Uncolonized Latinas: A New Way Forward, with Valeria Aloe

Description

Episode Summary:

Imagine carrying a burden of self-doubt and insecurity while everyone else only sees a smart young woman taking on the world of business. At some point something has to give, and for my guest on this episode of The Sydcast it did, via a nervous breakdown and an epiphany that has led to a new career of helping fellow Latinas come to terms with a culturally-derived inferiority complex that holds back an immense talent pool from fulfilling their potential. This is the inspirational and gripping story of Valeria Aloe.

Sydney Finkelstein

Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the bestsellers Why Smart Executives Fail and Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, which LinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman calls the “leadership guide for the Networked Age.” He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management, a consultant and speaker to leading companies around the world, and a top 25 on the Global Thinkers 50 list of top management gurus. Professor Finkelstein’s research and consulting work often relies on in-depth and personal interviews with hundreds of people, an experience that led him to create and host his own podcast,The Sydcast, to uncover and share the stories of all sorts of fascinating people in business, sports, entertainment, politics, academia, and everyday life.

Valeria Aloe

Valeria Aloe, founder of Abundancia Consciente (Conscious Abundance), has designed and facilitated bilingual programs on cultural narratives, entrepreneurship, stress management, and more, coaching women and minority leaders, teams, and business owners throughout the U.S. and in 14 Latin American countries.Before launching her practice, she worked +20 years in business development, marketing, and finance in leading companies across 7 countries, including Procter & Gamble, Citibank, Reckitt Benckiser, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and TIAA. Born in Argentina and living in the U.S. since 2002, Valeria is on a mission to support Latinas who navigate new spaces as first-generation, as well as Allies who seek to become more assertive mentors and sponsors by understanding the Hispanic culture from within. She wrote “Uncolonized Latinas” (New Degree Press, Dec’21), a book that casts a new light on the limiting cultural narratives holding Latina women back, and that provides strategies and insights for career success and upward mobility. She holds degrees in Business Administration and in Finance from Universidad Catolica Argentina, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Master in Spiritual Sciences.

Insights from this Episode

How Valeria’s childhood was like growing up in Argentina
How Valeria kept up with the expectations of her parents
Differences between studying in Argentina and in the United States
Challenges that Valeria faced as a Latina women when she emigrated to the United States
Valeria’s adapting process as a Latina women in an American college
The difficulties of constructing relationships in the United States as a member of the Hispanic community
How imposter syndrome affects the Hispanic culture
How gender roles in the Hispanic community impose pressure on Hispanic women
How COVID-19 has affected Hispanic families

Quotes from the Show:

“As an obedient Latina, I worked hard while keeping my head down. Played with self doubt and a sense of unworthiness”- Valeria Aloe in “Uncolonized Latinas” [05:36]
“[About Valeria’s parents] I still remember they saying to me: You're going to be the first female in the family to go to college”- Valeria Aloe [11:30]
“The initial conversation with my parents was like, you either study business or you study law or medicine, the traditional careers...there is this cultural relief that, that’s where you can do better”- Valeria Aloe [27:53]
“Leaving Argentina was very emotional, it was a one way ticket, we had no idea what to expect”- Valeria Aloe [32:50]
“[About Valeria’s experience in a US college] I was so intimidated and I felt so inferior in a way when I came here, that I used to only surround myself with Spanish speakers in the beginning. I was intimidated to approach people”- Valeria Aloe [35:04]
“There is a cultural silence among hispanics. We come from cultures of struggle, so we accept that struggling is what it is and we’ll go through that and we don’t even talk about it”- Valeria Aloe [36:50]
“When I was 20 I said, I want to be one of those facilitators, I want to be of those in the front of the room helping people with their own mindset, with their own challenges ”- Valeria Aloe [56:19]