It felt like walking into something that was always supposed to exist. On Tuesday September 15, over 100 Latinas and allies gathered at NW Natural's stunning Portland space for Latinas Shaping the Future: We Are the Revolution, co-presented by Xcelerate Women and Jefas PDX.
The evening was designed around a simple but powerful idea: Latinas in Portland are already creating change. Every single day. And revolution doesn't always look like a megaphone. Sometimes it looks like building wealth, making art, telling our stories, or simply choosing ourselves.
From the moment guests walked in to the sounds of music, light bites sponsored by NW Natural, taco cups and desserts by La Casa de Mamá, and wine pours from Gonzales Wine Co., the energy in the room was undeniable.
The night kicked off with "We Need Us All," a panel moderated by Jefas PDX co-founders (and Xcelerate Women coaches) Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda and Viridiana Ponce, featuring three Latinas creating change in completely different ways: Sylvia Salazar, political educator and content creator; Eviana Vergara, creative director and indie film producer; and Dr. Raquel Muller, psychologist and financial literacy educator.
The conversation went deep—cultural beliefs the panelists have had to overcome, the moments they knew they had to pursue this work for their community, and words of wisdom on what to do when fear shows up. The takeaway the room carried with them? Feel the fear and do it anyway.
From there, Viridiana led a fireside chat with fitness instructor Melissa Duran, who shared her story of breaking into a space where Latinas were rarely represented and how she's introducing more and more Latinas to cycling through her classes. Then Melissa got the room moving with a resistance band exercise sponsored by StarCycle, an energizing upper-body session designed to get everyone back into their bodies and ready to receive.
Miryam Valdrom, life and leadership coach and founder of the Inner Pionera™ framework, closed the evening with a keynote that left the room still. Through guided visualizations, she led attendees through the process of releasing what we've been carrying that was never ours to carry. Her message was clear: in order for us to lead and create impact, we often have to let go of the things we thought we were meant to hold onto—because those are often the very things holding us back.
The networking, the laughter, the moments of recognition between strangers who suddenly felt like family—this is what happens when you put likeminded changemakers in a room together. The energy was so great that nobody wanted to leave. The need for connection and conversations like these was obvious, and we look forward to many more events like this one.
A huge thank you to our venue and food sponsor NW Natural, to La Casa de Mamá for the incredible snacks and desserts, Gonzales Wine Co. for the wine, and Star Cycle Portland for sponsoring the resistance bands. Special thanks to Xcelerate Women’s amazing Annual Partners and to every single person who showed up — you made this night one we will never forget!
Want to stay connected with Jefas PDX? Sign up for their newsletter and follow @jefaspdx on Instagram to be the first to know what's coming next.
Browse through our photos below to relive Latinas Shaping the Future with us!
Photography by M.Martinez Photos
.png)
.svg)
.svg)