Giving power and confidence back to skilled Latina migrant women

Highly skilled Spanish-speaking migrant women were landing in unqualified jobs in Australia and New Zealand, not for lack of talent, but for lack of local experience, English confidence, and guidance built for them specifically. I co-founded Las Breakers to close that gap, working across Miro, Adobe XD, Photoshop, and Notion.

A growing number of Spanish-speaking migrants in Australia and New Zealand were ending up in low-skilled jobs despite holding strong professional qualifications. The reasons ranged from language barriers and visa constraints to systemic and cultural challenges, but the outcome was consistent: very few could access roles that matched their skills. It's a broader underemployment problem inside an educated, motivated migrant community.

The challenge

Why was this happening, specifically? What were the real barriers keeping qualified Spanish-speaking migrants out of professional roles? The causes sit across social, cultural, and policy factors, and without a genuinely user-centred understanding of lived experience, it's nearly impossible to design something that actually helps rather than just gestures at the problem.

Audience: Spanish-speaking women, predominantly but not exclusively, who want to thrive professionally in Australia and New Zealand.

To understand the emotional and practical weight of this journey, I conducted seven in-depth interviews, all in Spanish, with migrant women aged 25 to 35, currently in Australia, holding a valid work visa, and already skilled and professionally qualified. Being a migrant myself gave me access to a network willing to be honest about it.

"I knew beforehand that finding an office job with a working holiday visa, a foreign last name, and not having a way to prove my English skills would be super difficult."

Main findings:

• Lack of local experience was the most cited barrier, treated by employers as a critical missing requirement despite strong overseas experience
• Visa limitations created uncertainty for both employers and applicants, and it hit confidence hard during the search
• Every participant had migrated to grow personally and professionally; migration itself was the challenge they'd chosen
• Underemployment was a survival strategy. All seven took non-professional jobs to get by, and most were still stuck there
• 4/7 stopped their professional search altogether because it was too difficult and too unresponsive
• 7/7 described a loss of confidence, increased stress, and social pressure
• 2/7 were working in their professional field, one temporarily, one permanently

Personas

I originally designed the research around two contrasting personas: one who'd successfully transitioned into a professional role, one who hadn't. It became clear those who'd already succeeded weren't the primary audience, though they added useful context. The focus shifted to two personas defined by migration stage.

Karla, the undiscovered talent. 30, based in Sydney. Former Marketing Manager in Colombia, currently working as a waitress. Eight months into a skilled work visa. Wants a professional marketing role and a long-term career in Australia. Frustrated by zero responses, constant requests for "local experience," and feeling undervalued. Motivated by wanting to contribute her actual skills and find stability.

Ana, the informed dreamer. 27, based in Bogotá. Finance professional on a Working Holiday Visa, planning to move to New Zealand in six months. Wants to understand the job market before she migrates and find a role that fits her finance background. Frustrated by uncertainty and lack of first-hand information. Wants a clear plan before she moves, not after.

Brand and visual identity

The name is a deliberate play on language. Las means "the" in Spanish. Breakers are the ones who challenge and dismantle preconceptions, who don't settle for what's expected of them.

To make the brand more than a service, we built a character: Olivia Breaker, a superhero symbolising empowerment, courage, and confidence, illustrated by Andrea Valdivia across a series of drafts. She embodies every woman who dares to break through the barriers society puts in front of her.

The visual identity paired modern typography for clarity and confidence with a serious-but-fun colour palette that balances trust with approachability, credible and warm at once, just like the women we were building it for.

Ideation and iteration

7 interviews, 50+ strategy meetings, 15+ design iterations.

The unexpected launch

As we prepared to launch, COVID-19 hit, and like a lot of early-stage projects, ours got paused. We kept our success indicators in place regardless: sign-ups, organic growth, direct email responses, Hotjar heatmaps, Google Analytics traffic, and social engagement.

The response overwhelmed us. Deep down we believed in the idea, but like any passion project, there were nights of real doubt. The volume of messages, the feedback, the support from the community validated not just the hypothesis, but the reason we started it in the first place: to give voice, tools, and direction to a highly skilled, underrepresented community.