I've been a coach, a creator, and a public speaker for a few years now, and I wouldn't have gotten there without my audience. At first, I just posted my journey in the tech industry. I wasn't an expert, and I didn't plan on teaching anyone, let alone coaching anyone. But my audience was getting a ton of value from my life lessons and wanted me to help them. So I did.

Sometimes, it's as easy as that. People, especially after 2020, want coaching from people with real-life experiences. I was able to build a profitable personal brand, not because I was an expert, but because people saw that I could build a new life for myself and wanted to do the same thing. And now that I've sat and really figured out what made me successful and what didn't, I'm going to teach you, too.

In this week's episode, we're starting something new. This week's episode is the first in a new mini-series, The Profitable Personal Brand Series! We're going behind the scenes of my first paying clients and figuring out why people wanted to pay for coaching before I even had an offer yet.

How to work with Erika:

Attract 7+ Paid Opportunities Through Your Personal Brand — Without Being Salesy with the free Magnetic CEO Method | Monday, May 4th, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM PT

Claim your limited-time-only spot in Erika's 90-Min one-on-one Personal Branding Intensive

Join the waitlist for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot! https://theerikacruz.com/manifest-your-marca

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.

One of the things I've been working on with my clients is helping them figure out who they are outside of their careers. As Latina women living in the US, we often feel like our worth is dependent on what we do for work because we need it to be worth the trauma of immigration. But living only for our jobs and tying our worth to our career is not only unhealthy - it's a trauma response. So how do we break away from this way of thinking and find a more peaceful path to success?

Ann Dunning is the co-author of Radical Señora Era, and co-founder of Señora Era, a newsletter celebrating slow living, beauty, and Latina identity, and the former co-founder of Latina beauty line Vamigas, at Target and Whole Foods. A Chilean-American, she lives in the campo with her family and her chickens. She thinks that you'll be surprised at how much your life will improve if you take up the habits and routines of your tias and bisabuelas.

In this week's episode, we're talking about the peaceful path to success. Welcome to your Señora Era! It's time we stop thinking about success in a purely American way and start looking into what our ancestors did. A totally different mindset brought them so much peace, and it could be the thing that allows you to bring balance into your life while still honoring your ambition. Tune in to hear how our people found balance in their lives and how you can embody these practices by stepping into your Señora Era today!

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot!

Follow Ann on:

TikTok: @senora.era

Instagram: @senoraeraofficial

Book Instagram: @radicalsenoraerabook

Website: www.senoraera.com

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Sign up for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.

Your posts are good, but not great for this new algorithm. People are more interested in using social media as a search engine than ever before, so the algorithm is more interest-based than it used to be. That means that you want to start creating "selfless content" instead of "selfish content" and posting that on your personal brand pages.

So what the heck does any of that even mean???  It means that when you tap into people's interests, you will attract the right people to your brand. When you attract the right people to your brand, you can start making money online and attracting the opportunities that will help you manifest your dream life. It's simple!

In this week's episode, we're talking about how building a personal brand is the fastest way to manifest your dream life. Your personal brand is in your control. You get to show up how you want and attract the people and opportunities that fit into your dream life. Tune in to this week's episode to learn how to use the interest-based algorithm and your personal brand to manifest your dream life.

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot!

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Claim your limited-time-only spot in Erika's 90-Min one-on-one Personal Branding Intensive

Join the waitlist for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.

Some people can go to their parents for help, but often, we are the ones people look to during a crisis. If you're a first-gen, eldest, and/or Latina daughter, you are the point person for your family. You make sure everything works out in the end. So what would happen if you can't be that person anymore? This week, we're talking to someone who had to not only survive breast cancer, but figure out how to do life during and after treatment.

Eileen Lopez Tome is a resilient, compassionate, and bold first-generation Cuban-American woman, mom of five, breast cancer survivor, public servant, and certified professional coach. After being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2016, she turned pain into purpose - becoming a certified coach in 2018 and dedicating her practice to guiding women through life's most defining transitions. Rooted in faith and fueled by love for her community, Eileen helps women - especially Hispanic and Latina women - release perfectionism, surrender control, and trust their own intuition. She believes healing is communal, cultural heritage is power, and legacy should be designed - not dictated by circumstance. Through coaching and advocacy, she helps women restore balance to their ecosystems - mind, body, spirit, family, and work - so they can live joyfully, creatively, and unapologetically.

In this week's episode, we're talking about how Eileen went from survival to service. In just a few short years, Eileen built a brand that helps others as a breast cancer survivor and is not only helping people survive during this period in their lives but also thrive. Tune in to hear her breast cancer survivor story and how she's helping her clients navigate their most difficult moments with care.

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot!

Follow Eileen on:

Instagram: @eileensita1124

Coaching Instagram: @eileen_lopez_tome

Website: www.eileenlopeztome.com

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Sign up for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.

We should be able to plan our careers the same way we plan anything else in our lives. But college doesn't teach us how to network or get that promotion, especially in corporate America. Putting our heads down and working as hard as we can is getting us nowhere. We need new skills. So, we need to listen to someone who has been through it and can help us get to where we want to be.

Elsa Jimenez is a powerhouse first-gen Latina in tech on a mission to bridge the gap between high-performance code and holistic well-being. By day, she navigates the complexities of the tech industry, championing representation and breaking barriers for underrepresented voices in the digital space. Beyond the screen, Elsa Jimenez is a dedicated advocate for mental health and fitness, believing that a strong mind is the ultimate operating system. She views movement and mindfulness not just as hobbies, but as essential tools for resilience in the fast-paced corporate world. Whether she's optimizing a workflow or hitting a new PR in the gym, she brings a signature blend of cultural pride, grit, and authenticity to everything she touches.

In this week's episode, we're talking about how Elsa broke into tech, survived a layoff, and built her personal brand. Our careers are not as safe as they used to be, especially with tech layoffs looming over our shoulders every quarter. But that doesn't mean we don't have control over our own lives. Elsa used her time in the Courage Driven Latina program to plan for the best and worst case scenarios in her career, specifically so she doesn't feel panicked when something doesn't go according to plan. Tune in to this week's episode to hear how she used the CDL program to advance her career and what she's currently working on to get ahead in this year's CDL group.

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot!

Follow Elsa on:

Instagram: @vibinwithelsa

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elsamjimenez/

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Sign up for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.

I manifested my first 10k followers by being strategic. I had an idea, I had a strategy, and I made it happen, and you can do it, too. You don't need fancy equipment or a brand new camera; you can use what you have right now. So why not give yourself the chance to try and see what could happen?

My clients join the Courage Driven Latina program because they know that wanted to give themselves a chance to be great. They see other people posting content about their ideas or their businesses, and they know they can do that too - if only they had a little guidance. That's exactly what the Courage Driven Latina is built on: years of my real-world experience posting online, building a personal brand, and teaching you how to do what I did with your ideas.

In this week's episode, we're talking about how I manifested my first 10k by building a personal brand. This episode is a replay of a webinar that aired on March 9th, so if you catch it in time, you'll be able to take advantage of the limited-time bonuses we're offering right now! The doors to the Courage Driven Latina program are open, so sign up right now or book a free consultation call if you have any questions. You know you could be great if you gave yourself the chance. Sign up now for the Courage Driven Latina program and watch this week's episode to learn how to take the first steps to your own personal greatness.

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot!

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Sign up for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.

Starting over is not the end of the world. It may feel like it, at first, don't get me wrong. But if I had lost everything, all of my clients, and I had to start my online business over again, I know that I could do it. I can make money online and regain my following because I help people start over for a living.

I have two clients who have decided to start over recently. One got laid off, and the other wanted to open a new business. It's scary, the first step is always scary, but it can't hold you back. And by having a plan, you can turn that fear into the drive you need to start making money online in 2026.

In this week's episode, we're talking about how I'd make money online if I had to start over. We're talking about starting over completely from scratch - no followers, no business, no trust, no reputation. Starting over is a blessing, and this week, I'm going to teach you how to start over on the right foot. Tune in to hear all about how to make money online, how to create financial flexibility, and how I'd build a brand from scratch in 2026.

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot!

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Sign up to join the free training, How I Manifested My First 10K Followers by Building a Personal Brand, on Monday, March 9th

Join the waitlist for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.

You won't post online because you were told to stay quiet all your life. You were conditioned to keep your head down, be humble, and mind your manners. And now that conditioning has leaked into every aspect of your life, including posting online.

And, this isn't about confronting your parents or lamenting about the horrors machismo has left on our culture. We can do that later. Today, we're working on ourselves, letting that kind of toxic self-talk go, and learning how we can break free of this calladita conditioning.

In this week's episode, we're talking about posting progress over perfectionism. To be successful on social media, you need trust. Trust from your audience to keep watching, and trust from yourself to keep posting. There is a psychology to building trust online, and after years of building a successful personal brand on social media, I've cracked the code. Listen to find out more about calladita conditioning, how it affects you posting online, and why you still feel like you need to be "qualified" enough to be visible on social media.

Resources Mentioned:
Click here to claim your Manifest Your Marca bot!

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Sign up to join the free training, How I Manifested My First 10K Followers by Building a Personal Brand, on Monday, March 9th

Join the waitlist for the Courage Driven Latina program here!

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here!

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST, an Afro-Latina-owned boutique podcast production and copywriting studio.