Latina to Latina

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 “virgina...

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. Hosted b...

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...

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 why life at fifty is simply fabulous. (This is also our 50th episode!! See what we did there?) Follow Gin...

After weeks in television limbo, One Day at a Time has been picked up by Pop, a CBS-owned cable network. And millions of us breathed a little easier. Gloria Calderón Kellett, the co-showrunner and executive producer, very publicly declared the vital role ODAAT plays in today’s television landscape. She talks with Alicia about her rise through Hollywood’s writers’ rooms, and reveals her plans to ta...

Daniela Pierre Bravo has never met an obstacle more formidable than her will. Disqualified from college scholarships due to her legal status, she built a thriving local Mary Kay business to pay for it. Invited to an interview for an unpaid internship in NYC, she took an 18-hour overnight bus from Ohio and showed up the next morning. And nailed it. Now And now she's the coauthor of the new book, Ea...

Gina Rodriguez will always be associated with her star-making and award-winning portrayal of the titular character on Jane the Virgin. And she's so grateful. But she's also ready to move from in front of the camera to behind it as a producer and director of shows and films that reflect the many ways of being Latina today. On this episode, she talks about the setbacks, the family support, and the t...

After experiencing violence and media censorship in her native Venezuela, Mariana Atencio embarked on her journalist career in the United States. An early opportunity at Univision gave her the chance to hone her skills before making the leap to English-language television. But soon a personal tragedy tested ethics, faith, and her place in the world. She put it all in her new book, Perfectly You. F...

On Starz’s megahit Vida she plays a determined, smart and sensual woman. And Mishel Prada readily admits her character reflects part of who she is. She talks to Alicia about making it in showbiz as a Latina, growing up in a religious home, and refusing labels that limit with whom she can fall in love. Follow Mishel on Twitter and Instagram @MishelPrada; and follow Starz on Twitter and IG @VIDA_STA...

Fun fact: This was the first time we had to check protocol before interviewing someone. And Alicia had to call the current head of the United Nations’ General Assembly Madame President. It was amazing! And María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés deserves that accolade and so much more for her decades-long career in international affairs and diplomacy. Only the fourth woman to preside over the assembly, she...

This captain of industry comes from a family of self-starters that has always banded together--from her father’s travel agency to her billion-dollar company. Did we mention she owns 100% of it? But her story is also one of unthinkable tragedy and immeasurable sacrifice—from her and her family. Today, Nina is among the most respected CEOs in the country, an advisor to presidents, and a tireless cha...

Legal weed is among the fastest growing industries right now. And thanks to women like Gia Morón, from Women Grow, more people will have a chance to enter the business. For her, opening doors to legal weed is about inclusion and the potential for some redemption in an industry whose legal ramifications have long maligned black and brown people in the country. Follow Gia @gia_vm on Twitter and IG;...

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 fashionable coffee in spaces designed to help us slow down and relax. And Cyndi has an even bigger ambition...

There’s no denying Latinas are making serious moves across the political map. But the real power players are not always in the spotlight. Alexandra Rojas is one Latina working to change the face of politics thanks to her role as executive director of Justice Democrats, which helped elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other history-making women to Congress. Rojas talks about her political awakening,...

She came to Miami on vacation from her television job in Colombia and, while visiting Telemundo with a friend, walked herself into an opportunity of a lifetime. Then Ilia Calderon really went to work, leading the country’s premier Spanish-language news program on Univision and making headlines for her intrepid reporting and intelligent disaster coverage. She talks with Alicia about confronting a K...

Some of us daydream about what we want in our lives. Some of us pray about it. Actress Angelique Cabral writes it down as literally as she can and puts it where she can see it every day. Then she goes to work making it happen. Her beautiful home, her artistic development, and her hit CBS show all resulted from laser-focused manifestations. She breaks down how this practice has made her life fuller...

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 protected them as they navigated and excelled at Harvard University and beyond. Today, under her Instagram h...

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 Alic...

Before you follow her on social media or try out her tailored fitness routine, there’s one thing you need to know about fitness coach and entrepreneur Melissa Alcantara: “I approach everything in beast mode.” And why shouldn’t she? She went from being in the worst shape of her life and feeling hopeless after years of yo-yo dieting to training her body and mind to achieve olympian fitness levels. A...

As a young reader, she didn’t realize people who looked and lived like her were missing from some of her favorite books. “It felt to me like I was reading science fiction in a lot of ways because it was so outside of my own childhood….And I was accepting of it like, okay, cool this is a different life,” award winning young adult author Lilliam Rivera tells Alicia in this emotive episode. But her p...

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 learned, she listened to people who knew more, and to her own body. Some years later, she’s crafted a...

"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...

There's a direct connection between climate scientist Nicole Hernandez Hammer's childhood in rural Guatemala and her tireless work to teach the rest of us how to adjust our lives so we can preserve our planet for the grandchildren. And the life that unfolded between those two points is remarkable, including that time she stepped on Michelle Obama's foot. Follow Nicole on Twitter @NHH_Climate and I...

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 told her accent would hold her back, to being discouraged from having her own television show, Lorena has...

After getting her heart broken, and finding zero advice that was actually useful, Elle Huerta decided to build her own “personal trainer for heartbreak.” Her self care app, Mend, guides users on how to handle and move on from a breakup, a divorce, the loss of a loved one, even being fired. She’s grown the company from a website she built after teaching herself to code to a category-defying digital...