The United States’ Latino population exceeded 68 million in 2024. Their total contribution to the GDP that same year? Greater than all of Japan: $4.4 trillion.
That’s trillion, with a t.
If you lead a business or other organization – and you’re reading this article in your mother tongue – then that presents a challenge. How do you connect with such valuable consumers? And how can you better incorporate such valuable employees into your operation while you’re at it? Paying lip service to pluralism is all well and good, but how do you actually put that ideal to good use?
You hope to build an El Dorado, after all; not a Tower of Babel.
Eden Prairie resident Amalia Moreno-Damgaard has answers. The Guatemala native, 20-year veteran of the international banking industry, award-winning author of two cookbooks, media personality, cofounder of Women Entrepreneurs of Minnesota, and first Latina president of her local National Association of Women Business Owners chapter also serves as a nexus to Latino culture at large. Her signature Culture Through Cuisine™ methodology expands how leaders think, build trust, and lead across cultures.
“It was born out of my love for the purest forms of cultural ambassadorship: cooking, and storytelling,” said Amalia. “I came to some prominence by publishing Amalia’s Guatemalan Kitchen and Amalia’s Mesoamerican Table, as well as showcasing my ancestral cuisine on Fox9, Kare11, KSTP, MPR, Telemundo, Univision, and WCCO CBS Minnesota. But the longer I stayed in the limelight, the more I sensed a pressing need to educate leadership on diversity and cultural synergies.
“And now I do exactly that. By partnering with academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, professional associations, healthcare providers, and businesses – including multiple Fortune-ranked companies nationwide – I’m teaching leaders not just to embrace multiculturalism, but to thrive in it.
“Latino culture is fundamentally different from America’s. This is a country of individualists; frontiersmen and women, who have historically blazed their own trails. Conversely, Latino culture is collectivistic. It revolves around family, collaboration, and supporting one another.
“Is one of those cultures necessarily better than the other? Of course not! The world is a big, beautiful tapestry in which no thread is misplaced. That being said, they are very unalike – and after having lived in both for as long as I have, and traveling the world to broaden my views on diversity even further, I’m now here to help others bridge the gap.
“Building trust. Celebrating differences. Listening with intentionality. Adaptability, resilience, reinvention, and every other value I fostered during my banking and entrepreneurial journeys. These all inspire me as I educate leadership on practical cultural intelligence: the ability to successfully navigate diverse personal contexts in professional and everyday life.
“A large part of my work entails teaching current and future industry leaders how to truly connect with the fastest-growing consumer demographic in the United States. That goes beyond simply mirroring Latino culture. It requires genuine understanding of it, which can only be gained through curiosity, celebration, and close proximity. Businesses and other organizations that succeed at this gain an incalculable advantage in their respective sectors. Latinos not just see our reflection in their products, commercials, and other media. We’ll perceive them as authentic expressions of our values.
“I also help leaders forge closer understanding between themselves and their Latino team members. We explore commonalities between our two cultures, and identify the subtle nuances that make Latin America unique. It’s all in service of creating happier employees – regardless of where they hail from – as well as attracting the diverse talent that brings about real innovation.
“I strive to be more than a liaison to Latino culture. I hope to serve as a nexus: a link between two worlds that are rapidly fastening together, who familiarizes people with concepts that may seem outright alien without some interpretation. Whether you seek my partnership in media and branding, my experience developing food and beverage brands, my expertise as an executive advisor, my talents as a global keynote speaker, or a virtual or in-person experience in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I’ll show you that the old adage is true. We truly are stronger together!”
Visit AmaliaLLC.com or call (952) 270-4543 to learn more.
"I’m teaching leaders not just to embrace multiculturalism, but to thrive in it."