Stepheny is a powerhouse Latina who is speaking at our LatinTalks event in Houston this week. She is an entrepreneur, a wife, a mother, an advocate for women, and so much more. I have loved meeting her and hearing her story because how it started is so relatable to so many members of the Latin community in the U.S. From becoming a mother as a teenager, to opening her first business at age 18, to realizing she needed to evolve her mindset in order to increase her success, she has walked the path to excellence and taken responsibility for her life.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• How Stepheny found her passion for entrepreneurship (3:41)
• How to fight negative self thought in a career (10:30)
• Ways to help your children break from the cycle of your parents’ care (18:29)
• Why vulnerability is essential in a family dynamic (27:19)
• How having a good partner can drive your success (38:21)

Connect with Stepheny

• Instagram
• On Facebook

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
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I met Ruben when he reached out to me after hearing about the series we are doing, Latin Talks. He convinced me that it was essential we bring the event to El Paso, where he is based, and I’m excited for you to hear his perspective as a business owner and leader in his community.

Ruben Alvarez is the founder and co-owner of The Marketing Hunters, a Marketing / Advertising Agency based out of Surprise, Arizona and El Paso, Texas. He started this company because he saw a giant need to help businesses grow through digital marketing and better branding. 

​For the last 9 years, they have worked with B2B and B2C customers that allow them to understand their sales model and what will allow it to reach more clients.  Whether you work with distributors, installers, dealers, or go straight to market, they know exactly what will work for each different consumer. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• How El Paso has proved itself to be a great communal hub (4:12)
• How Ruben has learned from his failures and successes (9:31)
• The importance of surrounding yourself with good people (14:26)
• How generational differences affect the future of the Latino community (20:10)
• The importance of love languages in the Latino community (26:21)

Connect with Ruben

• Their website
• On LinkedIn

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeterOEstevezShow/
• Follow Peter O. Estevéz Show on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/peteroestevezshow/
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I am excited for you to hear from today’s guest because she has such an interesting resume and is making a big impact in her local community. She will be featured in our upcoming Latin Talks event and I hope you come hear her speak in person.

April Monterrosa is a San Antonio, Texas native, an entrepreneur, a published author, and the CEO/Editor in Chief of Live From The Southside, the first Latina-owned publication in South side San Antonio.

She is listed as an influential Latina in San Antonio by KSAT12 News, and was honored by the 87th Texas Legislature for her achievements as a civic leader and community advocate.

April has a passion for giving back to the community and serves as a board member of the San Antonio Water System’s Community Experience Committee, of the Palo Alto College Cosmetology Committee, San Antonio District 4 Small Business Committee, and a board member of Brooks Give Back and Mitchell Lake Audubon Center nonprofits. April also serves as the Director of Community Development for The Pink Berets and the media sponsor for Fin Addict Angler Foundation.


You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• How April’s wild youth and teenage years helped define what she is today (3:21)
• How to transition from corporate America to entrepreneurship (9:42)
• The things that changed from her parents generation to hers (16:30)
• Why knowing your own ambition, drive and capabilities is essential (23:17)
• How action works hand in hand with faith (32:41)

Connect with April

• Their website
• On Instagram
• On Twitter
• On Linkedin
• On Facebook
• On YouTube

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeterOEstevezShow/
• Follow Peter O. Estevéz Show on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/peteroestevezshow/
• Follow Peter on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/peteroestevez/

Today’s guest on the show has a different kind of wisdom to share with us than most guests. He spent over a decade working in a church and now is a keynote speaker and consultant who specializes in helping people understand their own stories and what the truth about them really is.

Rocky Garza challenges the stories you tell yourself so that you can experience the freedom of living vulnerably. There are stories that you tell yourself, whether they were first told to you by someone else or it’s something you’ve created all on your own, that contribute to feeling unworthy, insignificant, and incapable. Through coaching sessions, team workshops, and keynote presentations Rocky wants to show how the truths we have been told have developed into lies we deeply believe. All of Rocky’s work and words can be boiled down to one truth, that who you are is good. In all that he does, Rocky want to challenge the stories we tell ourselves so that we can experience the freedom and confidence of living vulnerably.

And since 2015, he’s been doing just that. Clarity, transformation, freedom—that’s why Rocky does what he does. Many of us are, without realizing it, living a life fueled by doubt. It’s time to kill that doubt and build conviction so that your life is fueled by truth that you deeply believe in. Rocky lives in Dallas with his wife and two kids. On the weekends you can catch Rocky outdoors with a cup filled with either coffee or tequila.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• How Rocky’s childhood impacted his life moving from place to place (3:20)
• Why he was driven to work in the ministry (13:14)
• The keys to facing arrogance through confronting your anger (19:52)
• How Rocky was able to reconcile with his parents (25:38)
• How perspective has helped him with marriage, parenting and all relationships (33:12)
• The importance of authenticity every day (40:03)

Connect with Rocky

• Their website
• On Instagram
• On Twitter
• On Linkedin
• On Facebook

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeterOEstevezShow/
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I met Ingrid in preparation for our Latin Talks series and I was so impressed with her resume and background within television and reporting. She is making a big impact with her skills and position and I knew her story would be powerful to hear.

Ingrid Barrera is an Anchor and Reporter for Noticiero Telemundo Houston which airs on KTMD, the local station serving the Spanish-speaking community in the Houston, Texas area. Barrera joined Telemundo Houston in November 2017.

Before joining Telemundo Houston KTMD, Barrera worked from Mexico City for Telemundo Network's Noticiario Nacional from 2016 to 2017 as a news correspondent. She covered the death of the leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro as well as the Divo de Juárez, the singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel. She witnessed the 2016 presidential elections in the United States, from El Paso, Texas, in addition to reporting the ravages left by the September 2017 earthquakes in Mexico. She was nominated 3 times for an Emmy, for best national newscast and for coverage of the presidential elections in the United States.

Previously, she was a news anchor for the third Mexican national network, Grupo Imagen Multimedia, where she covered the visit of Pope Francis to Mexico from the Apostolic Nunciature in Mexico City and the extradition of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to the United States. 

Barrera obtained her bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. She is also a member of the Non Violence Project, an international association created to preserve the message and work of John Lennon that spreads non-violence. Through the workshops that are taught in 36 countries, more than 10 million children have access to education and sports.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• What drove Ingrid to become an anchorwoman (1:31)
• Why the struggle for quality of life for those crossing the border is a human issue (9:18)
• How important it is to educate yourself as you arrive in this country (19:52)
• Why everyone in the community needs to help with immigrant adjustment (25:31)
• How to manage machismo in the workplace (34:31)
• Why exposure can help to educate us (42:09)

Resources & People Mentioned

• Telemundo Houston

Connect with Ingrid

• On Instagram
• On Twitter

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
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I met José in preparation for Latin Talks and I could see that he embodied the aspirational success that so many Latinos seek when they immigrate to the States. His story is a powerful example of holding steady through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship in a new country.

José Ochoa is an award-winning Mexican-American entrepreneur, engineer and business innovation evangelist who started multi-million-dollar companies in the US and Mexico, among them Global Containers & Custom Packaging Inc., a logistics and packaging company, and Reikoku LLC a consulting company.

Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, José has an Engineering degree from Instituto Tecnológico de Chihuahua II, and worked as a Packaging Engineer for Delphi, where he immersed in operations and logistics for the packaging industry. He was a Global Packaging Engineer for Siemens, designing products and process efficiencies that he pivoted to his own venture: in 2008 José and a partner launched Global Containers and Custom Packaging de México SA de CV to fill an industry gap: integrated packaging and logistics services committed to providing a flawless customer experience.

José is a graduate of the Stanford University Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative and a member of its Latino Business Action Network, an alumnus of Singularity University’s leadership programs, is a native Spanish and English speaker, and an expert in US-Mexico startup and steady-state business consulting matters.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• How José navigated bankruptcy with his last company (2:43)
• What his childhood was like in Chihuahua (8:30)
• How he feels about the necessity of college (15:12)
• The importance of mentorship (21:41)
• How a daily routine can help you to find life’s solutions (29:23)
• Why the Latino community needs to support each other to succeed (37:18)
• Why it’s important to bring change in your home first (44:29)

Connect with José

• On Instagram
• On LinkedIn
• On Facebook

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeterOEstevezShow/
• Follow Peter O. Estevéz Show on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/peteroestevezshow/
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One of the powerful results of elevating Latin voices in the U.S. is discovering the artists and storytellers who are crossing traditional boundaries and making new kinds of art for the next generation to learn from.

Duncan Tonatiuh is an award-winning author-illustrator. He is both Mexican and American. He grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and graduated from Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College in New York City. His artwork is inspired by Pre-Columbian art, particularly that of the Mixtec codices. His aim is to create images and stories that honor the past, but that are relevant to people, especially children, nowadays.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• What lead Duncan to writing and illustrating books like Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote (2:27)
• How the unique experiences of crossing the border help to teach empathy (8:41)
• Why his books help to maintain passion in children (16:28)
• How his book Separate is Never Equal has helped counter the message of segregation in the Latino community (25:10)
• Why the book banning movement has affected the reach of his book (29:25)
• How the structure of the Mexican family impacted migration (35:31)
• Why migrants participating in American culture helps them to survive (43:27)

Connect with Duncan

• Their website
• On Twitter

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeterOEstevezShow/
• Follow Peter O. Estevéz Show on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/peteroestevezshow/
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I am bringing you another incredible story of Latino success in the States because of education. If you’ve been listening to recent episodes, you know that I am passionate about sharing the value of investing in an education as a path to success. My guest today has a powerful story of what happened when he did this.

Dr. Armando X. Orduña is the Executive Director of Leadership Programs and Partnerships for Greater Houston for Latinos for Education. Armando’s background is anchored in the intersectionality of educational access for immigrant-origin youth & families and the role innovative learning practices plays in language acquisition. He creates opportunities for marginalized communities to take leadership in EC-12 educational spaces. 

Orduña has over 23 years of experience in education, with a particular expertise in the intersectionality of STEAM access for immigrant youth and families, and the role practical STEAM learning plays in foreign language acquisition. Before joining Latinos for Education, Orduña served as the Director of Outreach Programs for Children’s Museum Houston where he led a department of educators in the expansion of multilingual family and Out-of-School Learning programs throughout Greater Houston. Orduña also served as a secondary school Science teacher in urban,Title I public schools.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

• Why Armando’s family came to Texas (2:29)
• How to shift the definition of success in the Latino community (7:14)
• Why establishing his individuality within his family changed as Armando grew (14:29)
• How mentors helped Armando take the first steps toward college and success (21:31)
• How to break the cycles of abuse and sexism within the Latin home and community (33:27)
• Why leading by example can change the dynamic of the family (40:31)
• The importance of encouragement in learning (49:36)

Connect with Armando

• On LinkedIn

Connect With Peter O. Estévez

• www.peteroestevezshow.com 
• Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PeterOEstevezShow/
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