The American Dream with Elias Torres

Elias wraps Season 3 with an honest conversation with Harold Castro, Director of Walmart International Controllership. The two not only discuss Harold's career journey up until this point, but also highlight how they're learning from their own mistakes to pave a better future both for themselves and for others.

Jump to:

• 1:12 Harold’s background
• 8:44 No one really gets advice
• 11:23 How can young people execute on their college degrees?
• 15:58 Harold makes a career pivot
• 17:00 The value of critical feedback
• 23:47 How to leverage personality and feedback for career growth
• 28:58 We have to break the mold
• 32:00 You have to figure out what you want

Make sure to subscribe, so you don't miss Season 4.

From attending boarding school when she was 5 to immigrating to the United States alone in her 20s, Sabari Raja knows the power of staying resilient amidst all of life's challenges. In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Sabari shares her career trajectory with Elias — moving from software developer to business development manager to founder and now investor. Listen to hear Sabari's lessons learned along the way and how resiliency has played a role in every stage of her journey.

(0:56) Who is Sabari?

(8:28) The origins of Sabari’s resiliency

(10:53) The dichotomy of generations

(14:15) Sabari’s post-secondary education

(19:50) Sabari starts at Texas Instruments

(21:12) Calculators as the early computers

(23:13) The EdTech component of Texas Instruments

(28:46) Sabari becomes a founder

(41:21) Sabari switches to investing

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Eva De La Rosa has climbed the corporate ladder. From graduating from Stanford University to receiving her MBA from Duke University to leading marketing efforts at companies like American Express, BP, and BlackRock, Eva has had the self-agency to succeed.

In this episode of The American Dream Podcast, Eva shares what values define her agency. She and Elias discuss what a network really means, Latino loyalty, and the desire to work.

Jump to:

• (1:35) Eva’s backstory
• (2:26) Two types of people in the world
• (5:00) Southgate, California
• (7:02) Eva goes to Stanford
• (11:25) The power of school counselors and teachers
• (13:00) The value of an MBA
• (18:24) The definition of a network
• (24:23) Eva’s career trajectory
• (30:12) Latino loyalty
• (31:51) Eva’s values
• (33:27) Why don’t people want to work?
• (37:29) How do you create agency?

Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when another episode drops every other Tuesday.

In honor of Mother's Day, we're re-sharing a very special episode of The American Dream podcast. Listen to Elias reflect on his childhood while standing in the kitchen of the house he bought his mother, Consuelo Rios. Wishing a very happy Mother's Day to all the moms and mother figures out there!

Can you be a corporate executive, a club owner, and a mentor at once? Absolutely, and more.

In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Elias meets with Arturo Nunez — board member, entrepreneur, speaker, author, investor, club founder, judge of Shark Tank Brazil, and former CMO. They discuss how Arturo broke into corporate America, his passion for marketing, and why Arturo is adamant about paying it forward to the next generation.

Jump to:

(1:02) Arturo’s origin story

(4:29) The significance of Latin & Black music to culture

(6:47) Arturo’s college experience

(14:20) Be yourself

(15:40) Create brand love

(18:06) Arturo joins Nubank

(21:05) Brazil vs. Latin America

(23:07) We need to stop putting people into boxes

(26:06) Paying it forward through mentorship

Few career trajectories are linear, but sometimes, the zig zag paths teach you the most.

Ariel Lopez started college with the goal of going to law school and creating change, but she dropped out and become a recruiter, then an entrepreneur, and is now helping more founders achieve their own dreams.

On this episode of The American Dream podcast, Ariel tells Elias what she's learned from all those life milestones and why she believes every failure and victory contributes to one's ultimate success.

• (1:01): Ariel’s origin story
• (6:45): How much influence does your college degree have on your career?
• (15:25) Ariel builds a company
• (22:23) What’s the rush?
• (32:00) What is Knack?
• (39:31) Ariel joins TechStars
• (50:09) Ariel’s call-to-action

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The tables have turned.

Sergio Claudio, Head of School at ONE School, an online portfolio school for Black creatives, joins Elias on the show; but unlike most episodes, Sergio flips the podcast on Elias, asking him things like why it's important to pay attention to community, how to find the right thing to double down on, and the value of saying no.

• (1:19) Sergio’s origin story
• (3:35) The Drift <> Sergio connection
• (6:14) Elias comes to Boston
• (7:56) Getting stuck in the code
• (10:48) Sergio’s creative career
• (16:13) Can you really learn business at school?
• (20:07) Learn with Intent
• (25:21) Time is valuable, prioritize accordingly
• (27:40) Why Elias prioritizes giving back
• (31:48) Commit to standing out (rather than trying to fit in)
• (37:18) Saying no is a superpower
• (40:41) One School
• (43:45) Finding your "thing"
• (46:48) Sergio’s call-to-action

Go big and build relationships. That's been the secret sauce to Mariana Cogan's (CMO of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence) success.

On this episode of The American Dream podcast, Mariana and Elias go back in time to how they first met, discussing how a business meeting turned into a longstanding friendship, and how understanding cultural differences leads to strong leadership.

Jump to:

• (1:18) How Elias and Mariana became friends
• (6:16) You have to go big or go home
• (8:34) Mariana’s backstory: Mexico City
• (9:47) Mariana’s backstory: Mariana goes to Japan
• (11:03) Being aware of cultural differences in business
• (15:15) What cultures do you really identify with?
• (18:42) You need to be able to explain your reasoning
• (19:33) Building a business reputation

• (21:35) Mariana’s career trajectory
• (23:35) The Latino advantage
• (27:38) Mariana’s #1 recommendation

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Today, Latinos comprise just 6% of technical roles across the largest U.S.-based tech companies. Look to executive roles, and the percentage becomes even less. Lili Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer at Kapor Foundation, is determined to increase both percentages.

On this episode of the American Dream podcast, Lili shares how she became interested in technology, why she believes diversity drives innovation, and the key areas in which Kapor Foundation is focused to drive change.

• (2:49) Lili in Bolivia
• (4:36) Elias returns to Nicaragua
• (8:34) Lili studies engineering
• (10:54) The stats: Latinos in the tech workplace (and the need for more!)
• (14:40) What is Kapor?
• (16:49) Is the lack of diversity in tech a policy problem?
• (19:31) The level at which Kapor Center is involved with policy
• (24:46) The power of technology to drive change
• (35:00) Lili’s call-to-action

Read Kapor Foundation's Tech Ecosystem report: https://kaporfoundation.org/latine-tech-ecosystem/

Viviana Faga is General Partner at Felicis Ventures, but she never saw herself in venture capital. On this episode of The American Dream Podcast, Viviana explains how she has built her career around finding the next tech wave and why she believes working in startups builds a strong foundation for successful venture capitalists. Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss a new episode.

• (1:54): Viviana’s childhood
• (10:46): Viviana starts at Salesforce
• (14:12): Viviana’s tech career post-Salesforce
• (19:11): About Felicis Ventures
• (25:39): Why you should work in a startup before becoming a venture capitalist
• (30:05): If you want to work at a startup, know that you need to work hard
• (34:53): How to pick the right startup for your career