We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dr. Brenda Galvez. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Brenda, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Who are you learning from right now?
Right now, I’m learning from my 7-year-old daughter. Growing up as the eldest daughter of a single mother of three, I carried a strong sense of responsibility from a very young age. I wanted to make things easier for my mom, so I stepped into a caretaker role early, became independent quickly, and learned how to hustle because we didn’t have much. Responsibility, resilience, and work ethic became second nature to me. I was constantly in survival mode.
But my daughter is teaching me something I never quite learned as a child which is how to be soft, carefree, and loving without conditions. Through her, I’m reminded that it’s okay to laugh loudly, to play, to not have everything figured out. She gives me permission to be present, to embrace joy, and to experience life with a kind of freedom I didn’t always allow myself growing up.
In many ways, she’s teaching me what it truly means to be a kid again and in turn, how to parent myself with the gentleness I once reserved only for others. She teaches me how to move away from survival to living life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m one of the founders of Latina Hustle (LH), a brand and community built to disrupt systems of bias and create channels of access for the Latine community. LH was born during a time when my sister and I had stepped away from traditional 9-5 jobs that prioritized profit over people and found ourselves struggling with mental health and questioning what “success” really meant. What started as a healing outlet soon became a mission-driven platform.
Through our journey, we began to recognize how deeply words and language have been used across generations (by institutions like education, religion, and even family) to limit, program, and silence members of marginalized communities. LH exists to challenge that, by reclaiming language and redefining what it means to hustle; not as endless grind, but as legacy, healing, and empowerment. We took the word “hustle” from the capitalist definition of “grind ‘til you die” and made it into an acronym that stands for healing, unlearning, serving, thriving, leading, and empowering (H.U.S.T.L.E.).
At its core, LH is more than a brand, it’s a movement to rewrite narratives, celebrate Latinx resilience, and build pathways for future generations.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
The people who taught me the most about work were my family. They labored endlessly working twelve to fifteen hour shifts in the strawberry, onion, cabbage, watermelon, and spinach fields across California, and even traveled to Alaska when the salmon season was good. Their lesson was clear: hustle was the only way for Latinos to survive in the U.S., porque aquí nada es gratis.
From them, I learned that work meant sacrifice of dreams, of health, of time with family. Their dreams became ours, and for many years, I carried the weight of proving myself in school and workplaces where I earned less than individuals who worked half as hard. I chased the markers of “success” (degrees, a family, financial stability) even while carrying student debt and unhealed generational trauma.
But I also learned something else: that we don’t have to accept hustle as suffering. Out of their labor, and my own, I’ve built Latina Hustle, a movement to reclaim the meaning of work for Latinas in the U.S. Work for us now is about healing, unlearning, serving, thriving, leading, and empowering. That’s how we redefine hustle. Because yes, aquí nada es gratis, but our worth, our voice, and our legacy are priceless.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one kind thing to my younger self, it would be: You are already enough. You don’t have to prove your worth by overworking, overachieving, or carrying the weight of everyone’s expectations. Your voice matters, your dreams matter, and your rest matters. Trust that the path you are carving will open doors not only for you but for generations after you.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The project I am committed to, no matter how long it takes, is Latina Hustle. It’s more than a brand, it’s a mission and a vision that we strive to live every single day. All of our pieces, from hoodies to stickers, are created with messages that speak directly to our community and reflect our shared experiences. For instance, our “First-Gen Burnout” collection was designed to honor the work and sacrifices so many first-generation individuals make to set an example for their families. This work is deeply personal to us, which is why we’ve chosen to refuse outside funding for as long as possible. We don’t want external influences to pull us away from our original mission. Latina Hustle is about disrupting bias, reclaiming language, and building pathways for our community, and we are committed to carrying that forward, no matter how long the journey takes.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I know I’m out of my depth when I feel myself trying to carry everything alone. As a small business owner, there’s a temptation to believe I need to have all the answers from design to operations to community building. But I’ve learned that the real strength is in admitting when I don’t know something and leaning on others for support. For me, being “out of my depth” isn’t failure, it’s a signal to pause, ask for help, and trust the community and collaborators around me. Latina Hustle was built on the idea of collective resilience, and that includes recognizing that growth often comes from stepping into unfamiliar waters and allowing others to guide you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shoplh.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinahustle_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/latina-hustle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LatinaHustle
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@latinahustle
Image Credits
Photo credit: A30 Creative, Luis Edson Photography
