Lessons from Leading on the Frontlines

Lessons from Leading on the Frontlines is a blog about navigating crisis, governance, and change when there is no playbook. Grounded in lived experience at the intersection of policy, community, and power, I write about agency, breaking barriers, and redefining leadership beyond titles and ego.

This space reflects the same values that guide my work across public service, strategy, and advocacy: less performative leadership, more meaningful impact. It is a place for honest reflection, practical insight, and lessons learned while leading in complex, high-stakes environments.

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The Audacity of Showing Up
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The Audacity of Showing Up

Today, like a lot of Titis across the country, I’m looking forward to halftime—music, pride, and dancing in my sister’s sala. It’s a day to be proud out loud.

That pride exists alongside a harder truth.

Latino culture is being celebrated publicly, while Latino communities are being targeted or made vulnerable—both privately and publicly. Both realities are unfolding at the same time.

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Now More Than Ever, Leadership Isn’t About Having All the Answers
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Now More Than Ever, Leadership Isn’t About Having All the Answers

Having led frontline teams during the first Trump administration, I’ve learned that moments like this test more than policy or strategy—they test our humanity. What follows isn’t theory. It’s shaped by lived experience and by what leadership actually requires when fear, uncertainty, and collective trauma are present.

Now More Than Ever, Leadership Isn’t About Having All the Answers.

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This Is Not Business as Usual: Lessons from Leading on the Frontlines
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This Is Not Business as Usual: Lessons from Leading on the Frontlines

I’ve been sitting with this for a while.

Having led frontline teams during the first Trump administration, I’ve learned that moments like this test more than policy or strategy—they test our humanity. What follows isn’t theory. It’s shaped by lived experience and by what leadership actually requires when fear, uncertainty, and collective trauma are present.

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