Career Cheat Code
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Career Cheat Code
057 | Strategic Development for Latino Communities feat. Dario Collado
Have you ever wondered how strategic career moves can not only transform your own life but also pave the way for the betterment of entire communities? That's exactly what we uncover with Dario, the passionate Vice President of Strategic Development at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. He's shaping futures and creating opportunities for Latinos nationwide, and in this episode, he shares the blueprint for this remarkable endeavor. From the power of mentorship to the importance of embracing our cultural identity, Dario's insight offers a masterclass in making an indelible impact through thoughtful career choices.
It's not every day that we hear a story as inspiring as that of a young man's leap from the housing projects to the hallowed halls of prestigious educational institutions like Andover and Harvard Kennedy School. Dario takes us through the labyrinth of educational and personal growth, sharing how pivotal moments and the influence of mentors can catapult us to heights we never imagined. He also delves into the role of passions in shaping our paths, revealing his own love for baseball and the goal of visiting every major league ballpark—a testament to the value of nurturing what makes us unique.
Navigating the professional landscape can be a daunting journey, but with a guide like Dario, it's an adventure worth embarking on. In this conversation, we learn the art of negotiation, the power of being a resource to others, and the subtle nuances of building lasting relationships, all while maintaining a sense of self. Dario's candid reflections on overcoming personal loss and embracing leadership responsibilities offer raw insights into the complexities of success. Join us as we explore not just the strategic development of a foundation, but also the strategic development of a fulfilling life, rich with purpose and driven by an unwavering commitment to community advancement.
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Host - Radhy Miranda
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those experiences that just really taught me that life is very short, that you know we have a tremendous burden and responsibility to take care of those around us, especially our family and close friends. But, more importantly, like you know, when moments like that come apart, come into fruition and into a vision that you know those are leadership moments. You got to step up and you got to step up not only for you, but you got to step up for your family.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Career G-Code. In this podcast, you'll hear how everyday people impact the world through their careers. Learn about their journey, career hacks and obstacles along the way, whether you're already having the impact you want or are searching for it, this is the podcast for you, Dariel.
Speaker 3:welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Thanks for having me Super dope. Thank you, appreciate it. Appreciate you.
Speaker 3:Of course, man. Thanks for taking the time. Let's just jump right in there. Let's tell the world what it is you do for a living. Sounds good.
Speaker 1:So I'm a vice president of strategic development for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation here in Washington DC. It's a national Latino nonprofit, one of the top in the country, started in 1986 by the Reagan White House to commemorate what's now known as Hispanic Heritage Month. So September 15th to October 15th we do the Hispanic Heritage Awards at the Kennedy Center, which is the most prestigious awards by Latinos for Latinos across the country. Anyone from Celia Cruz to Justice Sotomayor to Bad Bunny have been honored on the Kennedy Center stage and it's on PBS.
Speaker 1:During Hispanic Heritage Month we also do computer coding with Google. This year alone we're teaching over 100,000 Latino kids how to code across the country and also not only introducing them to coding already but also providing an opportunity for them to have internships or full time opportunities at companies like Google and TikTok and the Instagrams of the world of different important issues within our community, such as, you know, mental health, financial literacy and other topics in our community that we don't really discuss freely. So we wanted to kind of create that space for folks in our community, especially young Latina Latino professionals, to have that opportunity to do that. That's all. So we do a lot of really cool stuff, man, so that's kind of like my. You know that's my day job. You know I also do consulting on the side and then work with you. Know different, different entities.
Speaker 3:Major League Baseball players and folks like that Got it. So tell me what happens when you walk in on Monday. What is your actual like job duty? What are you tasked with doing?
Speaker 1:Just a lot of, a lot of Zoom calls, a lot of, you know, following up with donors, making sure that that our deliverables are being set, or that deliverables are being set and met as it pertains to the sponsorship agreements, and then just really thinking about different innovative ideas of how we can continue to move the needle forward within, you know, liderazgo, as I like to call it, leadership in our community, not only here in Washington DC, obviously, but all across the country. So, for example, with the computer coding work that we're doing, we're actually looking at expanding it into Honduras. We've done stuff in Mexico, so we're teaching kids how to code in both English and Spanish, which is, we feel, hhf is a game changer, absolutely, not only bringing kids to like, just teaching them what computer coding is, but letting them know that, hey, this is actually an opportunity to make six figures healthy and an opportunity to take care of your family and potentially create generational wealth. Moving forward, I love that.
Speaker 3:So, really, your role is to make sure that HHF continues to receive the funding it needs to be innovative, to think about these programmings and, as you have the pulse on the community to think about, well, what else does our community need throughout, not just the country but the world, and how do we fill those gaps? Through some of the partners that we get.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. I'll give you an example. So with TikTok, tiktok has provided us $4 million in the last three years. It gave us a million dollars during COVID, which allowed us not to lay off any of our staff, either here in DC or in Los Angeles, but, more importantly, it gave us an avenue. So we're their biggest Latino partner across the country. Obviously, they're going through their challenges on Capitol Hill, so we're assisting them with that. But, more importantly, we're also assisting you know, tiktok has 170 million subscribers just in the United States alone over 7 million small businesses. Many of them are Latino, latino. So we're working with a lot of these Latino businesses that essentially survived during COVID because of the app, and we're giving out of that money.
Speaker 1:Every year. We give out $150,000 in five to $10,000 increments that small businesses can utilize. But, more importantly, we're also giving hundreds of thousands of dollars in credits, tiktok credits and we're actually teaching people how to utilize the app so that they can go on. And when you had a business that had a lot of foot traffic and obviously things have changed with COVID because a lot of people are working from home, like myself. So now we're allowing these businesses to be innovative and we're seeing that a lot of these Latino businesses are growing 3, 4x just on the app alone in terms of their monthly revenue. That's been just kind of like something that excites us as a foundation because we're tapping into innovative and more opportunities, more opportunities for small businesses.
Speaker 1:We're giving out $125,000 through the Crowgrove Foundation for companies that are into innovative ways of making healthier foods, for example. If you go on our website, hispanicarriageorg, you can find that information for that specific grant opportunity. So we're kind of in everything where you know we do a lot of really cool stuff. We're very innovative. Our president, ceo Antonio Teguera, has been at the helm for over 20 years and he's somebody who really thinks very innovatively and always says, hey, we want to do the work, let the community lead us. We don't lead the community. Let folks within our community allow us the opportunity to say, hey, this is what's needed and let's get the work done. So I wake up every day just blessed, man and danole la gracia a Dios, that I get to continue to affect my community in a positive light. Prior to this, I spent seven years at the Harvard Kennedy School. We raised over $40 million.
Speaker 1:So Latina, latino students and African-American students $20 million for Latino students, they can attend Harvard for free. So if anybody out there is looking for a master's degree, you get into Harvard and you're Latina, latino or want to serve the Latino community, there's a tremendous opportunity to receive tuition-free fellowship and a $10,000 stipend, no questions asked, for housing, and that's called the Harvard Latino Leadership Fellowship. So if you go to the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership, you'll be able to find information to apply. We did the same thing. We replicated that same model. Mind you, we started this from scratch, replicated the same model for African-American students.
Speaker 1:Under Sheila Johnson, one of the owners of the Washington Wizards here in DC and the Mystics, we were able to raise $20 million with her and her and kind of her connections and we were able to do the same thing for African American students. If you're an African American student, you want to serve or you want to serve the African American community, you can obtain your master's at Harvard no questions asked. Again, as long as you get in with the tuition free stipend and also with the opportunity to um, to have a $10,000, um stipend for for housing. So that's kind of um, the, the, the work that I've done essentially, you know, since college and uh, and you know, obtaining my master's in business here at the Georgetown Donald School of.
Speaker 3:Business Got it, so let's, let's, let's take it back a little bit. Uh, is this what you always wanted to do for a living?
Speaker 1:You know that's a good question. So I've always wanted to be like FBI agent or CIA or Secret Service. You know, when I be told, you know how, dominic, growing up in the hood, people with guns, where I was like the people you look up to, unfortunately, or fortunately in some ways. So for me, man, I've always wanted to kind of go in that field. I graduated college University of Massachusetts, amherst. When I was in college I actually did an internship with America's Most Wanted the TV show on Fox, and I was running the 1-800-CRIME-TV hotline. So I was actually taking tips on real life fugitives and we were very successful at that in terms of like weight, height, but also like mannerisms where these folks, what kind of drinks or what they were smoking at the time. We passed those tips on to law enforcement FBI, dea, cia and then we were successful in capturing fugitives. We moved to Washington DC.
Speaker 1:After two years of living here, born and raised in Lawrence, massachusetts, north of Boston, and just really because of internships, I had an opportunity to really fall in love with the city that today continues to be my home, but I did some consulting work. And then during that today you know continues to be my home, but, you know, did some consulting work and then, during that time, somebody, a recruiter kind of, reached out. They were like, hey, harvard is looking to start a Latino initiative. They've never done this before. They have seed funding a gentleman named Walter Ulloa, ceo and chairman of Venture Vision. Rest in peace. He passed away last year of a heart attack. But Walter really had this vision of if we're going to be in the right rooms. We got to create the spaces so that we can actually get into these rooms. So, that being said, you know, harvard had some seed funding. My boss, david Gergen you've probably seen him on CNN, he's a political commentator at the time was running the Center for Public Leadership and you know they recruited me. They said, hey, you know, we'd love to have a conversation with you. And since, from there it was kind of like I flew to Cambridge and I was like this would be kind of cool to kind of go back home for a little bit, they shared with me the vision of what they were trying to do and I said, hey, I think this is a great opportunity.
Speaker 1:I kind of thought of my background. So I attended Lawrence High School, lawrence Public High School, my entire life, my senior year at Lawrence High School. 50% of the kids that I graduated with didn't graduate. Many had kids gang violence. Lawrence at the time had a plethora of issues like carjackings and whatnot and things of that nature, and so I had an English teacher, richard Gorham, who still is a head wrestling coach at Phillips Academy, andover, one of the top boarding schools in the world, and he was like D. I see more opportunity than I think you see in yourself. I think you should apply for a fifth year of high school, a postgraduate year. It's called PG year at Andover, and I believe in you so much that I'm going to pay the $65 application fee and I'm going to drive you to and from the interview because I know you guys don't have a car.
Speaker 1:I grew up in housing projects since I was five years old beacon projects in South Lawrence, massachusetts so for me this was an opportunity.
Speaker 1:I went, man, I'll tell you, I had never seen so much free food, green grass, in my life.
Speaker 1:They mowed it like four times a day and I was fortunate, man. I applied, I was accepted, and that year at Andover kicked my ass, I'll tell you, because I went from 30 minutes of high school of homework to like four or five hours a night of homework. But it really molded me into kind of like the person and the work that I do today and when fast forward, when I had this interview at the Harvard Kennedy School, I thought of Dario in public schools versus Dario who had an opportunity to like really excel that one year where his SAT scores went up 200, 250, 300 points and now has a master's from Georgetown Business School. So for me it was kind of like that opportunity and gracias a Dios, you know we went along with it and then you know we're doing the work that we're currently doing. But all of that is because somebody took a chance on me. If it wasn't for Richard Gorham, I mean who knows where I would be you know?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. So tell me about what do you do when you transfer high schools for a fifth year, right, like, were you going for sports? Were you going for something? What in your mind? And how do you go home to your parents and say, hey, I know I could theoretically graduate this year, but I'm going to go ahead and do in one more year.
Speaker 1:What made it make sense for you? You know that's a good question. I think for me it was an opportunity to. I just didn't feel that I was ready for college. I felt like up first to seven in my family go to college. So I was just like man, if I, if I, if I take this year really seriously and I work on my vocabulary, I work on my, my statistics, my math, maybe I'm going to, I'll have more success in college. And then also realistically, I mean I went from one of the worst high schools in the state of Massachusetts at the time to one of the best boarding schools in the world. So I was like man, if I take this opportunity, maybe, maybe other colleges and universities are going to present themselves and I could have, you know, more choices. And you know what's crazy is that. You know that that happened. But for me it was more like, yeah, it was more like you know, I went in there listening to Tupac and Biggie, because that's back in the day, that's how it was. And these cats from you know India and China, and these cats from you know India and China, toto Paisa, that you never even, that I had never even heard of listening to the Doors, prince and music like that. So like, for me that was that was an opportunity to kind of like embrace myself in these different cultures and these different like music and everything. So it was tough. So I was.
Speaker 1:I was the captain of football team at Lawrence High School as a three-year varsity starter, and part of it I went to Andover to play football. What was crazy is that I tore my knee up the week before a preseason, the week before against Cushion Academy, the week before a game. So I was not only doing four or five hours of homework a night, but I was also doing two or three hours of rehab on my knee. So for me that was a crazy year because I was really just focusing on just becoming better. And I remember my teachers. They were like yo, you, you, you're good enough to be here, and I think that for me it was always been a lesson of teaching kids.
Speaker 1:Sometimes we tell ourselves we're in this room and we got all these, like you know, but for me I don't come in. I love people like that and you're kind of like, but you got to tell yourself like yo, you, you've worked hard enough in your life that you. You deserve this seat. You know like you're here. You're here because you're here working on behalf of your community, got it, you know. So I I think those are lessons that that I learned, really when they were tough lessons, but I'm just glad that you know that, that, that that we went through it and I enjoy moments. Like you know, I'm a huge baseball fan, so, like, sometimes I get to work and help out like baseball players and become my friends and I get to go to these games, which is pretty dope, and I'm 20 out of 30 ballparks deep. I'm trying to. It's a lifelong goal, so I'm trying to get those 10 parks. I got it aligned right now in a schedule that I think I'm going to be able to do that this season.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. I love that for you and I know you're a huge baseball fan, so that's a big feat. Talk to me about senior year in this new high school, your fifth year. At that point did you feel like FBI, dea, one of those law enforcement things was the move and what actually happened when you were applying to school? What did you end up doing in Boston and what did you end up majoring in UMass? What'd you end up getting?
Speaker 1:What'd you end up majoring in in UMass. So, yeah, yeah. So after, so, after Andover, I had got I had got partial scholarship to attend University of Massachusetts, amherst. I studied political science and Spanish while I was in Amherst, while I was at UMass, and it was great man it was. I also went out for the football team that first year, so I was a walk-on. We actually won that year the division I AA National Championship. So that was a really cool opportunity. But I just felt like football wasn't going to get me to that next level. So I just really, after my freshman year, I really focused on academics.
Speaker 1:I think for me it's always like chasing your passion right, following your passion. What is it that makes you happy? And I think the advice that I have for a lot of young folks now is try to find that. You know what I'm saying, like el dinero. Everything else follows after that, but you got to pick a career and a lane that you're going to be super happy in.
Speaker 1:For me it's always been like I've always wanted to work and be a part of the Latino community. You know what I'm saying. That's how I grew up. That's how, to this day, como plátano yuca, lo que sea, rice and beans. But I have a very unique opportunity because of the work that we do, to really bring these innovative kind of ideas and programs to folks within our community.
Speaker 1:I think for me, when I look back at kind of like the work that I do, it's always about mentorship, right Like I have saying, vladdy, that when you take the elevator up in life, you should always send it back down for others to follow. So the work that we did at Harvard was something that I'm going to cherish forever Because a lot of those kids talking about kids from CUNY, loyola, marymount University, mcallen, texas, chicago you're talking about kids that, because of a summer program at Harvard, they were now able to think outside of the box and be like yo, I belong here, I can apply A lot of those kids ended up applying. A lot of those kids ended up getting masters from Harvard and Warrens and the Stanford's of the world, but it was because we gave them an opportunity. I think sometimes within our Latino community and other communities, we always self-select ourselves out. We're like yo, yo no aplica porque no me van a coger and I think that that's something that we really have to change.
Speaker 1:We got to change that mindset. I had a young man. He was one of my mentees at the time. I consider him a little brother, alex Diaz. He now runs AI for Google and Alex was our mentee for four years, for all four years, when he was at Harvard College.
Speaker 1:Dominican Cuban kid from New Jersey, alex ended up being the and he was the same thing. He was like yo, there's this thing called the Rhodes Scholar. I don't know if I'm good enough, but I was like bro. The worst thing that's going to happen is they're going to say no. Make a long story short. Alex was the only Latino in the world, the only Latino that year that was a Rhodes Scholar. And he was actually the only Latino who was a Rhodes Scholar and a Marshall Scholar, which, for those not in academia, those are the two most prestigious awards you can get as a college student.
Speaker 1:And now he's running AI for Google and they're giving out money utilizing AI for public good under googleorg so that when there's a tornado, there's an earthquake like there was just an earthquake in. I can't believe. In Asia they're getting out money for families on the ground so that they can actually buy food and buy whatever things, necessities that they need. So I just bring Alex up as an example because yo, our community has so many bright lights man, Our community has so many kids just like Alex and others that all they need is an opportunity, like our folks is hungry for that opportunity, you know. So that I think for me, that's what keeps me going and really it just allows me the opportunity to be like yo. What difference can we make today?
Speaker 3:Talk to me about the moment that you decided that you needed a grad school degree. Why did you do that and do you feel like you got the most out of that?
Speaker 1:That's a good question. So I think for me at the time I graduated from Georgetown in 2006. So it's been some time. I was at a consulting gig it was kind of consulting and sales and then I found out that they help you pay for grad school. So I was like, oh well, vamos a chequear esto. And that they help you pay for grad school. So I was like, oh well, vamos a chequear esto. And I think for me at the time was like, all right, can I find a program? And I was able to find a program, a part-time program where I was still working full-time but then also going to Georgetown part-time. So it was a, basically I did, I did the program. It was like a two-year program that we, you know, did part-time.
Speaker 1:So I think, I think for me it was the opportunity to take advantage of. You know, they were trying to give me money to go to grad school. I was like yo, I gotta take this. But then also, I think, evolution, I think every day you got to think about like never get stagnant, never get, because you got a job and you're making good money or it would be a lot. I think sometimes we are, we're afraid of change and what that potentially could look like. So I think, internally I was just always trying to push myself.
Speaker 1:Now, when I look at the grad school experience, I think that, yeah, everybody, you know you don't write 10, 20 page papers and you're going to do these presentations. That's all that comes with the territory, right. But I think, more importantly, what you find in grad school is that you're able to share these different ideas, these kind of like innovative thoughts, como que dice, either regular or over a glass of wine or beer or whatever. And you start thinking about yo, what like? Wow, I never thought of consulting or I never thought of, you know, working in the nonprofit space, that that could actually be a career type of move. And so I just think about you know things like that, por ejemplo, just to type of move. And so I just think about you know things like that, por ejemplo, just to you know.
Speaker 1:I think people should always keep their minds open to opportunities out there, because sometimes, like I said, sometimes we don't take risks. You know, it's so hard just to make it out the hood that once you make it out the hood, you're like coño por, yo estoy bien, I'm going to be just chilling, yo voy a estar aquí tranquilo. Nadie me va a joder. But you got to innovate. You got to know that there's levels to this, like we're now playing chess. You know what I'm saying? It was checkers back then, but now everybody's playing chess. So you always got to like try to think ahead.
Speaker 3:Absolutely so. Tell me about that because you know, I think one of the purposes of this platform is to show that you can be very mission driven, very impact driven, and not have to sacrifice, not making good money for that. I was always kind of. I grew up with this mindset of if you're going to do good, you probably are going to be broke and if you're going to be rich, you probably are going to do evil things in the world. And I'm like none of that is true. Like you know, like I think the media just kind of tells us that the super rich person is the mean person and the super poor person is doing really impacted stuff, and it's like there's a gray area in between that does a lot of a lot of work. So how much money can folks make in this nonprofit space doing things like fundraising or or the workday?
Speaker 1:Oh, I mean you can make a healthy six figures. You know you can make very, very good money, uh, and then, depending on how you're structured, your, your contract, you know you could have a contract that's um base, and then incentive, incentive, incentive wise. So you know, always, you know, think about that in terms of whatever you're bringing in. You know if there's incentive based to that. But look, I mean, I, I think you, you could definitely eat well three times a day and your car is going to go through. For me, the definition of like being cool is you, you know your car is going to go through, regardless of how much money you got in your account, because the worst was growing up and your car didn't go through, or you didn't have enough money for McDonald's. And then now you're the big joke on the block. You know what I mean. So I think the secret, matty, is again just finding your niche.
Speaker 1:I've met so so many Latina, latinos, and especially like Dominicans as well, in the NFL, for example. They're like yo I combined my love for sports and I combined my love for writing as a reporter and now I'm I'm covering the NFL, I'm covering major league baseball, covering, you know other spot, boxing. So I think it's like all right, you got to merge what, what you know you're good at, and and and and what you love. And I think not to like name drop, because I'm not really like that, but like one of the biggest advice that somebody gave me with Justice Sotomayor and she was like she's always been just a great advocate for the Harvard work that we did and obviously the work that we do at HHF, and she's a mentor to me. She's like you know, like that's people's, and one of the things she's always told me she was just like yo, like you know, like that's people's, and one of the things she's always told me she was just like yo.
Speaker 1:You know what you're good at and you know what you're not good at. Work on what you're good at and make it better, but work on what you're not good at and just yo. Get it to the level because you're not going to get it, but get it to the level that you're going to be okay. So, for example, if you don't like, if you're shy and you don't like speaking in front of a group, that's okay, but get it to a point where you're at least comfortable enough that if you have to do it, that you're going to be okay with it, and I think for me, that was some of the best advice I've ever received. To be honest, but then also identify the talent that you have. For me, it's always been networking, it's always been fundraising, it's always been bringing good people together, and so that's something that every day, I try to really strive and make better.
Speaker 3:Okay, so tell me a couple of more of those like cheat codes, things that, like, you have learned throughout your career that if you knew when you were 20, you would be so much further ahead, or that you just wish you knew a little earlier. And as you think about, yeah, and as you and one of the things you mentioned was around in your specific field right, being able to like negotiate and the value of that, can you speak a little bit more also about things that you can negotiate? When you talk about incentives, like, what would that look like for someone like yourself as a hypothetical, you don't have to give us like specifics, right, but like what kind of things can someone negotiate?
Speaker 1:negotiate the amount of time you're able to take off. You negotiate if you could work from home or not, or how many times you have to be in the office. That's super important, especially with people who are single parents, for example and yo I mean, I don't have no kids, but the amount of money that it takes for childcare you need a second job or a second mortgage because these prices are crazy. So I think I think, um, being able to negotiate and being able to be being self-aware of those things out there, and if you have a family or you don't have a family or you want to have a family, like these are things that you really got to think about. I think write down like a cheat code. Write down, okay, what are, what are the five things that are going to make me happy in this job, with or without this job, and then and then kind of go go from there. I think yo just treating everybody with respect, just treating everybody with the utmost amor you know what I mean. Like I think sometimes yo I'll give you a perfect example One of the years we were, we were at Harvard.
Speaker 1:Felipe Calderon, one of the ex-presidents of Mexico, was actually a fellow, was a fellow there, right, the kids and I during that summer ran into him randomly on campus and everybody was running to him. Oh my God, Presidente, presidente, because some of the kids were Mexican. So I noticed that his wife was kind of like they left it by herself. So I made it a point oh, doña, ¿cómo está usted? ¿todo bien Necesita algo? Muchísimas gracias por la oportunidad. And let me tell you something. Because of that and because I made her feel tranquila, he ended up actually giving us an hour and one hour session, private session with the students, where he talked about very frankly and in closed doors the decisions that he had to make as president when it pertained to the cartel and why thousands of people had to die as a result of those wars. But that would have never happened had I not extended a hand to his wife.
Speaker 1:And the reason that I say that is because sometimes we see famous people, we see very influential people, and everybody goes to them. Right, there's a cheat code. Everybody goes to them like oh, boom, boom, boom. Oh my God, yo can I get your autograph, but yo nobody's really talking to the assistant, or the right-hand person that's with them, or the cook, or el balbero. You know, dominican, si un dominicano pelotero siempre va a estar con balbero, I bring that up is because it's like always, like I said, always treat people the same with respect, but always be mindful that yo presentate al grupo completo no di que a la persona que es supuestamente importante. And I think that lesson that's gone for me it's gone a very long way and I think that sometimes the only reason I bring that up is I think that sometimes, not only in our community, I'll be honest but in other communities, I hate the word but I hate the word but I hate the word but I hate the word but I hate the word but I hate the word but I hate the word but I hate the word but I hate the word. Right, oh, loco, baby.
Speaker 1:And sometimes you can't be like that when you're around, when you're just around folks in general. You know, you got to let people know that, especially as, like Latino men and Latinas as well, our energy really fluctuates when we meet people. Like people feel that energy and I think that's one of the advantages that we have as being a Latina or a Latino in this country and really navigating these prisms and these walls right and these boardrooms, you know, and it's okay to switch it up. It's okay to you know you've got to wear a suit and tie After you get out of that. Oh, let me hit up a basketball game and put on, you know, put on a regular t-shirt that he got Dominican or something like that. And it's okay to be yourself, like, code switching. That's fine, as long as you're doing it at your own accord, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:So I think that's a cheat. I think that's another cheat. Let me see. I think another cheat would be don't be that person that's always asking for something. You feel me? Always try to be a resource. So, for example, like tonight, I have tickets to the Lakers are playing the Wizards right, I'm a Celtics fan, I'm from Boston, right Outside of Boston, cualquier cosa, like I'll be. You know, I'll be cool to go see LeBron. Pero, okay, vamos a decir que yo no voy. Okay, si tengo dos taquillas, se lo voy a dar a alguien que va a agradecer esa oportunidad, not because I'm looking for something.
Speaker 1:Remember when yo you hit him up on Facebook or Instagram and wish him a happy birthday? I do that every single day. When I wake up, that's like one of the first things that I do. Why is that? Because you want people to always remember yo. He always said I don't really talk to him or I don't see him that often, but he's always sending a happy birthday, and that means a lot. Those little details mean so much. And then, yo, when you're sending a thank you note most people don't even do handwritten thank you notes anymore Like yo. That's another thing. If you go on a job interview, yeah, you can send an email, that's easy. Pero, coño, send a little thank you note. Hey, thank you so much for your time. Put it in the mail, make sure it gets there the next day or two, because that person's always going to think about that.
Speaker 1:You listen, the people who take care of the small details are the people that are that become the most successful. And it's not because they're doing it on some like calculated, like, like mean spirited way, it's because that's part of their personality. So, like when people like, when they come to DC, like you've come to these, when people come to DC, yo, I'm going to hit them up. That's a cool, that's a cool cat, let me. Let me go have a drink with him. Or or let me not, because, like, okay, we're not going to talk about business, no, we're not going to. Just just to chill and and and and, to catch up, and when you don't come to see, a lot of opportunities come out that way, just chit-chatting, just being real cool again.
Speaker 3:One of the things that I've been, and I appreciate you sharing those cheat codes right. I think that's really what the show is about. One of the things that I've been mindful of asking, too, is how did we get connected?
Speaker 1:So we got connected at the Hispanic Heritage Awards through Basilia Angel, who was another consultant guest on this show, on the show, yep, yep, consultant here in DC, and she was like yo, you got to meet Ryan, meet him in the car, I mean, you, you know how it is, and then obviously that's our big event of the year. And then obviously, you guys came to the after party where we connected some more and I was just like, and we just, you know, we stayed in touch Absolutely and obviously, you know, with you and the work that you're doing at the Rockefeller Foundation. Felicidades on that. That's super, super dope and it's again, it's all about moving our culture forward.
Speaker 3:Absolutely Okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 3:I think once it's one of those things that, like, the moment you find out there's a Dominican in something or Latino in something or somebody that's mission aligned with you in something you like, immediately lock eyes and just dab up and it's like gotcha, but all right, we're gonna stay connected.
Speaker 3:And, like that's been a reoccurring theme when you just find people that are like just genuinely good hearted and are trying to like just do good things in the world and, like you said right, like not folks that every time they hit you up is trying to ask for something, like nobody wants that type of person in their life. You don't want that person as your neighbor, you don't want that person as your friend or colleague. Like the person that only comes to you when they need something is not a person you want, but, like you know, we just be like all right, let's go hang out, let's go chill, let's go whatever when I'm in town, when you're in town, and we'll, we'll figure it out and I think that's super important and it's a very underrated cheat code, as you said.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and people listen, people are gonna remember. Somebody told me this one time people are not always gonna remember what you say, but they're always gonna remember how you made them feel. So as long as you, you know, always like, keep it like positive vibe, I think that's that's just super, super important. And and um, just, I just think that that's something that that we always have to keep in mind. And like, sometimes you know like I'll do like I do suites on the side right when I bring a lot of cool people together for different events, different concerts. You know, sometimes I mean make it out one or two. You know ticket Like I have a Bad Bunny suite on Tuesday I might have an extra seat or two, you know, just randomly, because either they didn't sell or somebody canceled on me last minute. So I'm always very mindful. I'm like who can I invite, because yo Bad Bunny is expensive and all these other concerts. Ya, tu sabes, it's like an arm and a leg.
Speaker 1:And again, it's not uno invita a alguien. No diga porque uno está buscando algo? No, but you want somebody to enjoy that opportunity, and somebody that's always going to be like yo. Thank you for thinking of me, you know. So that's always something in in in, you know, and even if they can't make the event, whether it's a basketball game or console or whatever, people are always going to appreciate that, that, that you looked out?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. So I know I'm going to ask about your consulting in a few, but I do want to, before then, learn what is your favorite part of your role.
Speaker 1:My favorite part of my role is, man, just being able to give these incredible experiences to this next generation. You know, we just did an event last week our National Youth Awards at Southwest Headquarters in Dallas, texas, where we honored 10 of the top Latino high school students in the country. Mind you, out of 30,000 applicants, out of 30,000 applicants, we honored 300. Out of those 300, we honored 10 last week in Dallas. And just being able to like some of these kids it's the first time on an airplane Southwest, you know, put them on an airplane. You know we got them, them and their families, in a hotel. But, more importantly, like they're getting honored for the work, that, that that they've done already, and for and and for all the potential that they, that they have, moving forward. You know what I'm saying. So I think for me, that's always been like just a highlight. Also, when you know we honor national high school students, we're the only non Latino nonprofit that does it at the Superbowl. So we've, I've been a man, I've been on a six or seven of the last eight Superbowls at attending but also on behalf of the foundation, which I'm very grateful for because of our partnership. So for me, being able, like this year, you know the NFL invited our kids on the red carpet for the NFL honors and you know they got on TV. Like you know, like just seeing those kids shine like that, that eso me da una cosa bien bonita en el corazón, and it reminds you that that's why we do the work that we do, because now those kids, man, those kids are going to go out and they're going to be like yo, like I'm here, I deserve to be here, that door is open because I'm here.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying and I think that that sometimes we don't celebrate our victories enough and then for everybody that's watching, you got to make it be celebrated, you know, because I think that I think for a lot of us we come from these environments, these tough environments that we were lucky to make it out Right. And, like you, look at people now that we grew up with, man, they, they look like fucking train tracks ran through them because it's crazy. But I, I think it's um, I think we, we, we really have to remind ourselves that, yeah, we made it, but you don't have to live for the rest of your life with survival skill. It's okay. People have made decisions that have affected them either good or bad. That's not your problem. You've got to just continue to seguir para adelante and continue to do good work. I love that.
Speaker 3:I appreciate that and I appreciate you also talking about kind of appreciating those highlights. In that same vein, are there any lowlights that you have had to overcome or face with? That? You know because it's easy to look at you and your life and your career trajectory and be like man, he got it all figured out. You probably had it like sweet all over his whole life. That may not necessarily be the case, right. Is there any anything that you feel like man? You know there was a time when I had to figure some stuff out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, I mean, look, I think COVID really taught us a lot, right, it really, it really, like you know, made you feel like yo, you have to really work for a lot of things, like I think, for me, the last couple, you know, the last three years, have just been tough. I mean, I lost one brother to an aneurysm, I lost another brother to an infarct, I lost one of my best friends to a fentanyl overdose, and all of this shit happened within like literally like two or three years, and for me it was just really really tough to deal with so much loss. And, quite frankly, I'll be honest with you, man, it was the first time that I did therapy, because I was telling myself, like yo, this doesn't feel right. And I think that, and I talked to some friends and they were like yo, you should probably, you know, go see a therapist. And yo, I saw a therapist for like three years, two, three years and it was the best decision that I've ever done, because it was, it was, it was I was dealing with a lot of trauma and a lot of loss, you know.
Speaker 1:And then sometimes yo I'll be honest on this podcast sometimes, as the one in the family that kind of made it out or whatever. Coño, a lot of the responsibility falls on you. Loco uno gastando quince tablas to bury your brother. That shit is that's some real shit. And if we didn't have it, then it's like okay, what do we do? Do we do a A GoFundMe or something? A GoFundMe, a GoFundMe or something A GoFundMe? And I'm not like yo, I respect everybody, whoever's done that and stuff, but that just wasn't my style and I was just like no, we ain't doing that. So I think that those experiences that just really taught me that life is very short, that we have a tremendous burden and responsibility to take care of those around us, especially our family and close friends. But, more importantly, like yo, when moments like that come apart, come into fruition and into a vision that, yo, those are leadership moments, you got to step up, and you got to step up not only for you but you got to step up for your family, you know. So I know that, like you know my older brother, ramon, he has three daughters that I look after. One of them is now a student at Boston University studying abroad right now in Europe. My other brother has two sons that I'm mindful of and just look out for them in whatever space I can. Whatever space I can. Yeah, it's money, but more importantly, it's time, and it's also giving, giving your space.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying and I think what I would tell people yo, you're going to go through some experiences in life. They're going to kick your ass and you're going to be like fuck, like I don't, like am I going to make it out of this, you know? But you got to tell yourself, you know, like with prayer, you got to tell yourself what a lot of um, it's going to be okay, it's going to be okay and and so I just think that those are, those are things that um, that you just, you know you'll be, you're mindful of, you know, and those are things that really like they. They, they harden you as a person. You know, when you go through, when you go through a loss like I, like I did very suddenly- man, you just you're like yo you.
Speaker 3:it just changes you. You know, absolutely. I appreciate you sharing that, um, and I completely agree. Um, you know, first of all, thanks for being vulnerable, um, second, of course, sorry for your loss and I think, especially when it's all within like back-to-back sequences, as you said right, like you show up to work and people may not know that right, or you show up to events, people may not know the way that you're carrying, but you're handling and doing so much.
Speaker 3:I completely understand the, you know your family looking at you as the answer for things, right, like I, you know, I very much understand like I lost a sister before and one of the things through that time was one not only financially you got to figure it out, but also like responsibility wise, everybody's kind of looking at you to like get it right and figure it out. But it's a lot to carry. And I will say you know I also appreciate you mentioning the importance of therapy. Like therapy has helped me through the worst of times and through the best of times and I just get cleared enough to like figure it out, to figure out kind of the next moves and continue Like I can't show up professionally the way that I do If I didn't have that? Yeah. So I appreciate you sharing that, because I think that is important and something that you know folks in our community are just not comfortable with.
Speaker 1:You know, I don't know, but it's like no no, no, no, no, you got to talk to somebody about stuff. And you know, and I'll be honest with you, man, like, sometimes through therapy you start realizing that there were things that happened as a kid. You know, like, these aren like, these traumas that we deal with, that we don't talk about, right. So I think that it's an opportunity also to kind of unravel that Like. For me I'll give you an example, right Like, the reason that I say I know I'm good if my car goes through is because, yo, I was that 11, 12 year old kid fucking at the Mula's in Lawrence, massachusetts, trying to buy groceries, and yo, we didn't have enough money on the card Loco, so all the groceries se quedaron on the beltway and I had to leave like an 11, 12-year-old saliendo de allá.
Speaker 1:Tú me entiendes, and that's always been a memory there for me. I'm just like, oh, and you're like, but I didn't realize that until you go through therapy and you talk about these things right, and you start realizing that, like yo, even little things like that have a profound effect on your, on your, on your psyche, on the way you carry yourself, on the way you, you, you approach money or or your approach going out or anything like that, you know.
Speaker 1:And I bring that I bring that example up because, like it's, it's it's just good to talk to somebody, to talk to, you know, to a therapist, because it's, it's those, those are things that you can, you know they're going to help you with your relationships, whether whether they're romantic or or work related, or, you know, with relationships with, with family members.
Speaker 3:Thank you for opening up on that. I really appreciate that. I think I completely agree and I appreciate you sharing that. I want to give a space for you to talk about some of the work that you do outside of work. I know you do some consulting, so tell the world what kind of consulting you do. How can you be helpful? If I needed some support, what type of reasons would I be looking at that to go for?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I do. No, that's a great question. So let me see, so I do. Obviously, you know, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation is kind of my main work, but then I also work with a couple of clients, basically, you know, helping identify opportunities for us, like right now working with a client and basically just being, you know, identifying potential opportunities where we can expand the gentleman's business. So I think for me it's also an opportunity to create other streams of income. I think that yo inflation is crazy. Everything's super expensive. So I would challenge everybody to try to find a hustle, one or two hustles, on the side, that you could try to have multiple streams of income, because, god forbid, if something happens to you at work, at least you have something else to fall back on, if that makes sense.
Speaker 3:That's helpful. I appreciate that. Are there any forms of media that you've consumed that have been helpful to you that can be anything from books to music, to television to podcasts that you think are helpful to you personally or professionally that you think folks should check out?
Speaker 1:I would have people you know look up different podcasts of obviously interests that you're in. But you know there's a lot of great podcasts out there. Obviously a lot of people like Tony Robbins, but there's a lot of like Latina podcasts that are out there that are talking about stories, about success stories, about challenges and overcoming challenges and grief and all of that good stuff.
Speaker 1:So, I would make it a point to try to listen to at least one or two podcasts a week or even, if you like, sports, be informed. The great thing about going to networking events, Reddy, is I'm not an expert in many things. I know a little about a lot of things, if that makes sense. So if you're in a conversation and they're talking about something, at least you can say, okay, I can defend myself. You know what I mean, and I think that's very, very important as it pertains to different events, especially here in Washington DC, where I mean, we have all types of events that are happening every week. So I think that's one, yeah. So I would think that sometimes, for work, for example, there are certain people that you have to meet, Like in my, in my, in my business, individuals within certain companies that were obviously, as Hispanic Heritage Foundation, we're trying to get a sponsorship. Or if I'm working with my client, we're trying to connect on a potential long term business opportunity. So I think when, when you know that you're going to meet that particular person, be prepared, know that you're going to meet that particular person, be prepared, Google them, go on their LinkedIn, check out YouTube, see if they have any videos of interviews or anything that they've done before. So when you go into that opportunity to meet that person, you're going in with ya que ya, tú conoces a persona. And if that person mentioned something like for me, baseball is always like a big topic because I just love it Then I know oh hey, I heard you're a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, Isn't that where you grew up? Yo, esa persona va a estar o coño. Este chamaquito did his homework, Okay, yeah, man. And then you start a conversation and you're connecting with that person. But again, do your homework right If you know that person, like if you know that you're connecting with that person. But again, do your homework right If you know that person, like if you know that you're going to meet Jessica Alba, for example, and you know that she's an actress great.
Speaker 1:But you got to know that she's an incredible entrepreneur and she's built this billion dollar brand, right, and that has a sustainability aspect to it. You got to know that stuff so that when you get in front of her like you're on point, you can talk about that. So that when you get in front of her coño, like you're on point, Tú puedes hablar de eso. No di que, oh, my God, I love when you were an actress in this movie 20 years ago.
Speaker 1:No, you got to because you get a lot of the times, especially with these very busy people. You get one shot at them and you got to make that count. You know, Okay, and so I think that would be kind of like an advice that I tell folks. So when you go in there, you have to say what you have, you know. Or if you go to a white house event and you know that so-and-so is going to get awarded, you know, make sure you read their bio. So. So if, if at the cocktail hour you run into that person and it's a one-on-one or they're around other people, have that, that bullet in the chamber ready to go, you know, because I think, I think that when that happens, people are going to be like yo, you know what?
Speaker 1:I really enjoyed that conversation that I had with that young man Boom, boom, boom. You know what? Hey, I have an event. That's happened to me many times. Hey, I have an event next week. I actually have a suite for so and so Boom, boom, boom. You should come. And then what happens is now you're meeting other like-minded individuals within those circles and now you're asking yourself coño yo estoy aquí. And now you're asking yourself coño yo estoy aquí. I don't know how I got here, pero estoy aquí, Vamos a mezclar, vamos a hacer lo que tengamos que hacer. So I think that's a cheat sheet that a lot of people don't really talk about, Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Is there anything else we haven't discussed that the world should know about Darío man. I like to have a good time, I like to explore, I like to travel. I try to go to one new country a year. That's something, after COVID, that I'm trying to stay in front of. I've mentioned, I've been to 20 out of 30 ballparks, so I'm trying to finish the other 10. That's been a lifelong goal of mine to do that and it's something that I've put on the back burner.
Speaker 1:But then COVID happened and obviously I lost, like I said, two brothers and one of my best friends through an overdose and you just start realizing that we're not all here. So we got to make sure that if there are things that you want to do in your life, make sure you do it. I'll give you an example. A couple of years ago, after my second brother passed away, my mom had lost two of her kids, two or seven kids. So she was she was, you know, very, you know very fragile state and she's always wanted to go to Paris. And and I told my little brother, I was like yo, we got to like if, if, if there's, if there's any time, like, let's make this happen, shout out to, you know my homies at Delta Airlines for getting us on the Delta one and, and you know, so we were able to make that happen and we went to Paris for like four days and it was my little brother, myself and my mom's first time in France and it was super dope because my dad passed away in 2001, 2002, from cancer. So my dad always used to have stories about.
Speaker 1:So it was like a really dope way for us to kind of go to Paris and go see the Mona Lisa and, just you know, tomar tu cafecito para allá, tranquilo, and then meeting other Latinos out there just mad, randomly. So I think for me that was just like a very sweet experience that I was able to enjoy with my mom and my little brother, and you know being unapologetic about it, like, coño, nosotros tenemos, we have the means and we can do that. Vamos va y eso es lo que, si eso es lo que quiere la vieja, vamos para allá. Tú me entiendes, sometimes we feel guilty about like doing stuff like good shit, like just good things for us and the family, and I think sometimes yo, we, scott, we got to get rid of that shame. We got to like and enjoy life for what it presents itself.
Speaker 3:You know I love that. That's great. Thank you for joining us today. I appreciate you being so open, so candid, so vulnerable, so insightful with your interview, so thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no, thank you, and anybody. I'm on Instagram, dario Icollado, happy to you know. Just continue to follow. If I can be a resource to anyone, and then make sure to you know. Just continue to follow. If I can be a resource to anyone, and then make sure to you know. Follow us myworkemailsio at hispanicaritageorg. Make sure to check out hispanicaritageorg, our website, for any potential opportunities, grants that folks might be interested in and you know, able to apply. Love it All right, thanks, yeah, and keep doing your thing, man. I appreciate you creating this safe space for us to drop some nuggets.
Speaker 3:That's the goal, man. We have some remarkable people doing great work, like yourself that need to be highlighted and folks should know about.
Speaker 2:I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did and believe on the mission we're on, please like, rate and subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you're using, and share this podcast with your friends and your networks. Make sure you follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Career Cheat Code and tell us people or careers you would like to see highlighted. See you next week with some more cheat codes. Peace.
