Latina to Latina
by LWC Studios
In this interview series, host Alicia Menendez talks to remarkable Latinas about making it, faking it, and everything in between. In often-hilarious and always-revealing episodes, Alicia and her guests take on the challenges of existing, and then thriving, as women of color.
Episodes
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Top 2: How Curator E. Carmen Ramos is Representing Us in the Art World
As a teenager, she spent weekends in New York City museums. Today she’s big-time in her field. E. Carmen Ramos talks candidly about feeling unwelcome in her first museum job to challenging the art establishment to include more Latino artists in the country’s biggest art institutions. Follow E....
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Remix: How Christy Haubegger Became a Media Mastermind
As a child, Christy Haubegger knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: a boss. As the founder of the iconic Latina magazine, a film producer, and now an agent at one of the most powerful talent agencies in Hollywood, Creative Artists Agency, Christy is more than a boss; she's a force to be...
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Remix: "In the Heights" Playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes Writes So People Remember Us
She has written about Latinos in Washington Heights, about her close cousins and extended family, about what it means to be Latina. And now she’s writing about herself in her first memoir. Quiara is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Water by the Spoonful, the Tony Award-winning musical In...
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Remix: How NewSchools’ Frances Messano Became a Provider of Dream Capital
As a kid growing up in Coney Island, luck played a big role in setting her life path. Now, as the president and incoming CEO of a nonprofit venture philanthropy fund, Frances is working to make sure that educational opportunity comes down to more than just luck. Follow Frances on Twitter...
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Top 3: Why Designer Jen Zeano Is Building a Queer Lifestyle Brand in South Texas
Jen, who is behind empowering T-shirt collections like the pink and red “Latina Power” line, started out hand-drawing on coffee mugs while working at a Best Buy. She speaks with Alicia about what it was like launching a design company from her living room, and how being in the Rio Grande Valley...
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Remix: How Kate del Castillo Built (and Rebuilt) Her Life
The actress, producer and Reina del Sur star opens up about early fame, proving herself (again) in Hollywood, leaving an abusive marriage, and the lessons she learned from her infamous meeting with El Chapo. Follow Kate on Instagram @katedelcastillo. If you loved this episode, listen to Eva...
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Remix: Why Angie Cruz Believes That Now is Always a Good Time to Start
The acclaimed author of "Dominicana" is back with a new novel, "How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water," and reveals how she almost quit writing before either book was published. In this engaging conversation, Angie reflects on the importance of writers confronting their own bias, the necessity of...
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Remix: How Living Icon Sandra Cisneros Became a Woman Without Shame
In this intimate conversation, the iconic writer shares how she chose to treat her art as her life partner, the "wobbling and wavering" around her decision to not have children, and how she limits distractions in the service of deep work. Find Woman Without Shame here. Follow Sandra on Instagram...
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Remix: Erika Sánchez is Finding Meaning in the Hurt
The New York Times best-selling author’s new memoir, Crying in the Bathroom, dives deep into mental illness, desire, “life and death” decisions and the power of creating the life you are worthy of. Follow Erika on Instagram @erikalsanchez. If you loved this episode, listen to Julissa Natzely Arce...
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Top 4: LEVEL UP: Your Relationships Could Use a Refresh
Psychotherapist Genesis Games gets real about why it’s important to assess your relationships truthfully, so you can set healthy expectations and comfortable boundaries. Plus, how to navigate different kinds of relationships—with family, friends, and significant others. Follow Genesis Games on...
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Remix: How TikTok Star Tefi Pessoa Gets Paid to Be Herself
She was a quirky kid who was obsessed with pop culture and learned the art of chisme from her abuela. It all prepared her to take our social media feeds by storm. Tefi shares her path from behind the scenes to the star of the show and the tricks she uses to make every performance “just a...
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Remix: How Serena Kerrigan Became the Self-Professed Queen of Confidence
The internet personality turned confidence coach and entrepreneur shares how she parlayed a brand into a business, and gets vulnerable about the limits of social media stardom and what happens when the real person and the online brand are no longer fully aligned. Follow Serena on Instagram...
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Remix: How Fashion Entrepreneur Camila Coelho Went from Working Retail to Building a Beauty Brand
The blogger and founder of Elaluz and the Camila Coelho Collection shares how a promise to her mother pushed her to work hard in a very competitive industry. And she gets real about using her massive platform to fight the stigma of people living with epilepsy—like her. Follow Camila Coelho on...
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Top 5: How Rolling Stone’s Suzy Exposito Made History with Her Bad Bunny Cover Story
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.…
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Remix: How Aimee Garcia Took Charge of Her Hollywood Career
The actor best known for playing a nerdy Latina on TV is becoming a power player behind the scenes, thanks in large part to starting a production company with her long-time collaborator. Aimee talks to Alicia about the road from being a novice writer to penning a comic series for Netflix, how she...
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Remix: Gina Torres Brings All Her Fierceness to Pearson, and We Are Here for It
Gina Torres is everything we’ve ever wanted to be: brilliant, strong, stylish, and funny. And now, with Pearson, we get to watch her stride into her greatness. In this episode, she opens up about the real and very personal reason she left Suits, how she spearheaded the creation of Pearson, and…
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Remix: How Melissa Fumero Learned That She Was Funny
The star of Netflix’s Blockbuster and Brooklyn-99 once doubted that she was built for comedy. Melissa shares how she grew her confidence, the experience that taught her that ease can lead to success, and the tradeoffs required to have a big career and a happy family. Follow Melissa on Instagram...
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Top 6: What In the Heights’ Melissa Barrera Learned by Playing an Iconic Character
Roller coaster auditions left no room for self-doubt, and filming was magical. But the release was pushed back a year amid the pandemic. The whole process taught Melissa to cultivate patience, underscored the need to constantly reintroduce yourself, and confirmed why diving deep into her own...
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Remix: The View’s Sunny Hostin Likes Taking a Stand
The View host. Former federal prosecutor. Future politician. How Sunny Hostin takes on today’s most controversial topics — on live TV. Follow Sunny on Twitter @Sunny and IG @Sunny. If you loved this episode, listen to Ilia Calderón, María Elena Salinas, and Gina Torres for more on stepping into...
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Remix: How Author Frances de Pontes Peebles Finds Power in Writing
The Brazilian-American novelist says she never had to claim her Latina identity because “it embraced me” as she grew up bilingual, bicultural, and multinational. On tour for her latest novel, The Air You Breathe, de Pontes Peebles tells Alicia about wrestling with the tension between needing time...
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Remix: Author Carmen Maria Machado on the Myth of a Queer Love Utopia
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…
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Remix: How Natasha Alford’s Lived Experience Informs Her Political Analysis and Storytelling
The Grio’s VP of Digital Content and Senior Correspondent, and CNN political analyst joins Alicia to talk about blending memoir and cultural analysis in her new book, American Negra. Follow Natasha on Instagram @natashasalford and learn more about her book American Negra here. If you liked this...
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Top 7: Ana Villafañe is Still a Supernova
She got her big break playing Gloria Estefan in the musical hit On Your Feet. She cherished the role, but it also forced her to “erase Ana to sustain Gloria.” Now, with Chicago, her second Broadway show under her belt, and big projects on the horizon—like Apple TV+'s Bad Monkey—Ana’s learning how...
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Remix: Fashion Entrepreneur Lilliana Vazquez: “Build Something for Yourself”
On The Today Show and while covering red carpet fashion for Access Hollywood, Lilliana Vazquez has become one of the most sought-after style experts. As a first-generation Latina growing up in Texas, she assumed she’d become “an accountant, a lawyer or a doctor.” Instead, with her blog, The Cheap...
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Remix: How Rebecca Alvarez Story Built a Sexual Wellness Brand
The Founder and CEO of Bloomi, a wellness brand focused on clean intimate care essentials, shares how her experience as a single mom inspired her entrepreneurship, the creative approaches she utilized to close a one million dollar funding gap, and the crossroads she finds herself at today. Follow...
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Remix: For Chillhouse’s Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton Putting Yourself First Is Essential
By the time she was 26, Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton had worked her way from cocktail waitress to being a partner in a bar. She’s now applying her experience in hospitality and natural flare for branding and marketing to grow her new venture, Chillhouse, a day spa that serves signature cocktails and...
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Top 8: How Judge Esther Salas is Honoring Her Son’s Legacy
She made history as the first Latina to serve as a U.S. Magistrate Judge and a Federal District Judge for the District of New Jersey. Then, in 2020, a self-avowed anti-feminist violently targeted her family, injuring her husband and killing her son, Daniel. In this powerful episode, Judge Salas...
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Remix: Why Marjorie Garcia Advocates for Recording Artists
The entertainment attorney behind J. Balvin, Juanes, Los Tigres del Norte, Carla Morrison and Snow the Product shares how she forewent a performing career of her own to advocate for others, what she’s learned about protecting artists’ rights, and the necessity of studying and understanding the...
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How Jeanine Mason Learned to Be a Great Number One
She pirouetted into our lives on Season Five of So You Think You Can Dance, stole our hearts on Roswell, and is now making us question the line between villain and hero on this season of Prime’s Cross. Jeanine talks with Alicia about the lessons in leadership that come with leading a television...
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Remix: Master Chef Lorena Garcia Says It Takes More Than Sharp Knives
She handed her law degree to her mother to thank her, and quit an elite Miami law firm on her first day. Then she headed to culinary school—in France. Might be easy to say the rest is history, but that’s not the case with this Venezuelan powerhouse and former Top Chef Masters star. From being…
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Remix: Why Reina Rebelde's Founder, Regina Merson, Chose Herself Over Everything Else
The successful owner of makeup brand Reina Rebelde talks about how she chose to leave a high-profile law career to find her way back to herself. And how she convinced her family that starting a business was the right path for her. Follow Regina Merson on Instagram @reginamerson. If you loved this...
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Top 9: Julissa Calderon Is Helping Hollywood to Reimagine Latina Characters
Her hilarious BuzzFeed portrayals of Latina moms hooked us, and now, her magnetic energy keeps us glued to Netflix's Gentefied. Julissa reveals what she willingly risked to earn roles that welcome her fullest self. Follow Julissa @lajulissa on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to…
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Remix: How HeyFranHey’s Francheska Medina Healed Herself
Her body was really sick and giving up on her--fast. Indifferent doctors recommended unthinkable treatments. But her natural instincts were pushing her in a different direction. In a way, by taking charge of her health, lifestyle guru Fran Medina took her life into her own hands. She studied, she...
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Remix: What Bianca Kea Learned by Listening to Her Yo Soy Afro Latina Community
Growing up in Detroit, she wondered why her peers recognized her as Black, but not Mexican. Now, the Yo Soy Afro Latina founder is building the community she always yearned for. Follow Bianca on Instagram @biancakathryn_. If you loved this episode, listen to other Latinas building community: Why...
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Remix: How Ana Flores Is Helping Latinas Grow
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...
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Remix: Why Zoila Darton Believes Community Is the Foundation of a Great Brand
This Panamanian-Jamaican-Jewish New Yorker spent the early part of her career in Latin music, before launching her own creative agency. Zoila reflects on how she secured her first clients, the three years she spent building Word Agency before she started making money, and the secrets to great…
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Top 10: What Happened After Zulema Arroyo Farley Stopped Denying Her Own Truth
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...
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Why UnidosUS President & CEO Janet Murguía Is Still in the Fight
For more than two decades, she has led the largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. In this revealing conversation, Janet shares her stewardship of a massive brand transition, her personal frustration with the elusiveness of immigration reform, and what it requires to go...
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Remix: Dr. Laura Scott Is Building a Self-Care Brand One Post at a Time
Becoming a doctor is a huge accomplishment unto itself, requiring years of study, sacrifice and discipline. But if you’re a smart, driven, black Latina it can often feel like a Herculean feat. Dermatologist Dr. Laura Scott and her close cohort of friends created a bond that strengthened and...
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Why Hannah Corbin Wants to Know, Did You Stretch Tho
She was 17 years-old when she moved from the Pacific Northwest to NYC to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Hannah danced, she performed as an aerialist, and began teaching movement classes. But it was an audition to coach at Peloton that would take her career to the next level:...
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Remix: How NASA Engineer Diana Trujillo's Pursuit of a New Life Led Her to Space
She grew tired of seeing the women in her family sacrifice their ambition for their men, so she vowed to build a life that wouldn't force her to choose. At 17, she immigrated to the US, learned English, and decided to study aerospace engineering. Now at NASA, Diana is at the forefront of missions...
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Remix: How Neurosurgeon Dr. Analiz Rodriguez Made Her Own Way
Set on being a brain surgeon since childhood, and armed with “unwavering self-confidence” instilled in her by her mother, Analiz powered through college, medical school and a PhD program. Facing steep climbs and faith-testing challenges along the way. Now, the accomplished neurosurgeon and…
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Top 11: How Aida Rodriguez Wove Heartbreak Into Comedy Gold
The comedian had her breakout moment on "Last Comic Standing,” and since, has used comedy to explore everything from politics to familial trauma. It’s all part of her new HBO Max special, Fighting Words. Follow Aida on Instagram @funnyaida. If you loved this episode, listen to How Gina Brillón...
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Remix: How Therapist and Healer Christine Gutierrez Came Back Home to Herself, and Wrote I Am Diosa
After a difficult breakup, Christine sought out deep healing from childhood abuse wounds and toxic people. Then, she became a therapist, trained in spiritual and shamanic practices, and was initiated in the priestess path. In her new book, I Am Diosa, she draws on wisdom from her own experience…
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Remix: How Dr. Mariel Buqué Believes You Transform Intergenerational Pain Into Intergenerational Abundance
The Columbia University-trained, trauma informed psychologist and practitioner of holistic healing weaves together scientific research, best practices, and personal experience to help us unpack intergenerational trauma in the service of building a legacy of abundance. It’s all part of her new…
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How Cristela Alonzo Became Upper Classy
She made history as the first Latina to create, produce and star in a network sitcom. But how does Cristela, a border town kid who grew up squatting in a diner, deal with becoming rich and famous? That’s the central question of her Netflix trilogy‘s final installment: Upper Classy. Watch the full...
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Remix: How Robyn Moreno Gets Rooted
This media-maven turned curandera shares her experience of self-transformation, the loss that defined her early life, and practices you can use to find yourself. It’s all part of her new book: Get Rooted: Reclaim Your Soul, Serenity, and Sisterhood Through the Healing Medicine of the…
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Top 12: Nicole Mejia Wants You to Love Yourself—All of You
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…
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Remix: How Artist Scherezade Garcia Came to Work and Exist on Her Own Terms
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...
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How Quiara Alegría Hudes Liberated Herself from the Desire to be Good
The Pulitzer Prize winning playwright’s first novel, The White Hot, takes readers on an epic journey of self-discovery and begs the question: when is leaving an act of generosity? Quiara shares the exhilaration of creating a Latina anti-hero, the places where fear shows up in her earlier writing...
About this show
In this interview series, host Alicia Menendez talks to remarkable Latinas about making it, faking it, and everything in between. In often-hilarious and always-revealing episodes, Alicia and her guests take on the challenges of existing, and then thriving, as women of color.
Hosted by
LWC Studios
Categories