Mas que Chingona with Dr. Mariela Salas

The credentials are real. So is everything they don't tell you about them. This is the episode where I introduce myself the way I actually am - not the résumé version. The doctorate and the AuDHD. The three organizations and the zero morning routines. The big vision and the days when nothing is working. I built this show because I needed it to exist. And if you're a high-achieving woman who has bu...

This week at CBC ALC, I listened to powerful panels and also met my successor — a bittersweet reminder that growth means moving on. I share what it feels like when passion becomes identity, why staying too comfortable can turn into a ceiling, and how I’m using my Great Lock-In plan to stay grounded through this transition. It’s not perfect. I’m messy, I’m scared — but I’m still showing up.

Last week marked five years since my dad passed, and grief hit me hard. I almost skipped a work trip, but with a push from my partner (and some tears in a hotel bathroom), I showed up. What followed was connection, clarity, and a reminder of why community matters. In this episode, I share how I’m starting over, what the Ikigai framework is teaching me about alignment, and why being chingona isn’t...

I’m Mariela. Latina, mom, partner, amiga, researcher, advisor… and someone who still wonders: Who am I becoming? This episode is my honest intro — no polish, no pretending. Just me, starting over, inviting you to join the journey of figuring it out together.