The First Gen Madrina
The First Gen Madrina Podcast is a podcast for first-generation students, professionals, and cycle-breakers who are navigating life without a blueprint. Hosted by social worker, coach, and The First Gen Madrina Sara, this podcast explores the real conversations we were never taught to have about mental health, money, and navigating systems while building a life that feels aligned and sustainable. Each episode blends honest storytelling, practical tools, and culturally responsive insights to help you break generational cycles, overcome imposter syndrome, heal burnout, and redefine success on your own terms. Whether we’re unpacking mental wellness, financial empowerment, career growth, or the in-between moments of becoming, you’ll find guidance rooted in compassion, community, and accountability.
Episodes
In this episode, I interview Akary Busto, human design expert and emotional biohacker. We explore what it means to grow up first gen while living life “on the hyphen.” Through a powerful conversation on migration, identity, language loss, and belonging, we unpack the pressure to assimilate and the quiet grief of losing parts of ourselves along the way. We also dive into Human Design as a tool for healing, self-trust, and reclaiming...
We’re kicking off a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast with this month’s theme: Reclaiming Our Roots as First Gens.
In this conversation, Sara shares her personal journey of identity, healing, and what it means to grow up living in the in-between. From feeling “not Cuban enough” and “not American enough,” to navigating anxiety, ADHD, and cultural expectations around rest and healing, this episode explores the weight m...
In this episode, Sara is joined by bilingual and bicultural Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Janice Castro who is an expert in ADHD.
Throughout our conversation, we unpack how anxiety, ADHD, and first-generation Latina culture intersect, especially for women whose symptoms are often overlooked. We talk about survival mode, hustle culture, guilt around rest, and the shame that keeps mental health struggles silent in our communities.
W...
In this episode, Sara shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with ADHD later in life and why she hadn’t spoken about it much until now. As a social worker and entrepreneur, she reflects on the signs she missed, how undiagnosed ADHD fueled her anxiety, and the relief that came with finally having answers. This honest conversation also explores the stigma of ADHD in Latine communities, choosing who gets access to your story, ...
In this powerful episode, Sara sits down with money mindset and business coach Debbie O’Hara to explore how she transformed her money story after growing up in survival mode and surviving financial and intimate partner violence. As a first-generation Cuban American, Debbie spent years navigating scarcity, instability, and fear before reclaiming her financial power and rebuilding her life. Now she helps women break generational patt...
In this vulnerable episode, Sara shares her personal money story. From her family’s immigration journey to the U.S to growing up in survival mode, Sara shares how this all shaped her perception of money. She opens up about how ADHD, anxiety, and generational trauma shaped her spending, saving, and beliefs about security.
Sara reflects on how understanding her mental health helped her break cycles of guilt, avoidance, and fear, and h...
It’s the final episode of 2025! Join me as I reflect on a year full of pivots, growth, and healing. In this heartfelt closing episode, I open up about the lessons I’ve learned, the courage it took to realign with my purpose, and an exciting new chapter ahead including the evolution of The First Gen Madrina Podcast!
If you’ve ever found yourself navigating change, questioning your path, or learning to trust the process, this episode ...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Dr. Charleanea Arellano, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Breaking Cycles as a First Gen!
Dr. Charleena Arellano is a psychologist, board-certified coach, transformational self-leadership alchemist, and truth-teller whose work disrupts more than systems—it dismantles the stories that keep people small....
Welcome to a new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This episode kicks off our theme: Breaking Cycles as First Gens.
We’re diving into what it really means to be the first to say “This ends with me.” From the mental health cost of unlearning survival mode to the freedom and healing that follow, we’ll talk about the grief, guilt, and ultimately the joy of breaking generational cycles.
Breaking cycles isn’t betrayal, it’s protect...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Tiffany Joy, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Resiliency as a First Gen!
Tiffany Joy Argonza is a first-generation Filipina-American, mom, coach, and founder of The Studio Ligaya— event & wellness space in Central NJ created to help women, especially moms and first-gen leaders, take up space and re...
In this first episode of the new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, we’re diving into a theme that has been heavy on my heart yet igniting my spirit: Resiliency as a First Gen.
As first-gens, we’re often praised for being “strong,” “pushing through,” and “making it happen no matter what.” However, behind the applause, resiliency can sometimes feel less like empowerment and more like survival. In this conversation, I get real a...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Carla Santamaria, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Redefining Leadership as a First Gen!
Carla Santamaria is a Miami-raised, Honduran-born immigrant who more than doubled her salary in 10 months by job hopping from higher ed to healthcare to tech. In addition to her full-time tech job, Carla is a caree...
Welcome to a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! In this powerful premiere, Sara dives into the heart of this season’s theme: Redefining Leadership as a First Gen.
In this episode of The First Gen Madrina, we explore what it truly means to lead as a first-generation trailblazer. We unpack the narratives we grew up with that make leadership feel out of reach, the power of representation in showing us that we belong, an...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Scarlett Luis, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Resources for First Gens!
Scarlett Luis is a product leader with a background in engineering and a passionate advocate for first-generation college students and professionals. As a first-generation graduate herself, she understands the challenges of navig...
Welcome to a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! In this powerful premiere, Sara dives into the heart of this season’s theme: Resources for First Gens.
In this episode, we’re diving into the resources we never knew existed and the ones that weren’t made accessible to us as first-gens. From therapy to scholarships to mentorship, we explore why accessing support feels so hard, and how it’s not a personal failure, it’s a...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Vicky Winkler, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Taking Risks as a First Gen!
Vicky is the founder of Wildly Creative Wellness (formerly known as My Natural Reflections), a space where creativity becomes a tool for self-care, healing, and joy. Growing up, Vicky was always drawn to creative activities—re...
Dear First Gens,
Welcome to a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! In this powerful premiere, Sara dives into the heart of this season’s theme: taking risks as a first-gen even when it feels terrifying, uncertain, or guilt-inducing. From moving away from home, to quitting her 9-5 without a safety net, to taking financial risks to build her dream business, Sara shares the top three leaps that changed her life and how t...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Eduardo Placer, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Pride as a First Gen!
A dynamic keynote speaker, charismatic event emcee, and global facilitator, he is a former professional actor who has a rare ability to help people find common ground through compelling narratives that inspire and unite.
He is the fo...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Emanuel Anzules, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Pride as a First Gen!
Emanuel was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1993, at the age of 7, to join his parents and sister. He attended school in New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University in 2007. Emanuel was an active l...
Dear First Gens,
In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Naty Diaz, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Mental Health as a First Gen!
Today we have a new special guest for this month's theme Mental Health as a First Gen. This is a little different than what we usually do, but we are really excited for you all to tune in! This week we have Sara's mom, ...
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