In this vulnerable episode, Sara shares her personal money story. From her family’s immigration journey to the U.S to growing up in survival mode, Sara shares how this all shaped her perception of money. She opens up about how ADHD, anxiety, and generational trauma shaped her spending, saving, and beliefs about security.

Sara reflects on how understanding her mental health helped her break cycles of guilt, avoidance, and fear, and how healing allowed her to build financial systems rooted in compassion instead of shame.

This episode invites you to explore your own money story, understand the “why” behind your habits, and take one small, empowered step toward financial peace. This ultimately led Sara to creating Madrina Money: a financial wellness coaching practice. 

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

It’s the final episode of 2025! Join me as I reflect on a year full of pivots, growth, and healing. In this heartfelt closing episode, I open up about the lessons I’ve learned, the courage it took to realign with my purpose, and an exciting new chapter ahead including the evolution of The First Gen Madrina Podcast!

If you’ve ever found yourself navigating change, questioning your path, or learning to trust the process, this episode is for you. Tune in for reflection prompts, powerful reminders, and a glimpse into what’s coming next as we continue healing money wounds and building generational freedom together.

Dear First Gens,

In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Dr. Charleanea Arellano, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Breaking Cycles as a First Gen!

Dr. Charleena Arellano is a psychologist, board-certified coach, transformational self-leadership alchemist, and truth-teller whose work disrupts more than systems—it dismantles the stories that keep people small. With over 30 years of experience bridging psychology, spirituality, and self-empowerment, she helps people break free from the stories that keep them small and remember the power already alive within them.  She reminds us that transformation begins the moment we stop shrinking from ourselves and step into the brilliance we’ve carried all along.

A powerful speaker, author, and cultural disruptor, Dr. Arellano doesn’t just talk about transformation—she lives it. Her forthcoming book, Terrible Gifts, explores how life’s darkest moments can become portals to power, and her next work dives even deeper into intergenerational healing and spiritual evolution. Whether on stage, on the page, behind the mic, or in session, Dr. Arellano brings presence that is both grounding and electrifying.  She’s not here to go along with what has always been; she’s here to upend assumptions and spark new ways of seeing.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina

Welcome to a new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This episode kicks off our theme: Breaking Cycles as First Gens.

We’re diving into what it really means to be the first to say “This ends with me.” From the mental health cost of unlearning survival mode to the freedom and healing that follow, we’ll talk about the grief, guilt, and ultimately the joy of breaking generational cycles.

Breaking cycles isn’t betrayal, it’s protection. And on the other side of the hard work is freedom, peace, and a new legacy.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina

Dear First Gens,

In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Tiffany Joy, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Resiliency as a First Gen!

Tiffany Joy Argonza is a first-generation Filipina-American, mom, coach, and founder of The Studio Ligaya— event & wellness space in Central NJ created to help women, especially moms and first-gen leaders, take up space and reclaim their joy. Through fitness, community events, and storytelling, Tiffany empowers women to lead with love, light, and “ligaya”—the Ta-ga-log word for joy.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina

In this first episode of the new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, we’re diving into a theme that has been heavy on my heart yet igniting my spirit: Resiliency as a First Gen.

As first-gens, we’re often praised for being “strong,” “pushing through,” and “making it happen no matter what.” However, behind the applause, resiliency can sometimes feel less like empowerment and more like survival. In this conversation, I get real about my own journey with resiliency: the costs, the burnout, and the moments of silence I carried. Together, we’ll explore what it means to move beyond glorifying struggle and toward redefining resiliency as healing, joy, and community.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina

Dear First Gens,

In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Carla Santamaria, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Redefining Leadership as a First Gen!

Carla Santamaria is a Miami-raised, Honduran-born immigrant who more than doubled her salary in 10 months by job hopping from higher ed to healthcare to tech. In addition to her full-time tech job, Carla is a career coach on a mission to help first gen women of color increase their salaries by $30k in six months or less.

Since 2021, she’s helped her clients collectively increase their salaries by more than half a million dollars. Carla is the host of The First Gen Coach Podcast, a career and lifestyle podcast where first gen professional Latinas learn to advance their career, unlearn limiting beliefs, and build wealth.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina

Welcome to a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! In this powerful premiere, Sara dives into the heart of this season’s theme: Redefining Leadership as a First Gen.

In this episode of The First Gen Madrina, we explore what it truly means to lead as a first-generation trailblazer. We unpack the narratives we grew up with that make leadership feel out of reach, the power of representation in showing us that we belong, and why leadership is about collaboration not carrying the weight of the world alone. I share why mental health isn’t a luxury but a leadership responsibility and invite you to imagine the kind of leader you could become if you let go of who the world told you to be.

Whether you lead in your community, your family, or your profession, this episode is your reminder: you are allowed to lead in your own way, take up space, and define leadership on your own terms.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina

Dear First Gens,

In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Scarlett Luis, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Resources for First Gens!

Scarlett Luis is a product leader with a background in engineering and a passionate advocate for first-generation college students and professionals. As a first-generation graduate herself, she understands the challenges of navigating education and career paths without a roadmap. Scarlett empowers others through mentorship, career coaching, and community-building initiatives that bridge access to resources, confidence, and opportunity. She’s especially focused on helping others land strong first jobs, thrive in their careers, and lead with authenticity.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina

Welcome to a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! In this powerful premiere, Sara dives into the heart of this season’s theme: Resources for First Gens.

In this episode, we’re diving into the resources we never knew existed and the ones that weren’t made accessible to us as first-gens. From therapy to scholarships to mentorship, we explore why accessing support feels so hard, and how it’s not a personal failure, it’s a systemic issue.

I share my own story of learning I was considered a first gen after graduating college, and the impact that realization had on my journey. I talk about shame, fear, burnout, and why reclaiming resources isn’t just a skill, it’s an act of resistance.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to figure it all out alone, this episode is your reminder: you don’t have to earn the right to thrive, and you don’t have to do it alone.

Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram  @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.

Supporting Your Journey, 

Sara, The First Gen Madrina