The Latinx Chronicles with Hip and Erika

Laura Rodríguez Presa is a prominent and one of the youngest bilingual reporter based in Chicago, working for the Chicago Tribune. She focuses on in-depth storytelling about the Latino community and often collaborates with fellow journalists on investigative series—such as the acclaimed “Aging in the Shadows,” which highlights challenges faced by undocumented seniors in Illinois. She is an amazing and beautiful person whom I met while working with our new neighbors (immigrants) arriving from all over the world. She often covers stories of the most vulnerable, and many times, based on her own lived experiences. She tells her story from her childhood to her current accomplishments. I am proud to call her a friend and can't wait to see what the future holds for her! 

Nancy has been a force to be reckoned with in the arts and culture scene of Chicago and beyond! She shares her story of one of her amazing teachers and her first sponsor before we even used that word. She received her first opportunity to shine at The National Museum of Mexican Art formerly known as the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Pilsen where she later became the Director of Education. She then found her new home at the Chicago History Museum where she helped tell the stories of nuestra gente among other things as the Vice President of Education and Engagement. She continued her journey in her new role as the Deputy Commissioner for Programming in the Department of Cultural Affairs. She is embarking on her new journey to dig deeper into the stories of all Latine/x with the launch of Raices Chicago Story Coalition, it will collaborate with organizations and communities of Chicago to enhance the visibility and accessibility of these stories.Listen in and to learn more about raices go to: https://linktr.ee/raiceschi

Jona is a friend and one of the most giving, courageous, and risk-takers we know. He is an immigrant and saw the potential and opportunity achievable in the United States through real estate. His abundance mindset has helped him create the life he always wanted and helps his clients see their full potential and the "ganas" to create wealth for themselves.  He dives in on how he has helped his clients not only buy one, two, or three but as many properties as possible as it allows people to live a better life, help their families build generational wealth and achieve the American dream!Hear his story and get motivated to start your journey!

Nallely is truly inspiring, a go-gether always looking for new ideas and giving it 1000% to make it happen and see her ideas come to life.  We loved talking to her and getting to know her better. We talked about some qualities she has developed over the years like patience, bravery and courage, we can all become more patient, brave and courageous so listen in! I had the pleasure of tasting her new venture Drop Needle Cocktails and they are truly delicious. If you are in the Chicagoland area, ask for them at your local grocery store!She reminded us to read to elevate our mindset but also don't forget to read what you love. Life is unpredictable but staying the course and being true to yourself is something that she advised and we are taking this to heart! Listen to our podcast and then go over and check out hers: corporate cafecito

At the young age of 17 years old Rodolfo started his culinary journey in his native Colombia which then took him to Miami, London, Philadelphia, and New York which then brought him sweet home Chicago. We dive into his journey to open Amaru, Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, Lil Amaru, and Don Bucio's Taqueria. All of his restaurants showcase his love for Latin America and a little piece of his history, his world travels, and his passion.  His food is delicious, bright, full of flavor, and a must-try for all Chicagoans and those who travel to our city.  As I tell my kids "be a risk taker" and try some of his Vegan food at Bloom. We learned many things from recording this episode  but  something that resonated with me was that the harder the journey the sweeter the "recompensa"Listen in and then run to one or all of his restaurants! 

Architect, Author and Advocate, Alicia Ponce is the founder and principal of APMonarch. Since 2007, Alicia's expertise and passion for sustainability have supported many clients in designing radically better projects. Her reputation for resilient and eco-conscious architecture secured APMonarch's role as the Sustainability Architect and direct protégé to Santiago Calatrava and his firm's design proposal for the 2019 O'Hare International Airport Global Terminal. The international competition drew 1,200 teams and five were selected for the final presentation.Alicia has a bigger purpose and her passion for advocating and lifting other Latinas led her to start her own nonprofit Arquitina.org  which led her to write her story about her purposeful journey to architecture, entrepreneurship, and connection with nature and help others do the same in  Latinas in Architecture Books volumes 1 and 2 Listen to her and learn more at https://www.arquitina.org

Margarita Quiñones Peña came to this country as a 4-year-old to Chicago. She was one of the few young women in her engineering school which took her almost 6 years to graduate since financial aid is not available to dreamers but she didn't let her stop her from achieving her dreams. She quickly learned that she needed to look for mentors, take it to the next level, and find sponsors to help her achieve her goals and guide her to achieve her big audacious goals. Who are you mentoring? Who are you sponsoring by lifting them when they are not in the room? Our past shouldn't define our future and she shared her story in her new book Homecoming (find it on Amazon) and support her cause to help families arriving in this country.  The Latinas Sweat Project is one of her other projects that help promote healthy lifestyles through yoga, and meditation. She is a success story that motivates us to continue to do the good work of helping others! I hope you love her story as much as we did and please connect with her on all social media platforms. 

Lyanne tells stories about what's next in the world of technology, business, and entrepreneurship. She has reported via emerging platforms in English and Spanish, worked on audience engagement, strategy, and execution, and enjoys taking stories from start to completion.  We were blown away by her passion and her dedication to elevating Latinx voices.We talked about supporters, mentors, and sponsors, the difference between them, and how we need all three in life and business. At Google, she leads content for social media across Developer Relations programs, tools, and initiatives.At Nasdaq, she hosted live segments spotlighting entrepreneurs and thought leaders, booked, and produced live video content, and for Nasdaq's first podcast: Adelante!Check out her weekly newsletter and podcast on Apple and Spotify all about it called Moneda Moves: monedamoves.substack.comHer pieces have appeared in CNBC, Business Insider, NBC Latino, Distintas Latitudes, and Latino Rebels and  she's available for freelance assignments: lyannealfaro@gmail.com

Que placer fue el tener al Dr. Luis Samuel Abreu- Garcia join us all the way from La Isla del Encanto. We talked about his beautiful and very large family, his grit to achieve his personal and professional goals and the importance of giving back. He is an example of a leader that rose to the top and is constantly mentoring others specifically making sure the younger generation has a road to achieve a degree in pharmaceutical because when he wanted to achieve that goal he had to leave the island. We also dived into his love for the island and why YOU should visit if you haven't yet and since we are celebrating Mothers all month long - listen to the end for a special treat! 

Jose Rico shares the truth of the journey of finding his way back home.  We talk a lot about healing and the process of staying true to yourself without giving up the culture, the language, and his love for el barrio.  He has helped people and many organizations navigate hard conversations about race, urban equality, and public policy. One of his dreams was to build a high school but instead, he became the Principal of the Little Village High Schools.What are transformational relationships? We dive in and talk about building relationships that can help transform and reach your goals. One of those transformational relationships landed him one of the most interesting jobs of working with The Obamas and serving in the White House leading the Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.As the Director of the Truth Racial Healing and Transformation Greater Chicago, he has assisted in over 9,000 healing circles which have helped over 20,000 people come together to talk about loss, and grief, and share their stories and their hope. If you want to learn more please reach out to him. 

Dr. Graciela Berumen is the Assistant Director of Diversity and Multicultural Student Engagement for the department of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs at Kansas State University.  Dr. Berumen's research interests include first-generation college students, global education, language acquisition, culture, equity, inclusivity, access, and identity in Education.Originally from California, her interests stem from her upbringing as well as her love for language, education and raising two bilingual sons. Graciela considers her work as an educator and as a board member for the Tonantzin Society, Harvesters, The YWCA and her membership in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., as a way to give back to the community and encourage others, who like herself are proud children of immigrants, to embrace their heritage and pursue their academic dreams. Her passion for equity in education and her love for her students inspired the creation of her non-profit: BE F1RST,  a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to offering one-on-one support, mentoring and scholarships for first-generation students and families.The belief in the transformational power of conversations surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) also led to the creation of Becoming Equitable, LLC. Becoming Equitable offers onsite and virtual workshops, led by women of color who focus on facilitating discussions around DEIB in order to create more inclusive work environments.

We are starting the year with the southside coffee master Jesse Iñiguez, he is changing the narrative of Back of The Yards by bringing his coffee to the southside of Chicago. Jesse founded Back of the Yards Coffee in 2016 and opened the Coffeeshop in 2017.   We discuss all things coffee, giving back, his community engagement and the community support he has received. We celebrated their journey and all of their success since Back of the Yards coffee is now well-known and a household name in the coffee world in Chicago and beyond! If you live in Chicago you need to check out their new location soon at the corner of 47th and Ashland but in the meantime, you can order on their website www.backoftheyardscoffee.com The advice we heard from Jesse was, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail" and "lift as you climb"! 

Motherhood is a journey that almost every time brings change and the realization that one must make certain changes to ensure that the baby is growing healthy and also most moms-to-be make certain changes to embrace their "new" life and this was exactly the case with our guest Evelia Torres.  After working in the beauty industry for many years, motherhood made her realize that she wanted to live a cleaner and more toxic-free lifestyle so she started making her own products and that is how De Mi Tierra was born.  Listen to her journey and follow her because she is dreaming big and one day soon we will see her products in Target or Macy's! De Mi Tierra means “From My Earth”, and all of the beauty and body products are  100% Natural, Simple, and Organic. The beautiful line of products pays tribute to traditional Mexican beauty rituals and the only ingredients used are grown from the earth.  Find them at https://www.demitierranatural.comEvelia is also doing her first crowdfunding to scale her business to the next level: https://ifundwomen.com/projects/de-mi-tierra-mexican-skincare-rituals?fbclid=IwAR18AqzJYFlWmWCtFHAsT7mL_BuBvjTAdWeqaMlX0h1yexrx2eshLd8K3Fo

Isabel Gonzalez-Smith is a mother, doula, and the founder of Chicago Latina Moms. Isabel founded Chicago Latina Moms in the summer of 2014 when she was pregnant with her first son after struggling to find a community that didn't automatically associate Latina motherhood with crisis and was determined to create a space for celebration, empowerment, and growth. Today, Chicago Latina Moms (www.chicagolatinamoms.com) is a non profit organization dedicated to empowering, uplifting, and celebrating the Latina mother with an online community of over four thousand members.  We talk about the guilt of being a mom, the struggle, the isolation,  but the Chicago Latina Mom space is  for all moms and she wants to remember that "no estas sola"! Isabel has also served families as a birth and postpartum doula as La Luna Doula since 2016 and is part of citywide efforts to improve Chicago maternal and child health. She assisted Erika, our host in her last birthing journey and they dive childbirth. Be your advocate, ask questions,  remember that you can fire your medical provider, you need to be in charge on your journey. Before pursuing birth work and Chicago Latina Moms, Isabel earned her Masters Degree in Library Science and spent 8 years as an academic librarian, instructor, and researcher focused on racial and ethnic identity. When Isa is not working, you can find her advocating for the neurodivergent community, exploring nature with her sons, and trying to keep her houseplants alive!  Isabel is passionate about social justice, empowering families as they grow, and making memories with her two adventurous sowww.chicagolatinamoms.com

The amazing Carmen talks about her life from her humble beginnings, the murder of her brother, and their move to Skokie from their beloved Humbolt Park for better opportunities but also meant leaving part of their culture, their language, and their loved ones.  Her spirit and her words are uplifting and her journey was not easy, especially after becoming a single mom right after high school.  The universe had other plans for her and she found a career as a public servant at the Cook County sheriff's office.  She always kept an open mind, her hard work, and determination got her promoted time and time again but she always kept her dad's words close to her "learn while doing".  She also reminded us that diversity means nothing without inclusion.  We touched on police reform, police training, and the broken criminal justice system.   The political world is ugly but "WE" the people still have the power and your VOTE matters. 

Luis Fitch is a multidisciplinary creative director and designer at UNO Branding based out of Minneapolis but it all started in the Tijuana/San Diego area where his love for art started at a very young age.  We talk about his journey of breaking barriers in the design and marketing sector and staying true to his roots by always adding "color, sabor y personalidad" to everything he does.  His love for collecting stamps came full circle when he received a call from the United States Postal Service to have his own Dia de Muertos stamp and at the same he collaborated with Target  with a full line of household and decorative items to celebrate this special holiday.  He continues to expand his brand, promote his art &  his Mexican culture. 

Nuria Rivera is the President-elect for the National Association of Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), the founder and owner of Novation Title Insurance Agency. LLC in Utah and a total badass! Today we chat about her life, her upbringing, her entrepreneurial spirit, and her obsession to achieve greatness in her life. We dive into a little word called "FEAR" which can change the course of your life,  she explains this word in such a great way.  Fear is a part of the human experience, embrace it and conquer it. We all experience the same emotions, know for a fact that everyone that has succeeded has felt and experienced it but you must take action and be willing to risk and move forward! Listen in to this episode and then go check out her own podcast Nuria's Mastermind - Success +Fulfillment

Mental Health is still a taboo topic within our Latinx community and we want to help change that. The month of May is Mental Health  Awareness Month and in this episode, our guest is Dr. Luis San Roman. He is a healer, he is a coach and his focus is to help others heal their childhood wounds and trauma and helps create breakthroughs to help his clients live their best life.  He is expanding his work into marriage counseling and corporations to help them thrive.  He encourages everyone to accept their humanity, empathize with themselves, and embrace self-forgiveness. 

Milagros is one of the founders and a staple at 5 Rabbit Brewery, a cerveceria in Chicago. I saw her every time I was in the taproom enjoying beers with the flavors of the multicultural blanket of Latin America. She was born in Lima Peru but has traveled and lived in many parts of the world like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Brussels but made Chicago her home. Today we discuss her first encounter with racism, her family, her adaptability to change, the new changes coming to  5 Rabbit Cerveceria, and letting go of the things you can't change. 

As we wrap up Women's History Month we share the story of an amazing woman, Judge Beatriz Santiago.  This Puertorriqueña talks about her journey to the bench how she overcame obstacles, believed in herself and knew that she didn't want to be a statistic because of her environment -  she was meant for greatness!We dive into the importance of selecting Judges that represent us, that are fair and impartial. We talk about being an informed voter and why all voters should research judges before going to the voting polls, so before you go vote for a judge in the next election please check out www.VoteForJudges.org

We're celebrating Women's History Month by sharing the story of Esperanza "Espi" Casillas Arana. An amazing woman, mother of 3 beautiful girls, and daughter of immigrants of the beautiful state of Michoacan growing up in a very conservative family in East Chicago Indiana. She shares her journey of rising through the ranks of one of the most well-known pharmaceutical companies - AbbVie, where she currently serves as the Regional Treasurer of Latin America.  She talks about the importance of building your "mom squad" to help create the balance needed to be a successful working mom.  Arriba Las Mujeres!!

Education was the route to success for Jose Luis Torrez. As he continued to climb the education ladder he decided to reach new heights by obtaining his Doctorate degree in Education. He is passionate about community engagement and as a past college advisor, he has helped hundreds of students (including DACA  and undocumented students) by advising them on their education journey.   He is involved in local politics and civic engagement because he understands the importance of Latinx getting involved in politics and having proper representation. 

In our first episode, we talk to Attorney Mario Treto Jr., the acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), the first LGBT Latino to ever hold this position. As a first-generation  Mexican American, he talks to us about his life journey, shares the importance of finding mentors to form your own personal board of directors, giving back and, advocating for his community.