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The Ladies Who Lead Podcast is all about women supporting women. We will cover topics like, diversity and inclusion, gender pay gap and respect in the workplace. We want to celebrate with you and hear stories of success and hard lessons learned. Whether you are a lady who leads in the boardroom or a lady who leads in your community, this is the place for you.
All right, I'm so excited to be joined by Dulce here today.
This has been a long time in the making and let me just tell you how sweet it is to have
her on this season of The Ladies Who Lead podcast.
Welcome.
Thank you for having me.
It's a real pleasure and a privilege to be here.
Absolutely, I feel the same.
So I always kick off the episode or the podcast with how are you surviving and thriving
this week?
Kind of a high and a low.
So I will kick us off first while you're thinking through yours.
How am I surviving this week?
Well, I think I'm just drowning in my to-do list, if I'm being honest.
I'm in this weird transition phase right now, but there just feels like there's so much to
do.
I don't know how to explain it.
And it's like, keep shaving things off my to-do list.
I love a good to-do list with like a Sharpie or a highlighter.
It gives me a real thrill.
I realize it makes me a crazy person probably, but I just feel like it's piling up.
So on the real note here, very much surviving in this season and then thriving.
I just celebrated my seventh anniversary of marriage.
It's hard for me to even believe at this point.
So I've been married for seven years this past week and it's just been a really fun.
challenging, great, all the adjectives you could express, you know, rolled into one for
the past seven years of marriage and 10 years of knowing my husband.
So very much thriving in that season.
What about yourself?
So my surviving is going on this big project.
We'll probably talk about it later on, but just our expansion and how difficult it is as
first gen trying to run a business while you're trying to do this.
I was just drowned.
Like you said, drowning is like the perfect word to use.
drowning in those to-do lists, you have a million things to do.
And then finally, just realizing I can't do this all by myself and asking for the help
from those that are also involved in this project that have more experience and more
knowledge about it.
And it's not, it just made me like realize like how little I ask for help sometimes.
Like I'm great at delegating at work, but then when it comes to outside things, I feel
like I...
I'm expected to know everything and I need to know everything when in reality I don't and
I can make those the stupid questions or dumb questions and get the right answers from the
right people.
And so that has really helped me be at ease and it really helped me like survive not just
this week but hopefully the next the next step of this whole process.
So that again that to do list I keep a little sticky note on my computer and I just go on
and
just when a couple of things I get marked off, change that sticky note out so I'm there
with you.
And then, so thriving would be, I will be celebrating my 32nd birthday this Friday.
So I'm really excited about that.
I've been reflecting a lot on life, where I'm at, where I've been, and so it's really
great.
Like you said, all the adjectives.
All the adjectives, all the feels.
So, okay, I can totally relate, obviously, to the drowning of tasks.
I feel like you probably have way more on your list than I do, but I can only imagine.
And then for the thriving piece, mean, woohoo, that's a huge milestone.
How does it feel?
Like, do you feel 32?
But you know what, my back this week has definitely been reminding me that in my knee that
I'm 32.
I'm like, wow, this is really being in your 30s.
You get tired all the time.
But no, I mean, it's great.
I can't believe I am in my 30s and in doing this and just I still feel like a baby.
Sometimes I'm like, I don't know what I'm doing in life.
And it just makes me have so much more respect for.
all those around me that are older and are my mentors and have been there and done that.
So it's a really cool place to be.
Right.
Yeah, I can, I feel 30.
I don't know how to explain it, but you know, also feel 16 at the same time.
So I'm not really sure how that works.
Sure, I just know I'm always gonna be young at heart and, you know, love, love all the
things.
Yeah, exactly.
So Dulce, tell us a little bit more about yourself and what led you to become the CEO of
your multi-generational family business, Mi Pueblo.
So I have been involved with the company pretty much from, I didn't have a choice, but to
be involved since day one.
I remember I was 14 at the time when they decided, I think I was 14.
God, I don't even remember how old I was.
And going in there in the store and we didn't know not even like where to start.
And so the first thing we did was,
pick up a mop and a broom and we just got to make this place look nice.
And then stocking shelves and then learning how to do the register and pretty much like
learning a lot of the functions of the business.
I then later realized different aptitude tests and everything in school.
I was always like in leadership positions.
And so I discovered like a sense of and passion for leading a group and
Not just really leading, I'm more of like a group project person.
So definitely like working as a team is like my mindset.
Like you can't do the task by yourself.
Like you have a team and you need to accomplish it, which, you know, it's really funny
because I have not been operating my own agenda and my own schedule that way, you know,
from drowning and things.
But.
Yeah, so I've always kind of known I wanted to go into some kind of managerial leadership
role.
And so I went into business school just for that, so I could one day come into one of the
multiple family businesses and, you know, pick up some of that responsibility and be a
part of and really call it ours.
So I think that's where that came from.
Especially when someone tells you you can't do something.
In my case, this was an older gentleman that told me, you know, that place was not for me.
I kind of like lit a fire under me and I was like, you know what?
I can do this.
And especially having like my parents support and my dad being, you know, I told him what
was said to me and he was like, you can do whatever you want.
And at the end of the day, these businesses are for y'all.
And he meant like me and my siblings.
So.
That has really driven me.
So take us back to that story.
So you were in the grocery store and an employee said something.
Go back to that for me.
Yeah, so I was, I remember I was in high school.
Don't know exactly how old I was.
I think I was like 16 at the time.
And I had taken one of those aptitude tests that was like you like flying colors.
You're going to do great.
Like go into business, be a manager, leading teams, all of that, like check boxes.
I was so excited and I went to the manager at the time who was a man.
And he did great.
He was
get his job, you know, props to him.
And I came up to him and was so excited to tell him that what I had received on the
aptitude test and was like, you know what, like that really gives me hope that one day I
could run this business and or, you know, help in some way.
And he looked at me and he was like, you know what, I don't think you should be focused on
that because this isn't really a place for a woman.
And that really, I didn't know what to respond.
And I was just like,
I looked at him and I said, okay, I don't agree with that.
And then I walked away.
And then at dinner, was telling, I was like, you know, so I spoke with this person today
and this is what they told me.
And my dad's like, don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do.
You can do whatever you want.
You're smart, you're intelligent, you have the resources.
And one day these businesses are for you guys.
Like they are for...
you and your siblings.
do what you want with it." And that really lit a fire under me and I was like, know what?
You're right.
I can't do this.
I shouldn't be limited because of my gender or because of anything.
Wow, well good for you for also standing up for yourself in the moment because I'm one of
those people where I process and then I go off and I'm like, I should have said this.
But I felt like you politely disagreed with them and then walked away and then look where
you are now.
Who had the last laugh?
And you know, in that moment I did afterwards, I'm an over thinker and I analyze things a
million times.
So I definitely was like, I should have said this and that.
But I do feel like it was now looking back, I'm like, no, like it was fine.
I didn't need to get into a discussion with a man.
He was like in his 40s.
There was no way.
Right.
My favorite personal mantra, which I realize is not for everyone, is hold my beer and
watch this.
So for better or for worse, I feel like there's something really satisfying when you can
be like, all right, I'm going to prove you a little bit wrong here and it's going to be
great.
completely, completely.
So how close are you to your family?
I think I read somewhere that y'all have like weekly dinners.
Kind of describe that scene because it is a family business and I imagine that the get
togethers and the events that you hold are really special.
yeah, we try to have at least like weekly check-ins where we'll either go to lunch or have
dinner or something.
As our schedules start filling up, it is kind of hard to do, but we're like daily in the
group chat, like hope everyone stays going okay.
And we're really a tight knit family.
So it's my parents, I have two brothers and then a sister.
I'm the oldest.
So it's like girl, boy, girl, boy.
So the youngest is a boy.
He's 21 and we're really really close actually I'm actually in the offices where they are
today.
And so we're good after this we're gonna go have lunch together Yesterday I had like
mother-daughter lunch with my sister and my mom So that was really that was really a
really nice moment just to have so we try to Keep things professional and talk about work,
but then we also are very engaged in each other's day-to-day lives
So it's very, it's a very cool dynamic and it's, I know it's not easy for everyone.
I've talked to several different family owned businesses and parents and they're like, I
always get asked the same questions and it's how do I get my child to come into my
business and help me, you know, keep this alive?
And I don't ever know how to respond to that because we weren't ever, yes, my parents
always
let us know like these things are for you and they're there if you want them to be like
these businesses but at the end of the day they just wanted us to and want us to be happy
in our careers and in our lives and we don't feel that pressure like you have to run this
business because this is the only thing we want you to do and they've really let us find
our passion in what we want to do.
I was very fortunate in that we also own a Hispanic radio station here in Birmingham.
And while I was in college, I started working with my mom here, which is in the studios
where I am today.
And I learned so much from them.
I was on the sales team, so I would go and make sales calls.
I would help her with
kind of like her personal assistant slash sales rep.
So it was, I learned a lot, learned how to network, learned how to make those professional
connections that I now use today.
And thinking about it now, it was a really cool experience and it really brought us
together kind of like past that whole mother daughter relationship where it's just like,
check in and like, how are you doing?
But it was really like, I really learned so much of like who my mom was as a person, not
just as a mother.
And so it just took our relationship to another level.
And I've realized and I've noticed as my siblings have come out of high school and then
come and work also like within the family businesses, we see that transition from our,
like our family dynamic into like a personal one.
And so we can joke around and make jokes with our parents.
And we have a very light relationship where we can be friends.
We really are friends and care about each other.
But then we also respect each other in that we know at the end of the day, yes, you're our
parent and everything, but they also see us as equals.
And that's very important in our dynamic.
Absolutely.
And I think being able to see any parent really kind of put on the work hat as well as
like being able to manage the parent hat and all the other hats.
I do feel like it gives you a newfound respect.
I mean, I grew up in a kid's clothing and toy store that my mom owned.
And so I was wrapping gifts and putting stuff in bags even before I can remember.
And I do think it gives you a whole new appreciation for the person, not just like
the figure in your life, if that makes sense.
And so that's a sweet dynamic that y'all have.
Right.
I'm very fortunate because I know not everyone has that experience and you you witnessed
it and you saw it and so you probably have that similar connection or relationship as well
where I have some friends who don't have that, know, and it's just and sometimes they'll
ask me, they're like, well, how do you get to it?
I'm like, I don't know.
It just, I guess it takes both parties, right?
Right, you gotta meet in the middle somewhere.
A relationship doesn't work unless you both do.
Exactly.
So how meaningful is it for you and your family to be first generation college graduates?
you know, it's, it was very, it was, it's still something that I pride myself in that, and
my parents do too, that I am a first generation college graduate.
I am the oldest grandchild on both sides of our family.
So I kind of was like the first one in our family to accomplish that.
And it's been really, it was very satisfying and rewarding.
at the end of it.
And then to this day, you know, like they will brag about it with their friends and with
the family.
it's so great.
But now I feel like I can actually give back and all those struggles that I did have in
college early on, like I can pass it down to,
Hey, you there?
gosh, gotta love technical difficulties.
Let me, I think it was my internet that messed up.
Let me double check that we got the other portion of everything.
It looks like it's still recording.
Okay.
I stopped talking though.
As soon as you were off camera, I was like, I don't know if I need to keep going or not.
know why it keeps doing this.
You there?
Yeah, I'm here.
Okay, sorry about that again.
It looks like it recorded everything.
So we'll just pick up from, I'll just restate the question and we'll go from there.
All right.
How meaningful is it for you and your family to be a first generation college graduate?
It's so it's very meaningful and it's very fulfilling now.
You know, I am the first grandchild on both sides of the family.
So it is.
I was the first like in the family to do it and and in the moment it was a lot.
I didn't have, know, that the someone with that experience within my close family network.
to go to for advice.
But now, I can just see whenever my parents get told, where they get to say, yeah, she
finished school.
And to say that I went to Samford and graduated, it just, it lights up their faces.
They sometimes get emotional.
I know when we spoke briefly about it, I got emotional.
And it happened.
I think it really clicked and they were proud.
But what made them take that pride to another level, I want to say, is that in Mexico, the
equivalent of an undergraduate degree, those people have a title and they're called
licenciado or licenciada.
And I guess it translates to, I don't know what it would translate to actually, I'm not
even going to lie to you.
The first time they realized it, we were in Mexico visiting some family friends and they
were getting to know, they had known this couple and they were getting to know us as in
the children and they asked about us and what we were doing and the typical questions
like, did they go to school?
Where did they go to school?
And when they told them about me and that I had graduated and I had my undergrad, they're
like, so she's a licenciada.
And that, like my parents, it like changed them completely.
know, like it was like this found joy that and pride that they already had.
It was, it just like expanded it, you know, because
In Mexico, it's that is like not everyone has the same opportunities to go to college and
get those, that education, especially like my parents didn't have that opportunity.
So knowing that I did and I accomplished that is like, you know, added star on their end
and they're just so proud and you know, they encourage everyone to pursue their dreams and
keep working to accomplish their.
dreams and goals.
And now I'm in a position where I can be that mentor or that sounding board for the
different family members that I do have that are now going through that process.
And not even just family members, just anyone that I encounter that's going through the
same process because there's a lot of us that are first generation and trying to figure
this whole world out and that our parents didn't have those same opportunities and have no
idea.
and then they're in a whole different country with a whole different system.
So it's a very interesting place to be in.
Absolutely.
And I'd love to go back, if you don't mind, and we'll edit maybe part of this as I'm
explaining it.
I'd love for you to tell me the story again, as if you haven't already told it to me.
And kind of take, I guess, take the listener on the journey of when you landed in Mexico
and how the person pulled you aside and was really, I think, kind of telling it for more
of putting us on the scene with you, I think, might really resonate.
If you don't mind retelling that.
no.
So my parents and I traveled to Mexico to visit a family friend that is now a really close
family friend of ours.
Then they were just getting to know each other and, you know, starting off their
friendship.
And as as they get to know each other and then start meeting the different family members,
they were going to meet me.
And so they we were just there.
And he was like, so where did you go to college?
What did you do?
What did you study?
And I told him, I went to Samford.
It's a university in Birmingham.
And I got my bachelor's degree.
And he goes, my God, so you're a licenciada.
And at first, I didn't think anything of it.
And I was like, yeah, I guess so.
And I immediately turned and looked at my parents.
And they were both like speechless.
they got teary-eyed and were, my God.
Yeah, so that pride that they felt in that moment, I guess looking back and going through
that, it still makes me emotional because I know it's kind of like a culmination in the
reason why they made life decisions that they made into...
moving our family a million different times and then landing in Birmingham and seeing all
the opportunities that we were given here and and and they allowing me to to have an
amazing opportunity here and why I appreciate everything that that we have because it's
it's really like a culmination or or still not even a it's
It's a piece of all the hard work that they've done, not just in the past five or 10
years, but throughout their whole lives.
So it really, does mean really the world that I get to say, I am a first generation
college graduate and not just that, but I am also a first generation Mexican American.
And so it's just, it's a lot of firsts.
So it's really special.
Absolutely, a proud mom and dad for sure.
I can only imagine how significant that was in everything that you've shared.
I'd love to dive a little bit more into your college experience and kind of wanted to talk
about growing up in Alabama and what that felt like.
Yeah, so growing up, was the only, when I got into kindergarten, or in kindergarten, I
started at Alabaster City School.
So I went to Thompson Elementary School.
It's what it was called at the time.
And my mom tells me the story of how they signed me up for kindergarten.
And it was literally, they had,
These, this was in the nineties.
So he didn't have the internet.
so they had like these big books of like translator books.
but then dictionary because you know, words are different.
And I mean, if Google translate doesn't do it perfectly, imagine like going through a big.
Like encyclopedia of translation.
was insane.
I don't even know how they did it.
because none of the forms were in Spanish.
They were all in English and she.
Couldn't show, couldn't read or write in English.
And so it was a lot of that.
I can't imagine being in her position at, she was 24, 25 at that moment.
So like being a 25 year old with three kids, having one starting kindergarten, you know,
and trying to navigate that in a whole new country is insane and crazy.
So.
I went into school and I didn't know how to speak not one word of English.
Our household was strictly a Spanish household and there was no other child in my class
that I could communicate with, much less an adult or administrator or teacher that I could
communicate with in Spanish.
So it was a lot of sign language, which I don't remember lots of it.
You know, it was very early on.
and lots of just trust and trying to navigate that communication.
I recently, at the beginning of this year, reconnected with that kindergarten teacher that
I had just to express that gratitude.
And she mentioned it, and I remembered once she mentioned it because I didn't remember
this, but we did have these little devices.
They were like,
she said they're like as big as like your phone.
I remember like I felt like it was huge, you my little hands.
But she would type in like a word in English and it would speak it in Spanish.
It would translate it.
And so that's how we would communicate sometimes.
And so it was just learning the school system, learning a whole new language, plus
learning like I knew the colors and the numbers.
And all this stuff, my mom had done a great job with prepping me for kindergarten.
It was just all done in Spanish.
So it's having to learn how to translate that at a very young age.
So first grade was easier.
I knew English enough to where I could communicate.
Second grade was, you know, I was a pro at English at that point.
I'd get in the good grades, reading all the books, doing so great.
Then we moved and we started seeing a lot more Hispanic children come in, primarily
Mexican kids come into the school system.
But then we moved to a different area where it's kind of like start over.
There were not that many Hispanic students.
And I think the ESL program in the, I don't know if it was the county or the state, I'm
not familiar with.
the timeframe, but it had just commenced.
So I think I was only in that program for like two years and then tested out because I had
already technically gone through learning the English from kindergarten to second grade.
So by the time I was in fourth grade, I didn't need the program anymore.
But the fact that that program didn't grow within the school system,
until that, you I can't imagine how many other kids had a similar story to mine and didn't
have that ESL program.
But so then we moved to Calera and, you know, at that point I was thriving GRC classes,
which was the gifted program.
Then go into middle school, high school was so involved, a part of everything you could
imagine, all of the clubs.
And then I get to college where I thought, it's going to be the same thing.
I'm to be so involved, you know, just the, the picturesque college experience that you see
in TV shows and movies and everything.
then I get to college and Sanford is a, predominantly white Institute.
you know, just because it is a private Christian school.
And I didn't really think anything of it when we toured it, when we looked at it.
I was like, it's going to be easy.
I'm used to it.
not going to, the culture shock isn't going to hit, right?
I didn't even, I don't even think I knew the term culture shock.
So then I went into Sanford and first day, imposter syndrome times a million.
I was a commuter.
So I didn't really get that bonding experience with anyone.
I didn't have a roommate.
I didn't, you know, anything.
So then I realized I was an introvert when I just retrieved into my shell.
I didn't know anyone.
No one really knew me.
Didn't really speak to anyone.
I would go to class and then go home, you know, because I was a commuter.
And so it was very, very hard and it was...
not just culture shock, but also just I didn't feel like I belonged or like I was a part
of the school.
And I felt like I didn't need to.
felt like I was just going there.
It was a transactional thing.
I was just going for an education.
I was gonna show up, go to class, do my work, and then go home.
But then I got the, I think it was my first assignment, and I got a D, and I was like,
this is...
You know, coming being an AB student, you know, maybe a C here and there, but like,
primarily, like never in my life had I gotten a D, much less an F, you know.
So I get that and I'm like, I, you know, all of the words came into my mind of I'm a
failure, I'm this, I'm that, I'm not supposed to be here, I'm not prepared.
And so that really like demotivated me and I dropped a lot of classes.
became like a part-time student.
And I did go into this whole, I guess, like depressive era until there was a man of the
name Dr.
Carlos Alamon who reached out to me and really harassed me into participating.
I joke about it with him now, but he was a, he's a Latino.
but he was back then a Latino professor at Sanford.
And he taught Latin American studies, history, all of those things.
And he emailed me and emailed, I guess, all of the students, the Hispanic students there.
It was his first year teaching there.
He had come from California, from San Francisco.
So you can imagine like he, you know, the diversity there versus here is completely
different.
and he had this wild idea about starting a Latino student organization.
And when I first saw the email, I really thought it was spam and I didn't pay attention to
it.
And then he emailed again a couple of days later and was like, hey, I really just want to
meet with you.
You know, I'm trying to get this group of Latino students together so you guys can have
this place of.
fraternity and you know, just dialogue and help each other out through this whole college
experience.
And I wrote it off.
I was like, no, I'm just here for, you know, for to get an education.
And that's it.
Like, my parents want me to get an education.
I want to get it.
And that's all I want.
And we'll see you later.
Bye.
And by then I had met my best friend, Nairdra, who was my only friend at the time and
Having that friend really changed my college experience because we would hold each other
accountable.
Even though we weren't a part of the same program, we still had to take core classes.
And so we would, you know, hold each other accountable with those different assignments.
We'd have like study sessions together where we were studying completely different things.
She was sitting there writing essays and all these things with her English degree.
in that English department.
And then I was in the business school, like doing accounting homework next to her.
So it was very different, but it was just that having the friend there with you, that
really helped.
And so I told her about it she was like, I told her about this professor.
And she was like, well, I mean, do you want to?
And I was like, I don't know.
And then he reaches out a third time.
It's like, let me just buy you coffee.
Did you know there was...
I think it was like 80 something or a hundred and something Latino students here on
campus.
And when I saw that number, it really like resonated with me I was like, my God, first of
all, like where are they?
Because I do not see them.
Second of all, like how do you get this information?
And then he said, I really asked him, I said, how did you know this number?
And he said,
He said, I really just Googled it in the database in our Sanford database and all they all
popped up.
And I was like, huh, why didn't I think about doing that before?
So I met him for coffee and the rest was history is history.
he really got my wheels turning of like, yeah, let's get this organization together.
Let's, let, let's, let's join forces and let's get all these students.
And I think.
I met with like five or six other students with him and kind of being like his support
system in that.
the, like he's not joking.
There are more Latino students here.
And so we got this group together and started that organization.
And that really changed my experience there.
It really helped motivate me.
It really helped like build that community.
And I really did feel like I belonged.
there and why I'm so grateful and thankful and I'm still starting to be more involved with
the school and as an alum and trying to help the students that came after me to still have
that safe space and have that sense of community and you know just so they're seen and and
they will love their college experience.
I'm glad that you found, you know, your group and I mean, mentorship is everything and the
fact that he didn't give up on you throughout all the ghosting that was happening.
he still hasn't given up on me.
He now is the CEO of HECA, which is the Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama here,
which is a nonprofit organization that helps the Hispanic community and immigrants of all
kinds navigate different kinds of issues.
mean, the programs that they have are just phenomenal.
And slowly but surely he has pulled me in and
I helped start, I was one of the starting members of their junior board and now I'm on the
big board and he's still helping me with networking and being that great mentor for me.
That's incredible.
So how beneficial is it for the local community to have a market where they can find and
source ingredients needed to prepare Hispanic dishes?
The amount of times I meet someone and they find out my affiliation to the supermarket,
the first thing they say is, the first place I went to after moving here was Mi Pueblo and
I felt like I was at home.
Or like, I didn't know about you guys, but as soon as I went in there, it really filled a
need that I didn't know I had.
And that's exactly what...
my dad wanted everyone to feel when they walked in the store.
That's why it's called Mi Pueblo, which translates to my town.
Because that's what you want is to have a place where you feel like it's your own, right?
Like it's your home.
And so, you know, one of the first things that we do and even in life and learn how to do
is eat, right?
And so,
You get accustomed to your food and your, you know, we even relay food to emotions where
we have comfort foods.
You know, we have food for celebration and we have food for everything because it's the
essence of survival.
And it's really important to have quality ingredients to make the dishes that you're, that
you're accustomed to and that you eat, you know, and sometimes we can't find that in your.
big chain grocery store and you have to go to these mom and pop shops to find them.
But our primary goal is to have this market that's up and running and it's quality is
driven, cleanliness, just pricing is fair.
And we want it to be a very nice space, not just for our community, as in the Hispanic
community, but also our surrounding community that we serve.
So we do want, you know, to invite people of all ethnicities, all backgrounds to come in
and try our market, because I'm pretty sure you can find something that you like that is
quality, fairly priced, and very sustainable.
So it's...
It's just, it really fuels what I want to do and what I want to accomplish in our business
is just making people happy.
And what makes people happy is having the products that they like.
Yes, and I think a lot of times I think of home cooking and food is kind of comforting
too, especially, I don't know, I just think about so many core memories that are tied to,
for me, fried okra, which I know sounds ridiculous, but I love fried okra.
And that's like epitome of summertime with my grandparents and that was my favorite thing
for my birthday.
So I'm curious for you, like what are some of your favorite dishes that, you know, spark
that kind of emotion?
So definitely.
Like chilaquiles is one of my favorite breakfast dishes.
I could eat that for breakfast every single day.
And it's just a typical Mexican breakfast dish.
And it's really like fried tortillas, like basically chips.
then drenched in the salsa, whatever salsa you want, green, red, whatever.
And you put chicken and cheese or
eggs or whatever you want toppings on it and it is just delicious and amazing.
My mom also makes this amazing pozole and menudo which are some of my favorite dishes that
she makes.
mean menudo is a really like core food staple for me in that it was you know my parents
came to Birmingham with literally nothing in their pockets.
and manueloi is a very traditional weekend dish and it is a beef tripe soup.
So basically it's like the cow stomach lining.
It sounds not that appetizing, but it is one of the only, I'm a very textured person and
that is one of the only foods with like a different texture that I will eat and I will
enjoy.
And I think it's because I grew up eating it.
And the reason I grew up eating it was because in that time when we moved here, one of the
primary things, my dad was a construction worker.
My mom was stay at a home because, know, she had to take care of three kids.
But then on the weekends, like during the weekdays, she would cook food for the different
construction workers that didn't have wives here.
And so she would cook food and send it to them for their lunch or dinner or breakfast.
So she would cook all week, like three meals a day for these men.
And then on the weekends, they would make this huge pot of menudo.
And everyone knew our household was a menudo household.
we would make deliveries of the menudo to different places.
And we would be selling it out of
the car, you know, this was back, like I said, back in the late 90s.
So rules were very different back then.
And it was, it was like, Mom, I'm hungry.
And she's like, we'll eat some noodle.
And so that's what I grew up eating.
And so now on the weekends, when they're like, that sometimes we won't get together for
family dinner that week.
But they know they'll text and be like,
menudo this weekend at the house.
And so we know we show up on Sunday morning and we have our menudo and it's delicious and
it's amazing.
Another one is tamales.
I love tamales, especially the green chicken tamales.
Those are my favorite.
And I guess also I grew up eating them where, you know, my parents hustled and so they
would make tamales, like hundreds of tamales and we would help make them and help.
with the masa and the fillings and all of it.
it's really like home food and it's like, it is comfort food at the end of the day.
yeah, I'm ready for my invite.
Just let me know, give me a few hours and I'll be there.
Of course.
I love that.
does Mi Pueblo sponsor any specific events or any expansions in the horizon?
Yeah, so we were very much involved in the community because we believe that we we serve
the community that we're in and we don't want to serve them just by providing somewhere
where they can come shop and leave their money, but we want to give back.
And so we're involved in a lot of different nonprofit organizations where sponsor a lot of
different school school events and different school systems with the PTO or
whatever sports team that they have, whether it's the baseball team, football team, soccer
team, the cheerleaders will sponsor them all.
But also the Hispanic population here in Birmingham has grown a lot.
And I guess it works hand in hand also with the radio station that we have where they will
promote on the radio station.
But then they also know they can come to the store and get some kind of help that way.
whether it's tabling and informing the community of whatever the event might be or
organization it might be.
So one of our biggest events that we sponsor and that we're a part of is called Fiesta.
And that is a nonprofit organization that our main goal, and I say our because I'm on the
board, I've now been on the board for five years.
So time flies.
But it's a festival that's been going on for 22 years.
We just had our 22nd Fiesta.
And what we do is we fundraise and we put on this one day event.
And it's one to celebrate our culture and to spread information about culture, but also
spread information about our different sponsors and resources that the community does have
available to them.
And it's this massive event.
where we have anywhere from like 8,000 to 10,000 attendees.
And it's just a fun event, food, dancing, all of it.
But then the heart that we, well, I think Fiesta has like the heart and the lungs of it.
And I would say the heart of Fiesta is, or maybe even two hearts.
I don't even know how you would describe it.
But so the heart of Fiesta, the day of is our cultural village where you have 21 different
countries that are represented that you can learn about their culture and their
background, where they are located on a map because I'm geographically, you know, I can't.
And so that helps also.
Yeah, I can't, I can't find it on the map.
You asked me, I'm like, I don't know.
I memorized it for a test and then it, you know, went away.
But you learn so much that day.
But then also we have our scholarship recipients where we give away scholarships to the
Hispanic students that are looking to pursue a higher education.
And this year we gave away twenty five thousand dollars and they were five five thousand
dollar scholarships.
I think that brings up our total to over one hundred and forty thousand dollars given away
in scholarships over the last twenty two years.
So it's pretty.
organization, love to be a part of it and sponsor it and it's one of the highlights of my
year.
Absolutely.
So describe the importance of being deeply rooted and leaving a legacy.
I can reword it if I need to, like that doesn't sound right.
What does it mean to be deeply rooted and leaving a legacy?
So I think the deeply rooted part is key and essential to me as a person.
And it's something that my mom has been working on with us for our whole lives.
Just because it's so easy to come in and go through the assimilation process, which is
called.
And it's when you adapt to your surrounding and you're in the new culture.
And then you...
Essentially what happens is you forget the other part of you, which is where you come from
and your roots, essentially.
And so my mom very early on always engraved in us, you are Mexican, we're Mexican, and you
have to love your culture and love your heritage.
And this is why, and would always talk wonders about Mexico and be like, our food.
our culture, our music, our colors, and, and she was very passionate about us not
forgetting, like, what our roots were and where we came from.
But she was also very supporting in anything that we wanted to do within, within the
anything that we wanted sports, clubs, dance, whatever it was very supportive and was
always just
helping us build that community.
And then getting to work in this space with them, it really shows their passion for making
this community, which is a Birmingham community, better.
And they're always looking for how can we help?
How can we help the community?
And really deeply rooted in our culture here and keeping that alive while
progressing still.
So it's very, it's a very interesting question and dynamic in that it's really like the
essential of like who I am as a person, but also like what helps ground me and helps me
see where I want to go and what I want to do because of those deep roots that I do have,
not just here in the South.
Actually I had a,
A cousin asked me, they live in Texas, and she was like, so do you guys see yourselves
living here in Birmingham your whole life?
I was like, I love this community.
I love this community.
I love all aspects of it because I can be the Southern girl that I need to be, but then
I'm also very much inclined to my Mexican side.
So it's a very interesting place that I'm in, and I'm really appreciative, and I love it.
That's awesome.
So how do you define success?
This is one of my favorite questions because everyone has a different answer and none of
it's wrong.
So go for it.
I'm sorry.
I didn't hear you.
wait, can't hear you all of a sudden.
Are you talking?
Yes.
Hmm.
You like paused for a minute.
Dude, I hear you now.
wait.
lagging.
Am I fine?
No.
sorry, I think my headphone somehow got disconnected.
Someone was trying to...
I swear I put it on do not disturb and someone called me.
That's what it was.
Gotta love technical difficulties.
You're just rolling with it.
I'm so sorry.
Okay, let me start over.
and not live.
Story of my life, I have so much respect for those who can do it live.
That is a special skill set.
I don't have it.
It really, it really is.
It's very interesting.
all these kids get asked, like, what do want to be when you grow up?
And they're all like, I want to be a podcaster.
wouldn't be a TikToker or YouTuber, but they don't see like all the work that goes behind
it.
Like my sister brought it up to me a couple of years ago and she's like, these people are
like marketing geniuses.
Like you're right.
So respect.
Yeah.
I'm just failing forward.
I've figured out what not to do.
That's how it goes.
the progress though.
Right.
Well, favorite question.
I always ask everyone who comes on the podcast this question because I think it's unique
and everyone has a different answer.
How do you define success?
I think I define success in...
Lord, how do I word this?
And my family's happiness.
And what that might mean is I know you can't make everyone happy.
I literally have a little plaque in my office that says, you're not a taco, you can't make
everyone happy.
But I know if I was doing something wrong or not,
to my values and my morals, I do have that support system that will check me and be like,
this is not who you are, this is not, and they're not pressuring me into succeeding or
quote unquote.
But it's just making them proud in anything that I do, which they show up time and time
again.
And it doesn't need to necessarily be like an award, which those are amazing.
I've received some and I don't sometimes I don't even know why or how.
But that support and the pride that they have by attending a festival that I'm a part of,
you know, that to me is like successful right there is having that family support.
And I know that even in those moments where you might feel the lowest of the low, like
having them there.
it just makes you feel supported and like you're not alone and you already then feel like
you can conquer the world and do anything and be successful in those situations.
So it really, it really just means like feeling that love of my family and the ones around
me and having that support system.
So I don't think it really means something in particular because it could also be
someone within my team that I've made happy by like, you're making this change.
And they're like, my God, you made my life so much easier.
It's like, okay, that was a success.
We just went through this whole implementation process with changing our POS system and it
was hard and grueling.
But now the amount of times the cashiers will be like, my God, it's so much better.
I'm like, yes, okay, we did something right.
That's like success, check.
So yeah, it's just that, like having that confirmation that what you're doing is the right
thing to do.
Yeah, I love that.
I want to kind of go back a little bit into I know I'm kind of backtracking a little bit.
So sorry, Nick, you're going to have to edit and move some things around.
But I would love to know, you know, what was kind of the biggest learning curve for you?
I mean, you've obviously grown up in the business, so you've seen it from an early age,
stepping into it as the CEO.
What was kind of the major like aha moment for you?
Like, OK, this is real.
I'm leading this thing and
here are some things that I might need to like figure out, navigate, what were those for
you.
Yeah.
So the biggest learning curve has definitely been streamlining our business.
we were very much so operating for 14 years as a mom and pop shop where like different
management at different, different stores and no processes, no, you know, documentation of
things.
so
you start asking these questions and like, how do we get this?
Well, to get this information, need to have, you need to do X, Y, and Z.
It's like, okay, well, how you do that?
Well, someone knows how to do that, but then he like, it's just a whole new world.
And so that's really what my job has entailed the last four years is helping build those
processes, procedures.
having core values which our company didn't have, a mission statement and helping and
trying to create and cultivate that culture where, okay, now you have a mission statement,
well, what does that mean?
Not just to the company, but to you as a collaborator.
And now having to have meetings and...
you know, department heads and you know, it's a whole restructuring of everything.
It's a whole streamlining of things, which I think I would have gone crazy had I had to do
this by myself.
I don't think I would be where I am today if I didn't have the support of an amazing
mentor that I did have over three years who he ate, breathed and lived this retail world.
and he had so much experience in the world.
And he really guided me and gave me my place and reassured me and gave me the confidence
to take on this role and be able to do these things.
So I'm sure, you know, he passed away last year and I don't have him physically with me,
but I still to this day,
anything that's going on right or wrong, I hear him in the back of my mind, like how I'm
supposed to do this, ask the right questions or, you know, so it's, it's really all about
that mentorship and it's really, it goes back to that, you know, of asking for the help
and knowing where to go to.
But yeah, I think that was the biggest learning curve was how do you know you have to do
these things, but how do you do it?
Well, you have to be very open.
have to be very compassionate and, and know that there's things that are going to be
shifted and people are going to have to leave, you know, in order for change to happen and
not being afraid of change and helping to lead a team that is scared of change because
change is scary, whatever that might be.
And having them trust in you and believe you that things are going to be okay.
I think.
Now, if I could walk in today and be like, all right, we're changing this.
There's more buy-in now than there was four years ago because they've seen the execution
of the changes and they realized that the changes made were to help and not to harm.
And I'm very fortunate to have that now.
But getting that buy-in was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do and like start
cultivating that culture.
but it's very rewarding to see it now, you know, making progress.
Still lots to do and still a whole way to go, but yeah.
Yeah, feel like that's a yeah, anytime you're trying to influence and build trust and get
people to see your side of things, it's always a little bit of a dance.
So I'm impressed that you got there because that's not an easy feat, especially when
people have been doing things the same way for years.
I mean, that's that's a testament to your hard work and your ability to get people on
board because I imagine that was pretty difficult.
Yeah, it was very difficult.
think our rotation then at the beginning was crazy because we didn't have that buy-in from
the people.
you know, that mentor was very upfront and he said, you're going to lose some team members
that are great at what they do, but they're not going to buy into the changes and they're
not going to be comfortable with them.
And that's okay.
Then this is, this is where the cycle ends there.
And so, and that it's, it's hard.
you know, when it happens, but then you realize those changes had to happen for a reason.
And so, we're in a great spot now and, I'm really happy with the team.
I'm really happy with where the company is and where I see us going with the changes that
we're still making and the different things that we're implementing.
Absolutely, and he sounds like an incredible mentor and I'm sorry for your loss.
I know that that was probably a difficult time, but what an influence and positive role
model he must have been.
Most definitely.
Awesome.
Well, Dulce, I think we're good.
I think we're going to have to play a little bit Tetris because my questioning, so sorry,
Nick, was a little bit all over the place, but that's just because the conversation was so
good.
So there it is.
Well, let me just say this much and I'll close out and we'll pretend like I'm not talking
like I am for the episode.
But thank you again, Dulce, for coming on this.
episode and I just enjoyed hearing from you and learning from you and I this is just the
beginning.
How can our listeners find you?
How can they connect?
So I am on Instagram and I'm on LinkedIn.
My handles are Victoria RVR and Dulce Victoria Rivera on LinkedIn.
So yeah, that's where I can be found.
Well, again, thank you for your time and I just really loved connecting.
Thank you, I really appreciated this and it was such a fun conversation to have with you
and to be able to share my story and hopefully I can help someone navigate this crazy
world.
That's right, that's right.
Well, thank you again.