. He recently started an organization that does just that. He gives a lot of awesome advice here (especially if you’re applying for college!), and it’s my honor to have him on the Podcast. Enjoy! This interview is conducted in Spanish. If you want to see the English version, visit talkbyvictoria.com/podcast.

PINO Paraguay website: https://sites.google.com/view/pinopy 

PINO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pino_org.py/. 

Question of the Episode: 

Tell me your response on my Instagram (@talkbyvictoria) or through my email: [email protected]. Have an awesome day! Looking forward to talking soon! 

Wordpress Engine, eCommerce Discount: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1969474&u=3097912&m=41388&urllink=&afftrack. Discount code: WOOYEAR22. 

Reignite your favorite hobbies and combine them with service! Meet Molly Sullivan, a current student at Marquette University who puts service at the heart of all she does. She and I went to high school together! As a volunteer and leader of Special Olympics and Best Buddies at her school, Molly knows her way to making time for others. Molly loves all things sports. In fact, she broke six swimming records in high school! Geniusly, she has combined her love of sports with her desire to build friendships with those with intellectual disabilities. Molly also speaks about her faith fueling her passion in life to be a person dedicated to serving others. Her bubbly personality shines through on this episode. It’s easy to hear her authenticity. Listen now!

Question of the episode:

Who is someone you can send a quick text of love to?

Connect with Molly on LinkedIn. Check out Special Olympics and Best Buddies. Find more service opportunities on my blog. If you haven’t already subscribed to the podcast, do so now. Subscribe to my blog, too! Music for this podcast was created by Keegan Foley. See his music and hire him for voice and music production.

Ryan Kyle is a joy to have around. She’s beloved by all who meet her. It’s my honor to have her on the podcast! Among the many, many things that Ryan does, she has a heart for serving others. She leads Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), which is a mentor nation-wide organization that has a chapter at Amherst College, where Ryan and I both attend school. She speaks about how to keep kids engaged virtually, how to navigate times when funding is scarce, and of course, like all other guests, she shares her daily act of kindness which involves… a name tag? Listen now!

Question of the episode:

Find out their name!  If you want to share your testimonial from this episode or blog, catch me on my instagram @talkbyvictoria or email me, [email protected]. Music for this episode produced by Keegan Foley. See his music and music production services here. He's open to all opportunities (and also my brother!).

Victoria Foley, the girl behind the blog and this podcast, answers all of your questions about who she is, what motivates her to keep going and shares how she almost stopped blogging. There’s a lot more intricacy behind the scenes! Perhaps you’re wondering what made her go on. She dives into the origins of Talk By Victoria (TBV) and the direction it’s headed towards. Her own journey in finding ways to serve others has led her to a few realizations that might sustain you, too. She also gives the slightest sneak peek into the second season of the podcast.

Question of the episode:

Share the first thing that comes to mind! Your answer may turn into a few, so feel free to expand, but out of all of them, what’s the biggest source of hope?: Submit your answers either on Instagram or email victoria@talkbyvictoria. She’ll feature them, either by name or anonymously, on her social media.

Sponsor (aside from Anchor): Day Designer Planners. Use this link and use my code DDAFFILIATE10 for 10% off your order.

Links: Instagram, Service opportunities you can do right now, Keegan Foley music production

Meet Atenea, once voted as the future CEO of Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA) by her peers in the academy (I was there to witness this). She has a passion for leadership and promoting educational resources to college students. Atenea emits rays of hope and she only wants to spread her waves even further. In this interview, she shares her greatest advice (you'll want to write it down!) and also her personal struggles, especially in the current political climate of her country. From teaching to studying to volunteering, this 20 year old lets nothing stop her from shining her light. She volunteers with Asociación Venezolano Americana (AAVA). She began other leadership programs in Venezuela and graduated from the Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA) in 2019. Upon meeting her in my own LALA bootcamp, she immediately showed her passion for positive change. See a transcript at talkbyvictoria.com.

"¿Qué es el auto-conocimiento? ¿Cómo lo puedo hacer? ¿Cómo lo puedo incorporar en mi trabajo?" Gustavo Heredia tiene 18 años, es peruano y le apasiona la educación, la política, y el liderazgo. Empezó Edulimitless, que busca contribuir con la educación de calidad en Latinoamérica bajo el enfoque de las inteligencias múltiples. Esta organización ya ha hecho clases de inglés mientras promover los idiomas indigenas, y ser personas sirviendo el mundo. 

Además, Gustavo ha sido parte de las organizaciones Global Citizen of the Year y LALA (Latin American Leadership Academy). Más recientemente, fue nombrado embajador de YouthxPolicyMaker. Afuera de los estudios, él lee poemas y le encanta viajar. Él destaca la importancia del auto-conocimiento y, nos enseña cómo y por qué este tema debería ser parte de la educación. 

"¿Cómo creo un espacio donde personas pueden sentirse valoradas? ¿Cuáles son algunos recursos que puedo consultar por la buena estima?" La talentosa Anabella Espinola nos cuenta su paso a empoderar niñas por todo Paraguay. Su organización, Valorarte, ha cambiado cómo las niñas se ven y se valoran. Con sus consejos, libros que recomienda, y más, tienes que escuchar la historia de Anabella y cómo podemos cambiar la narrativa de hablar de los cuerpos de las mujeres. Sigue Valorarte en Instagram.