Hola, hola! It's your girl Gigi (Giovanna Gonzalez), also known as The First Gen Mentor, back with Season 3 of the Cultura & Cash!

In this episode, I’m joined by my friend and career coach and mindset coach, Carla Santamaria from @thefirstgencoach to talk about her personal experience with a recent layoff, and strategies she used to land her current role.

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🔸 Carla’s personal experience with layoffs and the emotional rollercoaster she experienced

🔸 The role of self-care and mental health during transitions

🔸 Helpful strategies for financial and emotional resilience

🔸 The importance of community support during job loss

🔸 Effective job search strategies and avoiding panic applying

Listen as Carla Santamaria shares her personal journey through layoffs, strategies for navigating career transitions, and how to build resilience and community support during uncertain times.

Let’s talk about it! 💬

👉 Hit play to hear all about it!

📲 Connect with Carla Santamaria:

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlathefirstgencoach/?hl=en

Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-santamaria/

Listen to her podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-first-gen-coach-career-development-for-latinas/id1591669301

Sign up for her free newsletter: http://thefirstgencoach.com/newsletter

Register for her FREE training in August: https://www.subscribepage.com/august2026webinar

Explore 1:1 coaching with Carla: http://thefirstgencoach.com/consult

📲 Connect with Giovanna Gonzalez | The First Gen Mentor:

Tiktok: / thefirstgenmentor

Instagram: / gigithefirstgenmentor

LinkedIn: / giovannagonzalez

#layoffs #financialresilience #jobsearchingtips #firstgenprofessionals #careercoach #GiovannaGonzalez #FirstGenMentor #latinapodcast

Hola, hola! It's your girl Gigi (Giovanna Gonzalez), also known as The First Gen Mentor, back with Season 3 of the Cultura & Cash!

I took a short break from the podcast (more of that later!) but I’m back! In this episode, I’m joined by my friend and fellow content creator, Estrella from @CafecitoConEstrellita and @Conchas for kids.

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🔸 What inspired her to create her toy playset, Conchas for Kids

🔸 What it really costs to make a new toy and challenges she overcame with manufacturing

🔸 Why she chose Kickstarter to crowdfund the start up costs for her new project

🔸 How other Latinas can use Kickstarter to secure funding and 3 tips for successful crowdfunding campaigns

Listen to hear Estrella’s inspiring journey from creating Cafecito con Estrellita to launching Conchas for Kids, a project aimed at increasing Latino representation in toys.

Let’s talk about it! 💬

👉 Hit play to hear all about it!

The last day to pledge to her Kickstarter is August 1st!

Support Conchas for Kids Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/conchasforkids/conchas-for-kids-pan-dulce-play-set

📲 Connect with Estrella:

Follow @ConchasForKids: https://www.instagram.com/conchasforkids/

Follow @CafecitoConEstrellita: https://www.instagram.com/cafecitoconestrellita/

Subscribe to her Substack: https://substack.com/@cafecitoconestrellita

📲 Connect with Giovanna Gonzalez | The First Gen Mentor:

Tiktok: / thefirstgenmentor

Instagram: / gigithefirstgenmentor

LinkedIn: / giovannagonzalez

#latinaentrepreneur #latinafounder #crowdfunding #kickstarter #GiovannaGonzalez #FirstGenMentor #latinapodcast

Hola, hola! It's your girl Gigi (Giovanna Gonzalez), also known as The First Gen Mentor, back with Season 3 of the Cultura & Cash!

April marks one year since I left Chicago to move to Spain. On this episode, I answer your questions about my experience abroad 1 year post my big move.

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🔸 Why I chose Spain over Mexico

🔸 The top challenges I’ve had in my first year abroad

🔸 How I’ve built community in Spain, and do I have any Spanish friends yet?

🔸 How much healthcare costs and how it works

🔸 The health improvements I’ve had since immigrating to Spain

This episode is one of a series of episodes I’ll share about my insights about life as an American living in Spain

Let’s talk about it! 💬

👉 Hit play to hear all about it!

Get tickets to the Milwaukee book signing here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hpgm-presents-giovanna-gonzalez-author-of-cultura-cash-at-boswell-tickets-1986815692219?aff=oddtdtcreator

📲 Connect with Giovanna Gonzalez | The First Gen Mentor:

Tiktok: / thefirstgenmentor

Instagram: / gigithefirstgenmentor

LinkedIn: / giovannagonzalez

#expat #Spain #movingabroad #digitalnomad #latinainspain #GiovannaGonzalez #FirstGenMentor #latinapodcast

Hola, hola! It's your girl Gigi (Giovanna Gonzalez), also known as The First Gen Mentor, back with Season 3 of the Cultura & Cash!

On this episode, I’m joined by my friend and former book coach, Stacy Ennis! Stacy is a seasoned book coach and author, shares her extensive experience in writing, editing, and coaching aspiring authors. A must listen for aspiring authors!

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• When it makes sense to work with a book coach
• The importance of purpose in writing a book
• Common barriers faced by Latina women and women of color in publishing and how to overcome them
• The role of support, accountability, and coaching in completing a book
• The impact of AI on the writing process and ethical considerations
• Strategies for maintaining flow and consistency in writing to actually get that book done

Your book is already within you. All you need is the right support and strategies to make it happen!

Let’s talk about it! 💬

Explore Stacy’s writing cohort: https://www.stacyennis.com/ideatodraft?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=referral

Disclaimer: I make a small commission if you use the link above to enroll

Get to know Stacy

Listen to my episode on Stacy’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uup87G_GHU

Beyond Better Podcast with Stacy Ennis: https://stacyennis.com/category/podcast/

Stacy’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stacyennis/?hl=en

Stacy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacylynn/

Stacy’s website: https://stacyennis.com/

👉 Hit play to hear all about it!

📲 Connect with Giovanna Gonzalez | The First Gen Mentor:

Tiktok: / thefirstgenmentor

Instagram: / gigithefirstgenmentor

LinkedIn: / giovannagonzalez

#bookwriting #Latinaauthors #publishing #bookcoaching #GiovannaGonzalez #FirstGenMentor #latinapodcast

Hola, hola! It's your girl Gigi (Giovanna Gonzalez), also known as The First Gen Mentor, back with Season 3 of the Cultura & Cash!

On this episode, I share why I stopped contributing to my retirement accounts at 36! What’s behind this shocking decision? 🤯

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• How living abroad has affected my ability to contribute to retirement accounts
• An introduction to the FI/RE movement
• How I hit a major financial milestone- Coast FIRE!
• An inside look into my investing journey, and how the pandemic allowed me to lock in
• The actual math I’m using to calculate my projected retirement portfolio and how to calculate your projected annual expenses in retirement
• Why my goal is to die with zero
• How stepping away from retirement contributions has allowed me to work a job I enjoy and given me extra money to optimize my life now
• As you consider your own retirement planning, think about how your current situation and goals align with your financial strategies.

What does this mean for you? Understanding your retirement options is crucial, especially if you’re considering retiring abroad.

Let’s talk about it! 💬

Compound interest calculator: https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator

📲 Connect with Giovanna Gonzalez | The First Gen Mentor:

Tiktok: / thefirstgenmentor

Instagram: / gigithefirstgenmentor

LinkedIn: / giovannagonzalez

#GiovannaGonzalez #FirstGenMentor #latinapodcast #coastFIRE

Hola, hola! It's your girl Gigi (Giovanna Gonzalez), also known as The First Gen Mentor, back with Season 3 of the Cultura & Cash!

On this episode, I’m talking about my cell phone addiction and how I’ve created systems and better habits to improve my mental health and sleep quality.

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• An update on the Spanish adaptation of Cultura & Cash
• How a business coach encouraged me to detox from social media
• Navigating grief, insomnia and high stress
• My step-by-step sleep routine to unwind and get good quality sleep
• The new habits I’ve adopted to improve my relationship with social media
• Resources to learn more

👉 Hit play to hear all my reflections because health is wealth!

📲 Connect with Giovanna Gonzalez | The First Gen Mentor:

Tiktok: / thefirstgenmentor

Instagram: / gigithefirstgenmentor

LinkedIn: / giovannagonzalez

Hola, hola! It's your girl Gigi (Giovanna Gonzalez), also known as The First Gen Mentor, back with Season 3 of the Cultura & Cash podcast!

On this episode, I’m joined by my guest, Sahirenys Pierce. Sahirenys is the founder of Poised Finance & Lifestyle and the author of the upcoming book The High 5 Banking Method.

🎧 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• How her father instilled a mindset of abundance when she was a child
• How going through an eviction shaped her mindset and led her to a path as a financial educator
• How she acquired a book deal with Wiley and tips for aspiring authors
• How she developed The High 5 Banking Method and how listeners can use it to level up their finances
• How she’s making sure her children are set up for financial prosperity as a first-gen Latina

👉 Hit play to hear all my interview with Sahirenys!

You can pre-order her book, The High 5 Banking Method, wherever you buy books, or by visiting her website at https://thepoisedlifestyle.com/the-high-5-banking-method-book/.

📲 Connect with Sahirenys, the founder of Poised Finance & Lifestyle:

Instagram: poisedfinancelifestyle

📲 Connect with Giovanna Gonzalez | The First Gen Mentor:

Tiktok: / thefirstgenmentor

Instagram: / gigithefirstgenmentor

LinkedIn: / giovannagonzalez

#GiovannaGonzalez #FirstGenMentor #latinapodcast #moneybook