Why Latinas Need to Stop Climbing the Corporate Ladder and Build Their Own with Stephanie Pimentel
Yo Quiero Dinero
Jannese Torres
4.8 • 616 Ratings
🗓️ 23 March 2026
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
She was literally born the day her mother landed in the US — and that energy of showing up and figuring it out has followed Steph Michelle Pimentel her entire life.
In this episode, I'm sitting down with Stephanie Pimentel, a Dominican American executive and the founder of Lumena Global, whose work sits at the intersection of cross-border leadership, people strategy, and cultural intelligence. She spent 17 years in corporate — starting as an HR coordinator at $11.75 an hour and climbing all the way to the executive level — only to discover that being invited into the room is not the same thing as having real power in it. We are talking about the "fake seat at the table," what it actually means to be an asset that companies exploit without compensating, why US businesses keep fumbling Latino and Latam markets, and why with AI handing you every tool you need, there has never been a better time to say f*ck corporate and build your own table. Stephanie is also giving YQD listeners a free 15-minute strategy call — no charge, no catch. You need to take her up on it.
WE GET INTO:
0:00 - Intro: Born the Day Her Mother Landed in the US
1:06 - Growing Up Dominican & the "Work, Work, Work" Mentality
2:31 - 17 Years in Corporate Starting at $11.75/Hour
4:19 - The Fake Seat at the Table Explained
9:00 - Battling Imposter Syndrome When You're Losing Your Job
10:41 - Why AI Makes Right Now the Best Time to Ditch Corporate
11:44 - The $4.1 Trillion Latino Market (We Are Not a Niche)
15:02 - How US Companies Fumble Latin American Expansion
24:31 - Stephanie's Entrepreneurial Journey: Failures, LLCs & Rock Bottom
34:57 - Free Strategy Call + How to Work With Stephanie
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Being invited into the room is not the same as having real power in it
- Cultural intelligence isn't a soft skill — it's risk management
- The US Latino GDP is $4.1 trillion. We are not a niche. We are the market.
- US companies lose money in Latam because they treat it as cheap labor instead of a talent engine
- You don't need to wait until you hit rock bottom to start building — start before you're ready
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE:
TAKE THE NEXT STEP:
This episode of Yo Quiero Dinero was produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This week on Yo Quiro Dinero. |
| 0:03.7 | Many professionals, especially immigrants and first generation leaders, right, get invited |
| 0:08.7 | into these rooms because they're taking off that box. |
| 0:12.3 | But being in that room doesn't mean that you have any real influence. |
| 0:17.6 | I am telling you right now, every single Latina, every single Latino was meant to be an |
| 0:24.1 | entrepreneur. We have to start believing it. We have to start understanding it. I say just because |
| 0:29.4 | you're not the Coca-Cola's or the Amazon's of the world, don't think that expansion is not |
| 0:33.4 | available to you. Think big and think you deserve it. You're listening to |
| 0:41.1 | You Chiro Giro Dinoa, a personal finance podcast for the modern Latina. I'm your host, |
| 0:46.5 | Janice Torres, award-winning Latina personal finance expert. I didn't always have my |
| 0:51.5 | financial shit together, but when I started looking for POC-friendly |
| 0:55.1 | personal finance podcasts, I couldn't find any. And so Yo Quiero Dino was born. On this show, |
| 1:00.7 | I'll show you how to make dinero, how to keep your Dinero, and most importantly, how to make it grow. |
| 1:06.2 | Each week, I'm connecting you with the most brilliant minds in the world of money and business. |
| 1:10.8 | So you can learn about investing, entrepreneurship, and building wealth. |
| 1:14.6 | The best part, I'm dishing up all this knowledge with a sassy side of sason. |
| 1:19.7 | So if you're ready to be Poderosa with your Dinero, you've come to the right place. |
| 1:24.4 | Let's dive in. |
| 1:25.8 | Hello, my gente. |
| 1:26.5 | Welcome back to another episode of Yo Kiro Dinoero. Today, we're going to be |
| 1:29.5 | talking about the intersection of your career, your identity, and business with an expert |
| 1:36.3 | in all three of those areas. Steph Michelle is someone who I was made aware of, and she is |
... |
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