First Person with Alejo Largo

In this episode of First Person, we welcome Mari Iwahara, a designer and founder of Sibling, a cross-cultural brand consultancy . Mari shares her unique upbringing in a Japanese household in New York City, her struggles with dual identity, and the pivotal moment that led her to embrace her mixed heritage. She discusses her journey into the creative field, the founding of her agency, and the import...

Alejandro López is the founder of Toma—a small-batch Bloody Mary mix inspired by his Colombian and Cuban roots. In this episode, Alejandro shares how growing up as the only Latino family in his Arizona neighborhood shaped his identity, how he found his way into brand marketing, and what led him to start Toma from a family recipe. We talk about building a business rooted in culture, the creative po...

In this new episode of First Person , I sit down with Sonny Caberwal, an entrepreneur, father, and first-generation American, whose path has been anything but ordinary. Sonny’s journey has taken him from a tight-knit Sikh immigrant community in North Carolina, to becoming the first Sikh model in a Kenneth Cole campaign, to founding companies like Bond and Legends. Along the way, he’s learned to se...

In this episode of First Person with Alejo Largo , I sit down with Rachel Gogel—a Parisian-born, San Francisco-based creative director, educator, and solopreneur. Rachel has led design teams at GQ, The New York Times, Meta, and Airbnb. Today, she runs her own consultancy as a fractional design executive, helping companies set up thoughtful and impactful creative practices. We talk about growing up...

Welcome to a special episode of First Person . This time, it’s just me—your host, Alejo Largo. In this solo episode, I take a few minutes to share more about my story and why I started this podcast. From growing up in Cali, Colombia, to spending summers in New York and studying in Germany, I talk about what it was like to grow up between cultures, move to the U.S. at 17, and find my path in the cr...

In this first episode of First Person , I sit down with Tiffany Shi—entrepreneur, product leader, and co-founder of the travel startup we launched together back in 2018. Tiffany shares what it was like growing up between China and the U.S., and how her third-culture background shaped the way she sees the world, makes decisions, and takes creative risks. We talk about building Travel Trove, the les...

Join me in candid conversations with immigrants and first-generation individuals who’ve started something meaningful of their own. From entrepreneurs to creatives and small business owners, we’ll explore how change and lived experiences have shaped their journeys and fueled their ideas. I’m your host, a Colombian-born, New York-based design leader who once launched a travel startup. Like you, I’m...