Explore every episode of the podcast The American Dream with Elias Torres
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harold Castro: Ask for Feedback | 22 Jul 2025 | 00:35:58 | |
Elias wraps Season 3 with an honest conversation with Harold Castro, Director of Walmart International Controllership. The two not only discuss Harold's career journey up until this point, but also highlight how they're learning from their own mistakes to pave a better future both for themselves and for others. Jump to:
Make sure to subscribe, so you don't miss Season 4. | |||
| Sabari Raja: Stay Resilient | 08 Jul 2025 | 00:46:07 | |
From attending boarding school when she was 5 to immigrating to the United States alone in her 20s, Sabari Raja knows the power of staying resilient amidst all of life's challenges. In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Sabari shares her career trajectory with Elias — moving from software developer to business development manager to founder and now investor. Listen to hear Sabari's lessons learned along the way and how resiliency has played a role in every stage of her journey. (0:56) Who is Sabari? (8:28) The origins of Sabari’s resiliency (10:53) The dichotomy of generations (14:15) Sabari’s post-secondary education (19:50) Sabari starts at Texas Instruments (21:12) Calculators as the early computers (23:13) The EdTech component of Texas Instruments (28:46) Sabari becomes a founder (41:21) Sabari switches to investing Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when a new episode drops every other Tuesday. | |||
| Eva De La Rosa: Let Your Values Define You | 03 Jun 2025 | 00:42:05 | |
Eva De La Rosa has climbed the corporate ladder. From graduating from Stanford University to receiving her MBA from Duke University to leading marketing efforts at companies like American Express, BP, and BlackRock, Eva has had the self-agency to succeed. In this episode of The American Dream Podcast, Eva shares what values define her agency. She and Elias discuss what a network really means, Latino loyalty, and the desire to work. Jump to:
Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when another episode drops every other Tuesday. | |||
| Mother's Day Re-Release: A Conversation with Elias' Mom | 11 May 2025 | 00:20:56 | |
In honor of Mother's Day, we're re-sharing a very special episode of The American Dream podcast. Listen to Elias reflect on his childhood while standing in the kitchen of the house he bought his mother, Consuelo Rios. Wishing a very happy Mother's Day to all the moms and mother figures out there! | |||
| Arturo Nunez - Stay Out of the Box | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:30:12 | |
Can you be a corporate executive, a club owner, and a mentor at once? Absolutely, and more. In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Elias meets with Arturo Nunez — board member, entrepreneur, speaker, author, investor, club founder, judge of Shark Tank Brazil, and former CMO. They discuss how Arturo broke into corporate America, his passion for marketing, and why Arturo is adamant about paying it forward to the next generation. Jump to: (1:02) Arturo’s origin story (4:29) The significance of Latin & Black music to culture (6:47) Arturo’s college experience (14:20) Be yourself (15:40) Create brand love (18:06) Arturo joins Nubank (21:05) Brazil vs. Latin America (23:07) We need to stop putting people into boxes (26:06) Paying it forward through mentorship | |||
| Ariel Lopez: Enjoy the Journey | 15 Apr 2025 | 00:53:41 | |
Few career trajectories are linear, but sometimes, the zig zag paths teach you the most. Ariel Lopez started college with the goal of going to law school and creating change, but she dropped out and become a recruiter, then an entrepreneur, and is now helping more founders achieve their own dreams. On this episode of The American Dream podcast, Ariel tells Elias what she's learned from all those life milestones and why she believes every failure and victory contributes to one's ultimate success.
Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss a new episode. | |||
| Sergio Claudio: The Power of Standing Out | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:48:58 | |
The tables have turned. Sergio Claudio, Head of School at ONE School, an online portfolio school for Black creatives, joins Elias on the show; but unlike most episodes, Sergio flips the podcast on Elias, asking him things like why it's important to pay attention to community, how to find the right thing to double down on, and the value of saying no.
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| Mariana Cogan: Go Big or Go Home | 18 Mar 2025 | 00:38:41 | |
Go big and build relationships. That's been the secret sauce to Mariana Cogan's (CMO of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence) success. On this episode of The American Dream podcast, Mariana and Elias go back in time to how they first met, discussing how a business meeting turned into a longstanding friendship, and how understanding cultural differences leads to strong leadership. Jump to:
Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss a new episode. | |||
| Lili Gangas: Your Journey is Your Secret Sauce | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:47:24 | |
Today, Latinos comprise just 6% of technical roles across the largest U.S.-based tech companies. Look to executive roles, and the percentage becomes even less. Lili Gangas, Chief Technology Community Officer at Kapor Foundation, is determined to increase both percentages. On this episode of the American Dream podcast, Lili shares how she became interested in technology, why she believes diversity drives innovation, and the key areas in which Kapor Foundation is focused to drive change.
Read Kapor Foundation's Tech Ecosystem report: https://kaporfoundation.org/latine-tech-ecosystem/ | |||
| Viviana Faga: Catch the Next Tech Wave | 04 Feb 2025 | 00:40:49 | |
Viviana Faga is General Partner at Felicis Ventures, but she never saw herself in venture capital. On this episode of The American Dream Podcast, Viviana explains how she has built her career around finding the next tech wave and why she believes working in startups builds a strong foundation for successful venture capitalists. Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss a new episode.
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| Sergio Monsalve: Venture Capital Math 101 | 21 Jan 2025 | 00:42:14 | |
What does it mean to be a venture capitalist? What is a "Fund" and where is the money allocated? What are the metrics for success? Sergio Monsalve, Founding Partner of Roble Ventures, answers these questions and more on this episode of The American Dream. (2:17): Who is Sergio Monsalve? (10:40): What does it mean to be a venture capitalist? (18:36): The math behind a VC fund (26:04): The lifecycle of a VC fund (31:30): The face of the founder is changing (32:48): It’s really hard to build a VC firm (41:00): Sergio’s call-to-action Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss when another episode drops every other Tuesday. | |||
| Liz Agosto: You're Never Really Ready | 07 Jan 2025 | 00:31:27 | |
We're thrilled to be back for Season 3 of The American Dream Podcast! Elias kicks off the season with Liz Agosto, former Chief Operating Officer and Head of Cybersecurity Strategy at BNY. The two chat about how Liz's childhood shaped her into the driven leader she is today, the importance of planning, and being your authentic self. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss when another episode drops every other Tuesday. (1:35) Liz's childhood (6:40) When are you ever really ready to take a chance? (10:32) Success relies on knowing where you're going (11:35) Why do you do what you do? (21:03) Be your authentic self *Note: This episode was recorded while Liz was still working for BNY. | |||
| Maria Medrano: Take Advantage of the Opportunities Presented to You | 13 Jun 2024 | 00:50:30 | |
Maria Medrano knows first-hand the value of opportunity: the opportunity to receive an education, the opportunity to pursue higher education, the opportunity to break out of poverty, and the opportunity to start a company that has investors knocking on the door. In this episode of the American Dream podcast, Maria shares all of those experiences, and explains how they taught her, and now her children, the value of saying “yes.”
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| Deena McKay: The Only Constant in Tech is Change | 23 May 2024 | 00:32:06 | |
From thinking she wanted to be an athletic trainer freshman year of college to graduating with a bachelors (and masters) degree in information systems, Deena McKay, scrum master and host of Black Tech Unplugged podcast, is no stranger to the nonlinear trajectory of tech careers. In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Deena and Elias discuss the role of a scrum master, Elias argues if it’s really worthwhile, and the two agree on the need for adaptability and flexibility when paving your way into tech. Check out Black Tech Unplugged, a podcast focused on telling the stories of Blacks in Tech to assist you with developing your own tech path, on their website anywhere you listen to podcasts.
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| Consuelo Rios: A Conversation with Elias' Mom | 28 Mar 2024 | 00:20:56 | |
This episode is a special one. Elias shares a conversation with his mother, Consuelo Rios. The two stand in the kitchen of the brand new house Elias just bought his mother — his largest purchase since selling Drift. The two discuss their journey to the United States, the early years, and life today. It’s a can’t miss episode.
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| Enna Jimenez: La Jefa | 22 Mar 2024 | 00:33:22 | |
We're continuing Women's History Month with La Jefa herself, Enna Jimenez. Emma immigrated from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts with her family as a young girl, became a first-generation college graduate, and paved her way into Vice President positions in quality assurance. Within the first few minutes of the episode, you'll understand why Emma is La Jefa, but make sure to listen to the end to find out how she fought for her position in corporate America, and learn how you can, too!
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| Freada Kapor Klein: None of Us Are Free Until All of Us Are Free | 07 Mar 2024 | 00:35:31 | |
To kick off Women's History Month, we're highlighting one of Elias Torres' role models: Freada Kapor Klein. Freada has considered herself an activist since high school, and since then, she's founded SMASH — an organization that helps low-income students get into STEM, co-founded Kapor Capital, which invests in early-stage startups focused on closing the equity gap, and even wrote a book all about what it takes for companies to actually close the equity gap. In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Freada and Elias discuss how technology and activism can (and should) co-exist, the problems prohibiting equality today, and debate if we really are making progress closing the equity gap.
Learn more about SMASH Learn more about Kapor Capital | |||
| Hannah Zhou & Rhea Acharya: Harvard WeCode Conference | 08 Feb 2024 | 00:27:16 | |
Today, Harvard University juniors Hannah Zhou and Rhea Acharya join Elias on the show to discuss the upcoming Harvard WeCode Conference happening on February 17 and 18. Register for the conference or learn about sponsorship opportunities here: https://www.harvardwecode.com/
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| Guillermo Diaz Jr.: Look for Your Ships | 25 Jan 2024 | 00:49:25 | |
Growing up in Colorado, Guillermo Diaz Jr. always dreamed of having palm trees in his backyard. Now, after many years of hard work and diligence, he has more palm trees than he knows what to do with, which is why he created Conectado. Conectado aims to leverage technology to bring individuals and institutions together to increase equality from the classroom to the boardroom. In this episode of The American Dream podcast, Guillermo explains how he worked to achieve his palm tree dream, why he believes so strongly in "ships," and why he shifted his focus from Cisco to Conectado.
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| Erik Cardenas: Being You is a Superpower | 11 Jan 2024 | 00:37:06 | |
Do you need to go to college? How do you find the career path right for you? These are the types of questions Elias and his guest, Erik Cardenas, discuss on today's episode. Growing up in Texas, Erik was the first in his family to go to college. He was also the first to get kicked out. Nevertheless, Erik entered the corporate world, got a degree, and then pivoted towards entrepreneurship. This episode covers how to figure out what path is right for you, and why our backgrounds shape so much of who become.
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| Katty Coulson: Do Good, and Do Good | 30 Nov 2023 | 00:27:57 | |
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| The American Dream Podcast is Back!. | 24 Nov 2023 | 00:39:46 | |
Elias Torres is back for another season of the American Dream podcast. This season, you can expect more conversations with underrepresented leaders who have pushed themselves to get to the top, raw truths from those who are no stranger to being the "other" in the room, and advice for how to achieve your own version of the American Dream. We're working our way to a more equitable corporate America, and we hope you'll join us. First, a reintroduction to your host. | |||
| Eneida Roman on the Founding and Future of AmplifyLatinx | 24 Nov 2023 | 00:35:15 | |
Learn more about AmplifyLatinx | |||
| Edrizio De La Cruz on Why Hispanics Don’t Advance in Tech Entrepreneurship | 24 Nov 2023 | 00:25:18 | |
Buy Edrizio’s book, The Underdog Founder, here Listen to Edrizio’s previous American Dream episode here Connect with Elias on LinkedIn Connect with Edrizio on LinkedIn | |||
| Here are the Stepping Stones to Successful Career Progression (with Isabel Gomez Vidal, Chief Revenue Officer of Moody’s Analytics) | 07 Mar 2023 | 00:35:14 | |
| Give Each Other Grace, and Work to Make the Process Unfold (Zamawa Arenas, Flowetik) | 21 Feb 2023 | 00:34:00 | |
| How A Passion for Technology is Bringing an Impact to Healthcare (With Sami Shalabi, Outcomes4Me) | 31 Jan 2023 | 00:58:29 | |
| What It's Really Like to Be a Colored Person in a White Man's Space (With Y Combinator's Edrizio De La Cruz) | 17 Jan 2023 | 00:46:47 | |
| How Do We Give Everyone a Chance to Find a Career in Tech? (With Microsoft's Beatris Gandica) | 03 Jan 2023 | 00:30:09 | |
| How to Champion Diversity in Venture Capital Firms (With Ashley Aydin, VamosVentures) | 20 Dec 2022 | 00:37:42 | |
| Discover Your Passion and Dig for the Grit to Experience It (With Google's Lilian Rincon) | 06 Dec 2022 | 00:32:38 | |
| How Can We Feel at Home No Matter Where We're From or Where We Live? (With Hyde Square Task Force's Celina Miranda) | 22 Nov 2022 | 00:38:40 | |
| Cook with Intention, and Both the Planet & Your Body Will Thank You (With Agtool's Martha Montoya) | 08 Nov 2022 | 00:37:12 | |
| How a Post Grad Missions Trip Turned Into a Life Dedicated to Service (With Fabretto Foundation's Kevin Marinacci) | 25 Oct 2022 | 00:35:56 | |
| Why Immigrants' Resiliency Will be One of the Key Drivers for Change (With Pfizer's Lidia Fonseca) | 12 Oct 2022 | 00:43:48 | |
| How Do We Fix The Latinas in Tech Pipeline Problem? (With Latinas in Tech's Rocio Medina van Nierop) | 26 Sep 2022 | 00:37:51 | |
| How This Ex-Google Exec & CEO Paved Her Way Into Opportunity (with Ulu Ventures' Miriam Rivera) | 13 Sep 2022 | 00:42:16 | |
| Why You'll Get the Biggest Rewards When You Don't Focus on the Reward (Featuring Host Elias Torres) | 30 Aug 2022 | 00:34:30 | |
| What a Career in Media Taught This Emmy-Winner About Financial Wealth (with SUMA Wealth's Beatriz Acevedo) | 16 Aug 2022 | 00:43:14 | |
| The Roller Coaster Pursuit to Become an American Citizen (with Olo's Diego Panama) | 02 Aug 2022 | 00:43:14 | |
| 6 Lessons Elias Torres Learned (The Hard Way) When Building Drift | 19 Jul 2022 | 00:25:50 | |
| From Immigrant To Middle Class Wealth In Just One Generation (With Mendoza Venture's Adrian Mendoza) | 05 Jul 2022 | 00:49:19 | |
| What's It Really Going to Take to Change the Face of Silicon Valley? (With Visible Hands' Yasmin Cruz Ferrine) | 21 Jun 2022 | 00:37:37 | |
| What a Masters Degree Really Teaches You (With Sigo Seguros' Nestor Solari) | 07 Jun 2022 | 00:34:28 | |
| The Ultimate Small-Business Survival Guide (With Self-Made Boss Authors Jackie Reses and Lauren Weinberg) | 24 May 2022 | 00:42:07 | |
| Mentors Matter: A Conversation with Drift's First Gen at Drift Employee Resource Group | 10 May 2022 | 00:37:05 | |
| Unlocking the Power of Community (With Snowball Wealth's Pamela Martinez) | 26 Apr 2022 | 00:40:28 | |
| Making the Jump from Big Tech to Startup (With Bexi.io's Cuco Vega) | 12 Apr 2022 | 00:30:59 | |
| How Do We Create Generational Wealth in Community? With Ganas Venture's Lolita Taub | 29 Mar 2022 | 00:35:36 | |
| How Do We Democratize Wealth? (with Infinity Venture's Mario Ruiz) | 15 Mar 2022 | 00:36:10 | |