Let's Be Healthy Latinas!
Let’s Be Healthy Latinas is the podcast for busy, high-achieving Latinas who are tired of putting themselves last. Hosted by Bronx-raised Dominicana and Certified Integrative Nutrition and Hormone Health Coach, Naihomy Jerez, this is where cultura meets real-life health.
We’ll talk food, hormones, energy, and all the cultural pressures that come with being the strong one in the family—without the guilt, confusion, or boring wellness talk. Expect real conversations, practical tips you can actually use, and a cafecito-sized dose of motivation to help you break cycles and build the vibrant, generational health you deserve.
Because being healthy isn’t about perfection—it’s about finally feeling good in your body and enjoying your life. So, grab your cafecito, amiga, and let’s be healthy Latinas, together!
Let's Be Healthy Latinas!
93. Your Career Shouldn't Cost You Your Health with Career Coach Carla Santamaria
Send Naihomy encouraging words!💕
Career coach Carla Santamaria shares how first-gen professionals can increase their salaries, navigate workplace systems, and set boundaries for better work-life integration. She reveals strategies that have helped her clients collectively increase their salaries by over half a million dollars since 2021.
• Understanding the four factors that determine your market rate: industry, location, function, and expertise level
• Learning to articulate and quantify your value with specific metrics and accomplishments
• Setting boundaries starts with small steps like taking your lunch break and creating after-work rituals
• Using phrases like "I am happy to take this on—what would you like me to deprioritize?" to manage workload
• Navigating family business dynamics requires clear physical boundaries and proactive communication
• Maximizing workplace benefits can include gym discounts, mental health resources, and education stipends
• First-gen professionals typically operate at higher levels of excellence—your 50% effort often exceeds others' 100%
Follow Carla on Instagram or check out her First Gen Coach podcast. Her LinkedIn mini-course has helped clients land high-paying jobs with benefits. For more information about working with Carla through one-on-one coaching or bringing her to speak at your organization, visit the link in her bio.
Connect with Carla on Instagram
Thank you so much for listening!
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Hello friends, welcome back to the podcast. Today we're switching it up and we're having a beautiful guest in her realm of expertise, which is careers increasing your salaries and setting well-deserved boundaries with your job so that you are well-paid and well taken care of. A little bit about Carla Santamaria, because she's an expert guest today. She is Miami-based Honduran-born immigrant who more than doubled her salary in 10 months by job hopping from higher ed to healthcare to tech. In addition to her full-time job, karla is a career coach on a mission to help first-gen women of color increase their salaries by 30k in six months, or less. Okay, since 2021, she's helped her clients collectively increase their salaries by more than half a million dollars. Carla is the host of the first gen coach podcast, a career and lifestyle podcast where first-gen professional latinas learn to advance their careers, unlearn limiting beliefs and build wealth. So if you want more to listen more on her gems, you can find her podcast. Welcome, Kadla. Please tell us more about yourself.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, naomi. I am so happy to be here. I was going to say this is my three-peat, but I actually think this is my fourth time, maybe, yeah, because I think the first one was one of our like our coaching calls that was shared, and then, uh, so, so, yeah, so maybe it's the three feet or the fourth feet, whatever it is.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I think it is the fourth time. Yeah, I think you've been the longest standing guests on this podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. I really, uh, I am honored and I'm so excited to be back this time sharing a little bit more about my professional expertise and career-based expertise. Really think it's all connected. So a little bit about me. As you said, born in Honduras, raised in Miami and I'm still based out of South Florida, I started my coaching business about four years ago and this was born out of transitioning. I mentioned job hopping. You mentioned job hopping in my bio.
Speaker 2:So I transitioned out of higher education and into the corporate setting and I realized that as higher education professionals, we had been doing a great job of preparing first gen students for success. But then, once they graduated, we were kind of just throwing them to the wolves of the workplace, whether that's corporate America, whether that's nonprofit, federal state governments. And when I saw that, I remember feeling so overwhelmed because I remember getting my first benefits package and like sweating, sweating, I'm like what is this? And I have like three weeks to figure it out. And I was so stressed. And that's when I had that realization of like, oh no, is this how all of our students have been feeling right after they graduate and they get their first job. So that's a little bit about how First Gen Coaching and Consulting was born. Similarly my podcast. I had a different name in the beginning. I just went through your name change, so I'm super excited about that.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God is it called something else.
Speaker 2:No, no, no girl. The first six episodes of my podcast were called like activate your potential, and I mean you know what? I have a lot of love for that version of myself who put her podcast out there. And then, you know, after that I was like no, all of my conversations center around what it means to be first gen in the workplace, what it means to be first gen professional, and so that's how I really pivoted and embraced the first gen coach.
Speaker 2:And right now I'm also in a little bit of a pivot in terms of my coaching business myself, because, as much as I do love this one-on-one coaching, there's only so much one-on-one I can do. So what are the ways that I can reach more people, help more first-gen professionals have access to this message? So that looks a lot more like speaking engagements. I actually had my first keynote in a couple of months. Yeah, thank you. You know I recently did a salary negotiation workshop for a big membership group that I don't want to name workshop for a big membership group that I don't want to name but when they reached out to me, I was thrilled and just reaching more folks in that way, so kind of just really embracing the larger stages. So that's the kind of the little pivot that I am in, or maybe it's a big pivot. I tell all my clients not to discount their accomplishments, so I'm not going to discount mine either. But yes, that's me career strategist, linkedin expert and go-to person for all things first-gen professional experience.
Speaker 1:That's beautiful, and I'll tell you over and over again I am so happy that you do this work because I was a first-gen professional. Before I was in health coaching, I was in a 12-year corporate career and every single time that benefits came around packages, you know, reviews I was always freaking out and I had no one to guide me. So you're here for our community and that is absolutely wonderful. So in getting into all this, I know that people are like what, how do you, how did you help your clients increase their salary by more than half a million? Like, what is it that? What are the skills? I want to say Because I do believe that that these are skills that are missing because of the gaps in generation in our community that we're missing to help us increase our salaries.
Speaker 1:And I know that money is so important more than ever now, and it is one of the kind of tools that you need to have in order to take good care of yourself. Not always and not all the time. There are different ways that we can take care of our wellness that is not so costly, but sometimes you would like to invest more and therefore it requires you having more of a higher income to invest in yourself in that way. So what do you think is one of the missing skills, or a few of them, from our generation that has really helped your clients increase their salaries by so much?
Speaker 2:Yes, so a couple of things. The first thing that I want to name is the system that we're in, so we can have all the skills, but we need to acknowledge that we're navigating systems. So I'm going to give your audience a sneak peek of a sub stack that I will be publishing soon, and it's literally called navigating invisible systems.
Speaker 1:Or not so invisible nowadays.
Speaker 2:Right exactly Now that they're upheld by the Supreme Court, but anyway. So I just want to first start by acknowledging the systems that we're in. I firmly believe that the workplace exists at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression. So you have a history of sexism, you have a history of racism, you have a history of ableism within capitalist white supremacy, and so all of that, I think, causes women of color in particular to be socialized into low-paying, nonprofit jobs. So you had a corporate career in marketing, so you were probably one of the very few Latinas and women of color in that space, and again, I think that this is by design. So one of the first ways that I'm going to name that I've helped my clients increase their salaries by that much is simply by transitioning into a higher paying career. So just leaving the nonprofit sector, leaving education and transitioning into a career that just simply pays more. That's one way. The second way is helping them understand the value that they add to the workplace. That's the third way. I'm going to come back to that. The second one is really just acknowledging their greatness and it is tied into that. But it's that mindset first and it's like no, no, you really have to kind of own I mean not kind of. You have to fully own your greatness before you can articulate the value that you bring to your workplace.
Speaker 2:I remember with one of my clients, I was doing this exercise that I do with all of my clients and it's an exercise that helps them really find their career values and their passions and their strengths and their skills. And I asked her what's a time that you felt really energized in the workplace? And she was telling me about this project, and this project was part of a grant that she was managing. And so I asked her have you ever done the math for how many like how much money you're actually managing in these grants? Because she was a grant manager and she's like you know what I'm going to do it tonight.
Speaker 2:She sends me a text immediately after, or like in the next morning, and she says Carla, I manage $150 million in grants. I was like what. I would be so annoying if I managed $150 million in grants. That would be the first thing that came out of my mouth. I'd be like, hi, my name is Carlos Santamaria and I manage $150 million in grants. And so once she was able to articulate the value that she was bringing to her workplace, even though we had previously worked together and she had gotten a raise. She went back, took that amount and got another raise.
Speaker 1:So this is as a state employee.
Speaker 2:You know how hard it is to get three raises in 18 months as a state employee. So again, the first one to answer your question of how we're able to do this. First one is transitioning to a higher payer industry. Second one is articulating the value that you bring to the workplace and that's how many of my clients have been able to get raises within their current roles. And I love doing that because it's why I said it's not a little pivot, it's a big pivot because I'm constantly telling my clients not to diminish their expertise and their greatness. So I'm not going to do that for myself either.
Speaker 2:I had a different client who was working in like she transitioned into a new role within the same company and it was she was like doing like an inventory supervisor and she told me that for her first year she was able to reduce the inventory loss from over it was like nine, over nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars, so like close to a million, down to less than a hundred thousand dollars. So she's like so she reduced it by 90 percent. I, I asked her, I was like you saved your company almost a million dollars. And she was like well, it was like $879,000. I was like that's a million dollars, you know. And then in her second year she further reduced it from that 100K to less than 10K and I was like, oh my God, and this is not on your resume. So I was, like you know, like palpitating, like OK, let's put this on your resume.
Speaker 2:So, really, those two things like acknowledging the systems and that they're just simply are there, just simply are some careers and sectors that pay less than the second one is like understanding the value that you add to your workplace and that comes from being able to like own your, your strength and expertise, you that you add to your workplace, and that comes from being able to own your strength and expertise.
Speaker 2:And then one last one that I do want to add is understanding the market rate of your skills. So I've done a lot of episodes about this. I mean I actually, in my salary negotiation workshop that I just did, I teach the four factors that impact your salary, because a lot of us are underpaid because we don't understand, we just simply don't know what someone with X number of degrees, x number of years of experience, x number of knowledge and expertise, we just don't know what the market rate for that is so. That is like the third one. It's more of a skills and knowledge component that I incorporate into being able to articulate the value that you bring to the workplace.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how do you find out your market rate? You just Google it, or something.
Speaker 2:Go again.
Speaker 1:How do you find out what the market rate is Like? Do you Google it or is there a website that you check for it? I'm like I want to find this. Yes.
Speaker 2:There are four factors that impact your pay. The first one is your industry, so this is your general sector. Are you in agriculture, are you in consumer goods? Are you in marketing, are you in education, are you in hospitality? This is the overarching umbrella of the type of work. So that's the first one. The second one is location. Somebody living in New York City with such an extremely high cost of living as you are, you know, naomi that is significantly higher pay is tied to that location. Florida is super expensive. It's not quite as expensive. Or you know somebody living in Topeka, kansas. So location also impacts um. The third one is your actual job. So are you working for Kellogg's under human resources, or are you working for and it engineering?
Speaker 2:you know so that's the function and the one is your level of expertise and this is you know like, are you early career, so job titles usually tied to that our coordinator, specialist analyst, and those are roles that require a lot of support from your leader. Um, in order to you, you don't usually have a lot of decision making abilities. As you get mid-level and this is manager, senior manager type roles you have more autonomy and then, as you progress towards director, senior director and plus into like executive roles, you're managing not just teams, but teams of teams. You're managing budget. So those are the four factors that are tied into the market rate. So that is industry, location, function and expertise.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. So good. I thought it was just like the restaurant market rates fish. You just weigh it, you know what you pay in the market.
Speaker 2:Yes, but that's a great example, because tilapia has a different market rate than salmon or than halibut or than caviar, you know. So so, yes, different, and there's different things that determine the market rate for different, you know. And again, the market rate is like what somebody is willing to pay for it and in the employment context, it's what employers are willing to pay for this combination of skills, experiences and location.
Speaker 1:Many women in our community and leads them into chronic illness most of the time, and that is stress and not having boundaries at work. Because I don't know if you can relate to this, but I know that most of us, going back to your initial point of socialization, it's like don't like always be grateful for your job. You don't want to ruffle any feathers, you don't want to speak up. If you work hard, people will notice and you don't have to advocate for yourself. I know you're going to lose your shit on that side of the screen, I know, but it's what they tell us, right? So how do we go from this kind of socialization to the actual world where we're living in, where we have to have receipts, we have to speak up and setting boundaries so that we're actually taking care of our health and know that we're doing a good job too. We just don't need to have everybody just roll over us.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. So much. And, yes, I am about to lose my mind.
Speaker 1:I saw you twitching, I know.
Speaker 2:One of the most fired up times was like I saw some post about being grateful for your job and I was like absolutely not. And yes, there is gratitude doesn't mean that you let people walk all over you. You know and I think about this phrase that my dad says he says el trabajo se cuida or hay que cuidar el trabajo, or something like that Like you're supposed to take care of your job, and what he means by that is to like be a good employee. You know to. Again, like you said, like not ruffle any feathers. A good employee, you know to, again, like you said, like not ruffle any feathers. And again, this is one of the key differences and why I focus so much on like being a first gen professional, because that means that you're the first one in your family to achieve certain education and employment and basically life milestones. So it is inclusive of race and gender and the way that that shows up is like if our parents were working these very exhausting, demanding physical labor jobs. They taught us how to show up in the workplace in that way.
Speaker 2:But corporate environments or, you know, I guess, white collar environments, and that is inclusive of. You know, I guess white collar environments, and that is inclusive of you know, like government and private sector and public sector and nonprofit. But still these like quote unquote office jobs, that's not going to fly. That's why you have to be able to articulate the value that you bring to your job, because it's not as visible physically you know what I mean Like if you're out on the street like and you pick more tomatoes than your other, than the person who you know, like somebody else. That's visible and like. You know what I mean. Like it's not white yeah, intangible.
Speaker 2:It's not quite like that in white collar jobs or like in quote-unquote professional jobs. I don't love that word, that's why I said it in quotes, um, and it's why one of the sort of like the pillars of my podcast is unlearning certain beliefs. So if we show up in the workplace like I'm just so grateful to be here and I don't want to rock the boat and I have to be like meek, have to be like meek and quiet and not getting any trouble, that mentality, which is valid because it helps our parents and our ancestors survive, is not what is going to help you thrive and stand out and get that promotion or that raise or even that fair pay in the workplace. You know, in like the white collar workplace and so and this is why people get stressed, I mean, I mean stress exists in so many different ways, but this is what one of the reasons that it's compounded, you know, like there's this feeling of like I like, I think it's an internal knowing. You know, again, one of the ways that I help my clients increase their salaries is because a lot of them have come to me with like I think I'm underpaid. Like there's this internal sense of knowing and again very valid like this, like shrinking and being invisible, has been what has helped our ancestors survive, because being visible can be very dangerous or has been very dangerous in the past. And so I just want to name that. All those things are valid and they were taught to us lovingly. They were taught to us to keep us safe and now that we have a little bit more privilege, we are able to unlearn those beliefs so that we can move beyond survival mode and into thriving mode. And one of the ways to manage this and then to to be to move past survival, is to manage workplace related stress.
Speaker 2:So let's talk about boundaries. This can be really really difficult. I mean, even I mentioned that I have a full-time corporate role and I actually recently started a different role. That has me, like it's just significantly different and significantly more, I would say, mentally challenging. So some of the ways that I've been able to set boundaries, like with myself, are, you know, like I've taken a break from my podcast. You know, like I've I've I've gone to sleep earlier because I need more. Like I know that I'm like I actually need my full eight hours of sleep, like that's non-negotiable. You know, even those are these things that are outside of work but that helped me show up in the workplace and that helped me use my voice and use, like, my mental capacity to like, deliver my set of deliverables, you know.
Speaker 2:But again, it's like setting boundaries in the workplace and outside of the workplace. So when I started working remote during COVID, I would do this thing where I would physically close my laptop and then I would go on a walk and I still I mean now I just press the escape key to, you know like, to shut off the screen, but I still do that and like, and I remove myself from my workplace area and I, you know like, go on a walk. Sometimes it's raining, so that doesn't happen, you know. Or sometimes I'm working a little bit late and I just want to get dinner started, but I still have this sort of after work ritual. Again, it's one of the things that I help my clients with, because if your work is bleeding into your home life, that's going to compound that stress.
Speaker 2:Several years ago I found myself on our after work walks and me and my fiance just complaining about my boss and I I heard myself and I was like, oh, I'm so sick of myself, like I'm so annoyed. I'm like I do not want to be the person that complains about their boss after work. And so then I got a new job. I was like I can't do this.
Speaker 1:I'm like I was. How do you get yourself to that point where you shut down? I think that's the hard part of like actually stopping and being like okay, I don't need to do one more thing, I don't need to answer one more email no-transcript.
Speaker 2:But I remember in my first job, post-grad school, I was the youngest person on my team. Grad school, I was the youngest person on my team and I was basically so overwhelmed because I had this endless to-do list. And I remember we had an event like an additional training or something, and it took me away from my office and into a different setting and I was on my phone emailing the office staff about the certain things that they needed to do. And I was on my phone emailing the office staff about the certain things that they needed to do and I was sitting next to this woman that I worked with, you know, like in a professional capacity. She was a department head and she was like maybe 20 years older than me and she kind of like was able to sense my frantic energy.
Speaker 2:And I told her and she was like what's going on? And I told her everything that I was going, that I needed to do, and she was like, carlette, today this is your job, and she was like listen. I, when I interviewed for this position as the you know department head, the dean told me you're never going to finish your to-do list and I was like huh, and I'm really glad that I learned that in my first job out of grad school, because it was somebody who was senior to me in her role and in years and quoting, basically almost like my highest boss at the institution, saying you're never going to finish my to-do list, your to-do list, and she was telling you today, this is your job. And I had this thought.
Speaker 1:As in being present.
Speaker 2:Yes, being present, being in the training, yeah, and I was like, yeah, you know what, this is my job, and that it really helped me reframe. It's like, okay, this to-do list is just never going to get, never going to finish, and that's okay. So what I do is I'm able to like really hone in on what are the top three priorities, like what do I, what must I do today and what can, what can get done tomorrow? You know, and again I kind of just do that negotiation every day Obviously there are some days and some jobs and that there's, you know, like I may be working late, or that you know somebody may be working late.
Speaker 2:There are some seasons, like if you get a tax deadline on April 15th, it literally cannot wait until April 16th, you know. So just like allowing yourself that flexibility I don't necessarily believe that there is like a full balance, you know what I mean. Like I I think that it's in seasons and it ebbs and flows and knowing what your boundaries are at different seasons, like it's like, okay, I'm willing to work a little bit later today, or maybe like start a little bit later, but I know that I'm doing this and there are times when I'm just, when I won't, you know, and so, again, it just takes a lot of practice but really understanding. Hey, this is not life or death and I'm going. I'm actually better at my job when I have time to decompress.
Speaker 1:Those are great examples and I love the fact where you mentioned that different boundaries for different seasons, because if we get stuck kind of doing it one way, then it's hard of the to-do list just kind of doesn't end. Let me ask you a question Do you take your lunch break?
Speaker 2:I do, I do.
Speaker 1:I take your paid time off.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, I take my paid time off. I must admit that sometimes on my lunch break I will like watch a webinar or something for you know, or, like you know, maybe do like 30 minutes of eating and then like send a quick email for my business. You know so, but I do take my, but you eat.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh yes, I eat Girl. Yeah, gotta eat Sometimes when that internal, external boundaries that you talk about, we must include meeting our own needs throughout the workday. That's important. So you mentioned some of the things that you do after you finish work that are important to nourish yourself and fill your cup, like making dinner, going out for a walk, getting to bed earlier and then during the workday, and also taking time off when you need it, because that's another thing that tends to pile up, or a lot of people feel guilt around taking the actual time that you're getting paid to take off, which can really serve you as filling your cup, too, when you need a little bit more of a longer break.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, and again, little bit more of a longer break.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, and again. That's one of those things. Let me tell you, this job where I was underworked and overpaid and like had me losing my hair I'm looking back, I'm like super grateful for it, because I learned so many career lessons. One of them actually was about PTO. I had just started that job, maybe like four months earlier, and I remember telling them in the very beginning I was like listen, I am happy to accept this offer, just so, you know, I have this vacation plan for X, y and Z and I was going to New York City. But it was again, it was my first job.
Speaker 2:I was like a big shot directora, like oh my gosh. So I was in New York City emailing the students, doing something, and I just realized I'm like this is a mess, what I could do in the future, because I essentially was like what I should have done, but I don't like to shit myself. So at the time I said shit, but now you know. So like what I should have done and you know, eventually became what I could do in the future. It's like I know I'm actually going to be better about delegating and assigning roles and responsibilities prior to leaving. And this specific again, it was on campus, the location we were supposed. The room was locked so they needed to call campus security. I'm like, okay, if you have any issues, this is our contact with facilities you contact them and so, you know, kind of creating a better plan for when I'm on leave and not on leave because leave is, like you know, longer. It's just like I was taking like three days off work, you know. So it's like creating a better plan for those and just recognizing, hey, I am not physically there and this is when I worked in office. I'm not physically there. I cannot solve this. These are the people who are going to be making, you know, like day of point of contacts, basically PTO. You really do want to leave things in a good place.
Speaker 2:Like I always say, your first job is to be good at the job you're hired to do. Like your primary responsibility is to be good at the at the job you're hired to do. That's how you get a promotion, that's how you get a raise, that's how you get an external position. You actually need to be good at your job and that includes planning, need to be good at your job, and that includes planning to not be there on PTO. And I also have to say what I learned about this in that time is that there was also a sense of arrogance that I could solve the problem while I'm away or that I was the only one who could handle it, when in reality I wasn't. In reality there were plenty of other people who could have resolved the situation. So really like another one is like just like get a little over yourself, you know, just like understand that you are not the only holder of this knowledge, and if you are, then there may be a problem.
Speaker 1:I think that's how we end up getting burnt out, and I think a little bit of it is one, yes, getting over yourself, and another part going back to the socialization that you mentioned again, because I think it's across the board where we think we are the only person responsible or capable of solving something.
Speaker 1:And it happens in the home, too, where it's like oh, we're the only ones that can do the laundry, because it has to do a certain way, we're the only ones that can do the dishes or cook or take care of the kids or do certain things. And it's like, no, you're not the only one. Well, granted, if you live by yourself, but usually this is in situations where there are other adults available and capable of helping. And it goes back to like, oh, they can't do it, like I do it, so I'm going to do it Right. And it's the same thing at work, like, oh, they're always asking me questions and with some of my clients, I empower them to empower their staff. And it's like well, if you keep solving their problems and not teaching them how to solve it, they're going to continue coming back to you because it's so much more easier just to ask you and then you're going to handle it, or and you continue to step in Right. So how do you get more comfortable with that?
Speaker 2:Well, delegating is a skill and, again, like, delegating is part of being a good manager. And even if you are an individual contributor, one of the phrases that I it's basically like, how do you professionally say like not my job, you know?
Speaker 2:Oh, I want to know, right, it's just so, yeah, again, one of the phrases that I always tell my clients to use you know, like, if their specific manager is just like dumping more on their plate is to be able to say I am happy to take this on. What would you like me to deprioritize? So you're like articulating hey, I can do it, but I'm going to have to deprioritize something else, and that kind of puts them in the perspective of like, oh, okay. And if they're it's like, well, it all needs to be done. I'm like okay, well, this is the support that I need in order to make it happen. And being able to articulate that. And it takes practice. It takes so much practice. It may take you feeling like really uncomfortable at first.
Speaker 2:And that's if you're, you know, for example, an individual contributor role, if you are in a, if you are a manager and you actually do have members of your team that you manage. It's like understanding that being a good manager is delegating. Being a good manager is letting people learn for themselves and providing that scaffolding. And while it may be easier on the short term to just say like oh, let me do it for you, it's actually not. I remember in one of my positions. I was managing a program and I had to manage the managers, basically, and so I was checking in with one of the managers and he told me he's like, well, it takes me three hours to teach him to do something that could take me an hour to do, but eventually I'm going to be able to fully hand this off.
Speaker 1:And you'll get your hour back.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly. And so I really thought that I was like okay, finally one of my managers understands the purpose of this program, you know, because it's literally a job training and development program. Like you sign up to train this person. So, again, just like understanding that. And if, like being honest with yourself, like if you actually don't have time to do that, then and you manage someone on your team, then you need to like advocate, it's like no, we actually need someone with more expertise, we need someone to come in at the manager level and not at the junior level to take on these responsibilities.
Speaker 2:But again, it takes practice and I would just say, like, start small, like it's like okay, you know again this phrase of um, how do you you know I am happy to take this on what would you like me to deprioritize? And because people love to dump work on your plate that is not yours, you know, you can say, oh, thank you for bringing this up. I will flag to my manager in case this is something that she wants me to work on or that they want me to work on. Or oh, thank you, that's out of the, that's outside of the current scope of my role, um, you know. So something like that. Or like oh, that's not, like I don't have bandwidth to take on a new project that is outside of the. You know the scope of my role, um, so again, it's similar phrases. You can, you know like it's, it's something like that. But to be able to actually say no, and again, not, not. It may not even be no, like a flat out no, it can be like yes, but what am I not gonna do?
Speaker 1:or just know yeah or not, my job to like all these people that want to dump work on you yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:So what happens because I have a lot of clients who also work in family businesses what happens when there is just so much at stake? Because it's what your family has created, it is part of your survival, it is how they've been able to support you. You're also in, like, within that job, you're in a high career as well, and the dynamics change because now it's not just boss or corporate executive and you, it's like family member and you, and they're also your boss, like how does the dynamics change a little bit? How do the boundaries maybe get blurred? How do you still make time for meeting your own needs when you're in a family work environment?
Speaker 2:Yes. So I think this is a great question because, um, you know, we know that immigrants are driving force behind the economy, you know, and starting businesses. I mean, I worked for my dad all through grad school and let me tell you, I love my father and he's not like the best boss Doesn't have clear communication skills, does not? It was? It took me years after I stopped working from him that like if I would get a call from him in the middle of the day, I would get like like I would get so nervous because I was like, oh my God, did I forget to send an invoice? Did I forget to go pick up a check? Did I like I thought it was my boss calling, not my dad calling? You know, and so like I understand that dynamic and it blurs. And especially, you know I live at home with my dad, so you know. And so like I understand that dynamic and it blurs. And especially, you know I lived at home with my dad, so you know like I'd be home and he's like, hey, go do this. And I was like, okay, so, or I mean, eventually he got better at it. He was like, when you get to the office tomorrow, you know, do x, y or z, and so I understand that. You know, and I also, I also, I, I. So again, that's just one dynamic Um, but I've supported my mom with her business and it's.
Speaker 2:It is a lot of things, but at the end of the day, you still are a person, like a human, who needs to prioritize their humanity, and that is happening at the workplace.
Speaker 2:So, even if you need to say like, hey, I haven't moved from this desk in three hours, I need to take a minute to step outside.
Speaker 2:Or like, hey, I'm going to take my lunch away from this desk, or like, yes, there's so much to do, I will call them back, and again, you just have to start small, it, it, it. You just have to start small. It's the same thing. You just have to start small, like I, you know, like I'm going to work eight to eight to 12 and I will just take a 20 minute break. I'm going to have, I'm not going to take the office phone, I'm not going to answer emails for those 20 minutes while I eat my lunch, and peace. And and what's interesting, even as I'm saying this, I remember so I have three sisters. When we were kids, my mom would say not to interrupt her, when there was like three times when we couldn't call her to like, you know, poner quejas, to like complain or tattle, or whatnot, and it was when she was sleeping, when she was eating and when she was in the bathroom.
Speaker 1:Yes, mom, oh my gosh, I need to take notes from your mom.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I, you know, and the thing is like I mean, when I was mine and I was like fighting with my sisters and had lots of things to say, I didn't care that she was eating and I wanted her attention, but that was the rule, you know, like we have to wait until she was done eating, or like we couldn't wake her up to complain, you know. Or or her use the bathroom in peace, and I think that's one of the things that really taught me those boundaries early on. And so, like at work, and I'm like, listen, I will show up at work, but just let me eat in peace and let me use the bathroom in peace. And so I mean shouldn't be I don't know about should or shouldn't be sleeping at work. That's a whole other thing, you know.
Speaker 2:But again, like even just thinking about, like those boundaries from my mom that I learned as a kid not that I love them as a child, but I really do admire them as an adult, that I love them as a child, but I really do admire them as an adult, and especially in family owned businesses, like, yes, everything is, everything is so important. Right, and so am I. Like I and you know it's like you, can I mean? I don't know if this is too dramatic for some people, but I'm like if I faint, we're going to have a bigger problem.
Speaker 1:So it is true, though Like if you're out sick for two weeks. That's a bigger problem. If you have to go to a gazillion doctor's appointments to figure out what's happening. That's a bigger problem. Like everybody can afford 20, 30 minutes for you to get some fresh air and eat a lunch or step out for a second. I always think of the people who smoke and they're always outside and it's like they they're just there multiple times a day, just, and I'm like, could you, you could just step outside and breathe some fresh air.
Speaker 2:Exactly, yes, I agree. So again, just, it starts internally. You need to be able to like stand up for yourself, and and not it, it I would. I mean if somebody can say like, hey, I'm going to be like you know, take two weeks of vacation, Nobody bothered me, after never setting up any boundaries. Sure, More power to them, but most of us are going to need to take it step by step. You know, most of us are going to have to like start small, even something as like I'm going to be you know, like I'm going to step outside for five minutes because I haven't moved from this desk in you know four hours. Or hey, I'm going to like eat my lunch in peace, I'm not going to be answering any emails, and it again, it requires a lot of the times, a physical change, Like if you're telling people I'm going to eat my lunch in peace and then you stay at your desk, that's going to make it very, very difficult for them to honor that boundary.
Speaker 1:So, literally, get up and for yourself. I think for yourself too, because you're going to be so tempted with your computer right there and be like, oh, let me just check, let me just you know yes.
Speaker 2:You know, one of the things that I, that I I talked about it in the beginning, it was like my after work routine. I actually help a lot of my clients with an after work routine because a boundary is just a space. It can be like it's just distance from yourself and a situation that you don't want to repeat or that you want to prevent, and so in many cases that boundary can say like hey, don't talk to me while I'm at lunch. But even if you can't say that again, just like moving. And James Clear when he talks about atomic habits and he talks about like the cues. So let's say like you have an alarm on your phone and that's your cue to get up and move People will eventually learn. People will eventually learn to leave you alone or that you will get. You know that you will get back to them. You know, and it may take again repetition and it's like hey, I'm actually really enjoying my lunch break, I will be back in you know X number of minutes and I'll take care of it then. And then if they ask you can you? He's like nope, you can just repeat it, I'm in my lunch break, I will take care of it.
Speaker 2:When I had a manager that was sort of not honoring my boundary. We were talking about salary and it was a hot mess. I remember in that conversation I had to tell him three times it was like I haven't had time to read the email yet, so I need time to digest the information before I can discuss it. And then he pushed it and I said I need time to digest the information before I can discuss it. And then blah, blah, blah, and then I literally said it a third time and I'm like, if you're going to be a jerk, I'm going to make you see how much of a jerk you're being by having to repeat myself three times. And again, he may not have noticed that that's what he was doing, but that doesn't mean that I have to move an inch to honor somebody's lack of self-awareness.
Speaker 2:And again something in this situation, like even not having time to, you know, to like not having time to like take a lunch. It's like okay, I will just let people know, I will do that. One of the things that I had to do when I worked for my dad is I had to go deposit the checks, and those have to be deposited before 9 PM, which is nine o'clock, and I wasn't working until nine o'clock at night, but sometimes he would get late and give them to me at like 830. So that was something that was definitely time bound, but it was something that's like hey, dad, I'm not going to be home, like I have an event, I have a class tonight or something. If you need me to deposit checks, you need to do them by X number of time. So, again, just like, communicating your needs proactively also can help start a pattern of having other people respect your boundaries, but you need to decide what they are for yourself.
Speaker 1:Absolutely and continuing. You need to honor the boundary for you first before you have other people honor them. One last question that I think is super important and it's benefits and how, your actual benefits package. That is something also that's super confusing to me. I was like what is all this paperwork, what is FSH, what is HSA, what is blah blah blah, pt, ppo, and nowadays I know that there are so many perks inside a benefits package that you should be taking an advantage of and can really impact your wellness. Can you speak a little bit on how benefits is also part? It's not just like the physical money piece, but this can really be a big, I guess, tool or vehicle to your wellness and your overall career.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. I have an episode that I would love to share with your audience. Oh, yes, yes, let me see. It's one of my most recent episodes before I went on break. So 13, more than salary, episode 131, 13, que estoy? 13, episode 131, more than just salary. How to evaluate a job offer. And I talk about what? Well, what do you mean? Isn't that just like your salary? But it's not. It's so much more. And so you mentioned FSA, hsa, FSA.
Speaker 2:The first thing that I want to say is that if you're working at a workplace that offers these benefits, there's usually a benefits administrator that you can contact and ask questions. They're literally there to answer your questions. It is quite literally their job to answer your questions. If you didn't have questions, they wouldn't have a job. So ask them all your questions. That's the first thing. Like, always advocate for yourself in getting the information that you need and also double check it, because sometimes they may have again, just you know, trust but verify, type of thing. So that's the first thing that I want to say. The second thing is health benefits that can be tied to your job. Check if your job has, like, a discount for gym memberships. I think my job has a gym membership that is like different tiers and that you can access like basically any gym in the area for like $30 a month. And then you can access like slightly fancier gyms for like $50 a month and that's way cheaper than you know, like any individual gym membership. There's also and I know that this is part of your story, but you may have access to a nutritionist or a dietician as part of your job benefits.
Speaker 2:A big one is fertility benefits. A lot of larger employees are having fertility benefits. One of my friends, her husband. Her husband works for one of the largest companies in the world, so this is probably one of like the wildest benefits that I've seen. I'm like that benefit is literally more than what people make in a year, but it is $50,000 of reimbursement for fertility such as egg treatment. Now that's absolutely wild.
Speaker 2:Most companies I've seen are like in the 10K to 20K range, but again, just to put another point of data out there. And so there are many people I mean there are many companies that offer not just fertility but family planning. So, for example, if you are adopting or any other type of family planning services, check with your benefits administrator or the benefits page in your employee intranet to see what that is, because that is a big one. There's also sometimes education benefits. So, whether that is uh like specifically like it has to be like a degree program, or sometimes it can be like a wellness stipend, like if you take a cooking class, can your job reimburse you. Sometimes, uh, you know, there's like smoking cessation programs, where if you stop smoking, the your job will reimburse you, you know, or so there's definitely lots of like wellness benefits.
Speaker 1:Some of my clients have used their stipends to do coaching with me. So, yeah, or HSAs, things like that, you know Um, so definitely take a look into that, because you might be you might have resources that you didn't know about.
Speaker 2:Yes. One last one that I do want to say is you might have employee assistance programs, so ESP, and sometimes that is access to a mental health provider within a very short notice, like outside of you know, like your regular mental health benefits or whatever. It may or may not be included. They may have this it's called this because I'm employee assistance program EAP, so check if they have that Um. Other times they have um. Within EAP they may have uh benefit. I mean, I'm sorry they may have counselors that specialize in disordered eating or just intrusive thoughts about food, but there may be a similar benefit related to access to a food counselor, a nutrition plan, and so, again, just make sure that you look into that because, remember, it benefits your employer for you to be healthy and for you to show up and be able to do your work. So if they offer it, it's because it benefits them, so make sure that you use it.
Speaker 1:Yes, and don't avoid it just because it's complicated Like I would do. I in one of my last rounds in corporate, I went into the office of one of the HR benefits people and I didn't know what questions to ask which I think is fair and I just literally had them explain to me every benefit package that they offered and what it meant. And you can start there and it was super helpful and it helped me make a better decision for my family that I didn't know about because I had not asked. All right, Carla, one thing that you wish everybody would know, something that comes up with almost every single client, and you're like if they knew this one thing, things would change for them in their career. Do you have something like that that shows?
Speaker 2:up. Yes, yes, actually, I was like oh, so many things, and there are a lot of things, but the one thing that I want people to realize, as a first gen professional, as a Latina, as a daughter of immigrants you are operating at a higher level of excellence than most people around you.
Speaker 1:What God, I was expecting that. Okay, yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and here's the thing your 50% is probably better than Joe Schmoe's 100%. So you are comparing yourself and this adds to the stress, this adds to the burnout. You're comparing yourself to the best version of yourself. But remember, you're not paid for your best day. You're paid for your bare minimum day. So when you're showing up at like 50%, you're still operating at a significantly higher level of excellence. I have this sticker and I'm really sad because it was an online store and it closed. Sad because it was an online store and it closed, but it says I have a pretty big ass. So when I half-ass something, you're still getting something incredible.
Speaker 2:I love it and I'm like this is my entire workplace definition Like as, again, as Latinas and as women of color and children of immigrants, we are operating like we have such a high level of operational excellence that even if we bring it to 50%, we're still kicking ass.
Speaker 1:You don't need to do the most. We don't need to do most.
Speaker 2:Yes, and so that's what I just want to leave you with, like you're doing so much better.
Speaker 1:I think you just gave so many people so much permission. Yes, thank you Seriously. Oh my gosh, that was a brilliant ending and a brilliant metaphor. Thank you for that. Thank you so much for sharing all your gems. I think this was super important and like permission driven and enlightening for so many of us to hear and we really appreciate you and your time, carla.
Speaker 2:Thank you and thank you for having me. I I love, I love being on this podcast. I love you, I love your show and I love your listeners, so thank you all for for listening still.
Speaker 1:Yes, and we love you, we appreciate you as always. If you need to get in touch with Carla, all her information is going to be in the show notes, but if you would like to let everybody know how they can find you, what you have to offer, where they can maybe have some of your courses or your workshops so they can learn more, yes, of course.
Speaker 2:So first, you can find the First Gen Coach podcast wherever you're listening to this podcast. You can follow me on Instagram. I'm mostly active on stories I realize that's where I'm always, you know, telling stories. I clearly love to talk, but you can work with me a few different ways. You can work with me inside one-on-one coaching. You can also get your job or your favorite nonprofit organization to hire me for a workshop. Okay, so you can ask your job or like if you have an ERG, or even like any professional development funds and you want to work inside of a mini coaching package, for example, for two weeks, so we can do that one-on-one. Or you can get your job to pay for me to come speak to your group. And then, lastly, one thing that I really would love everybody to sign up for is my LinkedIn mini course.
Speaker 2:That has been so life-changing. It's something that I launched a few months ago and people have already told me like they've gotten job offers. I got a message on Instagram the other day. It said Carla, all because I followed your strategies and she's showed me like a picture of the job offer. And she said job interview yesterday, job interview today. And I was like yes. So you can find that all at the link in my bio, and I really would love more people to leverage LinkedIn, because this is where these high paying jobs with benefits are. They're on LinkedIn. So come learn how to leverage LinkedIn through my course.
Speaker 1:Yes, linkedin queen over here, please go and get all those goodies. Again, the information is going to be in the show notes so that you don't have to tinker around. You can connect directly to Carla. Thank you so much, carla. It was beautiful talking to you and thank you everybody for listening. We will see y'all next week. Bye.