An Interview With Melissa Llarena

My conversation with a non-profit CEO, a long-time mentor, recently turned to our dreams for our children. It began when she shared how her mother had praised her beautiful New Jersey home, which led her to reflect: "I'd want my kids to live in castles! I want them to have even more than I do." Like any parent, I want my three sons to surpass me in every aspect of life—and even create new categories beyond AI to conquer! However, I've realized my own limiting beliefs and stress responses could unknowingly cap their success if I don't consciously address them. For example, my fear of openly competing or declaring my ambition for first place—how can my sons confidently compete on a world stage if I haven't confronted this fear? Similarly, if we avoid networking because we fear rejection, can we effectively teach our children to build connections? This is where our greatest opportunity for inter-generational impact lies: facing our own limitations so they don't become our children's inheritance. My mother's prim