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, Gloria Calderón Kellett and Cristela Alonzo for more on creating Latina shows in Hollywood. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter! 

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 @blackpuertoricanphd on Instagram and @rosaclemente on Twitter; and follow Marisa @marisa_franco on Twitter and @marisafranco on IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter! 

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 gratitude." Get ready to be inspired.Follow Lisa @thelisavidal on Twitter and @thereallisavidal on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Gina Torres and Aimee Carrero for more on acting. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter! 

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 and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter! 

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 @kcornejov on Twitter and @kcornv on IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Carmen Maria Machado and Quiara Alegría Hudes. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter! 

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!

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.

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 episode and her new book, Glow From Within.Follow Joanna @JVSkinCare on Twitter and @joannavargasnyc on IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton and Katia Beauchamp for more on the business of beauty.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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 situation from which the rest of us might learn something. She'll also talk to an expert with relevant experience, who can help us understand and move through the situation. 

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 the power of education.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

"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 see that shift clear as day." The conversation goes there and many other intimate places as she recounts her life from Colombia to Orlando to Los Angeles.Follow Isabella @Isabella_Gomez on Twitter and @isabella.gomez on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Aimee Carrero and Jackie Cruz for more on acting.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

"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 @lindayvette on Twitter and @lindayvettechavez on IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Cristela Alonzo, Ilana Peña, and Gloria Calderón Kellett for more on creating Latina narratives in Hollywood. Love the show? Show your love and become a Latina to Latina insider here!

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 step up in big ways.Follow Cecilia on Twitter @cecemunoz @WeAreUnidosUS and @NewAmerica. If you loved this episode, listen to host Alicia Menendez and Daniela Pierre Bravo for more on workplace advice. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

“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 compelled her to volunteer as a court translator for Central American children who were being processed as asylum seekers during the Obama administration. And it continues to help her interrogate her place in the world as an artist.Follow Valeria on Twitter @ValeriaLuiselli and IG @valeria.luiselli. If you loved this episode, listen to Frances de Pontes Peebles and Carmen Maria Machado for more on summoning the muse.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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 Auger-Dominguez and Carla Vernon for more on navigating corporate culture. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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 journalism.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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 episode, listen to Ramona Rosales and Susie Jaramillo for more on visual mediums. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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 Twitter @ilevitable and IG @cabralu. If you loved this episode, listen to Dessa for more on music. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Cristina Jiménez knows how to agitate for change. The co-founder and Executive Director of United We Dream convinced President Obama to act on DACA. Now, as she prepares to step away from an organization she helped build, Cristina’s sharing what she’s learned: everything from her work on "decolonizing my understanding of myself" to warning against the perils of putting your ego ahead of the cause. She tells Alicia about her private conversations with the president and about the criticism she and her fellow organizers faced as they rallied millions to their cause by “defying all conventional wisdom.”Follow Cristina on Twitter @CrisAlexJimenez and IG @crisalx. If you loved this episode, listen to Jess Morales-Rocketto and Paola Mendoza for more on advocacy. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Her professional journey would make an awesome movie. From humble beginnings as an NPR intern to co-founding and producing Radio Ambulante—a powerhouse narrative journalism podcast in Spanish—to launching an international production company, Adonde Media, Martina has never stopped innovating. Today she is at the forefront of digital audio and in demand. But along the way she’s faced some real doubts, like bilingual imposter syndrome and the nagging fears that come from being a CEO.Follow Martina on Twitter @martinacastro and IG @entredosmares. If you loved the episode, listen to Juleyka Lantigua-Williams and Susie Jaramillo for more on building a community and a media empire. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Susie Jaramillo created several lines of award-winning children’s books, animated series, and merchandise. And she made the first board book prototype by hand while easing her child into daycare. It’s no wonder when Alicia spoke to her, Susie was celebrating a $2-million seed round for her Encantos Media. She tells us what it takes to thrive as a creative in the corporate world, and build the confidence to grow from what you know.Follow Susie on @sujaramillo @canticosworld on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Martina Castro and Juleyka Lantigua-Williams.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

She had us at hello. Then we got to know her and walked away inspired. Founder Julissa Prado mixed her grandma’s herbal medicine legacy, a lot of sweat from relatives, $50K in life savings, and her uncompromising drive to grow Rizos Curls, a hair care line that reached $1 million in sales before it debuted at Target. But wait for it: before all that she earned an MBA, managed major brands for Nestlé, and became a licensed commercial truck driver.Follow Julissa on Twitter @julissa__prado and IG @julissa_prado; and follow Rizos Curls on IG @RizosCurls. If you loved this episode, listen to Nina Vaca and Nathalie Molina-Niño for more on entrepreneurship. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

She calls herself a “fire-starter,” and has a long list of rabble-rousing moments to prove it. Before turning 18, she registered people to vote by pleading “Please register and vote for me! I can’t vote.” Later, she marched in an anti stop-and-frisk protest to the home of NYC’s mayor. But walking into the Working Families Party to volunteer for Obama changed the course of her life. That path led to joining Occupy Wall Street and spending three weeks camped out in the streets. Along the way, she co-founded Dream Defenders. Honestly, Nelini embodies the phrase “Power to the people.”Follow Nelini on Twitter @NelStamp and IG @NelStamp @resistancerevivalchorus. If you loved this episode, listen to Alexandra Rojas and Jessica González-Rojas for more on progressive politics. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

One of the original innovators in the personal blogging space, Ana Flores is not only an early adaptor but also a born innovator. She saw an opportunity in connecting brands to popular online personalities—today’s influencers—and ran with it. Her company brought in millions one year and filed for bankruptcy the next. Like a phoenix, Ana rose from the ashes to build the super successful We All Grow Latina.Follow Ana @laflowers on Twitter and IG; and follow We All Grow Latina @weallgrowlatina on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Martina Castro and Juleyka Lantigua-Williams for more on building community and a media empire. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

She says her music is driven by “connection, communion and lost.” But listening, really listening, to one of Dessa’s albums and then drilling down to a single song, leads you through a tunnel of convulsing rage, unanswered love, and philosophical rifts on your place in the world. She brings that intense presence of heart and mind to this revealing conversation.Follow Dessa on Twitter @dessadarling and IG @dessa. If you loved this episode, listen to Latashá and iLe for more on music. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Listeners often ask us about starting a podcast. In this episode, executive producer Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, gives a masterclass in the art and science of podcasting. From refining a concept, identifying your target audience, and understanding the mechanics of producing an episode, Juleyka offers useful insights about entering and standing out in the industry.Follow Juleyka @JuleykaLantigua on Twitter and IG; and follow Latina to Latina @latinatolatina on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Martina Castro and Susie Jaramillo for more on building community and a media empire. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

We're replaying this one to help you rev up for the new year!! Michelle Poler says being raised in Venezuela during turbulent times made her afraid of everything. While in grad school in the US, she set out to conquer 100 fears and live a life free from worry. In the process, she has inspired scores of people around the world to face up to their greatest challenges.Follow Michelle @michellepoler and Hello Fears @hellofears on Twitter and Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Mariana Atencio and Nicole Mejia for more on taking big risks. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Gina Torres is everything we’ve ever wanted to be: brilliant, strong, stylish, and funny. In this episode, she opens up about the real and very personal reason she left Suits, how she spearheaded the creation of Pearson, and why life at fifty is simply fabulous.Follow Gina on Twitter @ginatorres and IG @iamginatorres; and Pearson on Twitter @PearsonUSA. If you loved this episode, listen to María Elena Salinas and Linda Briceño for more on owning your worth and knowing when it is time to step away. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

She's a recording artist. She played Celia Cruz on television. She toured around the world. She has had a career many can only dream of. But Aymée also sacrificed so much along the way. She left behind her home and family in Cuba. Crossed into the U.S. as an asylum seeker. And endured years of uncertainly as she pursued her calling to sing. Her voice still breaks as she recounts her trials and triumphs to Alicia in this episode—our first bilingual one.Follow Aymée @aymeenuviolaofficial on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Yvonne and Yvette Rodriguez from Tres Lindas Cubanas for more on Afro-Cuban culture. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Her genre-bending new memoir, "In the Dream House," recounts an abusive lesbian relationship and implodes safe notions of intimacy. Carmen talks with Alicia about revisiting trauma, mourning for her former self, and the risks of complicating queer narratives.Follow Carmen @carmenmachado on Twitter and IG. And buy her book, In the Dream House. If you loved this episode, listen to Valeria Luiselli and Quiara Alegría Hudes for more on summoning the muse.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

This popular YouTuber is a bit of a provocateur. “How To Spot a Fake Disability” is among her most viewed and most subversive videos. Annie Elainey, the queer, disabled, intersectional advocate who created #TheFutureIsAccessible, is constantly challenging assumptions about disability and chronic illness.Follow Annie @annieelainey on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to her YouTube channel! If you loved this episode, listen to Jillian Mercado and Natalia Oberti Noguera for more on the power of inclusivity and disruption. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

The founding mother of the farmers' rights movement, Dolores Huerta is still traversing the country protesting, marching, and sometimes getting arrested. And she loves every minute of it. In this live episode, she recounts funny and alarming stories from her decades of fighting for the rights of workers, from the farm to the ballot box.Follow Dolores @DoloresHuerta and @DoloresHuertaFD on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Lucy Del Gaudio and Pam Campos-Palma, Jess Morales-Rocketto and Cristina Jiménez for more on advocating for what you hold dear. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Knowing that “beauty is hard to sell on the internet,” this subscription box CEO still pursued a breakthrough company model that would eventually redefine beauty buying habits. But it was not a straight line from a business-school idea to a multi-million dollar annual revenue. Potential investors didn’t get it. Makeup purveyors didn’t see the vision. And customers had to be found. Katia tells Alicia the full riveting story.Follow Katia on Twitter @katiawwb and IG @katiawb; and Birchbox @birchbox. If you loved this episode, listen to Elle Huerta and Nathalie Molina-Niño for more on founding and funding a business. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

When a santera declared that it was time for Yvonne and Yvette Rodriguez to work together, the twin sisters didn’t flinch. Today, they’re shaking up the cigar industry with their Miami-based brand, Tres Lindas Cubanas. With charisma and humor, the sisters tell Alicia about launching their business with only $500, harnessing the power of their Afro-Cuban roots in the cigar market, and why they're doing it all to honor their ancestors.Follow Yvonne and Yvette on Twitter @TresLindasCigar and IG @treslindascubanascigars, and check out Tres Lindas Cubanas! If you loved this episode, listen to Aymée Nuviola for more on Afro-Cuban culture. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

At work, strong women are thought of as unlikeable. Warm women are rarely seen as leaders. Alicia takes a deep dive into these frustrating realities in her new book, “The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed As You Are.” Our executive producer, Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, joins her to look at the effects of internalizing these demands, the cultural challenges Latinas navigate, and how, together, we can battle these outdated expectations.Follow Alicia on Twitter @aliciamenendez and IG @aliciamenendezxo. And buy her book, The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed As You Are. If you loved this episode, listen to Cecilia Muñoz and Daniela Pierre-Bravo for more on workplace advice. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

After decades of keeping her psychic abilities hidden from her family and friends, Zulema Arroyo Farley found herself unable to deny that she could communicate with the spirit world. The decision to be public about it came with much criticism and pushback, but she knew to be her complete self she needed to not just accept this part of her, but share it with others. In this fascinating episode, she also tells Alicia about the rare cancer diagnosis that changed her life, her chance encounter with Adele, and her fight against sarcoma. She writes about it all in her new memoir, So Much More: A Poignant Memoir about Finding Love, Fighting Adversity, and Defining Life on My Own Terms.Follow Zulema on Twitter @TheLatinaMedium and IG @zulemaarroyofarley. If you loved this episode, listen to Nicole Mejia and Angelique Cabral for more on trusting your intuition. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Fresh out of college, Jennifer Mercedes was offered the opportunity to produce and host her own baseball video series. She snatched it, and La Chica Deportes was born. Nine years in, she’s done it all: secured sponsorships, interviewed baseball greats, and brought fans closer to the athletes they love on and off the field. Here, she talks about what it’s like to be “the only woman on the field or the only girl in a clubhouse,” how she snags exclusive sideline interviews, and what her move to La Vida Baseball means for the type of sports stories she wants to tell.Follow Jennifer on Twitter @chica_deportes and IG @lachicadeportes. If you loved this episode, listen to Martina Castro and Suzy Exposito for more on journalism and storytelling. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

On October 24, Feeling My Flo — the reported podcast where menstruation is an event that happens to all types of bodies — is back with a brand new season all about periods and the people who experience them.

Cristela Alonzo knows about starting at square one — and then doing it again and again. In the second part of our interview, she talks to Alicia about facing her make-or-break moment, how she “had to go live a life to have things to talk about,” and why she’s back with her new tour, "My Affordable Care Act.” She writes about it all in her new memoir, Music to My Years.Follow Cristela on Twitter and IG @Cristela9. And buy her book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up. If you loved this episode, listen to Gina Brillón, and Sasha Merci and Dee Nasty for more on comedy. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

As a latchkey kid growing up in San Juan, Texas, comedian Cristela Alonzo dreamed of leaving her border town and seeing the world. In this emotional two-part episode, she tells Alicia how her childhood aspirations made her the black sheep of her family, and how she needed to put those dreams on hold, first to care for her sister’s children, and then, her ailing mother. Through it all, music and television – from the Backstreet Boys to the Golden Girls – was her "connection to the outside world." She writes about it all in her funny and moving new book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up.Follow Cristela on Twitter and IG @Cristela9. And buy her book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up. If you loved this episode, listen to Gina Brillón, and Sasha Merci and Dee Nasty for more on comedy. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Fresh off a major legislative win with the passing of California’s AB-5, forcing gig-economy giants like Uber and Lyft to classify drivers as employees, Gonzalez tells Alicia, “I was so blessed by not knowing my own limitations.” The product of humble beginnings, she credits her hardworking mother and local Latina leaders--”daughters of farmworkers”-- for teaching her that leadership means “providing the path by which other people can lead.” She says for all of her accomplishments, it’s the things that aren’t on her resume — an unplanned pregnancy, her experience as a single mom, and struggles to achieve perfection —- that shaped her most.Follow Lorena on Twitter @LorenaAD80 and IG @LorenaSGonzalez. If you loved this episode, listen to Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and Alexandra Rojas for more on progressive politics. Follow Lorena on Twitter @LorenaAD80 and IG @LorenaSGonzalez. If you loved this episode, listen to Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and Alexandra Rojas for more on progressive politics.

She launched herself as an Instagram model. And then Nicole Mejia built an entire fitness brand, Fit and Thick, to empower women to embrace their natural shape and work to enhance it. Now, the fitness entrepreneur is rebranding her empire as LULY, and encouraging a different type of well-being: one that begins on the inside. Alicia gets her to go deep on acceptance as the starting point of transformation, resisting the urge to constantly change and evolve, and why self-love often means “making difficult decisions to honor your needs.”Follow Nicole @nicole_mejia on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Fran Medina and Melissa Alcantara for more wellness and influencing. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

She’s a go-to celebrity photographer, known for her innovative use of color and light. From Janelle Monáe to Cardi B, America Ferrera to Bad Bunny, Ramona Rosales has captured your faves in ways that even surprised them. In this episode, she shares her tips for putting a subject at ease, managing big egos, and the delicate art of self-promotion. Follow Ramona @ramonarosales on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Cristina Constantini, Susie Jaramillo, and Scherezade Garcia for more on the business of visual mediums. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

People may call her “the next Rihanna,” but she’s only interested in being the first DaniLeigh. After starting out as background dancer for the likes of Pitbull, directing a music video for Prince, finding viral fame with Drake’s “In My Feelings” challenge, and writing music for J. Lo and Cardi B, she’s established herself as a serial hit-maker. Here, DaniLeigh opens up about overcoming insecurity to find her sound, surrounding herself with fellow hustlers, and why she’s laser focused on securing the bag.Follow DaniLeigh on Twitter @DaniLeigh and IG @iamdanileigh. If you loved this episode, listen to Linda Briceño, iLe and Dessa. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

A rising star in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black as Maritza Ramos, Lina in Jane the Virgin, and Sofia in Superior Donuts, Diane Guerrero embodies quintessential Latina powers. She's grounded in her strong family roots but still shaped by the trauma that separated them apart when she was a teenager. She tells Alicia how she harnessed the loss and pain into unmatched self-determination and drive. Follow Diane on Twitter @dianeguerrero and IG @dianexguerrero. If you loved this episode, listen to Daniela Pierre-Bravo, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio and Cristina Jiménez on owning your own narrative. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Linda Briceño’s career as a trumpeter, vocalist, and producer has allowed her to rub shoulders with the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval. It also earned her a Latin Grammy. But all of that success took more practice and hard work; it demanded Linda break with people who’d been instrumental in her professional growth, and to stand firm in her vision for herself as an artist.  Follow Linda on Twitter @ellabric and IG @ellabricmusc. If you loved this episode, listen to iLe, DaniLeigh and Dessa for more on making music. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

"What I'm trying to do is motivate people into their purpose." Easy, right? It is if you're Jess Morales Rocketto, a digital political organizer ninja who helped orchestrate historic runs by Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams. Now she's mobilizing millions in the fight against family separation and the movement to bring the masses to the ballot as the Chair of We Belong Together, National Domestic Workers Alliance's feminist campaign for immigration reform.Follow Jess on Twitter and IG @jesslivmo. If you loved this episode, listen to Paola Mendoza and Nelini Stamp for more on politics and activism. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

“I was a comedy junkie at 14,” she admits. And now Gina Brillón is a rising comedy star, headlining tours with the likes of Gabriel Iglesias, premiering an HBO Latino special, “Easily Offended,” and hosting a comedy showcase. Gina tells us how comedy helped her process a toxic relationship, and how her #MeToo moments forced her to choose between her career and her dignity. Follow Gina on Twitter @ginaBrillón and IG @gBrillón. If you loved this episode, listen to Cristela Alonzo, and Sasha Merci and Dee Nasty for more on comedy. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!