Story & Lesson Highlights with Adriana Galvan of Northwest Suburbs

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Adriana Galvan. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Adriana , thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I believe others are struggling with living in their truths and what they truly want to do. I have seen to many people give up on their dreams and what they want to truly do because of their limiting beliefs or caring too much about what people say. I also know that money has to do with it, but people would rather have a steady paycheck than be creative with their income.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I would love to! I’m Adriana Galvan, the heart behind Adriana Talks Dinero. I’m a First-Gen Latina money coach dedicated to helping mujeres build confidence with dinero, without shame, fear, or judgment. My work blends practical financial education (budgeting, saving, debt payoff, and beginner investing)healing money mindset, cultura, and community.

What makes my brand special is that we don’t separate numbers from lived experience. I honor our raíces, our ancestors’ sacrifices, and the money stories many of us inherited, then I help women rewrite them with confidence and abundance. Through workshops, coaching, and content, I support First- and Second-Gen Latinas in moving from surviving to thriving, not just for themselves, but for future generations.

At Adriana Talks Dinero, money is more than math, it’s a tool for healing, freedom, and collective prosperity. I’m building a comunidad where financial education feels accessible, empowering, and deeply rooted in who we are.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship with my maternal grandmother, she treated me different than all the other grandchildren. I come from a very male chauvinistic family on my mother’s side, but my grandmother always embraced my feminist ways. From encouraging education, traveling solo and instilling in me what she wished she could have done for herself. She always said that I was the one who had to build the path for the ones after me and that I always had a gift to be different.

Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
Childlike innocence, I had a great childhood full of love and fulfilling experiences. As I got older and started finding out about the suffering that others have experienced and what happens in the world, it really shifts your mindset. I don’t want to say I have become jaded, but I am realistic in the sense of what the world is. There are days where I wish I can still be in that childlike innocent world. There is so much that I see on a daily basis in my business, that I wish that didn’t exist. such as domestic violence, trauma, family separation due to the current political state we are in, job loss and poverty. I just wish there was not so much suffering in the world.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
For me, the cultural value I protect at all costs is dignity, especially when it comes to money.

I believe our comunidad deserves financial education rooted in respect, compassion, and humanity, not shame or fear. Too many of us grew up carrying silent pressure, guilt, or responsibility around dinero, for our families, for survival, for future generations. I protect the belief that we can talk about money with honesty and softness, while still being powerful and ambitious.

Dignity means honoring our raíces and our ancestors’ sacrifices, while also giving ourselves permission to build abundance, joy, and prosperity, without apology. It’s the foundation of everything I do at Adriana Talks Dinero: teaching practical money skills while protecting our confidence, our stories, and our worth.

In short: I protect our right to build wealth without losing ourselves. From surviving to thriving, with dignity. Spanish: De sobrevivir a prosperar, con dignidad siempre.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
When I am in Mexico, especially Oaxaca. My father is from a small town in the valley of the mountains in Oaxaca. There is something magical about being able to go back to the land of your ancestors and feeling the sense of belonging I cannot get here in the United States. The language, the people, the culture, the smells, the sounds and the food is all so familiar. I am never scared, worried or angry there. It is always a sense of peace and love.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Karina Mora Prints & Shot by Jenny

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