How A First-Gen Latina Built the Community She Always Needed - With Lucia Mercado

Lucia Mercado knows that room. Born and raised in Riverside, California, she became one of the first — if not the only — person in her family to earn a college degree. She navigated financial aid alone, weathered a CPA internship that ended without warning, and eventually found her footing not in a corporate office but at a Chico pop-up market with five handmade necklaces and a borrowed booth space. Today she runs Mercado Productions, producing 15+ events a year including the Lunar Market, Divine Sundays, and the Día de los Muertos festival that grew from 500 attendees to over 3,000 in three years. Share Your Story Your story matters. Have you reclaimed your voice from a difficult experience? Share it with us. DM us on Instagram: @LatinaLeadershipPodcast or email us at [email protected]. Found this powerful? Please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to join our community of support and storytelling. Prefer audio? Find the full podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latina-leadership-podcast/id1539009007 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1OD36YHq4caQaCY5iYfMO4 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8755c9e9-bba6-4e6a-9283-9fab5696a017/latina-leadership-podcast Connect With the Community: Don't miss a beat of the Latina Leadership Podcast! Website: latinaleadershippodcast.com Instagram: instagram.com/latinaleadershippodcast Facebook: facebook.com/LatinaLeadershipPodcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/latina-leadership-podcast