For the first time since launching The First Gen Madrina Podcast, I'm pulling back the curtain on a decision that's been months in the making.

Growth doesn't always mean starting over. Sometimes it means getting clearer about the impact you're meant to make.

In this episode, I'm sharing a personal update that reflects where this journey is headed, why this next chapter feels so important, and how it will create more intentional conversations for our community moving forward.

Whether you've been here since the beginning or you're just finding this podcast, this episode is an invitation into what's next and trust me, you won't want to miss it.

Press play to hear the announcement and be among the first to join me for this exciting new chapter.

Subscribe to the Madrina Money podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts or find it here: https://themadrinamoneypodcast.buzzsprout.com!

What does success look like when the version you were taught no longer feels aligned?

In this episode, Sara sits down with Melissa Gallardo, founder and CEO of Valorosa Candles, a culturally inspired home fragrance brand rooted in Latin traditions, identity, and belonging.

Together, they explore what it means to grow up first generation while navigating assimilation, identity, and the pressure to fit into definitions of success that were never fully our own. Melissa shares how growing up as a Salvadorian-American in a predominantly white community shaped her relationship with culture, language, and home and how building her business became an unexpected journey back to herself.

From climbing the corporate ladder and landing the “dream job” to realizing fulfillment couldn’t be found in titles alone, Melissa opens up about taking the leap into entrepreneurship, redefining success on her own terms, and building something deeply aligned with purpose, impact, and community.

This conversation is a reminder that success is not always linear and sometimes the bravest thing we can do is give ourselves permission to choose differently.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Growing up first generation and navigating identity across cultures
• Assimilation, belonging, and reclaiming cultural roots
• Building a business inspired by nostalgia, home, and Latinidad
• Letting go of traditional definitions of success

Because success isn’t always about reaching the top. It’s about creating a life that feels like home.

As first gens, many of us grew up with a very specific definition of success: get the stable job, make good money, buy the house, choose the career that others respect. But what happens when the life everyone imagined for you doesn’t align with the life you actually want?

In this episode, Sara shares her personal journey of redefining success from choosing social work despite criticism and concerns about money, to later taking the leap into entrepreneurship and creating The First Gen Madrina.

This conversation explores the pressure many first-generation professionals carry, the tension between financial security and fulfillment, and the belief that we have to sacrifice purpose in order to be financially stable.

If you’ve ever questioned your career path, felt guilty for wanting something different, or wondered whether you can build a life that includes both purpose and financial success.... this episode is for you.

In this episode, we talk about:
• First-generation expectations around career and success
• Choosing a path others may not understand
• Redefining success beyond status and income
• The relationship between money, survival mode, and fulfillment
• Entrepreneurship and building a values-aligned life
• Why time and flexibility became part of Sara’s definition of success

Because success doesn’t have to look the way you were taught. It gets to look like you.