The First Gen Madrina

Welcome back to a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, and this month, we’re diving deep into Reclaiming Your Story as a First Gen.

In this powerful kickoff episode, we explore what it truly means to reconnect with your voice, your truth, and your narrative. As first-generation individuals, many of us were raised in environments where survival came before self-expression. Unfortunately, silence, sacrifice, and st...

What if conflict isn’t the problem? It is just a skill that we were never taught, especially when it comes to money.

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Dr. Jen Fry a conflict literacy expert, TEDx speaker, and founder of JenFryTalks. Together, we dive into the uncomfortable but necessary conversation around conflict and money. We discussthe tension, the silence, the expectations, and the unspoken pressure so many of us...

Welcome to the first episode of a brand-new season where we’re diving deep into Conflict and Money.

When we think about money, we usually focus on numbers: how much we make, spend, or owe. What often goes unspoken is how conflict, both internal and relational, shapes our financial lives.

In this episode, we unpack the ways conflict shows up beyond arguments. Sometimes it’s the conversations we avoid, the boundaries we str...

What happens when being “good” social worker becomes your identity?

 In this powerful episode, we sit down with Stephanie Sorady, LCSW, a Latina trauma therapist, speaker, and founder of Luz Trauma Therapy. Together we unpack the hidden weight that many first-gen social workers may carry.

From people-pleasing and over functioning to the deep impact of parentification, Stephanie brings a trauma-informed and culturally...

What does it really mean to be a “good” social worker… and who decided that definition in the first place?

In this episode, we’re unpacking the unspoken pressure many social workers carry like the expectation to always say yes, sacrifice endlessly, and hold it all together no matter the cost. But behind that “perfect” image? Burnout, silence, and a slow disconnection from ourselves.

This conversat...

In this episode, Sara sits down with Carlos Martin to unpack money shame as a first-gen. Carlos shares his journey of immigrating to the U.S. at 11, navigating language barriers, scarcity, and the lack of financial guidance growing up.

Together, they explore how silence around money, cultural expectations, and early experiences shape our relationship with finances  and the shame that can follow. From corporate life to entrepren...

In this deeply personal episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, Sara opens up about the complex emotions that come with out-earning your parents and building a life rooted in choice rather than survival. She explores the quiet tension between pride and guilt, and how money shame shows up for first-gen professionals through overworking, anxiety, and difficulty enjoying success. Through storytelling and reflection, Sara reminds lis...

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, an...

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...

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 communiti...

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 s...

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 generationa...

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,...

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 proc...

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&...

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 rec...

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 l...

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 career coach...