Latina to Latina

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of internalizing these demands, the cultural challenges Latinas navigate, and how, together, we can battle these outdated expectations.Follow Alicia on Twitter @aliciamenendez and IG @aliciamenendezxo.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!

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz emerged as one of the most recognizable critics of the Trump administration’s response to the island’s recovery. She tells Alicia how the grit she demonstrated in those moments was a lifetime in the making, what it will take to fully rebuild the island, and why she is throwing her political weight behind Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid.Follow Carmen on Twitter and IG @carmenyulincruz. If you loved this episode, listen to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez for more on politics and leadership; and iLe for more on Puerto Rican topics. Follow Carmen on Twitter and IG @carmenyulincruz. If you loved this episode, listen to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez for more on politics and leadership; and iLe for more on Puerto Rican topics.

Jackie Cruz, a star on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, is so much more than people sometimes expect. “Instead of me just being in a box, like ‘Oh. She’s Latina. That’s all she is.’ No, no, no.” For seven seasons, she’s brought Flaca Gonzales to life, but she’s also been fighting for causes like DACA and recording her first album.Follow Jackie on Twitter @MsJackieCruz and IG @JackieCruz. If you loved this episode, listen to iLe, Scherezade Garcia, and Latashá for more on finding your creative voice.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

The executive director of the Latina Institute for Reproductive Health talks about how legislative restrictions on abortion impact our health and our communities. Jessica recalls how a trip to a clinic to get birth control became her first act of political activism, what it means to reframe the abortion debate as a matter of reproductive justice, and how Latinas, often perceived as either “virginal” or “hyper-sexualized,” actually view sexual health.Follow Jessica on Twitter @jgonzalez_rojas and IG @pararican and @votejgr. If you loved this episode, listen to Alexandra Rojas and Nelini Stamp. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

The executive producer of Latina to Latina just launched Feeling My Flo, a reported podcast where menstruation is an event that happens to all types of bodies across the gender spectrum. Aimed at the 12-16 years in your life, Feeling My Flo wants to be a tool to help important conversations get started among loved ones. Take a listen then subscribe wherever you listen to Latina to Latina.

Cristela was one of the very first guests on the show. And still one of our faves. With a new book, Music to My Years, due in October and already out for pre-order, we wanted you to hear about her rise to comedic stardom, including her trailblazing sitcom and a starring role in Disney’s Cars 2.Follow Cristela on Twitter and IG @Cristela9. If you loved this episode, listen to Elle Huerta and Fran Medina for more on processing grief. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!