In today’s episode of the Authority Builder Podcast, Charlotte is joined by Mariela De La Mora, a marketing, mindset and leadership coach who helps women of colour become “in-demand sort leaders” who earn more by being who they are, just louder.

Mariela has been featured in Yahoo Finance and NerdWallet, has led training for QuickBooks, General Assembly and Northwestern University, and has worked with leaders around the world, including the United Nations.

As the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants who left a 16-year marketing career, she’s monetised not only her skills, but her story, building a million-dollar business as a single mother.

This conversation is all about the real work of authority: identity, leadership, storytelling, and building credibility without burning yourself out.

Leadership before business: why identity comes first

Mariela’s intro line is “leadership before business” and she means it literally.

For her, leadership is less about what you’re doing on paper and more about who you’re becoming while you build.

It’s the same principle many people learn in corporate environments: you often need to act like a leader before you’re given the leadership role. You build the behaviours, standards and self-trust first, and the results follow.

Charlotte relates, adding that a helpful lens is to ask:

Would the version of me who’s already achieved this goal be stuck fiddling with these details?

That question quickly reveals the habits that keep you in “doer mode” rather than stepping into leadership.

Getting out of your own way (without “faking it”)

One of the key points Mariela makes is that leadership isn’t about pretending.

It’s about spotting where you’re getting in your own way.

Often, achieving your goals isn’t about piling on more tasks.

It’s about stopping the behaviours that weigh you down:

• Over-iterating instead of shipping
• Second-guessing yourself constantly
• Speaking to yourself in ways you’d never speak to a client

Or, as Mariela puts it, it’s like cutting ties with a bunch of bricks you’ve been dragging behind you.

How lived experience becomes thought leadership

Charlotte asks how Mariela helps daughters of immigrants and women of colour translate identity into thought leadership.

Mariela approaches it through a marketing lens:

Every market has gaps. Even crowded ones.

There may be hundreds of people with the same job title or similar offers, but there are always unmet needs. People are often trying solutions that don’t fully get them the outcome they want.

Your lived experience helps you see:

• What others overlook
• What people are frustrated by (but can’t name)
• What a “better way” looks like for a specific group

And that’s where story becomes a competitive advantage.

Storytelling that sells (not just inspires)

Mariela teaches storytelling as more than relatability.

It’s also positioning.

When you tell a story that ends with some version of:

“And that’s why I do what I do now, and why I serve clients this way…”

…you’re not just sharing your journey.

You’re making a clear case for your work and why you deliver it differently.

Stories are memorable, emotionally resonant, and “sticky”, which makes them easier to buy into.

It’s why most TED Talks begin with a personal story.

And it’s especially powerful early in business, when you may not yet have:

• loads of testimonials
• a long track record of results
• case studies that prove the method

In the beginning, your story can be your credibility.

How to land podcasts and stages without pitching everywhere

Charlotte asks about Mariela’s playbook for third-party credibility (podcasts, teaching, invite-only stages) without exhausting outreach.

Mariela’s take is simple:

If you want to be invited, you need to already be doing the thing.

Hosts and organisers are looking to fill a need for their audience.

They want someone who can:

• offer a distinct perspective
• teach clearly
• hold themselves well in conversation

So you need to be visible somewhere first, especially through content and storytelling.

Another strategy that helped Mariela early on: collaborations.

Instead of waiting for an invitation, she reached out to people she respected and proposed a conversation topic that would serve both audiences.

The key: make it an easy yes.

Bring a clear proposal, do the thinking upfront, and make the collaboration mutually valuable.

Outreach that works: “Solve a problem in their business”

Charlotte shares a strong point from her experience as a marketing director: most pitches are weak because they don’t do research.

The best pitches don’t just introduce a person.

They present a proposal that solves a problem.

Mariela agrees and adds that many people overcomplicate it.

When you lead with service, you stand out immediately.

And it applies beyond pitching:

• sales
• content
• visibility
• relationship building

The question Mariela carried early on was:

How can I help someone with what I know today?

Even if you’re still learning, you can share what you’re noticing, what you’ve tried, and what’s working.

Beta offers, creativity, and why “fun” is a business strategy

A standout part of this conversation is the idea that some people join programmes not only for the outcome, but to be close to the creator’s thinking.

Charlotte explains that she often chooses mentors because she’s fascinated by:

• their decision-making
• their systems
• how they build and iterate

Mariela shares that she’s currently in a season of experimentation again, launching a storytelling offer after not creating something new for years.

And it reminded her how much she needs creativity to stay alive in business.

She describes falling back in love with her business by treating it like an experiment:

• trying new content formats
• testing ideas quickly
• letting results be data, not drama

She even mentions growing by around 1,000 followers in a week from experimenting, not because it immediately changed revenue, but because it brought back momentum and joy.

For her, “fun” might be the word for 2026.

Premium positioning: why high-ticket felt natural

Mariela built a high-ticket, depth-over-volume model.

Her view on premium pricing is rooted in specificity.

High-ticket offers tend to work best when you deeply understand a very particular type of person, especially in ways most people can’t easily relate to.

In her case, that meant speaking to high-achieving women, often with corporate backgrounds, who felt confident in many areas but found visibility and voice complicated because of lived experience.

When your content makes someone feel seen at that level, it increases resonance.

And resonance supports premium pricing.

Authority assets vs daily content: building beyond the algorithm

Charlotte asks how Mariela balances near-term demand generation with long-term authority building.

Mariela points out that relying only on social media isn’t stable.

So you need a strategy that brings attention into something you own.

For her, two big shifts matter:

• Top-of-funnel content for people who aren’t yet fully problem-aware
• Email list growth so demand isn’t dictated by algorithms or other platforms

Mariela describes content as a Venn diagram:

Social helps with attention, audience building, trust and positioning.

Email deepens trust, continues positioning, and supports sales in a quieter space.

She also highlights a reality many founders underestimate:

High-ticket buying cycles are often longer than you want them to be.

Email nurtures that relationship over time.

Telegram coaching: thought partnership, on demand

Charlotte asks about Mariela’s Telegram coaching model: month-to-month voice note coaching.

Mariela explains it works best for people who want asynchronous thought partnership rather than heavy execution support.

It’s for founders who:

• need help making decisions in real time
• are navigating a pivot or messy season
• want a private coaching space without scheduling more calls

The async format gives clients momentum.

And it gives Mariela space to respond thoughtfully, rather than rushing answers on live calls.

“Slow with my yeses”: boundaries, burnout, and capacity

Mariela shares the phrase Charlotte noted from their previous chat: “slow with my yeses.”

It came from moving through burnout and protecting the energetic space she’d fought to regain.

Every “yes” costs something: time, attention, energy, mental load.

So she became more intentional:

• Will this replenish me?
• Will this serve my business in this season?
• Do I have the capacity for what comes after the yes?

She describes it like an energetic bank balance.

If you’re low, even “good” opportunities can feel expensive.

Where to find Mariela

Mariela shares that she’s currently talking a lot about storytelling and how to connect your story to your service in a way that generates leads.

You can find her on:

• Instagram(for stories, business, and behind-the-scenes life)
• Her podcast: Cycle Breakers and Money Makers

Listen to the full episode

If you want the full, richer conversation (including the nuance you only get by listening), tune into the episode on Buzzsprout:

Listen to “Build Authority Through Storytelling With Mariela De La Mora” on Buzzsprout

And if you’re building authority right now, take one idea from this episode and put it into motion this week: tell a story that positions what you do, not just who you are.