Hi! New here? Welcome to the Uplifters! I'm Aransas Savas. I've spent the last 20 years at the intersection of behavior change research and coaching. On The Uplifters Podcast, we share diverse stories of trailblazing, change-making women who have done big, brave things and show us how we can too!
Listen to the latest episode to learn:
How to find your voice
Strategies for speaking up even when the risks feel impossibly high
How to transform fear and anger into sustained, meaningful action
Why courage multiplies exponentially when we stop trying to be brave alone
What immigration truly looks like from the inside—beyond politics
Specific steps for turning personal struggle into systemic change that lasts
This Week’s Featured Uplifter: Cristina Jiménez
"Fear in many ways for me has not fully gone away... it's not about getting rid of fear. It's about moving through the fear, and that is where you find courage."
Cristina Jiménez is an award-winning community organizer, political strategist, and one of the leading voices in the immigrant justice movement. She is the Co-Founder and former Executive Director of United We Dream (UWD), the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the country. She and her family immigrated to the U.S from Ecuador in 1998 to Queens, NY, where she grew up undocumented.
Under Cristina’s leadership, United We Dream grew to over one million members and played a critical role in securing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, protecting over 600,000 undocumented young people. Her work has been recognized by TIME Magazine (“TIME 100 Most Influential People”), the MacArthur Foundation (MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship), and many other organizations.
Today, Cristina serves as a Distinguished Lecturer at the City University of New York’s Colin Powell School and co-chairs the Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice Institute.
Her memoir, Dreaming of Home, shares her personal journey from undocumented immigrant to movement leader. The book serves as a roadmap for organizing and collective liberation.
While Cristina’s specific circumstances may differ from yours, her journey reveals something universal about courage that every one of us needs to understand: we don't find our voices in isolation. We find them in community, through action, and by refusing to let fear have the final word.
Listen to her story
5 Ways She Shows Us How to Build Our Courage Capital
Move through fear rather than trying to eliminate it. Cristina is candid about the fact that fear hasn't left her life, even with citizenship and recognition. But she's learned that courage isn't the absence of fear, but feeling the fear and taking the next right step anyway.
Find your people and act together. Her transformation began when she connected with other young people fighting deportations. That first taste of collective power, successfully stopping someone's deportation, showed her what becomes possible when we stop trying to solve everything alone.
Use your specific experience to serve universal needs. Rather than seeing her undocumented status as something to overcome, Cristina learned to view her lived experience as essential wisdom the movement needed. She didn't wait until she felt "qualified enough." She led from exactly where she was.
Remember that silence and invisibility increase risk rather than providing safety. One of her most powerful insights is that hiding didn't protect her or her family. In fact, it actually made them more vulnerable to deportation and abuse.
Anchor yourself in your vision of what's possible. Even in the darkest moments, Cristina holds onto her belief in an America that works for everyone, including people like her.
Lift Her Up
Support immigrant communities:
Donate to United We Dream (UWD) and other immigrant rights organizations
Contact your representatives about comprehensive immigration reform
Learn about and support local immigrant-serving organizations in your community
Amplify the conversation:
Share Cristina's book Dreaming of Home with your book club or social networks
Attend local town halls and community meetings where immigration policies are discussed
Follow and share the stories of immigrant organizers and activists
If You Liked This Story, Check Out These Episodes:
Susie Jaramillo: The first Latina CEO of a US media company, who nominated Cristina for The Uplifters
Melissa Aviles-Ramos: NYC DOE Chancellor, who is championing immigrant student rights
Uplift With Us!
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💡 Need clarity on your next chapter? Explore private coaching to illuminate your path HERE.
🚀 Is your team ready to soar? Discover how I can boost your high performers HERE.
Such a great interview—thank you Cristina Jimenez! And of course Aransas.