281. Build Wealth Without Leaving Your Culture Behind with Bricia Lopez

Financial Feminist

Her First $100K

Education, Self-improvement, Business, How To

4.7 • 6.6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if you never had to choose between building wealth and honoring where you came from? Bricia Lopez didn't –– and she built something incredible because of it. She grew up translating for her immigrant parents, learned money by watching her family create and lose and rebuild, and went on to become a restaurateur, cookbook author, and the woman behind one of LA's most iconic Oaxacan restaurants, Guelaguetza. Today she's sharing everything, the mindset, the hard lessons, the margarita vs. martini moment that changed how she thinks about her own worth. Come for the food, stay for the money talk. Bricia’s links: Website: https://www.ilovemicheladas.com/ Join the savings sprint to get your finances on track and take control of your money: https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod. 00:00 Intro 00:20 The First Money Lesson: You Can Just Make It 02:57 Being the Family Translator & Business Partner at 12 05:25 Redefining Success at Every Decade 09:08 Cutting Personal Comfort, Not Quality, During Hard Times 16:58 Why Bricia Talks Money Openly With Her Friends 17:22 The Margarita vs. Martini — Running Your Own Race 25:52 Why Customers Hesitate to Pay for Quality Mexican Food 26:37 The Importance of Knowing Your Worth 38:47 How Wealth Is More Than a Number 29:00 Building Something Meaningful Without Abandoning Your Roots 31:09 When Women Are Financially Free, the World Changes 32:38 Rapid Fire: Best Dish to Order, Desert Island Ingredients & More 38:58 Where to Find Bricia & What's Coming Next To stay up to date and find any other resources mentioned on our show visit: ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're afraid of success because you don't want to leave your old life behind.
0:03.4	Because for so many people, especially women and members of other marginalized communities,
0:08.1	success often comes with an unspoken expectation.
0:11.0	Leave parts of yourself behind to be taken seriously.
0:13.8	My guest today grew her family's restaurant and learned that money can be created and also
0:17.9	disappear just as fast.
0:19.3	She's a chef, restaurateur, and author who spent
0:21.6	her career challenging why some labor is undervalued, why certain cultures are expected to be
0:26.2	affordable, and why success is so often defined by someone else's rules. In this conversation,
0:31.0	we talk about money and identity, what it means to honor your culture and your family while pursuing
0:35.8	bigger goals, how to cultivate friendships and supportive partners where you can be open about your money and your family while pursuing bigger goals, how to cultivate friendships
0:38.0	and supportive partners where you can be open about your money and ambition, and why real
0:42.0	wealth isn't just about income. It's about agency, values, and choice. Today's guest is
0:47.1	Brisea Lopez. She is a chef, entrepreneur, and cultural steward, and the co-owner of
0:52.3	Gale Gatza, the James Beard Award-winning Wahakken restaurant,
0:55.3	Jonathan Gold called, quote,
0:56.7	the best Wahakian restaurant in the United States.
0:59.3	She is the author of two acclaimed cookbooks
1:01.3	and is the central figure in bringing
1:03.0	Mescal and Wahakins specificity into the US mainstream.
1:07.1	Let's get into it.
1:16.7	But first, a word from our sponsors. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. We love Squarespace. We've been using them forever and we think you should
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