About Me

I grew up in the lettuce fields of the Salinas Valley, raised by a single mother who immigrated from Mexico. Nobody in my family had gone to college. There was no roadmap, no mentor, no one who looked like me in the rooms I was trying to enter. So I did what a lot of us do — I figured it out, worked harder than everyone around me, and slowly started becoming someone I didn't recognize.

I wore boxy suits. I stopped wearing my hoops. I learned how to talk, dress, and lead in a way that made other people comfortable — and made me disappear. It worked, on paper. I climbed. I achieved. I became a Vice President at a community college and earned my doctorate. But somewhere along the way, the cost of performing caught up with me. Turns out you can't outrun yourself, even with a doctorate and sensible heels.

That's the story behind Free Inside — and the reason I do this work. I wrote the book, built the Liberation Framework, and stepped onto stages across the country because I know what it feels like to lose yourself to success. And I know what it takes to come back.

Today I serve as a Vice President at a community college — and I love my work. I didn't leave the system. I learned how to thrive inside it without losing myself. That's exactly what I help others do. As an author, keynote speaker, and event emcee, I work with leaders and organizations to reclaim joy, end emotional overtime, and build cultures where people don't have to choose between success and being themselves. My Liberation Framework — Recognize, Release, Reclaim, Rise — is the foundation for everything I do, from my book to my keynotes to the way I show up on stage.

I also bring a DJ. Because joy should have a soundtrack. I once sound-checked for 45 minutes and rehearsed for 10. Priorities.

Credentials

Ed.D. | Doctor of Education | San Francisco State University | Dissertation: First-Generation Students of Color: Easing their Transition to Community College.

M.A. | Master of Nonprofit Administration | University of San Francisco

B.A. | Bachelor of Arts Speech Communication | San Jose State University