September 23, 2024 • 42 mins
In this episode, we visit with Julissa S. Germosen, bestselling author of "Latina, Madrina: Stories, Lessons, and Hard Truths from a Brown Latina in Tech." Julissa is an accomplished technology and strategic operations leader with over 20 years of experience in global enterprise sales, consulting, strategic alliances, product development, strategy and operations. She currently serves as CEO of Mariposa Blanca a business strategy consulting firm. In this podcast:
Julissa shares:
- her tips for accelerating the learning curve on how to navigate corporations as a female and as a Latina.
- Learnings about intergenerational trauma and how that shows up in the workforce.
- What some of the hard truths are about working constructs that are slow to change and what employees can do to work within the system more efficiently.
Julissa is a sought-after speaker and currently serves as Cofounder and COO at Noisemaker, an affiliate marketing tech startup. Her multi-award career has been dedicated to accelerating growth and competitive advantage for F500 companies including Microsoft and Salesforce, tech startups and high growth companies. Listeners can continue to engage with Julissa at
Julissa S. Germosen (latinamadrina.com) where they can subscribe to her newsletter, request speaking engagements or engage Julissa as a business consultant.
Buy the book here Latina Madrina: Stories, Lessons, and Hard Truths From A Brown Latina In Tech: Germosén, Julissa S.: 9798335924368: Amazon.com: Books
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Thank you.
(00:27):
Welcome to the live episode 52. This session is entitled Thriving as a Latina Madrina. I am so excited today to have
a panelist with me, Jelisa, a long-time friend and a little bit about her as a accomplished technology and strategic operations leader with over
(00:49):
20 years of experience in global enterprise sales, consulting, strategic alliances, pride development, strategy, and operations.
And I've seen her do all this in my time there at Microsoft. She currently serves as CEO of Mariposa Blanca, a business strategy
consulting firm. She is a sought out after speaker and author of the upcoming book, actually
(01:13):
not upcoming. It is out as of now. It's day three of it being available. And that book
is called Latina Medrina Stories, Lessons and Hard Truths from a Brown Latina in Tech.
Previously, Jelissa serves as a co-founder and COO at Noisemaker, an affiliate marketing
(01:35):
tech startup. Her multi award winning career has been dedicated to accelerating growth
and competitive advantage for Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft, Salesforce,
tech startups and high growth companies. Welcome to the session, Jelissa.
Thank you so much. It's so good to be with you. Christine, yes.
(01:59):
It's a big week. It's a big week for you. Wow.
It's a big week. Yes. The book launched this past Sunday, September 15th, the start of
Hispanic Heritage Month. And already it's, it's, it's, honestly, it's unbelievable.
Already it's hit number one in new releases in business diversity and inclusion. And in
(02:25):
number three in best sellers, like all time best seller for the same category.
That's crazy. I'm thrilled for you. And I know you've
been working on this. This isn't just like an overnight, you launch a book. I mean, it's
been years in the process. It's been a whole year of hard work because we started talking
about this some time ago. So you've laid the groundwork, but tell us a little bit more
(02:48):
about your story. Like what propelled you to write the book? And in the title, you have
hard truths. So we want to know what were some of the hard truths that you share in
this, in this book.
Yes. So first, I just want to share with your audience, Christine, that you were my very
(03:09):
first mentor at Microsoft. You as a leader, I just was like, I just, I just want to learn
from, from her. And I watched you. And so just really grateful. That was like such a
long time ago. So really grateful. We won't say how many years.
Yeah, that's the way back machine, but I so appreciate that. I'm so glad that we stayed
(03:34):
connected and that we're still in each other's lives. It's so sweet.
Me too. Me too. So, so thank you for, for just that time and just for your friendship
and, you know, advocacy and allyship over many, many years. So thank you for that. This book,
you know, there was a couple of years ago, it was actually May of 2022. I was just, you
(03:58):
know, thinking and reflecting on my life. And actually, it was around the time that
you announced, you know, your 25 year in your career. And I thought, oh, let me come back.
How long have I been in tag? And I realized, you know, that that number is coming up as
well. But in May of 2022, things were going just really well in life, you know, just was
(04:26):
really having a great time in my career. Loved my team, loved what I was doing. Family was
happy, happy and healthy. Things were just going so well. And I just had this thought
like, I want to take this higher, like things are good. I don't want to coast, right? Like,
(04:46):
what else do I want to do in my life? Right? What else do I want to achieve and accomplish?
And so I went on this kind of like journey and quest, you know, the rest of that year,
like, let's just take it higher. And so all the things that I wanted to do, including
some professional and others not, ultimately were happening. They just everything I said,
(05:09):
I want this to happen. It just was happening. You know, I wanted to go on a mission trip
with my church. I've always wanted to do that and serve in that way. I was able to go to
Croatia for three weeks and serve Ukraine refugees there and do a technology class there.
I wanted to speak, you know, we, with our roles, with our jobs, we speak on a large
(05:33):
scale. I wanted to take that higher. And I did a TEDx. I wanted to, you know, I saw
all the things that I wanted to, you know, kind of like what you have on the back burner,
because you're just driving your, your career forward so much. I wanted to make those things
happen. And so it really came from a sense of gratitude and from a sense of knowing and
(05:55):
understanding that there's so few Latina leaders in tech and in corporate overall.
The numbers are really, really astonishing. 1% of Latinas are in the C-suite compared
to over 70% of men and almost 40 and a little over 30% of women overall, 1% in the C-suite
(06:17):
and only 2% in leadership roles. So director roles and above senior, senior manager, director,
VP roles and above. Which is part of the problem, right? I mean, if there's no feeding ground
for CEOs, there you go, right? There you go. And so I, I, I just thought there's not enough
stories. We're not talking enough. And there's so few leaders really like, you know, there's
(06:42):
so few stories that we have. I really took it as my responsibility to share just my experiences.
It's things that I've gone through, lessons that I've learned, stories that may help others
coming up. And I just thought, let me share some of the hard truths too. Because when I
(07:04):
thought about the title, you know, and there was another working title that, that I had
originally, you know, in the Latin culture, a madrina is a godmother. And they are a madrina
and a, and a, and a padrino, a godfather are appointed by your parents, right? And so these
are people that are trusted to help guide you in life, your, you know, spiritual journey
(07:28):
and your, you know, kind of, you know, another set of guides in addition to your, to your
parents. And so I thought, you know, a madrina nurtures you guides you, but also shares the
hard truth that maybe your parents may or may not tell you, right? And so for me, many
times in my career, I thought, gosh, I, and while I had, you know, you as a mentor and
(07:52):
other mentors and sponsors, and that is so critically important. I never, I always wanted
someone that looked like me who had similar experiences than me and navigate this world
that we call, you know, tech corporate, right? The structure, the, you know, I never had
(08:12):
that. And so I thought I would love to be that for others and just share some of some
of the things that I've learned so that others don't feel one as alone as I did sometimes.
I just felt really alone and then too surprised when hard things come and when challenges
come and then give them tools to, to overcome some of these hard things.
(08:35):
I love this. Well, I love like first, I mean, your journey started with gratitude led you
to service and service in a big way, not only doing the mission trip, which is important,
but now on this bigger scale, I mean, you could help generations of women coming up.
You mentioned hard truths. So give me, give me an example of what a hard truth is.
(08:57):
Welcome to refinement. I think let's start with the foundations, right? So this structure,
right? Corporate America never has and never was built for people.
Any marginalized whether it's women, women of color, disability, et cetera, it is not
(09:22):
built for us. It never was. And so now that we understand that hard truth, how do we navigate
this world that we've chosen, right? This career that path that we've chosen. So I think
foundationally really understanding that core truth. It's, I mean, it's, it's, it's just
the way it is. Look at the numbers that I mentioned earlier, and there's so much more
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data that points to that. So how can we navigate and win, navigate and get the things that
we want for our careers and for our lives? So I think that's a hard truth. Another hard
truth that's the reality is, you know, when I've shown up at work, I don't think of myself
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as, you know, I'm a woman in the workplace or I am, you know, a Latina or my skin is,
you know, cafe con leche, it's, you know, I mixed race. I'm thinking about the job that
I want to do. I'm thinking about the impact that I want to have. I'm thinking about what
we're trying to achieve and come and accomplish. But inevitably, what has happened is that
(10:31):
in meeting after meeting, I am reminded by others how different I am, whether it's a
comment or generally it's a comment, right? Or a sentiment that I am not like you. And
so that type of othering when it happens, and we call those microaggressions when it consistently
happens is incredibly draining. So I talk about those instances of what do you do in
(10:58):
those scenarios? When do you address it? When do you not, right? When is the battle not
like it's not worth, you know, it's not worth the battle. So those type of nuances I think
are really important and critical. I think as women overall understanding that, you know,
oftentimes we may be, we may be in a situation where others are going to speak over us, right?
(11:24):
We've seen this time and time again. How do we handle those situations with grace, dignity,
right for all, but also driving the mission, you know, forward. So those are some, I think
just some foundational hard truths in navigating this structure, working with people who may
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be different from us, have different values, not taking it personally, right? How do you
not take it personally? And then how do you build your alliances and allegiances across
the organization so that the things that you have achieved and have made impact on are
being broadcasted and given visibility, right? So how do you win in this world? How do you
(12:09):
navigate? So I think those are some things that I address and talk about.
Yeah. As you were speaking about that, I just had a scenario pop in my head. I was thinking
about a microaggression and it was, you know, you're in a meeting and people all around
the table and someone says, well, someone should take notes and then they'll look at
(12:30):
the woman.
Yes.
Right? And you're like, well, I don't, my handwriting is really messy. I think, I think, I think
Joe should take the notes, you know.
And also now, you know, we have AI. So AI can take notes in the meeting. Yeah. Thank
God. Maybe that'll be a big help, right?
Yes, for sure. And so I think that's critically important. You know, we've seen time and time
(12:56):
again where ideas that we've had and projects that we've owned, other people take credit
for it, right? So how do we artfully, tactfully make that right for us?
Right.
So it's those types of things that...
With finesse and with class and with professionalism.
For sure. And so those are the types of things that I know I didn't quite know how to navigate.
(13:22):
I sort of felt, you know, kind of deer and headlight moments, right? So how do I, and
so how do I deal with this? And so I had to really workshop that on my own. I don't want,
I think we've got enough tools and resources and knowledge now that the next generation
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does not have to deal with that on their own, right? So those are the kind of things that
I think are the day to day, right? The day to day hard things that I want to just help
others with.
Right. And be aware, be aware of when you're in the situation, right? Before it hits you
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in the back of the head.
For sure. I just had a mentoring session with a mentee of mine over the weekend and we were
talking about a tough situation and, you know, she's a senior leader in the organization.
And, you know, there were people in the meeting that are coming at her. And I was like, yeah,
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that's going to happen. And so she handled it beautifully. So impressed with how she
handled it.
But what we talked about is an understanding the world you are in and the culture that
you are in, that this is going to happen will continue to happen. You're handling it well.
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But how do we now not take it too much to heart? How do we now distance ourselves, you
know, from a reaction and a response and thinking that something is wrong? No, something is
not wrong.
This is where you're at. And I even said, we're at war. It's a bit dramatic, but, you
(15:11):
know, like understanding the context that you are in and that these, you know, people
are playing to win in their own, in their own ways. And so, you know, you've got to
understand that.
Exactly. Yeah, I mean, each person that you're interacting with, there are some of all their
experiences, all of their upbringing, their, you know, traits, there are things that have
(15:36):
worked well for them, things that have failed for them. And I think you talk about overcoming
generational trauma in your book. So talk a little bit more about that. Like, what does
that mean? How does that show up in the work, you know, the work environment? What does that
look like for our listeners?
(15:58):
So this is, yeah, I don't know if overcoming is the word, but more being aware of how our
background and our experiences may impact our career choices or having an awareness
of it. So for me, you know, if you've, you know, growing up in a Latin American, you
(16:22):
know, household, very traditional, you know, household, there were, you know, I, there
were a lot of lessons that are very valuable, right? So family, food, togetherness, you
know, respect for your elders, so many things that are beautiful and valuable, but other
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things that don't help us when we are thinking about growing in our careers, things like,
you know, keep your head down, work hard and be humble. Other people will notice your
accomplishments. So that doesn't necessarily, that does not necessarily help us, right?
And so when you've been ingrained with that, because it's worked for, you know, previous
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generations, we've got to sort of undo that kind of messaging. And what I talk about is
we now get to decide, we get to decide what we keep, what's valuable, and what we, what
we let go of. There are other, you know, messaging around value as a woman, right? The value
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comes from, you know, keeping a home, you know, marriage, children. That is not the story
for all of us, you know, for, for many of us. And so, or it's just part of the story,
or it's part of the story, but the value, right? The value is there as, as a woman.
(17:52):
And so I think it's, it's important that we, that we make a shift and make decisions about
what we want to keep and what we want to let go of. And then we get to redefine, we define
for ourselves, what does a successful Latina look like for our own context? You know, I,
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I talked to, as I was writing my book, you know, I spoke with a lot of, you know, people
that, that I've mentored, just to get a sense like what, what's going on in your world?
Like I asked them questions about, you know, their hopes and dreams and desires and many
want a thriving career. Many want families. Some are, you know, in the LGBTQ community.
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Some have infertility issues. Like there's so many things broader than just growing in
a career that's on their minds, right? Gen, Gen Z's minds. And so I wanted to bring in
all of those elements that may not look quote unquote traditional so that we can, you know,
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make space for ourselves to, to make the choices and move forward while also honoring our roots
and honoring our heritage. I thought that was important.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, life is happening, right? While you're doing, doing the day job. It's,
it's always happening. So as, as you talk with these women and as you write the book,
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what, what do you think are the top three skills that these women need to be successful
in tech today?
Yeah. So I think probably one of the most important things is how to really ask for
help when you need it. I know for, for me, it was sometimes difficult to ask for help.
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I felt like I had to do a lot of things on my own. And so I think that's really key and
important to understand when you need help and then ask for it ahead of time. So I think
that's really critically important. I think the second thing that's important is leadership
and leadership and leading a team and really being that, you know, coach, mentor and driver
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for, for leading initiatives, not that you're doing it, but that you're helping a team to
drive and to do that. And then I think, you know, it's what we were talking about. We
have to learn how to navigate different people's personality. I love what you said when, when,
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when you mentioned that, you know, we're all a culmination of all of our experiences, the
things that worked for us. So there are people, and I talk about this in the foundational
you, you know, how do you work with people who have different values than you, right?
That may have a different approach than you and how to do that successfully. So I think
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it's important to find your people, right? Find your mentors, sponsors, advocates, champions,
but equally important is how do you work well with people who may differ in values than
you and even skills than you. You draw that out. How do you draw out the best in them
(21:25):
and the best in your collaboration? So I think those are, are in the day to day of work are
are really critical. Yeah. And on that, because that's one of the most challenging things
I think that people encounter is how do I work with someone who's so completely different
than I am? And that could be an approach that could be skills that could be even in motivation.
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So is, is the goal there just, Hey, let's find what is common between us, that's going
to help us progress this work? Is it as simple as that or is there more to it? I think there's
more to it. One of the, one of the things that I know has worked for me is doing some
(22:08):
assessments and I mentioned doing some assessments in the book so that you really know who you
are, what you want, and your working style and your behavioral style. So through these
kinds of there's one assessment that I just really loved it's worked for me. I've done
a couple of them is called disc. Oh, yes. You know it, right? And so you understand what
(22:31):
your working and behavioral style is. But then you also understand who you work well
with and others styles. So once you understand other styles, you have sort of techniques
and a different lens of how do you work with this person, like what language works, that
(22:52):
differs from you. You know, I think oftentimes we think that someone is maybe fighting against
us. They're not. They just have a different working style or different values. And so
that's what I know for me has helped me to take a step back and detach from why is this
(23:12):
person quote unquote, you know, being hostile or being this way or challenging, you know,
my presentation or challenging this, they just may have a different working style, a
different value system. So how do I work with that? So I think those kinds of assessments
when you spend the time to do it, give you insight into where that person is coming from
(23:38):
so that you'll be able to work with them successfully. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.
And what I love about this, you know, just as we're talking, you know, I think about
all the experience that you have people at our age have. But what you're doing with this
book is you're basically shortening the knowledge ramp, right? Because you're bringing these
(24:00):
lessons down, they don't have to go through years of pain and turmoil. If their eyes are
open, when they're in this situation, they could be more productive in the moment.
Yes, it's, there's a term like shortening your fight time that an executive coach, a
former executive coach mentioned, you know, you want to shorten your fight time. And I
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think that's, that was the goal, one of the goals for me with this book. And again, because,
you know, why, why gay keep this information and why, why, you know, I haven't figured
it all out, right? I'm still a work in process. I'm, I consider myself a lifelong learner.
And I want to continue to learn and, and, you know, and be better and do better. But
(24:50):
there's some things that I know I have learned. And so if I can share that, so that they
shorten others shorten their fight time, that is, that I think that's, that's the best of
both worlds. Yeah, agree, agree. You talked about a lot of life lessons in the work process.
And I think that's the best place. One thing that I think is interesting that you brought
(25:10):
into the book is financial well-being. Yes. So what are some of the key lessons learned
there that you share that, you know, these young women can grab on to and, and, and kind
of drive their own destiny financially. So the book is structured in three parts. Part
(25:32):
two is dinero, money, and of the 11 chapters for our on money. So did you call them mucho
dinero, mucho, mucho, dinero? That's hilarious. Actually, but maybe I should have. Listen,
out the gate, I'm not a financial advisor, you know, I'm not a financial planner. But
(25:55):
I thought it was important that I share my money journey. And, you know, we were, we
were talking about, you know, before how when we were sort of making decisions about our
career when, you know, we were, you know, young adults, there weren't a lot of options
in terms of, you know, money making, right? There were certain some options, but not,
(26:18):
not a whole lot. And so I thought it was important, number one, to share my money journey, because
I just think we don't talk enough about money in our culture, in the Latin culture, but
I think broadly in just as, as a people. And so I wanted to share how I think about money,
how I think about negotiating, right, whether it's negotiating and packaged, because I get
(26:42):
into that, how I think about leadership and leadership as a money making driver and tool,
because the higher you go, the more theoretically, depending on the company, the job, the role,
the more you make. And then, you know, so making decisions about that, I talk about real estate.
And so how I got into real estate, I have a whole chapter about a friend, actually a
(27:05):
friend from Microsoft, how her grandfather built generational wealth. I call him the
hiffet, the boss of generational wealth, because he, you know, came from very humble, you
know, beginnings and built a legacy to help provide for three generations, like every
(27:26):
member of his family. So I think the first lesson is let's get comfortable talking about
money and wealth generation and building generational wealth, because, you know, let's face it,
like we care about our families, right? You know, about their families and money is a
tool that helps us, you know, it's not the most important tool, but it is a tool to help
(27:48):
us achieve the things that we want to achieve for our lives and for others. And so I think,
you know, there's some, you know, I share these things now because this is the way,
right? Because I don't think it's, I think it's a way. And I think now what I am seeing,
you know, and I think, you know, Gen Z and others are really taking advantage of the
(28:13):
opportunity to build their own portfolio life. So many are taking the skills that they've
developed in whether it's, you know, coaching, mentorship, social media to build their own
brands while also podcasting, while also working, you know, full time. And so there right now
(28:34):
we've got an opportunity to really, you know, leverage those things that I don't think we
had, right? We did not have. And so, so I talk about all of those elements. The other
thing that, you know, I mentioned is, you know, angel investing, like I am still learning,
you know, excuse me, I joined an organization so that I learn about angel investing and
(28:58):
investing in, you know, Latin owned tech startups. That's something new for me. But let's look
at the different portfolio, you know, areas of life that we can help, that we can generate,
you know, wealth and income, etc. So I just thought it was really important to talk about
that. One of the areas to, you know, my, my mom, you know, my mom, I think was brilliant,
(29:27):
you know, with, with money. I, you know, my mom, you know, she, when my parents emigrated
to the US, you know, she, she, she worked as a seamstress, you know, and my dad worked.
He had different grocery stores in New York and bodegas. And, and so they were able to,
(29:51):
you know, they, they were hard workers, but they were also super savers. And so I learned
that. And I think my siblings also learned that as an example. So I give a lot of credit
to my mom for really kind of like saying, I want to own a home here. I want to own,
you know, cars here. And she was really the, the visionary and the driving force. I always
(30:14):
say like my mom turned, you know, pennies into dollars, right? And, you know, she, you know,
it's not like she had a financial advisor. So I give a lot of credit to the, the learnings
that I got from, from her and from others, you know, my grandparents who had, you know,
businesses and really left a legacy in the Dominican Republic. So I, you know, I think
(30:40):
those kinds of things. Let's just talk about it.
Oh, totally. And do you think, so you mentioned the Gen Z group having the opportunity to
participate in this digital economy, which is much different. I mean, think about how
long it probably took to have your dad get his first store and the physicality of, you
(31:01):
know, rent and all of that that goes with a, with a brick and mortar establishment are
in your experience with Gen Z are they're taking advantage of the business and the flexibility
of working on the internet? Do they also, are you seeing evidence that they're smart
about the saving part of the financial like the monetizing of it, the, the, you know,
(31:28):
saving for the future? Or are they living in, in the now, what's your experience from
talking with some of these folks?
Yeah, it's interesting. We didn't really get into their sort of, you know, money journey.
So I don't know how much of a saver savers, you know, they are as, as a group. What I
(31:48):
do know is that many, many, many are concerned with student loan debt. So that is a real
concern, you know, for them. And interestingly enough, I talk about this and in the Terracs
that, that I did Latinos borrow more than any other ethnic group for college. Yes. And so
(32:13):
while the numbers are really high, I mean, the numbers for Latinos attending higher education
and also graduate level programs, it's it outpaces other other gen sorry, other ethnic
groups, esponentially, however, they are also taking on so much debt in order to get there.
(32:37):
So I think anecdotally, you know, you know, there, there, we've got some, some issues
there in this country to make a higher education really affordable, right for, for, for this
and so many other populations for sure.
Yeah, that's interesting fact. And it's interesting that there's so much priority on education
(32:59):
too. I mean, if you're going to settle yourself with that much debt, that you're like, this
is my way, you know, I'll get smarter and get all the credentials and have a better
life for myself and my family. But yeah, I agree. I mean, education so crazy expensive.
It's ridiculous. It's really ridiculous. Yes. Yes. The other thing too, that, that I
(33:22):
am really seeing and I just love it. I love this generation on my terms, you know what
I mean? And there's so many that are creating startups themselves. You know, there's a digital
economy, but they're also like, I'm doing my own thing. I am creating a beauty line.
I am creating, you know, an event planning, you know, business, I am, you know, doing
(33:46):
this, whatever they love, whatever that thing that they love to do, they're making it happen.
And they're using, you know, social media to help drive, you know, their business forward.
And so I just love like the, I don't know, the audacity of them, like the, it's just
so fun to watch. I'm like, this is great. And they're doing this. And they also, you
(34:09):
know, have as a side hustle while they're having their full time job, you know, maybe
in tech or in business. And then that side hustle becomes the main hustle. So that's
right. That's so, so wild. Yeah. We should all be a little bit more audacious in our
lives, right? Yes. Absolutely. You know, we can learn. We're still learners. Yeah. Well,
(34:33):
winding down. So for those who have their own story to tell, I'd love to just learn
a little bit more from you and your most recent experience here and now of writing a book,
like what things did you learn? What things surprised you? If others have a story to tell,
what advice would you give them? So I believe we all have a story to tell everyone, right?
(34:55):
We all do. I just think we all, all of us, and you know, it could, it doesn't have to
be a book. It could be like what you're doing, podcasts, just sharing, you know, with the
world or, you know, a YouTube channel or whatever, right? It doesn't necessarily have to be a
book, but I do think we all have a story to tell. We can all learn from each other. This
experience has been, you know, like no other, frankly, I kind of, I'm just, I approached
(35:21):
it as if I was creating a product, right? And bringing it to market. It just, that was not,
you know, it's just, it's not the same thing because I, I, you know, I'm very self motivated
and I gave myself a really strict self-imposed deadline. I mean, I wanted to write this book
(35:44):
in less than a year. I had no idea what I was getting myself into because writing takes
a long time. It just does. And it is, it's just, it's a time consuming endeavor and it
requires a lot of time, a lot of perseverance. And, you know, I really thought this was something
(36:09):
I'm writing and I underestimated the process because I didn't know right now. I know I've
got one book under. So now I've learned a lot, but I underestimated, I underestimated
what was required. So for example, you know, editing took a long time. I did the first round
of edits. That was over six months process. So you have the writing, the editing, and then
(36:35):
write, you know, bringing a book to market. There's so many people who are touching it,
the publisher, the form editor, the editor, it goes through several rounds of edits, like,
you know, you're touching it. There's so much, you know, within the process that I've learned
and that I realized, I realized too, while it requires discipline, obviously, right in
(36:56):
a writing schedule and all that, it sounds really sort of glamorous, but it's really
just you and your computer, the screen, and that is it. There's nothing very, you know,
glamorous about becoming a writer and writing a book. It just takes doing it, you know,
(37:20):
every single day. But the other thing too is, oh, I just lost my train of thought. We'll
come back to it if I remember. But yeah, I think for me, I approached it like I was
bringing a product to market. Oh, this is it. It's also a creative endeavor, right? And
(37:42):
many times, you can't rush the creative process. Sometimes you need time.
That's right. I also believe that this is, and you know, because you're an artist, right?
I do believe in a writing schedule and discipline, and that has to happen, right? Don't wait
for inspiration. And it's also a creative process and journey. So now that I know all
(38:06):
those things and more, I will never put myself on such a ridiculous, self-imposed deadline
because I was like, okay, we just got to get this thing done and to market like, no, no,
that was, so I've learned a lot in this process and it's been a lot of fun too.
That's awesome. That's awesome. And I think that's like a real obviously authentic recap.
(38:30):
It's, it is you in a computer, it is you doing the work. There will be things that you can't
plan for because you're just going through it. And I also, I'm guessing that as you put
this thought and theme and, you know, content together, you probably were inspired by other
things that you saw. Yes. That you started to bring in and, you know, then that kind
(38:54):
of, you know, shape shifts the book a little bit as you're, as you're building it.
Yes. When I first announced that I'm writing this book or that I've been writing and, you
know, but announced it on October 5th last year on Latina Equal Payday, I had chapters
that I thought I would, I would be writing. And so those chapters, you know, changed of
(39:19):
all some, you know, decided, no, that doesn't belong in this sort of, you know, in this
book. And then others where I've written full chapters, I'm like, no, we're just going
to keep this aside. It doesn't, it doesn't quite fit. And then, you know, I mentioned
the story about, you know, Falo, Cardino, the hefe of generational wealth. That came
(39:42):
about because, you know, a friend from Microsoft, we had lunch and I'm talking about this book
and I'm talking about the chapter about money and she shares her story about her grandfather.
And I'm like, well, this chapter, this book has got longer because we've got a full chapter
dedicated to this story because it was just so exceptional. It had to be included. So
(40:06):
I love it. I think my friend's grandfather who, who I actually have met. Oh, that's
fantastic. Oh, that's great. I love when things like that happen. All right. So for our listeners,
I mean, I'm so uplifted by the conversation. I've had the opportunity to read the book.
I encourage others to do it. And there's so much wisdom in it. So for our listeners,
(40:33):
we're going to put a link to the Amazon link to purchase. And I strongly encourage you
to visit Jalissa's site at LatinaMadrina.com, L-A-T-I-N-A-M-A-D-R-I-N-A.com. And there you
can engage on so many different opportunities. You could subscribe to her newsletter. Jalissa
(40:59):
also does speaking engagements, coaching, and is an ace at business strategy. So thank
you so much. I just wish we could spend all day together. Yeah. Thank you so much for
this time together. So great to see you and be with you. And yeah, good stuff. Good stuff.
Yes, good stuff. We'll be watching you on the top of the charts and look forward to seeing
(41:24):
your continued success. And with that, for our listeners, until next time.
(41:54):
Using the podcast player of your choice, always remember, you are never too old to set a new
goal or to dream a new dream. Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Until next time.
Thank you.
(00:27):
Welcome to the live episode 52. This session is entitled Thriving as a Latina Madrina. I am so excited today to have
a panelist with me, Jelisa, a long-time friend and a little bit about her as a accomplished technology and strategic operations leader with over
(00:49):
20 years of experience in global enterprise sales, consulting, strategic alliances, pride development, strategy, and operations.
And I've seen her do all this in my time there at Microsoft. She currently serves as CEO of Mariposa Blanca, a business strategy
consulting firm. She is a sought out after speaker and author of the upcoming book, actually
(01:13):
not upcoming. It is out as of now. It's day three of it being available. And that book
is called Latina Medrina Stories, Lessons and Hard Truths from a Brown Latina in Tech.
Previously, Jelissa serves as a co-founder and COO at Noisemaker, an affiliate marketing
(01:35):
tech startup. Her multi award winning career has been dedicated to accelerating growth
and competitive advantage for Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft, Salesforce,
tech startups and high growth companies. Welcome to the session, Jelissa.
Thank you so much. It's so good to be with you. Christine, yes.
(01:59):
It's a big week. It's a big week for you. Wow.
It's a big week. Yes. The book launched this past Sunday, September 15th, the start of
Hispanic Heritage Month. And already it's, it's, it's, honestly, it's unbelievable.
Already it's hit number one in new releases in business diversity and inclusion. And in
(02:25):
number three in best sellers, like all time best seller for the same category.
That's crazy. I'm thrilled for you. And I know you've
been working on this. This isn't just like an overnight, you launch a book. I mean, it's
been years in the process. It's been a whole year of hard work because we started talking
about this some time ago. So you've laid the groundwork, but tell us a little bit more
(02:48):
about your story. Like what propelled you to write the book? And in the title, you have
hard truths. So we want to know what were some of the hard truths that you share in
this, in this book.
Yes. So first, I just want to share with your audience, Christine, that you were my very
(03:09):
first mentor at Microsoft. You as a leader, I just was like, I just, I just want to learn
from, from her. And I watched you. And so just really grateful. That was like such a
long time ago. So really grateful. We won't say how many years.
Yeah, that's the way back machine, but I so appreciate that. I'm so glad that we stayed
(03:34):
connected and that we're still in each other's lives. It's so sweet.
Me too. Me too. So, so thank you for, for just that time and just for your friendship
and, you know, advocacy and allyship over many, many years. So thank you for that. This book,
you know, there was a couple of years ago, it was actually May of 2022. I was just, you
(03:58):
know, thinking and reflecting on my life. And actually, it was around the time that
you announced, you know, your 25 year in your career. And I thought, oh, let me come back.
How long have I been in tag? And I realized, you know, that that number is coming up as
well. But in May of 2022, things were going just really well in life, you know, just was
(04:26):
really having a great time in my career. Loved my team, loved what I was doing. Family was
happy, happy and healthy. Things were just going so well. And I just had this thought
like, I want to take this higher, like things are good. I don't want to coast, right? Like,
(04:46):
what else do I want to do in my life? Right? What else do I want to achieve and accomplish?
And so I went on this kind of like journey and quest, you know, the rest of that year,
like, let's just take it higher. And so all the things that I wanted to do, including
some professional and others not, ultimately were happening. They just everything I said,
(05:09):
I want this to happen. It just was happening. You know, I wanted to go on a mission trip
with my church. I've always wanted to do that and serve in that way. I was able to go to
Croatia for three weeks and serve Ukraine refugees there and do a technology class there.
I wanted to speak, you know, we, with our roles, with our jobs, we speak on a large
(05:33):
scale. I wanted to take that higher. And I did a TEDx. I wanted to, you know, I saw
all the things that I wanted to, you know, kind of like what you have on the back burner,
because you're just driving your, your career forward so much. I wanted to make those things
happen. And so it really came from a sense of gratitude and from a sense of knowing and
(05:55):
understanding that there's so few Latina leaders in tech and in corporate overall.
The numbers are really, really astonishing. 1% of Latinas are in the C-suite compared
to over 70% of men and almost 40 and a little over 30% of women overall, 1% in the C-suite
(06:17):
and only 2% in leadership roles. So director roles and above senior, senior manager, director,
VP roles and above. Which is part of the problem, right? I mean, if there's no feeding ground
for CEOs, there you go, right? There you go. And so I, I, I just thought there's not enough
stories. We're not talking enough. And there's so few leaders really like, you know, there's
(06:42):
so few stories that we have. I really took it as my responsibility to share just my experiences.
It's things that I've gone through, lessons that I've learned, stories that may help others
coming up. And I just thought, let me share some of the hard truths too. Because when I
(07:04):
thought about the title, you know, and there was another working title that, that I had
originally, you know, in the Latin culture, a madrina is a godmother. And they are a madrina
and a, and a, and a padrino, a godfather are appointed by your parents, right? And so these
are people that are trusted to help guide you in life, your, you know, spiritual journey
(07:28):
and your, you know, kind of, you know, another set of guides in addition to your, to your
parents. And so I thought, you know, a madrina nurtures you guides you, but also shares the
hard truth that maybe your parents may or may not tell you, right? And so for me, many
times in my career, I thought, gosh, I, and while I had, you know, you as a mentor and
(07:52):
other mentors and sponsors, and that is so critically important. I never, I always wanted
someone that looked like me who had similar experiences than me and navigate this world
that we call, you know, tech corporate, right? The structure, the, you know, I never had
(08:12):
that. And so I thought I would love to be that for others and just share some of some
of the things that I've learned so that others don't feel one as alone as I did sometimes.
I just felt really alone and then too surprised when hard things come and when challenges
come and then give them tools to, to overcome some of these hard things.
(08:35):
I love this. Well, I love like first, I mean, your journey started with gratitude led you
to service and service in a big way, not only doing the mission trip, which is important,
but now on this bigger scale, I mean, you could help generations of women coming up.
You mentioned hard truths. So give me, give me an example of what a hard truth is.
(08:57):
Welcome to refinement. I think let's start with the foundations, right? So this structure,
right? Corporate America never has and never was built for people.
Any marginalized whether it's women, women of color, disability, et cetera, it is not
(09:22):
built for us. It never was. And so now that we understand that hard truth, how do we navigate
this world that we've chosen, right? This career that path that we've chosen. So I think
foundationally really understanding that core truth. It's, I mean, it's, it's, it's just
the way it is. Look at the numbers that I mentioned earlier, and there's so much more
(09:45):
data that points to that. So how can we navigate and win, navigate and get the things that
we want for our careers and for our lives? So I think that's a hard truth. Another hard
truth that's the reality is, you know, when I've shown up at work, I don't think of myself
(10:06):
as, you know, I'm a woman in the workplace or I am, you know, a Latina or my skin is,
you know, cafe con leche, it's, you know, I mixed race. I'm thinking about the job that
I want to do. I'm thinking about the impact that I want to have. I'm thinking about what
we're trying to achieve and come and accomplish. But inevitably, what has happened is that
(10:31):
in meeting after meeting, I am reminded by others how different I am, whether it's a
comment or generally it's a comment, right? Or a sentiment that I am not like you. And
so that type of othering when it happens, and we call those microaggressions when it consistently
happens is incredibly draining. So I talk about those instances of what do you do in
(10:58):
those scenarios? When do you address it? When do you not, right? When is the battle not
like it's not worth, you know, it's not worth the battle. So those type of nuances I think
are really important and critical. I think as women overall understanding that, you know,
oftentimes we may be, we may be in a situation where others are going to speak over us, right?
(11:24):
We've seen this time and time again. How do we handle those situations with grace, dignity,
right for all, but also driving the mission, you know, forward. So those are some, I think
just some foundational hard truths in navigating this structure, working with people who may
(11:44):
be different from us, have different values, not taking it personally, right? How do you
not take it personally? And then how do you build your alliances and allegiances across
the organization so that the things that you have achieved and have made impact on are
being broadcasted and given visibility, right? So how do you win in this world? How do you
(12:09):
navigate? So I think those are some things that I address and talk about.
Yeah. As you were speaking about that, I just had a scenario pop in my head. I was thinking
about a microaggression and it was, you know, you're in a meeting and people all around
the table and someone says, well, someone should take notes and then they'll look at
(12:30):
the woman.
Yes.
Right? And you're like, well, I don't, my handwriting is really messy. I think, I think, I think
Joe should take the notes, you know.
And also now, you know, we have AI. So AI can take notes in the meeting. Yeah. Thank
God. Maybe that'll be a big help, right?
Yes, for sure. And so I think that's critically important. You know, we've seen time and time
(12:56):
again where ideas that we've had and projects that we've owned, other people take credit
for it, right? So how do we artfully, tactfully make that right for us?
Right.
So it's those types of things that...
With finesse and with class and with professionalism.
For sure. And so those are the types of things that I know I didn't quite know how to navigate.
(13:22):
I sort of felt, you know, kind of deer and headlight moments, right? So how do I, and
so how do I deal with this? And so I had to really workshop that on my own. I don't want,
I think we've got enough tools and resources and knowledge now that the next generation
(13:43):
does not have to deal with that on their own, right? So those are the kind of things that
I think are the day to day, right? The day to day hard things that I want to just help
others with.
Right. And be aware, be aware of when you're in the situation, right? Before it hits you
(14:04):
in the back of the head.
For sure. I just had a mentoring session with a mentee of mine over the weekend and we were
talking about a tough situation and, you know, she's a senior leader in the organization.
And, you know, there were people in the meeting that are coming at her. And I was like, yeah,
(14:28):
that's going to happen. And so she handled it beautifully. So impressed with how she
handled it.
But what we talked about is an understanding the world you are in and the culture that
you are in, that this is going to happen will continue to happen. You're handling it well.
(14:49):
But how do we now not take it too much to heart? How do we now distance ourselves, you
know, from a reaction and a response and thinking that something is wrong? No, something is
not wrong.
This is where you're at. And I even said, we're at war. It's a bit dramatic, but, you
(15:11):
know, like understanding the context that you are in and that these, you know, people
are playing to win in their own, in their own ways. And so, you know, you've got to
understand that.
Exactly. Yeah, I mean, each person that you're interacting with, there are some of all their
experiences, all of their upbringing, their, you know, traits, there are things that have
(15:36):
worked well for them, things that have failed for them. And I think you talk about overcoming
generational trauma in your book. So talk a little bit more about that. Like, what does
that mean? How does that show up in the work, you know, the work environment? What does that
look like for our listeners?
(15:58):
So this is, yeah, I don't know if overcoming is the word, but more being aware of how our
background and our experiences may impact our career choices or having an awareness
of it. So for me, you know, if you've, you know, growing up in a Latin American, you
(16:22):
know, household, very traditional, you know, household, there were, you know, I, there
were a lot of lessons that are very valuable, right? So family, food, togetherness, you
know, respect for your elders, so many things that are beautiful and valuable, but other
(16:43):
things that don't help us when we are thinking about growing in our careers, things like,
you know, keep your head down, work hard and be humble. Other people will notice your
accomplishments. So that doesn't necessarily, that does not necessarily help us, right?
And so when you've been ingrained with that, because it's worked for, you know, previous
(17:09):
generations, we've got to sort of undo that kind of messaging. And what I talk about is
we now get to decide, we get to decide what we keep, what's valuable, and what we, what
we let go of. There are other, you know, messaging around value as a woman, right? The value
(17:31):
comes from, you know, keeping a home, you know, marriage, children. That is not the story
for all of us, you know, for, for many of us. And so, or it's just part of the story,
or it's part of the story, but the value, right? The value is there as, as a woman.
(17:52):
And so I think it's, it's important that we, that we make a shift and make decisions about
what we want to keep and what we want to let go of. And then we get to redefine, we define
for ourselves, what does a successful Latina look like for our own context? You know, I,
(18:12):
I talked to, as I was writing my book, you know, I spoke with a lot of, you know, people
that, that I've mentored, just to get a sense like what, what's going on in your world?
Like I asked them questions about, you know, their hopes and dreams and desires and many
want a thriving career. Many want families. Some are, you know, in the LGBTQ community.
(18:40):
Some have infertility issues. Like there's so many things broader than just growing in
a career that's on their minds, right? Gen, Gen Z's minds. And so I wanted to bring in
all of those elements that may not look quote unquote traditional so that we can, you know,
(19:02):
make space for ourselves to, to make the choices and move forward while also honoring our roots
and honoring our heritage. I thought that was important.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, life is happening, right? While you're doing, doing the day job. It's,
it's always happening. So as, as you talk with these women and as you write the book,
(19:28):
what, what do you think are the top three skills that these women need to be successful
in tech today?
Yeah. So I think probably one of the most important things is how to really ask for
help when you need it. I know for, for me, it was sometimes difficult to ask for help.
(19:53):
I felt like I had to do a lot of things on my own. And so I think that's really key and
important to understand when you need help and then ask for it ahead of time. So I think
that's really critically important. I think the second thing that's important is leadership
and leadership and leading a team and really being that, you know, coach, mentor and driver
(20:17):
for, for leading initiatives, not that you're doing it, but that you're helping a team to
drive and to do that. And then I think, you know, it's what we were talking about. We
have to learn how to navigate different people's personality. I love what you said when, when,
(20:37):
when you mentioned that, you know, we're all a culmination of all of our experiences, the
things that worked for us. So there are people, and I talk about this in the foundational
you, you know, how do you work with people who have different values than you, right?
That may have a different approach than you and how to do that successfully. So I think
(21:01):
it's important to find your people, right? Find your mentors, sponsors, advocates, champions,
but equally important is how do you work well with people who may differ in values than
you and even skills than you. You draw that out. How do you draw out the best in them
(21:25):
and the best in your collaboration? So I think those are, are in the day to day of work are
are really critical. Yeah. And on that, because that's one of the most challenging things
I think that people encounter is how do I work with someone who's so completely different
than I am? And that could be an approach that could be skills that could be even in motivation.
(21:47):
So is, is the goal there just, Hey, let's find what is common between us, that's going
to help us progress this work? Is it as simple as that or is there more to it? I think there's
more to it. One of the, one of the things that I know has worked for me is doing some
(22:08):
assessments and I mentioned doing some assessments in the book so that you really know who you
are, what you want, and your working style and your behavioral style. So through these
kinds of there's one assessment that I just really loved it's worked for me. I've done
a couple of them is called disc. Oh, yes. You know it, right? And so you understand what
(22:31):
your working and behavioral style is. But then you also understand who you work well
with and others styles. So once you understand other styles, you have sort of techniques
and a different lens of how do you work with this person, like what language works, that
(22:52):
differs from you. You know, I think oftentimes we think that someone is maybe fighting against
us. They're not. They just have a different working style or different values. And so
that's what I know for me has helped me to take a step back and detach from why is this
(23:12):
person quote unquote, you know, being hostile or being this way or challenging, you know,
my presentation or challenging this, they just may have a different working style, a
different value system. So how do I work with that? So I think those kinds of assessments
when you spend the time to do it, give you insight into where that person is coming from
(23:38):
so that you'll be able to work with them successfully. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.
And what I love about this, you know, just as we're talking, you know, I think about
all the experience that you have people at our age have. But what you're doing with this
book is you're basically shortening the knowledge ramp, right? Because you're bringing these
(24:00):
lessons down, they don't have to go through years of pain and turmoil. If their eyes are
open, when they're in this situation, they could be more productive in the moment.
Yes, it's, there's a term like shortening your fight time that an executive coach, a
former executive coach mentioned, you know, you want to shorten your fight time. And I
(24:24):
think that's, that was the goal, one of the goals for me with this book. And again, because,
you know, why, why gay keep this information and why, why, you know, I haven't figured
it all out, right? I'm still a work in process. I'm, I consider myself a lifelong learner.
And I want to continue to learn and, and, you know, and be better and do better. But
(24:50):
there's some things that I know I have learned. And so if I can share that, so that they
shorten others shorten their fight time, that is, that I think that's, that's the best of
both worlds. Yeah, agree, agree. You talked about a lot of life lessons in the work process.
And I think that's the best place. One thing that I think is interesting that you brought
(25:10):
into the book is financial well-being. Yes. So what are some of the key lessons learned
there that you share that, you know, these young women can grab on to and, and, and kind
of drive their own destiny financially. So the book is structured in three parts. Part
(25:32):
two is dinero, money, and of the 11 chapters for our on money. So did you call them mucho
dinero, mucho, mucho, dinero? That's hilarious. Actually, but maybe I should have. Listen,
out the gate, I'm not a financial advisor, you know, I'm not a financial planner. But
(25:55):
I thought it was important that I share my money journey. And, you know, we were, we
were talking about, you know, before how when we were sort of making decisions about our
career when, you know, we were, you know, young adults, there weren't a lot of options
in terms of, you know, money making, right? There were certain some options, but not,
(26:18):
not a whole lot. And so I thought it was important, number one, to share my money journey, because
I just think we don't talk enough about money in our culture, in the Latin culture, but
I think broadly in just as, as a people. And so I wanted to share how I think about money,
how I think about negotiating, right, whether it's negotiating and packaged, because I get
(26:42):
into that, how I think about leadership and leadership as a money making driver and tool,
because the higher you go, the more theoretically, depending on the company, the job, the role,
the more you make. And then, you know, so making decisions about that, I talk about real estate.
And so how I got into real estate, I have a whole chapter about a friend, actually a
(27:05):
friend from Microsoft, how her grandfather built generational wealth. I call him the
hiffet, the boss of generational wealth, because he, you know, came from very humble, you
know, beginnings and built a legacy to help provide for three generations, like every
(27:26):
member of his family. So I think the first lesson is let's get comfortable talking about
money and wealth generation and building generational wealth, because, you know, let's face it,
like we care about our families, right? You know, about their families and money is a
tool that helps us, you know, it's not the most important tool, but it is a tool to help
(27:48):
us achieve the things that we want to achieve for our lives and for others. And so I think,
you know, there's some, you know, I share these things now because this is the way,
right? Because I don't think it's, I think it's a way. And I think now what I am seeing,
you know, and I think, you know, Gen Z and others are really taking advantage of the
(28:13):
opportunity to build their own portfolio life. So many are taking the skills that they've
developed in whether it's, you know, coaching, mentorship, social media to build their own
brands while also podcasting, while also working, you know, full time. And so there right now
(28:34):
we've got an opportunity to really, you know, leverage those things that I don't think we
had, right? We did not have. And so, so I talk about all of those elements. The other
thing that, you know, I mentioned is, you know, angel investing, like I am still learning,
you know, excuse me, I joined an organization so that I learn about angel investing and
(28:58):
investing in, you know, Latin owned tech startups. That's something new for me. But let's look
at the different portfolio, you know, areas of life that we can help, that we can generate,
you know, wealth and income, etc. So I just thought it was really important to talk about
that. One of the areas to, you know, my, my mom, you know, my mom, I think was brilliant,
(29:27):
you know, with, with money. I, you know, my mom, you know, she, when my parents emigrated
to the US, you know, she, she, she worked as a seamstress, you know, and my dad worked.
He had different grocery stores in New York and bodegas. And, and so they were able to,
(29:51):
you know, they, they were hard workers, but they were also super savers. And so I learned
that. And I think my siblings also learned that as an example. So I give a lot of credit
to my mom for really kind of like saying, I want to own a home here. I want to own,
you know, cars here. And she was really the, the visionary and the driving force. I always
(30:14):
say like my mom turned, you know, pennies into dollars, right? And, you know, she, you know,
it's not like she had a financial advisor. So I give a lot of credit to the, the learnings
that I got from, from her and from others, you know, my grandparents who had, you know,
businesses and really left a legacy in the Dominican Republic. So I, you know, I think
(30:40):
those kinds of things. Let's just talk about it.
Oh, totally. And do you think, so you mentioned the Gen Z group having the opportunity to
participate in this digital economy, which is much different. I mean, think about how
long it probably took to have your dad get his first store and the physicality of, you
(31:01):
know, rent and all of that that goes with a, with a brick and mortar establishment are
in your experience with Gen Z are they're taking advantage of the business and the flexibility
of working on the internet? Do they also, are you seeing evidence that they're smart
about the saving part of the financial like the monetizing of it, the, the, you know,
(31:28):
saving for the future? Or are they living in, in the now, what's your experience from
talking with some of these folks?
Yeah, it's interesting. We didn't really get into their sort of, you know, money journey.
So I don't know how much of a saver savers, you know, they are as, as a group. What I
(31:48):
do know is that many, many, many are concerned with student loan debt. So that is a real
concern, you know, for them. And interestingly enough, I talk about this and in the Terracs
that, that I did Latinos borrow more than any other ethnic group for college. Yes. And so
(32:13):
while the numbers are really high, I mean, the numbers for Latinos attending higher education
and also graduate level programs, it's it outpaces other other gen sorry, other ethnic
groups, esponentially, however, they are also taking on so much debt in order to get there.
(32:37):
So I think anecdotally, you know, you know, there, there, we've got some, some issues
there in this country to make a higher education really affordable, right for, for, for this
and so many other populations for sure.
Yeah, that's interesting fact. And it's interesting that there's so much priority on education
(32:59):
too. I mean, if you're going to settle yourself with that much debt, that you're like, this
is my way, you know, I'll get smarter and get all the credentials and have a better
life for myself and my family. But yeah, I agree. I mean, education so crazy expensive.
It's ridiculous. It's really ridiculous. Yes. Yes. The other thing too, that, that I
(33:22):
am really seeing and I just love it. I love this generation on my terms, you know what
I mean? And there's so many that are creating startups themselves. You know, there's a digital
economy, but they're also like, I'm doing my own thing. I am creating a beauty line.
I am creating, you know, an event planning, you know, business, I am, you know, doing
(33:46):
this, whatever they love, whatever that thing that they love to do, they're making it happen.
And they're using, you know, social media to help drive, you know, their business forward.
And so I just love like the, I don't know, the audacity of them, like the, it's just
so fun to watch. I'm like, this is great. And they're doing this. And they also, you
(34:09):
know, have as a side hustle while they're having their full time job, you know, maybe
in tech or in business. And then that side hustle becomes the main hustle. So that's
right. That's so, so wild. Yeah. We should all be a little bit more audacious in our
lives, right? Yes. Absolutely. You know, we can learn. We're still learners. Yeah. Well,
(34:33):
winding down. So for those who have their own story to tell, I'd love to just learn
a little bit more from you and your most recent experience here and now of writing a book,
like what things did you learn? What things surprised you? If others have a story to tell,
what advice would you give them? So I believe we all have a story to tell everyone, right?
(34:55):
We all do. I just think we all, all of us, and you know, it could, it doesn't have to
be a book. It could be like what you're doing, podcasts, just sharing, you know, with the
world or, you know, a YouTube channel or whatever, right? It doesn't necessarily have to be a
book, but I do think we all have a story to tell. We can all learn from each other. This
experience has been, you know, like no other, frankly, I kind of, I'm just, I approached
(35:21):
it as if I was creating a product, right? And bringing it to market. It just, that was not,
you know, it's just, it's not the same thing because I, I, you know, I'm very self motivated
and I gave myself a really strict self-imposed deadline. I mean, I wanted to write this book
(35:44):
in less than a year. I had no idea what I was getting myself into because writing takes
a long time. It just does. And it is, it's just, it's a time consuming endeavor and it
requires a lot of time, a lot of perseverance. And, you know, I really thought this was something
(36:09):
I'm writing and I underestimated the process because I didn't know right now. I know I've
got one book under. So now I've learned a lot, but I underestimated, I underestimated
what was required. So for example, you know, editing took a long time. I did the first round
of edits. That was over six months process. So you have the writing, the editing, and then
(36:35):
write, you know, bringing a book to market. There's so many people who are touching it,
the publisher, the form editor, the editor, it goes through several rounds of edits, like,
you know, you're touching it. There's so much, you know, within the process that I've learned
and that I realized, I realized too, while it requires discipline, obviously, right in
(36:56):
a writing schedule and all that, it sounds really sort of glamorous, but it's really
just you and your computer, the screen, and that is it. There's nothing very, you know,
glamorous about becoming a writer and writing a book. It just takes doing it, you know,
(37:20):
every single day. But the other thing too is, oh, I just lost my train of thought. We'll
come back to it if I remember. But yeah, I think for me, I approached it like I was
bringing a product to market. Oh, this is it. It's also a creative endeavor, right? And
(37:42):
many times, you can't rush the creative process. Sometimes you need time.
That's right. I also believe that this is, and you know, because you're an artist, right?
I do believe in a writing schedule and discipline, and that has to happen, right? Don't wait
for inspiration. And it's also a creative process and journey. So now that I know all
(38:06):
those things and more, I will never put myself on such a ridiculous, self-imposed deadline
because I was like, okay, we just got to get this thing done and to market like, no, no,
that was, so I've learned a lot in this process and it's been a lot of fun too.
That's awesome. That's awesome. And I think that's like a real obviously authentic recap.
(38:30):
It's, it is you in a computer, it is you doing the work. There will be things that you can't
plan for because you're just going through it. And I also, I'm guessing that as you put
this thought and theme and, you know, content together, you probably were inspired by other
things that you saw. Yes. That you started to bring in and, you know, then that kind
(38:54):
of, you know, shape shifts the book a little bit as you're, as you're building it.
Yes. When I first announced that I'm writing this book or that I've been writing and, you
know, but announced it on October 5th last year on Latina Equal Payday, I had chapters
that I thought I would, I would be writing. And so those chapters, you know, changed of
(39:19):
all some, you know, decided, no, that doesn't belong in this sort of, you know, in this
book. And then others where I've written full chapters, I'm like, no, we're just going
to keep this aside. It doesn't, it doesn't quite fit. And then, you know, I mentioned
the story about, you know, Falo, Cardino, the hefe of generational wealth. That came
(39:42):
about because, you know, a friend from Microsoft, we had lunch and I'm talking about this book
and I'm talking about the chapter about money and she shares her story about her grandfather.
And I'm like, well, this chapter, this book has got longer because we've got a full chapter
dedicated to this story because it was just so exceptional. It had to be included. So
(40:06):
I love it. I think my friend's grandfather who, who I actually have met. Oh, that's
fantastic. Oh, that's great. I love when things like that happen. All right. So for our listeners,
I mean, I'm so uplifted by the conversation. I've had the opportunity to read the book.
I encourage others to do it. And there's so much wisdom in it. So for our listeners,
(40:33):
we're going to put a link to the Amazon link to purchase. And I strongly encourage you
to visit Jalissa's site at LatinaMadrina.com, L-A-T-I-N-A-M-A-D-R-I-N-A.com. And there you
can engage on so many different opportunities. You could subscribe to her newsletter. Jalissa
(40:59):
also does speaking engagements, coaching, and is an ace at business strategy. So thank
you so much. I just wish we could spend all day together. Yeah. Thank you so much for
this time together. So great to see you and be with you. And yeah, good stuff. Good stuff.
Yes, good stuff. We'll be watching you on the top of the charts and look forward to seeing
(41:24):
your continued success. And with that, for our listeners, until next time.
(41:54):
Using the podcast player of your choice, always remember, you are never too old to set a new
goal or to dream a new dream. Thanks again for joining us on this episode. Until next time.
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