Build for yourself: A conversation with Maribel Lara on reinvention, ambition, and the quiet power of asking for help

There are some people in your life who don’t just know you. They know your “before” version. They know the version of you who was still trying to figure out who she was. And they can look at you now with all your layers, all your chapters and say, I see you.

That’s how it felt sitting down with my longtime friend Maribel Lara, founder of BeGet Love Consulting.

I’ve known Mari since our Tufts days… back when we were young and hungry and trying to make sense of who we were supposed to be in spaces that didn’t always feel like they were built with us in mind. Watching her build her career over time has been a masterclass for me in patience, confidence, and that quiet kind of tenacity that so many Latina women carry like a second heartbeat.

This interview was emotional for me. Not because it was heavy the entire time but because it was honest. And because so much of what she said felt like it belonged to every woman standing on the edge of a pivot, whispering to herself, Is it too late for me?

It’s not.

The first “culture shock” is realizing not everyone names who they are

Mari grew up in New York City where ethnicity, neighborhood, family roots… all of it is part of how you introduce yourself. It’s not a label. It’s a story.

Then she got to Tufts and met people who didn’t identify with ethnicity at all. That was jarring.

And it made her do what so many of us do when we’re dropped into unfamiliar spaces: she found community. La Casa. Student orgs. Creative outlets. People who “got it.”

Because being Latina wasn’t something she could switch off. It was front and center in her life, her language, her media, her home.

Why Higher Education Came First

Mari didn’t start in marketing. She started in higher ed for a reason that hit me in the chest: she wanted to be the adult she didn’t have.

At Tufts, she saw Latinos teaching in the Spanish department, but she didn’t see Latinos in financial aid, alumni affairs, administration, the places where students actually go when they’re trying to survive.

And when you’re a young Latina in a predominantly white institution, the stereotype hum can get loud: You’re only here because you filled a quota.

That message makes you feel like asking for help is dangerous. Like it confirms what people already assume.

Mari named it plainly: when you’re trying to prove you belong, you don’t ask for support… and that’s how people end up drowning quietly.

She wanted to change that.

The truth about being “too much” in professional spaces

I asked Mari if she ever felt like she had to translate herself to be taken seriously.

Her answer? Not exactly.

She’s direct (in her words, no tengo pelo en la lengua). But she shared something I think so many of us recognize: sometimes people have lower expectations of you because you’re a woman, because you’re Latina, because they’ve already decided where you belong.

And when you surpass those expectations, it can trigger discomfort sometimes even hostility.

What stuck with me is how she described learning not to react in the moment. How silence became a strategy. How she learned to say:

“You’ve given me a lot to process. I’d like to take some time.”

And then walk away, feel what she needs to feel privately, and return with clarity without handing anyone the satisfaction of seeing her unravel.

That’s not something you learn overnight. That’s earned wisdom.

What kept her going when growth felt slow

This part? I loved.

Mari talked about a practice that helped her stay steady: celebrating small wins and saving proof of her progress. Thank-you notes. Reviews. Praise from colleagues. Moments she was recognized. She forwards them to herself and revisits them.

Because if you only measure your life by the big milestones, you’ll miss the thousands of tiny bricks that built the road.

And then she said something important especially for women of color:

We aren’t taught to talk about our accomplishments. We’re taught it’s “bragging.” We’re taught to be the support, not the spotlight.

A recruiter once told her, “You’re phenomenal… and your resume sucks,” and gave her homework: learn how to speak about what you’ve done.

Not because you’re arrogant. Because you’re accurate.

And honestly? A lot of us need that reminder.

Leadership is a leap of faith

Mari has worked in high-level environments and alongside major leaders, and one of the biggest lessons she learned was this:

At the top, you don’t always get permission.Sometimes you don’t even get a response.

You still have to move.

Leadership is acting without the stamp of approval. It’s trusting your plan and taking the leap anyway.

That hit me because so many of us wait… not for readiness, but for permission.

When she knew it was time to build for herself

Mari found her lane working with entrepreneurs and small-to-mid market businesses—because with founders, the stakes are personal. The work is relational. You’re in the weeds together. You’re not just doing marketing—you’re talking hiring, operations, customer journey, values.

She knew for a long time that this work lit her up. And she did something simple but powerful:

She said it out loud to the people who needed to hear it.

Lesson: When you find what lights you up, don’t keep it secret.

Over time, she noticed her work drifting toward bigger clients away from the people she most wanted to serve. And she made a decision: the client and the work mattered more than staying comfortable inside someone else’s structure.

So she stepped out.

The meaning behind BeGet Love

The name isn’t just branding. It’s lived experience.

Mari shared that she lost both her parents in back-to-back years when she was just 30/31. They were in their early 60s, too young. And what brought her peace was knowing they lived fully. They loved hard. They prioritized what mattered.

That shaped her worldview:

Work should feel like an extension of who you are.You should build because you care.And in a crowded world, the thing that cuts through noise is emotional connection.

Love begets love.

Redefining ambition (especially in midlife)

This was one of my favorite parts of the conversation.

Mari said her relationship with ambition changed when she realized her ambition didn’t have to look like anyone else’s.

For some people, success is private jets and luxury labels. For her? Success is time. Peace. Enough money to be stable, save, travel a bit, enjoy her life… and not work herself into the ground to prove something.

That felt like permission.

Sustainable success is a life you don’t need to escape from

Mari said something that stopped me:

If you’re obsessed with retirement, sometimes it’s because your life is draining you.

Sustainable success is designing a life where your time goes to things you love, where your work is aligned with purpose and doesn’t require you to abandon yourself.

She doesn’t want to retire. She wants to evolve.

And honestly? I get that.

Why Latinas are natural storytellers

When I asked Mari about storytelling, she gave the most culturally perfect answer:

1. Music — the songs we grew up on were narratives. Salsa, boleros, the heartbreak, the drama… whole novels in four minutes.

2. Chisme — not just gossip, but the way our families pass down history through detailed storytelling at tables and living rooms.

And she’s right. We come from story.

A small grounded move you can make this year

This is what I want you to take with you if nothing else:

Redefine what “big” means for you.

You don’t need a hundred thousand followers to build something real. You don’t need to chase someone else’s version of success. You need the right people. The right clients. The right energy.

Build for you.

The part that made both of us tear up

At the end, I asked Mari what she’s most proud of when she looks back at her younger self.

She said: learning to let go. Truly. In her body. Not internalizing what belonged to other people.

And learning to ask for help before desperation.

That’s grown-woman wisdom. The kind you only earn by living.

My reflection, as I step into my own spotlight

I’ll be honest: starting this podcast has been an act of courage for me.

Letting people hear my voice. See my face. Be visible.

For years, self-doubt and fear kept me playing small. But this conversation reminded me of something I know in my bones:

You don’t have to be anyone else to be powerful. You just have to be willing to begin.

And if you’re standing at the edge of reinvention, I hope Mari’s words meet you right where you are:

Stop listening to everyone else. Listen to yourself. Build for yourself.

Because there are as many opinions as there are people…but the only one that really matters is yours.

Watch the full interview this Sunday January 25, 2026 at 7:15 PM : https://youtu.be/ZQKKhAJgsYE

— Viv

Maribel Lara Beget Love Consulting : https://www.begetlove.com/