Speaking of confidence, Polanco shared a few of her own secrets for honing your self-confidence, but she admitted, "you definitely have to work at it."
"As a teen mom, I was always ashamed — of being a teenager, being pregnant, having a kid at a young age," Polanco said. "Along the way, people discourage you to follow your dreams and take risks. So taking that risk and believing in myself was something that definitely boosted my confidence. You have to throw that fear away and be fearless and be bold and be present and do what you want to do."
But following her dreams in an industry that hasn't always made room for Latinx voices was challenging, too. "It's been a process for me as a woman of colour and as a woman in the industry where there hasn't been diversity or inclusivity represented," she said. "It comes from the inside."