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Gina Canno
It's never a no. It's just not right now. And the resilience is your strength with your culture. That's your superpower. You got to embrace it, everything that comes with it.
Narrator
Gina Canno is a bold, trailblazing and unapologetic tech leader, speaker, and the founder of Gina Canno LLC and Unapologetic Tech. Drawing from her journey as a first generation Latina in corporate, she empowers others to break into tech, reclaim their voice and build confidence through education, storytelling, and accessible innovation.
Gina Canno
I want to help others, especially the underserved and marginalized communities, really understand tech. When I thought of unapologetic tech is like, I don't want us to feel like we have to ask for permission to be able to use technology. Everybody should be able to use it. I call myself a digital general contractor. That's what I am. I'm building. But instead of building houses, I'm building legacies. I'm building people. I'm. I'm building tech. It spans the globe like a super high cold Internet. Elvis Presley.
Podcast Intro Voice
Today, Apple is going to reinvent Lefon. It's not over until I win. The Living youg Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has happened. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan Open Chicago with the lead Usain Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream.
Ricky Terras
Welcome back to another amazing episode of the Living your Legacy podcast, the Women in Power edition for Inside Success. I am regular Terrace. That's my favorite part of the podcast. Just saying all the brands one after the other. But my favorite part is actually introducing you. Gina Kano. How are you? Welcome.
Gina Canno
Thank you. Thank you. I am doing well. I am excited. I am still on cloud nine. Still processing the entire day. Cool. Actually past, I guess, two days from traveling here, from Texas to here. I'm. I'm loving it.
Ricky Terras
All right, right on. How was your experience like? Welcome to Inside Success Studios in South Beach, Miami.
Gina Canno
Well, thank you. The experience has been grade A top notch, hands down. I. I could. Like I said, I don't know if it's everything I expected. It was definitely more than I expected. Like, I'm really in the studio.
Ricky Terras
Cool.
Gina Canno
Like, this is a legit studio. Like, for real. Like, stuff is happening here. Cool.
Ricky Terras
Not just the random Miami haunted house building with five production studios.
Gina Canno
No, no, no. It's definitely a legit studio.
Ricky Terras
I was really hoping you would go for the first one.
Gina Canno
I was anticipating that. I mean, because you don't know what to expect. Like, I genuinely had no idea what I was walking into. I genuinely, from the start of it, when I first got casted from this, talking with everybody, you know, they've really made me anxious for this. Like, wow, good. Anxious. Not, you know, I was nervous and excited. I've enjoyed every second of it. Awesome.
Ricky Terras
I'm so happy to hear. So do you feel. Do you still feel like a powerful woman? Do you feel extra powerful?
Gina Canno
Yeah, that power has just been in. That's an automatic. I think it's just adding to, like, shit. You really did do this, Gina. Like, for real, when I was, you know, talking through and playing back my own journey in my head, I. Reflecting. It's like, if you would have told me I'd write a book some odd years ago, I'd have never believed you, because I'm not a book reader. And then to realize how far I've come and that this is the moment that I'm at. It's. It's surreal. It really is. It's surreal. But I feel powerful because, no, I did it. Every bump and bruise, every turn that's come along the way, every time I was told no. How many times I've been told no in my life.
Ricky Terras
No, no, no.
Gina Canno
So many times. And I'm like, all right, so watch me, watch me. That's all you would hear from me is, watch me, watch me. And it's that resilience that's gotten me here today.
Ricky Terras
Right on. Can we talk about some of these bumps and some of these bruises? And what are we going to learn about your episode?
Gina Canno
I think the biggest thing you're going to learn from this is no matter what I was faced with, the message has always been clear. I live off of. It's never a no. Just not right now. Yeah, it's never a no. Just not right now. Whatever the circumstances are. And my. My key phrase that I say all the time is, resilience is my strength, but my culture is my superpower. I really, really am proud of where I come from. And you come from a small town of 13,000 people.
Ricky Terras
Yeah. Yeah.
Gina Canno
Seriously, there's nobody in technology, really there. I'm the first in my family to go to college. I'm the first in my family to go in tech space. I am the first one to be in a corporate endeavor. I'm not the first small business owner. My daddy started that with his construction. But just like, wow, this journey. So what you're going to learn from all of this is it's never a no. It's just not right now. And the resilience is your strength with your culture. That's your superpower. You got to embrace it, everything that comes with it.
Ricky Terras
So let's talk about your culture. Where exactly are you from? You mentioned a small town, but what is running through your veins?
Gina Canno
So I am of Mexican descent, so I am Latina, as Latina come. And I'm damn proud of it. And let's see, my parents were born here in the States, but as you go in the. We reside from Mexico. On my dad's side, we've got Spaniard in German.
Ricky Terras
Right on.
Gina Canno
I got a good little mix that. A really good little mix here. So Beville, Texas, it's near Corpus Christi. If you're familiar with the south Gulf of fill in the blank. I mean, if whatever gulf you want to go with, but the gulf fill in the blank. That's what I was close to. So, yeah. Born and raised in beeville, Texas. Population 13,000 was when I was there. I think it's a little bit bigger now. We've got a couple of prisons. That's our.
Ricky Terras
Yeah. That's such a great. Does that count? I think technically it does.
Gina Canno
I mean, I don't know if it's part of the population or not, but yeah. It's funny when people say, oh, I know Beeville.
Ricky Terras
Right on.
Gina Canno
And if I know you're not from there and you tell me you got family there.
Ricky Terras
Yeah.
Gina Canno
I'm pretty certain I know what part of Bville they're in.
Ricky Terras
That. That's awesome. You. You mentioned tech. So talk about your endeavors today. What's getting you out of bed?
Gina Canno
So from a tech perspective, I've had over two decades in the corporate world, but I've been ready to get out of corporate. Like, I'm done corp. You know corp is going to corp without you.
Ricky Terras
Yeah.
Gina Canno
Corporate is going to corporate with or without you. And I've gotten to a point to where I want to help others, especially the underserved and marginalized communities, really understand tech. Yeah, truly. Truly understand it coming from where I came from. And nobody was really in there. And even today. Sure. Even till this day. In fact, I mentor at my high school still. Right. That's part of me giving back as I mentor my high school. And I went to a dinner last year after they all graduated and they got the top of the top 25 students. They all had scholarships. They're all moving on. And it's so very proud moment. Not one of them was pursuing a career in tech.
Ricky Terras
Wow.
Gina Canno
You know how heartbreaking that Was for me, I'm like, man. But it's not, I don't think, because I don't want to. It's just not. If you don't really see it.
Ricky Terras
Yeah.
Gina Canno
It's really hard to believe it. Sure, sure. Right. So that's, it's, it's just, it's weird to see that. So that's what I'm doing. When I think, when I thought of Unapologetic tech is like, I don't want us to feel like we have to ask for permission.
Ricky Terras
Yeah.
Gina Canno
To be able to use technology. This tech isn't limited or just for the privileged few or for Silicon Valley or anything like that or anybody. Everybody should be able to use it. So that's really what started the, the thought behind unapologetic tech. And then if I go back to, you know, example I gave in my interview is when I was working at the electronics company. I have no background in tech. Right. I didn't. I genuinely did. And I thought the, the monitor at the time was the computer. I would break down technology in a way that allowed me to be like one of the number one salespeople. So I would say you humanized it. I did. I made it digestible.
Ricky Terras
Yeah.
Gina Canno
So that way everybody could understand it versus make it foreign and scary. Because human nature, we're going to avoid things we don't understand or that scare us. But if you take away, you take away the taboo and the fear, like, oh yeah, totally do this.
Ricky Terras
It's totally a microwave.
Gina Canno
That is, that is exactly what I'm doing with Unapologetic tech is making it digestible. So as a small business owner, you can recognize. Well, I really don't like doing this sending of emails or the social media. You don't have to. Tech can do that for you. So you can do the stuff you really like doing, being creative with the hairstyles or the nails, whatever it is. Right. So that's really the purpose behind Unapologetic tech.
Ricky Terras
So unapologetic tech is. Are you, are you educating? Are you creating? So you're, you're specifically educated?
Gina Canno
Specifically educating in the sense to where I have webinars that are happening. I've got a, I've got one of my other socials, Unapologetic tech. You can follow me there where we're sending out regular little nuggets of information. Digestible. Because if you put too much on anybody, myself included, I'm done checking out. I don't want to hear it.
Ricky Terras
Good for you.
Gina Canno
Right. So it's got to be digestible little chunks. And so we get like this podcast, very digestible little bitty chunks of stuff like that. Right. And it's, it's easier to comprehend but I put real world. So I, the number one question I hate every night at home, what's for dinner? I make decisions all day long. I don't want to decide what's for dinner. So I have, I have tech do it for me.
Ricky Terras
Okay.
Gina Canno
Literally. So you can, there's many different GPTs out there that you can use. I use one that it plans my menu for the week.
Ricky Terras
Right on.
Gina Canno
So it's, we say here's how many people, here's how many meals we want. This is what we don't want in the meal plan. And boom. Then it creates my grocery list. I know what to buy. I put it into my app. Boom, boom, boom.
Ricky Terras
But you're still the one cooking though.
Gina Canno
I'm still cooking, that's the beauty of it.
Ricky Terras
But do you enjoy the cooking still?
Gina Canno
No, I don't cook. My husband, I was just gonna sad
Ricky Terras
I'm like, where's the where? I'm like. Because a lot of, a lot of folks that are operating at your level, they're like, well I, I could be really enjoying this time and smelling and creating the desire for said food with a personal chef that comes in and does the thing. But a husband actually is a, the best personal chef.
Gina Canno
Yes. I am very fortunate. My father in law is a retired chef.
Ricky Terras
Oh my God.
Gina Canno
There you go. I mean I hit the lotto, my friend, let me tell you. And my husband is amazing and stuff. So. But even for him, he's starting his own coaching business. The other piece of what we're doing with one vibe, our co business together is we want to help those especially that are neurodivergent and give them an opportunity to have the agility, mobility, training and stuff. So we're looking at everybody that's always overlooked.
Ricky Terras
Yep.
Gina Canno
Having been the underdog my entire life, my husband being the underdog his entire life, we're tired of being the underdog. So that's the whole premise. So yes, I use tech to help with it, but my husband does the cooking. But we don't have to think about it. We put it in our app, pick up the groceries, boom, boom, boom.
Ricky Terras
And then I'm sure the husband's already like filled out the waiting list for the optimist from Tesla. I'm like, oh, who's going to cook for me? All I need to do is put my jacket AI into this Optimist. And it's just like, it's like, hello, darling, they like this, you know, but
Gina Canno
that's the beauty of tech. It can do the things that you don't want to do, but you're still, you know, making the decisions. Right. So another analogy is like you're a general contractor. Yes, but I don't have to be the electrician, I don't have to be the plumber. I don't know. That's what the tech can come in and help with. But making it easy to consume, easy to understand and not so scary. That is the whole purpose behind Unapologetic Tech and as well as my overall Gina brand. Right. Is I want others again. When I was growing up, I didn't see anybody that looked like me, talk like me, had a background like me. Well, I should say in corporate, growing up in Beaver, there's a lot of me's in there, but nobody in the tech space. So just trying to help others see themselves and imagine the art of the possible, really. That's what it's all about.
Ricky Terras
I was just going to follow up because I love AI. I've been using AI for quite a while now, but I don't see AI. Yes, I do see a reasonable, a new division, a new AI opportunities, but I also see the simplicity and the ease of it. And I also see folks in your space that are unapologetically deserving of such AI careers because it's just a whole new vertical that's opening and it's creating a lot of fear. It's still very much in a bubble, but folks like you are educating, it's
Gina Canno
very approachable and you got to help pivot. Yeah, right. So you hear all of the. There's so much, you know, the clickbait of AI is going to take away all the entry level jobs. No, no, it's not. Is it going to take away some of the, like, data entry?
Ricky Terras
Sure, sure.
Gina Canno
So. But you can totally become a superb prompt engineer because it's how you ask the right questions in AI. If you just ask a basic, you know, what's one plus one is like two, you just, you know, boil the ocean to get that very generic answer. Or you can structure in a way of helping you think differently and look at different perspectives. So in my opinion, AI isn't a. It's not going to hinder us from doing things. It's actually a tool that's going to enable us to go to levels that we've never thought possible.
Ricky Terras
And I'm gonna, I'm gonna trademark this. It's an operating system for the soul.
Gina Canno
I like that. TM Everybody bring out the T shirts. T shirts here.
Ricky Terras
Yeah, it's totally an oper.
Gina Canno
The soul. It is. I love that. Oh, man.
Ricky Terras
You're welcome. You can have it.
Gina Canno
I'm totally gonna take that. But it really is. It's. It's. It's helping to navigate.
Ricky Terras
I mean, it helps in so many ways. I mean, just help. Mental health, for starters.
Gina Canno
I know, but I just, like, times I consult with.
Ricky Terras
Yeah, dude.
Gina Canno
Like, one time I had an argument. And that one, very recently, I. I had a disagreement with someone. I literally put it in there.
Ricky Terras
Yeah, that's. Oh, take it easy. Right.
Gina Canno
It said, you know, Gina, you're right in this regard, but maybe you should have looked at it different. I'm fine, but it just gives me a chance to get it out there. It's also brilliant for brainstorming. Yes. All of the ideas. I feel like there's somebody that actually gets me.
Ricky Terras
Yeah.
Gina Canno
Obviously, I've shaped it. We've shaped our AI to think better. Like, we do. Man can brainstorm. Like, what about this? What about this? I actually use this little recorder. An AI recorder. And as I'm walking, I'm just talking, talk, talk. I just talk. And as I'm talking, Damon John's got one. It helps. Because when you are a visionary or you're brainstorming, I will forget. Oh, yeah, in a heartbeat. And my teams are have. You know, in the corporate space, we're used to me just doing brain dumps. I was like, remind me to talk about this.
Ricky Terras
Yes.
Gina Canno
But now I have my little AI that does it. It's formulated. I get these mind maps. I know what themes are. Now all of a sudden, I've got content for a month. Yes, I have. And I would have never thought of the content on my own. Oh, yeah. Now I can talk more about this or. Oh, let me present that, or let me do a webinar on this. So it's. AI is a. It's a tool. It's operating system for the soul.
Ricky Terras
Sorry. I'm listening to someone yelling in one of our studios.
Gina Canno
Very excited.
Ricky Terras
I've never, ever had anyone yell in one of my studios.
Gina Canno
She's very excited about her. Her interview.
Ricky Terras
It's funny. I'm. I'm trying to hone into her intonations and her frequencies. I don't sense anger. I just sense excitement.
Gina Canno
Genuine excitement. Like she's here to let people know she's a woman in power. So badass. Rock on.
Ricky Terras
I hope she's in there. CHEERING
Gina Canno
so I'm glad I already recorded mine, so.
Ricky Terras
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What is it like being a woman in power and have a husband as a chef?
Gina Canno
Like, you know, I will say, coming up from a Latino household, right? And I'm Cuban.
Ricky Terras
Nicaraguan, bro.
Gina Canno
Yeah. Like, culturally speaking, it's usually the male is the. The dominant one in the household. Oh, yeah, right. I grew up with that too. I still serve my dad when I go home and visit. Right. I do. It's respect. It's. It's just what it is, the tribe.
Ricky Terras
That's the way it works.
Gina Canno
Well, my husband is. Well, my husband of Middle Eastern descent. Right. So he's Persian.
Ricky Terras
Oh, that's beautiful.
Gina Canno
Another different culture where, again, the males tend to be the more dominant figure. So not only does he do the cooking one, because he's better at it than I am, hands down. I can order like nobody. I can cater like nobody's business. I cannot cook, man. You need something, like, you name it, I know who to call, but I'm not one to cook.
Ricky Terras
My house.
Gina Canno
Yeah. I was like, no, I can order whatever. I will Uber eats so fast, it's not even fun.
Ricky Terras
Oh, yeah, we'll order feast. I'm like, well, that's Monday and Tuesday.
Gina Canno
Yeah.
Ricky Terras
Like, but.
Gina Canno
But having that, I mean, he really does run the household.
Ricky Terras
That's awesome.
Gina Canno
He genuinely does. And he even went so far as when we had our son that he became a stay at home dad, like 100% for the first five years. And our families were very uncomfortable at first. And I remember telling my mom and dad once, you know, my mom's like, you need someone like your dad. You know, this was before, really. And I was like, I am my dad. Yeah.
Ricky Terras
Awesome.
Gina Canno
And that was. You know, they're so accepting of it and everybody's really cool, but my husband can cook. I have to have you over one day.
Ricky Terras
That would be.
Gina Canno
I appreciate that. I mean, he can make some Persian, Mexican. The confusion stuff. That'll just blow your mind, like, good.
Ricky Terras
That sounds like a video game I'd probably download.
Gina Canno
We would remember when Guitar Hero was.
Ricky Terras
Yes.
Gina Canno
Like a big thing.
Ricky Terras
Those dudes are good friends of mine.
Gina Canno
Oh, nice. It was. We loved playing it. And our. Our group was called Tacos and Kebab.
Ricky Terras
Yes. That's amazing. Oh, my God. I went to the launch party when they announced Freebird as a dlc. I was there. They were all my drinking buddies after that moment. Those are different worlds. That was. That was. I can imagine late 2000s. Early 2000s, 2012.
Gina Canno
You know, I always had to play the drums on really? Guitar Hero because nobody else in my friend circle could keep a beat. So I had to. I'm like, all right, that works.
Ricky Terras
I know there's a. There's got to be a clip of me doing a live stream when Rock Band first came out with me and my buddies in the living room back in 2000, 2009 or something. Yeah, back in the good old days.
Gina Canno
Yes. Good old days. Ah, the times of old.
Ricky Terras
Yes.
Gina Canno
Like my son likes to say, mom, did you have Internet in the late 1900s? Like, you little.
Ricky Terras
I love it. Like, oh, yeah, we had 28.8. Yeah, we had MRRC.
Gina Canno
It's like 56k modem. Did you ever watch Hackers?
Ricky Terras
Of course.
Gina Canno
Do you remember when she's like, you know, she had, like, this 56K modem, and they were like, this is rocking. Like, whatever, man.
Ricky Terras
I remember the original war. America online versus Prodigy versus all that.
Gina Canno
Oh, yeah, Net zero.
Ricky Terras
And before hashtags is aol Keyword.
Gina Canno
Keyword. You remember pointing people out of the. The chat rooms? That's actually how my husband and I met. What, online? We met online before Online was cool.
Ricky Terras
Hell yeah, dude. That's. That's a side quest podcast.
Gina Canno
I'm telling you, I've been in tech when I learned about tech, and I really got it. It's just a man. This is what I was supposed to do, right? I call myself a digital general contractor.
Ricky Terras
A digital general contract. See, now. Now I totally have to steal that from you.
Gina Canno
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ricky Terras
Cool.
Gina Canno
It's. It's. That's what I am. I'm. I'm building. But instead of building houses and buildings like my dad did, I'm building legacies. I'm building people. I'm. I'm building tech.
Ricky Terras
You're the little. You're literally the conception of Tron.
Gina Canno
Yeah, there you go.
Ricky Terras
Tron Aries, everyone. Gina Kano. How can folks find you and follow your journey?
Gina Canno
Just ginacano.com to start, or you can find me on any of the socials. Just look for the Gina Kano, because I'm often imitated but never duplicated.
Ricky Terras
Hell, yeah. I love the energy. I love your vibe. What a great way to start off our Monday week. Gina, thank you so much for your powerful energy and for inside success and the living your legacy podcast. I am Ricky Terras, and this is Gina Condo.
Episode: How a First-Gen Latina Built UnapologeticTech
Host: Ricky Terras
Guest: Gina Canno
Date: May 6, 2026
In this energizing and candid conversation, host Ricky Terras sits with Gina Canno, the dynamic founder of UnapologeticTech, accomplished corporate leader, and passionate advocate for underserved communities in tech. Gina candidly shares her journey from a small Texas town to building pioneering tech education initiatives, reflecting on cultural superpowers, the transformative power of resilience, and her mission to demystify technology. The episode is rich with insights, humor, and practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, especially from marginalized backgrounds.
Gina and Ricky discuss the rapid shifts in AI and public fears around job displacement:
Gina shares her practical, everyday uses for AI (meal planning, brainstorming, drafting content), positioning it as enabling tool, not a threat.
Memorable exchange:
Gina illustrates how AI can support ideation:
Gina shares humorous and heartfelt stories about household roles, upending traditional gender expectations:
She highlights the blending of cultures in her marriage (Mexican and Persian), noting the importance of mutual respect and upending norms:
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-------------|--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00/04:04 | Gina Canno | “It's never a no. It's just not right now. And the resilience is your strength with your culture. That's your superpower.” | | 07:25 | Gina Canno | “I don’t want us to feel like we have to ask for permission. ... Everybody should be able to use [tech].” | | 08:05 | Gina Canno | “I made [tech] digestible so that way everybody could understand it versus make it foreign and scary.” | | 13:19 | Ricky Terras | “It’s an operating system for the soul.” | | 13:24 | Gina Canno | “I like that. ... But it really is.” | | 16:11 | Gina Canno | “I can order like nobody. I can cater like nobody's business. I cannot cook, man... but I'm not one to cook.” | | 17:03 | Gina Canno | “I am my dad.” | | 18:12 | Gina Canno | “Like my son likes to say, mom, did you have Internet in the late 1900s? Like, you little...” | | 19:06 | Gina Canno | “That’s what I am. I’m building. But instead of building houses and buildings like my dad did, I’m building legacies.” | | 19:27 | Gina Canno | “Just ginacano.com to start, or you can find me on any of the socials. Just look for the Gina Cano, because I'm often imitated but never duplicated.”|
Gina Canno’s story invites listeners to celebrate their roots, push through barriers with resilience, and see themselves as tech creators—not just users. Her practical advice (digestible education, real-life tech applications), candid stories, and pride in representation make this episode an inspiring roadmap for anyone looking to carve their own legacy, especially in spaces where they don’t “see themselves” yet.
Find Gina:
Memorable and motivating, Gina’s conversation is a must-listen for dreamers, doers, and anyone who wants to make tech—and legacy—a little more unapologetic.