Diáfano

Meet Irma Cedeno!

Irma is a powerhouse entrepreneur and heart-centered leader and human being! She shows us what’s possible in our lives when we lead with doing things that bring us joy and contentment. I’m thrilled for you to learn of both of her businesses in two separate blogs: Diáfano Learning Systems (for learning a new language) and Main Couture (a high end fashion line). These passions are tied to her love of culture and from my perspective, helping the world to appreciate and connect with places beyond our own experience. I’m honored to introduce you to my friend, lover of life and of humanity and badass entrepreneur, Irma Cedeno.

What does your business do?

Diáfano Learning Systems provides custom-made, personalized language classes for organizations and individuals that want to really master a new language. 

What should we know about you?

Up to the time I was 27, my work was in the field of language learning, whether that was teaching English in Mexico as a volunteer or Spanish for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at New York University (NYU). It was through these experiences that I became a true linguist, but it wasn’t until I was in Japan, where I lived for a year after obtaining my MFA from NYU, and where I created the English programming for more than 1,200 kids and adults, that I first thought with the idea of creating my own language company, encouraged by my sisters and mom, who are all entrepreneurs.

My approach to learning something from someone is to only work with experts, people who have been there and done it. With Diáfano I’ve certainly had the expertise from the point of view of the learner and the linguist. That’s given me a 360-degree perspective that’s a clear differentiator in this field.

Why do you love what you do? 

Language learning is a true unifier and equalizer. No matter how old you are or how successful, language learning requires work and play and a regression into childhood, that time when you weren’t as embarrassed to make mistakes, a time when you were less afraid. It equalizes because learning a language not only has a social and emotional value, but a monetary value as well. For example, I’m aware of all the opportunities I would’ve missed out on if I hadn’t learned English at an early age. It also brings us together. After all, we learn because we want to communicate with one another. And we communicate in order to understand each other. Being able to give people access to this opportunity makes me feel very grateful.

Tell us about your superpowers? 

We do things differently, from the  way we create and build our programming  to the way we treat our students and the organizations we work with. Our policy is “every student counts,” our programming is unique to the individual or company, and each organization we work with is truly a partner. I think this comes through in our interactions with all our clients. 

Apps have tried to automatize the language learning process, but it’s like automatizing love. Can you really do that? Definitely not. So we always aim to keep the love intact. 🙂 

What else should we know?

I’m fully bilingual (English and Spanish), and a forever learner of Italian, French, and Japanese. I’ve travelled to almost 50 countries worldwide. My language classes have reached thousands of students at this point. I’m currently finishing a novel about Japan. And I also own and run a fashion line, Main Couture.

Is there a special offer you’d like to share with readers?

Yes! Use the promo TOSCAVIP15 at checkout to get 15% off a 10-hour package of private lessons for adults or kids, or use this link. Also, I’d be happy to offer you a free consultation to see how you or your company would fit into our work.