The First Gen Madrina

In this episode, host Sara welcomes Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeja to a new episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Pivoting as a First Gen! Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda is a formidable leader in multicultural and bilingual business strategy, blending her rich Mexican and French heritage with over a decade of expertise in business development,...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara kicks off a new episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Pivoting as a First Gen! Sara is no stranger to pivoting. In just 1 year, she bid farewell to her home state of New Jersey to embark on a new journey to the sunny state of Florida! She also ditched her 9-5 job to pursue her dream of ta...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Miguel Olave to a new episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Mental Health as a First Gen! Miguel is a father to four Boys, a husband of 10 years, and the Founding Partner of SpeakrBrand, a social media marketing agency for keynote speakers, CEOs, and executives. He is also a...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Amina Mostafa to a new episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Mental Health as a First Gen! Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, Amina  was the first her family to be born in the United States. The daughter of Egyptian immigrants, she is the olde...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Priscilla Maria Gutierrez to a new episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Mental Health as a First Gen! Priscilla María Gutiérrez, J.D. is a Keynote Speaker, Certified Trauma Recovery Coach, and trauma survivor who empowers others to become cycle breakers. Her life's pur...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Rod Colon to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Mental Health as a First Gen! Rod Colón brings over 25 years of experience coaching and consulting today’s professionals and executives to his role as HISPA's (Hispanics Inspiring Students' Performance and Ac...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, The First Gen Madrina podcast host Sara Diaz opens up the season with sharing her story of managing her mental health as May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Mental Health as a First Gen! Although Sara has shared her mental health struggles in the past, she felt as though she could not ask her guests...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Jeffrey Martinez to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Finances as a First Gen! Jeffrey is the Executive Vice President and Head of Branch Banking at PNC Bank. In his current role, Jeff is responsible for more than 2,400 branches, and nearly 16,000 employees, throug...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Viviana Vazquez to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Finances as a First Gen! Viviana Vazquez is the founder of OverGenPoverty, an online community for people overcoming generational poverty and building generational wealth. Viviana teaches financial literacy lesso...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Charly Stoever  to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Finances as a First Gen. Charly Stoever (they/he/papi) is a nonbinary latinx money coach, speaker, and host of the Unicorn Millionaire Podcast. They’re helping LGBTQ+/BIPOC twerk their way to early retirement. Th...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Christina Singh to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Finance as a First Gen! Our first guest this season is a returning guest: Christina Singh! If you haven’t already tuned in to her first episode (episode 23) go back and tune in! Christina is a financial planner a...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Arianna Dela Rosa to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Celebrating Women's History Month! Arianna is a Holistic Career & Empowerment Coach helping first-gen and BIPOC communities navigate their careers and lives through inner work, healing, and advocacy. F...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Sara Pena to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Celebrating Women's History Month! Sara currently serves as the Director of External Affairs at PSEG. Prior to her role at PSEG, Ms. Peña served as the Director in the New Jersey Department of State’s Center for H...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Choua Vang back for a new episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast for this month's theme, Celebrating Women's History Month! For this episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, we bring back Choua Vang, of Cali & Dana! Choua joined us for episode 11, which has been our most listened to episode (go check it out now!) Choua is a...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Dr. Nicole Pulliam and Dr. Carolina Gonzalez to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Celebrating Women's History Month! Dr. Nicole Pulliam and Dr. Carolina Gonzalez are both administrators in higher education. They are passionate about supporting first generation...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Paulaska Ramirez to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Supporting First Gens! Paulaska is the founder and Executive Director of Generation Fearless, a non-profit that is dedicated to supporting first-generation women. Paulaska was born and raised in Passaic, New Jer...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Elijah Davis to a new episode of the First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand new episode for this month's theme, Supporting First Gens! Elijah is an honors scholar at Brigham Young University, majoring in neuroscience and statistics, and aspires to be a physician-scientist. He founded First-Gen United and is involved in resear...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz speaks with Claudia Guevara-Olivier, Alumni Director of America Needs You. Claudia shares with the first-gen community her inspiring story of navigating the challenges of going to college as a first gen. Despite facing many hardships in her life such as loosing her parents to cancer, Claudia persevered and was able to graduate with her Bachelors and...

Dear First Gens,  In this episode, host Sara Diaz unveils the extraordinary journey of Audrey Fisch, a seasoned professor at New Jersey City University, who, over three decades, has championed first-generation college students. After discovering the challenges faced by these trailblazing individuals in higher education, she created "More Than Bootstraps", an amazing initiative to empower...

Dear First Gens,  In this podcast, host Sara Diaz explores the unique first-gen journey of Adam San Miguel, a Cuban-American entrepreneur who transitioned from tech world to coffee culture. Take a deep dive as Adam discusses the impact of familial roots, the immigrant experience, and the relentless pursuit of a brighter future for Cuba. Adam shares with us the importance of operating from the lens...

Dear First Gens,  In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Audrey Robles, a life and confidence coach, and Sabrina Castillo a life, leadership and business coach to The First Gen Madrina Podcast. Audrey and Sabrina share with us how they navigated their new beginnings from working in the music industry to becoming Self-Made Mujeres. Sabrina and Audrey share their journey of empowering Latina women...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, host Sara Diaz welcomes Josh Farris, a passionate scholar, speaker, and advocate with a remarkable journey. Born and raised in a rural farm town in Virginia, Josh's commitment to education innovation and empowering underserved communities, especially first-generation and low income college students, is truly inspiring. In our conversation, Josh reflects on hi...

Dear First Gens, In this episode,  host Sara Diaz dives into the inspiring journey of Yanet, a self-mastery coach and speaker. Yanet shares her incredible story of leaving Cuba for a better life, overcoming obstacles, and transitioning from a corporate career to entrepreneurship. Discover how she found clarity, courage, and confidence to pursue her wildest dreams. Join us on this podcast that cele...

Welcome back, First Gens! In this first episode of 2024, your host Sara Diaz, the First Gen Madrina, shares her inspiring journey and the mission behind her transformative podcast and business. Join Sara as she unveils the theme for the month of January (New Beginnings) and discusses her plans to provide coaching opportunities for first-generation individuals navigating a lifetime of firsts! Disco...

Dear First Gens, In this episode, Sara and Anyelis provide life updates and discuss Anyelis's transformative journey of re-prioritizing commitments and leading with unwavering courage as a first-generation trailblazer. Through the highs and lows of her courageous pursuit, she shares insights into the challenges of balancing newfound priorities and the relentless pursuit of purpose. Although A...