David “Big Papi" Ortiz’s New Game: Philanthropy, Rum, and Redefining Success
Release Date: 06/18/2025
Raíces: Root, Remember, and Reclaiming with Sylvia Banderas Coffinet
The Latino Majority
What does it mean to truly belong? In this powerful episode of The Latino Majority, Sylvia Banderas Coffinet shares a deeply personal journey shaped by identity, resilience, and the pursuit of belonging. Born in Guadalajara and raised in a mixed-status immigrant family in East Los Angeles, Sylvia reflects on growing up undocumented and the profound impact that experience had on how she sees herself—and the world around her. As a child, she encountered exclusion in its most painful form, particularly during the era of anti-immigrant legislation in California. But rather than internalize those...
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From Olympic Dreams to the Voice of Global Football: Passion, Pressure, and Purpose with Fernando Palomo
The Latino Majority
What does it take to turn curiosity into a career that reaches millions? In this episode of The Latino Majority, Fernando Palomo shares his journey from a young boy in El Salvador, waking up early to watch Olympic documentaries, to becoming one of the most recognizable voices in global football. Long before the broadcasts and stadiums, there was a deep obsession with understanding sports, collecting newspaper clippings, reading everything he could find, and dreaming of becoming an Olympian. When that dream fell short, a new path revealed itself. At just 15 years old, Fernando knocked...
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From El Paso to Vogue: Redefining Beauty, Power, and Latinidad
The Latino Majority
What does it mean to be seen—not as a trend, but as truth? In this powerful episode of The Latino Majority, Karla Martínez de Salas—Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Mexico and Latin America—shares her journey from El Paso to the highest levels of global fashion media. Raised in a bicultural environment where identity was fluid but not always fully understood, Karla didn’t fully confront what it meant to belong until she stepped into elite spaces where she was often the outsider. From cold-calling internships in the late ’90s to navigating the cultural codes of New York, Paris, and beyond,...
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The Nod: Identity, Power, and the Latino Majority with Audrey Ponzio
The Latino Majority
What does it mean to truly be seen? In this powerful episode of The Latino Majority, Audrey Ponzio—founding partner of APC Collective—shares a deeply personal journey from El Paso to the highest levels of corporate communications. Raised in a community where identity was simply lived, not questioned, Audrey didn’t fully confront what it meant to be Latina until she left home and entered spaces where she was suddenly “othered.” From being the only multicultural voice in the room to navigating tokenization, microaggressions, and the weight of representation, Audrey opens up about the...
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The Power of “We”: Leadership, Identity, and Making Sport Accessible to All with Adriana Peon
The Latino Majority
What happens when a young girl in Mexico City refuses to accept that soccer “isn’t for girls”? For Adriana Peñón, that early challenge became the foundation for a lifetime of leadership. Today, as CEO of Decathlon Americas, Adriana oversees markets across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia — but the fire that drives her began long before the boardroom. It began on the field, asking a simple question: Why not me? Raised between Mexico and the United States, Adriana learned early that identity is fluid. In Mexico, her Latina identity blended into the...
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Storytelling as Survival: Fear, Identity, and the Power of Love with Eduardo Placer
The Latino Majority
For Eduardo Placer, the story starts at home. Raised in a Cuban household shaped by exile, education, and resilience, he learned early that how much you know is how much you’re worth. Knowledge was currency. Self-awareness was survival. He spent fifteen years as a professional actor before founding Fearless Communicators. Today, he coaches presidential candidates and Fortune 500 leaders, helping them find the narratives that define their leadership. He calls himself a “story doula.” The work turned deeply personal during a night stranded alone on a Colorado mountain in a blizzard. With...
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"Hello, My Friend": Leadership, Identity, and Financial Power with BlackRock's Oscar Pulido
The Latino Majority
For Oscar Pulido, the story begins in Queens. Raised as a first-generation Colombian American, he grew up watching his parents navigate sacrifice, immigration, and opportunity—lessons that would quietly shape how he leads today. Long before becoming a Managing Director at BlackRock or the host of The Bid, Pulido learned the value of humility, bilingualism, and earning trust in rooms where you may not always feel like you belong. Those early experiences became professional superpowers. As his career advanced, Pulido discovered that leadership in modern finance isn't defined by...
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Mario Carrasco Dives into the Impact of Immigration Raids to Provide Data-Driven Insights
The Latino Majority
Since 2011, Mario Carrasco has built a successful cultural insights agency alongside his cofounder Roy Eduardo Kokoyachuk: ThinkNow. Carrasco and the agency partner with influential brands and government institutions to pull back the curtain on what shapes consumer behavior using data—particularly Hispanic and Latino consumers. ThinkNow has produced a multitude of research since its founding, including Carrasco’s work on the Hispanic Millennial Project and We are GenZ studies. The agency established itself at the forefront of data-driven insights. As 2025 comes to a close, ThinkNow and...
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Andrés Acebo Ascends to Serve His Hometown Community
The Latino Majority
The first-generation son of Cuban immigrants. The first in his family to earn college degrees, a bachelor’s degree at Brown University and then a JD from Rutgers Law School. Andrés Acebo could have gone on to bigger and greater opportunities in new cities, new countries. But he chose to return to the New Jersey community where he grew up, where he serves as the youngest university president in the state. His lived experience empowers his service to the students of New Jersey City University, which he’s successfully brought from fiscal emergency to positive recovery. It’s a privilege...
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Inside the Mind of a Billion-Dollar Builder: Fernando De Leon’s Story
The Latino Majority
Fernando De Leon counts himself as one of the luckiest guys in the world. The Mexican American billionaire grew up in Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Mexico, graduated cum laude from Harvard, and began his career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs before launching Leon Capital Group. The humble real estate company in Texas has grown into a powerhouse with businesses across financial services, healthcare, and real estate. Along the way, De Leon hit billionaire status and receiving a self-made score of 10 from Forbes—putting him in the ranks with twenty other people with the same score,...
info_outlineEveryone knows famed Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz as Big Papi.
He made a name for himself in the batter’s box as a designated hitter, winning seven Silver Slugger awards, joining the 500 Home Run Club, and helping the Red Sox break its 86-year World Series drought—and win two more World Series before his retirement in 2016.
But his work didn’t end when he stepped off the field for the final time. Big Papi transformed into a philanthropist and entrepreneur, drawing on his dedication for family, community, and the Dominican Republic.
His foundation, the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, helps provide critical pediatric services to children in New England and the Dominican Republic. And his latest entrepreneurial venture, Ozama Rum, is crafted entirely in his home country, from sugar cane to bottle.
It all comes down to dedication, hard work, and proving people wrong.