Latina to Latina

The formerly undocumented Afro-Dominican poet, spoken word artist and cultural expression activist shares her decision to forgo law school in favor of a different form of advocacy, the importance of uplifting Black immigrant narratives, and the necessity of developing an identity independent of one's family.

The co-founder of United We Dream and MacArthur Genius is sharing her coming of age story in her new memoir, Dreaming of Home: How We Turn Fear Into Pride, Power and Real Change. In this conversation, Cristina revisits the experience of finding her own voice (and falling in love!) as a student organizer, and the process of shedding deeply ingrained shame in order to step into her power. https://read.macmillan.com/lp/dreaming-of-home-9781250275660/

Questions about the identity of her biological father led the author on a deeper quest for answers about who she is and what motivated her mothers' omissions. Carmen details the journey in her new memoir, Why Didn't You Tell Me? Follow Carmen on Instagram @carmenritawong. If you loved this episode, listen to Why Novelist Xochitl Gonzalez Isn't Done Being Ambitious and How Author Alexis Daria is Complicating Our Notions of Romance. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!Founded by Dr. Howard Murad, M.D., Murad Skincare is a line of clinically proven, cruelty-free products that meet the meticulous standard for safety, efficacy and care you'd expect from a doctor. Use promo code LATINATOLATINA for 20% off plus free shipping on orders over $60 at Murad.com.This episode is sponsored by MAUI MOISTURE®. All of MAUI MOISTURE® vegan haircare products are made with 100% Aloe Vera as the first ingredient to hydrate hair across the curl spectrum. They have everything you need for wash day and general upkeep; Shampoos and Conditioners, Treatments, Oils, and Stylers that leave hair flake-free with no residue! For a limited time, Latina to Latina listeners get 15% off select MAUI MOISTURE® products on Amazon. Buy your new favorite hair products and take advantage of the special offer only open to our listeners. Just visit the link created for our show: tiny.cc/mauimoisture

You know her online as @your.latina.nutritionist, where she dishes out culturally competent advice and fact checks nutrition misinformation. In this conversation, Dalina weighs in on the rise of GLP-1 drugs, the nutrition fads Alicia is being sold online (so much cottage cheese!), what “making America healthy” actually requires, and the pursuit of a “soft girl era.” Check out her new book, The Latina Anti-Diet: A Dietitian's Guide to Authentic Health that Celebrates Culture and Full-Flavor Living.https://yourlatinanutritionist.com/book

Her life story is the stuff of movies. She was a goth kid in private school while her dad ran an underground gambling syndicate. A teacher suggested she write about it. And today she's the executive producer of USA's hit drama Queen of the South. The plot points connecting the two eras are filled with derailed projects, hard choices, and moments of euphoric triumph. In this lucid interview, Alicia gets every detail.Follow Dailyn  on Twitter @dailynrod. If you loved this episode, listen to Why TV Showrunner Ilana Peña Craves Complicated Girl Characters and How Aimee Garcia Took Charge of Her Hollywood Career. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

The acclaimed director shares how Viola Davis was critical to her landing Prime Video's G20, the benefits of working with her cinematographer husband, and why she "has no feelings" about cutting even her most favorite scenes. 

The Latina Rebels founder and author of For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: A Love Letter to Women of Color, opens up about imposter syndrome, colorism, and why shaking off traditional roles was key to finding freedom.Follow Prisca and on instagram @priscadorcas. If you loved this episode, listen to How Nelini Stamp Sets Injustice Aflame and How Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Maintains Control of Her Narrative. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

The co-host of CBS News Mornings Plus shares how competing in the Miss USA pageant system taught her to up her wattage, the growing pains she experienced as an international correspondent, and how her idea of balance is giving 100 percent when she is at work and 100 percent when she is with her family. If you love listening to this episode, you can watch an extended cut on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xtFQUni-_fs

A personal leadership crisis shaped her understanding of how power is built and distributed. Now the leadership coach, strategist, and racial equity advocate shares how others can navigate the unique demands of leaders of color, and the work necessary to eradicate anti-Blackness in Latino communities.Follow Karla on Twitter @karlitaliliana. If you liked this episode, listen to How Mildred Otero Learned to Negotiate and Daisy Auger-Dominguez Knows What it Takes to Build an Inclusive Workplace. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

She launched her first business with $500 and a denim jacket featuring a sequined La Virgen de Guadalupe. Eight years later, Patty is ready to introduce the world to the next iteration of her vision: FATHER, Western inspired leather heirlooms. Patty shares how she harnesses the power of her ADHD, why she has chosen to stay fully self-funded, and reflects on the FirstGen kid's eternal search for home.

The serial co-founder (This is About Humanity, Poderistas, I Am a Voter) knows how to harness the power of celebrities for everything from political campaigns to direct service for migrant families, but she still believes that you are the most influential person in your own circle. Elsa shares how this ethos applies to everything from civic engagement to raising multiracial kids.Follow Elsa on Instagram @elsamariecollins. If you loved this episode, listen to Daisy Auger-Dominguez Knows What it Takes to Build an Inclusive Workplace and Artist and Organizer Favianna Rodriguez Knows that Pleasure is Political. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!Sponsor:Founded by Dr. Howard Murad, M.D., Murad Skincare is a line of clinically proven, cruelty-free products that meet the meticulous standard for safety, efficacy and care you'd expect from a doctor. Use promo code LATINATOLATINA for 20% off plus free shipping on orders over $60 at Murad.com.

The Grammy-award winning artist, half of the Mexican sibling pop duo Jesse & Joy, is taking on a new role: as co-composer and lyricist for the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves. Joy shares how music “literally saved her life,” the complexity of being raised by a machismo father who wanted her to be independent, and reflects on the curves life has thrown her way (early professional success, a wife, two babies, and now, a chance to be the first Mexican composer of a Broadway show in over 40 years!).To watch a special extended version of this interview, visit us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@latinatolatinaDuring preview performances (April 1 - April 26) use our special discount code (LTLPODCAST) at the box office or online at Telecharge: https://www.telecharge.com/Real-Women-Have-Curves-tickets?AID=BWY001451633&MC=LTLPODCAST&utm_source=discount&utm_campaign=RealWomenHaveCurvesSS&utm_medium=other&utm_id=BWY001451633

Today we bring you another one of our favorite conversations since the start of our show. 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 does not hide any part of herself in her new role.Follow Carmen @crojasphd on X.

The fashion stylist and designer shares how she develops her clients' style profiles, and details the choices that went into creating SZA's iconic Super Bowl halftime look.

We continue with our Top 25 Countdown! She believes the secrets you keep make you vulnerable. And she is sharing plenty of them in her new book, The Soul of a Woman. Isabel joins Alicia from her cozy writing room in her attic for an intimate chat that touches on infidelity, maternal grief, and the process of becoming "a woman on her own terms."Follow Isabel Allende on Instagram @allendeisabel.

The Executive Producer and Showrunner of NBC's hit sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez knew she had something special when she watched Mayan Lopez call out her famous father, George Lopez, on TikTok. That inspiration, combined with Debby's decade working in television (credits: ABC's “The Conners,”  Freevee's “Primo,” Hulu's “Love, Victor,” Netflix's “One Day at a Time”) has made Lopez vs. Lopez a multi-season success. Debby describes her practices for creating psychological safety in a creative environment, the quality all of her most successful peers share, and the real life struggles that fuel her sitcom's plotlines.

This week, we bring you another one of our most beloved conversations since the start of our show. Film director and activist Paola Mendoza embodies today's political resistance. As Creative Director of the Women's March, her visionary work helped galvanize millions around the world, and continues with the "I Am a Child" campaign and efforts to stop the latest Supreme Court nominee. Paola was raised by a single mother, and, as a rebellious teen, found salvation in the arts. She talks with Alicia about gaining strength from her mother's difficult choices and why for her joy is an act of resistance.Follow Paola @paolamendoza on Instagram.

How Brown Badass Bonita Founder Kim Guerra Learned to Practice Radical Self-Love   Like so many Latinas, she grew up being told, "calladita te ves más bonita.” But once Kim decided she didn't want to be quiet, she decided to help other Latinas find their voice too. Now, she is sharing her personal experience of healing her inner niña and her practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist in her new book, Badass Bonita: Break the Silence, Become a Revolution, Unearth Your Inner Guerrera. Come for Kim's retelling of the time her grandmother called her a "hoe," stay for the revolutionary self-love that allowed her to advocate for herself and begin to heal intergenerational wounds.  ----------------------------------------For notes: Check out Kim's new book, Badass Bonita: Break the Silence, Become a Revolution, Unearth Your Inner Guerrera (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kim-guerra/badass-bonita/9781538742433/) 

We bring you one of our favorite conversations with inspiring Latinas from the world of sports and fitness. The captain and quarterback of Mexico's National Flag Football Team shares her journey to winning gold at the 2022 World Games, how being a competitive athlete has shaped her relationship to her body (and to dating!), and how a professional league would change the sport she loves.Follow Diana on Instagram @dianaflres33.

The host of the acclaimed Yo Quiero Dinero podcast and author of Financially Lit: The Modern Latina's Guide to Level Up Your Dinero & Become Financially Poderosa shares her own journey to financial freedom, the realities of leveling-up a side-hustle, and her best advice for other Latinas who are just beginning their financial education. You can find The Yo Quiero Dinero® podcast here and her book, "Financially Lit!" here. 

We continue with our specially-curated playlist with our favorite interviews with Latinas in sports and fitness. The adventurer, activist, and first openly gay woman to complete the Seven Summits shares the childhood trauma and self-destructive behavior that brought her to the world's highest mountain.Follow  Silvia on Instagram @silviavasla. You can order her book via the websites listed here.

Starting this week, we'll be sharing brand new episodes every other week! Thank you for giving us space to work on other LTL projects (more on that soon). We're excited to bring fresh conversations to your listening rotation.

The Miami-born, Yale-trained Colombian-American actress shares the bumpy road between her breakout role in Netflix's Griselda and her newest role as Detective Kate Silva on Law & Order: SVU; what she has learned working with stars Sofia Vergara and Mariska Hagertay; and the value of being just a little bit delusional.

This week, we share another one of our favorite interviews with Latinas in the world of sports and fitness. A decade ago, she began sharing her fitness trials and triumphs online after experiencing the dark side of the industry. Since then, she has motivated millions to find their motivation, strengthening techniques, and focus—and built a wellness empire that includes an app and the TRU Supplements line. In this episode, Massy gets candid about her recent divorce, and all the things we don't see on Instagram.Follow Massy on Instagram @massy.arias.

Our Top 25 Countdowb continues! The litigator turned ultra-marathoner and fitness instructor shares the personal trauma that helped redirect her from law into fitness, her commitment to showing up fully present and fully committed, and why her new children's book, Strong Mama, is a call to reimagine self-care.Follow Robin @robinnyc on Instagram.

This week, we bring you one of our favorite conversations featuring some of the most inspiring Latinas we've had on the show. As a kid growing up in Texas, she thought that fitting in would keep her safe. Then, as she rose through the Wall Street ranks while harboring a big secret, a life-changing loss made her question everything. In her new book, You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation, Julissa shares her personal journey, explores the veiled history of U.S. Latinos, and makes a powerful case for reimagining what it means to belong.Follow Julissa on Instagram @julissaarce.

We continue with our Top 25 Countdown! "Could you just be done being ambitious?" That was the question the Brooklyn native asked herself before she "blew up" her comfortable New York life to move to Iowa, pursue her MFA, and complete her first novel, which would become a New York Times Best-Seller, Olga Dies Dreaming. Follow Xochitl on Instagram @xochitlheg.

Today we bring you another one of our most well-loved conversations with Latina artists. The iconic Mexican folk singer didn't know if she would keep working in music, so she lost herself in Canada and started paying attention to signs from the universe. In this episode, she shares how she found her way back home and the rituals she relies on to bring new projects to life.Follow Natalia Lafourcade on Instagram @natalialafourcade. If you loved this episode, listen to What Medium Tatianna Morales Sees in Her Own Future and What Singer Aymée Nuviola Left Behind for Her Art. 

Caress has provided more than 2.5 million dollars to support and elevate founders in our communities. One of the alums of the Caress Dream Fund, Naibe Reynoso, is an Emmy award-winning journalist and founder of Con Todo Press, a bilingual children's book publishing company. Naibe shares how she applied her journalism skills to entrepreneurship, the realities of publishing, and how to find big money for your big idea. (Sponsored)To learn more go to caress.com and contodopress.com 

The prolific actress and star of Netflix's musical crime comedy drama, Emilia Perez, shares her fears about being “too famous,” the risk/reward analysis of taking on a wildly ambitious project, and what she learned from sharing space (and the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award!) with Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascón and Selena Gomez. 

We bring you one of our favorite conversations featuring some of the most inspiring Latina writers we've had on the show. When her parents' tourists visas expired, and they were no longer allowed entry into the United States, Elizabeth, an American citizen, persuaded her parents to allow her to stay in Arizona solo. She was only 15 years-old. Even as she contended with housing and food insecurity, Elizabeth managed to graduate valedictorian of her high school class, before going on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, we talk about the values tension in wanting to change the world and needing to pay rent, why the responsibilities she carried never allowed her to “let loose” like her peers, and her decision to share her story in her new memoir, “My Side of the River.”Follow Elizabeth on instagram @lizzycancu and find her book My Side of the River here.  

This week, we continue with one of our most beloved conversations with members of the new literary canon. 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 graduate from Harvard University, and not thinking too much about herself to avoid “going into dark places.”Follow Karla  on instagram @karlarrriott.

Raised in El Paso by a Mexican immigrant mother and a father who worked as a truck driver, this first gen college student started her career at the Republican National Committee. Then dual tragedies, the September 11, 2001 attacks and the sudden death of her father, changed everything. Olivia describes her career pivot to national security; her choice to work for Vice President Pence, her decision to leave and the fall out; and why she, a lifelong Republican, is now openly campaigning for Kamala Harris.   

Administrator Guzman, the fifth Latina to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet, shares how she learned to be “as entrepreneurial as the small businesses” she serves, the growing pains of pivoting from behind-the-scenes player to principal, and her best advice for other Latinas who want to do the same. 

At UnidosUS's annual conference in Las Vegas this year, LTL's Juleyka Lantigua moderated a keynote conversation with the founder of the award-winning beauty brand during the event's Latinas Luncheon. Sandra opened up about the creative transition from rock musician to lifestyle entrepreneur, the business acumen and personal evolution required to grow Nopalera, and the powerful ways our choices as Latina consumers can generate community wealth. 

This week, we share another one of our favorite interviews from Latinas in the art world. Her poems have gone viral and reached millions. Now the writer behind "Brown Girl, Brown Girl" opens up about finding her way out of an abusive marriage, the decade where her kids became her poems, and the power of putting what you want into words.Find Leslé's latest book here and follow the author on IG @leslehonore. If you loved this episode, listen to How Coco Illustrator Ana Ramírez González Extends Herself with Her Art and How Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio Maintains Control of Her Narrative. 

For her newest YA book, Solis, Paola teamed up with co-author Abby Sher to tell the story of a near-future  America where undocumented people are forced into labor camps in service of an autocratic regime, and the four courageous rebels who decide to start a revolution. Paola shares the process of co-creating, what she had to say "no" to in order to say "yes" to YA fiction, and reflections on her own quest for freedom.Follow Paola on Instagram @paolamendoza .  Find her new book Solis, here and her book tour dates here. If you enjoyed this episode, listen to her first episode on Latina to Latina, Paola Mendoza Teaches Us That Joy Is an Act of Resistance. 

The award-winning journalist delves into the reporting behind her new book, Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America; reflects on how being a Latina lesbian informs her storytelling; and shares what her grandfather's life and death have taught her about the pursuit of individual freedom.Follow Paola @paoramos on Instagram and find her new book here. 

This week, we bring you one of our favorite conversations with Latina artists. iLe's natural and inherited musical talents were nurtured between classic piano training and the hyper-political songs of Calle 13, Puerto Rico's most influential group in the last few decades. Now the singer/songwriter takes center stage with her haunting and flaring album Almadura. She and Alicia revisit moments of inspiration and desperation—especially for her beloved PR's political limbo—and pull threads from the vivid stories and powerful messages that elevate her music to anthem status.Follow iLe on IG @cabralu. If you loved this episode, listen to Dessa for more on music. 

She was in her early 30s when a stranger's intervention forced Jessica to confront her addiction. Recovery required Jessica to revisit early traumas, and contend with deeply ingrained ideas about achievement and self-worth. Now, the founder of @NuevaYorka is sharing her story in her highly anticipated memoir First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream.Follow Jessica on Instagram @jessicahoppeauthor and @NuevaYorka.  Find her new book here.

In her new book, Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us, Prisca helps us understand the women in our lives: la loca, tu tía escándalosa, la prima perfecta and so many more. Prisca shares her own path from la prima perfecta to la loca, and her best advice for truly getting to know the women we love.Follow Prisca on instagram @priscadorcas. Find her latest book here. 

Our Top 25 Countdown Continues! The Ivy League educated holistic psychologist is revolutionizing her field with Indigenous healing, curanderos, sound baths, and Reiki therapy. In this conversation we had well before the release of her book Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma, Dr. Buqué breaks down her work in mental wellness, and how we can use “micro moments” to connect with ourselves.  Find Dr. Buqué's book here. Follow her on Instagram @dr.marielbuque. 

We continue with our favorite conversations with Latinas in journalism. She came to Miami on vacation from her television job in Colombia and, while visiting Telemundo with a friend, walked herself into an opportunity of a lifetime. Then Ilia Calderon really went to work, leading the country's premier Spanish-language news program on Univision and making headlines for her intrepid reporting and intelligent disaster coverage. She talks with Alicia about confronting a KKK leader, reporting on the family separation crisis as a mother, and navigating life as a hyphenated Latina.Follow Ilia on Instagram @IliaCalderón. If you loved this episode, listen to María Elena Salinas and Mariana Atencio for more on journalism.

This week, we share another one of our favorite interviews from Latinas in the world of journalism. Noticias Telemundo's Washington D.C. bureau chief shares her unlikely path from correspondent to newsroom leader, and one of the most influential journalists in Spanish-language television.Follow Lori on Instagram lorimontenegro_ .If you loved this episode, listen to Why Investigative Journalist Jean Guerrero is Leaning into the Power of Her Personal Experience.

This week we bring you one of our most beloved interviews with inspiring Latinas in journalism. After decades of beaming into our homes from her perch on the Univision anchor desk, María Elena Salinas is enjoying finally speaking for herself and pursuing her own ideas and work. She jokes that she didn't want her legacy to be that “I worked at Univision and then I died,” but Alicia also gets her to open up about that lingering doubt we all feel, the hard choices of being a working mom, and the freedom that comes with stepping boldly into your destiny.Follow Maria @MariaESalinas on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Mariana Atencio and Cristina Costantini on their paths into journalism. 

We continue counting down our top 25 episodes of all time. It took her years to get back to herself, but now the singer-songwriter who exploded onto the world stage as part of Fifth Harmony has her first solo EP, Prelude. And she's also on a mission to help others heal.Follow Lauren @laurenjauregui on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Why iLe's New Album, Almadura, Is Both Departure and Evolution from Calle 13 and Why DaniLeigh is Destined to Be a Music Mogul.  

This week, we bring you another one of our favorite interviews since the start of our show. She learned on the job as an assistant to one of the most powerful women in Hollywood, and spent nine years at Twentieth Century Fox before making the leap to Netflix. Now its director of original programing, she lets us in on what it takes to sell a big idea.    Follow Carolina on Instagram @thedancingdiary. If you loved this episode, listen to How Showrunner Dailyn Rodriguez Stays in High Demand and LEVEL UP: This Life Coach Says Now's the Time to Level Up. 

Today, we bring you another one of our most beloved interviews with Latinas in entertainment. "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, sacrificing something of great value, and working harder than she thought she could.Follow Linda @lindayvettechavez on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Ilana Peña, and Gloria Calderón Kellett for more on creating Latina narratives in Hollywood.

We continue with our favorite conversations with Latinas in the entertainment industry. 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 episode, listen to Linda Yvette Chavez and Cristela Alonzo for more on creating Latina shows in Hollywood.

This week, we bring you one of our best-loved episodes about Latinas in the entertainment industry. Calderón Kellett runs the show. Literally. She's the co-showrunner and executive producer of Netflix's One Day at a Time, and with each season, she'd adding more credits to that list: writer, director and actor. She talks with Alicia about her rise through Hollywood's writers' rooms (How I Met Your Mother, Devious Maids, and Drunk History), and argues for letting good things be good. And reveals her plans to take her storytelling to the next level.  Follow Gloria on instagram @gloriakellett. If you loved this episode, listen to Cristela Alonzo and Linda Yvette Chavez on what takes to write and run a television show. 

We continue with our Top 25 Countdown! The Hollywood A-lister reveals how she advocates for herself, maneuvers through complex power dynamics, and deflects the “Brown Discount.” She also shares about the work that went into Season 2 of the smash hit, Gentefied, streaming on Netflix now!   Follow America @americaferrera on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Why TV Showrunner Ilana Peña Craves Complicated Girl Characters and How Queens' Star Nadine Velazquez is Making the Most of a Second Chance.