From Teen Mom to Community Builder with Karen Zaragoza

From Teen Mom to Community Builder with Karen Zaragoza

From Wine & Chisme by Jessica Yañez

April 15, 2026 · 1h 11m · Season 6 · Episode 28

About this episode

Jessica Yañez interviews Karen Zaragoza about her journey from being a teen mom to a community builder and entrepreneur.

WINES WE'RE DRINKING Aleksandrouli by Koncho & Co Red Dry Wine | 85% Aleksandrouli, 15% Mudjuretuli In this episode, Jessica sits down with Karen Zaragoza, a San Diego-born event marketing strategist, community builder, and creative entrepreneur who has built not one, but three interconnected platforms rooted in a single belief: community is the catalyst for everything. Karen shares the story behind Social Creatives, the community-first foundation that came before anything else, and how it gave birth to two focused branches: The Lead Lab, a growth and strategy resource for small businesses, and Plant Bae's, a plant-based wellness community creating space for conscious connection, love, and personal evolution. But this conversation goes beyond the business. Karen opens up about one of the most transformative chapters of her life: becoming a mother as a teenager. She reflects on how having a daughter reshaped her sense of purpose, her priorities, and ultimately the woman and leader she became. She also gets vulnerable about the turmoil she navigated growing up in her family, the lessons she carried into adulthood, and how those experiences quietly shaped her philosophy of building…

People in this episode

Host: Jessica Yañez

Guest: Karen Zaragoza

Topics covered

  • community building
  • personal growth
  • motherhood
  • entrepreneurship
  • event marketing

Keywords

  • community
  • teen mom
  • entrepreneur
  • event marketing
  • personal evolution

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Social Creatives, The Lead Lab, Plant Bae's, SD Food Bank, Petco Park, U.S. Navy

Products: Aleksandrouli by Koncho & Co Red Dry Wine

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