The Stanford medical student has worked in fields alongside her mother since she was 14. And has become increasingly worried about working conditions for seasonal workers who pick our food, especially after COVID hit. She talks about how being an indigenous, Mixteca fieldworker born in the U.S. illustrates the economic distance between the farm and our dining tables, and why she's so determined to become a doctor to help her people heal. Follow Gianna @giannanino on Twitter. If you loved this ep...
Sep 07, 2020•28 min•Ep. 111
We produced something beautiful for Macmillan Podcasts!! Introducing Driving the Green Book, a ten-part documentary series premiering September 15. Follow award-winning BBC broadcaster Alvin Hall as he retraces many of the locations featured in the historic travel guide. From Detroit to New Orleans, Hall takes us on an immersive audio journey, collecting powerful, personal testimony about how Black Americans used the Green Book to travel with dignity during the height of segregation. New episode...
Sep 03, 2020•5 min
Raised by Nicaraguan and Venezuelan parents who immigrated to the U.S. in the middle of the Civil Rights and labor movements, she grew up determined to uphold the ideals of justice and equality. After being the first in her family to go to college, she set to work improving the lives of working people. In this expansive and intimate conversation with Alicia, Carmen, now the CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, opens up about her modest upbringing, how to strengthen philanthropy, and why she d...
Aug 31, 2020•29 min•Ep. 110
After a difficult breakup, Christine sought out deep healing from childhood abuse wounds and toxic people. Then, she became a therapist, trained in spiritual and shamanic practices, and was initiated in the priestess path. In her new book, I Am Diosa, she draws on wisdom from her own experience to help other women heal and tap into their worth. Follow Christine @cosmicchristine on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to How HeyFranHey’s Francheska Medina Healed Herself and How Mend App F...
Aug 24, 2020•30 min•Ep. 109
Her independent spirit, strong will, and artistic ambition made her a rebel in a deeply religious family. But a supportive madrina found ways for her to hone her craft early on. Big sacrifices would follow, including being kicked out of her home. Cinthya speaks candidly with Alicia about her new film, choosing characters that defy Latino stereotypes, and the need to feel legitimate in your profession. Follow Cinthya @cinthyacarmona on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Why Actress L...
Aug 17, 2020•31 min•Ep. 108
Carla Vernón describes herself as “a very malleable piece of clay” with a sense of pride and self-awareness. She has used that singular strength to rise from associate to executive at General Mills. She reflects on her long tenure there, being among the first in her Afro-Panamanian family to venture into the business world, and setting and keeping her own standards as she gained success and status. Follow Carla @CarlaInspired on Twitter. If you loved this episode, listen to Elisa Villanueva Bear...
Aug 10, 2020•32 min•Ep. 107
It’s hard to believe she didn’t begin drawing until she was 17. You’ve seen her work on Pixar’s Coco, her gorgeous Google Doodles, and her children’s book illustrations, most recently in Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea. Ana Ramírez González talks with Alicia about falling in love with her craft, moving from Mexico to the U.S. for art school, and forging an uncertain career path by following her heart, overcoming rejection, and drawing inspiration from Mexican culture.
Aug 03, 2020•27 min•Ep. 106
Raquel Berrios left Puerto Rico for New York City to find herself as an artist. There, she met her musical and life partner Luis Alfredo Del Valle, and they formed their experimental Latin pop duo. As their music careers grew, receiving attention from fans and record labels, they surprised friends and family by moving back to the island—to live and make music on their own terms.
Jul 27, 2020•22 min•Ep. 105
They're funny and they know it. But they're also observant and really quick witted, which makes their brand of comedy a little bit underhanded and conspiratorial in a really appealing way. After honing their standup chops in live shows, and building faithful social media followings, they've launched a sketch show on Fuse TV, Share, Like, Dímelo—a natural next step in their ascension as Latina queens of comedy. But, as this shared interview reveals, it's not always smiles and laughs; they've seen...
Jul 20, 2020•28 min•Ep. 104
Latina Veterans Lucy del Gaudio and Pam Campos-Palma are spearheading a campaign demanding justice after the disappearance and killing of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén. Their service experience includes misogyny, discrimination and sexual violence that many women, especially women of color, endure while serving. In this powerful conversation, they detail the repeated abuses and military sexual trauma that robbed them of the pride in serving their country, their sense of worth, and military careers t...
Jul 13, 2020•37 min•Ep. 103
For years Cristina covered detention centers and drug cartels as an investigative journalist. Without any film school training, she decided to take on visual stories about small worlds that tell us so much about human nature. Her latest, "Mucho Mucho Amor," centers on the private life of renowned astrologer Walter Mercado—her childhood hero and a controversial iconoclast that changed television forever. Follow Cristina @xtinatini on Twitter and Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Suz...
Jul 06, 2020•30 min•Ep. 102
Marizol's transition not only tested her determination to live life on her own terms, it also tested her lifelong bond to her sister Selenis. A failing marriage, an acting career on the rocks, and mental health woes did not allow Selenis to be there for her beloved sister as much as she would have liked. In their memoir, "My Sister: How One Sibling's Transition Changed Us Both," they recount the difficult decisions they each had to make to be whole and to love each other through unimaginable hur...
Jun 29, 2020•23 min•Ep. 101
We did it!!!!! Together, dear listeners, you and our team reached 100 episodes today. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude and love. Thank you for showing up every week, for sharing the show, and for letting us know how much celebrating inspiring Latinas means to you. In this special episode, Alicia and Juleyka reflect on what it's meant to them to make the show, their favorite interviews, and the new goal they've set: reaching 1 million listens by January 1, 2021!! We also hear from some o...
Jun 22, 2020•30 min•Ep. 100
Growing up, television writer Ilana Peña was a student of books, where, she says, "girls could be complicated." Now, as creator of Diary of a Future President on Disney+, Ilana brings that vision of girlhood to life. She tells Alicia about rising from assistant to writer’s assistant to writer to creator, how the early loss of her father taught her to use “grief as an engine,” and why being in charge forced her to stop saying “maybe.” Follow Ilana @lanstagram on Instagram. If you loved this episo...
Jun 15, 2020•29 min•Ep. 99
This week we pause to reckon with the national call for justice that followed the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless Black Americans in what's become an epidemic of sanctioned violence. Alicia talks to veteran community organizer Rosa Clemente and Marisa Franco, co-founder of Mijente, an action hub for social justice, about anti-blackness in Latino cultures, the colonization of identity, and what we must each do right now to make lasting change possible. Follow Rosa @blackpuert...
Jun 08, 2020•46 min•Ep. 98
We've all been there. "Oh my God, can I do this?" And in those moments of intense doubt and fear, Lisa Vidal, the star of ABC's The Baker and the Beauty, says "That's when you have to really embrace your talent, and recognize who you are and say, 'Yes, I can do this. Yes, this belongs to me.'" We believe her. She has a four-decade Hollywood career, survived breast cancer, supported her son through addiction and recovery, and came through it all with the grace to "live one day at a time in gratit...
Jun 01, 2020•28 min•Ep. 97
First, she planted the seed of the idea in his publicist’s mind. Then she began a relentless insider campaign to convince magazine editors that the megastar was cover worthy. Then she and the art director recruited the singer’s talented artist girlfriend to shoot it in their pandemic hideaway. The details of it all had Alicia on the edge of her seat. Follow Suzy @hexpositive on Twitter and @brujacore on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Cristina Constantini and iLe . Show your love...
May 25, 2020•23 min•Ep. 96
As if setting out to write a book about the undocumented immigrant experience across the country wasn’t hard enough, Karla Cornejo Villavivencio set a much higher bar for The Undocumented Americans. “I promised everyone in the book, all of my subjects, that I would get Americans to care. And that's a promise that I couldn't guarantee that I could keep,” she tells Alicia in this searing conversation about not wanting to be a political tool, being among the first undocumented immigrants to graduat...
May 18, 2020•27 min•Ep. 95
Alicia selects some of the beautiful moments when our brilliant guests recall a special moment with their moms, open up about the struggle to become a mother, and distill the wisdom and strength they learned from their mamás. Follow @latinatolatina on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to our Anniversary Special . Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!...
May 10, 2020•29 min•Ep. 94
Why are so many people trying their hands at sewing homemade masks? Making a mask not only helps the wearers feel safe, it helps the maker feel useful and part of a movement. We speak with members of an Atlanta-based volunteer group that’s been able to deliver more than 13,000 masks to their local hospital system, hear why a long-time sewist only started making masks in the past week, and even make a couple masks ourselves. Visit vpm.org/helpers for more information. Music by Blue Dot Sessions....
May 07, 2020•24 min
Echoing a sentiment shared by many successful children of immigrants, Joanna Vargas tells Alicia, “My parents did not send me to school so that I would work with my hands.” That understanding kept her from telling them about becoming an aesthetician. The irony of it all is that working with her hands to help celebrities like Rachel Weizs, Mindy Kaling, and Tatum O'Neal look and feel beautiful is precisely how she made a name for herself in the beauty business. Joanna talks about it all in this e...
May 04, 2020•28 min•Ep. 93
From the executive producer of Latina to Latina, welcome to How to Talk to Mamí and Papí About Anything! Juleyka Lantigua-Williams made the show because she and many of her friends who were born or raised in the US could use some help in communicating with their immigrant parents. "We’re sometimes torn between the way we choose to live our Americanized lives and the loyalty we feel to our parents’ ways," she says. Every week, she'll talk to adult children of immigrant parents facing a heavy situ...
Apr 29, 2020•2 min
She started in a Teach for America classroom and today leads the organization as it sends a small army of new teachers into schools that need them most. Elisa opens up about her path to TFA: realizing how unprepared she was for college (but excelling anyway), recognizing the strength of her experiences as she tackled educational inequity, and stepping into the role of CEO. Follow Elisa @villanuevabeard on IG and Twitter. If you loved this episode, listen to Nina Vaca and Nancy Reyes for more on ...
Apr 27, 2020•29 min•Ep. 92
"And if I'm going to play a Latinx woman, she better be strong as hell," Isabella tells Alicia in this powerful conversation about being fully present and finding your power. "And she better have something to say. And she better be smart. And she better have all of these things that I know Latinx women to be." But even working on such a popular show is no guarantee. "I was no longer an actor, I was a Latinx actor," Isabella tells Alicia. "Because I got my part of my privilege taken away, I can s...
Apr 20, 2020•30 min•Ep. 91
"If you find yourself in an industry doing all the jobs around the job you really want to do, check in on that," Linda tells Alicia. "There's some sort of fear around you not doing the thing you really want to do." She would know. After years of working in film and digital creative, Linda decided to follow her true passion: writing. Within two years of making that commitment, she was pitching and selling a television series. And there's so much more to Linda's story--breaking with tradition, sac...
Apr 13, 2020•30 min•Ep. 90
She jokingly calls herself “a professional Latina,” but the reality is that Cecilia Muñoz has spent decades advocating on our behalf—from providing immigration services in Chicago to leading the National Council of La Raza to advising President Obama at the White House. Along the way, she learned some hard lessons and gave herself permission to take risks, elbow her way in, and harness her own power. In her new memoir, More Than Ready, she shares the wisdom she has collected and encourages us to...
Apr 06, 2020•34 min•Ep. 89
“I think it's really important to be transparent about the place from which you write and the way that place determines your relationship to that which you write about,” award-winning author of Lost Children Archive Valeria Luiselli tells Alicia in this provocative conversation about the meaning and limits of identity. Luiselli, a green card holder, fully recognizes she is “someone who has enormous privilege and therefore also enormous responsibility toward my community.” That sense of duty comp...
Mar 30, 2020•31 min•Ep. 88
After Alicia’s conversation with advertising superstar Nancy Reyes, she wanted to make t-shirts that read, "I am undeniable." That’s how inspiring this trailblazer’s story is. From learning that “everything feels better when you earn it” to “dealing with a massive career failure” and making the decision to go from “good to great,” Nancy’s success is a testament to what happens when grit and tenacity meet opportunity. Follow Nancy on Twitter @reyesjimbo. If you loved this episode, listen to Daisy...
Mar 23, 2020•31 min•Ep. 87
Last night, the final two viable Democratic presidential hopefuls faced off in the eleventh primary debate, and faced questions from one of America's pre-eminent Latina journalists: Univision's Ilia Calderón. Alicia spoke with Ilia about the leap of faith she took to begin her career in the states, what she left behind, and what it means to make history. Follow Ilia @iliaCalderón on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to María Elena Salinas and Mariana Atencio for more on journalis...
Mar 16, 2020•26 min•Ep. 86
Listening to Scherezade Garcia talk about her art and her creative process is watching someone relive the many ways she has made herself free— from other’s scrutiny, from expectations, from the need to justify her very existence. Alicia visited Scherezade’s studio and spoke with her about the notion of selling the Caribbean as “paradise”, the business of being a working artist, and what it means to be home. Follow Scherezade on Twitter @scherezade_art and IG @scherezadegarcia. If you loved this ...
Mar 09, 2020•29 min•Ep. 85
