Yo Quiero Dinero Why Latinas Need to Stop Climbing the Corporate Ladder and Build Their Own with Stephanie Pimentel
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.
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