La Vida as an Influencer.

I'm Honey Germy. My parents are Dominican. I was born and raised in New York City. I love sneakers and I'm a body positive advocate.

I'm Carolina bermudez Sonkawns, but I was born and raised in Ohio. I'm a wife, a mama, and a worker bee.

This is life and spanglish. You guys, we are having so much fun.

We had just such an amazing conversation with Lil Sasolm Packet.

That we had to keep her for an extra week. So thank you so much for.

Being of course, of course I enjoyed myself. I'm glad to be here.

So now we were discussing on the last episode because we were talking like we hit so many things, your your rise to now making.

This your career. We talked about your family not following.

Your family's footsteps, choosing a different career, and we were talking about body positivity and I wanted to stop down to let you know just how impactful it is. But there was a day where, you know, and this is the thing where I hear all the time people like, oh well what girl, why are you worried or why are you so you know, upset you're this, You're that, you know, like when we talk about bodies, you know, everybody has their own body. You have to be comfortable

Yeah, It's like I said, I really believe that this world will do everything in its power to make you feel like less than, whether it's comparing or invalidating sometimes how you feel about yourself. You could sit there and feel like I have this issue and someone's gonna be like, oh, but you don't have this, or there's someone who has it worse. It's like, can I just accept like how I'm feeling right now, so that I can get through it.

That's exactly it, because it doesn't mean that I'm ungrateful. I recognize I'm breathing, I can see, I can touch, I can feel all of these things.

But there are days where you just kind of feel like blah.

About yourself, you know, and I think that like there also is that other side of like almost toxic positivity.

Yeah, don't allow you to just feel the feeling.

Like you can't.

You can't just be real with yourself and say like today I just don't feel like it because someone else has to come in and be like oh but again, like again comparison, and.

You notice that we don't do that when somebody is like.

Happy, like if I want a PlayStation and someone's not gonna be like, oh, well, there's other people out there that have mansions like can I accept my happiness on this PlayStation? So I feel like when you're down, people love to almost invalidate, like how you're feeling in that moment. And I'm a big believer. If this is how I feel, I accept how I feel. It doesn't mean I'm going to stay here, but I have to acknowledge it in order to get through it.

Yeah, So no, we are talking with Lil Sasolm packet three t's at the end because you gotta follow her on Instagram all social media. So I wanted to bring you back because we had so many different questions that we didn't get to get to last week, and one of the first ones is do you have any favorite creators that you follow or like, how do you how do you come up with the things that you like post on Insta and TikTok eighty HD trauma.

No, honestly, I kid you not like I put on the camera and I don't know what I'm going to talk about. I don't plan them out. I don't sit there and be like today I'm gonna talk about this. I put roll and whatever blurts out, I'm like, okay, I guess that's what.

We're feeling like today. But I have some creators that I really look up to.

They're friends of mine. I have this friend his Instagram handle is rich black Guy. He does stuff with his son. He's just very like he's so everything is like a movie, and I love the stuff that he does. I have another creator named Barbosa people who just rant New York City. I love and I follow creators that you can just tell that they're just themselves. They're not they're trying to

Post up and get off the internet.

Oh really, I do, because since when it becomes a career, sometimes you get so mentally drained in doing so that you don't even want to do nothing with social media. Because again, when you're an influencer, everything is social.

It's true.

So at some point it's like I need to unwind.

I have to remember what it was like to be outside when MySpace was a thing, and like you know, back in the days when social media just started and you didn't know what to do with it. Like I have to bring myself back so that I'm not everything doesn't become watching the likes and the views and getting upsessed with the follows and the unfollows and the hate.

It's just it can take over.

That can be toxic too, Like when you don't get the likes on the video, Oh yeah, did you brush it off? Or are you like.

There are I have to detach myself from my work in a sense where it's just like if I put it up, I have to be like, well, I like it, because before I used to be like, this is gonna go.

Viral, this is a hit. Expectations were too high, too high.

Girl was like, again, those are the videos I get the three likes my first viral video, I will never forget. We got two million on YouTube. All I did was say, hey, I say the word talk, and I didn't realize I had an accent. I So to this day, I look at that video and I'm like, I don't understand why you got two million views.

But I'm in my mail truck talking about talk.

I didn't realize they say talk, it's talk, but I say talk and I just posted it, didn't think anything of it.

Two million views.

It really be like that. A lot of the viral stuff I'm like, okay.

No one kid a million views isles things, Yeah, that can really pop off. So it's like, but by the way, she said my Space, I feel like we would be in your topic.

I miss I missed the top e. But I know this worl could not handle a topic. They could not excuse me. I was five yesterday. What you mean I'm seven.

I think that you are in my opinion, a trailblazer. But what does it mean to you?

To me, I felt, you know, I realized earlier on, I felt like there were so many I don't think that there's a lack of Latina representation. I think there's a lack of pushing the Latina representation and them being big faces. I think that a lot of them are slept on and channels are not being pushed the way that they need to. So for me to get some kind of recognition, it means a lot. And that's why I'm such a I'm a big believer of putting on people.

And I think there just needs to be more of that.

I think a lot at times with the Latino community, we have a tendency of glorifying struggle where it's like I struggle, so you need to struggle, And I'm not about that. I think there needs to be more of us who are willing to extend a hand of like, hey, I made it here, and if I see you're trying and I believe in you, here like I'll put you on or I'll give you an opportunity, because there there are many of us, just we're not on these bigger platforms.

There's more competition.

So it means a lot.

To me to just be having a space like that that could do that.

And your voice has an impact, you know, and a lasting impact. So I think that that is something that people need to remember. But now, what kind of advice would you give your younger self.

It's gonna be all right, I don't chose those boys, I would say, younger me.

It's funny.

Younger me was more wanting to be a wife than wanting to be like a business woman. Like I always was more into relationships and stuff like that. And not that that's a bad thing, but I feel like there was a part of me that I was always pouring into other people and not willing to give that to myself.

But don't you think that that is the example. That's the example that.

I had from my mom.

Oh yeah, my mom.

Gave up her entire Life mentioned this on the podcast because she was raising six kids. My mom had dreams. My mom never got to realize those dreams. But it's almost like in our community, not only is it expected, but it's venerated. Yeah, that you gave it up because of the kids, you know, and even for people who don't have kids, you're still giving up something like it's such a selfless thing.

But I think it's we not doing that no more.

Care.

I am so sorry, we just do that no more.

It's honestly, to me, it's almost like a false sense of humility at some point, because it's almost like we can't even accept help if we're struggling sometimes.

Because we feel like, no, as a Latina, you have to have it.

You have to be able to hold down the fort and hold on a job and hold on all the stuff. And it's just like it's okay to say that you need help. And again, like you said, it's completely venerated to the point that people feel like amongst the Latino community, we serve the man and the kids and everyone else gets served first, and we last the scraps, and you know, it's it's honorable, And I'm like, no, there has to be a point where you're like, it's okay to pour into myself too.

Okay. So I have two stories for you. Number one, when my brother had three older brothers. When my brothers would come they were in college and like they were way older than me. But my brothers would come home from with their friends from the bar, and my mom would be like, Mama, Mama, I'll go see that, but I need it, you know. Like my mom would say, and I was like ten eleven years old. She would be like, get up, we're going to serve the guy. The guys are coming home. And it's like, I'm sorry,

Blame my mother. I think it's a cultural right.

And then just this past weekend, Mark and I, my husband and I went to we got a house in Fire Island. We invited friends and I cooked for twenty three people.

Oh I cook, Yeah, I did salad. I did my same day or you started a day before this.

Is like, I mean, I started prepping as soon as I got.

Their Okay, good man.

Everything right. So we're serving everybody and my husband looks at me and he's like, where's your food? And I said, I know he I thought, that's it.

Yeah, wow, yeah, you.

Know, upset, and he goes, why didn't you say anything? And I said two things. Number One, I was so busy, I didn't even realize.

You don't come. You're just so distracted.

But there was no more chicken thighs, you know what. And he felt horrible and he was like, no, we are getting you food. But it's just like it's one of those things where we're so conditioned to be that way.

We're so conditioned to not look at ourselves or the mentality of being a servant instead of serving.

Like I'm a big believer.

I'll serve and I'll you know, take care of my family and all that stuff, but I'm not a servant where you're not.

Going to treat me like lessons or forget that I need have needs to.

I need to eat some of that that I'm making.

And it was seriously, the compliments were off the chart. You know, you have to take that time and make that space for yourself.

That's a fact. Now I want to talk to you about other creators. I know a lot of people in this building who went to school journalism. They do this, they do that, but they don't want to create content because of hair, makeup, background, own sound video. You're out here just doing you like, talk to them, please, I want you to talk to them because I'm not getting through.

To them talking to me right now.

You're overthinking it. You're overthinking it.

Look at some of the stuff, like even when I told you about how my video went viral and I was like talk And even to this day, I'm like, I.

Don't understand while that one viral and I'm in the video.

You know you're overthinking it because at the end of the day, whatever message that you want to get across has to be said. It doesn't matter how you look the makeup of so people just need to hear what you have to say. And if you're too busy caught up in your own head about it, doesn't look There was a girl who got four million followers off a period a per uh.

Please don't sit there and overthink the process of.

Being of whatever messages you want to do, just do it. Put the camera on and again, if you love it and you have a passionate about it, and you have something positive.

To say, just go for it.

I love that.

And like I said, don't get caught up on the likes, because the one that you have your hair and makeup all done may get the ten likes.

And then the one where.

You're busted out, you know, Noah's hair is coming out, that might be the one that goes viral, and that's.

The one that people will appreciate because they can relate to it, like you know, that's that's where people find like that common thread. We're gonna take a quick break and then I want to hear about what's coming up next for you. So after this we're going to discuss future plea. Okay, we are back.

With my girl, Rita Lilsa so packet you had that you know.

By the way, this isn't easy. A lot of people think like, oh, doing a podcast, everybody can do a pocket this this is not easy.

You're talking about her being interviewed us hosting.

You know what I mean, because it's not something that you commonly do, you know, I mean, I don't know if you if you nod, well.

She's doing great.

We're just having a conversation here, you know, vibes and life and san English exactly.

Now, I do want to ask if you have any plans to do stand up in your future because you.

Are so fun like it. It comes so naturally to you.

I get asked that all the time. I get so many people you should just stand up.

I've had people.

Tell me that they'll like, you know, have they have a venue for me.

But truth is, I'm gonna be one hundred percent with you guys. I cannot handle Heckler's And so I don't do stand up because I know it will take one Stacy and Josephine in the comments and in the audience for me to be like world Star. And so I'm not delivered from Egypt yet. So for me, it's just better if I did.

Not and I'm behind the camera doing it because.

People and people people.

There's a part of me that's still the Bronx side that I'm like, all right, let's we have to be professional.

She took off the hoops shout out.

She's one of my favorite comed She is amazing. She loves coming up to power. She's dope.

She's Dominican and Puerto Rican. She's both and she's from New York too. She's dope.

No, but stand up is no joke. You really have to be prepared and.

You have to be quick, and you got I feel like you are all of those things, but you know, maybe like performing in front of a crowd isn't for you, So like, what is the next goal? You know?

Right now, my next goal is I'm opening up a social media management company because i want to start putting. Like I said, I'm a big believer in influencer is it nothing without their following? And so now that I've gotten too a space where it started to work for me, I would love to be able to put other people on, people of color, latinos and help promote their businesses and get their social media's up and going for them.

So that's what I'm doing.

I don't know this, but were you self talk is like, how did you navigate?

You talked about your YouTube channel, you talked about your tiktoks, you talked about Instagram. Was it just you sitting there figuring it out.

Finding out what works?

Yeah, finding out what works.

Because a lot of times I'm a big I like to ask questions and I would always get the same kind of common responses.

Just work hard.

It's like, okay, so you're not going to try to give me something beneficial cool I had worked in the background before, Like I've helped casting directors cast for projects. And I've worked in media where I used to work with influencers just like you know, helping them build their pages, until I decided that I want to do it for myself. So it's just a learning curve where some days you're like this works, and then the algorithm changes and it's like, well that don't work anymore.

And social media it's like you learn everything today and tomorrow you got to start coying.

It's a monster. Social media is an absolute monster, and.

It's so crazy that just in the past however many years, you know, like what since Facebook started or.

Twitter, probably like the last ten to fifteen.

Years made it harder.

It's because so many people started going viral and becoming you know, huge content creators.

They started to make it harder, which is why they switched the algorithm so much.

So you really have to kind of be on top of like, Okay, I'm noticing that the views don't look the same and it's the same type of content shadow bands you get get shadow band. I had a page gaint shadow bands, and then I started the little sets Une package one in November because I had a page of like thirty thousand followers, and I was like, I know, there's a reason why I'm not growing.

I was like, there's absolutely.

I was like, I am posting every day consistently, my views are not there.

I think I'm shadow band. So I had to start a new page.

That is so wild because there's a guy in South Dakota that makes leather wallets and he has more followers than I've been in that industry for twenty day. Yeah, I was just grinding and hustling.

I'm like, I don't get it.

I don't get it.

It's like my growth is just like boom, it just stopped, you know. So there might be something going.

On with page like that's like niche pages and stuff like that. It's like, oh okay, you love let's say cats and sunglasses.

Every single human that likes that will follow.

Yeah.

So sometimes yeah, like that's the way I find your thing, Carolina, because it's like people look for like very like you say, the guy with the wallets that makes the wallets. People sit there and probably just idea, what is.

This guy doing?

He was he was putting like these he was like stamping these leather wallets.

And he was just in his studio and he had music on.

In the background and you were just stop.

You know what your thing is?

You're you are relatable And I don't even think you even realize how relatable you are, maybe because you've spent so much time on radio and like and like you always are interviewing other people and you have such a one personality, But you are so relatable with just even the conversation I was having you.

Or we were getting a coffee.

Just if people saw that other side to you, I'm sure you would get more.

Of views and even thought, just based on who you are.

You don't have to try for any You are very You're genuinely you. People love you. You're super relatable. The thing is that you're not constantly posting. It's not your bread and butter. You have your wife, you have a morning show, you have children.

If you commute into work, you.

Don't have on social media.

Because you don't.

You know, that's a career and it's time consuming to it takes all day.

So if it's something like again, if you're not into becoming this voute, you're perfectly fine.

You're perfectly fine telling I.

Do say to people because they get frustrated because they're like, oh, you haven't been on for a week, I'm worried about you. Do you ever get that from people like whenever you don't post for a day or two, like.

You post every day.

I post twice a day every day.

So that's her career. She makes that bread.

If you don't love this, then don't do it. So again.

You don't have to sit there and try and get people to follow you or the legs or like I don't get caught up and the likes and follows. Those who support you and love you, they watch it and that's it.

No, okay, so now I want to switch gears. I have seen your dating videos my DearS, and I have seen.

The struggle, and I have heard the stories. Who is the ideal man that can handle all of this?

I can handle the right amount of spice. I love a funny man. I love a big boy, but I don't really I don't really have I love my little big.

Boys I do.

I love a little poofy chest that I bought, like rap, pillowcases and stuff. I just want somebody. I cannot have somebody that doesn't have personality. You cannot be like drywall and expect something to work with me, absolutely not. I talk a lot, and if I can't carry a conversation with you, you have to go. So personality is one thing, And unfortunately, I feel like loyalty is kind of something that is a debatable now.

And I don't have the time.

I don't have the time to entertain somebody's gonna play games with me.

We discussed this in our like two episodes ago. We were talking about like why do men cheat and all this other stuff, and like that for me is like the on negotiable because you know, again going back to our culture, it's like and you even talked about you know, like you know you you know, oh you know my mom would say about my one THEO and they excuse it. Yeah, and they would just brush it under the rock. Yeah.

You need a big boy.

I love the big boy, but my but my main type is a grown man. Yeah, somebody who you communicate, don't don't tell me that you're fine and you're not fine. They always say that we do that, and they do it as well, say that they're okay, and then next thing you know, they find out they have some feelings for something.

So now tell me what's wrong, Poppy. Let's talk about it exactly, loyalty. Don't have me out here looking stupid. But don't you?

So do you use Instagram? Like? Do people go in your dms? Like have you ever gone there? Because I feel like that's such a d I've never been seeing.

I do not like.

I avoid my dms because I used to get a lot of peepy leaby.

Pictures and I just cannot yes.

And I was like, what makes what makes you think that I'm interested in seeing your naked mole rat like it looks like it's being held hostage.

It doesn't want to take this picture, Bob.

So no, I try to stay away from my dms because a lot of them they're just they're always sexual.

I want I want you to sit up my face.

No, thank you so deep.

No, there's a I said, I am somebody's mother.

I wrote back to him, I said, I am somebody's mother. I said, don't make me screenshot this and send this to your mom and you don't want anywhere near.

This drunk she got sexy pitch?

Is that waxing?

Oh my favorite?

No, that's hazy.

Is nuts. So now when we come back from the break, we have a little feature here on Life in Spanglish and it's called the Salon. So we take everybody to the salon. And this is something that Honey and I we love this because she used to go to the Dominican salon and that's where you get all the tea that you So we come back, we're going to head to this line and you're going to help one of our listeners with a problem that they have.

After this, well, you know how it goes down when you go get your hair done, mohe you asks for advice. The older women Laslo, you know they came from Santiago and shit, they're like, did maybe I'm wanning get that you. So we decided we want to always, you know, encourage our listeners to write in. They send us letters and we take them into the salon. Today we have a letter from Cci and she starts off saying, ola mista modis. I know you usually help with relationship advice, not the case.

What do you all recommend? Sincerely?

Cc oh cc.

Okay, So here's my take on it. If you have that little skin and let's say she can't do something about it, like say she can't get surgery to remove it. If she, you know, that may not be the course of action, then whatever man you're gonna get involved with, or a person you're gonna get involved with, wrap them

You know what I'm saying.

Flap that around like at the wire, ring it out. It's it holds extra flavor. And plus that is a celebratory thing.

You've dropped one hundred pounds, CC, one hundred pounds.

What a journey. One hundred pounds is no job.

You dropped one of my cankles, CC, So please please seec whatever and whatever you're going to do, just don't hate yourself in the process of doing it.

So that's my advice to you, SEC.

And if you feel like you want to just go on the dancy, I promise you there are grown men out there who will just love your body and love you for you. So don't settle for anybody who's got a problem with that. You won CEC one hundred pounds down. Congrats to you, boo.

I don't know.

I feel bad for CC because I understand, but I haven't dated in a long time. Well, I haven't gotten naked in front of a new man in a long time. But girl, when it was time to let them fit us out and let that na got bounced, I would not have wanted extra skin. I'm not even gonna lie in, but like girl, embrace it, because I would have been feeling all types of so comfort. I would have been like a lu I'm gonna wait for you. I've struggled with a lot of you know, body issues since I

If you can get.

Your money up, Cezy, and you want to cut off that loose skin, I would say, go for it. Be safe about it, you know, don't go back to the motherland and die under the knife, because that's not a good look. But if you can do it here in the United States, by all means, do it. Whatever makes you feel more confident and like putting yourself out there in front of men and dating and having sex.

Whatever makes you feel good. I say, go for it.

Congratulations on the weight loss, but I understand you one hundred percent.

Can we make it okay.

For women to do with their bodies what they want, which means if they want to.

Get plastic surgery safe, if you want to wear makeup, wear makeup.

If you don't want to make up, don't want to make up.

This whole competition of.

Well I don't wear makeup and I do.

Wear making it's soupid But that that used to drive me.

Not whatever you want to do.

Yes, I don't know the reasoning behind why somebody doesn't feel like and I explain to people like they're like, oh, you're always so done up, Like you know, you always make yourself up in your videos.

First of all, I make myself.

Up every day.

That's just me, okay, Like that's how I.

Was raised, that's how you function. But I also have malasma for my second child that is pretty drastic on my left side.

I would have never not you know what I mean?

Or sometimes you want gold sparkles on your eyelashes.

Like it's just.

I've got my bronze to be.

I don't feel like the world you have to explain to the world as to why you want to do with your body what you want to do.

Just be safe about it.

So one day you want to go no makeup, I'm going to make up today. Do you if I want to wear makeup and I want to, you know, make some blue eyeshadow and make some colors happen, I'm gonna do that, and it shouldn't should always be.

Do you not love yourself?

Are you insecure?

Today?

I feel like looking like Count Dracula.

I just feel this way, and that's what I want.

That's when you do your make Yeah, sometimes girl my rock, that's it. You know, osborne but a bad and stuff. So I just feel like to piggyback of what you said. I completely agree if it gets to the point where you're just like, listen, I really don't like it.

I'm a big believer.

If you can change something that you don't like, be safe about it. The only thing I always say is don't hate yourself through the process. But is it it is completely okay to be like, you know what you can't work off blue skin?

Can you can?

You can do with him, there's nothing that you can do.

Other I gotta get cut off, you gotta get slip snip, and nobody should have to tell you, oh well, you just have to accept it. If you don't love it, that's fine, you know what. I'm gonna get it changed and I'm gonna be safe about it.

And that's that.

And I feel like I'm aligned with both of you on your messaging because I do think like there are some people who are just like, you know what, there's more cushion, like let's do this, and there's also people who like really are in there. They're almost like they're almost like caught up in that space where they can't

A there's somebody that I My stance is this, you don't get an opinion where you don't put a payment if you are not paying for the surgery. If it's something that I'm doing myself, you don't get to tell me what I should or should not do it.

That this is my body. I'm allowed to do it to what I want. So again, if.

You're not paying for it, if someone wants to get it done, I don't think you should do it.

Is it coming out of your pocket?

I don't think so save it.

So exactly, I don't. I didn't ask for your opinion, No, totally.

And I do have to say to CC because people, like I said, people look at me. They're like, oh, what do you have to be insecure about? You're this, You're that, you're skinny, your fit whatever, Okay, I tell them lower the lights. Yes exactly. So you know, I think that there is something to be said about making a smart choice. Right. You have to research your doctors. If you're going to go to a plastic surgeon, you have to think financially because plastic surgery is such a risk.

What would happen if it goes wrong?

You could build up that money that whatever I'm making this subject, that ten to fifteen thousand dollars is going to take to cut off the blue skin. You could have a complication. You need to not save ten to fifteen thousand. You need to save even more.

Because God forbid, you have to have a second surgery.

You got to go back in. You got to be prepared for that, because then that becomes another thing, right, that becomes another hurt. But I will tell you this CC. When I was younger, I gained a lot of weight. I was on steroids. I had pneumonia, and then I lost a lot of weight. So I was on steroids for an extended period of time. When I lost my weight, my breasts were not the same. I was twenty one years old and I went to my mom and dad and I said to that my dad's a doctor, which

Just just be safe.

That's a nassage.

Hink it through. And also maybe have a heart to heart with your mom because from women to women, I think she really will understand where you're coming from.

Yeah, you gotta be like mommy and Cera say, look at your.

True It is so true. Well, Rita, thank you so so much for coming and for being a part of life in Spanglish for these two episodes. We love you. Where we're in call. We have to call her back at.

Some Halloween too many say t ever holiday you want that for I want that salad.

You come, you come out.

To my house.

I will feel you.

I'll have your drinks. I will do it all. Thank you so so much for spreading your message and continued success to you. I want to see you rise, I want to see you shine less. Sending you just so much love and I hope you feel it.

Thank you so much.

I do.

Thank you.

This is such an honor again to be here. Thank you so much for having.

Me, Well, everybody follow her. It's at Little Sussem Packet with three t's at the end. I also and you can follow us at l I Spanglish. I'm at the Real Carolina and follow me because I apparently I can't get more follows. I don't know. And then you can follow Honey.

App I am Honey Jereman and make sure you guys like and subscribe Life in Spanglish wherever you listen to your podcast, but preferably on the iHeartRadio app, because it's.

Free exactly, it's not cheap cheap guys.

We'll be back next week.

Lifence Banglish is a production of Life Pnce Banglish Productions in partnership with Iheart's My Kuntua podcast network