Episode 1 - Erica Sandoval
Hello friends. Welcome to season three of the Dr. B show. I'm your host, Dr. B. I'm here with the lovely Erica Sandoval. Erica, how are you? My friend. I'm wonderful. Thanks for having me, Dr. B anytime, anytime, anytime. Thank you so much. I'm excited about season three. I'm winding down the tapings and eventually, we'll go into post-production, and, uh, it'll be released in a few weeks, right.
Uh, recorded. This is recorded at the beginning of April of 2022. So let's jump right into it. So tell everyone about yours. Absolutely. So I am an immigrant Latina. Who's been in the profession for over a decade. I'm a clinical social worker, one of three social workers in my family. I was the first to graduate from college.
The first to get my master's and the first to start my own business. I'm really proud of being the first, but not the last because as you know, my two younger sisters are also social workers. So we're in this helping field and supporting our communities. Um, each way we can, I just recently founded an organization called Sandoval co-lab, which is sound about psychotherapy and consultation.
And this great opportunity came to me to really publish a book on Latin X and social work. So I brought about 23 incredible leaders together to share their personal narratives so we can inspire. Educate and bring together the community through our own struggles, especially because as Latin X professionals, we have definitely have gone through a lot of microaggressions and harm in the workplace, and we really want to be there to support our community and the future.
And also other Latin X professionals that may be experiencing this and not being able to, um, Describe it or really feeling like, Hmm, did that just happen to me and maybe not find the words? So we're here to share our personal stories and narratives and to inspire and connect our communities. So it's been exciting.
I'm going a little backwards. Right? So let's go to the sound of all the labs. How did that come about as far as starting your business? Was it like, what's it like me? Like I was, you know, everyone's story is different, right. For me, I was in a situation where I was working for someone for so long. And then I said, you know what?
I think it's time the doctor. The degrees there. I think it's the next evolution. The next step. So how was that, how did that come about as far as starting your own biz? No, absolutely. It's such a great question. In the midst of the pandemic, we experienced a lot of layoffs and, um, I was working for a great organization and then I was recruited to another nonprofit, uh, was paid very well.
So I jumped ship and I. You know, things happened, the pandemic happened and because I was in a senior-level position and probably the newest one on the team, I knew that my job was not going to be there in the next few months. I just couldn't. I could read it loud and clear on the walls. And so I started thinking about ways that I can continue to provide for my family and myself, but still doing the things that I love.
And I've always been working with clients as a clinician and I decided, you know, what, why don't I just take it. A leap of faith and, um, get my clinical license and really start my own practice, especially because there weren't enough mental health providers for Latinos and, um, and especially ones that speak Spanish and there was a long waitlist.
And so I decided to just. Jump in and start the process. And as you know, starting a business is really hard. Uh, being an entrepreneur is extremely, um, exhausting because you're never off, you're constantly doing something and if you don't know how to do it, you have to find someone that knows how to do it, and then make sure you pay them equitably.
So you'll build your team. So it was through that very unfortunate moment of knowing that I was being laid off. I decided to do something that was really scary and it's been the best thing I've ever done. So I'm grateful for the fact that I was being laid off because it would have never jumped into this entrepreneurship.
And I slowly started building my private practice and then I decided to take it to a different level because it was so important to address. What the communities were experiencing, and it was a lot of harm. And we noticed that within the space that we were in, a lot of communities were impacted disproportionately compared to others.
And I noticed that the Latin X community was suffering a great deal. So I wanted to really bring people together to discuss this and to bring light to it and to also help them unpack and know that they are not alone and they can find a therapist that can speak the language that understands the culture that really connects with them and really supports them in their healing.
So, I love the fact that we started an incredible private practice and within an extension of a consulting firm, which is to really help organizations and universities and corporate companies support the mental health of their teams, their employees, and their communities that they're connected to. So now I collaborate with 23 incredible leaders.
And that's why it's called Sandoval collab because nothing great can be done alone. Everything should be done if it wasn't that that's how my six, I define my success, the collaborations I've had with other folks in order to help with acquiring contracts or agreements or just working together in order to help each other prosper.
Right. So amazing, amazing frame that. So amazingly, right. So we also mentioned in the green room, or before we jumped on, right. That you also. And off the right of the Latin X social work. So I know Jackie Camacho grease very well. She's been in my show as well. So how did that all come about? As far as writing.
Oh, it's so exciting to work with Jackie
Jackie is one of my incredible mentors. Um, so in social work school, I was never assigned books written by or centering by Latin people. So I'm routinely the first Latin X social worker or even social worker of color. My. Ever worked with, and it's lonely and infuriating and exhausting to constantly be aware of race and not have the same, be true of white colleagues and professors who overwhelmingly make up their profession.
So I found solace with, uh, other social workers of color that they validated my experience with racism and microaggressions in the workplace and shared similar. And they understood how, how it was so layered and to everything we did. And we were finishing each other's sentences and we were talking about the lack of cultural humility in the field.
And so I really wanted to bring us together and create an opportunity for us to share our narrative. And so I approached Jackie and this was the first time I ever connected with her and I just pitched her the idea. And she said, yes, this would be amazing. Go for it. Okay. Oh, she's like, how long will it take for you to bring some authors together?
And I said I don't know, maybe a month or two. And she's like, go for it. And in a month or two, I had 23 incredible authors joining together and sharing their narratives. So I founded Latin X and social work, Inc. And we recently published a second book. Because we took the first book and we translated it all into Spanish so we can serve a larger community.
It can, it can serve our parents and our families that may not be speaking and reading in English. And we wanted to go global. And most recently I just came back from. And my book is in Ecuador now. So this was such an incredible, um, proud moment, the entire central-south America now at your hands, right?
Yes. And it would have not been possible without the support from fig factor media and all the incredible contributing authors. So all of this has been done as a collaboration. Do you want to promote your product or services to your target audience, but don't know how. Do you struggle with social media, marketing, and management?
Do you have challenges with lead generation for your business online? Well, look, no further. Get more clicks. Media helps with SMS MMS and email marketing. Also, social media marketing and management video marketing lead generation of brand recognition, SEO e-commerce and website development. For more information, please visit.
Get more clicks media.com. That's get more clicks media.com. That's what's on the other collab, right. It's all about right. So, uh, w I think I got this more abstract, or I guess on, on, I guess the landing page. So you mentioned this, that, you know, the next largest minority in the U S uh, yeah, only 14% are social workers are Latin X.
So why do you think that is? And what do you think we could do? I mean, we're not going to solve world peace in this podcast, but what do you think we can do as far as closing that. So I think that the most important thing is to recognize that there is a gap. And so we're recognizing it. I think there are so many different barriers that Latin X professionals face, or even students face or individuals that are from Latin X families.
And a lot of the barriers are systemic, systemic racism within the system. In schools and not really believing in yourself and having the competence to continue and, and apply for that master's or apply for that bachelor's program, or think that you can get into that school. So there's a lot of misleading of the communities because of what.
Heard and what we've experienced, which are microaggressions and harm throughout our whole life. And then there's also that, um, that barrier of maybe not seeing someone like yourself and spaces of power and spaces that they can do this. So the reason why this is so important to do is because we wanted to bring 23 incredible people together.
So, anyone that's reading the book, they can see themselves doing. As well, as really knowing that no matter what, there is a bigger community, that's supporting them and elevating them and amplifying them. And with the proceeds of this book, we donate back to Latino social work coalition, and we provide scholarships too.
That is in social work school. So we can continue to amplify and elevate students that are becoming social workers that are bilingual bicultural and totally understand the community better serve the communities. So I think. To your point, Dr. B, there's not enough of us out there that are amplifying ourselves to really inspire others.
And so we are kind of limiting ourselves with our belief system and then we also have a lot of structures and layers of. Barriers within the system, but like yourself and me, you know, we should not be the only ones doing this. Right. We're just right. And we're here to continue to bring people in. Yeah. I have a lot in common.
As far as you mentioned the beginning of the. Uh, the first in the family first, that I'm the same way. The first one in my house, they get the, uh, the undergrad first to get the MBA. They only wanted the doctor and I have managed, hopefully not the last as well. Right. So you and I are trendsetters are from that perspective.
So who does to you? I have one or two more questions. I know you have to take off. So I know, I think you mentioned it on that same landing page, right? That, um, social work, racism exists too. Right? So a lot of it, most, a lot of the executive roles are. Or let's face it. Right. Let's um, let's not sugar coat it occupied by white people.
Right. And underrepresented from a Latin X standpoint. Right. So what do you think we could do to help that, to close that, I guess, is that the same, same answer or similar answer to what you just gave me? Or is there anything else that you left out that you think you could kind of elaborate on? So I think that because we have not been able to, um, To be given space and spaces where we should occupy.
We have to create that noise and make that space for us now. So I'm a big, big proponent of training and coaching, incredible students and young social workers to ask for raises to ask for it. Equitable salaries to really know their worth, to know what their bottom line is to really understand the language.
And if we start speaking about language and supporting each other and not being shy about speaking about money, we're not going to be able to enter into these spaces because we do have incredible skills. It's just that many times these spaces are occupied and dominated by white individuals and they stay there.
So what we have to do is really. Call attention to this and really call people in, from organizations, from universities, from, um, the nonprofit foundation is to really make sure that they are not to speaking about DEI language with people like to show and throw around, but really doing the work like how many people are employed in your organization that represents a specific community and what is their pay compared to others?
Like, let's really talk about that. And you know what, the number one thing that's happened, which I think is great. Is that recently now all salary lines, all salaries are going to be in the job description. So we're not going to be like putting all of our eggs in one basket for this one position. And then when it's not even going to meet our needs as human beings, to just pay our rent and feed our families.
So really trying to make sure that. Our skills are being recognized. We're amplifying each other. We're not competing against each other. We're United and we're a collective. And we are supporting each other with all of the tools that we have. And that's what this, this movement is about. Sandoval collab and Latin X and social work are about making sure that together we rise and we continue to, we continue to stay on.
I love it. Thank you so much. The last one is 30 seconds. Can you work with people, find your podcast and how can people contact you? Absolutely. So you can follow us and Latin X and sell short on Instagram. We also aren't on Spotify, Apple, all the bus sprout, all the incredible engines that host our podcasts. Our podcast is amazing.
It's the authors really diving into their chapter and a lot of incredible gems are shared. And our third book will be released in October 2022. So stay on the lookout to learn who the new authors are, incredible people as well. And I just want to give a big shout out to my Alma mater, NYU, NYU university, school of social work, who, who has been my first partner, our first partner, we have been really taken over, um, the, the virtual space and, and, and bringing people into incredible discussions like holding the weight of whiteness and.
And accountability to the Afro Latin X community, and so many incredible topics that we seldom talk about. So definitely follow us and stay connected. And I look forward to continuing to collaborate. Dr. B. Thank you. Thank you so much for being on my show. Erica said I'm the only one, everybody. Thank you.
Has the pandemic changed the way you prospect? Do you struggle prospecting for new leads for your business? Do you have challenges and don't have a process when networking? And an event either virtually or online? Well, look no further Borja consulting groups transforming your way to success. Online course is a solution.
And this eight week intensive course, you will go from networking novice to networking guru as a bonus bonus bonus two coaching sessions with Dr. himself is now included in. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to transform your pipeline, increase quality leads, close more deals, and transform your way to success.
For more information, please visit our website www.borjaconsultinggroup.com. That's www.borjaconsultinggroup.com.
I hope you enjoy this episode of the Dr. B show with Eric or Priscilla Sandoval she was an amazing guest to have, and I know we're pressed with time, but I hope that the little time that we did have Alba was worthwhile, and I hope you picked up something and learned something and, and help you. Um, with that being said, we do have the eight week and the four week transforming your way to success course available at https://www.borjaconsultinggroup.com/
With that being said, Dr. B is out.
