Yo Quiero Dinero

Earlier this year, I posted a question on Instagram asking Latinas making over $200K what they do — and the answers revealed something that most people in personal finance aren't willing to say out loud: you cannot build wealth on a median income when the cost of just existing has gone through the roof. In this solo episode, I'm breaking down why traditional money advice keeps failing us, what high earners actually have in common, and why your problem isn't discipline — it's your strategy.WE GET INTO:00:00 Introduction to Financial Realities02:42 Understanding Income Limitations05:58 The Path to High Earnings08:47 The Disconnect in Personal Finance11:53 The Rise of Latina Entrepreneurs14:48 Reevaluating Job Security and Income17:55 Strategies for Financial FreedomKEY TAKEAWAYS:Most people cannot build financial freedom on $65K/year — not because they're doing something wrong, but because the math literally doesn't work when cost of living is this high.High earners are either in high-level leadership or ownership. That's it.Jobs are tools, not automatic wealth-building vehicles. Your employer controls your ceiling.A paycheck is predictable. Entrepreneurship is scalable.The only difference between a job and a business is the middleman selling your skill set.Your income problem won't be solved by better budgeting — it requires a strategy shift.TAKE THE NEXT STEP:Download the FREE Dinero GuideRead my book, Financially Lit!Book a Call with JanneseThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it actually look like to not become a statistic? Dr. Xochilt Alamillo — Chicana therapist, PhD, business coach, podcast host, and retreat creator — is the living proof. She grew up in Compton, moved to Colorado as a teenager and experienced full-on culture shock, fell into the wrong crowd, and ended up with a criminal record by 20. Fast forward through community college, side hustles, three kids, and a whole lot of tunnel vision: she became the Latina therapist she couldn't find when she needed one most. In this episode, Dr. Xochilt and Jannese get into ALL of it — bicultural stress, emotional neglect in Latino families, what healing actually looks like (spoiler: it's not the cute Instagram version), survivor guilt as a first-gen cycle breaker, and how she built multiple income streams as a therapist while everyone in her field was taking a so-called vow of poverty.WE GET INTO: 00:00 – Welcome and Intro: Meet Dr. Xochilt Alamillo02:02 – Growing Up in Compton: Not Knowing What You Don't Know04:22 – Culture Shock, the Wrong Crowd, and a Criminal Record08:25 – Becoming the Latina Therapist She Couldn't Find10:24 – First-Gen Resilience and Why It Can Also Hurt You11:00 – The Biggest Mental Health Struggles Latinas Carry in Silence12:31 – When "Being Strong" Becomes Self-Abandonment14:05 – Bicultural Stress: Not Latino Enough, Not American Enough19:52 – Emotional Neglect: The Harm We Normalize in Latino Families24:53 – What Healing Actually Looks Like (It's a Process, Not a Glow-Up)29:04 – Survivor Guilt and the Weight of Being the Enlightened One34:37 – Navigating Family Expectations vs. Your Ideal Life36:45 – Why Finding Your People Is Non-Negotiable37:45 – Debunking Therapy Stigma in the Latino Community43:32 – Dr. Xochilt's Entrepreneurial Journey as a Therapist47:46 – Hosting Latina-Only Healing Retreats (Including One in Oaxaca!)51:22 – The First Step Out of Survival ModeKEY TAKEWAYS:Being rejected by both your culture and mainstream America has serious mental health consequences, and you didn't make it up.Anxiety in Latinas isn't just personal worry. It's your whole family's future sitting on your chest, and the weight is not yours alone to carry.Emotional neglect is one of the most normalized (and damaging) patterns in Latino households. Naming it isn't talking trash on your cultura but the first step to changing it.Healing is not a cute Instagram journey. It hurts. But the goal isn't a pain-free life, it's being equipped to handle whatever comes your way.Survivor guilt is real when you're the first to "make it out." Surrounding yourself with people who get it is how you stay grounded.Therapy doesn't have to look like a couch and a notepad. It's a conversation with someone who has no skin in the game.When therapy isn't accessible, lean into what your cultura already does well: cafecito with amigas, curanderismo, time outside — do more of it with intention.Therapists: you do not have to take a vow of poverty. Retreats, groups, trainings, and coaching are all legitimate income streams.Finding your people — online or off — is one of the most radical acts of self-preservation a first-gen woman can make.CONNECT WITH DR. XOCHILTWebsiteInstagram Podcast: The Chicana Therapist Podcast (all major platforms)TAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book, Financially Lit!Leave me a voicemailThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does your financial plan look like when the traditional script doesn't apply to you? In this episode, I'm sitting down with Bri Conn, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and co-host of the Child-Free Life by Design podcast, to break down everything child-free people need to know about building wealth, planning for the future, and defining legacy on their own terms. If you've ever been asked "but who's going to take care of you when you're old?" — this episode is for you.WE GET INTO:0:00 – Welcome + Jannese's personal journey with child-free financial planning0:57 – Introducing Bri Conn: CFP® serving the child-free community1:11 – How Bri accidentally fell into child-free financial planning4:04 – Who is actually seeking child-free financial planning (hint: it's not who you think)5:14 – What traditional financial advice gets wrong for child-free people7:09 – Redefining legacy when children aren't part of the equation9:06 – Navigating cultural expectations around family obligation and caregiving11:30 – Estate planning without default heirs — and why Child-Free Trust exists13:56 – Busting the myth: do child-free people automatically have more money?17:02 – Long-term care planning: who's actually going to take care of you?20:42 – Life insurance: do child-free folks even need it?22:29 – Building your "bench" of decision-makers (healthcare proxy + POA)24:34 – How to find a financial planner who actually gets it26:18 – What happens if you die or become incapacitated without an estate plan29:05 – FIRE vs. FILE: Financial Independence Live Early34:41 – Myth-busting: the worst financial advice child-free people always get36:44 – The one traditional money milestone you have permission to skip40:41 – What wealth actually means when you're child-free43:01 – Permission to want freedom and happiness — fully and unapologeticallyKEY TAKEAWAYS: The single most important question child-free people need to answer: Do you care how much money you leave behind when you die? Your entire financial plan changes based on your answer.Legacy doesn't require children. It can look like a garden that inspires strangers, a community you've poured into, or friendships you've built with intention.You are NOT the default family ATM just because you don't have kids.Long-term care currently costs ~$129,000/year and is rising 5% annually. Women average 3.7 years of care. This is not a plan-later situation.If you don't have estate documents in place, the state decides who makes decisions for you — and that could be someone you're estranged from or have never met.FIRE = grind now, quit later. FILE (Financial Independence Live Early) = redesign work now so you can enjoy life soonerHomeownership is not a mandatory financial milestone, Renting can absolutely be a wealth-building strategyBuild your "bench" early: medical professionals, estate planning decision-makers, and financial advisors who actually understand child-free planning.If your financial planner looks at you like you have three heads when you say you're not having kids — find a new one.CONNECT WITH BRI:InstagramWebsiteTAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book, Financially Lit!Leave me a voicemailThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She beat Bobby Flay with her Abuela's Arroz con Pollo. She trained under Wolfgang Puck, Thomas Keller, and José Andrés. She was a Hell's Kitchen finalist. And then she walked away from all of it to build a career entirely on her own terms.Chef Mia Castro is a Puerto Rican chef, cookbook author, food influencer, and TV personality, and her debut cookbook, Cocina Puerto Rico: Recipes from My Abuela's Kitchen to Yours, is already making waves. We're sitting down to talk about her full journey: from her Abuela's kitchen in San Juan to elite restaurant kitchens across Vegas, Miami, and New York, to the 6-year road it took to get this book published.We're talking about first-gen pressure, being the only woman in the room, hiding your identity to fit in, COVID FaceTime calls that accidentally created a cookbook, building a personal brand as a chef, what success actually looks like when you stop chasing the dream someone else gave you — and the dish that beat Bobby Flay.This one hit close to home for me. You know I started my whole digital career as a Puerto Rican food blogger. Having Chef Mia in this conversation was a full circle moment.WE GET INTO:00:01 — Intro + Chef Mia Castro00:50 — What makes Puerto Rican cuisine one of a kind01:57 — The responsibility of writing Cocina Puerto Rico03:32 — What Abuela taught her that had nothing to do with food04:26 — Growing up in la cocina (homework could wait)07:21 — First-gen pressure and choosing passion over the "safe" path08:06 — Starting as a prep cook: the real culinary hustle10:27 — Being the only woman in elite kitchens13:07 — Feeling pressure to hide her Boricua identity in professional spaces14:51 — Reclaiming Puerto Rican food — all the way to fine dining16:25 — Leaving restaurants and carving her own lane18:46 — How COVID + FaceTime with Abuela created Cocina Puerto Rico22:16 — Beating Bobby Flay with Abuela's Arroz con Pollo26:30 — Modernizing recipes for the diaspora without losing the soul29:02 — The 6-year battle to get a Puerto Rican cookbook published32:39 — The recipe that made her emotional: las cremitas34:42 — Shooting the entire book at Abuela's house in PR36:27 — Personal branding advice: treat it like a portfolio37:54 — There is no luck. There is only preparation.40:16 — Behind the scenes of Hell's Kitchen + Chopped43:27 — Success redefined: from Michelin star dreams to time freedom47:49 — The legacy she hopes Cocina Puerto Rico leaves49:06 — The first dish to make from the book (and why it beat Bobby Flay)52:37 — Where to find Chef Mia53:00 — OutroKEY TAKEAWAYSStaying humble and open to learning, at any age, is what keeps you from going stale. Abuela is still asking Mia how to cook things at 90. That's the growth mindset right there.You don't have to hide where you come from to belong in elite spaces. Mia spent years feeling like she had to stifle the Puerto Rican to fit in — and her biggest wins came when she stopped doing that.There is no such thing as luck. There is opportunity combined with preparation. Build the portfolio, show up consistently, and be ready when the call comes.Pivoting is not failing. Walking away from restaurants was not giving up. It was choosing to build a version of success that actually fit her life.Time is the real flex. Making money is cool. Having the freedom to spend it the way you want? That's the whole point.Getting a book published as a Latina author is NOT a straightforward process. It took Mia 6 years, a writing coach, months to find an agent, and two more years from contract to shelf. Know the process before you romanticize it.Consistency is the brand strategy. Not viral moments. Not follower counts. Showing up so that when the opportunity finds you, you're already prepared.CONNECT WITH MIA:Instagram Website Buy Cocina Puerto RicoTAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book, Financially Lit!Leave me a voicemailThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've ever fantasized about packing up your life, leaving the US, and actually doing the damn thing — this episode is your sign. I'm sitting down with Alicia Sanchez, founder of Felicita & Faustina studio shop, marketing expert with 20+ years in the game (American Express, ESPN, Klaviyo — the girl's got credentials), and now a full-time entrepreneur living her best life in Southern Spain with her wife and six-year-old daughter. She bought a house. In cash. For under $70K. And she wants you to know it's more doable than you think.We get into the real — not the Instagram-filtered version. The financial planning, the digital nomad visa process, what attorneys actually cost (hint: not $10K), the tax reality, and why the thing that changed her life the most wasn't the house or the visa. It was watching her daughter have a childhood. This one's going to make you ask yourself: what's really keeping you?WE GET INTO: 00:38 — Intro: Alicia's back + why this episode exists03:07 — Who was Alicia before all of this?05:23 — What her Dominican grandmothers taught her about money09:03 — Why she said "hell no" to corporate10:35 — Build your business before you quit11:13 — Why corporate stability is a lie15:05 — Why Spain (she lived there before)17:11 — The decision: February 202518:23 — The timeline: pods, visa, house20:41 — Financial planning behind the move22:06 — Buying a house in cash under $70K24:50 — Digital nomad visa explained27:07 — Biggest misconceptions about Spain30:08 — What attorneys actually cost (not $10K)33:07 — Bringing family on your visa34:25 — Documentation you need to qualify36:22 — The tax reality40:50 — How their daughter's life transformed42:33 — What's really keeping you?KEY TAKEAWAYS:Don't wait to quit before you start building — start now, quietly, while you're still employedCorporate "stability" is a mask. You can be laid off tomorrow. Build income outside your W-2The digital nomad visa: apply in Spain (not the US) and get 3 years instead of 1You do NOT need to spend $10K to get your visa. The government fee is set. Be an educated consumerAs a Latino/a, after 2 years on the digital nomad visa, you can switch to permanent residency through your lineageFor the digital nomad visa, max 20% of your income can come from Spain — the rest must come from outside the countryClean, consistent bookkeeping and invoices are your best friend when applyingA 5-bedroom home in Southern Spain — bought in cash, under $70K. Eliminating a mortgage changes everythingSpain does a quarterly tax system. Know this before you goThe lifestyle shift is real. No active shooter drills. No metal detectors. Their daughter just went on a museum field tripYou are one decision away from a completely different lifeEPISODE RESOURCES:Episode 269: How To Be A Money Making Mama | Alicia Sanchez Unlock your Puerto Rican Citizenship Relocation & Immigration specialists in Andalucía – tell them YQD sent you!CONNECT WITH ALICIA:InstagramYouTube  TAKE THE NEXT STEP:Yo Quiero Dinero Private MembershipRead my book, Financially Lit!Leave me a voicemailThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.