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Kids and Vaping = A Toxic Mix
My 11-year old son is starting middle school this fall and I admit I’m slightly terrified and definitely anxious because there is no doubt that big changes are coming his (our) way. The tween years…that stage in life where you’re no longer a self absorbed, happy, go lucky young kid but you’re not yet a hormonally driven teen. As a parent, I think this stage is crucial and oftentimes overlooked as we focus on the very young years of our kids lives, ensuring they’re growing at the right pace, or we place a big focus on the adolescent years concerning ourselves with teen rebelliousness, reckless driving, unprotected sex, alcohol,…
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Latina Entrepreneurs Are Taking the World by Storm
I have to admit that for the majority of my working life, I have not given much thought to entrepreneurs given that I’ve always worked for good size companies that had everything in place and made it easy for me to just come in and do the work I needed to do. While I always appreciated what the founder (mostly women) had created, I didn’t give much thought into all the dreams, the effort, the long hours, and hard work that went into creating something out of nothing. But being surrounded by successful Latina entrepreneurs that I am honored to call my friends, has given me a new perspective on…
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I’m a Quitter
I grew up most of my life hearing “don’t be a quitter” but quitting is not always negative and at times in life, quitting is necessary in order to evolve and change. “Quitting is leading too.” – Nelson Mandela Today, in my mid 40’s, I quit life as I routinely know it… for a new life to pursue my dreams. Today I quit the comfort of a steady paycheck… for the opportunity to earn every penny doing what I was meant to do. Today I quit relying on others for my career development… to shape the career I have always wanted. Today I quit thinking that life as an “entrepreneur”…
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What My Boys Are Teaching Me About the Media Landscape
As of lately I have become fascinated with Generation Z and learning everything I can about them. Having two members of that generation in my home has afforded me a wealth of knowledge that marketers pay a lot of money for. My latest obsession has to do with their media consumption preferences and behaviors. With my kids on summer break, this allows more time to observe their behavior in this arena because once school starts, they get very little, if any, time with media and electronics during the week. I can honestly say that if I removed our 50-inch flat screen TV from our home, they probably would not…
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Keeping Biculturalism Alive in my Home
My life has always been about two languages, two cultures, and taking the best of each. I’m also an advertising strategic planner on accounts that serve the U.S. Hispanic community so understanding the dynamics of language and biculturalism is imperative in order to ensure brands speak to our consumers in a relevant and meaningful way. Having conducted many consumer research studies with Latina moms, one thing that impresses me is their desire to pass on their heritage and language to their kids, regardless of what their personal language preference is. They all aspire to raise bilingual and bicultural children. Oftentimes, I hear versions of stories that remind me of…
