The Power of the Ask

Finding Power in Laughter, Action & The Ask With Brenda Gonzalez

• Lisa Zeiderman, Savvy Ladies Board Chair, Managing Partner at Miller Zeiderman LLP, and Precious Williams, Savvy Ladies Board of Directors, CEO/Founder of Perfect Pitch Group • Season 2 • Episode 3

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In a time filled with challenging realities, Brenda Gonzalez, founder of the Tamarindo podcast and Director of Social Impact and Engagement at VPE Communications, focuses on the crucial connection between laughter and social change. Join hosts Lisa Zeiderman and Precious Williams as they engage in a compelling conversation with Brenda, a self-proclaimed political nerd, fitness instructor, and nonprofit capacity builder, who transformed her passion for social justice into a powerful platform for change. Brenda shares her journey from an undocumented student to a dynamic advocate, emphasizing the importance of using humor to “call people in” rather than “call them out.” 

Discover how comedy, education, and personal empowerment can fuel activism and drive meaningful change, even in the darkest of times. Listen as they discuss: 

  • Humor as a Bridge: Learn how Brenda uses comedy to address critical social issues, creating a welcoming space for dialogue and action.
  • From Personal Experience to Political Power: Understand how Brenda’s experiences as a formerly undocumented student shaped her commitment to political activism and education.
  • The Power of Voice: Gain insights into honing your voice for advocacy, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful communication and sustained effort.
  • Navigating Challenging Times: Discover strategies for maintaining stamina in activism, including self-care practices and recognizing the power of collective progress.
  • The Crucial Ask: Explore the significance of women advocating for themselves financially, with real-life examples, and learn how to overcome the fear of asking.

More about Brenda Gonzalez:

Brenda Gonzalez is a political nerd, fitness instructor, and nonprofit capacity-builder focusing on social justice nonprofits.  In response to negative rhetoric about the Latine community in political discourse, Brenda founded Tamarindo in 2016 with the mission to use comedy and laughter to illuminate important issues impacting the community. 

Brenda’s experience as a formerly undocumented student shaped her interest in politics and she taught American Government at Cal State Fullerton before she was even eligible to vote. She brings her passion for politics to Tamarindo often in the form of comical rants. Born in Puebla, Mexico, Brenda lives in Los Angeles. 

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Lisa Zeiderman (00:06.076)

Hey everyone, welcome to the Power of the Ask podcast, which helps you get what you need financially and personally. We are so glad that you're here today. My name is Lisa Ziderman. I am managing partner at Miller Ziderman and I am one of the co-hosts with my dear friend, Precious Williams. Hello, Precious.


Precious LaTonia Williams (00:24.219)

Hey queen, how you doing? As our queen Lisa just said, my name is Precious Williams. I'm known as a killer pitch master and I'm the CEO of the Perfect Pitch Group. And like every time, welcome back, welcome back, welcome back to another exciting edition of the Power of the Ask podcast. And we're excited to introduce our guest. Her name is Brenda Gonzalez. I'm give you a little tea on Brenda Gonzalez. Brenda Gonzalez is a political nerd, a fitness instructor and nonprofit capacity builder focusing on social justice nonprofits. In response to negative rhetoric about the Latino community and political discourse, founded Tamarindo in 2016 to use comedy and laughter to illuminate important issues impacting the community. Brenda's experience as a formerly undocumented student shaped her interest in politics and she taught American government at Cal State Fullerton.

Before she was even eligible to vote. That's a story right there. She often brings her passion for politics at Tamarindo through comical rants. Born in Puebla, Mexico, lives in Los Angeles. It is such a pleasure to have you with us here today, Brenda. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your journey and what led you here today?


Brenda Gonzalez (01:42.045)

Yeah. Well, thank you so much. It's so fun to be here and to join this audio space and visual space. Thank you. Thank you for that introduction. So you want to know a little bit about my story and what brought me here today. So you alluded to it a little bit in 2016, Tamarindo was founded in response to the then candidate Trump's very hateful rhetoric about our communities. And today we're recording the day after the state of the union and nothing has changed when it comes to the rhetoric.


Precious LaTonia Williams (01:55.899)

Yes.


Brenda Gonzalez (02:11.709)

But that is what we wanted to do. We wanted to push back against that sort of language through a podcast that could be inviting and fun and not just talk about politics, but also about representation, about celebrating folks that are making waves in the community. So that's really how it all started. And since it's been around such a long time, I've had the pleasure of partnering with many different co-hosts along the years and with Anna Sheila Victorino, who was my longest partner in this, she introduced the concept of personal development and how we can be well personally so that we can be better advocates for our community. So that's how Dalarindo looks, what it looks like today. Now I co-host it with Delci Sandoval, who's phenomenal and an artist and a podcaster on her own. And we've had some great conversations and we keep on doing it. is, March is actually our ninth year of having these fabulous conversations. Thank you. And it's great because it's Women's History Month. So yay, good time to celebrate.


Lisa Zeiderman (03:19.462)

So this is probably the most timely question to be asking at this point. And I'm going to ask it. And it just feels like it's unbelievable that I'm asking this today. How, did your experiences of formerly undocumented students shape your approach to politics and to activism? And I guess I'm going one step further. How does it shape it today?


Precious LaTonia Williams (03:43.079)

Go one step.


Brenda Gonzalez (03:45.469)

Yeah, I mean, I think that my political awakening, if you will, stems from my immigrant experience. mean, my family and I immigrated to the US when I was four years old. We immigrated because my brother was diagnosed with a terminal illness and it required him to use a wheelchair. We just knew that it would be much more accessible and a higher quality of life to live in the US. So that's what brought us to this country. And as people that might be familiar with immigration, there isn't always a clear path to becoming a resident or a citizen. So my parents, although they have work permits, their situation was precarious and there was zero path for me and my brother. But eventually my parents were able to become residents and eventually citizens. But in that process, I aged out. I became 18 and or even earlier than that.

I became aware of how this really, really impacts me when I needed to apply for college and knowing that I wasn't going to be eligible for a lot of the federal and financial aid that my peers were eligible for. And I felt really let down because all this time I was sold this American dream, you work super hard, this is meritocracy, and I earned those grades and I had very difficult classes and I got accepted to my dream school.

But I wasn't going to be able to afford it because I would have to pay as a non-resident, even though I lived in Los Angeles since I was four, or lived in Southern California since I was four. So it became really apparent, like, my gosh, there's things that are out of my control that really impact my opportunities, my options. So that's where my political awareness became illuminated. I did go to a local university, Cal State Fullerton, which was very affordable for my family.

But I did have to pay as a non-resident for that first semester. Luckily, there was already recognition that there was many, many students like me that were facing this challenge of like, this is their home and this is where they want to continue their education, but it's becoming very inaccessible. So there was a law in California called AB 540 that allowed students like me to be able to attend state schools as if we were residents because we have lived here this entire time.


Brenda Gonzalez (06:09.129)

So that was transformative for me. Again, it kind of underscored how policies and laws can have real huge impact on my day to day. So I took a political science class and I was like, wow, this really speaks to me. I wanna be part of, I wanna understand the power dynamics that shape our laws and policies. And I wanna be able to influence those laws and policies so that they are more just, more equitable. So that's kind of how that shaped my interest into my political science major. It has shaped every sort of career decision that I've made. it inspired starting this sort of podcast, this vehicle, as yet one more tool that we can use to inform our community, to inform listeners and would be the electorate to support the appropriate laws that, again, help us advance the ideals of our democracy. So that's how it shapes everything that I do. And how I spend my time and energy.


Precious LaTonia Williams (07:11.047)

love the fact that you taught an American government class prior to voting for even the first time. That's amazing to me. And I'm sure as you were teaching this class, there were some things that really struck you about what it said about America and what it really is like to live here. What were some of the things that shocked you versus what you've been told versus what you experienced? Can you share that with us?


Brenda Gonzalez (07:39.101)

Yeah, and I think a lot of us are having this awareness, right? That the American dream, this idea of working hard, we can all, can, land of opportunity. We are all realizing that those are wonderful ideals, but the reality is very different, right? We wouldn't need something like savvy ladies if women had economic policies that made it so that there are CEOs in the same, in equal representation, right? We know.

That these ideals are not achieved. that's what's surprising. As we increase our awareness, I'm sure that's what's surprising for all of us is like, I thought we were the freest country in the world. And we think all these things and we're starting to realize how those things are very precarious and we're a long way from those ideals. I think that's the biggest surprise.

I like to tell people that the fact that I was able to teach American government even before I was a resident or a citizen, I did have the legal right to work. So I will mention that, but I wasn't able to vote. But here I am talking about the importance of voting, how our government works, all of these things that I'm teaching to people, the majority of which are probably US foreign citizens. It's really kind of ironic that I was able to teach that or even.

Even the process of becoming a citizen, the things that you have to study for, for the test for the exam. think if you walked in front of anybody down the street, they probably wouldn't be able to the test because we have a, one of the challenges we have is that there isn't much civic education. We need to inspire more people to know about how their government works and to know that they have power. Cause even though I couldn't vote at the time, I mean, I knew that I had power in being an educator, I have power through my voice. I have power through encouraging others that can vote. I have power through donating or volunteering. There's so many different ways that we can be active citizens without having a piece of paper saying that you are an actual citizen.


Lisa Zeiderman (09:45.732)

Amazing, really amazing and a really good thought process in terms of empowering yourself to make your voice heard, Brenda, and to help others actually to be inspired. And that's why we do this podcast frankly, is to inspire others. And so that's really is inspirational. You you found a tamarindo in 2016.

Now, Delci, San Dovala? Am I saying it correctly?


Brenda Gonzalez (10:18.397)

Delci Sandoval.


Lisa Zeiderman (10:20.314)

Okay. Is your cohost. Tell, tell our listeners what inspired you to launch this, this entity and share the mission and the focus of the show.


Brenda Gonzalez (10:36.799)

Yeah, I mean, think as I mentioned earlier, it's a little bit to do with this need to push against hateful rhetoric. Like that definitely was an inspiration. But I would say that like the other inspiration is that I was, I mean, I am and I continue to consume a lot of different podcasts. And there was a lot of podcasts at the time that, there was one specifically called Another Round, which was...

I really, was two women, they were both black. There were about a 10 year age difference between them. So there was a little bit of like, there's that played into the dynamic a little bit. I really enjoyed it. was a busty podcast. And, and there was other podcasts like that, but I didn't hear the Latina version. didn't hear like two Latino people, Latina specifically talking about these issues. And the other big opportunity that I have is that my husband, Jeff is an audio producer for fun. You know, he makes music and sound and he had a studio.

So was like, okay, well, I've got the skills here. I've got the interest. I'm gonna start this. So it was really just going for it, just deciding to give this a try. And I really wanted it to be to women. So when I initially started it, I was working with a former intern where I worked and then we had that 10 year gap. And so we had a really good thing going as we were imagining it.

And one of the first steps that we did is we created a survey to kind of ask our friends, like, what would you want from a podcast and what would you want to call it? So when we did that survey, that was kind of our way to telegraph to our friends and family that were working on something. Well, that person that I was working with originally, she realized like, wow, this is going to be a lot of work and I've got a lot going on. I think I've been a bailout. But people had already seen the survey, including my friend Louise. He's like, what is this? This looks fun. And so he and I

We're like, it was like, well, if you think it's fun, let's get on this. And so it was very playful. Like it really wasn't with a huge mission in mind, just like, think we need to have something that counter the narrative. I think I've got a great asset with my husband that could produce it. I have somebody that's interested in it. Let's just go for it. And it has evolved from there. And it's been super, super fun. And now I think there is a very.


Brenda Gonzalez (12:55.209)

Formalized mission. Like it really is about uplifting our community. It's about educating our community about key issues, but it's also fun and using laughter to call people in. Our tone is always fun and informative. So fun and informative is really the approach we go with. And then we've been able to also highlight some folks that are making waves in, like for instance, like around Latino representation. We know that there isn't much.

And when it comes to Latino representation in media and entertainment. So you'll see some of those sort of creatives come and join the podcast. next week we're going to interview a nutritionist. So now that we've incorporated that personal development piece, we want our listeners to be well so that they can be the best advocates for the community. That's really opened up a whole other universe of type of guests that we can talk to about.

And I like to think of it as almost like a magazine, right? Like a magazine is going to have your lifestyle section. It's going to have like human interests, but it might have some key information and key reports. So it's a little bit of all of that in this podcast and plot.


Lisa Zeiderman (14:05.038)

Good for you.


Precious LaTonia Williams (14:06.695)

I love that. So I I apologize for not saying Tamarindo right. Cause I love the way you say it. I just, I don't have any inflections. I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying. So Tamarindo uses comedy to shine a light on important issues from neurodivergence to financial literacy, to self care. You were just talking about nutrition and beyond, but how do you view humor and, and fun and comedy as powerful tools for activism?


Brenda Gonzalez (14:13.126)

no, you're fine. I think that sounds great.


Precious LaTonia Williams (14:36.687)

and drive in personal and social change.


Brenda Gonzalez (14:39.443)

Yeah, I I think that a lot of communities that have been oppressed will probably say that there's a lot of humor and laughter in those communities because sometimes you need a laugh to stop from crying. So, yeah, I know that that resonates, I'm sure, with a lot of listeners that are hearing this. so it's so like part of our community to like humor such a useful tool. So I think that's just sort of innate.


Precious LaTonia Williams (14:49.179)

Yes.


Come on now, come on.


Brenda Gonzalez (15:08.241)

So I think that's why it's a fun way to call people in. because we have a challenge, right? We need people to be inspired to act. That's what we need. We need people to feel inspired to act. And it's very difficult to feel inspired if you're being shamed. It's very difficult to feel inspired if it just seems like doom, doom, doom, right? So kind of having that balance. And it's challenging because it is very...

You know, we are in dark times. There are things that are really, really hard to see any sort of levity to it. But I think it just still continues to be a tool to call people in. That's really what we are trying to do, not call people out, but call people in.


Precious LaTonia Williams (15:54.855)

Oof.


Lisa Zeiderman (15:56.792)

So, you know, the power of the ask, and I guess even just savvy ladies in general, is all about advocating. It's about empowering women to advocate for themselves and their community. And I'm kind of curious, what is the biggest ask that you have ever made? And how did that ask shape either your career or your life generally?

Or your family life, tell us what's that biggest ask that you ever made? And I know that's a big ask that I'm asking right now.


Brenda Gonzalez (16:34.601)

Yeah, it's hard to think of, right? It's hard to ask, it's hard to like frame it as the biggest, but I think in the context of what we've been talking about today, even just thinking about this platform like that we built, was very informal at first, but even just asking ourselves, like, what do we want this to be and formalizing it. And then I mentioned that because


Precious LaTonia Williams (16:34.779)

But we on the Power to Ask podcast, so you ask it right!


Brenda Gonzalez (17:03.903)

Informalizing what I mean by that is actually becoming an LLC and like becoming a business and we did that because we were being asked sometimes to to speak and and it feels really at least it was challenging for me and even though it wasn't a whole lot of money just making the ask of saying is there an honorarium for this? Will you be paying us for this? And so that's been one of the biggest asks again more like in the context of this


And I've had a, you know, I even think like I'm thinking again, but you're asking this is like, what has been the biggest ask sometimes really, I think monumental, sometimes it's asking yourself, is this really what you want to do? And so that's another, that's what comes to mind. So even leaving a job, for instance, like a job that maybe it's a great paying job, but if something in you is no, if you're not,


even ask yourself, do I really want to do this? Like that's a big ask. So I would say those are two examples that come to mind of the biggest asks would be those two.


Precious LaTonia Williams (18:11.963)

I agree with you, Queen Brenda. That's a question that's ever-present in my mind. Is this something that I really want to do, or is this something that's expected of me to do? And how does this shape the overall me and the impact on the community? And with everything we're hearing in the news in terms of job loss and systems being uprooted and just the doom and gloom that


constantly feels like it's being put out in the world through news. What do you, what strategies have you seen that have made the biggest impact in empowering your community or communities overall?


Brenda Gonzalez (18:52.561)

I mean, I think it's, it's, again, very challenging times. All of these strategies are coming to being tested. Well, I'll talk, I'll talk about the personal, think personally, and these are because we've talked about this, this is not our first time, facing challenging times in, in Estabanito. but I think even just doing like a,


Precious LaTonia Williams (19:00.867)

Yes!


Brenda Gonzalez (19:20.279)

personal tests on like how you're feeling in your body. And if you're if the news is going beyond informing you and you're feeling tense, you're feeling your jaw locked, you're feeling anxiety, that's the time to maybe take a little bit of a news break. There's that I've also looked into. We just recently interviewed someone that taught us how to meditate because we hear that meditation is such a tool for calming our nerves. So there's like those are some things around the like the personal.

I think from a larger communal sense, it could feel empowering to know that there's been darker times, right? There's been times in our history where there's been some, like every year, even though it not feel like it right now, every year it feels we are advancing, right? Like we continue to advance, especially for women, especially for inclusion, like things are advancing. And it could feel whenever there is a step back, it could feel very like,

That's the only direction it can go. But I think we can all feel a little bit of energy knowing that there's been worse times and the community has overcome those times. So that could be a way to also feel grounded in knowing that we've been here before, we can overcome, we have to take breaks when we need to, but stay in the fight in the ways that feel appropriate for you.

It could be, the other thing too is to not beat ourselves up if what we could do feels very small. There are people that have different strengths that can contribute to this movement of equity. So find the way that works for you and do it at a pace that's gonna work for you because what we need is people to be plugged in for the long haul.


Precious LaTonia Williams (21:12.636)

Yeah.


Lisa Zeiderman (21:13.104)

I think that's such great advice. I love that advice because I think that in anything that you undertake, and I say this all the time to my clients, frankly, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. And therefore you need to have the stamina. And I think that's what you're basically saying. And you need to figure out a way to make sure that your body is fueled with that stamina. And that may mean taking a break.


Precious LaTonia Williams (21:27.729)

Trust that.


Lisa Zeiderman (21:41.756)

times, whether it be a news break or another kind of break, just taking a break and stepping back and maybe meditating or feeding your body with great food or doing something that is different so that you can actually get back into the fight, frankly. Because I think that every day for different people, they are in the fight.


and they have to feel the stamina and they have to know that they can go the distance. So with that in mind, with that in mind, when you wake up to fight the fight, right? What is the most pressing issue? See, it's precious. I want you to say precious, but I couldn't. The pressing issue facing Latinas today. And I want to know how the media, the media can help address


Brenda Gonzalez (22:27.661)

Hehehehehe


Lisa Zeiderman (22:38.214)

this in your opinion.


Brenda Gonzalez (22:40.991)

Gosh, there are so many and I've been surprised to feel called in to prioritize education because there are so many different issues that are affecting our community. But I think it really boils down to the fact that people are not engaged in their democracy and they're not informed about their democracy. I think the only direction that I could point, I mean, there's only one direction to point, but let me think of like, where can we...


Where can we like address this in a meaningful way? Maybe it's education. Maybe there just isn't enough access to quality education and educational opportunities that could inform Latinas and everybody else about how their rights are at risk and how they have a voice and how they can take action by not only voting, but getting involved in their communities locally, volunteering for causes that matter to them.


I don't think that we are inspiring people to act as much as we could. And maybe the avenue, the most democratic avenue that I could think of is we all have to go to public schools, right? We all have to go to school. Maybe that's where there's a need to open up more opportunities. That's what comes to mind. I mean, on a literal sense, like if you look at the rollbacks on abortion rights and choice rights,


Latinas are the ones that are going to be most impacted. Women across the country are impacted, but the biggest rollbacks are happening in states where there are a lot of Latinas. In fact, I think there's been some reports that 6 million Latina stand to be at risk of having reproductive care options because of the rollbacks on these sorts of matters. So that's one thing. Of course, there is also the Latina wage gap, which we know.


there's something called Latina equal payday and it happens the latest from all ethnic groups. So Latinas are paid less than any other ethnic group as a group. And if you compare the average income of white men in one year to what the Latinas earn, it's about 44 cents is what Latinas earn for every dollar that a white man earns. So it's a stark gap there.


Brenda Gonzalez (25:03.069)

So yeah, so these are some of the other pressing issues that our community faces.


Precious LaTonia Williams (25:10.599)

I've been, as I'm watching you and I'm watching you advocate and so clearly articulate what are the pressing issues and even dropping statistics in there, it reminds me of something that I never realized until I got much older. So my grandmother was the first person to listen to me and to listen to me and tell me that I could be anything. And I was 15 years old.


And she helped build my voice. And eventually I became a speaker and a trainer, but she saw something in me. And as I've gotten older, I've used that voice to be an advocate for people who are experiencing homelessness or unhouseness or going through traumatic transitional phases in their lives. If you could give one piece of advice to young Latina leaders who want to use their voice.


They may not know that they can, but want to use their voice during this time. What would it be and why?


Brenda Gonzalez (26:18.027)

that's such a great question. And I love that you mentioned grandmothers. Just something that that inspired is just knowing that who we are, we were in our grandmothers, right? Because our mother was in our grandma. And so there's that connection to our grandmothers. that's a beautiful reference to talk about, to say that your grandmother was the first to listen to you. And bless our grandmothers. I love that.


My piece of advice to women, young girls that are thinking about how to use their voice, I think one thing that I've learned is it's a practice. Honing your voice is a practice. And so I've had a lot of practice through this podcast and talking to amazing women and talking to amazing leaders. And every day is an opportunity to get better. So think of it as a practice.


Precious LaTonia Williams (26:55.813)

Yes.


Brenda Gonzalez (27:11.887)

And you don't have to be a public speaker. It could be writing. So maybe it's like having a diary every day to just reflect on. And no one has to read it, but the practice of writing is one way to hone in on your voice. Or even like being a more active listener and reader. If you listen to podcasts that you really like, what is it about that person's voice that you like? And that kind of can help shape what your voice might look like.


Precious LaTonia Williams (27:26.053)

Yes!


Brenda Gonzalez (27:40.359)

Identify what pulls you in. Same thing with reading. Identifying what from a book or an article calls you in might help you understand what your voice might be. So that would be it. I would say it's a practice. Hone it in. It's not going to happen overnight. And you can continue to shape it. That's the beauty of a practice.


Lisa Zeiderman (28:06.96)

That's great. I think that's really exceptionally great. And would you also say, Brenda, that it's not just practice, but it's also control, right? It's controlling your voice. I kind of think that people need to think of their voice as something very important. And so their words mean something. And they need to use their words carefully and thoughtfully.


Precious LaTonia Williams (28:18.521)

Oof.


Precious LaTonia Williams (28:30.726)

Yes.


Lisa Zeiderman (28:37.082)

Right? I think.


Brenda Gonzalez (28:38.082)

Yes, I think that's such a great point because I mean, one of the challenges that I that yeah, I think people need to realize that their point is their voice is very important and then you do have influence. You don't have to be an influencer to have influence. You have influence. And I saw that kind of come up with, know, keep me mentioning that I felt that people have felt uninspired. And if we really look at the election, a lot of people didn't vote.


Part of it is, I think it's the way that people talk about politics and issues in a way that could inspire people to stay home instead of the opposite. So yes, just know that your voice matters and we have to think of ways and messaging that inspires action. And it's challenging. We all know that this is very challenging stuff and it does feel a lot more comforting to just stay at home and watch bunch of reality TV, which I also enjoy.


But it's like we have to know that our actions have consequences and so does our inaction. So yes, that's really important point to be mindful of how we use our voice.


Lisa Zeiderman (29:50.3)

And that brings me to the most important question we think, and we ask all our guests this question. So it's about using your voice and it's about the power of the ask. And the question is, why is the power of the ask crucial to women, especially financially?


Brenda Gonzalez (30:10.367)

Yes, this is an excellent question. Again, I guess I'm full of all these stats and I can't find the study to cite this, but I do know that research shows that negotiating is actually, it turns out that women, let me back up, certain nonprofits and organizations in order to be more equitable are telling you outright that they will not allow negotiation. And the reason that they do that and that's actually the equity practice


is because women do not make the ask. allowing space for negotiation is going to translate into perpetuating the inequity. So that's why some very progressive organizations and nonprofits specifically don't allow negotiating because the study, again, studies show that women don't negotiate. that just points to why it's so important to make the ask because there's already so much data to show that women are not making the ask.


So this is, that's something that you like. It's crucial that we make the ask. And I can tell you, cause I've been on the manager end of things. like, one of the biggest surprises to me in entering management is like how terrifying it is and how you're, I can tell you that whatever manager you're afraid to ask, they're afraid of you. Okay. They're afraid of you asking. just take back the power. You do have the power to ask and.

And you know, the other thing too is like, it may not be immediate for a raise, if we're talking about financially, but like at least you're signaling that you are interested in moving towards a path of a raise or a promotion or for the, know, paid for your work. There's nothing you lose in asking. So I think that's the power of the ask is that remember you have, you do have power. Your manager's more afraid of you than you are of them. I'm telling you.


I can speak from experience and it just starts to like plant that seed that you are someone that is hungry, that is interested. And if you are, you know, it could be the case that maybe you're not quite ready there, but what, what, what, another question, follow up question could be like, okay, great. I'm not there now. What resources, what tools, what trainings are there available for me to get there eventually? Who do I need to speak to next? And just stay curious and keep asking.


Lisa Zeiderman (32:33.66)

Great.


Precious LaTonia Williams (32:34.969)

I love that you said that because a no is not fatal at all. It's just not right. It's not right now, but it doesn't mean that it can't be later. So Queen Brenda, thank you so much. I am interested in Tamarindo. I want to watch now. Like I want to get some of this, this flavor and this sauce. And as you all know, we bring the best guests to the Power of the Ask podcast. My Queen Lisa, my esteemed cohost and I love bringing guests like


Brenda Gonzalez (32:39.931)

Yeah, and it's not permanent, you know?


Precious LaTonia Williams (33:04.679)

Brenda Gonzalez to the table to share their stories and how they've been able to use the power of the ask to grow out of situations to grow bigger, better, faster and stronger. So if you love what you heard today, don't forget to tell a friend to tell a friend to what, tell a friend to subscribe to watch and you subscribe and watch and keep coming back because we get better and better and better. The Power of the Ask podcast is powered by savvy ladies and we are here to help you grow strong financially, to be financially empowered. And Queen Lisa is always a pleasure to co-host with you. Thank you.


Lisa Zeiderman (33:41.446)

Same here, precious, and thank you so much, Brenda, for joining us today.


Brenda Gonzalez (33:45.513)

Thank you so much. This was an excellent and fun experience. Thank you very, very much.