Meet Maria Teresa Baldrich and Marcela Criado

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Teresa Baldrich and Marcela Criado.

Hi Maria and Marcela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We started Bloom in January 2021 because we had a craving for authentic connections during the pandemic. Marcela and I were roommates in college and after graduating in May 2020, we both took a Brene Brown workshop online that provided hope for the future and connection with other Latina women that were going through the same things we were. We decided we wanted to be a part of a community of women from around the world and that is when we decided to start Bloom. A year and a half later, we have hosted almost 20 online events about self-development, professional development, and overall health and wellness.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Our journey has been an exciting one. Working with one of my best friends, it has been a challenging yet wonderful time working in Bloom. Both of us are full-time Doctoral students, so finding the time to balance school, work, and Bloom has been challenging. However, working on a project that provides us with inspiration constantly it is difficult not to continue working on it. In addition, one of the biggest challenges has been communication. Learning to communicate what we are able to work on, what are our strengths and limitations has been crucial to the consistency and continued success of our community.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are both graduate students. Marcela is a rising third-year student at Boston University getting her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She also runs an Instagram page (@marce_dpt) where she promotes an active lifestyle and healthy living, including tips and tricks for graduate school and Spanish resources for physical therapists. Maria Teresa is a rising second-year student at the University of Denver getting her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She currently works in community mental health, talking to people that suffer from severe and persistent mental illness. Next year, Maria Teresa will be working with the Latinx population as well as couples counseling.

What sets us apart from others is being authentic and our constant desire to grow, not just professionally but personally as well. We put our soul and heart into Bloom and all the work we do.

What are your plans for the future?
We hope to continue growing our audience so that we can build an active community. We will continue offering virtual monthly events as well as social gatherings. We hope to one day have in-person events and get to meet Bloom members from all around the world. Lastly, we hope to bring our individual expertise to online events through fitness and mental health workshops.

Contact Info:

• Email: bloomcommunityteam@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bloom.comm