Gloria Chavez: Leaving the 9-5 and betting on yourself

Ilse sits down with actor Gloria Chavez (Chicago P.D., national commercials, and your favorite person to whisper-set-gossip with) for a conversation that feels like catching up with your comadre between takes. Gloria shares how she left a draining 9–5 in the dental world, trusted her instincts, and rebuilt her life around acting, joy, and community.They talk about the real work behind commercial acting, why advocating for yourself matters, immigrant-kid pressure, burnout, staying curious, haunted workplaces, gut health, and the complicated art of learning to take up space. And yes — Ilse tells the infamous story of the commercial makeup artist who shaved her eyebrows clean off.It’s warm, funny, and full of the kind of honesty actors crave: the permission to leap before you feel ready.Follow Gloria on Instagram @official_gloriachavez — she’s grounded, generous, and an absolute bright spot in the Chicago scene.Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezachariasMentioned in this episode:Thank you to our sponsor, Mezcla Media Collective. Please follow them on Instagram @mezclamediacollective and join the community at mezclamediacollective.org