Entre Mundos Podcast

Hey vecino,Have you ever woken up and felt like there are two people living inside of you?The version of you that shows up at work or school. And the version of you that shows up at home. Two separate selves. Two sets of unspoken rules. Two languages — sometimes literally. And never the same room at the same time.Por mucho tiempo I thought that was just what it meant to be bicultural. That you kept the two versions separate. That you never let them meet.It took me a long time to realize that the exhaustion I felt wasn’t from living between two worlds. It was from never letting those two worlds actually meet.That’s where Season 1 of the Entre Mundos Podcast ends today.In Episode 12 I talk about something that doesn’t get named enough — the real cost of living divided. Not in one dramatic moment but in the slow accumulation of microaggressions from both sides. The hundred small moments that convince you the safest thing to do is keep yourself split. The thoughts that show up when you’ve been carrying that for too long. The way the body reacts before the mind has a chance to catch up. And what it finally looks like to stop keeping the two versions of yourself in separate boxes and let them be in the same room.I share the moment that defined something in me — when I was sixteen years old and integration stopped being a concept and became something I felt in my body in real time. And I talk about what Entre Mundos Collective actually is and where it’s going — because this was never meant to be just a podcast. It was always meant to be a community.If you’ve been with me since Episode 1, gracias, this season was for you. And if this is your first time here, there are eleven more episodes waiting to be heardWHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE* The pick-a-side pressure bicultural Latinos carry from both directions and what it does over time* The cost of keeping two versions of yourself in separate boxes — in the mind, in the body, in the life* Why the thoughts that show up when you’ve been carrying too much are signals not truth* How learning to notice what’s happening inside you creates space between the trigger and the response* The moment integration stopped being a concept and became something I felt in my body* What Entre Mundos Collective is becoming — and your invitation to be part of itKEY LINE FROM THIS EPISODE“You were never supposed to be one thing or the other. You were always supposed to be all of it. Poquito de todo. Ni de aquí, ni de allá. Fully, wholly you.”LISTEN TO EPISODE 12NOTE: This episode touches on some heavy emotional territory including the dark thoughts that can show up when the pressure of living between worlds gets to be too much. If anything lands close to home for you, please reach out to someone you trust or contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.WANT TO GO DEEPER?Tomorrow on Substack I’m posting the Season 1 finale article — going deeper into what living divided actually does to the body and the mind, the noticing practice that creates space between the trigger and the response, and what integration looks like not as a destination but as a daily practice.If the episode opens the door, the article walks through it.Keep an eye out for it mañana.If this season has meant something to you, share it. Do me a favor…. Send an episode to someone who needs it. Leave a review on Apple. Join me on TikTok Live for our weekly pláticas where we have these conversations together in real time.Porque Entre Mundos Collective isn’t just my voice. It’s ours.Season 2 is coming. Y hay mucho más que hablar.Un abrazote fuerte. Tu vecino, John EliCONNECTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/entremundoscollective TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entremundoscollective This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Nobody ever sat you down and said it directly. But the message was always there. In the laugh when you pronounced a Spanish word correctly. In the coworker who decided your last name was too much work. In the "wow, your English is so good" that was supposed to be a compliment.Little by little, the ask became clear, be less of who you are so everybody else can feel more comfortable.In this episode we talk about what assimilation actually costs us. Not as a concept. But as a lived experience that bicultural Latinos navigate every single day in American spaces — at work, in schools, in professional environments that were never designed with us in mind.WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODEWhy assimilation pressure rarely announces itself and how it shows up in the small moments insteadWhat it actually means when someone refuses to pronounce your name correctlyHow American culture defines success and why that definition leaves so much outWhat one job taught me about joy, community, and dignity that no corporate training ever couldWhy the myth of equal opportunity is exactly that — a myth — and what that costs the people it leaves outWhy the goal was never assimilation it was always integrationKEY LINE FROM THIS EPISODE"You are under no obligation to become a prisoner to anyone else's unrealistic expectation of you. Especialmente si requiere que pierdes parte de tu identidad just to make another person comfortable."CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONTomorrow on Substack I go deeper into what this episode opened up — specifically around values, identity, and what it looks like to choose your own direction when the dominant culture keeps handing you someone else's map. Link below when you subscribe.Get it here: https://entremundoscollective.substack.com/LISTEN / WATCHSpotify / Apple / YouTubeCONNECTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/entremundoscollective TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entremundoscollective This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Hey vecino,I was 48 years old when I was diagnosed with ADHD.Cuarenta y ocho.And when I told my tío — who happens to be a retired psychologist — his response was: “Oh… I could’ve told you that.”So I asked why he never said anything.And he said: “Did you not know who your parents were?”I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I did both.Because that answer said everything. Not just about my parents. But about an entire culture that loves deeply — and still doesn’t always have the language for what its people are actually carrying.That moment opened something up in me. And it’s what this episode is really about.Because a lot of us grew up in families where mental health didn’t get called mental health. It got called something else entirely.“Le botó la canica.” “Está mal de la cabeza.” “Nomás está exagerando.” “Le falta oración.” “Ocúpate y se te quita.”And if you heard any of those phrases growing up — directed at yourself or someone you loved — this episode is for you.In Episode 10 of the Entre Mundos Podcast I get personal. More personal than I have in any episode this season. I talk about my own journey with anxiety, ADHD, and the 21 years it took me to finally walk into a therapy room. I talk about what my mom said when I told her about my first panic attack. And I talk about the mirror moment at 39 that changed everything.This isn’t just my story though. It’s the story of a lot of us who grew up in families that loved us and still didn’t have the tools to help us.LISTEN TO EPISODE 10https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/entre-mundos-podcast/id1889591391https://www.youtube.com/@EntreMundosCollectivehttps://open.spotify.com/show/0HUrOsWxNmgcT7vqrad9O5?si=447708b5e066468eWHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODEWhy Latino families dismiss mental health struggles — and why it comes from survival not crueltyThe phrases we grew up hearing and what they were really communicatingHow spiritual explanations can become a way of avoiding what someone actually needsWhat it costs a person to go 21 years without real supportWhy getting help is one of the most courageous things a bicultural Latino can doKEY LINE FROM THIS EPISODE“Getting support is not weakness. It’s not a betrayal of your culture. It’s not a sign that your faith isn’t strong enough. It’s one of the most courageous things a person can do — especially when nobody around you gave you permission to do it first.”WANT TO GO DEEPER?Tomorrow on Substack I’m posting an article that goes deeper into what’s actually happening in Latino families when mental health gets dismissed, spiritualized, or redirected — and why the person who ends up holding the pain is rarely the one who created it.If the episode opens the door, the article walks through it.Keep an eye out for it mañana.And one more thing — I’m taking Memorial Day off. No new episode that Monday. But I’ll be back with Episode 11 on June 1st. Don’t miss it.If someone came to mind while reading this — someone who was always labeled “the problem,” who was told to pray it away, who never got a real explanation for what they were carrying — compártelo. Send it their way.Porque a lot of us feel this. We just never had the words for it.Un abrazote fuerte.Tu vecino, John Eli This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Hey Vecino,Ponte Vicks. That was the answer to everything growing up. Pero that remedio doesn’t work well with suppressed emotions. A veces it seemed like emotions were expected to be healed instead of felt.Let me tell you how I know this.Because a lot of us grew up in homes where feelings were something you managed quietly. Where the goal was to keep going, not to fall apart. Where the adults around us moved through loss, through pain, through impossible circumstances — and did it in silence.And we watched.And we learned.Not from a conversation. Not from anyone explaining the rules. Just from being in those rooms long enough to understand what was expected.You feel it. You don’t show it. You keep moving. You sé fuerte.Y así nos fuimos formando.WHAT THIS EPISODE IS ABOUTFor a lot of bicultural Latinos, emotional suppression isn’t just a personal pattern. It’s a cultural inheritance. One that was born out of real survival, real sacrifice, and real love.But somewhere along the way, strength got redefined.It stopped meaning we could handle hard things.It started meaning we weren’t allowed to feel them.And then we stepped into American spaces that told us the opposite. Feel your feelings. Name your emotions. Vulnerability is strength. And something in us exhaled — because finally someone was speaking a language we had always felt but never been given words for.Pero then we went home.And none of it was safe to practice there.So now we’re living entre dos mundos — fluent in the language of feelings pero unable to speak it in the rooms where we need it most.That’s the tension this episode is about.WHAT WE COVERWhat the body does with emotions that never get expressedThe specific pain of knowing how to feel but not having a safe place to do itWhat it looks like to reclaim the voice and the tenderness you deserved all alongWhy strength was never supposed to mean don’t feelKEY TAKEAWAYStrength is not the absence of grief.Strength is being present enough to feel it and still stay in the room.And the tenderness you deserved — the permission to feel, to need, to not be okay — nobody has to give that to you anymore.You can give it to yourself.Es tuyo. Nobody can take it back once you claim it.LISTEN TO EPISODE 9https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/entre-mundos-podcast/id1889591391https://www.youtube.com/@EntreMundosCollectivehttps://open.spotify.com/show/0HUrOsWxNmgcT7vqrad9O5?si=447708b5e066468eWANT TO GO DEEPER?Tomorrow I’m posting a full article that goes deeper into what’s actually happening when we can’t let ourselves feel — the cultural layer, the body layer, and a small practice to start reclaiming your own voice.If the episode opens the door, the article walks through it.Keep an eye out for it mañana.And if someone came to mind while reading this — someone who always holds it together, who never lets anyone see them struggle, who says estoy bien before the question is even finished — compártelo.Porque a lot of us are carrying this.We just never had the words for it.Un abrazote fuerte.Tu vecino, John Eli This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

“¡No seas flojo!” — What Growing Up in a Working Latino Home Did to Your Nervous SystemHey vecino,There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that doesn’t have a name in either of our languages.It’s not burnout exactly. It’s not laziness. It’s that feeling you get when you finally sit down after a long week and instead of feeling relief, you feel like something is wrong. Like you’re forgetting something. Like you haven’t quite earned this yet.And so you get up. You find something to clean. Something to organize. Something to do.Not because you’re not tired. But because somewhere along the way, stopping stopped feeling safe.A lot of us grew up in homes where the adults never stopped moving. Where stillness was treated like a problem. Where rest had to be earned and even then it came with a comment.“¿Qué, ya te cansaste?” “Eso es de flojos.” “Ojalá yo tuviera ese lujo.”And then we stepped into American spaces that told us to prioritize rest, protect our peace, and take our PTO. And instead of feeling relieved, something about that message felt off too.Like it was designed for someone whose starting point looked nothing like ours.That’s the tension this episode is about.Not to shame the work ethic our cultura gave us. That work ethic is real and it’s something to be proud of. But there’s a difference between choosing to work hard and not being able to stop. One is a value. The other is something that got wired into us before we were old enough to choose anything for ourselves.In Episode 8 of the Entre Mundos Podcast, we get into what that actually looks like — in the body, in the family, and in the space between the culture that raised us and the world we’re living in now.If you’ve ever felt guilty for sitting still, this one is for you.LISTEN TO EPISODE 8Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0HUrOsWxNmgcT7vqrad9O5?si=447708b5e066468e Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/entre-mundos-podcast/id1889591391 Substack: https://entremundoscollective.substack.com/podcastWANT TO GO DEEPER?Tomorrow I’m posting a full article that goes deeper into what’s actually happening when rest feels dangerous — what your body learned, where it came from, and what it takes to slowly teach it something new. If the episode opens the door, the article walks through it.Keep an eye out for it.https://entremundoscollective.substack.comAnd if someone came to mind reading this — someone who can never quite sit still, who always finds something to do, who feels restless the moment things slow down — compártelo.Porque a lot of us feel this. We just don’t always have the words for it.Un abrazote fuerte.Tu vecino, John Eli This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

If you’ve ever said no, y luego luego felt like you needed to fix it—this episode will hit.Like it didn’t even have time to land before everything felt off.In this episode, we slow down what actually happens when you set a boundary in a Latino family—and why it can feel so much bigger than it should.Because this isn’t just about saying no.It’s about what happens after.The comments.The guilt.The shift in energy.Y esa sensación de que algo cambió. If you’ve ever felt like setting boundaries makes you feel like a bad son, daughter, or family member… este episodio es para ti.WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE Why saying “no” can feel emotionally overwhelming The reactions that show up en familias Latinas How family roles keep things feeling “balanced” Why everything feels off cuando empiezas a cambiar What it actually takes to hold a boundaryKEY LINE FROM THIS EPISODE“You’re not just setting a boundary… you’re changing something your family is used to.”CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONIf this is something you’ve been navigating, no tienes que resolverlo solo.I put together a free guide for bicultural Latinos on how to start using your voice without feeling like you’re losing your people. It's free when you subscribe to my Substack. 👉 Get it here: Entre Mundos Collective SubstackLISTEN / WATCHSpotifyAppleYouTubeCONNECTInstagram TikTok This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Have you ever wanted to say something…pero something in you told you to stay quiet?For many bicultural Latinos, speaking up—especially to elders—doesn’t just feel uncomfortable.It feels wrong.In this episode, we explore the deeper layers behind that feeling—how culture, family roles, and survival patterns shape our relationship with our voice.This isn’t just about communication.It’s about connection, identity, and what it means to honor your roots… without losing yourself.WHAT WE COVER Why respeto in many Latino families is positional, not mutual How speaking up can feel like a threat to family stability The fear of losing cariño, connection, and belonging How silence becomes a learned survival strategy “Dramatic Mexican ghosting” and other forms of avoidance The internal rulebook: guilt, shame, and “la chancla” thinking How identity gets tied to being “the respectful one” The tension between family loyalty and self-expression Why this creates a repeating emotional loop How to begin shifting—without losing your peopleKEY TAKEAWAYSpeaking up feels wrong…not because it is—but because silence once kept you connected.And now, you’re learning a new way to stay connectedwithout abandoning yourself. REFLECTIONThis week, notice: When do I want to say something… but don’t? What am I afraid might happen if I do? What part of me am I trying to protect?WANT TO GO DEEPER?I write more about culture, identity, and mental health on Substack:https://entremundoscollective.substack.com/When you subscribe, you’ll also get access to my free guide for bicultural Latinos on: boundaries identity self-trust🎧 LISTEN / FOLLOWSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0HUrOsWxNmgcT7vqrad9O5Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/entre-mundos-podcast/id1889591391Substack: https://entremundoscollective.substack.com/SHAREIf this episode resonated with you,send it to someone who might need to hear it.Porque sometimes…hearing something said out loudcan make all the difference. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Have you ever felt like you’re always the one showing up in your relationships…pero somehow, you’re the one losing yourself in the process?For many bicultural Latinos, love doesn’t just feel like connection—it can feel like responsibility, pressure, or something you have to maintain.In this episode, we explore how early attachment patterns, cultural expectations, and nervous system responses shape the way we give, show up, and sometimes overextend ourselves in relationships.In this episode, we cover: Why love can start to feel like sacrifice How attachment patterns influence overgiving The role of the nervous system in maintaining connection Bicultural tension between family loyalty and individuality How to begin including yourself in the way you love othersReflection:Where in your life are you showing up for others…but not fully including yourself?🌉 Want to go deeper?Explore more on Substack: https://entremundoscollective.substack.com/Get your free guide for bicultural Latinos on boundaries, identity, and self-trust when you subscribe.🔗 Listen & follow:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0HUrOsWxNmgcT7vqrad9O5?si=447708b5e066468eApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/entre-mundos-podcast/id1889591391Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EntreMundosCollectiveIf this resonated, consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Hey vecino,Have you ever been in a room where something didn’t feel right… pero nadie decía nada?For many of us—especially bicultural Latinos—this doesn’t always show up loudly. Sometimes it’s subtle—pero ahí está—bringing up a sense of tension, confusion, maybe even discomfort you can’t fully explain.At times, it can feel like you’re the only one noticing what’s happening. Like something is off, pero everyone keeps moving forward as if everything is normal. Even when you try to brush it off or make sense of it, something about it still doesn’t feel completely settled.I’ve been sitting with this lately, and the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that this isn’t just about awkward moments or miscommunication.Porque, if we’re being honest, this often goes deeper.It starts to touch something more personal—something connected to how we were taught to navigate family dynamics, respect, and what it means to “keep the peace” in Latino families.It brings up questions about when to speak, when to stay quiet, and what it might cost us either way.And that’s the part that doesn’t always get talked about.🎧 So in this episode of the Entre Mundos Podcast, I wanted to open up that conversation.Not from a place of having everything figured out, pero from a place of slowing things down and understanding what might be happening underneath the experience.What we get into:We talk about the silence that many of us have witnessed in family spaces, and how it’s not always about what’s happening—but about what isn’t being said.We explore what happens when someone does speak up, and how quickly the focus can shift from what was done… to how they reacted. That shift can make it feel like the truth becomes less important than maintaining family harmony.We also look at how machismo, respect, and loyalty in Latino culture can sometimes get tied to staying quiet, even when something inside of you knows that what’s happening isn’t right.… And we get into what it means to navigate life entre dos mundos—holding both the value of family unity and the need for personal truth at the same time.🎙️ You can listen to the episode here: Entre Mundos PodcastReflectionAnd before you go, I want to leave you with something to sit with.“Where in your life have you stayed quiet to keep the peace, even when something inside of you knew it wasn’t right?”Free ResourceIf this is something you’ve been navigating, I put together something for you.A free guide for bicultural Latinos learning how to set boundaries without losing themselves in the process. (It’s yours when you subscribe to my substack) Because choosing yourself shouldn’t feel like you’re betraying your people.ShareIf this resonated with you, compártelo con alguien que lo necesite.Because these are conversations many of us grew up feeling, but rarely heard spoken out loud.Un abrazote fuerte,— Tu vecino, John Eli This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

In this episode of the Entre Mundos Podcast, we talk about something many bicultural Latinos feel…pero no siempre se habla.That moment when:👉 success doesn’t feel like freedom👉 it starts to feel like responsibility…👉 or even betrayalFrom a cultura y psychology perspective, this conversation explores what happens when growth, identity, and family expectations start pulling in different directions.In this episode, we get into:• how immigrant sacrifice shapes identity• success guilt in bicultural Latinos• the pressure to give back to family• the fear of outgrowing your community and cultura• navigating two different definitions of success• what it means to live ni de aquí, ni de alláReflectionIn what ways might you be holding yourself back because part of you is afraid that your growth might feel like betrayal?Connect with MeEntre Mundos Collective and Podcast is a space where we explore culture, identity, and mental health from a bicultural Latino perspective.Instagram: https://instagram.com/entremundoscollectiveTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@entremundoscollectiveYouTube: https://youtube.com/@entremundoscollectiveSubstack: https://entremundoscollective.substack.comFree ResourceDownload the free boundaries guide for bicultural Latinos when you subscribe to my free Substack:https://entremundoscollective.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Have you ever found yourself making a decision and the first thought that comes up is:“What are my parents going to think?”For many bicultural Latinos, that moment isn’t just about fear— it carries guilt, pressure… y a veces hasta shame.In this episode, we slow that experience down and explore what’s really happening underneath it.What we cover- Why disappointing our parents can feel so heavy- The difference between guilt and shame- Shame as a “dysfunctional cry for connection”- How the nervous system responds with avoidance and distancing- The tension between family loyalty and individuality- Navigating life entre dos mundosKey TakeawayYou can stay connected to your family without losing yourself.Reflection QuestionsWhere in my life am I avoiding disappointment at the cost of being fully seen for who I am?What would it look like to stay connected to my family while still being honest about who I’m becoming?Share this episodeIf this resonated with you, compártelo with someone who might need it too.Because these are conversations many of us grew up feeling, but rarely heard spoken out loud.Connect with MeInstagram: https://instagram.com/entremundoscollectiveTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@entremundoscollectiveYouTube: https://youtube.com/@entremundoscollectiveSubstack: https://entremundoscollective.substack.comFree ResourceDownload the free boundaries guide for bicultural Latinos when you subscribe to my free Substack: https://linktr.ee/entremundoscollective This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Episode SummaryThere’s a phrase many of us grew up hearing: “somos familia.”In this episode, we explore how silence, machismo, and cultural expectations can shape what feels safe, normal, or acceptable in Latino families. We also talk about the pressure to keep the peace, the impact of staying quiet, and what it looks like to honor your roots without losing yourself.Topics Covered Latino family dynamics Machismo and gender roles Silence and cultural expectations Bicultural identity Mental health in Latino communities First-generation and second-generation experiencesConnect with MeInstagram: https://instagram.com/entremundoscollectiveTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@entremundoscollectiveYouTube: https://youtube.com/@entremundoscollectiveSubstack: https://entremundoscollective.substack.comFree ResourceDownload the free boundaries guide for bicultural Latinos when you subscribe to my free Substack: https://entremundoscollective.substack.comDisclaimerThis podcast is for educational and reflective purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com

Hey vecino… good morning.¿Ya tienes tu cafecito?Before we begin, I want to welcome you to something I’ve been building with intention… with reflection… and with a lot of respeto for where we come from.This is the Entre Mundos Podcast —a space for bicultural Latinos navigating life between cultures.Aquí hablamos de:* identidad* cultura* mental health* family expectations* and what it really means to honor your roots without losing yourselfBecause for many of us…we were raised between worlds.Between:* sacrifice and self-worth* loyalty and individuality* who we were taught to be… and who we’re becomingAnd sometimes…that in-between space can feel confusing.Heavy.Even isolating.As a trauma-informed mental health counselor and nervous system educator, I’ve seen how deeply these experiences shape us — not just emotionally, but in the way we move through life, relationships, and ourselves.This podcast isn’t therapy…but it is a space for reflection, understanding, and real conversation.Think of it like sitting down with a vecino…cafecito in hand…talking about the things we don’t always say out loud.If this resonates with you, share it with someone who might need to hear it.And if you’ve ever felt caught between worlds…just know—there’s nothing wrong with you.There’s a story there.And we’re going to talk about it.Until then…keep honoring your roots, without losing yourself.☕ Subscribe, share, and join the conversation🎙️ First episodes drops on March 30🌎Connect With Me📱 Instagram🎥 TikTok📰 Substack▶️ YouTube This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com