Adriana Alejandre is a Latinx therapist that has taken on the challenge of demystifying the stigma of mental health in the Latinx community—her efforts have yielded national and global attention.

 Before Adriana became the face of mental health for the Latinx community, she was at a place where she was uncertain about her major, or the type of career she wanted to pursue.

 This helps quell that you don’t have to have everything figured out by a certain age. Adriana proves that you can have a significant impact on your life and career after any ambivalence.

 Once she entered into her profession, in true entrepreneurial fashion, she started to close the gaps between mental health and the Latinx community.

 It first started with the creation of her podcast, so her patients could have resources to the topics that were relevant to them. Unexpectedly, she received 100s of emails from people outside of Los Angeles asking for help to find a Latinx therapist.

 Unable to give every email the attention it deserved, Adriana found a solution: latinxtherapy.com. It’s a directory that helps anyone in the United States find a Latinx therapist in their area.

 Since the creation of the directory, Adriana has appeared on various national publications and her name is strongly associated with brining mental health the attention that it deserves.

 With the combination of her practice, podcast and directory, Adriana is living every Latinx therapist’s dream—to educate the Latinx population about mental health, and to provide resources that truly make a difference in one’s life.

LatinX Therapy can be reached by clicking the link.

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Louis Barajas was thrown into finance at the age of 13, when he had to help his dad fill out a tax return. That same 13-year-old never imagined that he would be the #1 financial Latino expert in the United States.

 Recently named Top 100 Financial Advisor by Investopedia, Louis’s journey to the top wasn’t easy. The road was filled with cultural challenges, late-night hours, and brining honesty to the finance world.

 Louis left a prestigious firm in Newport Beach to return to East L.A. He wanted to give people in the barrio financial dignity. He saw how financial institutions treated his parents, and he didn’t want that type of practice to continue. His mission was to treat the people of East L.A. how he would want anyone to treat his parents—with respect and dignity.

 Louis struggled. It challenged him to change the mindset of the barrio. So much so, that he “quit” a total of 5 times. He had had enough.

 But his mission and purpose in bringing financial dignity and financial education to the barrio superseded his frustration. He cleverly used financial therapy and cultural jokes to help his clients understand finance. Progress was being made.

 Today Louis manages the businesses and finances of some of the most iconic internationally recognized Latino celebrities.

 But don’t worry. If your abuelita walked into his office seeking financial advice without an appointment, Louis would make her feel like his #1 client. Just as he would want anyone to treat his parents in the same situation—with respect and dignity.

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Rocío Navarro is a healing artist that heals through water. She is brining awareness to an overlooked practice of healing trauma that our body, spirit, and soul craves.

 In order for her to help us heal ourselves, she first had to heal herself. It was a journey that was filled with mystery, surrender, discovery, awakening, and divine intervention.

 Rocío had a realization that many people go through: her career was not fulfilling and she felt a discontent in her soul.  As a life-long vivid dreamer, Rocío found the answer in a dream that couldn’t be ignored. It told her to, “Pick up your backpack and go.”

 Her first plan was to go back to México and reconnect with the homeland. Rocío’s only intention was to heal whatever didn’t feel settled deep within herself and her soul.

 The sacred feminine Mayan temples and sites in Yucatán officially started her journey. Rocío went to these sites and did a lot of reflection. She naturally felt and received the feminine power and energies that these sites provide.

 Rocío followed the Mayan route all the way to Guatemala, where she continued the next part of her journey at a meditation center.  She entered a bout of silence for 50 days. This allowed her nervous system to unwind and release trauma that Rocío didn’t know she had, and it allowed her to access alternative states of consciousness.

 With this new realization of who she is, she set out to be near water and Puerto Escondido called her name. This is where she was introduced to the water path as a direct access to alternative states of consciousness.

 Rocío knew immediately that she had to share this experience with others. This experience and the results couldn’t be in obscurity any longer.

 She’s seen the experiences, benefits, and outcomes of the water path with herself and others. She strongly and passionately believes in her work.

 She is now here to introduce you to the water path so you can help heal yourself.

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Cesar Garcia is living an actor’s dream that everyone one of us has fantasied about: being unintentionally discovered by a talent agent and telling us that we have the potential to become an actor or actress.

 Cesar says that acting “just happened,” that it “landed on his lap.” This may be true. But if you read between the lines throughout this interview, you’ll see that the gift of curiosity is one of Cesar’s strengths, one that that has propelled his career. Curiosity is what made him saunter over to his first ever music video set and introduce himself to the director; curiosity is what made him call the talent agent whom he didn’t trust to see if a career in acting was possible; curiosity is what got him his first audition and a role in a Christina Aguilera music video.

 Once Cesar caught the acting bug, he went through an actor’s journey that provided him many firsts, opportunities, and challenges to climb up the acting hierarchy. That journey as lead him to become a world-wide actor with his roles in Fast & Furious and Breaking Bad. A look at his career and you may think he’s done it all as an actor and entertainer. The best part is that Cesar hasn’t even reached his peak yet.

 A true leader is someone who uses his or her influence to empower others. Acting has given Cesar a unique avenue to use his fame to bring positivity to humanity.He travels across the country to encourage at-risk-youth away from a lifestyle of gangs and drugs. He has a special connection with inner-city youth because he has personally been in their situations.

 The most prestigious award in Hollywood is an Academy Award. Saving adolescents from a life of gangbanging and drugs—and giving those same kids hope and encouragement—is an award that Cesar would rather have, and one that he proudly holds of high esteem.

 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:

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Today I interview Jose Piñero, who says you're at a disadvantage in your career if you don't have a coach, mentor, or sponsor. Let me repeat that again: you're at a disadvantage in your career if you don't have a coach, mentor, or sponsor.

Jose has won awards such as "Top 100 U.S. Hispanics to Watch," "Top 100 Prominent Latinos in the Business World," and the "Latino Trendsetter's Award." All these awards reflect who he is: an intelligent Latino who has 20+ plus years of Fortune 100 experience.

Winning those awards proves that Jose knows the ins-and-outs of the corporate world. He knows how to succeed in it and he wants you to succeed, too. And the fastest way to achieve success in corporate America is by having a coach. A lot of us Latinos are born at a disadvantage, but we could get up to speed by seeing the bigger picture and by having a coach on our side.

Jose takes us on a journey from how he went from Puerto Rico, to an Ivy League education, to his first job at Proctor & Gamble. From Proctor & Gamble, he had a lucrative career at Microsoft that converted him into the multi-talented entrepreneur that he is today.

This episode is replete with advice and career experience that will help you become a better professional. Jose discusses the importance of managing your boss, the importance of good communication, and the importance of working with people who are smarter than you.

With Jose on our team, he will provide all the resources and tools he possibly can so you, too, can win the award of "Top 100 U.S. Hispanics  to Watch" and "Top 100 Prominent Latinos in the Business World." Not only does he want you to win those awards, he wants you to surpass him.

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Dr. Kimberly Willard works in a career where Latinos are grossly underrepresented, but she evens out that underrepresentation by hard work, intelligence, professionalism, and altruism.

If you are a Latino thinking about a career in the medical field, Dr. Willard holds your hand throughout this episode and takes you step-by-step to help answer all your questions. She talks about her experience as a first generation Latina biology student at UCLA; she shares her experience of applying to various medical schools and what that entails; she gives details about her experience as a first generation Latina medical student; and she concludes her final journey to becoming a doctor after medical school.

What is most impressive about Dr. Willard is her selflessness to give back to the Latino community. Her list of community services is nothing short of what exemplifies a community leader. Her active participation in Hippocrates Circle and the UCLA Latino Alumni Association is helping the next generation of Latinos pursue a university education and open their eyes to potential career in medicine. (Trust me when I say her altruism doesn't stop at only those two organizations. Her resume is replete with volunteer work that would be too long to list.)

Dr. Willard knows no limitations. Her dedication to helping others without payment extends all the way to Paraguay, where she did work as a physician to help with operations that involved cleft lip and palate repairs. Not only is she a great example to her local community, but is an example to the world. I would imagine doctors become doctors because they want to help humanity. Dr. Willard is literately doing that in all aspects of life, and she's doing it with great passion.

Dr. Willard is forming the foundation of next generation Latinos to realize that a career in biology, chemistry, and physics is possible. When it is all set and done, Dr. Willard will one day look at the statistics of Latino doctors in America and the percentage will have risen. She will smile and know she had a participating hand in that.

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For this episode, I interview Kayden Phoenix, who is a director, producer, writer, and graphic novelist. I can assure you that Kayden is someone whom you want to put on your rising star list.

 Although she is new to the film industry, Kayden is quickly making a name for herself. She has hit the film festivals aggressively with her film, Penance. I'm happy to say that it has been lucrative for her. Penance has helped Kayden garner 10 film festival laurels, it won "Best LGBTQ" at LA Film Awards, and it received best director nomination from Queen Palms Film Festival.

 Kayden's momentum doesn't stop there. Jalisco, which is title of her first graphic novel, is set to be released this summer. I personally can't  wait to read about a Latina superhero that represents Mexican culture.

 What first caught my attention about Kayden is her selflessness to elevate other Latina directors and cinematographers in the film industry. She wants all Latinas to to have fair representation and equal pay. Thus, she created Chicana Director's Initiative. This organization will help ensure that more Latinas get more work in the film industry.

 To end the interview, Kayden touches on a piece of advice that anyone can implement in any industry or line of work, especially for Latinos in the film industry. And that is to find your tribe. What is finding your tribe and how can that benefit you? I'll let Kayden explain during the interview.

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Today I interview Diego Benitez, who is the co-founder and co-owner of Progress Brewing in South El Monte.

Diego is currently at the top of his entrepreneurship career. His brewery is thriving, he's finishing his MBA at UCLA, he's opening a bar in El Monte, and he's on the cusps of making wine and liquor.

One of the things that makes Diego an exemplified entrepreneur is that he understands how to navigate through the natural blockades of opening a business and creating value for the customer. Those two traits can't be stressed enough for current and aspirational business owners.

As interesting, challenging, and fun as his current life is, his journey to getting here equals the same in weight.

He got a PHD at Cal Tech without a Bachelor's Degree, he was under the guidance of two scientists who went on to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry, and the way he prepared to be a brewer is a game plan that anyone can use in any aspect of life.

Diego left me, and hopefully he leaves you, too, the encouragement and inspiration that you could always be doing more to better yourself.

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Corissa Hernandez is the leader and entrepreneur that the whole LA community and Latinos want, and that we are blessed to have.

Corissa first went into teaching because she wanted to make a difference with the youth, and the best way to do that was to teach them for 8 hours a day.

Although she left the profession of teaching for a career in entrepreneurship, the spirit of teaching, educating, and inspiring others hasn't left her. In fact, her classroom has only gotten bigger. She is now teaching, educating, and inspiring a whole community who looks up to her, whether directly or from the sidelines.

I am her student, you are her student, her former students are still her students, the community is her student, and up and coming trailblazing Latinos are her students.

Her classrooms are her four businesses, where if the walls of those four businesses could talk, they would emphasis the importance of self-teaching, sacrifice, and teamwork.

Corissa is now standing in front of a bigger audience that affords her the same opportunities that she imagined she would be doing in front of her students as a teacher. Her goal was to make a difference for the youth. Not only has she accomplished that, but she is now making a difference for our society.

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For this episode, I speak with Dr. Elena Esparza. She is the founder of Just Breathe Healing, where is she an alternative medicine practitioner.

She uses plants, chiropractic, and applied kinesiology, among other practices, to heal her patients.

I ask her questions about each of her methods to heal people.

I also ask her what made her open her business in the first and what her advice is to all current and future business owners.

We end the interview by talking about her recent trip to Baja California  and she leaves the audience with two special pieces of advice.

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:

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