Yo Quiero Dinero

So many of us are waiting on "someday" to go after the thing we really want. But what happens when someday stops feeling guaranteed? Yvette Ramirez is a bilingual Cuban and Salvadoran American, a tech professional, and the founder of Kuro Libros, a children's picture book brand that helps families teach their kids Spanish at home. In February 2023, Yvette was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Instead of waiting until retirement, she ran her numbers and realized she could coast FIRE. So she's betting on herself NOW.WE GET INTO:[01:24] Meet Yvette and Kuro Libros[01:54] Why now: a stage 4 diagnosis[03:00] Cuban and Salvadoran money lessons: saving, property and wanting more[04:40] From law school to tech startups[07:56] How a diagnosis changes your view of time[09:33] Realizing she could coast FIRE[10:50] Is a steady paycheck really security?[12:35] Stock options, tender offers and her FIRE number[16:04] The gap in Spanish children's books[19:06] Confidence, Caribbean Spanish and choosing the right Spanish[22:04] Taking your own idea seriously[23:55] Self-publishing behind the scenes: $50K+ invested[29:12] Building a business while managing cancer[31:18] Full circle: EGFR, prognosis and hope[35:18] Would she have started sooner?[37:28] "Why not now?" A message for Latinas waiting on someday[39:33] Your paycheck is your angel investor[40:03] How she ended up in the Netherlands[41:44] What she hopes kids feel + where to find Kuro LibrosKEY TAKEAWAYS:→ Your parents may have taught you to save, but saving alone isn't the whole wealth plan. Investing is how your money grows beyond what you earn.→ FIRE calculators can reveal you're closer to freedom than you think. Yvette found she needed around $600K to $700K invested to coast, and her equity had already passed that.→ A steady paycheck isn't the only kind of security. After her diagnosis, Yvette started measuring wealth in time, flexibility, and freedom to see her family.→ Your lived experience is a business idea. Yvette saw friends struggle to raise bilingual kids and saw a gap for a Latino main character in children's books.→ There's room for more than one of us. Seeing another Latina-owned brand succeed showed Yvette the market was ready, not taken.→ Treat your passion project like a business from day one. That means trademarks, an IP attorney, a professional editor, and the right illustrator.→ Rest is part of the strategy. Building on your own terms means giving yourself flexibility and slowing down when your body needs it.You don't have to quit to start. Your paycheck can be the angel investor for the thing you want to build.CONNECT WITH YVETTE:🤝 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kurolibros🌐 Website: https://www.kurolibros.com (free resources available)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 week's episode came from a very real, very tearful moment on my Instagram: the realization that there is no magic number that makes you feel financially secure. So I brought back someone who can actually help us unpack that. Jacent Wamala is the founder of Wealth and Wellness University where she helps high-earning women of color break the cycle of financial anxiety and build real, lasting wealth without burning out.We're getting into it: the difference between earning money and actually FEELING financially free, why your nervous system is running the show more than you realize, the identity shift nobody warns you about when you go from debt payoff mode to wealth building mode, first-gen money programming, the pressure of the sandwich generation, and why community (not hustle) is the real key to building wealth. If you've ever felt like you're doing everything "right" on paper but still panic every time you check your account, this episode is your permission slip to look deeper.WE GET INTO:[01:32] Meet Jacent: from therapist to financial coach[03:04] Reconnecting: how her relationship with money evolved since 2021[06:06] The signs someone needs a financial therapist or coach[08:19] Unpacking childhood money programming[09:40] First-gen wealth builders and immigrant money lessons[12:06] The sandwich generation squeeze[16:36] The identity shift from debt payoff to wealth building[20:46] Hypervigilance vs. healthy financial responsibility[23:12] Money isn't the only currency — bartering and community[27:35] Giving yourself permission to enjoy what you've built[31:36] What people assume disappears at a high income[33:12] Earning money vs. feeling financially free[36:41] How motherhood changed her relationship with risk[41:27] Why "working harder" isn't the answer[45:22] Generational wealth requires generational healing[45:48] Defining what "enough" actually means[50:04] The financial story she's not passing down to her kids[52:05] Therapist, coach, or both? How to know it's time[55:01] Where to find Jacent + her free resourcesKEY TAKEAWAYS:→ There is no dollar amount that automatically makes you feel safe. Safety is a skill you build by defining what it actually means to you, then reminding yourself of the evidence daily.→ Paying off debt and building wealth require completely different strategies, so expect an identity shift, not a straight line.→ First-gen and immigrant money lessons often center on survival (save, save, save), but the next generation gets to honor that sacrifice while also learning to invest and take calculated risks.→ "Working harder" has a ceiling. Without clear milestones, you're working toward nothing measurable, and you cap yourself out of passive income, leadership, and building beyond yourself.→ Generational wealth requires generational healing. Building wealth for your lineage means facing what your ancestors couldn't, which is part of why the work feels so heavy.→ Defining "enough" starts with a baseline (physical safety, no food insecurity, a cushion if something goes wrong) and everything past that is a bonus, not a requirement.CONNECT WITH JACENT:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JacentWamalaWebsite: https://wamalawellness.comTAKE 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

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 writer3:03 – Growing up in a traditional Puerto Rican household4:15 – From social worker dreams to computer science and Accenture4:55 – Advice for parents raising kids with "unstable" dreams9:39 – Unpacking the "calladita" messaging from her mom12:17 – The moment staying quiet started costing her13:31 – The "Chad" story: watching someone else get promoted18:20 – What self-advocacy actually looks like19:57 – The negotiation that made her a director overnight23:57 – The "brag sheet": self-promotion without bragging26:45 – Navigating the "difficult Latina" stereotype32:36 – Leaving corporate: the layoff that led to entrepreneurship35:07 – One year of Calladita No More: reader reactions37:19 – The decision to move to Madrid43:32 – Microaggressions and advocating for herself abroad50:16 – Rapid fire questions + where to find HadyKEY 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 areCONNECT 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 

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 202602:15 — What are we actually measuring when we say "pay gap"?04:17 — Debunking the "it's just women's choices" myth06:37 — The real numbers: 76 cents, 54 cents, and what the average hides08:24 — Why education alone doesn't close the gap10:35 — The unpaid care work baked into how workplaces are built11:47 — The wealth gap: what losing $900K–$1M actually looks like13:23 — Finding power in a hopeless-feeling conversation16:27 — The motherhood penalty, explained19:46 — Why so many moms are choosing entrepreneurship instead20:38 — Black and Latina moms as breadwinners22:40 — Do salary transparency laws actually work?23:57 — What to do if you find out you're underpaid26:28 — How DEI rollbacks are showing up in real workplaces30:24 — The "trad wife" pushback and what it means for women's choices35:06 — Jocelyn's 3 policy wishes for women's financial security37:17 — State level wins and what's next39:54 — Grounding policy in your actual paycheck43:15 — What you can do right now, no Congress required48:00 — What gives Jocelyn hope51:23 — How to support the National Partnership for Women & FamiliesKEY 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.

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 money03:39 — "Echale ganas": the origin of Ganas Ventures05:51 — From USC to big tech: IBM, Cisco & finding her "tribe"07:45 — The interview series that introduced her to venture capital09:12 — Breaking into VC and building her own fund10:25 — Representation in venture & the Siete Foods story11:37 — What venture capital actually means, no jargon13:23 — VC vs. lotto tickets: the real odds14:24 — What makes a business "venture backable"15:01 — Bootstrap vs. raise: the Calendly story17:11 — Why full control means skipping VC money18:50 — Crowdfunding and other accessible ways to invest19:20 — What is an accredited investor (and how to become one without the income)22:07 — The risk of taking money from unaccredited investors24:51 — Bias, pedigree, and the double standard for founders of color31:25 — How to actually get started as an investor34:03 — Angel checks vs. VC checks: how much you really need35:03 — Overcoming imposter syndrome & belonging in venture36:24 — The size of the Latino economy & rising unicorn foundersKEY 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/yoquierodineropodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yoquierodineropodcastWebsite: https://yoquierodineropodcast.comThis episode was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

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 Confession02:20 The Accidental Business Origin (2019)04:49 Celebrating Early Wins: The $144K Milestone07:14 From $125 to $50K Brand Deals09:37 The Discomfort of Outgrowing Her Old Self10:21 Fear of Becoming Unrelatable12:44 Struggle vs. Success in Latino Community Narratives15:08 Family Side Comments and Feeling Like an Outsider17:25 Committing to Radical Transparency19:40 Why Latina Wealth Visibility Matters21:54 Hope Over Guarantee: What This Show Is For24:22 Honoring Every Version of Herself26:48 Reconnecting With Her New Self as a Mom29:10 Outro: Create & Cultivate Festival + Sign OffKEY 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 momTAKE 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 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 Cycles2:15 Leslie’s Parenting Journey6:58 Parenting with Compassion Under Pressure18:11 Why La Chancla? Reclaiming a Cultural Symbol24:51 Setting Boundaries in Multigenerational Families35:36 Reparenting Yourself44:39 Healing When Parents Won’t Take Accountability45:39 Scarcity, Money & Self-Worth49:15 Raising Kids to Question Authority56:46 Building Self-Worth & Emotional Safety1:03:28 A New Vision for Latino Family Healing1:07:22 Where to Find Leslie & the BookKEY 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/yoquierodineropodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcastWebsite: https://yoquierodineropodcast.comThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting. 

It's been a minute since I gave you a full behind-the-scenes update, so today's episode is a solo catch-up plus is Nara Smith a trad wife or a genius businesswoman cosplaying domesticity? A mom informed her three adult daughters they now owe her $300/month, should they pay? And OpenAI took a group of creators on a luxury brand trip that the internet did NOT let slide, but who actually deserves the scrutiny? Stay till the end because I'm sharing all the ways you can work with me right now and diving into the biggest takeaway of this episode: money, power, and influence are always operating behind the image.WE GET INTO: 0:00 – Intro: what's on deck today0:00 – Business update: Sales Without Social launch recap4:54 – New digital products program (coming soon)7:15 – Financially Lit Club school community + the $75K challenge11:50 – Rich Mommy Retreat: Costa Rica, Nov 2–515:17 – Personal health update: GLP-1, HRT, and 50+ lbs lost17:41 – Perimenopause, chronic illness, and Latino community health gaps22:21 – Is Nara Smith a trad wife?26:40 – Am I the Asshole: the $300/month "daughter dividend"35:17 – The OpenAI creator brand trip backlash39:46 – The common thread: money, power, and image42:12 – Ways to work with Jannese + closingKEY TAKEAWAYS:Passive marketing beats algorithm dependencyThere's no ceiling on what you can earnDomesticity ≠ financial dependence, and vice versa isn't automatically liberationFamily generosity shouldn't be a mandatory recurring invoiceBrand partnerships come with responsibility — ask what you're lending your name toFinancial literacy goes way beyond budgetingEPISODE RESOURCES: 🔗 Idea to Income Webinar: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/idea 🔗 The Financially Lit Club: https://www.skool.com/financially-lit-club/ 🔗 The Rich Mami Retreat: ​https://trovatrip.com/trip/central-america/costa-rica/costa-rica-rich-mami-2026 🔗 The First Gen Founders Circle: https://courses.yoquierodineropodcast.com/founders 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/yoquierodineropodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yoquierodineropodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yoquierodineropodcastWebsite: https://yoquierodineropodcast.comThis episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.