Yo Quiero Dinero

If you've ever stayed calladita when you should've spoken up, this episode is your permission slip to stop. This week Jannese sits down with Hady Mendez — bestselling author of Calladita No More, speaker, and leadership coach — to talk about what happens when you finally decide to use your voice. They get into Hady's corporate STEM career, the promotion that got away, the negotiation that made her a director overnight, and the real, unfiltered story of betting on herself by moving to Madrid in her 40s. This one's for every mujer who's tired of playing small. WE GET INTO: 1:06 – Welcome & living in the "f*ck it 40s" 1:50 – Hady's origin story: wanting to be a writer 3:03 – Growing up in a traditional Puerto Rican household 4:15 – From social worker dreams to computer science and Accenture 4:55 – Advice for parents raising kids with "unstable" dreams 9:39 – Unpacking the "calladita" messaging from her mom 12:17 – The moment staying quiet started costing her 13:31 – The "Chad" story: watching someone else get promoted 18:20 – What self-advocacy actually looks like 19:57 – The negotiation that made her a director overnight 23:57 – The "brag sheet": self-promotion without bragging 26:45 – Navigating the "difficult Latina" stereotype 32:36 – Leaving corporate: the layoff that led to entrepreneurship 35:07 – One year of Calladita No More: reader reactions 37:19 – The decision to move to Madrid 43:32 – Microaggressions and advocating for herself abroad 50:16 – Rapid fire questions + where to find Hady KEY TAKEAWAYS: → Staying "calladita" has a cost — missed promotions and raises add up over time → The first offer is never the final offer, in salary negotiations or in life → Self-promotion isn't bragging — if people don't know what you've done, they can't trust you with more → The "difficult Latina" stereotype is real, but it's not a reason to stop speaking up → Career paths don't have to be linear to be successful → Community — not just individual grit — is what reminds you who you are CONNECT WITH HADY: 🌐 Website: https://www.boldlyspeakingllc.com 🤝 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calladitanomorebook 📚 Subscribe to Hady’s Substack: https://hadyunfiltered.substack.com/subscribe TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO: 📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com 💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/ 💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/ FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's talk about the conversation that sends me over the edge every single time: the gender pay gap, and what it REALLY costs women of color. This week I'm joined by Jocelyn Frye, President of the National Partnership for Women & Families, to break down what's actually driving the gap (spoiler: it's not "women's choices"), why the national averages hide what's happening to Latinas and Black women specifically, and what policy changes could put real money back in our pockets. We get into the wealth gap math (we're talking a MILLION dollars over a career, mi gente), the motherhood penalty, why DEI rollbacks are making things worse, and what you can actually do right now if you find out you're getting paid less than your coworker. WE GET INTO: 00:00 — Intro: Why we're still talking about the pay gap in 2026 02:15 — What are we actually measuring when we say "pay gap"? 04:17 — Debunking the "it's just women's choices" myth 06:37 — The real numbers: 76 cents, 54 cents, and what the average hides 08:24 — Why education alone doesn't close the gap 10:35 — The unpaid care work baked into how workplaces are built 11:47 — The wealth gap: what losing $900K–$1M actually looks like 13:23 — Finding power in a hopeless-feeling conversation 16:27 — The motherhood penalty, explained 19:46 — Why so many moms are choosing entrepreneurship instead 20:38 — Black and Latina moms as breadwinners 22:40 — Do salary transparency laws actually work? 23:57 — What to do if you find out you're underpaid 26:28 — How DEI rollbacks are showing up in real workplaces 30:24 — The "trad wife" pushback and what it means for women's choices 35:06 — Jocelyn's 3 policy wishes for women's financial security 37:17 — State level wins and what's next 39:54 — Grounding policy in your actual paycheck 43:15 — What you can do right now, no Congress required 48:00 — What gives Jocelyn hope 51:23 — How to support the National Partnership for Women & Families KEY TAKEAWAYS: → Latinas earn closer to 54 cents for every dollar paid to men, and the gap widens further when you break it down by race and part-time status. → Education alone won't close this gap; the same degree, same experience, and there’s still a pay gap. This is systemic, not individual. → Black women lose an estimated $900K over a 40 year career because of the pay gap. For Latinas, that number can hit $1M. → Motherhood changes everything financially. Moms who step out of the workforce to care for kids come back behind, and most never fully catch up. → Caregiving is invisible labor with a real cost. Workplaces were built around a male default that assumes someone else, usually women, will handle caregiving for free. → DEI rollbacks aren't just political theater, they're making it "safer" for employers to avoid hiring women and people of color, and harder to document discrimination at all. → Salary transparency actually works. Posting pay ranges and banning salary history questions closes gaps faster than you'd think. → You have options if you find a pay gap. Document it, talk to HR, and know that local civil rights and know your rights organizations exist for exactly this. → State policy is already working. Comprehensive paid leave, universal pre-K, and childcare caps are already law in some states, and they're the blueprint for what's possible nationally. CONNECT WITH JOCELYN: 🌐 Website: https://nationalpartnership.org/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NPWF TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO: 📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com 💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/ 💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/ FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast This episode was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of us didn't grow up learning about venture capital — it can feel like a world you're either born into or invited into by elite networks. This week, Jannese sits down with Lolita Taub, General Partner at Ganas Ventures, who has done it all: founder, angel, LP, GP, and ecosystem builder. Lolita breaks down what venture capital actually is (no jargon, promise), how to become an accredited investor without a six-figure salary, and why the questions investors ask founders of color are so different from the ones they ask everyone else. If you've ever felt like investing — or raising money — "isn't for you," this episode is your invitation to the table. WE GET INTO: 01:55 — Growing up in South Central LA & lessons about money 03:39 — "Echale ganas": the origin of Ganas Ventures 05:51 — From USC to big tech: IBM, Cisco & finding her "tribe" 07:45 — The interview series that introduced her to venture capital 09:12 — Breaking into VC and building her own fund 10:25 — Representation in venture & the Siete Foods story 11:37 — What venture capital actually means, no jargon 13:23 — VC vs. lotto tickets: the real odds 14:24 — What makes a business "venture backable" 15:01 — Bootstrap vs. raise: the Calendly story 17:11 — Why full control means skipping VC money 18:50 — Crowdfunding and other accessible ways to invest 19:20 — What is an accredited investor (and how to become one without the income) 22:07 — The risk of taking money from unaccredited investors 24:51 — Bias, pedigree, and the double standard for founders of color 31:25 — How to actually get started as an investor 34:03 — Angel checks vs. VC checks: how much you really need 35:03 — Overcoming imposter syndrome & belonging in venture 36:24 — The size of the Latino economy & rising unicorn founders KEY TAKEAWAYS: → Venture capital is money businesses raise to grow fast but most small businesses shouldn't raise it, and bootstrapping is often the smarter move. → You don't need to be a millionaire to become an accredited investor — working at a fund or taking a certification course can qualify you. → Angel investors can write checks as small as $100 through platforms like crowdfunding sites, angel syndicates, and groups like Hustle Fund's Angel Squad. → Founders of color get asked "why won't you fail" while their counterparts get asked "how big is your vision" — know this bias exists and come prepared with hard numbers. → If the Latino community were its own economy, it would be the third largest in the world. The opportunity in this space is massive! → Imposter syndrome is normal. Belonging doesn't require certainty; it requires showing up. CONNECT WITH LOLITA: Website: lolitataub.co Instagram: https://instagram.com/lolitatatub TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO: 📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com 💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/ 💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/ FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yoquierodineropodcast Website: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com This episode was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've ghosted y'all, and I need to apologize — because it wasn't intentional, and we need to talk about why. For years I shared everything: the brand deals, the $144K year that replaced my corporate paycheck, all of it. But after crossing a quarter million in revenue, I got quiet. In this episode I'm breaking down why success got harder to talk about than struggle, the family side-comments that made me want to shrink, and why I'm committing to radical, responsible transparency from here on out — revenue AND expenses, wins AND costs. WE GET INTO: 00:01 The Ghosting Confession 02:20 The Accidental Business Origin (2019) 04:49 Celebrating Early Wins: The $144K Milestone 07:14 From $125 to $50K Brand Deals 09:37 The Discomfort of Outgrowing Her Old Self 10:21 Fear of Becoming Unrelatable 12:44 Struggle vs. Success in Latino Community Narratives 15:08 Family Side Comments and Feeling Like an Outsider 17:25 Committing to Radical Transparency 19:40 Why Latina Wealth Visibility Matters 21:54 Hope Over Guarantee: What This Show Is For 24:22 Honoring Every Version of Herself 26:48 Reconnecting With Her New Self as a Mom 29:10 Outro: Create & Cultivate Festival + Sign Off KEY TAKEAWAYS: → Making the commitment to radical, responsible transparency — sharing the expenses and real costs behind every revenue win, not just the headline number → My financial arc: $144K in 2020 to $500K/year for the past four years and the first millionaire in my family → The bigger my numbers got, the quieter I became because I was afraid of seeming unrelatable or being judged by family → The real emotional cost of success: strained family dynamics, side comments, and imposter syndrome → Why hiding wins is a disservice to the community and keeps success feeling out of reach → A personal reflection on postpartum, my book tour, and my first year as a mom TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO: 📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com 💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/ 💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/ FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Yo Quiero Dinero I sat down with Leslie Priscilla, a Parent Coach, founder of Latinx Parenting, and author of the brand-new book CHANCLA: Healing Our Families, Ourselves, and Our Culture. Together we talk about the things that aren’t always so easy when it comes Latino parenting: the good, the bad, and la chancla itself. We're getting into intergenerational trauma, why "gentle parenting" content ignores the reality Latina moms actually live in, what reparenting really looks like day to day, and how the money scarcity messaging we grew up with shapes our kids for life. Don’t sleep on this one! WE GET INTO: 1:13 Latino Parenting & Breaking Cycles 2:15 Leslie’s Parenting Journey 6:58 Parenting with Compassion Under Pressure 18:11 Why La Chancla? Reclaiming a Cultural Symbol 24:51 Setting Boundaries in Multigenerational Families 35:36 Reparenting Yourself 44:39 Healing When Parents Won’t Take Accountability 45:39 Scarcity, Money & Self-Worth 49:15 Raising Kids to Question Authority 56:46 Building Self-Worth & Emotional Safety 1:03:28 A New Vision for Latino Family Healing 1:07:22 Where to Find Leslie & the Book KEY TAKEAWAYS: → All behavior (yours and your kid's) is a strategy to meet a need and reframing "bad behavior" this way changes everything. → Reclaiming la chancla means aiming it at the systems (patriarchy, capitalism, white supremacy, harmful religious dogma) instead of at your kids. → Reparenting isn't about indulging your inner child; it's a disciplined practice of asking "what would be loving right now?" → You can't control how your parents or grandparents react to you parenting differently — but you can still do it differently. → Scarcity language ("we don't have money") shapes a kid's relationship to money and self-worth long into adulthood. → Respect ≠ obedience. Teaching kids to question authority is a survival skill, not disrespect. CONNECT WITH LESLIE: – Latinx Parenting: https://latinxparenting.org – Buy the book: https://latinxparenting.org/chancla-book/ – Follow Leslie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinxparenting TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH YO QUIERO DINERO: 📕 Get the book, Financially Lit!: https://financiallylitbook.com 💸 Download the FREE Dinero Guide: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/ 💬 Book a free Money Call: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com/links/ FOLLOW YO QUIERO DINERO: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoquierodineropodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcast Website: https://yoquierodineropodcast.com This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.