22: Mariana Gaona Lopez on Life After… Leaving My Home Country: Growing up between Mexico and Australia, and navigating identity and entrepreneurship

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Life After I Left

Cat Dunn

29 episodes

3 days ago

Welcome to Life After I Left. A space where women share their real stories, including the struggles, the triumphs, and the moments that created change. I’m Cat Dunn - an Online Business Manager, mentor, speaker, and your host. Life After I Left exists to break the silence - to give women a platform to speak up, encourage vulnerability, and remind listeners that they’re not alone. Here you'll find real-life stories, powerful conversations, expert insights, practical tips, and we’ll definitely be having a few laughs as well because you can’t have darkness without the light.

Self-Improvement

Education

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All content for Life After I Left is the property of Cat Dunn and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Self-Improvement

Education

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22: Mariana Gaona Lopez on Life After… Leaving My Home Country: Growing up between Mexico and Australia, and navigating identity and entrepreneurship

Life After I Left

34 minutes 40 seconds

1 month ago

22: Mariana Gaona Lopez on Life After… Leaving My Home Country: Growing up between Mexico and Australia, and navigating identity and entrepreneurship

How does it feel to be shaped by two cultures, always searching for where you truly belong?

This week, I’m joined by Mariana Gaona Lopez, a digital operations strategist, mum of two, wife, queer Mexican woman, and founder of Pink Ocean, where she helps service providers systemise and streamline the backend of their business.

Mariana’s story is one of resilience, curiosity, and the ongoing search for identity. Migrating from Mexico to Australia at 15, she knows what it’s like to navigate life between two cultures.

Through her sexuality journey, motherhood, and entrepreneurship, she’s embraced her identity as a Mexican Australian and created a life that honours all parts of who she is.

In this episode, we chat about:

Moving to Australia as a teenager and learning to navigate Australian slang, humour, and culture
Navigating life as a mother of third culture children, a queer person, a business owner, and a dual citizen
The painful reality of femicide in Mexico, and how it impacts her connection to her homeland
Building a business, life, and sense of self across two countries
Her path to entrepreneurship, creating Pink Ocean, and supporting women to streamline their businesses

Mariana reminds us that identity isn’t fixed, it’s something we create, layer by layer, as we move through life.

Her story is both vulnerable and empowering, showing that belonging can be found in the spaces between.

Connect with Mariana:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkoceanvs

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@pinkoceanvs

Website: http://www.Pinkoceanvs.com.au

Join The Break Newsletter: https://pinkoceanvs.myflodesk.com/instagram

Our live event is back!

Life After I Left - the live event - is back in Melbourne on 16 Oct for our 4th unforgettable event. 4 brand new speakers sharing 4 raw, powerful stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Grab your tickets now: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/life-after-i-left-oct-2025-tickets-1514579691629

Support the show:

Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on

Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast - I would love to hear from you.

New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you’re subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).

And we’d love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.

❤️ Remember: Don’t be silent. Be unstoppable.