What does it actually take to step into your power? Not the highlight reel version — the real, messy, deeply personal version that happens before anyone sees your success. That’s exactly what Alexis Meruelo came on the podcast to talk about. She’s a second-generation Cuban-American business leader, founder of the Business of Her national women’s conference, and author of the brand new book Getting You Ready for Power. And mi gente, this conversation went deep. We’re talking purpose, pain, mentorship, business karma, and why more women need to stop waiting until they feel ready — because you already are.
From La Pizza Loca to the Las Vegas Strip: The Immigrant Hustle That Built an Empire
Alexis didn’t just grow up around entrepreneurship — she grew up inside it. Her Cuban family built their business empire from the ground up, starting with La Pizza Loca in LA and eventually growing into the Sahara Las Vegas Casino and the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. But she’s quick to point out that the drive behind all of it wasn’t a business plan — it was survival.
“When you are forced to leave a country and make a name for yourself, there’s that immigrant mentality of I’m going to make it no matter what,” she told me on the pod. And honestly? That hits different when you’re Puerto Rican and you grew up not hearing the word ‘entrepreneur’ once in your household. The immigrant hustle is real, and it is deeply rooted.
When you don’t have any other option but to succeed, that brings out the best in people. It’s by any means necessary — because we’ve already lost everything. What else do we have to lose?
Hitting Rock Bottom in Her 20s — and Making the Best Investment of Her Life
Here’s the thing about Alexis’s story: it didn’t start with a clear vision. It started with heartbreak and burnout hitting at the same time. Rejected by the person she thought was her forever partner, and then hitting a massive wall at work — she knew something had to change.
So she did something she’d never done before: she hired a career coach. And for the first time in her life, she bet on herself.
“It’s the first time I invested money in myself. It’s the first time I said, you know what, I’m worth investing in.”
She thought her coach would hand her a five-year plan. Instead, they spent six months answering one question: What is your purpose? That work unlocked everything — including her deep commitment to getting more women into positions of power. The best money she ever spent? Investing in herself. Sound familiar, mi gente?
The biggest and the best investment you can ever make is the one you make in yourself. Because once you do that, everything changes.
Redefining Success on Your Own Terms (Yes, Even Without the Ring)
One of my favorite moments in this conversation was when Alexis talked about chapter eight of her book — defining success without a ring, without kids, without anybody else’s timeline attached to it.
By 2050, the majority of American women between 23 and 45 are projected to be single. That is not a crisis — that is a generation of women finally giving themselves permission to build lives they actually want. And Alexis is here for every bit of it.
Her advice for dealing with the Latino family opinions that will inevitably follow? Let them say it, nod, go to the other room, and come back. Their love is real. But their definition of your success is not yours to carry.
You’re the only one that knows what’s really going to make you happy. So go to the other room, let them say it — and then go back to your path.
The Mentorship Gap — and Why We Self-Reject Before We Even Ask
Here’s a stat that stopped me cold: only 37% of women who got a mentor did so by directly asking. Which means the majority of women are waiting to be discovered. And while we’re waiting? We’re telling ourselves stories about why we’re not worthy of someone’s time.
Alexis has a personal story about this. A successful Latina gave her a cell phone number and said, call me when you need support. Months passed. Her friend asked if she’d reached out. She hadn’t. Her reason? She was too busy. Too much of an empire. Why would she want to hear from me?
And then it hit her: that’s exactly why the young women she’d given her number to never called her.
She texted. Within an hour she had a meeting request. And that mentor nominated her for a major program that changed her trajectory. The lesson? You can’t say no for somebody else. Let them say it. Don’t take the opportunity away from a mentor who also receives the gift of giving.
Every woman needs at least two or three mentors in her corner — regardless of where she is in her career.
Business Karma Is Real — and the Crabs in a Barrel Mentality Will Keep You Small
Alexis coined the term “business karma” and I’m putting it on a t-shirt. The premise is simple: when you support other businesses and lift other women up, it always comes back to you. Always.
We’re taught that business is war. That you have to defeat the competition. But Alexis — and honestly, my entire experience as an entrepreneur — says otherwise. There is enough space for every single one of us to win. The crabs in a barrel mentality doesn’t protect you. It just keeps you lonely and small.
And this is exactly why women in leadership matter so much — because we’re the ones who raise our hand and ask, have we thought about how this affects our people? If we don’t say it, it doesn’t get said.
Nothing Is Ever Wasted — On Career Pivots, Reinvention, and Knowing When a Season Has Expired
I had to ask this one because I know so many of you are sitting in careers that no longer fit, feeling like you’ve invested too much time to leave. Alexis’s answer was clear:
“You always can reinvent yourself no matter how dark or no matter how many years you spent on something. All those years you spent working at that job — you learned something, you grew, you became better. Nothing is ever wasted. No time, no lessons, no growth is ever, ever, ever wasted.”
She also offered a reframe on purpose and phases: not everyone has the privilege of making their impact their full-time job right now, and that is okay. Grind in your 20s and 30s, build in your 40s, and by your 50s? You make a difference. It goes in phases. “Not yet” is not the same as never.
Business of Her: Building the Room She Wished She’d Had
In 2025, Alexis launched the Business of Her — a national women’s conference dedicated to building the next generation of female business leaders. The first event nearly sold out, brought together close to 300 women, and included 80 college students from the West Coast — many of whom had never worn a blazer, networked, or been on a plane before.
The demand was so strong they went from one event in year one to four events in year two. Because women are hungry for community. They’re hungry for rooms where they can see themselves in every seat — not just as entertainers or beauty queens, but as executives, founders, and leaders in everyday businesses.
That’s the ripple effect. That’s representation doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Getting You Ready for Power: The Three-Phase Framework
Alexis’s debut book, Getting You Ready for Power, is available now on Amazon in print and ebook. It lays out her signature three-phase framework for women ready to step into their power:
- Believe in yourself. Do the inner work. Heal. Figure out who you actually are and what you actually want — separate from everyone else’s expectations.
- Build your team. Once you know who you are, surround yourself with the people who will hold you accountable when the self-doubt creeps in. Your mentors, your community, your guardrails.
- Rise to lead. Put yourself out there — authentically, unapologetically, in your full power. Because that is how we get more women into positions of leadership.
The title itself came from a moment with her mentee. Alexis was playing with different book names when her mentee asked: what do you hope women get from reading this? She looked at her and said: we need to get more women into power. That was it. That was the book.
She is ready as she is right now. She is worthy as she is right now. All she needs to do is take that step and do it scared.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- The best investment you’ll ever make is in yourself. Before stocks, before real estate — bet on you.
- Define success on your own terms. Nobody else’s timeline, ring, or career path belongs to you.
- Your Latino family will have opinions. Let them talk — then go do your thing anyway.
- We self-reject before anyone else gets the chance. Don’t say no for a potential mentor. Send the text.
- Business karma is real. Lift others up and it always comes back.
- Nothing is ever wasted. Every year in the wrong job still made you sharper. Pivot at any age.
- Life goes in phases. Your purpose doesn’t have to be your paycheck right now.
- Believe. Build. Rise. The three-phase framework that gets you ready for power.
- You are already ready. Do it scared. Do it in baby steps. But do it.
Resources Mentioned
📖 Getting You Ready for Power by Alexis Meruelo — available on Amazon in print and ebook
Connect with Alexis
📲 Instagram: @alexismeruelo | @businessofher
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Watch on YouTube
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