Family is everything. I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where hard work, love, and adaptability were just how we lived. My parents, both teachers, come from a small town in the state of Hidalgo (in Mexico) called Calnali, the destination of most of my spring breaks growing up. A place among mountains, where you could breathe “green”, and there was a river crossing where we went to soak our feet everyday, people knowing each other and afternoons just hanging out, sitting on benches, outside our houses, watching the people go by and just saying hello.

My parents married young, had my two older brothers almost immediately, and built a life from scratch. Then, ten years later, came their “gift from God”—me! (Let’s face it, I know I wasn’t exactly planned).

If I had to describe my family in one word, it’s adaptation. Whatever problem was in front of us, either as a family or individually, we figured out a solution. My parents went from living in a one-bedroom space where four people crammed in, to a two-level house in a vibrant neighborhood in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. My parents always found a way to provide for us, and not just the basics—they managed to put all of us through one of the top universities in Mexico. To this day, I’m still amazed at how they did it. I have a four year old, and the thought of getting him through college someday already keeps me up at night!

Our dynamic as a family was all about teamwork and figuring things out together. Sharing a car, coordinating schedules, and ensuring everyone got to work, school, or commitments on time was an everyday puzzle we tackled together. No one ever said, “That’s my car!”—it was always the family car, used by whoever needed it most. Looking back, I can see how this shaped my strong foundations in planning and project management. It taught me how to prioritize, make sense of chaos, keep my calm during chaos, and keep everything moving smoothly, a skill set that still serves me today.

My brothers are 10 and 11 years older than me, so I was the “baby” of the house. I always saw them worked hard—whether it was helping in my parents’ stores, dropping me off, picking me up from my friends houses, long rides listening to their music… actually, a big part of my music taste comes from them (Starman by David Bowie playing in the background), watching them study, going to parties and returning safely, and eventually venturing out on their own.

Spending weekends at my parents’ stores exposed me to the world of marketing before I even knew what it was. Watching my family interact with customers, manage inventory, and handle different products and brands, pricing, promotions, and OMG the cash register, my personal favorite! All of this, planted the seed for what I wanted to study. At first, I thought I’d be in advertising, but the deeper I got into marketing, the more I fell in love with branding, products, consumer behavior, research, communications, and everything else that makes it so amazing, and how it all connected.

Growing up, there were so many moments that cemented just how much my family meant to me. My parents had sports goods stores, and I grew up observing everything about it, how they bought, how they negotiated, how they arranged the stores, sold and manage money and inventory. I grew up as an spectator, my parents and my brothers did most of the work, I just tagged along and went through the long days, and sometimes long nights.

I got my financial wisdom from my mom, she took me to the bank to open my first bank account (it was a kids account), to find out after the first months, that the bank took my little savings to pay for “management fees”… why would you charge a kid a management fee? Still puzzles me to this day. Anyways, my mom was the voice of wisdom when it came to money habits, saving, managing, never spend more than what you earn (when I got my credit card), always pay on time, etc. To this day, I think in all my life, I have paid for late fees about two times in my life (but paid full) and it still hunts me to this day, and not to excuse myself, but one time it was a new credit card and totally forgot I had it and had to pay it, duh… and the latest one, I was already living here in the US and forgot for a couple of days to pay my Mexican credit card. I’ll get over it one day…

I was lucky enough to tag along with my dad a lot… and I mean a lot. He’s always been involved in many types of associations, he’s a people person, whether it’s the store committee, political parties, you name it. I went to so many of his meetings with him and I saw from far away the way he handled himself, talking with such confidence and passion and leading others. I learned from him that leadership comes from true passion for what you do. My mom always says I got my leadership skills from him, and I think so too—but I think he loves the crowds more than me, I still get nervous before addressing a big group.

When my brothers got married, I cried—like, really cried—because I knew our dynamic would change. But it also brought new joys, like becoming an aunt to the most amazing nieces and nephew and getting two sisters-in-law. With such a big age difference, asking my mom for a baby for me to play with, was a year after year Christmas present wish. Becoming an aunt, was life changing for me… I got to know a new kind of love and care for another human being. My brother trusted me enough for me to care for them, we had a lot of sleep overs, I carried around to meetings with my friends and everywhere I could. Fast forward several years later, I got to experience another new kind of love, becoming a mother. Being pregnant during the pandemic was not easy—no baby showers allowed, bummer— having to tell my parents keeping a safe distance and my brothers through a video call was such a special moment, I wanted to hug them so bad, but we were taking care of each other in such in such an uncertain time; that’s something else that comes strong, especially from my mom: discipline. Their excitement was priceless and reminded me how deeply connected we are. There’s a way in our family to show support, we’re always there for each other, but we also give each other independence to grow and figure out things on our own.

Leaving for the U.S. has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. When I told my family we were moving, I saw a mix of pride, happiness, and sadness in their eyes. My dad, who once didn’t let me go to study college abroad, told me, “You’re doing the best for your family. Go, and don’t look back.” And thinking back, that’s the exact thing they did. They moved away from their family with the ambition to create a better life for their new family.

Saying goodbye was gut-wrenching. I still remember watching my father walk away to his car, it was late, one hand in his pocket, head looking down, and me watching him trying to take a mental picture of him… wondering how long it would be before I could hug him again. It’s been over two years, but soon I’ll finally get to visit, and I can’t wait.

This short story was about my first family as a unit—my mom, dad, and brothers—the ones who laid the foundation for everything I am today. But a big part of who I am now comes from my own little family: my husband and my son; and of course, our furry soul Kali, who I will write more about later. They’re the reasons I keep pushing, keep growing, and keep trying to find the best version of myself.

Growing up, I loved to write. It was my way of making sense of everything, a creative outlet that let me reflect and express myself, but I never shared it, kept most of it to myself. Somewhere along the way, life got busy, and writing took a backseat. This blog is my attempt to reconnect with that side of me, to find my voice again and not be afraid to share it with those who want to receive it.

So, here’s to my first family—the one that may be far away in distance but will always close to my heart. I miss you more than words can say, and I think of you every single day. You’re my foundation, my strength, and my constant source of love and inspiration. I love you.