What My Father’s Mistress Taught Me About Corporate Power Struggles

In this powerful episode of Latina Mic Drop Miriam Simon shares the unexpected childhood lesson that later helped her survive workplace politics, insecure leadership, and corporate power struggles.

Growing up, Miriam didn’t spend weekends going to the zoo. She spent them visiting her father in jail. And one of the people who unknowingly shaped her leadership style was her father’s mistress, who lived down the hall from her grandparents in Apartment 15 while Miriam lived in Apartment 17.

When the mistress tried to push her out as a child, Miriam stood her ground. Years later, she realized that same moment mirrored what happened when new leadership entered her workplace and attempted to diminish her influence, visibility, and impact.

This episode dives into:

* workplace politics and corporate power struggles

* insecure leadership

* survival mode and executive presence

* hypervigilance as a leadership skill

* emotional intelligence developed through trauma

* class mobility and survivor’s guilt

* fear of outshining others

* success guilt in first-generation and Latino families