Maria Melendez’s book, “Take the Limits Off Your Legacy: A Woman’s Guide to Unlock Purpose and Vision”

As you enter a new phase in your career, adding author to your title with the release of Take the Limits Off Your Legacy: A Woman’s Guide to Unlock Purpose and Vision. How do you remain grounded?

My journey keeps me grounded. I know how far I have come and how much further I have to go, and all the challenges I have faced in between. Trust me when I say that it has not been easy and sometimes we have to go through some challenges in our journey so our character can be perfected in order to fulfill our purpose. Those challenges have grounded me and I am thankful for those humbling experiences. Also, I understand that everything I have achieved is because of God’s grace. It humbles me because I know that all my accomplishments are not simply out of my own self-effort. Also, I make it my mission to be a blessing to others where I can and focus on giving instead of thinking of getting all the time. Being able to serve others keeps me grounded.

What can readers expect from your book?

I am extremely transparent about my struggles and challenges that I have had to face in order to get where I am today. I use what I have learned in my ‘mess turned to message’ to provide a framework showing women how to overcome their challenges like low self-worth, internal fears, shame, guilt and insecurities, then use that as a foundation to discover your purpose. I think that too many women put on a mask of having it all together all of the time, and I think it’s important for us to share our truth to inspire others, which is what I did – I know that we each have our own struggles and I want women to know that they are not alone and they can defeat their challenges. I also show you how birthing a vision is much like birthing a child, and how your vision goes through stages—birth and then growth—and how the culmination of all embracing the power of your story, discovering your purpose and birthing your vision can lead you into living your limitless legacy. We put so many limits on your future, our potential, our happiness, our dreams and God’s power. I want women to read this book and live in their purpose, realize their dreams and take the limits off their legacy!

How do you identity? Do you consider yourself Afro-Latina, or use another term to describe your race and/or ethnicity?

I love this question! Yes, I consider myself an Afro-Latina and a few years ago I started calling myself a ‘Blacktina.’ I consider myself a Black Latin-American woman and refuse to choose one over the other because they both identify by culture, race and ethnicity.

What is your earliest memory of identifying as Afro-Latina/’Blacktina’? How did you come to identify as such?

I think I started identifying myself as an Afro-Latina in my early teens. I used to feel like I didn’t fit in with others when it came to my cultural identity. All the Latinos in my neighborhood were mostly Puerto Rican and that was pretty much the standard of what Latinos in the country look like. But then, I started hearing my family talk about being Afro-Latins and I thought to myself, ‘Well, that makes sense!’ Once I learned the term and my cultural history of Honduras, I started calling myself Afro-Latina.

Which Latina matriarch do you most identify with and why?

There are actually two. One very close to me and another who I like to jokingly say is a ‘friend in my head.’ The first is my mom because she has such a ‘hustler’s spirit’ – even though she may not be the best English speaker, she always knows how to get things done. She is not afraid to go after what she wants and she is pretty persistent about it, which I totally get from her. She did the extraordinary by migrating to this country in order to pursue a better life and new opportunities, which I am eternally thankful for. I always felt that if she could do that then I have no choice but to take the ‘baton’ from her and run all the way to the finish line and achieve my dreams.

The other is Jennifer Lopez because she is from the Bronx and she dared to not only dream, but pursue her dreams. Our communities do not always reinforce dreaming big, or pursuing less traditional careers, so I can only imagine the challenges she has had to face to reach her iconic level. I identify with her because my hopes are to achieve a similar level of success.

Who inspires you?

There would not be an Embrace Her Legacy if there were not an Oprah Winfrey. I used to watch her show in complete awe because she inspired me so much. About 10 years ago, she hosted the Legends Ball where she had prominent women of color from this generation honor powerful women of color who were legends who had paved the way for us in music, literature, civil rights and entertainment. That was the game-changer for me as I watched in tears because I aspired to be like those legends and to honor their legacy by continuing to pave the way for other women and girls. After watching that, I was always conscious of my legacy and the impact I wanted to leave on the world; hence, the name of my company, Embrace Her Legacy.

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