The First Gen Madrina
The First Gen Madrina Podcast is a podcast for first-generation students, professionals, and cycle-breakers who are navigating life without a blueprint. Hosted by social worker, coach, and The First Gen Madrina Sara, this podcast explores the real conversations we were never taught to have about mental health, money, and navigating systems while building a life that feels aligned and sustainable.
Each episode blends honest storytelling, practical tools, and culturally responsive insights to help you break generational cycles, overcome imposter syndrome, heal burnout, and redefine success on your own terms. Whether we’re unpacking mental wellness, financial empowerment, career growth, or the in-between moments of becoming, you’ll find guidance rooted in compassion, community, and accountability.
The First Gen Madrina
E-114 Breaking Cycles as a First Gen 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 is a psychologist, board-certified coach, transformational self-leadership alchemist, and truth-teller whose work disrupts more than systems—it dismantles the stories that keep people small. With over 30 years of experience bridging psychology, spirituality, and self-empowerment, she helps people break free from the stories that keep them small and remember the power already alive within them. She reminds us that transformation begins the moment we stop shrinking from ourselves and step into the brilliance we’ve carried all along.
A powerful speaker, author, and cultural disruptor, Dr. Arellano doesn’t just talk about transformation—she lives it. Her forthcoming book, Terrible Gifts, explores how life’s darkest moments can become portals to power, and her next work dives even deeper into intergenerational healing and spiritual evolution. Whether on stage, on the page, behind the mic, or in session, Dr. Arellano brings presence that is both grounding and electrifying. She’s not here to go along with what has always been; she’s here to upend assumptions and spark new ways of seeing.
Visit thefirstgenmadrina.com for the blog and additional resources. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe to stay connected. Also, follow me on Instagram @thefirstgenmadrina and Sara Diaz, LCSW on LinkedIn.
Supporting Your Journey,
Sara, The First Gen Madrina