đź“·Â Photograph by Ekaterina Shcherbakova
Hi Natalia! What all do you have a hand in here in the 305?
In recent years, I’m most visible for co-organizing the #MiamiTech Happy Hour with Chris Adamo, but I tend to wear multiple hats to cover my different passions.
My primary and most passionate work is being the Co-founder & COO of Base, a membership club that brings great minds together for curated social experiences meant to hack serendipity.
I am also the Founder & Principal at NMK Group, where I advise clients on economic development, organizational and human capital processes, and impact strategy.
As a volunteer, I founded Awesome Foundation MIAMI (celebrating its 10th anniversary this year!!), co-organize “Love Lost, Miami” every Art Basel, and support organizations such as Nu Deco Ensemble, the Cuba Study Group, and Venture for America though board commitments.
What neighborhood(s) are you reppin’?
Downtown and Sunset Harbor.
What brings you most alive about the 305?
The light in this city, year-round — it’s translucent. Whether it’s sunrise running, sunset stuck in traffic on the 836, the old school neon on Biscayne Blvd, or the full moon over the ocean, there’s nothing the light does not touch here, and it stirs my heart.
What’s your favorite Miami memory?
Arriving in Miami for the first time, I remember a wave of humidity hitting my face when we walked out of the airport and the sound of relatives I barely knew welcoming us with such an effusive outpouring of love. Every time I fly out of or into MIA, I remember and smile at this feeling.
If you could eat only one meal from a local restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The millennial and the abuela inside me are in an entrenched argument over this one, so it will have to be a tie between (a) scallion pizza from La Natural and (b) tostones, white rice, black beans, and churrasco almost anywhere.
Outside of the obvious stop above, share what else you’d do on your perfect Miami day.
A combination of:
(1) something in nature, and ideally near water — either the beach, scuba diving, going for a late evening walk on The Venetian, kitesurfing, paddleboarding,
(2) something cultural, like one of the many incredible galleries we have in Miami, or a live music spot,
(3) a cozy, small bar seat at NIU Wine, Margot, Boia De, Tigre, The Gibson, Mama Tried or the like, and
(4) frankly, I’m a secret-not-so-secret homebody, so my own home.
What’s your favorite local social media account and why?
@CoralCityCamera, because we need visual reminders of the beauty and abundance of our underwater habitats and how to protect them.
If you could give any one piece of advice to locals, what would it be?
Connect across lines of difference and divergence. Seek places and people who are different from you, actively, daily.
How does Miami help you do what you do or influence your work?
Over the last two decades, I have witnessed the many contributions that immigrants make to our communities – from my own parents’ efforts after coming to the U.S. as adults and fellow students finding their way through college, to colleagues in every job and the many immigrant entrepreneurs and CEOs I have had the privilege of working with.
Across cities small and large, immigrants are hustling multiple jobs, but also starting businesses, growing companies, funding projects that turn dreams into products, providing services, creating jobs, commercializing radical ideas, and investing back into the very communities they are based in. If that’s not rooted in the boldest and deepest fiber of this country’s values, I don’t know what is.
Immigration is a complicated topic. I have been an immigrant twice – once from Cuba and then from Mexico to the United States – so I understand the deeply personal emotions that immigration evokes. But regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum, the data is unequivocal: immigrants contribute significantly as drivers of our economy and social fabric. They drive not just the creation and staffing of small business, but the implementation of scientific research and true innovation. The value this growth has on our communities and our cities is as immense as it is overwhelmingly positive. Nowhere is this more visible than Miami, and this inspires, emboldens me, and lights a fire in my gut every day.
If there was one thing you could change, address, etc. about Miami, what would it be?
Civic engagement, full stop. We often rank among the lowest civically engaged medium/large cities in the U.S. and especially given our varied demographic patterns as a region, my main wish would be that – for our community to not only vote and get involved in critical issues, but to invest, volunteer, advocate, rally, get activated, get productive, about the many issues and opportunities facing Miami’s future.
What are you looking forward to in 2023?
On a personal note, building Base with my co-founders. It’s already been such an incredible rollercoaster and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to build a scalable business that will change how people build community and connect in cities around the world. To learn more or join the waitlist:Â joinbase.club.
That’s a wrap on this week’s Locals to Know. Know someone who ought to be featured or would like to be featured yourself? Reach out by sending an email to [email protected] with the subject line “TNT Locals to Know 2023.” If chosen, you might just see yourself or a friend in a future newsletter.