Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolina L. Mery.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Twenty years ago, I was ready for a career change. I’d spent years in hospitality, and I knew I wanted something different, I just didn’t know what yet.
That summer, I started tutoring Spanish, something I’d done a bit of before, and I honestly never imagined it would turn into what it is today.
I started out teaching the way languages are typically taught: academically.
Then I had a student who hated it.
Every week she’d close the book and ask, “Can we just talk?”
After three or four weeks of pure conversation, I noticed how much she’d progressed, more than with any textbook.
That was the moment everything clicked.
I realized this conversational approach, one that mimics how we naturally learn language as children, was so much more effective, fun, and practical than anything I’d experienced learning English or French myself through academic methods.
That discovery became the foundation for Pura Buena Onda.
I started building the school slowly in 2007, and for many years it was just me.
Fast forward to today, as we approach our 19th anniversary on September 1, 2026, PBO has grown to 12 teachers and 4 admins, with hundreds of students, some of whom have been with us since the very beginning.
At its core, PBO’s mission hasn’t changed: to teach Spanish in a practical, non-academic way that actually works, in a relaxed, unintimidating environment where people can enjoy the process.
Because learning a language is a long journey, and it should feel like one worth taking.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been smooth, no.
Building a business as a solo founder means a lot of responsibility rests on one person’s shoulders, and financial uncertainty has been a constant thread throughout these 19 years, our business tends to move with the economy, for better or worse.
One of the hardest growth periods, actually, wasn’t recent, it was back when we were still in-person and expanded from one classroom to two.
The jump in demand that required was a real turning point, and a tough one.
We later grew to three classrooms, then four, but that first expansion tested us the most.
The shift to being fully online happened with COVID, and it was probably the toughest transition we’ve faced.
We were already offering a handful of online classes, but only a handful, so most of our teachers weren’t used to teaching that way.
We had to train everyone, not just teachers, but students too, on how to use the tech for their classes almost overnight.
On top of that, we actually doubled in size during COVID, which meant a huge hiring spree.
Training that many new people while also transitioning everyone else online at the same time was a lot to manage all at once.
Staffing, surprisingly, hasn’t been a major struggle.
I’ve been fortunate to find really good people along the way.
We’ve been impressed with Pura Buena Onda – Conversational Spanish, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Pura Buena Onda, we teach Spanish for adults using a conversational method, one that mimics how kids naturally pick up language, rather than the academic, grammar-first approach most people were taught in school (and that so many of us have found ineffective, myself included, when I tried learning English and French that way).
What sets us apart is really two things working together: the method itself, and the environment we’ve built around it.
The conversational approach means students are talking from day one instead of memorizing rules, and it works.
But just as important is that we’ve created a relaxed, judgment-free space where people actually enjoy the process.
Language learning is a long road, and we want it to feel like one worth being on, not something stressful or intimidating.
What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is twofold.
First, the community that’s grown around PBO.
We started with just me in 2007, and now, as we head into our 19th anniversary, we’re a team of 17 with hundreds of students, some of whom have been with us since the very beginning.
But above all, what I value most is that we’ve found a method that genuinely works.
So many people spend years studying Spanish academically and have very little to show for it.
With PBO, students actually learn how to speak, and just as importantly, they learn to let go of the fear of speaking.
That’s what feels truly special to me.
We offer group, semi-private, and private classes, all on a flexible month-to-month basis, so students can find the format that fits their life and learning style, and stay as long as it serves them, no long-term contracts.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My biggest piece of advice: start speaking right away, don’t wait until you’ve learned the grammar first.
Think about learning to swim.
You can read every book on swimming technique, but until you’re actually in the pool moving your arms and legs, you’re not going to learn how to swim.
Language is exactly the same.
You won’t learn to speak by conjugating verbs and memorizing grammar rules on paper.
You learn to speak by speaking, messily, imperfectly, and often at first, but that’s how it actually works.
There’s another reason this matters, too.
When you learn grammar first, you tend to get stuck in your head, overthinking every sentence before you say it.
But when you learn through conversation, you naturally start to mimic native speakers instead.
It becomes subconscious rather than a mental math problem you’re solving in real time, and that’s really the goal: speaking without the constant overthinking getting in the way.
Pricing:
- Memberships start at $149/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://purabuenaonda.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purabuenaonda/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spanishclassessandiego/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pura-buena-onda/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClh1Qoao__KDmctTkQNNp3A
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pura-buena-onda-san-diego
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@purabuenaonda.spanish
