Alexandra Zatarain is here to change to world, and it can confidently be said that you will be using one of her products in the future.

So, what is this incredible product? To put it simply, it’s a smart bed that tracks sleep, body metrics, and body recovery with technology in real-time, to create the perfect environment for sleep through temperature regulation. As Alexandra will explain, temperature regulation during sleep is integral for us to get the best sleep possible.

I want you to reflect for a second: how seriously do you take your sleep? No, really, is it even in the top 3 of your priorities? Is it even top 5? Top 10?

You make time to work out; you make time to go to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods; you buy products to make you look and feel young… yet all that doesn’t matter if you don’t consistently get your 8 hours of sleep.

Alexandra is creating the world’s first sleep fitness company to help you maximize your sleep and overall health.

How does an entrepreneur like her take on this monumental task of changing the world? Besides the usual standard answers like: “word hard,” “never give up,” “you can do it,” let’s take a quick trip to Tijuana, Mexico where she grew up.

Alexandra says that growing up in Tijuana fostered in her the attitude that anything is possible. The rampant corruption of her city made her see on a daily basis how resilient people are in the face of consistent blows and challenges. From a young age, she absorbed the attitude of making the best out of every situation, trying to figure things out, and to always find another way.

What is the future for Eight Sleep? I hope Alexandra is ok with me making a prediction. I see sports teams across the world buying Eight Sleep products so their million-dollar players perform at their peak. I see Eight Sleep being the official mattress at Olympic Village during the Olympics. And I see Sleep Eight creating the official sleeping bag for NASA for our astronauts.

No pressure, Alexandra… no pressure at all.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to the podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple

Libsyn

Google Play Music

Stitcher

Spotify

Instagram

Linkedin

Sofie Eckrich’s stories and experiences are what you need to look at entrepreneurship from a holistic point of view. In order to start an international business, she didn’t need an undergraduate business degree, nor an MBA, nor any rich investors to believe in her. She decided to became a business woman through her interests and life experiences.

Her bi-cultural upbringing and her travels to Latin America had a major influence on her. Being exposed constantly to her Mexican roots and her travels expanded her mind and her world view. She saw opportunities where others didn’t or where there was a lack of means to take those opportunities to the next level. Most importantly, she witnessed the arts and crafts scene. Sofie’s natural passion and love for the arts and crafts made her have an appreciation for it that average tourist visitor didn’t have. All of this was stored into Sofie’s consciousness and unconsciousness until it was the perfect time to blossom.

After college, Sofie knew she wanted to go work in Latin America—her ties to the region kept pulling her back to that side of the world. Unable to find anything that she was specifically looking for, her impatience persuaded her to create her own path. She started to put together her interests: her love for arts and crafts; having an impact; providing opportunities for people; and of course, her love for the region of Latin America. After reflecting, the answer was obvious: to create an ethical fashion brand that works with artisans in Latin America to bring modern and traditional designs to customers worldwide. Teysha was the name of her new international business and her new home for the next 7 years would be Pastores, Guatemala.

Sofie honestly admits she had “No training, zero finance experience, and zero business classes.” This statement and her creation of Teysha doesn’t downplay that starting a business is easy. What it does convey is that entrepreneurship is a journey we can all take if we dare.  All we have to do is just take the first step.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to the podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Catalina Villegas has distinguished herself as a journalist and news anchor that gives a platform to the people of Los Angeles so their voices and stories could be heard. She puts her heart and soul into creating and sharing these stories. The community has noticed, which is why Catalina is quickly becoming a beloved journalist and a rising star in the journalism industry. The core of her success is sacrifice.

When Catalina started her career, she quickly realized that the fastest and quickest way to move up and gain valuable experience is to go to a small station and learn the ropes. She sacrificed being away from her family to move to Reno and worked at the local NBC station. This afforded her the opportunity to dabble into every aspect that journalism offers, giving her the foundation to become a well-rounded journalist.

For many years, Catalina has worked nights, weekends, and holidays. She believes that those hours and days are as important as any other. She stresses that it’s important for our democracy that we stay informed as much as possible. Anyone who works during those hours and days during the year is someone who takes their craft seriously. This shows how much love, commitment and respect she has for her career.

The holidays are quickly approaching. These are the days where family and vacation are at the forefront of our minds. Let’s take a moment to applaud trailblazing Latinos in journalism like Catalina who are sacrificing their nights, weekends, holidays, and time from their family so they can keep the community informed. These types of sacrifices are never easy, yet they are necessary to become a better version of ourselves, personally and professionally. If you catch Catalina giving you the news during the upcoming holiday weeks, let it be a reminder that sacrifices are the pillars of success.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to "Trailblazing Latinos Podcast" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

Feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

Samara Mejía Hérnandez has one of the most unique careers in the world: she invests in companies that have the potential to completely change and disrupt industries.

Having an eye to spot companies that have the potential to change millions of lives isn’t easy. Samara credits her immigrant upbringing as an advantage to help her invest in companies that may get overlooked from traditional investors. She has found that being an immigrant is not a disadvantage, but an advantage.

She didn’t grow up with money; she didn’t grow up with connections; she was in ESL classes; and venture capital or the wall street vernacular was not spoken in her house—all this has led Samara to look at unique markets in a different way.

Many Latinos may have come across the world of venture capital through companies like Snapchat and Uber, but outside of that, the world of venture capital is as mysterious to Latinos as the great pyramids of Egypt are mysterious to archeologists. Less that 3% of venture capitalists are Latinos, and Less than 1% are Latinas.

The good news is that those numbers will not stay that way for long.  A lot of Latinos now have college degrees, more are owning their own businesses, and they are advancing in their careers. All these advances will usher in more money. More money means a different way of thinking about money. What Latinos will do with that money could be a topic for an economics class in the future because the topic is and will be profound.  Right now, one avenue that Latinos now have access to is venture capital. The journey between Latinos and venture capital is waiting to be written and explored.

The foundation of Samara’s venture capital fund is to invest in overlooked businesses. It’s a message that we can apply to ourselves: Samara’s presence in the world of venture capital proves to us that if we invest in ourselves, we can succeed in areas of life where Latinos are traditionally overlooked.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to the podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

Feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

Melissa Cristina Márquez has an important role that the world overlooks: she is the protector of sharks. If sharks could talk, they would profusely thank her. In the future, when sharks are thriving and well protected, we will be thanking her.

When Melissa saw her first shark breach out of the water on Shark Week, she instantly knew that she wanted to study sharks. As she learned more about sharks, she realized the bad reputation that they had. She knew that their reputation was unjustified. Melissa naturally wanted to speak up for them. She wanted people to focus on how important they are for the world.

Melissa has wasted no time. In one way or another, Melissa has created hundreds of content that pertains to educating people about sharks and their relatives (skates, rays, chimaeras). Her dedication and hard work paid off when she was invited to be on Shark Week in 2018 and 2019. Her appearance grabbed the attention of Latino viewers. Messages such as, “Our daughters are watching you. We are watching you” inundated Melissa’s emails. She screenshot all those messages and uses them as motivation to continue her mission.

It’s no coincidence that Melissa has become a beacon of light to many families after her appearance on Shark Week. As years pass by, young generations of Latinos are seeking careers where there is a lack of Latino diversity. We notice that people who look like us are missing in these fields. Melissa knows how important representation is. If you don’t see other people who look like you in your interested career, how can you see yourself? Melissa generously dedicates her time by visiting classrooms and answering questions on social media so she can navigate future Latino scientists in the right direction. It is altruism like that that is advancing more Latinos into the sciences.

The next time you see or hear about a shark, you might have more empathy for these beautiful creatures. Melissa will have you convinced that “We shouldn’t be afraid of an ocean with sharks, we should be afraid of an ocean without them.”

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to the podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

At a time when entrepreneurship is at its peak, Susie Jaramillo is proving that Latino cultural, bilingualism, and multiculturalism share an important role in today’s American business climate.

Susie got an in-person experience between the disconnect of corporate America and the Latino consumer when she was a co-founder of a marketing and ad agency. She discovered that the Latino market is underserved. Corporate America doesn’t understand us; they don’t know who we are. It was an eye-opening experience that would prove indispensable for Susie.

The theme of disconnect between corporate America and the Latino consumer continued to follow Susie as she was about to have a baby. She couldn’t find infant products or content that would help her celebrate her Latino culture with her newborn. She then had an entrepreneurial moment: bring Latino content, product, and representation to the infant market. Canticos, the first brand of Encantos, was created.

Susie quickly knew she had a product when Canticos was quickly winning accolades. Since then, Encantos has collaborated with Nick Jr, Target sells their books, they have been nominated for an Emmy, and Latino celebrities praise them on social media. Encantos is growing so much that Susie and her team have gone beyond Latino: Encantos not only serves the Latino market but also the multicultural market. Encantos is the example of the new normal for an entertainment company.

Listening and understanding Susie’s journey teaches us that there are massive opportunities in the Latino, bilingual, and multicultural markets. This is a Latino entrepreneurial dream. As Susie mentions in the podcast: there has never been a better time to be a Latino.

Listen carefully to Susie’s passion and love for her company and for her product through her words. If you can feel the same about your future company, product, or career, there is no doubt you will have a meaningful life.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to the podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

Chef Aarón Sánchez is the definition of a trailblazing Latino: he’s an award-winning chef, TV personality, author of three books, and a philanthropist.

Chef has been in every American’s living room and kitchen for the past 20 years, being a co-star on Chopped and a co-host and judge on MasterChef has given Chef fame and name-brand recognition. He is “the most recognizable Latin chef in the country.”

His all-around success comes with a strong foundation. Chef’s secret is that he thrives in taking care of others while he simultaneously makes people happy through food—and of course, he takes pride in being a hard worker.

It’s no secret that Latino representation is lacking on all forms of television and media. Yet Chef found a way to have an impact during the early years of the Food Network and he has never left television since; in fact, his presence and demand in food television throughout the past 20 years has grown!

His presence on television has paved the way for future Latinos in food television. And in turn, it has given us hope and inspiration that we can thrive on television and other media outlets.

Chef says that one of his life purposes is to represent his culture. He has done that and continues to do that. He has done it so well that he has people of various different backgrounds mimicking is his recipes and cooking techniques so they can emulate him. These people are learning and being introduced to the Mexican and Latino culture one bite at a time—all thanks to Chef Aarón Sanchez.

Chef really wants the next crop of Latino chefs to supersede his legacy. Not only has he paved the way for us, but he started the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, where it empowers “Latin youth through culinary education, mentorship and industry experience in an effort to diversify kitchen leadership for future generations.”

Us Latinos take pride in our food. We secretly want the world to know about it because we know that food is meant to be shared—and we want to show off how delicious it is. Chef has succeeded in introducing Latin American flavor to all corners of the world, and the world can’t get enough of it.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to the podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

Hector Ruiz has reached the pinnacle of what every business person has dreamed of: he is the former CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Not many people reach this esteemed position, let alone Latinos. In fact, today 2% of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are Latinos. The shortage of Latinos in those high-ranking positions make the lessons and words of Hector more pronounced. He is one of the few resources that Latinos have in a corporate businessman.

Hector shares with us his mindset and tools that led him to a fulfilling career. Having a high level of curiosity, learning to appreciate how critical people are, taking risks, and having a level of trust with people that you work with are a handful of topics that we discuss that could change your perspective on how you look at business and at life.

Instincts is one of the most powerful tools that at anyone can have to help navigate him or her throughout many aspects of life. Hector heavily relied on his instincts. He gives a detailed explanation how one can fully develop and trust their instincts.

As more Latinos are graduating from college and the Latino population keeps growing, more and more companies will hire Latinos to be part of their boards and they will eventually become CEOs. Hector is appreciated for trailblazing this path for us. We will always have his words and life lessons to guide us.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to the podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

Dr. Victor Rios’ story is one that has many twists and turns: he was in a gang, he dropped out of school, and he was incarcerated. What makes Dr. Rios’ story different is that he overcame those obstacles and he is now an award-winning sociology professor at the University of California Santa Barbara.

 So, how did Dr. Rios obtain his Ph.D. and become the epitome educator, researcher, and community leader that he is today? After a life-changing incident, Dr. Rios realized was ready to change. He couldn’t do it by himself. Luckily for him, he had a teacher who cared about her students.

 Her name is Ms. Russ, and Dr. Rios credits her wholeheartedly for helping him change his life. She supported, guided, and advocated for Dr. Rios. Instead of seeing him how society labeled him, Ms. Russ saw Dr. Rios with unlimited potential.

 Dr. Rios is now taking what Ms. Russ saw in him and he is shining that same light on adolescents in urban areas. He has a name for the unlimited potential that his teacher saw in him: it’s called “at promise.”

 Throughout his TED Talks and books, Dr. Rios espouses that we as a society start using the phrase “at promise” instead of “at risk”.  His research and experience reveal that the way you label someone is the way that society is going to treat that person; and in turn, that is how that person will see him/ her self. The label “at promise” helps empower adolescents, and they start to discover the immense potential that they have within themselves.

 The next time you see you a group of kids graffitiing a wall, smoking marijuana near a school, or drinking under age, instead of thinking to yourself that they are “at risk,” you will think of Dr. Rios and you will realize that they are “at promise” for a greater purpose.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to "Trailblazing Latinos" Podcast and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

Feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa’s journey from migrant farm worker to brain surgeon is one that conjures inspiration, and an appreciation for hard work and dedication.

 On the night of on January 2, 1987, Dr. Q jumped the fence from Mexico to the United States not once, but twice. He made his way to the San Joaquin Valley so he could financially help himself and his family.

 After a year as a farm worker, Dr. Q reached the pinnacle of what a farm worker could achieve in the fields—but he knew he could accomplish more. He knew that an education would introduce a world outside of farm work.

 He joined the rest of his family in Stockton, California and he enrolled at San Joaquin Delta College. Within two years, Dr. Q was a student at UC Berkeley.

 While on campus, Dr. Q realized that as a kid he was surrounded by natural healers in his family and that the joy that came from helping others was part of his DNA. He made the decision to become a doctor—Harvard Medical School was his next destination.

 One night while roaming the hospital corridors as a student, Dr. Q was unexpectedly invited to observe a brain surgery in which the patient would be awake. That experience solidified what his soul had been seeking his whole life: he was meant to become a neurosurgeon.

 Dr. Q’s path to neurosurgery lead him to do his residency at the University of California, San Francisco, where he discovered that being a brain surgeon wasn’t enough. He took his fight to the laboratory to understand and find a cure for brain cancer.

 Today Dr. Q is steadfast on finding a cure for brain cancer without surgery or operation of any kind. At one point all the odds were against Dr. Q in becoming a brain surgeon. The same odds are against him now with his resolve against cancer. If Dr. Q’s personal history serves as a reminder, his tenacity and fortitude can overcome anything.

Thank you for listening. If you like what the podcast has to offer, please subscribe to "Trailblazing Latinos Podcast" and rate and review where you get your podcasts:

Apple Podcasts

Libsyn

Spotify

Stitcher

Google Play Music

Follow me on social media:

Instagram

Linkedin

Feel free to send me an email at [email protected]