This episode brings together Norma and the person who helped shape not just her career, but her identity — her mentor. It’s more than a professional conversation. It’s a living example of what happens when someone sees potential in you before you fully see it in yourself.

The dialogue goes deep into what it means to come from where we come from — neighborhoods where success isn’t assumed, where opportunities feel limited, and where “making it” often requires stepping into rooms that were never designed with us in mind.

They talk about:

• Growing up without a roadmap, and the pressure of figuring things out on your own

• How one mentor can redirect the entire course of a life, simply by opening a door

• The weight and pride of being “the first” Latino/a in spaces where we are still rare

• Why representation is not about ego — it’s about responsibility

• The balance between carrying your culture proudly and learning how to navigate professional expectations that sometimes feel foreign or restricting

There’s a lot of laughter, a lot of storytelling, and a quiet emotional thread running under the conversation:
We don’t get here alone.
Someone had to teach us, vouch for us, guide us, and remind us that we belong — even when the world tried to say otherwise.

This episode doesn’t just highlight achievement.
It highlights legacy.

Because the real success isn’t just becoming the first.
It’s making sure you are not the last.

This is a passing of the torch — warm, proud, humble, and powerful in the way only real community can be.