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Nely Galán’s Media Legacy Powers a Bold New Future with AVANCE Global
Nely Galán has never been content to be just a footnote in someone else’s story. From her immigrant roots, she rose to smash glass ceilings in Hollywood and beyond, forging her own path. Dubbed the “Tropical Tycoon” by The New York Times, Galán broke new ground as the first Latina to lead the entertainment division of a major American television network when she took the helm as President of Entertainment at Telemundo. In that role, she oversaw a wave of bold programming and showed an industry long dominated by others that Latina leadership could not only hold its own but set a new tone.
Galán is a true multi-hyphenate — an Emmy-winning television producer with more than 700 episodes to her name. Through her company, Galán Entertainment, she brought groundbreaking shows to life in both English and Spanish, including the Fox reality hit The Swan. But even as her TV career hit its peak, Galán surprised the industry by stepping away from the limelight in an unconventional mid-career move.
She took that time to go back to school, earning a master’s degree and eventually a doctorate in clinical psychology with a focus on the psychology of money in multicultural communities. Armed with this new perspective, Galán returned to the public eye with a renewed mission to uplift others. She poured her hard-won wisdom into a book called Self Made — a manifesto urging women to invest in assets over excess, captured in her now-famous motto: “Don’t Buy Shoes, Buy Buildings.” The message clearly struck a chord. Self Made became a New York Times bestseller and went on to sell over two million copies in China, proving that the hunger for financial independence knows no borders.
Galán didn’t stop at writing a book — she built a movement around its message. She founded The Adelante Movement, a nonprofit initiative to train and support Latina and other multicultural women entrepreneurs. At the same time, she developed an online platform called Becoming Self-Made, which now reaches over a million women each month with down-to-earth financial tools and inspirational stories. To extend her reach even further, Galán launched a bilingual podcast — Money Maker (with a Spanish counterpart, Mi Mundo Rico) — aimed at demystifying wealth-building for people who had long been left out of the conversation. Whether on the airwaves or on stage, Galán’s style is warm but no-nonsense, breaking down money myths into plain language that resonates in both English and Spanish.
Now, true to her pioneer spirit, Galán is taking her mission to an even bigger stage. She’s teamed up with NAHREP co-founder Gary Acosta to launch AVANCE Global, an ambitious event platform designed to showcase Latino innovation, culture, and entrepreneurship on the world stage. True to form, Galán sees AVANCE as far more than a conference; to her, it’s part of a larger movement for change. She points out that Latinos are an untapped power in America — a community too often underestimated — and believes this is the moment to harness that power to build wealth with confidence and purpose. Galán hopes AVANCE will arm a new generation of Latino entrepreneurs with the tools to shatter barriers, just as she has throughout her own trailblazing career.
As Galán helps usher in a new era of Latino innovation, AVANCE Global stands as a bold invitation to anyone ready to build wealth, tell new stories, and create a future rooted in ownership and opportunity. This September, join Nely Galán, Gary Acosta, and a powerhouse lineup of visionaries at the inaugural AVANCE Global Conference in San Diego — where ambition meets action, and community becomes catalyst. Learn more and register at avanceglobal.com.
Galán is a true multi-hyphenate — an Emmy-winning television producer with more than 700 episodes to her name. Through her company, Galán Entertainment, she brought groundbreaking shows to life in both English and Spanish, including the Fox reality hit The Swan. But even as her TV career hit its peak, Galán surprised the industry by stepping away from the limelight in an unconventional mid-career move.
She took that time to go back to school, earning a master’s degree and eventually a doctorate in clinical psychology with a focus on the psychology of money in multicultural communities. Armed with this new perspective, Galán returned to the public eye with a renewed mission to uplift others. She poured her hard-won wisdom into a book called Self Made — a manifesto urging women to invest in assets over excess, captured in her now-famous motto: “Don’t Buy Shoes, Buy Buildings.” The message clearly struck a chord. Self Made became a New York Times bestseller and went on to sell over two million copies in China, proving that the hunger for financial independence knows no borders.
Galán didn’t stop at writing a book — she built a movement around its message. She founded The Adelante Movement, a nonprofit initiative to train and support Latina and other multicultural women entrepreneurs. At the same time, she developed an online platform called Becoming Self-Made, which now reaches over a million women each month with down-to-earth financial tools and inspirational stories. To extend her reach even further, Galán launched a bilingual podcast — Money Maker (with a Spanish counterpart, Mi Mundo Rico) — aimed at demystifying wealth-building for people who had long been left out of the conversation. Whether on the airwaves or on stage, Galán’s style is warm but no-nonsense, breaking down money myths into plain language that resonates in both English and Spanish.
Now, true to her pioneer spirit, Galán is taking her mission to an even bigger stage. She’s teamed up with NAHREP co-founder Gary Acosta to launch AVANCE Global, an ambitious event platform designed to showcase Latino innovation, culture, and entrepreneurship on the world stage. True to form, Galán sees AVANCE as far more than a conference; to her, it’s part of a larger movement for change. She points out that Latinos are an untapped power in America — a community too often underestimated — and believes this is the moment to harness that power to build wealth with confidence and purpose. Galán hopes AVANCE will arm a new generation of Latino entrepreneurs with the tools to shatter barriers, just as she has throughout her own trailblazing career.
As Galán helps usher in a new era of Latino innovation, AVANCE Global stands as a bold invitation to anyone ready to build wealth, tell new stories, and create a future rooted in ownership and opportunity. This September, join Nely Galán, Gary Acosta, and a powerhouse lineup of visionaries at the inaugural AVANCE Global Conference in San Diego — where ambition meets action, and community becomes catalyst. Learn more and register at avanceglobal.com.
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