Practice You with Elena Brower
Society & Culture:Personal Journals
On creating strong communities, pivoting out of productivity and shifting toward ease.
Ana Flores is Houston-born, El Salvador-raised. She's worked in television production for Univision, MTV Latin America and other Spanish-language networks for 15 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom.
When her husband was out of work and the cost of childcare became too expensive in 2009, she and a friend launched SpanglishBaby, a blog for parents raising bilingual and bicultural kids. Within a year, Flores was able to monetize blog posts for about $40 and found herself building “a small community” with fellow ambitious Latina bloggers. Soon she was actively pitching ideas to brands, connecting them with the 25-30 Latina bloggers and influencers from her online community.
“And that’s what became Latina Bloggers Connect in 2010, with no money, with no resources,” Flores told TODAY. “I saw a path — a support system of people that were willing to open doors for each other.”
Six years later, Flores rebranded Latina Blogger Connect as #WeAllGrow Latina, a Latina-owned, self-funded website that elevates the voices of Latinas and provides them with the resources — and inspiration — they need to succeed.
“We really make it a point to hire within our community, because that is how we build socio and economic power,” Vanessa Santos — who joined #WeAllGrow as a partner and co-CEO in December 2021 — told TODAY. Flores and Santos believe that to see one woman grow doesn’t mean that it’s going to take away an opportunity for another. Championing “amigahood,” or sisterhood, their website has exceeded 20,000 subscribers, or “amiga members." The free online community is available for English or Spanish-speaking Latinas and offers original content, mentorship, wellness sessions, resources, connections, access to virtual and in-person events like the annual #WeAllGrow Summit, plus exclusive perks created to support entrepreneurs, creatives and professionals. Through their digital platform and in-person events, #WeAllGrow is helping Latinas turn their ideas into realities.
Las Founders was founded in 2022 is the Los Angeles-held event for entrepreneurs sold out and had over 400 attendees taking in panels and conversations with Latina entrepreneurs about how they got their start.
In September 2022, the organization hosted the sixth annual #WeAllGrow Summit. The first summit was held in 2015 and focused on content creation and networking. As the years went by, it's become bigger and more interactive, with Forbes including it as one of 19 Conferences Every Creative Should Attend in 2018 and 2019. This year's sold-out event, held in Palm Desert, California, welcomed over 600 attendees ready to “heal, commune and grow” — which also happen to be the organization’s three pillars.
In 2023, Las Founders will be a two-day event in October.
Episode 191: Sara Szal Gottfried, MD
Episode 190: Mark Matousek
Episode 189: Seraphina Capranos
Episode 188: Kemi Nekvapil
Episode 187: Koshin Paley Ellison
Episode 186: Yael Schonbrun PhD
Episode 185: Mia Maestro
Episode 184: Osprey Orielle Lake
Episode 183: Stephen Jenkinson and Kimberly A. Johnson
Episode 182: Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde
Episode 181: Dani Shapiro
Episode 180: Lisa Odenweller
Episode 179: Emilio Diez Barroso
Episode 178: Juraj Kocar
Episode 177: Pixie Lighthorse
Episode 176: Tracee Stanley
Episode 175: Omisade Burney-Scott
Episode 174: Steve Revelli
Episode 173: Mario Brainovic
Episode 172: Matthew Quick
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