From Huffington Post: SELF MADE Latina Entrepreneur Nely Galán And The Era Of Women
Mariteres Rodríguez Bellas, Huffington Post – August 15, 2006
Nely Galán is probably best known for her skillful entrepreneurial talent and for her quest to empower women, especially Latinas. As the founder of the Adelante Movement, Galán takes her message nationally as she motivates and inspires Latina women socially, economically and politically. A dynamic and sought-out speaker, Galán is also an award-winning television producer and the owner of Galán Entertainment, a progressive multicultural media company. She was the first Latina president of entertainment of a U.S television network and has produced hundreds of shows in English and in Spanish. A New York Times best-selling author, her book SELF-MADE: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant and Rich in Every Way (Random House) is an educational letter for women on how to take ownership of their finances. Below, is my Q&A with the empowering Nely Galán.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Cuba, emigrated to the U.S. when I was 5 years old and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Did you grow up bilingual and/or bicultural?
We always spoke Spanish at home and to this day, it is my parents’ dominant language. Growing up, I was the de-facto translator at home, the living bridge between my parents’ Cuban worldview, and our new reality as immigrants in America.
How was education viewed in your household? What were the expectations from your parents for your performance in school?
Like many immigrants, my parents came to this country with a certain amount of built-in fear, which of course meant they wanted me to work hard and excel in school, if only to keep up with my newfound American peers. The highest expectations on me were the ones I placed on myself: determined to achieve excellence at school.
Tell me about your new book, SELF MADE. What is your message?
SELF MADE is the new ticking clock. To me this means that there is no true empowerment for a woman until she has her own money. SELF MADE, is about the power of radical self-reliance, the journey of entrepreneurship, the ability to work because you want to and not because you have to—all for the ultimate goal of being rich in every way.
What were your early goals for your career? Are they related to SELF MADE?
When I first started out in my career I was sure that I wanted to be TV producer, creating content and programming for my community. And while I did manage to accomplish these things, it wasn’t until I began dabbling in real estate that I really made any money. This is how I learned the art of the pivot, the ability to be flexible—even insofar as my goals—for the sake of the bigger picture. Earning money through real estate showed me a side of entrepreneurship that excited me, and became my personal testament to the power of the side-hustle. This trajectory inevitably inspired many of the insights that I write about in SELF MADE.
Read the full story here.