The Latinx Chronicles with Hip and Erika

Jessica Cuevas is the founder of Viva la Mami, a podcast and community that empowers modern Latina mothers to embrace their culture while navigating motherhood on their own terms. With a background in education, she is passionate about redefining “madrehood” through culturally grounded storytelling, education, and advocacy. Jessica challenges traditional and media-driven perceptions of Latina moth...

Guillermo Chávez Ángeles is a Mexican-American entrepreneur, insurance agent, real-estate investor, and author. He will inspire you with his own personal immigrant story, which begins in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has built a multi-office State Farm insurance agency and authored Immigrant Roots , a motivational book that highlights the achievements of immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States. His...

On this episode of The Latinx Chronicles with Hip and Erika , we’re excited to welcome Jason P. Riviero , a national voice for innovation, leadership, and Latino empowerment. Jason currently serves at AIVOWX , where he’s helping shape the future of AI, real estate, and community-driven technology. With over 20 years of experience, he has led multicultural initiatives for Fortune 500 companies, inc...

Salvador Cicero is prominent attorney and community leader, who shares his personal and professional journey. Sal discusses his family’s diverse backgrounds, his upbringing in Mexico and the US, and the challenges he faced adapting to new environments. He emphasizes the importance of mindset, self-belief, and breaking through societal conditioning. Sal recounts his work in law, including significa...

Laura Rodríguez Presa is a prominent and one of the youngest bilingual reporter based in Chicago, working for the Chicago Tribune . She focuses on in-depth storytelling about the Latino community and often collaborates with fellow journalists on investigative series—such as the acclaimed “Aging in the Shadows,” which highlights challenges faced by undocumented seniors in Illinois.  She is an amazi...

Nancy has been a force to be reckoned with in the arts and culture scene of Chicago and beyond! She shares her story of one of her amazing teachers and her first sponsor before we even used that word. She received her first opportunity to shine at The National Museum of Mexican Art formerly known as the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Pilsen where she later became the Director of Education. She...

Jona is a friend and one of the most giving, courageous, and risk-takers we know. He is an immigrant and saw the potential and opportunity achievable in the United States through real estate. His abundance mindset has helped him create the life he always wanted and helps his clients see their full potential and the "ganas" to create wealth for themselves.  He dives in on how he has helpe...

Nallely is truly inspiring, a go-gether always looking for new ideas and giving it 1000% to make it happen and see her ideas come to life.  We loved talking to her and getting to know her better. We talked about some qualities she has developed over the years like patience, bravery and courage, we can all become more patient, brave and courageous so listen in!  I had the pleasure of tasting her ne...

At the young age of 17 years old Rodolfo started his culinary journey in his native Colombia which then took him to Miami, London, Philadelphia, and New York which then brought him sweet home Chicago. We dive into his journey to open Amaru, Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, Lil Amaru, and Don Bucio's Taqueria. All of his restaurants showcase his love for Latin America and a little piece of his histo...

Architect, Author and Advocate, Alicia Ponce is the founder and principal of APMonarch. Since 2007, Alicia’s expertise and passion for sustainability have supported many clients in designing radically better projects. Her reputation for resilient and eco-conscious architecture secured APMonarch’s role as the Sustainability Architect and direct protégé to Santiago Calatrava and his firm’s design pr...

Margarita Quiñones Peña came to this country as a 4-year-old to Chicago. She was one of the few young women in her engineering school which took her almost 6 years to graduate since financial aid is not available to dreamers but she didn't let her stop her from achieving her dreams.  She quickly learned that she needed to look for mentors, take it to the next level, and find sponsors to help...

Lyanne tells stories about what’s next in the world of technology, business, and entrepreneurship. She has reported via emerging platforms in English and Spanish, worked on audience engagement, strategy, and execution, and enjoys taking stories from start to completion.  We were blown away by her passion and her dedication to elevating Latinx voices. We talked about supporters, mentors, and sponso...

Que placer fue el tener al Dr. Luis Samuel Abreu- Garcia join us all the way from La Isla del Encanto. We talked about his beautiful and very large family, his grit to achieve his personal and professional goals and the importance of giving back.  He is an example of a leader that rose to the top and is constantly mentoring others specifically making sure the younger generation has a road to achie...

Dr. Graciela Berumen is the Assistant Director of Diversity and Multicultural Student Engagement for the department of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs at Kansas State University.  Dr. Berumen's research interests include first-generation college students, global education, language acquisition, culture, equity, inclusivity, access, and identity in Education. Originally from Califo...

We are starting the year with the southside coffee master Jesse Iñiguez, he is changing the narrative of Back of The Yards by bringing his coffee to the southside of Chicago. Jesse founded Back of the Yards Coffee in 2016 and opened the Coffeeshop in 2017.   We discuss all things coffee, giving back, his community engagement and the community support he has received. We celebrated their journey an...

Motherhood is a journey that almost every time brings change and the realization that one must make certain changes to ensure that the baby is growing healthy and also most moms-to-be make certain changes to embrace their "new" life and this was exactly the case with our guest Evelia Torres.  After working in the beauty industry for many years, motherhood made her realize that she wanted...

Isabel Gonzalez-Smith is a mother, doula, and the founder of Chicago Latina Moms. Isabel founded Chicago Latina Moms in the summer of 2014 when she was pregnant with her first son after struggling to find a community that didn’t automatically associate Latina motherhood with crisis and was determined to create a space for celebration, empowerment, and growth. Today, Chicago Latina Moms (www.chicag...

The amazing Carmen talks about her life from her humble beginnings, the murder of her brother, and their move to Skokie from their beloved Humbolt Park for better opportunities but also meant leaving part of their culture, their language, and their loved ones.  Her spirit and her words are uplifting and her journey was not easy, especially after becoming a single mom right after high school.  The...

Luis Fitch is a multidisciplinary creative director and designer at UNO Branding based out of Minneapolis but it all started in the Tijuana/San Diego area where his love for art started at a very young age.  We talk about his journey of breaking barriers in the design and marketing sector and staying true to his roots by always adding "color, sabor y personalidad" to everything he does. ...

Nuria Rivera is the President-elect for the National Association of Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), the founder and owner of Novation Title Insurance Agency. LLC in Utah and a total badass!  Today we chat about her life, her upbringing, her entrepreneurial spirit, and her obsession to achieve greatness in her life. We dive into a little word called "FEAR" which can change the course...

Mental Health is still a taboo topic within our Latinx community and we want to help change that. The month of May is Mental Health  Awareness Month and in this episode, our guest is Dr. Luis San Roman. He is a healer, he is a coach and his focus is to help others heal their childhood wounds and trauma and helps create breakthroughs to help his clients live their best life.  He is expanding his wo...

Milagros is one of the founders and a staple at 5 Rabbit Brewery, a cerveceria in Chicago. I saw her every time I was in the taproom enjoying beers with the flavors of the multicultural blanket of Latin America. She was born in Lima Peru but has traveled and lived in many parts of the world like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Brussels but made Chicago her home. Today we discuss her first encounter with r...

As we wrap up Women's History Month we share the story of an amazing woman, Judge Beatriz Santiago.  This Puertorriqueña talks about her journey to the bench how she overcame obstacles, believed in herself and knew that she didn't want to be a statistic because of her environment -  she was meant for greatness! We dive into the importance of selecting Judges that represent us, that are f...

We're celebrating Women's History Month by sharing the story of Esperanza "Espi" Casillas Arana. An amazing woman, mother of 3 beautiful girls, and daughter of immigrants of the beautiful state of Michoacan growing up in a very conservative family in East Chicago Indiana. She shares her journey of rising through the ranks of one of the most well-known pharmaceutical companies -...

Education was the route to success for Jose Luis Torrez. As he continued to climb the education ladder he decided to reach new heights by obtaining his Doctorate degree in Education. He is passionate about community engagement and as a past college advisor, he has helped hundreds of students (including DACA  and undocumented students) by advising them on their education journey.   He is involved i...