In this episode, I interview Akary Busto, human design expert and emotional biohacker. We explore what it means to grow up first gen while living life “on the hyphen.” Through a powerful conversation on migration, identity, language loss, and belonging, we unpack the pressure to assimilate and the quiet grief of losing parts of ourselves along the way. We also dive into Human Design as a tool for healing, self-trust, and reclaiming our roots beyond cultural conditioning, especially as first-gen women navigating multiple worlds. 

By understanding our lineage, trauma stored in DNA, and energetic patterns, Human Design offers a framework to create distance from self-blame and support mental health through awareness, embodiment, and alignment. 

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.

We’re kicking off a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast with this month’s theme: Reclaiming Our Roots as First Gens.

In this conversation, Sara shares her personal journey of identity, healing, and what it means to grow up living in the in-between. From feeling “not Cuban enough” and “not American enough,” to navigating anxiety, ADHD, and cultural expectations around rest and healing, this episode explores the weight many first-gens carry.

Sara also introduces her experience with human design and how learning she’s a Projector helped her stop seeing herself as “too much” or “not enough” and start honoring who she truly is. This episode is a reminder that reclaiming your roots doesn’t mean abandoning yourself. It means evolving, healing, and building a bridge between where you come from and where you’re going.

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.

In this episode, Sara is joined by bilingual and bicultural Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Janice Castro who is an expert in ADHD. 

Throughout our conversation, we unpack how anxiety, ADHD, and first-generation Latina culture intersect, especially for women whose symptoms are often overlooked. We talk about survival mode, hustle culture, guilt around rest, and the shame that keeps mental health struggles silent in our communities.

We also explore the powerful connection between ADHD and money specifically impulsive spending, budgeting struggles, and why these challenges aren’t personal failures but unmet support needs.

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.

In this episode, Sara shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with ADHD later in life and why she hadn’t spoken about it much until now. As a social worker and entrepreneur, she reflects on the signs she missed, how undiagnosed ADHD fueled her anxiety, and the relief that came with finally having answers. This honest conversation also explores the stigma of ADHD in Latine communities, choosing who gets access to your story, and navigating healing 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.

In this powerful episode, Sara sits down with money mindset and business coach Debbie O’Hara to explore how she transformed her money story after growing up in survival mode and surviving financial and intimate partner violence. As a first-generation Cuban American, Debbie spent years navigating scarcity, instability, and fear before reclaiming her financial power and rebuilding her life. Now she helps women break generational patterns, heal their relationship with money, and create true financial freedom. This conversation is raw, inspiring, and a reminder that your money story can always be rewritten. 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.

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