How Saying Yes Before You're Ready Can Change Everything | Britney Martínez Velarde

Today, Victoria sits down with Britney Martínez Velarde, a Google and YouTube professional, content creator, and first-generation Latina whose journey is a testament to the power of confidence, curiosity, and saying yes before you feel fully ready.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Britney dreamed of becoming a YouTuber like so many kids her age. Years later, she found herself working at YouTube, helping advertisers grow while simultaneously building her own personal brand. As a first-generation Latina, first-time homeowner in her twenties, and one of the few people who turned a childhood dream of becoming a YouTuber into a career at YouTube itself, Britney's story is a reminder that representation matters—and that possibility expands when we can see ourselves in the paths others have walked before us.

In this conversation, Britney shares how a single LinkedIn message changed the trajectory of her career, ultimately leading to a Google internship and a full-time role at one of the world's most influential technology companies. She opens up about navigating life as the first in her family to pursue opportunities beyond what she had seen growing up, building confidence in unfamiliar rooms, and learning to create opportunities rather than waiting for them to appear.

Together, Victoria and Britney explore what it means to build a multidimensional life in a world that often encourages people to fit into a single box. From moving across cities and cultures—from Los Angeles to San Francisco and now New York City—to balancing a corporate career with content creation, dance, community building, and personal growth, Britney reveals how embracing curiosity and side quests has shaped both her career and identity.

They discuss emotional intelligence, authenticity, networking, creativity, and the importance of building a life that extends beyond a job title. Britney also shares the unexpected story of becoming part of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance after applying for an opportunity she initially believed she wasn't qualified for—a powerful reminder that some of life's most memorable experiences begin when we stop disqualifying ourselves before others have the chance to.

As AI transforms the way we work and create, Britney reflects on what remains uniquely human: connection, courage, authenticity, and the willingness to be seen.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• How to Build Confidence Before You Feel Ready
• How Networking Can Change the Course of Your Career
• How to Create Opportunities by Saying Yes
• How to Build a Personal Brand with Authenticity
• How to Develop Emotional Intelligence at Work
• How to Create an Identity Beyond Your Job Title
• How to Overcome the Fear of Being Seen
• How to Stay Human in the Age of AI
• How to Turn Side Projects into Meaningful Growth
• How Community Accelerates Personal and Professional Success
• How Representation Creates New Possibilities for Others
• How to Trust Yourself Before You Feel Qualified

The most transformative opportunities rarely arrive when we feel completely prepared. They appear when we're willing to take the first step, trust ourselves, and believe that what feels impossible today may become tomorrow's reality.

Namaste,

Victoria Rozanska

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Human Presence, the conversation about multidimensional aspects of human beings. Today I'm with my dear friend Brittany. Hi. And we're gonna discuss interesting topics about her personality. Brittany works at Google. That's how we actually met, mutual friend at Google. Yeah. And uh she's also a content creator, aka content economist. The rebrand. The rebrand. Yes. I feel Brittany is such an interesting personality, and we are experiencing the same thing, which is moving to New York from San Francisco. Yeah. So if you could just give us a little bit of background around your career, your life actually, and what brought you here to New York.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Yes, well, thank you so much, Victoria, for having me. I'm so excited for your podcast. My name is Brittany and I'm from Los Angeles. I was born and raised out there near the 562 Long Beach area. I went to UCLA and I got to intern at Google in 2022. So I've been at Google for about four years now, and I just actually switched to the YouTube market. So I'm really excited to be working with our mid-market advertisers. Outside of work, like Victoria mentioned, I'm a content creator, content economist, as I like to say. But y'all can also find me doing a bunch of side quests. I know we have a couple of things we'll talk about later today, but I love to do random, really weird things. It'll make more sense in a bit. But side quests are really fun for me, and it's something that I really enjoy doing. So a little bit about me. Yeah. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

I love that. I love the fact that you have like so many other things you are interested about, and then you can compress it in one, which is like super, super inspiring. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

I know there's a bunch of projects happening, and we'll be talking about this back and forth, but the energy, the mind, like there's so many things to do, especially now that we're in New York together. So truly the best place to be for creativity.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

100%. And how does it feel for you like being being born and raised in LA, then moving to San Francisco, then right now moving to New York? Like, what kind of main differences do you see in those cities?

SPEAKER_01 1:58

It's a great question. Uh, I am an LA girl through and through. I truly think LA is one of the best cities, one of the best cities in the world. I'm so grateful that I got to be born and raised there. I think LA has the beach and it's very rooted in wellness. You're probably going home around 11 p.m. in like the best way. Like, I truly think I have such a good time in LA and the people and the food are so good, also. Going to San Francisco, I moved during COVID time. And so I feel like it was a little hit or miss at first. That being said, the community I built there, I think we talked about this as well. The community of friends and the network that I built in that city are truly like the best things in the world. Like, truly, like the people that I got to meet that advocate for me on a daily basis, even moving here, it was so easy because I that city of San Francisco gave me such incredible people. But also very rooted in wellness and you're home by like 8 p.m. Even and then I came to New York, and New York, I feel like I live five lives in a day. Like I'm consistently like going, like we're doing this after work. Like I'm gonna I have a dinner plan after this, also. Like, I truly think it's such a great city to be creative, lock in on work, on your other goals, because you honestly don't sleep a lot here. You really don't.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

No, you don't have time for sleep.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

No, you really don't. And somehow I have energy though, and I feel like that is the beautiful part about the city is that there's just so many people doing so many things that there's just such a there's such an incredible energy that I think I've only ever been able to find in the city.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

And what would you uh say about differences working in Silicon Valley in tech versus working in New York in tech?

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Very, very good question. I think like high level, the hours are different. So, like, I'm gonna just give you a very tactical like explanation. In the Bay, I feel like you're in the office by like 8 30, 9, and you're home by like 3:30, 4. Whereas here I feel like in New York you're working from like maybe 9 30 to like 6 p.m. Like I truly feel like it's like a big difference because you're working more here. I don't know what it is, my friends and I always talk about it. Why do you work more in New York? Yeah, on the other hand though, I do think that it's interesting to be in this in Silicon Valley because everyone there worked in tech. Like I feel like a lot of our friends, yes, it was really a check bubble. No matter all my neighbors somehow were connected to tech. They worked at a tech company, whatever it was, restaurants. Neighbors neighbors in my building. In the building?

SPEAKER_00 4:19

In my building, they all had some sort of like and like Oh my god, my neighbor was also working at Google, actually. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Like, I feel like it was such a bubble. And here in New York, I feel like that's true, you get to meet people from such different backgrounds. Uh, don't just work in corporate, that are also trying to be on Broadway, that are like actors. Uh I don't know. I just think there's so many more people here, therefore you meet such different industries, also.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

No, that's such a good point, actually. Yeah, like I feel I was also in Dublin before, and that was such a tech bubble. Then moving to San Francisco again, same tech bubble. Yeah, and now it's like wow, like I can do anything and I can become any anyone here because there's so many possibilities. So I love that. I would love to also talk with you about the content creation and what you actually like try you are like building right now. What prompts you that to explore this topic also?

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Yes, okay, so great question. So I've been trying to be I feel like I grew up wanting to be a YouTuber. Like I feel like every kid has And now you work at YouTube. Oh my gosh, like so it's just a full circle moment, like it's such an amazing product to be on. I'm so grateful for the opportunity. But for years I watched videos on YouTube, and so I was always inspired to do it, but I never did it. And I think in San Francisco I had extra time, so I decided to just put some content out there, and I did really well. I think I had a couple of videos that went viral and it was awesome, but I didn't quite build a personal brand. And then I had a lovely friend come to New York, and I think that I felt super motivated to not just post with the intent to go viral. It was instead to have an intent to build an actual brand, and I think that that was truly the unlock. Um that brand I hope is I'm Latina, I'm first gen. I was the first in my family to like leave Los Angeles, first of my family to go straight to college, like a university. I'm also a first-time homeowner, and so these are all just like lots of firsts for me, and I know that I'm not the first of many, I'm the first of many. Yeah, and so I want to encourage other people to just have some sort of playbook, and so that's what my content is really rooted in.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

That's such like spot on. Like you have so many like good insights which you can pack in like one thing, and then like you can just share that. What is like your mission, like from your like bottom of your heart when you're like talking to Latinas or like the future people in tech or like the inspiring people to also build 12 in an early age and you building your career in your early 20s? Like, yeah, what kind of mission you have like coming from your heart? Oh my god, such a sweet question.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

I think I never I go by this like saying that's like be the role model you needed when you were younger. And I think that that is something that I've carried with me my whole life. I had my set of role models and I'm so grateful for them. I also want to give back and be able to show sometimes you gotta just believe it, it's real.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

And so for me, like being Latina at a company like this, it was not something that I thought was even possible until I met someone at Google who actually referred me to the intern at Google. And it's all about meeting people, right? And just seeing like what is really possible. And I think that's what I want my content to show is that like it's also possible for you. It just takes some extra work to get there, but it's definitely something that you can do.

SPEAKER_00 7:26

And that was like you getting into Google was through networking and meeting the right people, right? Exactly. So, what kind of advice would you give to aspiring Gen Z uh audience who would like to also join tech?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Yes, good question. So I think there's two things that come to mind. The first is to not be afraid to reach out. I I've been to like a lot of panels where people will be like, oh, I can reach out, like, feel free to reach out. I used to never reach out, and then randomly um I ended up uh getting into a coffee chat. I reached out for a coffee chat to a person that worked at Google. She responded and was like, that let's talk. Oh wow. She ended up liking me so much that I went home with the referral. And I feel like that is truly like the difference. And I literally found her by looking on LinkedIn. I looked for Latinas who worked at Google. At that point, there were it was a really small population, so it was really easy to find them. I got to connect with her just based on like a shared background. And it was, I remember she had mentioned she was first gen and a daughter of Mexican immigrants, and so it like really resonated with me. Yeah, obviously, I had a very the same background actually, and so that's how I reached out.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

Wow, that's that's so amazing, and that just like that, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Yeah, and so like it really is a power reaching out and being confident. Like, I think like being confident, being prepared also, I came with insights for that coffee chat. I love I love an agenda. It's one thing to network, but it's also one thing to build a community of career sponsors, and I think an organized agenda I think goes a long way to show like you prepare for the meeting.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Do you think that that preparation also brought you so high in your career so quickly in your 20s?

SPEAKER_01 8:57

I think that it did. I think that how you show up to a meeting or how you show up for first impressions, I think will matter every single like part of your life. Like, truly, like, I think impressions do matter. It's all a part of your brand. Like, I want to be that person that people people want to come to when they have a problem. I want to be that person that like if I need confidence, like my friends call me like a people empowerer. And I think it's because I love to hype up people and remind them like you are capable, you've done this already. The opportunity is there for a reason.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

Yeah, yeah, I love that about you. You know, you're always up, you're always down for something, you know. It's like, yeah, I'm in, I'm in, let's do this. I I love that. I love that. It's uh it's really good to have that person around you in life, you know? Like, you need a hype in, you really do.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

You gotta find people that are willing to like encourage you throughout all parts of life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

What do you think about also like emotional intelligence at workforce?

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Oh, great question. It's definitely important. Uh, I do think that we work in sales, and so emotional, or we did work in sales, but we used to work in sales, and I think emotional intelligence was such a big part of it in terms of how you show up with leadership, how you showed up with clients. I do think it's important to have it, and I mean, I improve my emotional intelligence throughout time because candidly our sales is to our job was to influence. Yeah, and I think that like the best way to influence was using emotional intelligence to be able to kind of scope out a client, a senior stakeholder, whatever it was, um, and hopefully get them to, you know, activate on whatever you wanted to influence. Um, so I definitely think it's important, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Yeah, and then you can also build it up, right? Like through working in sales and like relevant skills, you can always build up your emotional intelligence as well.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Plus, it makes you good at networking, yeah. Good at people. Um, I think that I'm learning a lot from you actually, but I think like you embody that confidence and you embody like that emotional intelligence and being able to go up to people. You introduce me, vice versa. Like, I think it's just so such a good community to be around for sure.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Yeah, yeah. I'm literally like that's something which leads me always, you know, like to be able to uh be open-minded and also creative at the same time and just like connect with people. Speaking of which, I know that right now we are also like focusing more on being something else beyond only one job, which we are, especially like with our generation, right? We have this multi-dimensional like way of expressing ourselves through creativity, tech, personal branding, etc. Right. What do you think is the future for people who would like to also be in the not categorized with only one identity but also with different things? Do you think that's worth building that up?

SPEAKER_01 11:34

I absolutely think so. One thing that I've always talked about is the fact that I wanted to build something outside of my nine to five. We work in corporate, yeah. Sometimes priorities change, and that you know we see layoffs happening right now with different companies, and I think that's why it's so important to make sure that you have a community, a network, an ongoing basis of skills you're building outside of work. Yeah. I updated my LinkedIn bio. I know that. I like that. Thank you, thank you. And I think like it just comes to show like you I don't want this company to only be my own identity. I want to be able to also be known as a people in power, as a Gen Z in tech, as someone who is confident. So I think it definitely is worth it 1000%. That goes even further, I think, sometimes, because that is truly what connects you to people. It's not gonna be the company you work at. I think it'll be the experiences you have and what you're willing to also show others.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

And also being authentic right now. Exactly. It's just something which comes naturally and people can sense that if you are being authentic or not. 1000%.

SPEAKER_01 12:30

I mean, right now we're in like this era of oversaturation, right? There's so much content, there's so many creators out there, so many people. And so I think what really builds your niche is just being authentic to who you are.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

And also like by being authentic, you were able to get uh at the Super Bowl and and dance. Great, great team, great team, right? That was crazy. Like, I remember I saw Instagram, you were like, ah, how's the grass? I was like, what? How did it happen? But also it's like kind of like being on this wave and the flow and like opportunities are just coming to which we haven't even thought about before. How did it happen for you?

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Okay, so great question. So just to summarize, I was a Bush C37 marine Bad Bunny's halftime show, which was so fun, such an experience for me. But I okay, so this is actually like me being pretty pretty open because I actually saw the application come up on my TikTok. Uh people were someone the I think the recruitment company had posted about it, but in the requirements, you had to be slender and over 5'9. I'm 5'8, by the way. I am also not slender, and so I told I told myself, I was like, I'm not gonna apply, I'm not gonna get in.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

No way.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

But then an hour later, I was like, wait, why not? I'm like, I'm gonna apply anyways. And then I found out like a week later, I got chosen as a bush. So this is also your sign to apply to things, even if you think you're not gonna meet the requirements or the qualifications, like for an experience like that, even that has to do with like Hollywood, you know. I was like, what? Like me? So and it really looked like the luck of like the lottery. And if I hadn't thought into my head about not applying, I would have not have applied. And I'm so I'm so grateful that I did. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

But like what changed made you to change your decision just like that?

SPEAKER_01 14:17

I think that I was just like, I am a fan of Bad Bunny, and so I was wanting to be a part of this. I also at that point I wanted to, I remember like kind of manifesting honestly. Like, I want to say goodbye to San Francisco with like a big like and I wanted to come to New York already at that point, and so I wanted to just to find something like iconic to be like I did my time in the bay, yeah. And it was four years there, and that was literally I did that in February, and I moved out of my apartment in March. Like it was like a perfect timeline. It was like a closure of like certain chapter in your life. I genuinely and you talked about like the spirituality of it all earlier. Like, I genuinely think that was a universe being like this is like your bow wow moment. Have fun, do it well, and enjoy your time in the bay. Yeah, like I don't know how else I could have done that bigger. And like braces of the universe are like the bay the Super Bowl happened to be in the Bay Area, like exactly that's so random. So that's just it was awesome.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

That's super what made you to build this confidence? Oh my god, I think that like just overall or applying to this. Yeah, I feel like overall, and this is like the kind of the why you apply it, right? Because you already have this confidence, yeah. That's true.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Honestly, I think like I wanted to start. I I mean, I hate to sound like so like you know, or not not original, but like just saying yes to more things. Like I wanted to be able to just say yes and just put myself out there. Um the we talked about this, like the fear of being seen, like you have to just get rid of that. Like, I think that like you have to be seen, you have to go after things, otherwise nothing's ever gonna h nothing will ever happen for you. And so I think I just was like, let me just apply, see what happens, and vice versa, and like not vice versa, but like during my career, also I just I have to put myself out there, and whether or not I get rejected or not, at least I've learned from it, and hopefully I have some sharing to be able to tell your people.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

Yeah, yeah. What is like your biggest advice to someone who is struggling to put themselves out there?

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Hmm, that's a good question. I think two things I'll give you tactical and then I'll give you like empowerment. The tactical piece is to talk in front of a camera. Like, truly, like I have stumbled over talking to my camera for like my personal like social media account, and I'm like, why? And I feel like the better you can speak to yourself on a camera, I think that that made me feel a lot more confident on the empowerment side. Again, like nothing will change for you if you don't put yourself out there, whether it's with people, opportunities, whatever it is, like you have to be able to put yourself out there, and that fear should scare you more than the idea of like not or that that I fear should scare you more than just not growing. Like, truly, like you want to be able to put yourself out there and hopefully the opportunities to come out of it.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

But also you're a dancer, right? So you were like through this so many things, so many things, like so many things. Through this, like through this, like uh things which like okay, you are putting yourself out there like through applying to things or like talking to a camera, etc. But like even like performing, right? And like dancing, or like I don't know if you are also active or singing, I mean. I can assume so. But basically, you know, like that also that's part of creativity for sure helps you in life.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

1000%. Um, yes, and so I was I still sort of am. I need to get back into it, but for about three to four months, I was a heels dancer and I would go and I would dance at the park. I will say that I have never felt so out of my element. Like I like to dance, but to dance in like a high heel with like legs open, you're doing a split. It was like insane. The clip right here. Um, like truly, it was such a wild, wild time. But like the confidence that that first class gave me uh was insane. And now, like watching back my first video to my second video, like the confidence is crazy. Like in the first video, you can tell I'm like looking for like the cameraman, and in the second video, I feel like it's just me being myself. And so I do encourage that actually. There's a bunch of like one-off classes too. Um, and I only did it because I went with the friend also. Same thing. Like last week went to a conference because Victoria came with me, and so I do think it's also like finding people who are also willing to help you be more confident, too.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Yeah, and keep each other accountable for something or just like support each other. It's like it's way better to do like that.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

You need accountability, it's true.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

Yeah, it helps to have a friend do it too. Yeah, yeah, no, a hundred percent. Brittany, what feels the most authentic for you right now? Oh man, good question. Deep questions today.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

Honestly, I think it's just being able to spend time with like my loved ones, like truly. Like, I feel like that's when I feel the most like myself. Um, but also in like a really brave way. I like to feel challenged now. Yeah, I like the opportunity of being able to push myself to learn something new, to communicate something new, and to honestly try something new. Like, I am so encouraged to do that, and I feel like that is when I'm being authentically myself. Um, talking to a camera now is becoming more authentic because I've been doing it so much now for my own socials, and I think that that's where I'm at too, where I just want to be able to hopefully give back and to also inspire others. Um I think that that is truly like my like me being most authentic.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

That's such a good point. That's such a good point because this also impacting others alongside how you impact yourself, you also impact the environment, which can also like create this wave of like people also trying new things, changing themselves or like growing. So I love that. I love that. Um, how do you feel like um right now in the age of AI, right? Like we are literally in the middle of that, and we are right now like becoming more um efficient in our job, so we don't really create this identity to the output and uh basically to the product which we are creating because AI can do it in seconds. How do you stay deeply human in this age of AI? I think at work. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

I think it's a good question. I think AI is here and it's gonna keep evolving, it's gonna keep changing. And so I would encourage you if you haven't like to get comfortable with those tools first and foremost. I use Claude every day, I use Gemini every day, I use Chat GBT every day. They're all used for different use cases, but like I think that that it's a wonderful tool, but I've only been able to learn it well because of the people that I have around me that have also used those tools, and so I think that human connection it looks a bit different now, but candidly, like there's nothing quite like just sitting down with someone. AI is not gonna come with me to that conference. A friend is gonna come with me to that conference and keep me accountable, right? Um, we're not in the age of robots yet, I guess. But I do think that like that is how that human connection, I think, will stay no matter what it's built by humans. Um I think it's also built for humans, right? And so I think it's just a matter of being able to learn from others, continuing to, I guess, spend time with friends, like yeah, because the best way I to learn to AI, I learn from my friends and hearing how they used it.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Wow, thank you so much for my god, like for all of the insights. Like, I feel like you have so many like different personalities, like as a creativity, as YouTube, as like manifestor, but also like dancer and also like uh so many and content creator, like there's so many things where you can channel from within yourself. Yeah, and I love that you are not boxing yourself, also like I'm this and this and this or this, but you are saying I'm and this, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:34

I am all of the bad.

SPEAKER_00 21:35

Yeah, yeah. And that's like how do you like also the the last question would be for me. Um, if you would give advice to your younger self who was looking at this, like YouTube creators, and just like you know, like exciting that oh my gosh, like I want to be like them, and right now you're in this reality. Like, what kind of advice would you give to your younger self?

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Well, first, learn how to do dances on TikTok in 2020. That would that's such a loss. I'm like, dang, I think back and I'm like, oh, what could have been? But I I seriously though, I do think it's like it goes back to just being confident. Yeah, like you bring such Britney, like you bring such a unique perspective and such a great POV, like just be more vocal. And if you end up getting striked out for whatever reason, it's okay, grow from it, it's gonna happen throughout your career and your life, but just keep going and believe in the growth you're going to get as a result of putting yourself out there. Like, truly, that's what it is. And don't forget to bring your people with you. Uh, as you're learning, make sure you're sure you're learning also amongst other people.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Yeah, I love that. I love that, and I'm sure that other people will also appreciate that advice. I hope so, yeah. Yes, yeah. All right, I think that that's the end. Oh perfect. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

No, thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Yay! Yay, thank you, thank you. Oh my gosh, I don't know how to end that.