E32: From South Central LA to NASA Engineer & Paid Speaker

Breaking Every Barrier in the Way

This episode is one of my absolute favorites because it’s proof that where you start does not define where you end up. My guest grew up in South Central Los Angeles — a neighborhood that the world often writes off — and went on to become a NASA engineer and a paid professional speaker. Let that sink in. From a community where opportunities were scarce and the odds were stacked against them, they built a career that literally reaches the stars.

We dive deep into what it was like growing up in South Central, navigating an education system that didn’t always believe in students who looked like us, and finding mentors who saw potential when others saw statistics. My guest shares the raw, unfiltered moments — the rejection letters, the imposter syndrome that crept in on the first day at NASA, and the cultural guilt of “making it” while family back home was still struggling. These are the conversations that don’t happen enough, and I’m so grateful we had this one.

Your Background Is Your Superpower

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that your background isn’t something to overcome — it’s something to leverage. The resilience, the resourcefulness, the ability to code-switch and navigate multiple worlds — those are skills that no Ivy League education can teach. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong in a room, this episode is your reminder that you were built for rooms that haven’t even been created yet.