The Ambitious Woman of Color

BONUS: How to Stop Proving Yourself and Build Success on Your Own Terms

In this bonus episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast, host Jessica Lynn Rojas joins Cafecito and Rise (now Rise Differently Podcast) with Iris Canela, a life coach helping high-achieving women of color and Latinas stop over-proving and start living with more intention, presence, and self-trust. Together, they explore burnout, anxiety, mental health, career pressure, and the hidden cost of tying your worth to achievement. Jessica shares her experience as a first-generation Latina navigating panic attacks, depression, workplace stress, and the pressure to constantly prove herself in corporate consulting—and how she rebuilt her career around wellness, leadership, and sustainable success. If you're a woman of color in corporate, healthcare, consulting, education, nonprofit, or another high-pressure career and you're exhausted from overworking, overperforming, and still feeling overlooked, this conversation is for you. In This Episode: • Burnout in women of color and why it isn't always caused by working long hours • Anxiety, workplace stress, and mental health in high-achieving professionals • The pressure to constantly prove yourself in corporate environments • Cultural conditioning, productivity, and self-worth • Being "the only one" in leadership and professional spaces • Why slowing down can be a strategic career move • Redefining success beyond titles, salary, and external validation • Boundaries, saying no, and protecting your energy at work • Practical ways to build a career that supports your life—not consumes it About Iris Canela Iris Canela is a life coach for high-achieving women of color and Latinas who are ready to stop over-proving and start living rooted in presence, intention, and truth. 📱 Instagram: @risingwithiris [https://www.instagram.com/risingwithiris/] Work With Jessica Lynn Rojas If you're doing everything right but still feel stuck, overlooked, underpaid, or exhausted from carrying the weight of your career alone, this is where we change the strategy. Inside 1:1 coaching, we focus on: • Identifying what is draining your energy versus what is actually driving career growth • Increasing your visibility so your work is recognized, credited, and rewarded • Building leadership presence and authority in high-stakes conversations • Creating a sustainable career strategy that leads to promotions, higher pay, and leadership opportunities without burnout This is not about working harder. It's about making sure your effort translates into the recognition, opportunities, and compensation you've already earned. ✨ Book a 1:1 Sales Call [https://jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling] 📩 Join Dear Ambitious WOC [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/email-list] 📱 Follow on instagram: @jessicalynnrojas [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] ⭐ Subscribe, rate, and review to help more women of color build successful careers without sacrificing themselves in the process.

22. Beyond Burnout: Why Women of Color Burn Out Faster & How to Build Careers That Last

What if burnout isn't the problem—but the signal? In this episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast, Jessica Lynn Rojas and Evie Prete unpack burnout, career growth, self-worth, and the unique pressures women of color face at work. Burnout doesn't always look like working 80-hour weeks. Sometimes it looks like anxiety, overproving, people-pleasing, carrying everyone's problems, or feeling disconnected from yourself while still performing at a high level. Jessica and Evie share their personal burnout stories and discuss why women of color are especially vulnerable to burnout due to cultural conditioning, workplace bias, invisible labor, and the belief that worth must be earned through hard work. Together, they explore how burnout impacts salary negotiations, leadership growth, career decisions, and the ability to advocate for yourself. In this episode, we discuss: • Signs of burnout women of color often miss • Why high achievers burn out even when they're successful • The connection between self-worth and overworking • How burnout affects career growth and salary negotiations • The hidden emotional labor women of color carry • Why rest feels uncomfortable—and why it's necessary • Setting boundaries without guilt • Building a successful career without sacrificing yourself Key Takeaway: Burnout is often a sign you've been operating from survival mode instead of strategy. Sustainable success requires a different approach. About Evie Prete Evie Prete is a Latina Salary Negotiation Coach, Speaker, and Host of the Págame Podcast. She helps first-generation women of color negotiate higher salaries, advocate for themselves, and build careers rooted in self-worth. Her clients have secured over $1 million in salary increases. Website [https://www.lamalamujer.com] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lamalamujerblog/] Free Salary Negotiation Checklist [https://www.lamalamujer.com] Self Worth Accelerator Waitlist [https://www.lamalamujer.com] Previous Episode with Evie: Págame: How to Negotiate Higher Pay Without the Burnout [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/03-p%C3%A1game-how-to-negotiate-higher-pay-without-the-burnout/id1861175661?i=1000744968090] Work With Jessica If you're a woman of color who is overworking, constantly proving yourself, and still not seeing the pay, leadership opportunities, or recognition you deserve, I can help. Inside 1:1 coaching, we focus on: • Stopping the patterns that lead to burnout • Increasing visibility and leadership presence • Advocating for higher pay and promotions • Creating sustainable career growth without sacrificing your health Book a Sales Call [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling] Join Dear Ambitious WOC [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/email-list] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] Subscribe, rate, and review to help more women of color build careers that don't require burnout.

21. The Money Story Running Your Career: Money, Career Growth & Wealth for Women of Color

What if the reason you feel behind in your career and your money isn’t because you’re doing something wrong, but because of the money story you were never taught to question? In this episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast, Jessica Lynn Rojas sits down with Andrea Ramos of Building Gen Wealth for a conversation at the intersection of money and career for first-gen women of color — where income growth, career decisions, and wealth building are all happening at the same time. This episode is for the woman of color earning more than ever but still not feeling financially secure. The one second-guessing salary asks, investments, and whether she’s “ready” to ask for more. Together, Jessica and Andrea break down how survival-based money beliefs show up at work — staying in roles too long, under-asking in negotiations, and playing it safe even when your income has changed. Andrea shares her story of growing up as an immigrant daughter from Lima, Peru, raised on “always save,” until both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer just a month apart — forcing her to rethink financial security and leading her into investing and building Building Gen Wealth. Jessica connects this to career patterns — underpricing, delaying asks, and staying in roles that don’t reflect your actual level. In this episode, we cover: • why first-gen women of color feel behind financially even when earning more • the money story shaping career decisions • survival mode vs wealth building • salary negotiation + under-asking patterns • saving vs building wealth • using debt strategically • visibility + authority and income growth • how career impacts long-term wealth About Andrea Ramos Andrea Ramos is founder of Building Gen Wealth, helping first-gen women of color move beyond saving and start building wealth through investing and money strategy. After immigrating from Peru as a child, a family health crisis reshaped her view of money and pushed her into investing and wealth building. 🌐 https://www.buildinggenwealth.com/ [https://www.buildinggenwealth.com/] 📱 https://www.instagram.com/building.gen.wealth/ [https://www.instagram.com/building.gen.wealth/] Work With Jessica If you’re a woman of color in corporate doing real work but your pay, title, and visibility aren’t matching it — this is the gap we fix. Inside 1:1 coaching, clients get: • paid at the level they’re already operating at • seen as leadership instead of “the reliable one” • moved into roles that match their level (promotion or external) • recognized for their impact in decision-making rooms This is not about doing more. It’s about your work finally being recognized and rewarded at the level it already is. ✨ Book a 1:1 sales call: https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling] 📩 Join Dear Ambitious WOC https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/email-list [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/email-list] 📱 Follow @jessicalynnrojas: https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/ [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] ⭐ If this episode resonated, follow, subscribe, and leave a review — it helps more women of color find this work

20. Building a Career in Medicine as a Black Woman: Burnout, Leadership & Freedom-First Careers

What does it actually take to build a career in medicine as a woman of color — and what happens when the system that trained you starts breaking you down? In this episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color, Jessica sits down with Dr. Kristine Goins, a board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Nomad MD, for an honest conversation about burnout, identity, leadership, and what it really looks like to build a career in medicine on your own terms. This episode is part of the Industry Series — where we spotlight women of color building careers in high-barrier industries and unpack what it actually takes to grow, survive, and thrive in them. Dr. Goins shares her experience navigating medicine as a Black woman physician, the emotional and physical toll of working inside systems that demand constant sacrifice, and the breaking point that pushed her to leave traditional medicine behind and build a freedom-first career through telemedicine. We also discuss the deeper realities women of color in healthcare face: hypervisibility, burnout, emotional labor, people-pleasing, and the pressure to overperform while still being underestimated. If you work in medicine, healthcare, public health, therapy, nursing, social work, or any demanding profession where you feel like your career is costing you your health, this conversation will hit deeply. In this episode, we cover: • Building a career in medicine as a Black woman • Physician burnout and emotional exhaustion • The hidden cost of overworking in healthcare • Navigating systemic barriers in medicine • Identity, self-worth, and leadership for women of color • Creating a freedom-first career through telemedicine • Leaving traditional career paths without abandoning your purpose • The mindset shifts required to build differently • What women of color physicians are normalizing that they shouldn’t be • Boundaries, visibility, and protecting yourself while growing About Dr. Kristine Goins Dr. Kristine Goins is a board-certified integrative adult and pediatric psychiatrist, digital nomad, and founder of Nomad MD. After experiencing severe burnout while working across multiple healthcare settings and leadership roles, she rebuilt her career around freedom, flexibility, and sustainability. She now helps burned out physicians replace their income remotely and build freedom-first careers through telemedicine and entrepreneurship. 🌍 Connect with Dr. Kristine Goins [https://thenomadmd.com/] 📱 Instagram @thenomadmds [https://www.instagram.com/thenomadmds/] Work With Jessica If you’re a woman of color in healthcare or another high-pressure field where you’re carrying invisible labor, constantly proving yourself, and still not being seen as leadership — this is exactly the work we do inside 1:1 coaching. We focus on: • Positioning you for leadership and advancement • Making your work visible and tied to results • Navigating high-stakes conversations with confidence • Building boundaries that protect your health while you grow • Creating a sustainable strategy for long-term career success ✨ Book a consult [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling] 📩 Join Dear Ambitious WOC [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/email-list] 📱 Follow @jessicalynnrojas [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review to support the podcast!

19. Building a Career in Law as a Woman of Color: What It Really Takes to Advance and Lead

What does it actually take to build and grow a career in law as a woman of color? In this episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast, Jessica Lynn Rojas sits down with immigration attorney and leader Moona Siddiqui to break down the real experience of navigating the legal field—from early career decisions to stepping into leadership. This conversation goes beyond surface-level advice. We talk about what it looks like to grow in a high-pressure, traditionally white and male-dominated industry while staying grounded in your values, protecting your mental health, and building a career that actually works for you. This episode is part of the Industry Series—where we highlight women of color building careers in high-barrier fields and unpack what it really takes to move up. Moona shares her journey from environmental law to immigration law, her experience across nonprofit, government, and private practice, and how she now leads a legal office primarily made up of women of color—intentionally creating a culture where people feel respected, valued, and heard. If you’re in law—or any demanding, structured career where advancement isn’t just about performance—this episode will give you a clearer lens on what actually moves you forward. In this episode, we cover: * Building a legal career as a woman of color * Pivoting within law (environmental → immigration) * Navigating bias and being underestimated * Imposter syndrome at different career stages * Setting boundaries and protecting your mental health * Developing your own advocacy and leadership style * Managing clients and emotional labor * Leading and mentoring women of color * What it really takes to move into leadership About Moona Siddiqui Moona Siddiqui is a Managing Immigrants’ Rights Attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), where she leads legal advocacy for immigrant communities across California. With over a decade of experience, she has represented clients in complex immigration matters including asylum, removal defense, and humanitarian relief, and is committed to advancing access to justice and mentoring women of color in law. Resources & Links Connect with Moona on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/moona-siddiqui-b214b238] Free Immigration Legal Consultation (CAIR): [https://ca.cair.com/sacval/request-immigration-assistance/] Work With Jessica If you’re a woman of color in law or a similar high-stakes field—and you’re doing high-level work but not being seen, paid, or promoted accordingly—this is exactly what I help with. Inside 1:1 coaching, we focus on: * Making your work visible and tied to results * Positioning you as a leader (not just reliable) * Navigating high-stakes conversations with authority * Building a strategy that moves your career forward ✨ Book a 1:1 consult [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling] 📩 Join Dear Ambitious WOC [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/email-list] 📱 Follow @jessicalynnrojas [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] Subscribe & Review Subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of the Industry Series. Leaving a 5-star review helps more women of color find this podcast and see what’s possible.