When tragedy strikes or you experience failure, she says, look ahead and regain your focus. Remind yourself how bad-ass you are. Write it down and repeat it!

First-generation college students face obstacles other students never think about. “We have parents who just aren’t aware of the process or what you need to do,” says Yuri Bazan, who not only got her undergraduate degree but her law degree as well. “You need to study for the LSAT, you need to do an application, get references, write a personal statement, there’s just so many things when you’re pursuing a higher degree—things that may require a year or two of preparation—and that’s something that I had to figure out on my own. It’s a struggle that a lot of Latinos who are first-generation go through.”

What she didn’t realize until she tried doing it was that she could not hold down a full-time job and be a first-year law student. That first year did not go well. To add to her challenges, she was in a serious relationship at the time and got pregnant. “I remembered constantly being asked, ‘Are you going to stop going to school?’ That is another hurdle we have. A lot of us think, ‘OK, motherhood is coming so we should just put everything on pause or throw it away.’ I was certain I didn’t want to do that.” So she stuck it out. “I’d even argue that it made me a better student and a better mother and just a better person in general, because I had this limited time to study, so I had to be productive. It helped me be so much more organized and my motivation went through the roof because now I had this little human baby who I needed to love and take care of. So, yeah, I was the stereotypical pregnant Latina girl in law school.”

Those weren’t the last challenges Yuri faced. She failed the bar exam the first time, her daughter’s father and husband died tragically in car accident and she survived an abusive relationship in a subsequent relationship. Being a survivor of that experience is one reason she added family law to her practice. “There’s a lot of shame around domestic violence,” she notes. “I think people think I must be dumb if I went through it. But statistics show that domestic violence happens to women rich, poor, smart, it doesn’t matter. It’s important for us to speak to ourselves like we’re our own friend. I was very hard on myself but I stopped doing that.”

Now she operates the Yuri Bazan Law Firm in Greenwood Village, Colorado, specializing in family law and personal injury law. “I’m surprised that there aren’t more Latino lawyers, actually,” she says. “Most Latinas end up doing so much speaking up for our parents. I moved from Mexico when I was in third grade and I learned English pretty quickly. I remember from an early age, I was speaking on behalf of my mom in front of courts, doctors, school, doing important things with her. So I feel like at a really young age, a lot of us Latinos who are bilingual are already doing that, speaking on behalf of people and translating their message as best as we can.” 

Find Yuri on Instagram @ColoradoAbogada or at her website, yuribazanlaw.com, and read more of her compelling story in the inspiring new book Latinas Who Boss Up. “These boss ladies are truly inspiring, sharing their breakthroughs and triumphs for all of us to experience,” says author, educator, and podcaster Tam Luc. “Latinas Who Boss Up taught me more about a mix of cultures that I never stopped to examine. While our origin stories vary, we all experience life in full color and must navigate our circumstances. These beautiful women represent the world of Latina Supermamas and I am so happy to introduce them to you.” You can learn more about Yuri and the other featured women at https://bossupbestseller.com, where you will find a link to Latinas Who Boss Up Post-Pandemic. 

About Women with Vision International

Women with Vision International aims to inspire, uplift, and empower women everywhere to never give up their dream of living their life on purpose. We gather dynamic, entrepreneurial women who are making a difference and changing people’s lives to spark conversation around the topics that impact us all such as building their businesses, fundraising, and balancing their work and their families.  

About Tam Luc

Tam Luc is an international bestselling author and the founder of Women with Vision International who shares the triumphs, stress, and struggles of balancing her life to help women grow their businesses. After 20 years as an entrepreneur, she is able to help women leverage their messages and create the lifestyle they want through her unique book messaging strategies. Hear from some of the amazing entrepreneurs who have worked with Tam at https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit  

Media Contact
Company Name: Women with Vision International
Contact Person: Tam Luc

Phone: 310 710 8954
Country: United States
Website: https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit

Somewhere along the way she learned the concept of mailbox money or passive income and after years of earning revenue for big corporations, she started taking a bigger piece of the pie by starting her own business.

With only self-motivation Tina Hernandez, known online as Tina Loren, figured out how to not only apply to college but also earn scholarships to fund her education. While working toward her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at Texas Tech University she stepped up and landed an internship at Ford Motor Company where she worked full time for nearly 10 years. In that time, she also earned a double concentration MBA at prestigious Southern Methodist University, Cox School of Business. As great and financially rewarding as Corporate America was, she felt she was only taking a sliver, not even a piece of the revenue pie. Her goal was to build businesses that provided passive income. She envisioned the type of work that would earn her money even when she wasn’t working. 

She turned to the modern-day expert of all things Google! Google told her to get into real estate or insurance and now she is an independent insurance agency builder with a growing client and agent base in Texas. The message that she wants to share is “You can do it too! You can build your dream life! The hardest part is taking the first step forward” She said, “I thought I needed to write this big business plan and all of the fancy stuff I learned in school and serial entrepreneur Terri Maxwell told me just start where you are and use what ya got”. Now she mentors her agents to trust themselves and take a step forward toward whatever they want to build for their future. As a Latina, she is especially passionate about being the female role model she didn’t have. “Many of the challenges that Latinas face stem from being the trailblazers of our families; we pave the path for future generations and thank God for the strong women before us.”

Tina isn’t sitting back while that mailbox money rolls in, she’s constantly innovating, creating and learning. “One thing I do to stay motivated is to continually study; I’m a study bug, listening to audio books, YouTube, Instagram—I constantly feed myself positive affirmations and meditation.” She’s also motivated by wanting to maintain her lifestyle, which includes global travel. “I know if I want to continue to do the things I’m accustomed to, I need to create stuff that helps people; I’ve found that when I help people, good things come to me too and that’s really exciting.”

With her success has come a desire to give back. “Whatever your vision is, you can build it, and there are people like me looking to help others.” “I built a brand called 6 Figure Mentor because I have guided people to a career that taught them the skills necessary to build a business and push their income over $100k per year”. “Right now, my business is insurance, but I can build anything because I’ve developed the systems required for serial success”. If you’re looking for an opportunity to work with Tina you can find her on Instagram @TheTinaLoren and at her website, tinaloren.com

Read more of Tina Loren’s advice in the inspiring new book Latinas Who Boss Up. “These boss ladies are truly inspiring, sharing their breakthroughs and triumphs for all of us to experience,” says author, educator, and podcaster Tam Luc. “Latinas Who Boss Up taught me more about a mix of cultures that I never stopped to examine. While our origin stories vary, we all experience life in full color and must navigate our circumstances. These beautiful women represent the world of Latina Superwomen and I am so happy to introduce them to you.” You can learn more about Tina and the other featured women at https://bossupbestseller.com, where you will find a link to Latinas Who Boss Up. 

About Women with Vision International

Women with Vision International aims to inspire, uplift, and empower women everywhere to never give up their dream of living their life on purpose. We gather dynamic, entrepreneurial women who are making a difference and changing people’s lives to spark conversation around the topics that impact us all such as building their businesses, fundraising, and balancing their work and their families.

About Tam Luc

Tam Luc is an international bestselling author and the founder of Women with Vision International who shares the triumphs, stress, and struggles of balancing her life to help women grow their businesses. After 20 years as an entrepreneur, she is able to help women leverage their messages and create the lifestyle they want through her unique book messaging strategies. Hear from some of the amazing entrepreneurs who have worked with Tam at https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit

Media Contact
Company Name: Women with Vision International
Contact Person: Tam Luc

Phone: 310 710 8954
Country: United States
Website: https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit

When the doubts creep in, remember that everyone starts at the beginning. Take one step at a time and when you fall, use that experience to get back on your path.

Sharon Abaud remembers immigration being a regular topic at her family’s table. So from an early age she determined that she would become a immigration lawyer. “I come from a family of immigrants and I just knew it was a place where people needed help. Maybe I didn’t know exactly what immigration law was when I was young, but I was drawn to it because I knew it was a way I could help people.”

What she also didn’t understand as a kid was how the structure of education in the U.S. is not set up for first-generation students. “I was getting straight As and everything was so easy for me. My parents didn’t know about honors classes or AP classes or any of that—and I didn’t know about them. How is it that no teacher ever told me to take the AP classes?” Sharon asks. “I didn’t know I was supposed to study for the SAT. I did research on my own—like, “how do I go to college?”—and I found out I had to take the SAT, so I showed up, no studying, and just did the best I could. I went to a good law school and I ended up being a lawyer, but these are all obstacles that make it more challenging for minorities. My parents love me and they were so supportive, but they didn’t have that knowledge to assist me with these things. And the teachers failed me too. Those are the kinds of obstacles that a lot of us face, but don’t let that be an excuse. That’s not an excuse. You still just keep doing your best.”

Her parents may not have known about AP class, but her father gave Sharon a key piece of advice at a critical time. “I actually started to say that I didn’t want to do law because I started to doubt myself and to think that it wasn’t possible. One day I told my dad, ‘I don’t have what it takes to be a lawyer, I don’t know anything about law.’ And he said, ‘Sharon, no one knows anything when they start. You’re just where you need to be if that’s what you want to do.’ That just really resonated. Now it’s what I tell myself every time I take on a new challenging case or goal. Nothing feels too scary because I know that I’m going to figure it out, right? We’re just taking one step in front of the other.”

This persevering mindset helped when she didn’t pass the bar exam the first time, and it helps now, as she navigates owning her own firm and being the mom of two toddler girls. She advises other women that if any goal seems too big, too far away, too daunting, just start somewhere. “Break down that big goal and ask yourself, ‘What can I do today to get this started? What is one step that I can take?’ It’s usually something small, maybe it’s just research, but make yourself do something today. Because if you don’t, it becomes a fantasy. It’s not real.”

Read more of Sharon Abaud’s story in the inspiring new book Latinas Who Boss Up. “These boss ladies are truly inspiring, sharing their breakthroughs and triumphs for all of us to experience,” says author, educator, and podcaster Tam Luc. “Latinas Who Boss Up taught me more about a mix of cultures that I never stopped to examine. While our origin stories vary, we all experience life in full color and must navigate our circumstances. These beautiful women represent the world of Latina Supermamas and I am so happy to introduce them to you.” You can learn more about all of the featured women at https://bossupbestseller.com, where you will find a link to Latinas Who Boss Up. 

Sharon’s law firm is at abaudlegal.com, where you will find her blog and links to videos about immigration issues. She also is on LinkedIn under her name, Sharon Abaud.

About Women with Vision International

Women with Vision International aims to inspire, uplift, and empower women everywhere to never give up their dream of living their life on purpose. We gather dynamic, entrepreneurial women who are making a difference and changing people’s lives to spark conversation around the topics that impact us all such as building their businesses, fundraising, and balancing their work and their families.  

About Tam Luc

Tam Luc is an international bestselling author and the founder of Women with Vision International who shares the triumphs, stress, and struggles of balancing her life to help women grow their businesses. After 20 years as an entrepreneur, she is able to help women leverage their messages and create the lifestyle they want through her unique book messaging strategies. Hear from some of the amazing entrepreneurs who have worked with Tam at https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit  

Media Contact
Company Name: Women with Vision International
Contact Person: Tam Luc

Phone: 310 710 8954
Country: United States
Website: https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit

Growing up as a Mexican-American in a low-income neighborhood, Patricia Mota didn’t realize how under-resourced her school was until she moved to a more affluent community in her junior year. At the new, predominantly white, high school, she was placed in AP classes, which didn’t exist at her previous school at the time. She met with college recruiters at the new school, whereas the only recruiters who came to her other high school were predominantly military recruiters. At the new school she had regular meetings with a guidance counselor to review her college applications, career plans, and available resources. “I tell people that I lived the education gap that underserved students experienced, meaning that we start with a leg behind not a leg up in pursuing higher education,” she explains. “That’s why, ever since then, I’m always looking to close gaps, not only for students but also professionals, so they can gain access to information and resources that, by no fault of their own, they just didn’t have access to.” 

As president and CEO of the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE), Patricia has made a dramatic impact in women’s careers. She scaled HACE’s women’s leadership program, Mujeres de HACE, from a single program in Chicago to programs in 15 cities, then internationally, creating a vibrant and strong multi-generational support network. And recently she secured funding to start a new branch of the leadership program customized for entrepreneurs, launching with a cohort of 20 Latinas. “We want them to walk away with access to capital. We want them to walk away culturally relevant content and resources. And they will walk away with meaningful knowledge and connections, through HACE and beyond, that are going to help them, whether it’s updating their business plan, marketing plan, anything with attorneys, because we have access to that at HACE.”

Separately, Patricia and two co-founders, Olga Camargo and Juan Carlos Avila, are launching SHENIX in early 2022, a fintech firm designed to help women with their finances. “I’m excited about this endeavor because it aligns with my personal mission and it’s another tool to be able to help close the wealth gap, the pay gap, that Latinas and women face. We will provide culturally relevant products and services to support them along the way and help them achieve key milestones.” 

Find out about HACE’s services at HACEonline.org and connect with Patricia Mota on LinkedIn or Twitter @Patricia Mota77

Patricia offers much more advice—including ideas for navigating the college process for parents whose children attend under-resourced schools—in the inspiring new book Latinas Who Boss Up. “These boss ladies are truly inspiring, sharing their breakthroughs and triumphs for all of us to experience,” says author, educator, and podcaster Tam Luc. “Latinas Who Boss Up taught me more about a mix of cultures that I never stopped to examine. While our origin stories vary, we all experience life in full color and must navigate our circumstances. These beautiful women represent the world of Latina Super Latinas and I am so happy to introduce them to you.” You can learn more about Patricia and the other featured women at https://bossupbestseller.com, where you will find a link to Latinas Who Boss Up. 

About the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement 

The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) is a national non-profit dedicated to the employment, development, and advancement of current and aspiring Latinx professionals. Since 1982, HACE has served as a resource for Latinos in the workplace and is a subject matter expert for corporations seeking to access diverse talent. With a network of over 85,000 members across the country, HACE works with employers to remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic economy by helping them attract, develop and retain Latino and diverse professionals.

About Women with Vision International

Women with Vision International aims to inspire, uplift, and empower women everywhere to never give up their dream of living their life on purpose. We gather dynamic, entrepreneurial women who are making a difference and changing people’s lives to spark conversation around the topics that impact us all such as building their businesses, fundraising, and balancing their work and their families.  

About Tam Luc

Tam Luc is an international bestselling author and the founder of Women with Vision International who shares the triumphs, stress, and struggles of balancing her life to help women grow their businesses. After 20 years as an entrepreneur, she is able to help women leverage their messages and create the lifestyle they want through her unique book messaging strategies. Hear from some of the amazing entrepreneurs who have worked with Tam at https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit  

Media Contact
Company Name: Women with Vision International
Contact Person: Tam Luc

Phone: 310 710 8954
Country: United States
Website: https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit

When tragedy forced her family from Mexico, Paola went from speaking no English to launching a successful law firm to helping other families stay together in the U.S.

Paola I. Neri didn’t intend to go into immigration law, but now that she’s there, she loves it. Before she got her results from the bar exam, she was clerking for a lawyer with many different areas of practice. He told her that once she passed the bar, he wanted her to handle his immigration practice. “I didn’t know anything about immigration, though I am an immigrant myself,” Paola remembers. “So I taught myself. I looked things up online, I joined bar associations to connect with other attorneys. As a new lawyer in San Diego, I was able to connect with attorneys who guided me and Ialso learned on my own.” After that, she worked at in immigration law firm in Los Angeles. “I love immigration law. I love that  my cases revolve around families and I help people stay together, as well as help people come from other countries to the U.S. to be with their loved ones. I’ve found the practice of immigration law  very inspiring and something that I can relate to.”

Paola’s family immigrated to San Diego when she was five years old, right after her father died tragically in a car accident in Mexico. Her mom was pregnant with her sister at the time and they all struggled with the loss, with having to learn English, with having to figure out how to survive in a new country. Fortunately, Paola enjoyed school. And it was her great-grandfather, also a lawyer, who inspired her to shift her dream of working for the FBI and go to law school with the idea that it would open many different avenues she could pursue.

Now she has launched her own firm. “I always knew I wanted to work for myself. Being a leader was in my blood since I was young. I am the first born on both sides of my family if that gives you an idea. I opened my law office a month before the pandemic hit, in February 2020. My experience building my own practice during these difficult times was a positive one. I had the opportunity to organize myself while business was slow in the beginning,  she says. Another benefit of the pandemic that she sees is the court system’s new comfort level with doing things virtually—not just meetings but paperwork. One of her goals is to have a sustainable office and reduce waste as much as possible. “I do not print my contracts, I do not print and mail letters unless I need to, and I recycle. In the immigration law context, the government is opening more online processes where you can file applications online. I love that, because my mother always taught me to recycle, and it is something I practice daily,  she says. “I’m saving trees when I can.”

When Paola has the chance to meet other young Latina entrepreneurs, she always encourages them to believe in themselves. “Know that you’re going to make it. That’s the biggest thing,” she says. “I’m very active on social media and women have reached out to me saying, ‘I love what you’re doing. How did you get there?’ I always tell them they have to say, ‘I can do this, I’m awesome. Because you are’ There is so much criticism in the world. We can’t let others’ opinions and negativity get us down. Believe in yourself, know your worth, and put in the work.”

Get much more of Paola I. Neri’s advice, including how to be creative on social media, in the inspiring new book Latinas Who Boss Up. “These boss ladies are truly inspiring, sharing their breakthroughs and triumphs for all of us to experience,” says author, educator, and podcaster Tam Luc. “Latinas Who Boss Up taught me more about a mix of cultures that I never stopped to examine. While our origin stories vary, we all experience life in full color and must navigate our circumstances. These beautiful women represent the world of Latina Superwomen and I am so happy to introduce them to you.”

Find Paola on Instagram @abogada_paolaneri. On Facebook, you can find her under “Neri Law Offices.” Paola’s website is NeriLawOffices.com. You can also learn more about her at https://bossupbestseller.com/PaolaNeri, where you will find a link to Latinas Who Boss Up.

About Women with Vision International

Women with Vision International aims to inspire, uplift, and empower women everywhere to never give up their dream of living their life on purpose. We gather dynamic, entrepreneurial women who are making a difference and changing people’s lives to spark conversation around the topics that impact us all such as building their businesses, fundraising, and balancing their work and their families.  

About Tam Luc

Tam Luc is an international bestselling author and the founder of Women with Vision International who shares the triumphs, stress, and struggles of balancing her life to help women grow their businesses. After 20 years as an entrepreneur, she is able to help women leverage their messages and create the lifestyle they want through her unique book messaging strategies. Hear from some of the amazing entrepreneurs who have worked with Tam at https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit  

Media Contact
Company Name: Women with Vision International
Contact Person: Tam Luc

Phone: 310 710 8954
Country: United States
Website: https://womenbossupsummit.com/virtualsummit