Hella Latin@
Hella Latin@ is a platform for Latinos to tell their story and share their experiences of navigating identity and culture as a first gen and/or immigrant.
The three pillars that make up Hella Latin@ are representation, vulnerability and celebration. Representation: there's a mosaic of accents, backgrounds and cultures that make up Latinidad, and it's time to represent that mosaic — one story at a time. Vulnerability: each guest keeps it real on how they break cycles, blaze new trails, and embrace identity as a superpower through it all. Celebration: there are many stories about our people y cultura but rarely are we the authors of it. In this podcast, we put a spotlight on who we are, where we come from, and where we're going.
So, go grab your cafecito and get ready to laugh, learn, and be inspired by nuestra gente.
101
Imposter Syndrome From a Human Level
Brian Ovalles, a Black Latino from Washington Heights, talks about navigating spaces where he was culturally, racially and socio-economically different than his peers. From an early age, he felt like he was always having an away game yet he took ever...
56 min
102
Inner City to Corporate America
“If you want to go up in the company, you have to stop fraternizing with people in the mail room.” In this episode, Yuridia Peña, a Dominican woman from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, talks about her young dreams of working on 5th Avenue and becoming the ...
55 min
103
Black Beans: An Afro-Chicano Story
Choosey is an Afro-Chicano hip hop artist who grew up in National City and Chula Vista, California. His debut studio album Black Beans (2019), produced by Exile, represented his Afro-Chicano heritage and conveyed themes of ethnic identity, gentrifica...
59 min
104
La Belleza Cuesta
Elizabeth Molina is a Dominican-Peruvian Latina, model, beauty mentor, influencer, TedX speaker and founder of the Molina Glow. Elizabeth's personal story of survival led her to her current work in helping others redefine their why surrounding beauty...
60 min
105
Do Your Thing and Do it Well
Arabela Espinoza is a Mexican-American creative photographer based in San Jose, CA. When not enjoying an iced vanilla latte or a craft cocktail, you can find her working full-time at Weekend Creative, a creative photography agency that she co-founded...
52 min
106
From a Grass Shack to Silicon Valley
Martha Nino was born in Mexico and immigrated to the USA undocumented as a child. She grew up in the Bay Area and watched Silicon Valley grow into what it is today. She's a 25-year tech pro and just recently celebrated her 15-year anniversary as a Sr...
63 min
107
Part Three: What's Your Story? Guided Experienc...
Welcome to the third out of four RisOn guided experiences! This month, you'll have an opportunity to explore and communicate your own story in depth. This week we'll focus on breakthrough. Let's use visualization to reconnect to your forgotten life e...
15 min
108
Part Two: What's Your Story? Guided Experience ...
Welcome to the second out of four RisOn guided experiences! This month, you'll have an opportunity to explore and communicate your own story in depth. This week we'll focus on discernment. Let's get on a deeper level to discern what you're still hidi...
14 min
109
Latinos in Hollywood
How many times have you scrolled through Netflix and saw stereotypical Latino movies and leads? Narcos, Latin lovers, funny sidekick and don't get me started on stereotypical Latina narratives. Folks like Edwin Porres Jr. are out here changing the ga...
54 min
110
Part One: What's Your Story? Guided Experience ...
Welcome to the first of four RisOn guided experiences! This month, you'll have an opportunity to explore and communicate your own story in depth. This week we'll focus on awareness. What's your story? Who are you and what brought you to this moment t...
11 min
111
Is My Story Valid Enough?
Erika Barraza is a first-generation Salvadorean Latina and Bay Area native working in LA as an actress, director, and using her platform and creative work to make a positive impact in the world. She just co-directed three 360/VR films for Lenovo. Her...
81 min
112
RisOn x Hella Latin@: Telling Your Story
In this episode, I sat down with mis amigos Chris Gueits and Jon Hermida, co-founders of RisOn, to tell you all about our new collaboration. AKA, our gift to you! We took our partnership to the next level and created this interactive and powerful ...
7 min
113
A Three-Time Refugee
Jessica Artiles es una jefa completa, born in Cuba and raised in Hialeah, Miami. Jessica is the Founder and Chief Design Officer at Darte Design, where she translates her background in mechanical engineering, public policy, design, entrepreneurship, ...
62 min
114
Caribbean Meets South Asia
Maya Joshi is a first-generation American of Caribbean and South Asian heritage, originally from New Jersey but raised in San Diego at the age of 10. In this episode, she talks about navigating her Indian and Dominican cultures while also learning wh...
74 min
115
Del Pueblo al U.S. Embassy
Karen Vasquez O'Donnell was born and raised in El Salvador, and moved to the United States at 13 years old with her family. In this episode, she talks about her childhood living in a rural pueblito in El Salvador to her first U.S. embassy visit to na...
62 min
116
Latina Powerpuff and a PHD
Ximena Martinez aka LatinaPowerPuff is a first-generation Mexican-American from the Central Valley. In this episode, she talks about her first-gen experience in higher education and being one of the 2% of Latinas in STEM. You'll notice how passionate...
57 min
117
Apasionada, Sencilla y Clara
Rocio Rivera es una jefa completa, a proud Sinaloense raised in the Bay Area and one of the best Latina photographers out there. So much, she was recently recognized as the best photographer in the Solano county of 2020! Osea, hair flip. In this epis...
73 min
118
In Between Two Worlds
Jasmine Fuego is the daughter of a Nicaraguan immigrant and Black American, and was born in California and raised in the Deep South. She is an Afro-Latinx musician, event producer and cultural curator—working at the intersection of art, culture and e...
60 min
119
Con Esencia Latina
In this episode, Oscar and I talk about the evolution of the Latino identity, translating important documents as children (of course) and embracing the resiliency our parents passed down to us. Oscar Garcia is the Founder & Chief Empowerment Officer ...
45 min
120
Jenny From El Barrio
From growing up in Brooklyn in the 80s to becoming a Latina entrepreneur featured on Forbes—Jenny From El Barrio is a true badass. Jennifer Gomez is a Dominican-American tech entrepreneur, marketer and storyteller hailing from Williamsburg, Brooklyn....
73 min
121
Las Entrepreneurs
Hilda Perez and Sarah Perez Jarrett are sisters, proud Dominicanas, proud New Yorkers and proud business owners. In this episode, they talk about growing up Dominican in New York, their first-gen experiences and how they now lead their family busines...
62 min
122
Beyond My Comfort Zone
Claudia Rojas is a Latina who moved from Medellín, Colombia to New Jersey at the age of 11. In this episode, she talks about her immigration journey and experiences, her love for family and how her life theme is all about personal growth. Every step ...
54 min
123
Odisea de Una Boliviana
Alejandra Gonzales is a proud Latina who was born in Bolivia, and immigrated to the U.S. with her immediate family at the age of 10. In this episode, she talks about her immigrant experience, first-gen pressures and overcoming adversities in school, ...
77 min
124
Navigating Grief, Choosing Love
Mother, author, poet, speaker, teacher, DJ—this girl does it all. Marina is Mexican- and Native-American, born and raised in the 818 (shoutout to San Fernando Valley). In this episode, she talks about her third-gen Latina experience, becoming a mothe...
82 min
125
First Gens on Voting
In this special release, I sit down with my brother Patrick Córdova and my friend Sarah Moreno to have an open conversation about voting. Patrick has spent the past 6 years advocating for Black and brown communities at the local government level in S...
47 min