Episodes
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Maria Medrano knows first-hand the value of opportunity: the opportunity to receive an education, the opportunity to pursue higher education, the opportunity to break out of poverty, and the opportunity to start a company that has investors knocking on the door.
In this episode of the American Dream podcast, Maria shares all of those experiences, and explains how they taught her, and now her children, the value of saying “yes.”
(2:00) The Real Maria(14:02) Why Elias & Maria believe you should say yes to everything(16:50) Don’t fear new things(19:23) Why Maria didn’t want to be poor(21:27) Learning to establish a relationship with money(22:20) Investing goes beyond the dollar amount(32:16) Maria paves her way into big tech(36:54) Why Maria left Google to go all in on her startup(42:30) Elias and Maria collaborate on AI college advising(48:38) Maria’s call to action -
From thinking she wanted to be an athletic trainer freshman year of college to graduating with a bachelors (and masters) degree in information systems, Deena McKay, scrum master and host of Black Tech Unplugged podcast, is no stranger to the nonlinear trajectory of tech careers. In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Deena and Elias discuss the role of a scrum master, Elias argues if it’s really worthwhile, and the two agree on the need for adaptability and flexibility when paving your way into tech.
Check out Black Tech Unplugged, a podcast focused on telling the stories of Blacks in Tech to assist you with developing your own tech path, on their website anywhere you listen to podcasts.
(01:12) Deena’s backstory(01:36) Chicago tech scene(02:21) Deena’s journey through tech(10:31) What is a scrum master?(12:30) What’s the difference between a scrum master and a project manager?(16:45) How a scrum master fits within the rest of the product organization(17:50) Elias challenges the scrum master position(23:00) Black Tech Unplugged(24:40) Deena’s top tip for networking(28:30) Deena’s parting advice -
Missing episodes?
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This episode is a special one.
Elias shares a conversation with his mother, Consuelo Rios. The two stand in the kitchen of the brand new house Elias just bought his mother — his largest purchase since selling Drift. The two discuss their journey to the United States, the early years, and life today. It’s a can’t miss episode.
(1:45) The home Elias grew up in(3:34) Elias’ mom makes the decision to move to the United States(6:30) Elias’ family enters the United States(13:20) Elias buys his mom a house -
We're continuing Women's History Month with La Jefa herself, Enna Jimenez. Emma immigrated from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts with her family as a young girl, became a first-generation college graduate, and paved her way into Vice President positions in quality assurance.
Within the first few minutes of the episode, you'll understand why Emma is La Jefa, but make sure to listen to the end to find out how she fought for her position in corporate America, and learn how you can, too!
(0:41) Enna’s background(4:15) Enna and her family come to Boston(11:07) Enna’s journey through corporate America(22:17) Enna is La Jefa -
To kick off Women's History Month, we're highlighting one of Elias Torres' role models: Freada Kapor Klein.
Freada has considered herself an activist since high school, and since then, she's founded SMASH — an organization that helps low-income students get into STEM, co-founded Kapor Capital, which invests in early-stage startups focused on closing the equity gap, and even wrote a book all about what it takes for companies to actually close the equity gap.
In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Freada and Elias discuss how technology and activism can (and should) co-exist, the problems prohibiting equality today, and debate if we really are making progress closing the equity gap.
(1:35) Who is Freada Klein?(8:55) Can activism, tech, and money all mix together?(11:45) The swing of the progress pendulum(17:18) Kapor Capital’s different approach to talent(23:13) How do we close the privilege gap?(26:58) The disadvantages minority founders have in trying to make their startup successful(29:48) How can we help underrepresented founders get up to speed faster?Learn more about SMASH
Learn more about Kapor Capital
Buy Closing the Equity Gap
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Today, Harvard University juniors Hannah Zhou and Rhea Acharya join Elias on the show to discuss the upcoming Harvard WeCode Conference happening on February 17 and 18.
Register for the conference or learn about sponsorship opportunities here: https://www.harvardwecode.com/
(2:26) Hannah’s backstory(4:24) There are so many more technology careers than software engineering(5:43) Rhea’s backstory(7:51) We need to break out of the male paradigm of computer science(8:57) The details of Harvard WeCode(17:34) Elias’ advice on mentorship -
Growing up in Colorado, Guillermo Diaz Jr. always dreamed of having palm trees in his backyard. Now, after many years of hard work and diligence, he has more palm trees than he knows what to do with, which is why he created Conectado.
Conectado aims to leverage technology to bring individuals and institutions together to increase equality from the classroom to the boardroom.
In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Guillermo explains how he worked to achieve his palm tree dream, why he believes so strongly in "ships," and why he shifted his focus from Cisco to Conectado.
(0:49) The American Dream can be incremental(3:26) Guillermo’s early days(8:52) The value of education and alternative paths(18:15) Guillermo becomes the CIO of Cisco(25:45) Guillermo’s “ships”(28:00) Finding the person that delivers is rare, so don’t let them down(33:19) Guillermo leaves Cisco -
Growing up in Colorado, Guillermo Diaz Jr. always dreamed of having palm trees in his backyard. Now, after many years of hard work and diligence, he has more palm trees than he knows what to do with, which is why he created Conectado.
Conectado aims to leverage technology to bring individuals and institutions together to increase equality from the classroom to the boardroom.
In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Guillermo explains how he worked to achieve his palm tree dream, why he believes so strongly in "ships," and why he shifted his focus from Cisco to Conectado.
(0:49) The American Dream can be incremental(3:26) Guillermo’s early days(8:52) The value of education and alternative paths(18:15) Guillermo becomes the CIO of Cisco(25:45) Guillermo’s “ships”(28:00) Finding the person that delivers is rare, so don’t let them down(33:19) Guillermo leaves Cisco -
Do you need to go to college? How do you find the career path right for you? These are the types of questions Elias and his guest, Erik Cardenas, discuss on today's episode.
Growing up in Texas, Erik was the first in his family to go to college. He was also the first to get kicked out. Nevertheless, Erik entered the corporate world, got a degree, and then pivoted towards entrepreneurship.
This episode covers how to figure out what path is right for you, and why our backgrounds shape so much of who become.
(0:24) Who is Erik Cardenas?(4:17) Erik’s college journey(9:13) Latino dads(11:59) Erik enters med tech(25:38) the mission of Zócalo Health(30:35) Why Zócalo Health is focusing its work in California -
(0:31) The origin story of Katty Coulson’s name(01:21) Katty’s life in Mexico(5:49) Katty crosses the border(12:44) Katty finds her way into tech(17:43) The secret to Katty’s happiness(22:17) Why Katty has, and will always, give back to the community (and why you should, too)(25:16) Katty's work with the Ronald McDonald House
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Elias Torres is back for another season of the American Dream podcast. This season, you can expect more conversations with underrepresented leaders who have pushed themselves to get to the top, raw truths from those who are no stranger to being the "other" in the room, and advice for how to achieve your own version of the American Dream.
We're working our way to a more equitable corporate America, and we hope you'll join us.
First, a reintroduction to your host.
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(1:18) All about Eneida(4:36) The origins of AmplifyLatinx(7:29) How Eneida became CEO of AmplifyLatinx(12:10) Why Eneida committed to work in the United States(14:18) The official kick off of AmplifyLatinx(17:49) Elias’ introduction to AmplifyLatinx
Learn more about AmplifyLatinx
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