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For a long time, I thought someone had to choose me first. A company. A boss. Someone with authority who would look at my work and say: yes, you belong here. And then I got laid off. Twice. The first time was after a merger. The second time was during COVID. And somewhere in the middle of that second one, I had a realization that changed everything: No one is coming to give you permission. So you have to give it to yourself.  That's the idea I got to explore recently on a panel in Austin, "Power Without Permission: Latinas Leading the New Economy," hosted by The Latina Foundation, alongside moderator Bessy Martinez and fellow panelists Angelica Robles and Brittney Rodriguez. It was one of those conversations that stays with you. And I've been thinking about it ever since. 💗 We talked about leadership, money, creativity, and what it really means to build something on your own terms. The conversation touched on so much that I wanted to bring it here. I never imagined I'd be someone people wanted to hear from. For a long time, I didn't think my story was special enough to share on a stage. But after the event, people reached out to thank me for being vulnerable, and that reminded me why sharing matters. When you let people see the real journey, they start to see themselves in it. And that's everything. What power without permission actually looks like When I was younger, my parents wanted me to choose a safe career. They were educators. Security mattered, the way it matters in a lot of Latino households, where stability is never something you take for granted. But for the first time in my life, I spoke up for myself. I said I wanted to follow what my heart was telling me: a creative career. It felt terrifying. They didn't fully understand it. And I wasn't sure I could pull it off either! But that moment taught me something I've carried ever since: claiming your power often starts before you feel ready. It starts when you decide you voice and dreams matter, even if no one has validated it yet. Courage doesn't always come first Here's what I've learned after years of building this business: Courage doesn't always show up before the decision. Sometimes you make the leap, and courage catches up later. When I got laid off the second time, I remember thinking: I can either keep waiting for someone else to decide my future, or I can start building something of my own. So I did. Terrified, but moving. That's still how I make most of my big decisions. Not from a place of total confidence, but from seconds of courage that push me just far enough forward to figure the rest out. On creativity being for all of us One thing I believe deeply, and talk about with my students all the time, is that creativity is not a personality type or a special gift. It's a way of thinking. Many Latinas grow up being practical, responsible, and hardworking. Which is a strength. But somewhere along the way, creativity can get quietly pushed aside, like it's a luxury we can't afford. It's not. Your perspective, your culture, your lived experience, those are creative assets. Powerful ones. The world doesn't need more people copying what's already been done. It needs more authentic voices. Yours included. The leadership I was taught, and the kind I had to find Both of my parents were educators. Teaching was always modeled for me growing up. But I spent a long time thinking I couldn't lead because I was the quiet one. The introvert. The shy girl who wasn't sure she belonged in the room, let alone at the front of it. What I had to unlearn was the idea that leadership has one personality type. It doesn't. You can be thoughtful, observant, warm, and still be powerful. Once I stopped trying to match someone else's version of leadership, I found my own way to show up. For me, that looks like this: if I figured something out, I'm not keeping it to myself. It's why I created my academy. It's why mentorship matters so much to me. I didn't grow up seeing many people who looked like me teaching brand design or showing how to build a real career from creative work. That gap is something I think about every time I share what I know. The thing I want to leave you with Fear is normal. The goal isn't to get rid of it. The goal is to move forward anyway. And when we take those leaps, even scared, even uncertain, we're not just changing our own lives. We're showing someone else what's possible. Most of the decisions that changed my life didn't come from confidence. They came from seconds of courage. And sometimes, that's all you need to start.
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