Welcome to First to Thrive, the podcast dedicated to exploring the unique journeys of 1st and 2nd generation individuals. Hosted by culturally-informed speaker and leadership coach Nicole Cruz, each episode delves into the challenges and triumphs of navigating life beyond survival mode.
Let's be honest, being the First in your family to challenge the status quo is difficult. But just because you're the first, doesn't mean you're alone. You are part of a large and growing community of other trailblazers who are creating lives beyond their ancestors' wildest dreams.
Join us as we provide actionable strategies and inspirational stories to help you become the First in your family to truly thrive. From navigating cultural identity and intergenerational expectations to achieving personal and professional success, First to Thrive is your supportive guide. Subscribe now and start thriving today!
Ep 111: A Reintroduction — Who I Am, What I Do, and Why I Do It
Episode Summary
After a meaningful pause, Nicole Cruz is back — and she's brought her whole story with her. In this reintroduction episode, Nicole shares the arc that led her from a decade in corporate America to building a coaching practice rooted in cultural wisdom, lived experience, and one defining question: what does it actually mean to be fully alive?
If you've ever arrived at the destination you worked your whole life toward — and felt something was still missing — this episode is for you.
What We Cover
Why Nicole stepped away from the podcast (hint: she became a mom 🍼)
Growing up as the daughter of Filipino immigrants and the unspoken "script" that came with it
Over 10 years in corporate — sales, marketing, and CSR at a major healthcare company — and what it cost her to succeed there
The moment of clarity that made staying impossible
Leaving her six-figure career, traveling the world for a year, and what she found on the other side
How she discovered coaching — and why it felt like coming home
Why she specifically serves women of color and first and second-generation leaders
The role of culture, conditioning, and white supremacy in the work she does with clients
How becoming a mother has deepened the meaning of this work
Key Quotes
"Once you know, and once you feel, and once you see it — you can't unsee it. You can't unfeel it. You can't unknow it."
"It was the first time in my life I really experienced pure joy, euphoria. This is what living feels like. This is what it feels like to be fully alive."
"The script didn't include — okay, what do you do once you get there? When there doesn't feel the way you thought it would."
"The soft skills I thought weren't as valuable were actually the ones that really lend themselves to this work."
"This work is contributing to the world I want my daughter to grow up in."
About Nicole
Nicole Cruz is a leadership and life coach, TEDx speaker, and mama. She works with women of color and first and second-generation leaders who have mastered achievement but are missing fulfillment. With nearly eight years of experience in culturally-informed coaching, Nicole helps her clients get radically honest about what they want now — and reorient their lives around that vision.
Connect with Nicole
Instagram: @nicolecruzcoaching
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolecruzmba/
Email: nicole@nicolecruzcoaching.com
Explore 1:1 coaching: DM Nicole on Instagram or send her an email
If This Episode Resonated With You
If you heard yourself somewhere in Nicole's story — in the immigrant household, in being the only person of color in the room, in arriving and still feeling like something's missing — you're in the right place.
And if you're sitting with a voice asking is this it? is there more? — that voice is worth listening to.
Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
6 Oct 2025
Ep 110: Creating What Doesn’t Exist as a 1st Gen (with Kristelle Siarza)
Filipina entrepreneur Kristelle Siarza joins Nicole to talk about building what doesn’t exist yet—first with Siarza, a full-service marketing/PR/video agency, and then with the Asian Business Collaborative (ABC), a nonprofit offering, education, language access, and advocacy for Asian-owned businesses.
They dig into:
Outcomes > outputs: moving beyond vanity metrics to community trust and lasting impact
Culture as strategy: letting family, fun, and belonging guide clients, campaigns, and team norms
Support systems: why nobody truly does it alone (and how to build your circle)
Permission to be multifaceted: owner, mom, advocate…and hot-air-balloon student pilot
You’ll learn: how to choose values-aligned work, design case studies that show change (not just numbers), and use “aliveness” as a decision filter.
If this episode helped you rethink metrics or leadership, share it with a friend—and join Nicole’s list for more culturally-informed tools for first & second gen leaders.
Links:
Siarza — https://www.siarza.com/
Asian Business Collaborative — https://asianpibc.org/
Connect with Kristelle — https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristellesiarza/
Connect with Nicole — https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolecruzmba/
20 Jul 2025
Ep 108: A Personal Update: Life has been LIFE-ing (I’m pregnant!)
In this heartfelt episode, Nicole Cruz shares her personal journey of pregnancy, including the challenges and emotions she faced after experiencing a pregnancy loss. She discusses the importance of support, the decision to become a mother, and how she is navigating the changes in her life and career as she prepares for motherhood. She reflects on what it means to say a full “yes” to motherhood—not just to the joy, but also to the loss of freedom, the identity shift, and the unknowns ahead.
You’ll also hear:
How a kind ultrasound tech changed her mindset with one powerful sentence
The emotional toll of navigating pregnancy after loss
The decision to move back to the Bay Area to be near family
How this new season is reshaping her business and creative work
Nicole also shares a sneak peek: she’ll be making previously client-only workshops and resources available to the public before going on maternity leave.
If you're navigating your own conception or identity journey, Nicole wants to connect with you! DM her on IG @nicolecruzcoaching or via email at nicole@nicolecruzcoaching.com.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
19 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
29 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
82
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
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