Empowering Latinas: Breaking Barriers with Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner & Claudia Romo Edelman

Did you know that Latina women earn only 53 cents to every dollar compared to men and hold a mere 2% of executive positions despite being 9% of the U.S. population?

In this episode of Women of Influence, we welcome Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner and Claudia Romo Edelman, two powerhouse Latinas championing the cause for Latina representation in leadership roles. With a lack of visible role models and adequate networking opportunities, Latinas face unique challenges. Cynthia and Claudia share  their personal stories, the mission behind their cause and podcast,  A La Latina, and the importance of changing the narrative around Latinas in the U.S. This episode is a deep dive into breaking barriers, flipping the script on biases, and promoting leadership.

Key Highlights from the Episode:

• Understanding the Challenges and hurdles Latinas face in the corporate environment, including lack of role models and networking opportunities.
• A La Latina: Emphasizing the importance of taking risks and authenticity in corporate settings. See how the podcast is empowering Latinas by offering a playbook to help Latinas navigate corporate challenges while staying true to themselves.
• Learn about the expansion of A La Latina into a comprehensive network that connects professional Latinas both in-person and digitally across cities, providing mentors, sponsors, and a support system.
• Hear insights from Claudia and Cynthia on how embracing their Latina identity became a superpower and the lessons others can pull from their success stories.
• Learn how Cynthia and Claudia have a commitment to spreading the empowering message to both Latinas and non-Latinas, reinforcing the possibility of achieving their goal while focusing on strengths and taking a risk without waiting for permission.
• Hear how both Cynthia and Claudia emphasize the importance of taking risks early in life, assuring listeners that it’s okay to leap.
• Economic and Representation Issues: Discussion on the Hispanic community’s impact on the U.S. economy, underrepresentation in executive roles, and the need for equitable wages for Latina women.
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Links & Resources

Want to learn more & follow?

Claudia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiaromoedelman/

Cynthia LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-kleinbaum-milner-63685b2/

Website: https://www.alalatina.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alalatinapodcast/

 Learn more about the Hispanic Leadership Summit and Hispanic Star Gala 

https://www.hispanicstar.org/hls

https://www.hispanicstar.org/gala

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Transcript

Empowering Latinas in Corporate America

Speaker 1 0:00

We need to make sure that we bring inspiration to our own communities and to allies about what's possible, so that Latinas can start developing their wings to the size of their dreams. And no one can tell us how small or how big our dreams should be. And, at the end of the day, I think that what you will see in a couple of years is a large population led by women that will start taking, you know, like taking charge and responsibility, because they think they can.

Speaker 2 0:41

Welcome back to the show. We have not one, but two terrific guests for you today. On the podcast, I am delighted to bring you my conversation with Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner and Claudia Romo Edelman of A La Latina, the organization that they're developing, and the podcast is amazing. We've talked before on the podcast about how women earn less than men do in the United States for equal work. So women earn just about 81 cents to every dollar that a man makes Latina women. When you look at that group in particular, the number drops to 53 cents to the dollar. So a Latina woman on average makes 53 cents to the dollar that a man makes for similar work. And what Claudia and Cynthia are doing is trying to change that paradigm and shift that paradigm. Latinas make up 9 percent of the US population, but they hold just 2 percent of executive positions and there is no one better to dedicate to getting this done than Cynthia and Claudia. Claudia was and has spent many years working in the global mobilization and social change. She worked at the UNICEF, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and Malaria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. She is a powerhouse who has really built an amazing career and set of skills that she is translating to a la Latina. She's doing is Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner, and Cynthia has been a trailblazer in the corporate world. She worked at Walmart, leading incredibly innovative initiatives like the marketing for Walmart Plus, mobile apps and online grocery. So together, cynthia and Claudia have the A La Latina podcast, which is part of what they're doing. On that, they are showcasing trailblazing Latina women at the top of some of the most successful organizations like Coca-Cola, the NFL, nestle and Spotify, and their goal is to give Latina women an understanding of how they can create a playbook for themselves, for success within the corporate world, within the work world, also give them a way to network with one another and also to see these amazing stories of role models so that they can also achieve what they are looking to achieve in their life and their careers. I really found this conversation inspiring. The work that Cynthia and Claudia are doing is moving the needle and it will continue to move the needle for Latina women. They also lay out a very strong, compelling case, from just a pure business standpoint, of the spending power of the US population of Latinos in the United States and why this is such an important group of people as constituents, as consumers, as people who are executives in companies. So I'm going to let you hear my conversation with Cynthia and Claudia and we're going to jump right into it with Cynthia and Claudia, and we're going to jump right into it.

Speaker 2 4:08

Cynthia and Claudia, welcome to the show. Thank you for having us, aliza. I am excited to talk with you both. I love the mission of what you're doing with A La Latina, and I had the chance to talk with Cynthia, and I don't usually have two guests on the show, but I do think that what you're combining your skills and your backgrounds to do is so important that it was a good thing for our audience to hear from both of you. So thank you both for being here, and maybe we can start first with Cynthia. Can you just give us a little bit of background about who you are, and then we'll do that with Claudia as well?

Speaker 3 4:48

Sure, I mean. My name is Cynthia Kleinbaum. I come from Mexico. I have over 20 years of experience doing marketing in big and small companies and most recently I was leading marketing for Walmart's digital acceleration initiatives, walmart Plus, the membership program, online grocery, the mobile apps, and after that I became the CMO of FinTech that aims to provide financial access to the underbanked. The name is Money Lion, and in these last two jobs I became much more aware of the barriers that myself and other Latinas are facing when climbing the ladder. I climbed the ladder for 20 years and at the later stage I realized that the glass ceiling was becoming thicker and thicker and harder and harder to break, and that was my impetus of starting this when I met Claudia.

Empowering Latina Women in Leadership

Speaker 1 5:49

My name is Claudia Romo Edelman. I'm the lucky one who partners with Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner, and together I think that we're on a quest and we're not going to stop until we see more representation of Latinas and people looking like us on the numbers that we have at the top of this country, because we 100% believe that this is our time and that doing that move will benefit everybody. I'm the CEO and the founder of the World Human Foundation and Hispanic Star. I'm a social entrepreneur. I've been a marketer for social causes for over 30 years now, working for the most incredible organizations like the United Nations, unicef, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Economic Forum always pretty much doing the same thing, which is to win the hearts and minds of people to do the right thing. Pretty much. I think that what is clear to me is that when you have the level of the goals that are so ambitious, like the goals that we have right now, it is really important to have a shared agenda, a shared dream, and I think that one of the superpowers that I can bring to the table here is to be able to inspire people to see one thing that we can all adhere to and move forward. So I think that that global mobilization expertise has been brought to me for this particular initiative, which is, for the first time in my life, personal.

Speaker 1 7:16

And so, alisa, if I may just like jump and also reciprocate what Cynthia said, what brought me here is that 10 years ago I moved to the US After 20 years as a Mexican not living in Mexico. I'm going to be 30 years outside of Mexico, but the first 20 years I was in Europe working for these organizations, the last 10 years in the US. And when I moved to the US, that was the first ever time that I heard that I was a Hispanic or a Latina. I was like I'm a happy Mexican, I've never heard that in my life before. And what is this group that you're going to put me in to belong? So I think that many people in the US are used to that name, but I just want to say it for disclaimer. It doesn't mean anything, it's an invention of the US. All of a sudden, you're like Latina, latinx or Hispanic, which is, you know, like I was going to belong to, and that I was getting curious about it.

Speaker 1 8:06

And then I realized that, particularly when I got married to an American, that my diplomatic life was over, I was going to stay here and that, because of my choice, my daughter was going to make 50% of the salary, because Latinas, just by definition, make 53 cents of the dollar by definition, make 53 cents of the dollar. And that's when I started realizing that I needed to take action, because 10 years from now otherwise I would be beating myself up if I know that a part of what we need to do is to reestablish and reimagine what Latinos are rebranding, if you want remarketing Latinos. If we didn't do that and we didn't open the door for a playbook for Latinas, I think that my daughter was going to have a different fate than what I think, cynthia and I are doing so that our daughters have a fair chance.

Speaker 2 8:58

I want to talk about the mission of A La Latina for a minute, but I want to talk about what the need is. We mentioned that Latina women make 53 cents on the dollar versus I believe that's probably versus like a white male right Versus white men and which is, by the way, lower than the average for women in the US overall. So Latina women making less than just average women in the US overall. So Latino women making less than just average women in the US. But also I want to talk about the fact that they're 9% of Latinas, make up 9% of the US population, but they're only 2% of the senior executive positions.

Speaker 2 9:42

And I know, cynthia, you and I talked about this. You said you were not even necessarily particularly aware of the fact that this was the case until people started coming to you when you were in a more senior position at Walmart and saying, hey, you're a Latina woman who is in this position of power. We need to hear from you and that was a little bit of a wake up call for you. Can you, can you both maybe just talk briefly, just so people understand this broader context of Latinas in this country and and the makeup of Latinas in positions of power.

Speaker 3 10:19

Sure I can start. Yeah, as Claudia told you, being Latino. Latina doesn't mean anything, it's a construct of the US. So it takes some time before you realize you're part of that group, and that was what happened to me.

Speaker 3 10:45

Stand and become more visible, because one of the three like big, big things that prevent Latinas from climbing the ladder is that they don't see themselves reflected. There are 2% of executives, 1% or less of CEOs and board members, but even though they're there, and there's very few of them, they're not necessarily visible, because, a they may not have claimed their Latinidad, they may not have said, hey, I'm here in a position of power and I am Latina. Or, b they don't have the time. You know, like they're not prioritizing. There's an element of humility that comes, that's very ingrained in our culture, where we're not making the time to put the reflectors in our story, to share who we are. So I wanted to give a forum for Latinas to shine and for the younger Latinas to see them.

Speaker 3 11:32

Then there's the other two elements that are really prevalent are the lack of a network. You don't have a network that can tell you this is how it's done. You know, because when you are the first generation to go to college, or the first generation to be in corporate America, or the first generation in any role, right? If you're the first doctor in your family, who's going to tell you how a career of a doctor looks like? How do you make decisions? So that's the same thing in corporate America. If you're the first person in a company, that's the same thing in corporate America. If you're the first person in a company, it's very difficult to know how to get promoted, how to negotiate a salary, how to climb the ladder. Does the ladder even exist? Because, let me tell you, it doesn't. It's more of a climbing wall.

Speaker 2 12:17

So, ala Latina, tell me how you decided to launch it. What is part of Ala Latina, and then what is the mission?

Speaker 1 12:25

It is really incredible how we created A La Latina, so pretty much the story, the background story, and this is a message for everyone every woman to you know trust your instinct and just go and take a risk. So Cynthia came to me, recommended by someone to interview me for her new podcast, that she wanted to do an interview 12 women. Her project seemed to be quite content and when we met I think that both of us, I said like, I don't want to give you an interview, I want to create a podcast with you. And so I think that we said like so who can we interview for there? I think that we said like so who can we interview for there?

Building a Powerful Latina Network

Speaker 1 13:01

And so we started, and a lot of the times, latinas, particularly women in general, but Latinas in particular, were so risk adverse because we have so much responsibility that it's very hard to understand that careers are long, that you eventually are going to be okay and that you could take the risk that you have based on what you have. So we took this risk and what we realized is that there is not enough of us at the top of anything, that 2% actually is less than 1% and that once you make it, you come really bitten up, bruised and probably with a sense of loss of your identity. You don't be yourself, we just assimilate. And we wanted to make sure that we were able to provide what Cynthia just said role models, playbooks and that network where you know that you can make it and help the time with help the buses so that if it took me 10 years to be able to realize that actually the best promotion technique of the world is be myself and what does it mean to be myself? How do I become myself and nevertheless fit in a corporate environment? It's an art and it requires people telling you from all sorts of lives how did they do it, so that you can take that as your guiding principle and then apply it.

Speaker 1 14:28

And luckily, alisa, we've been able to see people that are already telling us. I've been in corporate America eight months. I listened to your podcast and I'm already, you know, like seeing the results. I've been already getting promotions. We've been already getting testimonials of people saying I'm going to go to my interview, saying that my accent is a pro, never a con, because in your podcast I learned the technique of flip the script, where I understand that biases are not realities and the bias is that when you think you have an accent, you think you're less competent or you're less professional, but the reality is that you speak two languages and so, when you're able to have those techniques and those frameworks, you enter the workforce and you enter your life in a very different state.

Speaker 1 15:14

And I think that we're seeing our dream become a reality and moving from a podcast to a network where we're going city by city, gathering those trailblazers that made it, that want to give back, and then connecting them not only among themselves but also with each other, so that we can do the best group of Latinas in Los Angeles, in Miami, in Dallas, in New York, and, little by little, connecting those hubs so that we can really create the network, the most powerful network of Latinas that want to support each other, so that again, we can really create the network, the most powerful network of Latinas that want to support each other, so that again we can make it a la Latina. It helped the time which helped, the bruises being our authentic self.

Speaker 2 15:51

It's interesting too that you know you said that basically you're looking to show role models, because if you can see it, you can be it. That idea that if you see these examples of women who are like you, who are doing it, it inspires you. The playbook, which is here's what you need to do and here's a guide or steps or ideas for how to do it, and then the network and those, the power of those things together. So can you talk a little bit about so the podcast you're doing, the interviews, which it also gives people very tangible ideas and people are learning from it. Talk about how the networking piece of it, which you're doing in the cities, comes into play.

Speaker 3 16:41

So we're starting with the network in person and we at some point hope to have every Latina, every professional Latina, connected in person or digitally with both like-minded, so people at the same level and with people ahead of them, because the power of having peers that can be a sounding board that can really support you while you climb it's important but also the power of having access to those role models that will give you the playbook. So we're creating spaces for them to connect both in person and digitally. We started in person and we're going city by city and I mean, surprisingly or maybe not, most of the women that have come to our events didn't know each other, even the trailblazing Latinas. So you have the most successful Latinas of corporate America in LA sitting at a table and they've never met and the same in Dallas and they've never met, and the same in Dallas and they've never met.

Speaker 3 17:45

So we're providing that space so they can feel less lonely and they can help each other out and having a shared purpose, a shared interest and shared background and the power of bringing that together.

Speaker 2 18:02

So tell us where you are hoping that this will go. What a la Latina would look like in two years from now? What would it be?

The Rise of Latino Awareness

Speaker 3 18:14

Well, in two years, we're going to be on our way to our desired outcome, which is fair representation at the top right. So if Latinas we're going to be around 10%, we want 10% of the executive roles and board positions, but I don't think we're going to get there in two years. So, in two years, my biggest hope is that every Latina in corporate America, or every professional Latina, has heard our message, because that was why we created this. Like we didn't create it because we wanted to have an empire. Like really, our goal is that the message lands in the right ears and just as happy as it makes us when a Latina tells us oh my God, I heard your podcast, I'm using what you taught me that intensity feels in pain. When a Latina tells us they haven't heard it because it's free and everybody should hear it.

Speaker 3 19:13

The playbook is pretty simple and once you hear it, it's like so obvious. Of course you have to have a mentor. Of course you have to have a sponsor. Yes, you have to work hard. Yes, you have to volunteer for the high priority projects of the CEO. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it. You're like yeah, yeah, yeah, I should have known this, but you shouldn't, you shouldn't have, if nobody told you so, in two years I hope there's not one Latina that hasn't heard that they can be their authentic selves and get to the top.

Speaker 2 19:47

So I'd love to talk a little bit, if we can, and maybe, claudia, you can speak to this specifically, given your background. You mentioned that you've spent 20 years working with international organizations and then you came to the States and you did some similar work here for about 10 years. Can you talk a little bit about maybe some differences between what your mission is and what you're trying to do and how it's perceived in the US versus internationally? I think it's important for people to have more of that international perspective. I think we tend to be so focused on what's going on in the US and, as you both already pointed out, you didn't necessarily even know what this Latina Latino, what that reference was until you came here, because it's not how you thought about yourselves, until it was something that you started hearing in the US.

Speaker 1 20:44

I've seen communities come out of nothing and thrive with one-tenth of what the Hispanic community has. So I'm more than optimistic. I'm a possibilistic because I know it's possible to make sure that this community, that is, almost 20% of the country, will be fully paid, fully respected and fully valued and fully equipped. So you see, the problem we have is that Latinos have a massive perception and representation issue. So we are the heart of the Ironman, if you want. We are bringing the employment. We're 20% of the population, the youngest cohort of all. The size of our economy is $3.6 trillion. That is 14% of the GDP of the country. We pay the taxes to more than $300 billion a year. We pay the social security in an aging America more than $100 billion a year. We're totally responsible. We're absolute consumers. Our purchasing power is $3.7 trillion. Just to give you a perspective, the purchasing power of the African-American community is $1 trillion. The purchasing power of the Asian-American community is less than that. So this is a community that is the youngest, the population, the purchasing power, the economy pushing the company forward, but no one knows about it. And if you are putting into perspective, if you're like any company willing to do global business, like a global company willing to do businesses with the US, if you don't engage with Latinos or you are a company in the US, there's no way a company can hire or sell without Latinos. There's no way a politician as we can tell from the elections now can win an election without Latinos. But we're absolutely underrepresented, misrepresented and undervalued at undervalued. So I am 100% convinced that the issue that we're dealing with is solvable, is doable and achievable and it is going to be a win. It's going to be good for everybody, because what's good for Hispanics is good for the country and what is good for the country is good for everybody in the world, given that we are the number one economy of the world. However, if we don't invest in this community, if we're 20% of the population but we're not educated, then you have 20% of the population that we have a workforce that is not ready. If we're 20% of the population but we feel disintegrated from the American narrative, then you're going to start creating parallel structures where you're going to have, you know, like divisions. We can play a bridging role, but we can also be, you know, like a retracting role, if you want. So I do think that, giving my perspective globally, I'm more than optimistic about what is possible.

Speaker 1 23:40

I believe that what Cynthia and I are doing with A La Latina, we're into something because we're tapping into the pain points that will help Latinas to make it to the top in Help the Time with Help the Buses, latinas that have made it to the top to give back and create a circle of a virtual cycle that is going to push the economy of America all together.

Speaker 1 24:08

So, if you're a company, you want to be part of this because you want to actually have your employee choice. You want to have the consumer choice. If you're a politician, you totally want to support a Latina, a Latina community that is moving in the right direction, because you know like this is actually a large percentage of the population that you have. And I do think that, overall, what we need to make sure that we bring is what you said at the very beginning inspiration. Inspiration to our own communities and to allies about what's possible, so that Latinas can start developing their wings to the size of their dreams, and no one can tell us how small or how big our dreams should be. And, at the end of the day, I think that what, what, what you will see in a couple of years is a large population, led by women, that will start taking, you know, like taking charge of responsibility because they think they can.

Speaker 2 25:05

I am listening to you and I think it is so clear, just as a person who started in marketing and understands that if you have a customer, that is a big part of your customer base and I'm trying to make an analogy now to the 20% of the population you said in this country. That's a large percentage, that's one in five, one in five people. So if I make the analogy to me as somebody who's a marketer and I'm ignoring 20%, one in five of my customers, I'm not going to be very successful. I am not or I'm not going to be as successful as I can be. Can you talk about maybe an example, either a story, an anecdote, of where someone, or either a company, has decided to focus on this, or a politician and had the success? Are there some good examples of success stories of doing this?

Speaker 1 26:08

I. There is a big difference in 2024 to every other year before, because, while the Latino community has been growing hockey stick form for the last 20 years like our numbers are not a surprise for the last 20 years like our numbers are not a surprise what is really surprising is how awake we are, how enlightened we are, how, all of a sudden, because of the age of our population, we're 20% of the Gen Z, we're 25% of the Alpha. The younger you look, the more Latinos you will find, and those guys have smelled the coffee and so they are going back to their Latinidad, they're taking off their masks and there's a reclaiming of identity. So the Latino population that everybody has taken for granted so far is going to be looking very, very different because, all of a sudden, we know, we know how powerful we are, we know how united like we're more united and proud than ever before, and we're starting to see who is reflecting us and who's not. To make our choices purchasing choices, employment choices, voting choices. This is new. So you start, you're going to start seeing it every time more, and organizations like ours are going to be devoted to making sure that the light keeps on and that every time, there's more Latinos that are united, proud and aware.

Speaker 1 27:26

There's no surprise for me to see that the beer number one sold in the country is Modelo. Not because Latinos drink more than anyone else. It's because there's a Latino value that is transcending and translating into music and culture and food and products. So I think that if you're a marketer, you really need to understand how to talk to us, how to engage with us. I am sure that everybody already saw the numbers. The question is, how do you do it? And embracing and adapting programs like A La Latina, supporting organizations like Hispanic Start, is a great way to do it, because you're solving for a growth problem while solving for an indisability problem that is such a pain point for Latinos.

Speaker 2 28:12

I mean, I love the Modelo example, so thank you for sharing that, because that is a very clear example of I mean, I would not have known. I had no idea that Modelo was the number one selling beer in the United States and that is a very good testament to what people are interested in. Any other example you wanted to add to that, Cynthia?

Speaker 3 28:35

I mean just pop culture. Look at the TV shows that have success, the singers like Bad Bunny that have success. It's not just the Latinos consuming Latino products, it's becoming more mainstream. And the only thing I would add to what Claudia said is I think brands have had a hard time because they have tried to put Latinos in a box and we are a diverse segment within a segment. Right, puerto Ricans may be a little bit different than Mexicans, and by doing it with quotas and hiring an agency to translate an ad, it just doesn't work. It feels very inauthentic, right? Like most brands, what they do, or what they used to do, was they would take the creative for their campaign.

Speaker 3 29:27

I believe that the only way you can truly market to Latinos is to have your employee base representing your customer base. So, if you want to have customers that are Latinos, you have to have employees that are Latinos. You have to have leaders within your company that are Latinos. You have to have leaders within your company that are Latinos because, ultimately, everybody will be much like you. You're much more comfortable communicating something that you're familiar with.

Speaker 2 30:11

So, instead of doing it through quarters, doing it authentically, that it's good also to look towards pop culture, to understand where what people feel and think, because it is a big indicator about what is going on in any particular place. You both have had these. Really, you both have such incredible backgrounds and have had such success in your journeys, in your own journeys. What do you want people to take away from each of your stories? What you would like people to take away from the amazing journeys that you each have had to get to this point and this mission that you're on together now?

Speaker 3 30:45

I want people to see and Claudia has made me see this through the methodology of flipping the script I want people to see how I converted what I thought was my flaw as my superpower, because I thought, as I was climbing the ladder, I thought that being Latina was preventing me from sitting and if I had I even. I tried to get rid of my accent, I tried to get rid of how I spoke, tried to conform to what I saw in my peers, like the fact that now I can build this, this organization, this company, this product, with Claudia, by leaning into it and saying, actually, being Latina is my superpower. That's what I want people to think that if you take your negative and make it positive, you don't have to change what it is, just change how you perceive it and others will perceive it that way.

Speaker 2 31:43

I love this piece of advice and I really hope people take it to heart. It took me so long to learn this. We would all be so much better off if we learned that lesson earlier. It took me a long time to learn it and I'm so grateful that you shared that, cynthia, because I think it is an incredibly important thing for younger people, people who are maybe struggling, feeling like they have a difference, that you can take control.

Speaker 1 32:11

I think that if we get as many Latinas and non-Latinas to listen to this podcast early on and, as Cynthia said, not only get the inspiration but to understand how to flip the script, we're going to be able to understand not only that our time is now, but because of we're being equipped. Now we can, now you can. And I think that that's my closing message. She's a message of we can. Not only is the time for us, but also we're equipped to move into. Now we can. Everything is possible. Let's go.

Speaker 2 32:49

I love that. Well, and there's so much, the message of there's so much that is within our control, and don't focus on the stuff that is outside our control. Focus on what you can control, which is a lot. A lot of of of what happens to us is how is how we approach it and how we think about it, and I think that it's such a powerful message.

Speaker 3 33:14

You know what, alisa? This is what happens when you have like two Latinas in a podcast. It becomes a conversation. Elia and I came from very different perspectives right To create the podcast, and when I hear you saying that, I think you're coming from my perspective, right To create the podcast, and when I hear you saying that, I think you're coming from my perspective. But then Claudia comes from the perspective of we also have to change how everybody else see us, how, what systems are in place, and we believe that, yeah, we can do what you just said, which is let's power through and let's believe in ourselves, but also let's change the narrative and let's rebrand Latinos.

Speaker 3 33:54

As she said, there was a comment that somebody made last week and we were interviewing somebody and there was a comment that I just I kept thinking about it. She spoke about how women weren't being promoted in her company and the comment of the leadership every time a woman was up for a very senior promotion, it was she's not ready. And she said it's not that she wasn't ready, it's that the organization wasn't ready for her. And it is because female leadership is different than male leadership and as long as organizations believe that to be a leader, you have to act like a man. There's nothing we can do. We will always be told you're not ready.

Speaker 3 34:45

We are more than ready, like we have a different leadership style, which can be in many instances and I would argue, in most instances better than male leadership. When you have women who are caring, who live like mothers, who care about their teams, when you know what happens, when you care about your team and you have a personal relationship with them and you can push them really hard and they're not going to break because they want to see you succeed, that's a much better leadership style than I'm going to fire you if you don't do what I say. You know there are things that women do that I would argue are much better for a leadership position than the usual masculinity of like sense of masculinity that we've seen in leaders. So, yes, let's change how we see ourselves, but also let's change the narrative of what it means to be a leader, what it means to be a successful entrepreneur, whatever it is that you want to be.

Speaker 2 35:47

I'm glad you added that point of view that yes, there's a lot that we can do on our own, but also we need to help affect change, and change within companies, within society. But this idea that I keep thinking keeps coming into my mind as you're both speaking, is this notion that I think women, sometimes we wait for permission, we wait for someone to tell us we're ready, we wait for someone to tell us okay, now is the time, saying is, don't wait for the permission, just you have to. You know yourself, you have to decide what you can do and and you don't have to wait around for someone to say now is the time, as opposed to stepping up and saying I'm ready and taking and taking that on. All right. My last question I always end with for both of you what do you wish, cynthia? What do you wish you could tell the younger Cynthia that was just starting out in her career? And the same question for you, claudia.

Speaker 3 36:49

Just like take more risks. I've become much more comfortable with risk because I don't. I've taken risks, but later in my career and nothing happens. Sometimes it works, Sometimes it doesn't work. I wish I had taken risks earlier.

Empowering Women

Speaker 1 37:04

Pretty similar Just understanding that at the end of the day, everything will be okay. Everything will be grand. When you know that, it's easier just to take comfort and know that everything will be okay, everything will be grand.

Speaker 2 37:18

I've asked this question to so many women and there's a theme of just take the risk, go for it, everything will be okay. As women, we're so earnest, we don't want to make mistakes, and it is something that is reassuring to know that ultimately it will be okay. Even if you have a failure, you can move past a failure. You have a failure. You can move past a failure. Learn from it, get better from it, that it will be okay. So I am so grateful to you both. Where can people find A La Latina? Where is the best way that they can follow what you're doing?

Speaker 3 37:59

I mean we'd love for everybody to subscribe to our podcast in every podcast platform. We also give short form content in our social media profiles on Instagram and TikTok, and more professional career type of advice on our LinkedIn platform. So follow us everywhere.

Speaker 2 38:19

Thank you so much, claudia and Cynthia, for spending this time with us today and for sharing your amazing mission, and I cannot wait for people to learn about it and follow you on all the platforms. Thank you so much.