Latinas In Biz Blog

Given the state of the present economy, professional networking is vital to establish beneficial relationships, business opportunities, and long-lasting connections that will be important to professional and entrepreneurial growth. The Empower Me! Corporation, which debuted the Empowered Latina Network (http://www.empoweredlatina.com) two years ago, has announced a professional networking coaching program designed exclusively for Latinas. Fearless Networking for Latinas (http://www.fearlessnetworkingforlatinas.com) provides full interactive group and individual coaching programs to create fearless networkers ready to take on and succeed in the business world. The program focuses on proven methods to build you into a power brand. The program includes building self-confidence, defining and building your power brand (for your career or business), surrounding yourself with the right people for your inner circle of influence, and much more.  The program is available via live online web conference, teleconference and in person (for local clients) and is offered in several package options.

Empower Me! (http://www.empowerme.org) Founder and Networking Strategist, Adrienne Graham, a woman of African American and Hispanic descent, recognizes that women of Hispanic heritage have a slightly different set of needs than other women. “Networking in particular is crucial to succeeding in business, and Latinas come from a culture where we’re taught not to ask for things; to do it yourself or not at all” says Graham. “Every woman needs a strong network. And if we don’t speak up for what we want and don’t align ourselves with the right people, reaching our goals will be that much harder”. Networking is a truly personal experience and a solid network is a valuable asset that all women should have as part of their professional development arsenal and net worth.

On January 22-23, 2010, the Fearless Networking for Latinas Conference will be held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida at the Buena Vista Palace Resort & Hotel located in beautiful Downtown Disney. Latina entrepreneurs and professionals will benefit from participating in this exciting and informative event of the year. This two day event is jammed packed with powerful information, revealing workshops and strategic networking sessions designed to give you the tools (and connections) you need to build a successful network and circle of influence. The conference will showcase experts on a variety of topics designed to make you an Empowered (Professional) Latina. “2010 will be the year of the Empowered Latina” says Graham. “All old thoughts and hesitations about the way we used to network will be dispelled, and my programs will help usher in a new confidence and fearlessness for Latinas”.

For more information: http://www.empowerme.org, http://www.fearlessnetworkingforlatinas.com or http://www.empoweredlatina.com

Growing up is always hard to do, but it is especially difficult when your name is María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien, you’re the daughter of a black Cuban mother and an Irish and Scottish father from Australia, and you live in an almost all-white Long Island suburb. Just think of the explaining you would have to do on the first day of school.

Partly because O’Brien struggled as a teenager to simultaneously navigate her mother’s Cuban influences and the difficulties of growing up as a first generation Latina in the U.S., she decided to film her third documentary about race relations. CNN Presents: Latino in America follows CNN’s Black in America series in exploring the lives of millions of people who are linked by race and distanced by wealth, region, gender and age.

It seems fitting that someone who is so ethnically diverse should tell this story—after all, O’Brien has won recognition for her achievements from Irish American, Hispanic, and African American publications. And it is clear that reporting and producing the documentary has brought her closer to her own Latina roots, which she concedes she has connected with only distantly through the successes and failures of others or through the prism of a journalistic lens.

O’Brien’s mixed identity shows in her sense of journalistic neutrality when covering Latino issues: She seems equally foreign to and interested in understanding both Latinos and those who fear a “browning of America.” But sometimes a controversial story told by someone who is intent on looking for many nuances—and who works for a major TV network—can lose its punch in favor of political correctness. For instance, O’Brien sidesteps a question about CNN colleague Lou Dobbs, who has enraged immigration reform advocates and Latino leaders across the country with his obsessive blaming of America’s economic ailments on immigrants. She also says she doesn’t know if the coverage of a hate crime is ultimately a “positive story or negative story,” as if reporting on intolerance against Latinos could be a two-sided issue.

After a two-week back-and-forth with the CNN anchor’s publicist, PODER finally tracked O’Brien down on her whirlwind tour to hype her new documentary days before it was scheduled to air on October 21. The phone crackles and O’Brien’s distinctively peppy voice emerges from the other end of the line. As the interview starts—we only have 20 minutes—O’Brien begins speaking freely and in rapid bursts, but pauses often in mid-sentence when trying to find the right word.