Yo Quiero Dinero

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.

If the word "credit" makes you want to hide under the covers, this episode is for you, mi gente. I'm sitting down with Carol Pope — personal finance writer and author of Credit 101 — to break down everything you need to know about building credit from scratch, paying down debt, and protecting your score. No shame, no judgment, just an honest conversation. Carol and I have almost identical money origin stories. Neither of us learned a damn thing about credit growing up. Now we're both on a mission to make sure you don't have to learn the hard way like we did.WE GET INTO:00:02 — Intro + Jannese's credit origin story01:58 — What Carol's book Credit 101 covers02:17 — Carol's money story growing up03:22 — The moment Carol realized she had to figure this out ASAP05:04 — Cost of living + why this conversation is so timely06:41 — What is a credit score and why does it matter?07:59 — How your credit affects your job, apartment, utilities, and more09:44 — The 5 factors of your credit score, broken down12:29 — The myth: does carrying a balance help your credit? (Spoiler: no)13:30 — Building credit from zero: secured credit cards explained15:19 — Authorized users: pros, cons, and warnings17:01 — How long does it realistically take to build good credit?18:09 — Using credit cards as a lifeline vs. as a tool22:07 — Buy Now Pay Later: what you actually need to know24:33 — Already in credit card debt? Here's where to start27:59 — Snowball vs. Avalanche: which debt payoff method wins?29:05 — Balance transfers: when they work and when they don't30:10 — The biggest auto loan financing mistakes people make33:12 — Buy here, pay here car lots — what you need to know35:22 — The 14-day rate shopping window that protects your credit36:22 — Credit fraud: the most common scams to watch for39:51 — Should you freeze your credit? (Yes. 24/7.)41:45 — You can also freeze your Social Security number — here's how44:49 — Debt as leverage, not shame47:08 — Where to find Carol and grab the bookKEY TAKEAWAYS: What your credit score actually is — and why it controls more of your life than you thinkThe 5 factors that make up your score (and which one matters most)How to build credit from scratch the right wayThe big myth about carrying a credit card balance — please stop doing thisBuy Now Pay Later: what nobody's telling you about how it worksWhere to start when you're already drowning in credit card debtThe debt payoff method Carol personally usesHow to shop for auto loans without tanking your scoreWhy Carol says you should have your credit frozen 24/7A credit protection move most people don't know about: you can freeze your Social Security numberCONNECT WITH CAROL:LinkedInCarol’s Book: Credit 101TAKE 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.

You know the good girl. She follows the rules, makes everybody proud, does everything she's supposed to do. She is me, and I have a feeling she might be you too. This episode was inspired by a recent keynote I gave in California, and I'm bringing it to the podcast because we don't talk about this enough: what it actually costs you to keep playing by everyone else's rules. We're going deep on the cultural conditioning that keeps women — especially Latinas — playing small, the moment I got laid off at 27 and felt relief instead of grief, and the solo trip to Puerto Rico that completely rearranged my life.If you've ever felt the tension between who you are and who you've been expected to be, this one is for you.WE GET INTO:The question you need to sit with: has your ambition ever felt like too much?Growing up in a Latino household where stability was the whole planGetting laid off at 27 — and why it felt like freedom, not failureWhy entrepreneurship doesn't fit our cultural script (and why that's okay)The conditioning that keeps women dimming their lightThe lie we keep getting fed: that wanting more is selfishMy solo trip to Puerto Rico and the question that changed everythingChoosing alignment over approval — and what that actually looks likeWhy being the first also means being the blueprintKEY TAKEAWAYS:Security is an illusion. Jobs are not guaranteed — so if nothing's guaranteed anyway, why are you playing small?Your visibility is not arrogance. It is leadership. Full stop.When women make money, everything changes. Ambition isn't selfish — it's the most generous thing you can do.The people questioning you aren't villains. They're just scared. Their definition of success was built around survival.Stop asking "what should I do?" Start asking "what would my life look like if I actually trusted myself?"If you're the first, you're also the blueprint.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 it actually take to step into your power? In this episode, I'm sitting down with Alexis Meruelo — second-generation Cuban-American business leader, founder of the Business of Her conference, and author of the brand new book Getting You Ready for Power — to talk about the real, messy, beautiful process of finding your purpose and owning it unapologetically. We're getting into her family's entrepreneurial roots, why she spent six months with a career coach just to answer one question, the concept of "business karma," and why more women need to stop self-rejecting before they even ask. This one is packed, mi gente. Let's get into it.WE GET INTO:00:00 — Introduction00:26 — Alexis's background and family entrepreneurial roots02:01 — La Pizza Loca, Sahara Las Vegas, and the Cuban immigrant hustle04:02 — Pain, rejection, and hitting a wall in her 20s05:00 — Hiring her first career coach and betting on herself07:25 — Redefining success without the ring or the kids10:03 — How to deal with your Latino family's opinions12:03 — Living in alignment and the new generation of young women13:41 — The mentorship gap and why we self-reject before we even ask19:21 — Business karma explained22:25 — Her role at the Meruelo Group and CSR work24:32 — Career reinvention: nothing is ever wasted27:37 — Launching the Business of Her conference32:05 — Getting You Ready for Power — the book and the three-phase framework34:52 — Final message: you are ready, do it scaredKEY TAKEAWAYS:The best investment you'll ever make is in yourself. Alexis hired her first career coach at her lowest point and it changed everything.Define success on your own terms. The ring, the kids, the "right" career path — none of it matters if it's not your vision.Your Latino family will have opinions. Let them talk, then go do your thing anyway.We reject ourselves before anyone else gets the chance. Don't say no for a potential mentor — let them say it. Most women never ask, and that's why most women never have one.Business karma is real. Lift other women, support other businesses, and it always comes back. The crabs-in-a-barrel mentality only keeps you small.Nothing is ever wasted. Every year in the wrong job still made you better. You can pivot at any age, any stage.Life goes in phases. Your purpose doesn't have to be your paycheck right now — and "not yet" is not the same as never.Believe in yourself. Build your team. Rise to lead. That's the three-phase framework — and it starts with doing the inner work first.You are already ready. Do it scared, and do it in baby steps.CONNECT WITH ALEXIS:Alexis' Website Business of Her Website Alexis on Instagram Business of Her on Instagram 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.