I keep waiting for the right time to start writing. I keep waiting until I think I have a carefully curated schedule that is “good enough”. Truth is, my journey has been anything but conventional. Navigating my life feels like I’m trying to contain a fire: uncontrollable with a spirit of its own. Sometimes I let the flames rage, but other times I catch myself dimming it down when I’m in certain spaces. Have you ever felt like this?
What I do know is that my fire burns brightest when I’m aligned with my passions. I’m passionate about helping my community progress, the security of my family, and my career: a career rooted in service and advocacy. My journey pursuing my passions inspired the Adelante Blog.
Adelante is a Spanish word meaning “forward: to progress”. The Adelante Blog is a career and lifestyle blog in which I share practical advice on how to advance in your career and life.
“Adelante is a spanish word meaning forward” to progress”
Over the years, I’ve constantly found myself blindly navigating professional settings as a woman of color in both the legal and sport worlds. I’d lean on the few women in these spaces who have come before me. While these mentors have provided valuable advice over the years, I never quite felt like I had someone who could completely relate to my journey as a Latinx woman. Their faith in me and my mission all these years gives me the confidence to share my authentic journey, and it starts today.
Adelante was created with one goal in mind: to help other women reflect and progress in their demanding careers. My mission is to share personal experiences and lessons I’ve learned as a latinx woman pursuing careers in two male-dominated industries: law and sports. I mean how often do you meet a brown Mexican-American woman in sports?
As the oldest daughter of a Mexican-American family from the small town of Uvalde, Texas, the road to college and a career at all required constant sacrifice, reflection and perseverance. Deciding to pursue a career in the law and sports only made those sacrifices heavier and more isolating. Oftentimes, I find myself struggling to balance the expectations of my culture and the ambition I feel to reach new heights.
With that, I am also human. I struggle and I fail. In my pursuit of attaining a successful career as soon as possible, I neglected myself. My “hustle” mentality that led me to success in my athletic career did not have the same positive effects when I transitioned to the working world. I pushed myself to reach certain milestones without allowing myself the grace to grow at my own pace. My friends and family watched me struggle through this, and it wasn’t easy. Despite meeting those goals, this mentality has had lasting effects on my mental health that I’m working through to this day. 2022 reminded me that life can be painful, uncomfortable, and chaotic. The only power we have in these moments is how we choose to react and move forward. I recently made drastic shifts to reframe my intentions for my life and how I live it. So just know that we will be on this journey together.
I hope that my losses and lessons can help lighten and inspire your path forward into an abundant, healthy life and career.
Oh, and Happy Women’s History Month. Go us. #AdelantewithAB
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