The First Gen Madrina
The First Gen Madrina is a podcast for social work students and professionals who are ready to build a career that doesn't cost them their peace. Hosted by Sara Diaz, LCSW, this show blends real talk with practical tools for anyone navigating this field.
Each episode digs into the parts of social work that grad school never prepared you for: burnout that gets treated like a personal failing instead of a systemic issue, the guilt that comes with setting boundaries, advocating for fair pay in a field that expects you to sacrifice for it, and the quiet grief of being "the first" to do any of this. Sara brings her own story as a first-gen Latina and licensed clinical social worker into every conversation, along with guests who understand what it's like to hold space for everyone else while trying to figure out who's holding space for you.
Whether you're still in your MSW program or years into practice, this is your reminder that rest isn't a reward you have to earn, ambition and burnout aren't the same thing, and you don't have to do this alone. Welcome to the familia.
Episodes
137 episodes
E134 Are You Really Burned Out?
Every year, another cohort of social workers leaves the field, and every year, the field calls it burnout like it's a personal failing. In this season premiere of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, Sara asks a different question: are people leaving...
E133 Why Are There Few Male Social Workers? with Michael Avila, LCSW
In this episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, Sara sits down with Michael Avila, a first-gen Latino therapist and founder of BrightMinds Therapy, to talk about what it's really like being one of the only men in the room in a field dominated...
E132 How to Create More Representation in Social Work with Sara
In this episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, we're tackling a topic that doesn't get enough attention in social work and mental health: representation. We break down the lack of male representation in social work, therapy, and other helpin...
Bonus Episode: Surprise Update About The Podcast
For the first time since launching The First Gen Madrina Podcast, I'm pulling back the curtain on a decision that's been months in the making.Growth doesn't always mean starting over. Sometimes it means getting clearer about the...
E131 How to Redefine Success On Your Own Terms with Melissa Gallardo
What does success look like when the version you were taught no longer feels aligned?In this episode, Sara sits down with Melissa Gallardo, founder and CEO of Valorosa Candles, a culturally inspired home fragrance brand rooted in Latin t...
E130 How to Redefine Success with Sara
As first gens, many of us grew up with a very specific definition of success: get the stable job, make good money, buy the house, choose the career that others respect. But what happens when the life everyone imagined for you doesn’t align with...
E129 How to Reclaim Your Story and Turn It Into Leadership and Impact with Chris Ward Jr.
In this episode, we explore what it truly means to reclaim your story and how your lived experience can become one of your greatest leadership assets. Our guest, Chris Ward Jr., Strategic Advisor and Leadership Storytelling Strategist, breaks d...
E128 How to Reclaim Your Story and Step Into Your Power
Welcome back to a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, and this month, we’re diving deep into Reclaiming Your Story as a First Gen.In this powerful kickoff episode, we explore what it truly means to reconnec...
E127 How to Turn Money Conflict Into Clarity with Dr. Jen Fry
What if conflict isn’t the problem? It is just a skill that we were never taught, especially when it comes to money.In this powerful episode, we sit down with Dr. Jen Fry a conflict literacy expert, TEDx speaker, and founder of JenFryTal...
E126 How to Break the Silence Around Money and Conflict
Welcome to the first episode of a brand-new season where we’re diving deep into Conflict and Money.When we think about money, we usually focus on numbers: how much we make, spend, or owe. What often goes unspoken is how conflict...
E125 How to Avoid the "Good" Social Worker Trap with Stephanie Sorady, LCSW
What happens when being “good” social worker becomes your identity? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Stephanie Sorady, LCSW, a Latina trauma therapist, speaker, and founder of Luz Trauma Therapy. Together we unpack the hid...
E124 How to Combat the "Good" Social Worker Mentality with Sara
What does it really mean to be a “good” social worker… and who decided that definition in the first place?In this episode, we’re unpacking the unspoken pressure many social workers carry like the expectation to always say yes, s...
E123 How to Handle Money Shame with Carlos Martin
In this episode, Sara sits down with Carlos Martin to unpack money shame as a first-gen. Carlos shares his journey of immigrating to the U.S. at 11, navigating language barriers, scarcity, and the lack of financial guidance growing up.
E122 What is Money Shame? with Sara
In this deeply personal episode of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, Sara opens up about the complex emotions that come with out-earning your parents and building a life rooted in choice rather than survival. She explores the quiet tensio...
E121 Reclaiming Our Roots: How Human Design Heals with Akary Busto
In this episode, I interview Akary Busto, human design expert and emotional biohacker. We explore what it means to grow up first gen while living life “on the hyphen.” Through a powerful conversation on migration, identity, language loss, and b...
E120 Reclaiming Our Roots: A First-Gen Journey Home with Sara
We’re kicking off a brand-new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast with this month’s theme: Reclaiming Our Roots as First Gens.In this conversation, Sara shares her personal journey of identity, healing, and what it me...
E119 Anxiety, ADHD & the First-Gen Latina Experience with Dr. Janice Castro
In this episode, Sara is joined by bilingual and bicultural Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Janice Castro who is an expert in ADHD. Throughout our conversation, we unpack how anxiety, ADHD, and first-generation Latina culture interse...
E118 The Diagnosis That Set Me Free: Living and Leading with ADHD with Sara
In this episode, Sara shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with ADHD later in life and why she hadn’t spoken about it much until now. As a social worker and entrepreneur, she reflects on the signs she missed, how undiagnosed ADHD fuel...
E117 How to Go From Scarcity to Growth with Money with Debbie O'Hara
In this powerful episode, Sara sits down with money mindset and business coach Debbie O’Hara to explore how she transformed her money story after growing up in survival mode and surviving financial and intimate partner violence. As a first-gene...
E116 What No One Told Me About Money as a Social Worker
In this vulnerable episode, Sara shares her personal money story. From her family’s immigration journey to the U.S to growing up in survival mode, Sara shares how this all shaped her perception of money. She opens up about how ADHD, anxiety, an...
E115 Reflections for 2025 and Updates for 2026
It’s the final episode of 2025! Join me as I reflect on a year full of pivots, growth, and healing. In this heartfelt closing episode, I open up about the lessons I’ve learned, the courage it took to realign with my purpose, and an excit...
E114 How Do We Start Breaking Cycles? with Dr. Charleanea Arellano
Dear First Gens,In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Dr. Charleanea Arellano, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Breaking Cycles as a First Gen!Dr. Charleena Arellano...
E113 Breaking Cycles as a Social Worker with Sara Part 1
Welcome to a new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This episode kicks off our theme: Breaking Cycles as First Gens.We’re diving into what it really means to be the first to say “This ends with me.” From th...
E112 How to Use Resiliency as Empowerment with Tiffany Joy
Dear First Gens,In this episode, host Sara welcomes guest, Tiffany Joy, to The First Gen Madrina Podcast! This gives us a brand-new episode for this month's theme, Resiliency as a First Gen!Tiffany Joy Argonza is a first-g...
E111 How to Harness Resiliency as a Social Worker
In this first episode of the new season of The First Gen Madrina Podcast, we’re diving into a theme that has been heavy on my heart yet igniting my spirit: Resiliency as a First Gen.As first-gens, we’re often praised for ...
