This week’s theme is gratitude. As Courage Driven Latina turns three and we celebrate everything that Erika and the company have accomplished, we are remembering all the trials and tribulations it took to get to this point. Somewhere between feeling lost in the tech industry, earning no money from her food blog, and getting a cease and desist order that caused her to change the name of her business, were moments of courage and gratitude that led Erika and her team to where she is today. 

In this episode, we are celebrating everything Courage Driven Latina has done for its alums and how the program is changing for the better. Listen for an exclusive offer just for you. And bring your tissues because this episode is a tearjerker! 

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Resources Mentioned:
EP 50: The Framework That Has Led to Mine and My Client’s Success

Website:
www.theerikacruz.com

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

How to work with Erika:

Join the waitlist for Courage Driven Latina here.

Post-production for this episode was provided by CCST, a podcast production company. 

Episode Transcript

[00:01:12] Erika: Hello, and welcome back to Ch*ngona Revolution podcast. I have to be completely honest with you all. I thought that I had all of my podcasts recorded for the next month or so. And my team emailed me this morning or sent me a message on Slack this morning. And they were like, Hey, Erica, where is the podcast episode that’s going out on Tuesday?

[00:01:34] Erika: And I was like, wait, it’s already recorded. And then I went to go look. And I was like, wait, Everything I’ve recorded has already been published. So, this is an episode that, I actually can’t believe I had not planned, because it definitely should have been planned, but today I want to talk to you all about how my business turns three years old this month and I want to share the story about how it even started.

[00:01:59] Erika: I [00:02:00] want to share how it was that it evolved. I wanted to share some of the good, some of the bad, some of the lessons learned, as well as some of the results that have come out of even starting this. This business and then I just wanted to answer some frequently asked questions that I have been getting 

[00:02:18] Erika: So three and a half years ago, at the beginning of 2020, I was working in tech and I knew that I didn’t want to work there anymore, but I didn’t know how I could get out. Like it seemed as if my options were super, super limited. I lived in this, I’m already going to cry. I lived in this like little studio apartment in Sunnyvale, which is in the Bay area, it’s in the South Bay.

[00:02:45] Erika: And I think that like, that was my world for a really long time. And I didn’t see a way out because all I knew was tech, right. And all I knew was like, okay, my parents worked so hard [00:03:00] to give me. This American dream to be able to have an education, to speak the English language, to be born in the United States.

[00:03:09] Erika: And here I am making the six-figure salary in tech, even though I don’t feel super passionately about it. I should just feel grateful. And, but there was this little voice inside me that was like, no, Erica, you’re meant for more. And I feel like me in this little voice just like fought so much. And that little studio apartment is so like symbolic of how I felt at that moment in my life where.

[00:03:31] Erika: I would look out of this little window and a hummingbird would come almost like I was especially during the pandemic because I was spending so much time at home and you know the pandemic happened once it started to get warm and like this little hummingbird that would come to the window. I have so much footage and like so many little photos of this hummingbird and I remember it was like that hummingbird was hope.

[00:03:52] Erika: But it was like on the other side and I was inside and I think it’s also symbolic that, during the pandemic, we were all literally stuck [00:04:00] inside. So it. Was just like such, excuse my language, I’m gonna throw an f-bomb down so you could mute me if your kids are around or just put some headphones on, but it was a mindfuck to be in this room where like everything seemed perfect, but I knew that there was more and I didn’t know how to get there.

[00:04:20] Erika: So, I guess I jumped ahead to when the pandemic was already happening, but I always knew that I wanted to do something else and at the time I had a food blog and I’ve talked about this food blog many times, right? This food blog was what I thought was going to be my exit out of tech, but I never made a dollar from it.

[00:04:36] Erika: Like, I didn’t know how to monetize it. I made all the mistakes. I spent so much time thinking about what I wanted this food blog to look like. I was stuck in the fear of failure. stuck in perfectionism, literally stuck in everything that I help my clients overcome now. And I think that’s why I’m such a good coach to help people take action because I was stuck without taking action for so long.

[00:04:58] Erika: I was in my own way so, [00:05:00] so long. So I started showing up on, for this food blog and then I was like, you know what? I think I want to become a yoga instructor. So I got my yoga certification and like, so here I am like thinking, okay, the food maybe isn’t my exit, but maybe yoga is. And the pandemic hits and I was already creating content on TikTok and people totally laughed at me because I was creating content on TikTok because at the time people didn’t even know who would like what TikTok was.

[00:05:25] Erika: And because I was, I think I had like one mini viral video that went off and I was like, okay, this is like my platform. I’m definitely early here. I should keep creating content. And I tried to create. food blog content. I try to keep or create yoga content and that did not pick up. But what people loved was like my self-development and self-help stuff.

[00:05:48] Erika: And this is all when, the pandemic was, this is probably like March, like February, March timeframe. And then we were all sent home. And then when we were sent home, it’s like, I couldn’t ignore that little voice that I mentioned [00:06:00] earlier about like, there must be more. And even though I didn’t know like how to find more.

[00:06:05] Erika: The fact that I was stuck inside, I think made me really go inward and not just me, right? So many people and I ended up joining. I was already looking to meditate pretty consistently. I even started a series called Mindful Mondays on Instagram, where I would either go live or post a video and talk all about mindfulness.

[00:06:23] Erika: And I always, I think from the moment I learned about mindfulness, I knew that my purpose was to elevate the community’s consciousness. It was all about help people live authentically, help people come back to themselves, help our consciousness expand and grow. And I always knew that was it, but every time I would tell people it didn’t make sense to them.

[00:06:42] Erika: And I was like, it just makes sense to me and I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but I think that’s what I’m meant to do. So. Now we’re in the thick of the pandemic and again, I’m still taking these meditation classes and I end up coming across a post for a group coaching program and I did not know like [00:07:00] what group coaching was.

[00:07:01] Erika: I didn’t even know what coaching was, but I had held a few free workshops because people liked my content. And again, I still didn’t know what I was doing. I still hadn’t made a dollar. Then everybody was losing their mind during the pandemic. So I decided to host a free workshop all about, how to stay motivated, especially during the pandemic when we were all stuck inside.

[00:07:20] Erika: And then the other one was like how to believe in yourself or something like that. And then I held another one on Tik TOK because I started to grow on Tik TOK. But in every single one of these workshops, people began to ask me, do you do one on one coaching? And I was like, what the hell is one on one coaching?

[00:07:34] Erika: So I had to go and Google coaching. And then suddenly this like, this ad popped up on Instagram talking about like a Latino group coaching program. And I was like, okay, I have no idea what this is, but like, I feel very called to this. So I ended up having a call with the person who was, that was putting together the program.

[00:07:53] Erika: which was Harry and I have a call with Harry and then he like does the whole call with me and is like, he’s like, how [00:08:00] much money like would you like to make? And I gave him like a crazy low number. I was like, I’d be happy with like 20, 000 or like 50, 000 or something like that. And he’s like, yeah, you’re for sure going to make like more than a hundred or something like that.

[00:08:11] Erika: And I was like, this guy’s crazy. I don’t really even know like what coaching is. I don’t even know exactly how he’s going to help me. But I. felt like I needed to work with him. And then he told me the price of the program and the investment was like almost 6, 000. And I was like, I’ve never invested this much money in something because besides education and like even yoga teacher training wasn’t that much, but I knew that I didn’t want to be where I was anymore.

[00:08:36] Erika: I knew that something had to change and I had already been trying to do things on my own. For like two or three years at that point. It took me so long to even start the food blog that I finally was like, okay, you know what? If nothing changes, then nothing changes. And I know that if I pay close to 6, 000, I’m not going to let myself down.

[00:08:54] Erika: I’m not going to just like sign up for this and not show up. I’m going to show up. Sign up and show up [00:09:00] and give it my all. So I ended up joining the program and I made the mistake of telling my mom about the program. And she was like, I think you’re crazy. That’s a lot of money. Why are you going to pay that?

[00:09:10] Erika: The person I was seeing at the time, I also told him how much it was. And he’s like, that sounds like a scam. And I really just like had to listen to my intuition. And I ended up joining. And when I joined, it was the second week and we go through something called mindset. And like, I’ve had heard of mindset before, but we went through this exercise that literally made me challenge my whole life.

[00:09:31] Erika: Like I realized how much I was in my own way from starting. And I think this happened like the second week of the program. And in that session, I was like, I need to do this for Latinas. Because if this was, if this, if my own mindset was what was holding me back, not just in starting my side project, not just in starting coaching, but also in my career, like I wouldn’t even, I was playing so small, like people would look at me and think, Oh, Erica’s in tech, blah, blah, blah.

[00:09:58] Erika: Yeah, I was in tech [00:10:00] feeling like a complete fraud, feeling like I didn’t belong there. not fulfilled whatsoever, like trying to find fulfillment here and there, trying to get involved with things. But I was not a confident person when I worked in tech and I thought, even if I had these tools, like when I started my career, my life would be so different.

[00:10:17] Erika: And in that moment I was like, I’m going to do this for Latinas and I’m going to do this in my own way. So the thing I ended up working on in that group coaching program was creating the program Courage Driven Latina. And I think that. I truly think that Courage Driven Latina was something that came to me through channel.

[00:10:37] Erika: Like, I think it was channeled. I don’t think it was my own brain that really came up with it because of this phase of my life that I was in where yes, I was still working in tech, but I was working from home because it was in the middle of a pandemic and I was meditating every single day and I was taking meditation classes and really spending time alone and spending time journaling.

[00:10:57] Erika: It gave me so much [00:11:00] creative connection that I think that is how Courage Driven Latina came about. And at the time, it was called Purpose Driven Latina. And the reason I called it Purpose Driven Latina is because something that’s purpose-driven means that it’s not necessarily profit-driven, but it’s meant like it has a bigger purpose to it.

[00:11:18] Erika: And I knew that if I was not fulfilled by making a six-figure salary in tech because what I really wanted was to give back to my community. I knew that like my community also wanted that. So it made sense to call it Purpose Driven Latina. And then everybody was looking for clarity. Like what do I do next?

[00:11:34] Erika: And I literally friends had take, like I’d read all the books on purpose. I had done all the exercises on purpose. I had done all the free workshops. I was searching for my purpose for years. So I actually had a lot of resources and tools and lessons learned and things like that. So that is how the name came about of Purpose Driven Latina.

[00:11:55] Erika: And I included, I will never forget the day that I came up with the [00:12:00] quote unquote curriculum for it. Because what I did is I was like, okay, Erica, you are a different person than you were a year ago. What helped you get here? And I reflected on everything that helped me get to where I was. every book that helped me, every Ted talk that helped me, every conversation that helped me, every epiphany, every realization that helped me.

[00:12:21] Erika: And I wrote it all down and that’s what became my curriculum. So the first round of Purpose Driven Latina, now Courage Driven Latina, it was a 12-week program. And every week I would just teach something that like was life-changing for me and then would open it up for coaching. And I just think it’s so crazy that this first group of The program, I had nothing to show for friends.

[00:12:44] Erika: All I had was an idea and a vision, and I cannot believe that I sold that program out and it was, I mean, I still am in touch with most people who were in that first round and those people are still in touch and some of the biggest bonds were created then because. It was [00:13:00] during a time when we were all stuck at home and we were craving connection more than ever.

[00:13:04] Erika: And then here’s this program that comes about that connects Latinas from New York, from Miami, from Texas, from California, from like all of these different places, from Chicago. We had people all over the country that were connected every Tuesday evening on our purpose-driven Latina calls. And. I’m making it sound like, oh, it just kind of happened, but let me tell you, there was so much doubt as I went through this, I was like, how am I going to, I mean, I had no systems in place, literally the first person who told me yes to joining the program, I was like, how do I charge her?

[00:13:37] Erika: I don’t have a, like, I had nothing. I was literally, So over myself, overthinking things that for this one, I was like, we’re going to remove anything that’s a block and I’m just going to create this program. So again, earlier I was saying that I really think that it was channeled and I think it’s no accident that it came to me during a time when I was really just focused on doing the inner work and healing myself [00:14:00] and meditating and really heavily connected.

[00:14:02] Erika: And I truly believe that this program is magical and every single person that has joined. Has told me that this program is life-changing and as much as I want it to be like, oh, yeah, I’m a great coach I’m, very aware that It’s not about me. It’s about the community that’s created and it’s about the magic that happens when all of these amazing women come together.

[00:14:23] Erika: Because if I felt like I know that I’m meant for more, and if I also felt like I feel driven and maybe I shouldn’t be this driven, And I know that I want to have more of an impact in this world. If I felt this way, I know that other people felt that way as well. Like I was like, I can’t be the only Latina who feels this way.

[00:14:44] Erika: And actually I forgot this part of the story, but in 2019, it was the first time I ever went to, we all grow, which is a Latina conference. It’s like the biggest Latina conference. And I didn’t find out about the conference until it was already sold out. So [00:15:00] what I ended up doing is, one of my friends told me, Hey, they’re looking for volunteers.

[00:15:04] Erika: So then I was like, Oh my gosh, I should be a volunteer. So I ended up, I know that this story is a little all over the place, but this is an important factor. So I’m going back in time. We’re going back to 2019. So I could tell you what happened there. but my friends sent me like this thing, the email that they were looking for volunteers.

[00:15:19] Erika: And I was like, this might be my way in. So I applied to be a volunteer and they selected me to be a volunteer. And that’s how I ended up getting into We All Grow in 2019. And I remember I had never seen so many Latinas. I think I was so disconnected from my Latinidad because I lived in Silicon Valley.

[00:15:34] Erika: And I was the only Latina in my company. Well, I was one of two. I was one of two Latinas in my company and one of the very few women that were there. And I just didn’t see myself represented. And I was living in this area where most people were engineers and doing really well. And it just felt so out of, I just felt so disconnected from my own community and going to We All Grow.

[00:15:56] Erika: That’s when I had the first realization of whatever I end up doing in my [00:16:00] life, it’s going to serve this community. And I had that clarity there. And then, fast forward, the pandemic happened, I took the meditation classes, I joined the group coaching program, and then I ended up creating Purpose Driven Latina.

[00:16:11] Erika: So, I had the first few rounds, and every round, it was so hard to say bye, right? Like, we would all just sit there and cry on the last call. call because the bonds that were created were on another level. It was like just to see that other people are going through the same things you’re going through.

[00:16:28] Erika: Even if there’s a 10-year age gap, even if somebody lives in a different state, even if somebody’s family dynamics was a little bit different. It’s so crazy how. We were all diverse, but at the core, we were all human and we were all Latinas and we were all people who were struggling with so many things.

[00:16:44] Erika: And I think that it was not just healing for them, but it was healing for me, too. It was extremely healing. And then after a few rounds, I was already trying to trademark. Purpose Driven Latina and that’s when I got the cease [00:17:00] and desist letter from the author of Purpose Driven Life because apparently his team has Purpose Driven trademarked.

[00:17:07] Erika: I have a whole podcast episode on this about how I ended up, changing, having to change the name because of the trademark. And it was such a difficult process because this was like my baby, this was something that I had created. And then I had to go and completely change the name and like, I don’t even know why I’m crying right now, but I think it was just like, it felt as if this white man who claims to be, very that who’s religious, right?

[00:17:36] Erika: His books are religious, but claims to be so connected to God could like take this away from me. And I totally. I had a difficult time letting go and I had a difficult time shifting and redirecting because I loved the name Purpose Driven Latina. Like, it really encompassed what we did, like it helped people find their purpose and it helped them feel purposeful [00:18:00] in their life and it helped them create and do things that felt purposeful.

[00:18:03] Erika: And then I had to change it and it took about a month for me to really get on board with it. and then I just, I had already come up with like the word courage and I was like, I think I realized while I was helping people find their purpose. It was one thing to find their purpose, but it was another thing to like take the courage and have the courage to then go after it.

[00:18:26] 

[00:18:27] [00:19:00] 

[00:19:39] Erika: So I already knew that there was the word courage that I wanted to focus on. But it was still really hard to let go of the name Purpose Driven Latina. And it took about a month and I don’t know what happened exactly. I’m sure I talk about it in that podcast episode. I should find which podcast episode it is.

[00:19:57] Erika: And have my team put it down below in the show notes because I don’t want to pause right [00:20:00] now because I’m doing an Instagram live at the same time and I don’t want to have to go look for that other podcast episode. But I talk about why I changed the name for the program But I think within that month, I suddenly had this realization of, you know what? This program isn’t the program because of the name. This program is the program. Because of me, because of my energy, because of my client’s energy, because of the curriculum, because of everything that I’ve created here. And I already knew, again, that finding your purpose was one thing, but the biggest struggle was actually…

[00:20:37] Erika: Go having the courage to then go after it. That is what was difficult. And because I had already come up with the term courage project, I was like, you know what, I’m just going to change the name to courage-driven Latina. And the moment I made that decision, it was just like, I could breathe. And then I, it was almost like I gained my power back because I was like.

[00:20:58] Erika: Forget this Rick Warren [00:21:00] dude, right? Like have your purpose-driven name. Cause like, that’s not the name that makes my brand. I’m the person who makes my brand, my audience is the person is, are the people who make my brand. So I ended up changing the name to Courage Driven Latina.

[00:21:13] Erika: And now I feel like even if somebody, even if Rick Warren came back to me, the guy who was like, sent me the cease and desist letter or his team did, he probably has no idea. I wouldn’t keep. Purpose-driven Latina. I would keep Courage-Driven Latina. I wouldn’t take back the old name. I would keep the new name So just to tell you a little bit of the shifts and changes and the program itself changed every single time This is right now.

[00:21:36] Erika: We’re enrolling. We are in the eighth enrollment meaning I’ve had eight groups of incredible women over 150 incredible Latinas who have been a part of this program and every single round I’ve tried something new. We’ve tried having a life coaching call, a business coaching call. We tried having, 90-minute calls, 60-minute calls, two calls a week.

[00:21:59] Erika: We have [00:22:00] tried doing so many different things in the program and so I wanted to share how it started, how it evolved, and then the good and the bad. So like, I think overall the good is the crazy amount of fulfillment, that has come from this program, because it’s crazy to think that it turns three, like my business turns three, this program turns three.

[00:22:21] Erika: It’s crazy how the program was created and initially started to help people find their purpose, but in the end, like, it gave me purpose. So as much as this program has been healing for, like, everybody who’s been in it, it’s been extremely healing for myself. Like, I cannot imagine my life without this business, without this program, without having met these clients, with, if I didn’t start this, I wouldn’t have some of my best friends.

[00:22:51] Erika: I wouldn’t have the community that I have now. And I’m just feeling extreme gratitude. So I think some of the big lessons learned is that. [00:23:00] Entrepreneurship and anything that, requires courage like this. It’s difficult and you can’t do everything. So it’s important to identify what you’re good at and ask for help with the things that you’re not good at, or the things that you don’t enjoy doing.

[00:23:13] Erika:  I think the other thing is that the only constant is change, like you’re going to have to constantly let go and let yourself evolve and let things change because even like I had to let the program name go, there’s so many things that I’ve had to change so many things I’ve had to evolve and change is uncomfortable.

[00:23:31] Erika: It really is. But in business and in life. Change is the only constant, and the more we try to hold on, the more we suffer. Just like when I tried to hold on to the name of Purpose Driven Latina, and I was all feeling like, like a victim, like how could they do this to me? And then once I accepted the change, it actually became super empowering, right?

[00:23:52] Erika: Like, then a Courage Project came about, and now we have a template for the Courage Projects, and now we have, a list of different [00:24:00] ideas for courage projects. Now we have ways of measuring how successful your courage project is. There’s just, and then like now concepts like the four Ms have evolved. My pizza analogy, if you listen to the episode about my pizza analogy or like episode 50, which is about the four Ms, this, has evolved so much because I’ve allowed and welcomed change and change is hard.

[00:24:23] Erika: It is very hard, but I think that’s one of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned. And overall, this program has had just some amazing results. I was reflecting on it before I started recording. Here are some of the results that have come out of this program. I’ve seen people go from doubting themselves.

[00:24:40] Erika: To being featured on the news, having somebody come to their home and doing a story on them for the news. I’ve seen people go from feeling unworthy of love to being engaged and knowing that they are worthy of love. I’ve seen people go from not wanting to charge, [00:25:00] like wanting to do everything for free because they were afraid of charging because they didn’t feel worthy of charging for their services, to raising their rates three times.

[00:25:09] Erika: And to speak on some of the biggest stages. I’ve seen people who were afraid to speak and ask for coaching launch life-changing podcasts. I’ve seen people turn a layoff into a business. I’ve seen people turn a layoff into a passion project. I’ve seen people. Take breakups and turn them into self-love and help other people love themselves I’ve seen people go from taking care of their family as the eldest daughter to taking their first solo international trip I’ve seen people believing that go from believing that life was Out to get them as if they were, like the victims of life to seeing them become the owners of their own life and take control.

[00:25:58] Erika: I mean, I could [00:26:00] literally go on and on. I could tell you 150 stories because each one is unique and beautiful in its own, but the results have been out of this world. And I just, I think that sometimes as this business owner, I’m so busy with running the business and running a team that when I sit down and actually like, look at these results, I’m like, holy moly, like, this is.

[00:26:25] Erika: I don’t know what other way to describe it and again, if you were to ask me exactly how this program came into fruition, I don’t even know. Like this was a channeled program. That’s like the best way that I can describe it. I totally knew I was gonna cry during this. But I think sometimes we’re so focused on like where we want to go that we forget to recognize…

[00:26:46] Erika: how far we’ve come, right? And like everything we’ve already done. So that is the Courage Driven Latina story. That is the story of my business and this business that has changed [00:27:00] so many lives. including mine, because let me tell you, friends, I could have lived in my comfort zone for a lot longer.

[00:27:07] Erika: I was living in my comfort zone for years. And when I finally had the courage to go after this and create this program, 150 women. have been impacted. Not to include, all the amazing people who’ve already signed up. So as I told you all, change is the only constant. I’ve just figured if this program has gotten people this type of life-changing results in three months, imagine what would happen if we extended this program to be a year.

[00:27:36] Erika: Oh, and that’s why we made it a year. So now courage driven Latina is An entire year of a program and I’m just so excited to see what comes out of this because not only are people going to be able to work on version one of their courage project, but they’re going to be able to work on version 2, 3, [00:28:00] 4, they’re going to be able to pivot from a courage project.

[00:28:02] Erika: If wasn’t one isn’t working. And, you can change your life in 90 days, imagine what happens in a year. In a year. So, I hope you’ve enjoyed this little journey of how this program even came about. And let me tell you that each step of the way, and every time I open the doors, I’m like, Okay, wait, was it just a fluke?

[00:28:23] Erika: Or does this program actually get people results? And I’m telling you that here after having seven sold-out rounds of this program and now we’re on the eighth, right? So just to remind you that we are all human. We are all human and you are not immune to feeling shame, to feeling doubt, to feeling all of those different things.

[00:28:47] Erika: And I have a list of a bunch of frequently asked questions that I do want to go over for this program, but I think before I even get into those, I just want you to know that if you have that [00:29:00] calling that I had three years ago, that there must be more. Even if you don’t know what that is, I want you to listen to that voice because that voice isn’t going to go away.

[00:29:09] Erika: Like, you can keep ignoring it and keep ignoring it and you’ve probably already ignored it, but if it’s still coming knocking at the door with like, hey, listen to me, please listen to it. About half of the people who join Courage Driven Latina don’t even know what they want to do. Remember, this program used to be called Purpose Driven Latina.

[00:29:26] Erika: It’s still meant to help you find what you want to do and then take the action to doing it. So, if this is resonating with you, if this podcast has resonated with you, if you’ve been wanting to do something, again, even if you don’t know exactly what it is, Whether that is literally just build courage, build your confidence or start a podcast or launch a business or just work on some passion project or work on your healing, whatever it is that you feel called to do if you’re feeling too scared and you want to stay in your comfort zone.

[00:29:58] Erika: Join Courage [00:30:00] Driven Latina. I created this program for you. I created this program to help you find that fulfillment to get out of your comfort zone and do it in a way where you’re completely supported by a group of women who get exactly what you’re doing and where you want to go and who are going to cheer you on every step of the way.

[00:30:20] Erika: So, if this is resonating with you, join Courage Driven Latina the day that this airs is the last day to join. And if you’re listening to this on a late, at a later date, then we invite you to join the wait list down below. But if you’re not listening to this on a later date, and if you’re still in time to enroll, I want to tell you why you should join this round because it’s so easy to say, you know what, I’m going to wait.

[00:30:48] Erika: I’ll join the next round. And I can’t tell you how many times people have told me this. Okay. But this is the power of joining this round of Courage-Driven Latina. This is the eighth round. And [00:31:00] many of my clients that have joined this round in the last round has have said something along the lines of, I wanted to join last round, but I was scared and talked myself out of it.

[00:31:09] Erika: And I’m still in the exact same place. I don’t want to wait another six months. So here’s the thing. I know it’s extremely scary to invest in yourself. It literally requires courage to join Courage Driven Latina. I am aware, but it’s also scary to stay where you are, right? It’s scary to invest in yourself, but it’s also scary to stay where you are.

[00:31:30] Erika: If you keep doing what you do, what you’re doing right now. You’re going to be in the same place a year from now. Trust me, and I know this from personal experience. Because the thing is, you’re never going to feel ready to tackle your goals, but the sooner that you do it, the sooner your life is going to change.

[00:31:47] Erika: And then once you start taking action, you’re going to be like, why didn’t I do this sooner? Your life can look totally different in just 90 days. Now imagine 365 days, which is how long you have access to the program. [00:32:00] Imagine being surrounded by a community of badass women, who are also taking brave action on their dreams, even if they’re scared.

[00:32:08] Erika: By the next round, by the next enrollment of Courage Driven Latina, you’ll already be on phase 2 of your Courage Project. Magic really does happen inside of this program. Not only do you gain the courage, but you also gain the confidence. To live a life that you couldn’t even dream of, like I couldn’t even dream of what my life was going to be like, and you really begin to believe in your worthiness and in yourself and you know that you can have your own back.

[00:32:34] Erika: It really does become a life-changing experience that stays with you for the rest of your life. So like this, the return on investment is not just like, let me go start something. The return on investment is the way that you see yourself. 100% of the women that have gone through the program have said that their opinion of themselves has improved since joining the program.

[00:32:55] Erika: Your opinion of yourself matters more than anything because that is what’s going to determine are you going to [00:33:00] negotiate that salary? Are you going to walk away from that relationship when there’s red flags? Are you going to lead with courage? Are you going to put yourself in places that are going to expand you?

[00:33:10] Erika: All of this matters. The way that you see yourself matters. So let me answer some of these frequently asked questions. Okay. The first question is when do you meet? Such a basic question. So we meet, Tuesdays at five o’clock Pacific time until six 30. So it’s a 90-minute call. Every single call is recorded.

[00:33:35] Erika: So if you can’t make the call in real-time, don’t worry because we have a private podcast. This is different. then the podcast you’re listening to right now in this private podcast, only people who are inside of the program will have access and all of the replays will be there. So you can listen to the workshops, you can listen to the call recordings, and you can listen to them on the go because we’ll have them on a podcast for you.

[00:33:56] Erika: We do this so you could go on a walk, you could work [00:34:00] out, you could be in the car, and you could listen to them. A lot of the women have actually told me that they went back and listened to the coaching calls, even if they were there just to pick up anything that they may have missed. Because the first time you hear something, it could go in one ear and out the other.

[00:34:14] Erika: So that is a great way of utilizing the podcast. So I’ve even had somebody in the last round who literally could not make any call and she still got results from the program because she would listen to the recordings on her way to work. So she couldn’t, she wasn’t available at the time for our live calls, but she’d get coaching through something called Slack, which is our instant messaging tool that we use.

[00:34:34] Erika: And I provide coaching through there as well. And through listening to the podcast. I was like, how incredible is that? Okay, so some of the other frequently asked questions are, What if I don’t speak Spanish? Okay, this program is completely in English. We might say a word in Spanish here or there. but it’s not required that you speak Spanish.

[00:34:53] Erika: The other one is what if I’m second or third generation? this program is still for you because it’s [00:35:00] literally just about the experience of coming from an underserved community. what if I’m only half Latina or a quarter? You are totally welcome. We’ve had somebody who was like a quarter Latina and like third generation of that quarter and Half Filipino and then another quarter of Italian and she killed it in the program.

[00:35:19] Erika: Absolutely killed it What if I didn’t go to college? I don’t this is like actually a surprise not surprising But this question actually comes up a lot and it surprises me that it comes up a lot You do not have to have gone to college to be in this program at all. No, like what I actually find is a lot of people in the program didn’t like traditional learning, but they actually love learning.

[00:35:42] Erika: And they, just because you didn’t like school doesn’t mean you don’t like becoming a better version of yourself. So the other question is what if I want to go back to school? So like what if I want to go back to get my Masters or my Ph. D. We actually have somebody in the program right now working on her Ph.

[00:35:59] Erika: D. We [00:36:00] have people who’ve gone back to get their Masters some people this actually becomes their courage project going back to school. Or even leaving school, right? Like we’ve had people quit their big, their higher education programs as well. Like that could be a courage project as well. Other questions that have come up is like, what if I don’t know how to show up on social media?

[00:36:19] Erika: Well, if you don’t know how to show up on social media, don’t worry. Cause there’s literally an entire social media workshop inside of the program. the moment that you sign up, you get immediate access to all of the workshops. The other question is, what if I have no interest in showing up on social media?

[00:36:32] Erika: It is not a requirement to show up on social media. You do not have to show up whatsoever. Another question is what if I’m afraid of failure? Well, everybody’s afraid of failure who joins the program, but don’t worry. We have something called the failure challenge inside of the program to help you realize that failure isn’t actually that bad and it helps you actually.

[00:36:52] Erika: Look forward to failure because we’re all collectively working in this challenge, which helps you take action. And if you listen to my podcast, just a [00:37:00] few episodes ago, I talked specifically about the failure challenge. What if I have no business experience? No business experience is necessary. What if I lack confidence?

[00:37:10] Erika: Well, you’re going to build confidence inside of the program. what if I procrastinate? Yeah, most people who come to the program tend to procrastinate. And the reason that we procrastinate, I have a whole episode on procrastination, but It’s mainly because we are avoiding feeling difficult emotions, and the way that we can avoid procrastination is by being very specific about what needs to be done next, and also being in a community of people who are holding you accountable and cheering you on.

[00:37:38] Erika: Nothing works like accountability. Can you imagine if a little documentary crew was following you around with a camera? You best believe you’d make your bed every morning. You best believe you’d work out when you said you were gonna work out. Don’t worry, we’re not following you around like a documentary crew, but you get to tell people what you’re working on and that makes you hold yourself accountable so much more.

[00:37:59] Erika: [00:38:00] What if I don’t know what my courage project is? No worries whatsoever. We have a whole section dedicated to helping you find clarity on your courage project.

[00:38:11] Erika: Okay, I’ve always done what’s expected of me, but I’m ready to create my own path. Will this help me with that? Of course. Yes, it will. I’ve always been the rebel. And I’ve been really scolded or shamed for it. Well, your rubbleness is celebrated here. Let’s see what other questions have come up.

[00:38:29] Erika: What if I tend to start but don’t finish? Okay, again, the accountability that is inside of this program is unmatched. It is insane. So yeah, if you start but don’t finish, Accountability inside of the program is going to help you with that so, so much.

[00:38:45] Erika: But the other thing that’s going to help you with that is a courage project. A courage project ensures that you always know what needs to be done next. And we really make it simple and effective because most people who join this program have full-time jobs or they’re moms and they’re busy and you don’t have all [00:39:00] the time in the world to go dedicate to this program.

[00:39:03] Erika: If you only had two hours a week to dedicate to this program, that is more than enough to have a successful courage. Project and that’s including the times that you’re coming to the calls. That’s including the videos that you’re watching and then the implementation So, I think I’ve answered most of the questions that have come my way.

[00:39:22] Erika: this program is 12 months long and it is the same investment as when it was three months long. I do not know if I’m going to keep it at this rate for the next time because you’re literally getting a program four times longer for the same investment. So I’m testing it out. So if you’ve been considering this program, this is your sign.

[00:39:46] Erika: Nothing changes if nothing changes. I know that it is scary to invest in yourself, but it’s even scarier to stay exactly where you are. Everyone who’s joined this program so far has told me that they’ve been looking at this [00:40:00] program for at least a year. I don’t know how long you’ve been looking at this program for, but if you’ve been considering joining, now is the best time.

[00:40:12] Erika: We’ve maybe heard, yesterday was the best time, but today’s the next best time. Well, we can’t go back in time So today is the last day to schedule a call with me So if you still want to talk to me if you’re like, okay Erika, I think I want to join But let me speak to you just in case Book a call with me if you’re like, nope I think I’m in you could either pay in full or you can choose the monthly payment options.

[00:40:37] Erika: So we have Monthly payments for five months now. So they’re extended. It used to be payments for three months, but you get two more months. So meaning they’re lower payment options. And if you have any questions, schedule that call with me. I cannot wait to work with you inside of Courage Driven Latina. I hope that you enjoyed the story of how this came about.

[00:40:59] Erika: I hope you [00:41:00] enjoyed the lessons learned and. I’m just so honored and humbled that I get to be the person that supports you in this program. Okay. I’m like going to cry again. So I can’t wait to see you inside. Schedule that call, secure your spot, and I’ll see you inside.