Turning Chronic Pain & Corporate Burnout into a Latina Owned Branding Studio with Marisa Gonzales

What we're Sipping

Jessica ia aipping a 2022 Parra Wine Co. Chardonnay from Zenith Vineyards in Oregon's Willamette Valley, while Marisa sips nettle tea with electrolyte salt.

Episode Summary

In this episode of Wine & Chisme, Jessica sits down with Marisa Gonzales, a proud Mexican-American graphic designer, brand strategist, and the founder of Marisa Gonzalez Studios, for a deeply personal and empowering conversation. Based in Kansas City, Kansas, Marisa shares what it was like growing up as one of the only Latinas in a predominantly white suburb of Missouri, how chronic migraines and a serious car accident reshaped her path, and how she overcame medication dependency to reclaim her health and creativity. She also opens up about walking away from a toxic corporate job as a new mom, and how all of these experiences led her to build an intentional, client-centered design business that centers the voices of women, minorities, and nonprofits.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Growing up Latina in Blue Springs, Missouri, one of the only Mexican-American families in a predominantly white suburb
• How Marisa's parents kept her culture alive through weekly family dinners, Mexican music, and tostadas at abuela's house- even without teaching Spanish
• The shared Gen X/elder Millennial experience of being raised without Spanish, and the generational trauma behind it
• Experiencing racial bias in school. From a teacher who gave her less attention than white students, to friends casually throwing around slurs
• The car accident in her 20s that broke her nose, injured her spine (C1/Atlas), and escalated into chronic migraines
• Her journey with Fioricet dependency, the first time she has spoken about this publicly, and how her husband Travis helped her taper off gradually
• Overcoming rebound migraines caused by the very medication she was using to function at work
• The toxic corporate job she left cold- on the day they wrote her up for calling in after her infant son got sick
• Using her maternity leave to quietly build her design business on the side before making the leap full-time
• Her non-traditional career path: graphic design → production artist → burned out at 2008 recession → physical therapy assistant → office job → full-time entrepreneur
• How her dad's encouragement to "follow your heart" changed the direction of her life
• What it means to center Latinidad and lived experience in brand strategy
• How she vets clients and intentionally limits her workload to protect her health and family
• Her certifications: Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) and MWBE through the Kansas Department of Commerce
• Practical branding insight: why having a "signature look" is non-negotiable for standing out

About Marisa Gonzales

Marisa Gonzales is the CEO, Principal Strategist, and Designer of Marisa Gonzalez Studios, a boutique brand and web design agency based in Kansas City, Kansas. She helps women-owned businesses, minority entrepreneurs, and nonprofits build standout brands and websites that don't just look beautiful — they work.

A proud Mexican-American woman, Marisa grew up in Blue Springs, Missouri, navigating life as one of the few Latinas in a predominantly white community. That experience — of being unseen, mislabeled, and underestimated — shapes everything about how she shows up for her clients today. She is certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) and as a Minority Women's Business Enterprise (MWBE) through the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Marisa also lives with chronic migraines and late-diagnosed ADHD, and has built her business around flexibility, intentionality, and listening to her body — modeling for her clients that sustainable success is possible.

Connect with Marisa

Marisa's Website: MarisaGstudios.com

→ MarisaGstudios.com

Instagram: @MarisaGStudios

Facebook: Marisa G. Studios

LinkedIn: Marisa Gonzalez