We couldn’t imagine a more meaningful way to begin 2026.

Our first guest of the year on Corporate Cafecito is Marie Quintana.

Marie is a Cuban immigrant, CEO of Quintana Group, strategic advisor, executive coach, board director, and author. Long before ERGs, before representation became a strategy, she was building, leading, and opening doors in corporate America. From IBM to PepsiCo to serving as Chief Marketing Officer at Tenet Healthcare, her career spans decades of leadership, transformation, and impact.

But this conversation isn’t about titles.

It’s about her story.

Marie shares a moment from first grade she calls “White Dress Day.” Picture day. A handmade white dress. Walking into a classroom and realizing she was different. That moment didn’t break her. It became the foundation for resilience, courage, and leadership.

We talk about living in two worlds. About vulnerability as strength. About faith, cultura, and what it truly means to bring your whole self to work. Porque cuando compartimos nuestras historias, abrimos camino para otros.

Marie is also the author of Last Flight from Havana, a powerful memoir about leaving Cuba, identity, resilience, and healing. Her book is an extension of this conversation and a reminder that our beginnings do not limit us. They shape us.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to edit yourself to belong, this episode is for you.

📍 Learn More:

📘 Book (Last Flight from Havana): https://a.co/d/1P1hRV1
🌐 Website: https://www.mariequintana.com/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariequintana/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marietquintana/

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.

We made it through 2025.

That alone matters.

As we step into 2026, this episode of Corporate Cafecito is about choosing how we move forward. Not rushing. Not reacting. Choosing with intention.

This conversation is an honest look at what last year required from us and what it actually gave back.

What truly moved you forward in 2025?

What quietly drained your time, energy, or headspace?

What are you no longer willing to carry into this year?

We talk about taking a real audit of 2025 through return on investment. Time. Energy. Focus. We walk through Start, Stop, Continue as a way to move with clarity instead of obligation.

We also talk about visibility with intention.
Being seen by the right people.
For the right reasons.
Without shrinking who you are or hiding your cultura.

This episode is rooted in lived experience. Career and life. Ambition and rest. Growth with boundaries. Todo con intención y con corazón.

We would love to hear from you.
What is one thing you are choosing to start, stop, or continue in 2026?

Check out the trailer below, but head to our website, www.corpcafecito.com, to watch the entire episode.

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.

Before we step into 2026, we wanted to pause and talk honestly about 2025. Not just what we survived, but what we learned, who showed up, and how our community kept moving forward even when things felt heavy.

In this episode, we reflect on the realities of 2025 for our community and our workplaces. We talk about fear and resilience, DEI shifts, AI changing the job market, cultural guilt, and the pressure so many of us felt to stay quiet just to stay afloat.

We also take time to lift up what mattered most. The teachings we shared throughout the year. The Latine-owned businesses and organizations we highlighted. The leaders, mentors, and community builders who reminded us that visibility, access, and community still matter.

If you’re looking for guidance, reflection, and real conversations rooted in experience, we invite you to explore the episodes, the stories, and the businesses we’ve highlighted along the way.

This is an honest look at 2025. Lo bueno, lo difícil, y lo real.

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.

When we first sat down with Sergio Suárez Jr., Founder and CEO of TackleAI, we were just beginning to understand artificial intelligence. We remember asking things like, “How does it even know what we like?” and wondering if AI could ever really replace human creativity.

Now, AI has evolved faster than any of us imagined, and having Sergio back on the podcast felt like coming full circle. 🔁

In this ☕ cafecito, we talk about how quickly the world is changing and what that means for our jobs, our families, and our comunidad. Sergio shares how 🤖 automation and robotics are reshaping industries, why 🎓 access and education matter more than ever, and how innovation can create new opportunities while also challenging the old ones.

💬 This conversation is honest, eye-opening, and deeply human. It is about courage, growth, and the future of our people in a world powered by technology and possibility.

💭 We would love to hear from you: How do you feel about the rise of AI? Are you curious, cautious, or a little bit of both?

🎧 Check out the entire episode below!

#CorporateCafecito #TackleAI #LatineLeaders #CulturaYAmbicion #RepresentationMatters #Leadership #Community #AIInnovation

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.

In this week’s episode of Corporate Cafecito, we welcome an inspiring guest whose story beautifully blends cultura, comunidad, and emprendimiento Patricia Aguilar, Founder and President of FourStar Branding, joins us to share how her journey led to the creation of El Poder de La Marca®, a branding program empowering small business owners to rise, thrive, and build lasting impact within their communities.

Patricia has spent her career helping others find their voice and elevate their brands with authenticity and purpose. After completing the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, she recognized a need for branding services at the same level as Fortune 500 companies but accessible to small businesses and nonprofits. Out of that vision, El Poder de La Marca® was born.

Through her collaboration with the Foundation of Little Village, Patricia has helped local entrepreneurs reimagine their businesses with professional branding, storytelling, and design. From taquerías to boutiques, her work goes far beyond logos and color palettes. It is about identity, pride, and community transformation. Each business she supports gains access to high-level branding funded through trusted organizations like the The Chicago Community Trust and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, giving small businesses the opportunity to shine and grow.

In this conversation, we explore how entrepreneurship rooted in cultura y corazón becomes a movement for change. Patricia shares what it means to lead with purpose, build partnerships that matter, and nurture the next generation of business leaders who will carry our communities forward.

Her story is a powerful reminder that every negocio, big or small, deserves to look and feel like success. When we invest in our people, our creativity, and our heritage, we create impact that lasts.

✨ Rooted in Community. Driven by Design. Built for Impact. ✨

🎥 Watch now: https://

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.

This week’s cafecito hit deep. Refugio “Ref” Atilano joined us for a conversation that every professional, mentor, and dreamer in our comunidad needs to hear. We talked about what it really means to step into leadership and the courage it takes to quiet that inner voice that says, “you’re not ready.”

Raf is a corporate executive, author of The Latino Leadership Playbook, and a powerful advocate for developing Latino and multicultural talent. What makes his story so meaningful is how it began, with a desire to help. For years, he mentored others one by one, teaching confidence, presence, and how to lead with authenticity. But as he listened, he noticed the same struggles again and again: imposter syndrome, hesitation to self-advocate, and the belief that hard work alone would be enough.

Instead of letting those patterns continue, Raf decided to act. He poured his knowledge into a playbook filled with strategies, examples, and lessons from over 50 influential leaders. His goal wasn’t just to inspire, but to equip. To give our community the tools to lead with confidence and purpose.

What we love most about Raf’s story is his heart. He believes leadership should be accessible to everyone and that the potential we’re searching for already lives within us. His message is simple but powerful. When we lift each other up, we all rise.

This episode is full of wisdom, honesty, and inspiration. If you’ve ever doubted yourself or wondered if you belong, this conversation will remind you that you do. Leadership doesn’t begin with a title. It begins the moment you believe in yourself.

📚 Learn more about Raf’s work:

– Book: https://a.co/d/dMQDDQx

– Website: www.refugioatilano.com

– Live Virtual Workshop: https://refugioatilano.com/live-virtual-llc-program/

– LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/refugio-a-atilano-00837912/

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.

We’re back, familia 💛

After taking some time to pause, reflect, and refill our cups, Corporate Cafecito is back with an episode that reminds us why we started this journey in the first place.

This week, we’re joined once again by our amiga Olga Camargo, a leader who continues to inspire our comunidad to dream bigger and build a stronger foundation for the future. Olga was one of our most memorable guests a few seasons back when she joined us to talk about financial education and generational wealth. Now, she’s back to share her next chapter.

Her new book RISE: Embrace the Future You Can Build officially launches today, and her story will leave you feeling inspired to take action.

Olga opens up about how to start building financial confidence, one step at a time. She shares how to create a budget that works, join your 401(k), understand Roth versus pre-tax savings, and make small, intentional choices that lead to lasting growth.

Through her bilingual app, Olga is helping first-gen families, professionals & entrepreneurs learn to plan, save, and invest con intención.

This conversation is about more than money. It’s about believing in yourself, honoring where you come from, and taking care of your future with purpose and love. ❤️☕

🎥 The episode is out now. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/YXB89BhZ5Es
🌐 Visit our website to watch more episodes: www.corpcafecito.com

🎙Guest Info

📚RISE: Embrace the Future You Can Build – Out Now - Amazon Paperback & Amazon eBook

💻@SHENIX_app | shenix.app
📲LinkedIn: Olga Camargo, AIF®

📰Featured Articles & Honors

2025 Chicago United BLC Honoree

Female Founder Interview – The Startup Magazine

Forbes B

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.

👉 “Quiet cutting is the corporate trend no one asked for, but too many are living through.”

Behind polished HR terms are real people facing shifting roles, unclear expectations, and the weight of uncertainty.

In this cafecito, we open up about:
☕ Why quiet cutting is gaining traction in today’s workplace
☕ The toll it takes on trust and professional identity
☕ How to reclaim your voz, build resilience, and stay empowered
☕ Practical strategies to thrive even when the ground beneath you shifts

This isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a reminder to protect yourself and your comunidad in spaces that weren’t designed with us in mind.

Support the show

If you’d like to join Nallely and Carlos from Corporate Cafecito for a cafecito conversation, collaborate, or suggest a topic that matters to our community, we would love to hear from you. Corporate Cafecito centers real conversations that move culture and careers forward. Visit www.corpcafecito.com/contact-us
or email admin@corpcafecito.com.

Elevar Development, founded by Nallely Suárez Gass, helps professionals and organizations grow with clarity and purpose. With over two decades of corporate experience, Nallely is known for helping people lead authentically, uncover strengths, and make confident, aligned decisions. Through personalized coaching and impactful workshops, Elevar creates practical, lasting change. Learn more at www.elevardevelopment.com or email Nallely@elevardevelopment.com.

Every business decision carries social, political, and economic considerations. Avizo Consulting helps organizations navigate complexity with intention, cultural awareness, and strategic insight. Carlos Butler Vale partners with leaders who want their values and actions aligned. Learn more at www.avizoconsulting.com or email carlos@avizoconsulting.com.

Two leaders. One shared commitment to growth, cultura, and impact.