Pam Covarrubias became the coach her immigrant mom needed. Pam is a Coach, Speaker, Podcaster, and Recovering Procrastinator.

Grounded in liberation principles, she employs trauma-informed practices that nurture her clients’ nervous systems. Rejecting the damages of Calladita Culture®, Pam embraces her voice to eradicate its impact by advocating against silencing and submission in first-generation women and femmes in the US so that they can embrace their most authentic and unapologetic version of themselves. As Pam calls it, so they can step into their Main Character Energy.

As the host of the globally acclaimed podcast, Cafe con Pam, she shares candid, thought-provoking insights from diverse voices, offering a valuable resource for those seeking business success and community-driven positive change.

You’ve built a successful coaching practice, but you started in corporate. Tell us about that transition.

I spent a long time in corporate because my family – especially my grandparents – were very focused on the “safe and cushy” path. But that work felt limiting. I saw problems I wanted to dig into, but I’d be told that “they weren’t my job to fix.” I realized that the corporate structure wouldn’t allow me to work holistically – it was too rigid.

I’ve always been a person who had side hustles – even during my full time work – but I didn’t see myself as an entrepreneur at first. My parents were entrepreneurs, and while I was incredibly proud of their work: I also saw the cost. I saw my parents bring their work home. I saw their businesses grow and fail. So for a while, I stayed at my corporate job. I was still married to the security it offered.

But after a while I reached my point of no return, and a contractor friend encouraged me to “get an EIN and make your side hustles official.” She gave me the confidence and know-how to make the leap into the freelance world – I just had to decide that corporate life was behind me.

What was your first entrepreneurial venture?

I’m a designer and marketer, which was a huge part of my early entrepreneurial journey. Before I went “official,” I had side hustles designing various digital assets. Right at the beginning of the bullet journaling trend, I made a planner. I did productivity templates. Eventually, I became the creative director of my own agency where I did brand strategy for clients. As I expanded my team at the agency, I had to move the actual designing to team members. And I realized that I didn’t actually miss it! I was still talking with clients, understanding their goals, and helping them uncover new ways to achieve them. A business coach of mine changed my mindset completely by telling me, “You’re actually a coach! Go do THAT.” She was absolutely right. I ended up becoming like my dad – getting my degree to satisfy my grandfather, but then going into a creative field instead.

How did you discover your calling as a life coach?

Back at my corporate job, my boss had extra coaching sessions available to our team. I used some of the sessions, and realized they were really helpful for me. My confidence grew, and I started to understand my personal patterns better. I had this new vocabulary for understanding myself, and knew I could help others find it too. I also realized I was becoming the coach my mom needed. She ran this incredible ceramics factory and business in Mexico City, but the business eventually failed due to mismanagement. She had a fractured relationship with money, and was too quick to put others’ needs first. She hired family and friends, and eventually drove the business to close. I knew I could use my gifts to help other women heal those wounds to become fully realized people, and business owners.

Can you share a client success story you’re particularly proud of?

One of my first clients was a mutual friend — we reconnected at a memorial service for the friend who originally connected us. She came to me wanting to make more, and go from W2 to self-employment. I helped her build her business plan and open her doors. Together, we increased her from $80K to $600K in a year! That improvement wasn’t because we put “business plan” into a Word Document. We really collaborated to dig deep into her personal and work lives. We had to peel back all the layers of who she was to help her build a business that felt true to her, and was sustainable for the long run. That’s really what makes my coaching different – it’s all about building from the person towards the goal. You can’t do the reverse!

What makes your approach effective?

I keep my clients for a long time – sometimes 5 years or more. Again, I partner with my clients to investigate who they are and why they are the way they are. Together, we explore the intricacies of their mind and get curious.. What about their patterns, beliefs, or systems is keeping them from reaching a goal?

A lot of times, answering those questions involves inner child work. It informs everything else. You realize you’re often carrying someone else’s inner child experience — family patterns, cultural expectations. My training involves a couple of Life Coaching Certifications, I’m a Clinical EFT Practitioner and I’m also trained on Matrix Reimprinting which allows us to explore the subconscious mind. We could say that my work combines mind, body (somatics), and soul alignment. In my own case, I was holding my grandparents’ fears of insecurity without realizing it.

I know my approach is working when a client walks away realizing that their initial goal isn’t what they wanted. One client came to me wanting to work on buying a house and finding a husband. But in the process of unpacking her desires and dreams, we discovered that she was really looking for a sense of self-assurance and security. She had been internalizing a social script instead of listening to her own intuition. That’s a real success story to me.

You talk about “Calladita Culture.” Can you explain what that means?

In Latino culture, there’s a saying given to women: “You look prettier when you’re quiet.” “Calladita Culture” is just a bit of that phrase, but has become my shorthand for the culture it represents. Societal and religious expectations put so much pressure on Latina women! You get compared to the Virgin Mary constantly. “Calladita Culture” is that internalized societal voice that keeps you overworked, overworked, and underpaid. I see this especially with the eldest daughter, first-generation, Latina archetype — women who are the first in their family to do something significant. Naming this force for what it is – a tool of silence – is so important for pushing back and reclaiming the energy it takes from us.

What are the common patterns you see in your clients?

I work with mostly women, and over my years coaching I’ve identified what I call the “5 Wounds” that most come in with. They tend to be issues around Silence, Worth, Power, Commitment, and Identity – all issues that stem from “Calladita Culture.” The overarching trend I’m seeing is that people are looking to reclaim who they are and decondition themselves from the various social scripts that dictate what it means to be a “good girl” and to have a “good life.” At the end of the day, they’re healing their inner child.

How has running your own business changed you personally?

It’s meant everything for my personal growth. I often tell people: “If you want to work on all your inner wounds, start a business.” I get to meet incredible clients, and lean on other women building amazing businesses. I work with a fantastic LGBTQIA+ friendly woman accountant, I’ve worked with women business coaches who have helped me grow and leave old beliefs behind. I’ve also gotten to know myself better – what I love doing in my work, and what fuels me. One thing I know I hate is taxes and bookkeeping – which is why I found my accountant. She told me to try Wave since it was a simpler, and more accessible way to understand bookkeeping and accounting. I’ve used it ever since, and have even recommended them to my clients! At the end of the day, it’s all about reinvesting in the tasks and relationships that fuel you. In advising my clients, I’ve been able to practice that myself. It’s been incredibly fulfilling.

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