In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez speaks with Jean Westrick, CEO of the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG), about leading at the intersection of technology and equity.

Jean shares her journey in philanthropy, her approach to mission-driven leadership, and why community is essential for navigating uncertainty. Together, they explore how leaders can build authentic executive presence while leveraging technology for social impact.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction
03:54 – Guest Introduction
07:51 – Career Journey
12:14 – Community & Leadership
15:04 – Community as Antidote
17:30 – Leadership Advice
18:25 – “Be Cool. Be Sweet. Be Yourself.”
21:07 – Authenticity in Leadership
24:30 – Where to Connect

Key Themes:

• Authentic leadership
• Community-driven leadership
• Technology and equity
• Career growth and purpose
• Executive presence through authenticity

Connect with our guest:
Jean Westrick
President & CEO, Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG)
Leader in philanthropy, technology, and equity-driven innovation

🔗 Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/JeahWestrick
https://tagtech.org
TAG Tech on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/technologyassociationofgrantmakers

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In this episode of Building Leadership Community Podcast, Coach Dora Mendez welcomes Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez, founder and CEO of the International Leadership Charter High School in the Bronx.

Dr. Ruiz Lopez shares the deeply personal experiences that shaped her leadership journey—from growing up in the South Bronx during a time of social unrest to witnessing systemic inequities in education and healthcare. Those early experiences became the driving force behind her lifelong commitment to education and community leadership.

Today, the school she founded sends more than 95% of its students to college, creating pathways for young people who might otherwise be overlooked.

This conversation explores perseverance, leadership, representation, and the responsibility leaders carry to create opportunity for future generations.

Connect with Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez

Get her book “The Fight for Equity in the Bronx” https://amzn.to/4bh7KIM

https://DrElaineRuizLopez.com

00:00 – Podcast introduction
02:20 – Why leadership community matters
04:25 – Introducing Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez
07:52 – Her leadership origin story
09:00 – Growing up Puerto Rican in the South Bronx
11:00 – Witnessing injustice in childhood
13:00 – Educational barriers and inequality
17:00 – Teenage motherhood and leaving high school
18:30 – Returning to education through City College
19:00 – Teaching in the South Bronx
19:40 – Leadership shaped by lived experience

• Leadership rooted in lived experience
• Representation and education equity
• Resilience and perseverance
• Creating pathways to opportunity
• Community-driven leadership

If you missed the International Women’s Day livestream, you can now listen to the full replay of this special episode of the Building Leadership Community Podcast.

In this reflective International Women’s Day conversation, Coach Dora Mendez explores how storytelling, literature, and lived experience shape the way leaders understand equity, representation, and community.

Leadership is often shaped by the ideas we encounter and the voices we choose to amplify. In this episode, Dora highlights a group of international women authors and thought leaders whose writing, research, and personal stories have influenced her leadership philosophy.

From memoir to literary fiction to leadership frameworks, these voices remind us that stories expand empathy—and empathy strengthens leadership.

For professionals seeking to grow their leadership influence, deepen their cultural understanding, and build more equitable workplaces, this episode explores how literature and storytelling can transform the way we lead.

Whether you are watching the replay of the livestream or discovering this episode later, the insights remain just as powerful.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why leadership growth requires understanding history, culture, and lived experience
  • How storytelling shapes empathy and decision-making in leadership
  • Why amplifying women’s voices strengthens organizational culture
  • How literature can expand leadership thinking beyond traditional frameworks
  • Practical ways leaders can elevate underrepresented voices in their workplaces

n this episode, Coach Dora shares:

📚 Books by International Women Authors
✨ Dr. Fulgani Shah – From Gaslighting to Truthlighting
✨ Dr. Elena Ruiz – The Fight for Equity in the Bronx
✨ Zenaida Mendez – Amor y Desamor, de La Diáspora

📖 Literary Fiction That Transforms Worldviews
🌺 The Farming of Bones – Edwidge Danticat
🦋 In the Time of the Butterflies – Julia Alvarez
🌻 Half A Century Ago – Dr. Angela Arias

✍🏽 Latina Leadership & HR Representation
💼 Latinas Rising Up in HR – Executive Edition
🌟 Extraordinary Latinas – Volume 4

Dr. Falguni Shah
Leadership expert and author addressing workplace gaslighting and leadership dynamics.
https://www.fortruthlighting.com
Podcast Episode:https://youtu.be/_c1zsozd3zo?si=0PU36DsBJ9VaR7ug

Dr. Elaine Ruiz Lopez
Education leader and advocate for equity in schools and communities.
https://www.drelaineruizlopez.com

Podcast Episode: coming soon.

Zenaida Mendez
Memoirist and storyteller exploring diaspora identity, heritage, and leadership through lived experience.
https://substack.com/@zenaidam
Podcast Episode: https://youtu.be/G7taR8E7Hug?si=3CKqH5790FwJW8xE

Books and Authors Referenced

Edwidge Danticat
The Farming of Bones https://amzn.to/4b0FDxC

Julia Alvarez
In the Time of the Butterflies https://amzn.to/46JRI7J

Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street https://amzn.to/4umOX6A

Dr. Angela Arias
Half A Century Ago https://amzn.to/40QEl1Z

Watch the episode replay:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/I-SsYq7Ycs4?si=9gGDobxS3hGGRClC

Connect with Coach Dora Mendez:
Website: https://CoachDoraMendez.com

• Leadership shaped by storytelling
• Gender equity as a leadership issue
• Representation and voice in leadership
• Cultural perspective and empathy in leadership
• Building community through shared narratives

If this episode resonates with you, subscribe to the Building Leadership Community Podcast and share this conversation with someone whose leadership journey you admire.

Leadership grows when we elevate the voices that shape our understanding of the world.

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, financial wellness coach Erika Dox-Martinez shares how leaders can transform their relationship with money, build financial confidence, and create long-term wealth aligned with their values.

For many professionals, especially leaders of color, conversations about money are often shaped by silence, shame, or inherited beliefs about scarcity.

Erika Dox-Martinez helps ambitious women rethink those narratives by combining financial strategy with mindset work.

In this conversation with host Dora Mendez, Erika shares how she transformed her own financial life after struggling with debt despite working in financial services. She eventually paid off her debt, built wealth, and launched Blissful Vida, a platform dedicated to helping women rewrite their money stories.

This episode explores how financial wellness supports career advancement, leadership confidence, and long-term professional stability.

• Why your money mindset shapes your financial decisions and leadership confidence
• How early experiences with money influence career growth and financial habits
• The role of community accountability in financial progress
• How leaders can move from financial stress to financial empowerment
• Why rewriting your money story is essential for inclusive leadership development
• Practical strategies for building financial confidence and long-term wealth

Website
https://MyBlissfulVida.com

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-dox-martinez/

Dates With Dinero
https://myblissfulvida.com/dateswithdinero

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/myblissfulvida/

Get Coach Dora Merch
https://www.coachdoramendez.com/merch

Shop the Coach Dora Books (Affiliate Links)
https://amzn.to/3Z0B4fB
https://amzn.to/4qONHqh

00:00 Introduction
01:23 Welcome to Building Leadership Community
03:37 Introducing Erika Dox-Martinez
05:38 Erika’s leadership journey and leaving corporate finance
08:16 Why community matters in financial empowerment
09:19 The power of accountability and money conversations
11:35 Understanding your money story
15:46 Debt, credit cards, and financial planning
18:17 Investing in education and financial strategy
26:31 Advice for emerging and established leaders
28:13 Challenging the myth that women of color can’t build wealth
30:13 Financial planning and long-term strategy
32:14 Why money mindset and emotional healing matter
34:01 Resources from Erika

Website
https://CoachDoraMendez.com

LinkedIn
https://linkedin.com/in/coachdoram

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/coachdoram

Substack
https://coachdoram.substack.com

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/coachdoramendez

Coach Dora Mendez is a leadership strategist, speaker, and founder of Coach Dora LLC. Her mission is to be a beacon of bold authenticity, igniting conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion through writing, speaking, and leadership development.

Through coaching, consulting, and community dialogue, she works to help leaders build workplaces rooted in courage, compassion, and measurable equity.

If you'd like, I can also show you a podcast-growth optimized version of these show notes (slightly different structure that improves Apple Podcasts search indexing and Spotify discoverability).

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez talks with Yulkendy Valdez — social entrepreneur, consultant, and founder of Phenomenal Talent .

Yulkendy shares how her leadership journey began in the Dominican Republic, teaching neighborhood children to read , and evolved into building ventures that empower underrepresented creators .

Together, they explore:

• The courage to choose purpose over stability
• Mentorship and sponsorship as leadership accelerators
• Healing as a leadership practice
• Why community sustains long-term impact

00:00 – Introduction
03:39 – Founding Forefront & Early Entrepreneurship
07:16 – Backyard School in the Dominican Republic
11:59 – Spelling Bees, Representation & Confidence
18:12 – Choosing Entrepreneurship
21:37 – Wellness & Leadership

Yulkendy Valdez
Founder, Phenomenal Talent
Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree

Connect with Yulkendy:
https://linkedin.com/in/yulkendyvaldez/
https://yulkendyvaldez.com

Check out The Entrepreneur's Podcast Blueprint course: https://www.coachdoramendez.com/offers/nbFVW58k/checkout

Subscribe, share this episode with your leadership circle, and help us build community together

In Season 3, Episode 8 of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez sits down with Arias WebsterBerry, entrepreneur, Certified Scrum Master, and founder of WebsterBerry Marketing and Ignite Funnels.

Arias has generated over $112 million in client revenue and mentored more than 400 professionals. In this conversation, he shares what entrepreneurial leadership truly requires: disciplined risk evaluation, systems thinking, and community as a leadership stabilizer.

This episode explores:
• Why entrepreneurs fail without preparation
• How systems protect time and energy
• The connection between leadership and community
• Why risk must be evaluated through opportunity cost

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
04:24 Leadership Journey
08:13 Global Expansion
11:43 Community in Leadership
21:28 Risk and Preparation
24:15 ROI Mindset

Guest Links:
https://IgniteFunnels.com
https://IgniteFunnels.ke
https://WebsterBerryMarketing.com

In Season 3, Coach Dora explores leadership through the lens of neuroscience with Dr. Christopher Eaddy and Lisa Oborne.

Drawing from psychology, biology, and organizational systems, they examine how emotional reactivity affects logic, how accountability and authenticity intersect, and why the central nervous system may be the first culture of every organization.

• Leadership as embodiment
  • Nervous system regulation
  • Psychological safety
  • Inclusive leadership culture
  • Systems thinking in organizations

00:00 – Leadership as embodiment
01:54 – Introducing Dr. Eaddy & Lisa Oborne
07:02 – The coloring book story and early conditioning
15:08 – The central nervous system as culture
20:17 – Authenticity vs accountability
26:36 – Cues for Leadership explained
30:28 – Emotional regulation and decision-making
33:56 – Advice for emerging leaders
39:44 – How to connect with the guests

Guest Website: https://CuesForLeadership.com

email: info@CuesForLeadership.com

Subscribe, rate, and share to support inclusive leadership conversations.

In this episode of Building Leadership Community, Coach Dora Mendez is joined by educator and national equity leader Dr. Danielle R. Moss Cox for a deep conversation on leadership, mentorship, and community. Dr. Cox reflects on her journey, the power of integrity, and how relationships shape lasting impact.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome
03:20 Leadership origins
09:12 The TED Talk story
15:18 Integrity in leadership
18:10 Community and philanthropy
24:24 Advice for emerging leaders
32:07 Purpose over position

Key Themes
Leadership without titles Mentorship and community Career growth through integrity

Guest Bio
Dr. Danielle R. Moss Cox is an educator, advocate, and national leader in educational equity with over 20 years of experience.

Connect with Dr. Danielle Cox
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdaniellermosscox/
https://oliverscholars.org

Get Coach Dora Merch!
https://www.coachdoramendez.com/merch

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