In this episode, I introduce you to Rosalia Rivera, Founder of Consent Parenting, host of the About Consent Podcast, and creator of Consent Wear. Rosalia teaches parents, particularly child sexual abuse survivors, how to educate their children on body safety, boundaries, and consent so that they can empower their families to prevent abuse and break intergenerational cycles. Rosalia is on a mission to end child sexual abuse, dismantle shame, and help survivors heal and become thrivers.
Throughout this episode, you will hear clips from Rosalia discussing the importance of consent as it relates to the parent-to-child physical relationship. Paired with her insight, I begin to discuss some of my own experiences with physical boundaries being crossed. As a parent, it is hard to imagine crossing boundaries with our own family, but as Rosalia points out, it can be in the subtlest of ways in which we connect with our family that can have the biggest impact.
I began speaking at local Denver middle schools about my career as a graphic designer and the beginnings of our first film, being eñye. I realized pretty quickly that sharing sometimes uncomfortable personal stories was the way I could make the biggest difference. Looking back, I see that the seeds of of Project Eñye were planted long ago and these early talks were messages of belonging in disguise and were very much my “baptism” into public speaking. I'm pulling back the curtain as they say on my process with hopes that you will be inspired by the beautiful and often messy process it is crafting a brand new message.
During this pandemic, I found my certainty in an unexpected place –– right outside my own front door!
Meet Paul Romaine, my neighbor and Founder of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts and leader of the band that played their hearts out night-after-night during the toughest part of the quarantine - the part that felt like it would never end.
The band started with Paul the drummer, then Rico a saxophone player and slowly, more instruments were added. Soon, our whole neighborhood was coming out every night fold up chairs in hand, sitting 6' apart to allow themselves to feel joy in a time of great uncertainty.
We decided to structure this episode a little differently. We call it "experimental" you might call it raw.
We wanted to fully embrace this feeling of uncertainty paired with the possibility of connecting to others in the community by showing what this really feels like.
Through this process, we found connections we didn’t know were there!
Now is the time to play, now is the time to dance, and now is the time to find joy wherever you can find it.
Rita is the Founder of the Latina Podcasters Network and also hosts her own women’s empowerment podcast called, “Empowerment and All That.” This episode is inspired by a message she left us that made us all think about what we’ve learned throughout this quarantine experience.
She said, “I’m alone, but I’m not lonely.”
Through our conversation with Rita, we discuss how her quarantine journey has led her to feel more comfortable in her own skin and what steps she took to get there. As social beings, this experience has forced us to redefine our relationships with others. We have had to find ways to feel connected while also creating and contributing to a new future. It’s hard to believe that there is something positive ahead. It’s easy to get caught up in the turmoil of the moment.
However, as Rita says, “You can’t live in that space forever. As a community, we can come out of these times more united than ever!”
Her words ring even more true now as the country has come face to face with the aftermath of the murders of George Floyd, Brionna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others to White Supremacy.
“We are all running our own race. Sometimes we think we are prepared, but there’s someone out there who will run it with you.” This statement from Rita encourages us to remember that we are not alone! Although sometimes we may feel as though we are living in a “survival-mode,” we can make a conscious decision to thrive instead!
In this episode, we asked about the power of love in the time of COVID and how you have shown love during this time to friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, or even strangers. We thought we would hear stories about romance, or even random acts of kindness, however, we learned that love is much more. Love is about speaking your truth, listening to others, and giving. One of our responses was from Ana, an entrepreneur originally from New York and currently residing in Florida and who is also member of our Dream Accelerator coaching group (EDA). We had the pleasuring of bringing her on to discuss her love story –– a story about how she speaks her truth and love through honesty while living with depression.
In this week’s episode, we collaborated with the founders of "Latina Podcasters" Rita Bautista and Cole Hernandez along with some of your favorite podcasters Brenda Gonzalez of "The Tamarindo Podcast", Luz Warrior of "Let Their Be Luz" and Rosalia Rivera from "The About Consent Podcast." Listen to these strong Latina voices as they come together to deconstruct the controversy surrounding the New York Times Bestseller novel American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Jeanine’s book, the novel tells the story of a mother and son who flee Mexico for the United States, leaving their life behind to escape cartel violence. Jeanine, an American author with Puerto Rican roots, has had pushback from the Latinx community about the authenticity and misrepresentation of this immigration story.
On this week’s episode of The Self-ish Latina Podcast, I had the honor of meeting with the one and only Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Kali is a Colorado native and author of the story collection series Sabrina & Corina, which has been recognized as a National Book Award Finalist in Fiction, among many other recognitions and awards. Kali’s stories, which take place right here in the familiarness of Denver, Colorado, explore themes of identity, relationships, the truths and exploitation of ones homeland, and navigating indigenous ancestry. With strong Latina females as the protagonists in her pieces, Kali emotionally and elegantly deconstructs systems of oppression, confronts the experience of abandonment, and speaks to her truth. In this episode, we not only discuss Kali's stories, but we step into vulnerable and deep territories.
Along with Kali, I feature a conversation with our summer intern, April Morland. April is also from Denver, Colorado and is in her fourth year at Santa Clara University studying Communication and Film! She worked alongside the team this summer helping with podcast production, social media content creation, and has even helped us behind the scenes with the exciting projects yet to come (read: She was deeply involved in several development conversations about our new film!) She not only taps into some of the themes discussed by Kali, but shares her own story of healing through the exploration of her roots and the importance of personal expression through art.
In this episode, we talk about:
Join the conversation about this episode in our Facebook group or shoot me a DM on IG @projectenye and share some of your answers with me there!
Is selfishness the path to self fulfillment?
Three women and members of the Eñye Dream Accelerator, Rosalia, Irisneri, and Gina, talk about their journey reaching for their biggest dreams. For those of you who haven’t heard of the Eñye Dream Accelerator, it is a program I designed to bring ambitious Latinas together to coach them to make significant progress with their dream, utilizing the collective power of the group to both support you and keep you accountable.
On this podcast, you will meet these three incredible ladies. Rosalia is a consent educator, host of the About Consent Podcast, creator of Consent Wear, and an abuse survivor turned thriver. Irisneri is a genealogist who’s committed to supporting others to discover their stories through learning their ancestry. Gina has spent a long and successful career in the advertising and marketing industry, but has always dreamed of being a writer. She joined EDA to support her in finally writing her book and she joins the podcast having just finished the first chapter.
It has been truly incredible going on this journey with these strong women and seeing how far they have come in such a short amount of time. Each of them were not only able to realize what they truly wanted out of their lives but they used EDA to take action putting them all solidly on track to realizing their vision.
On this week's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with the beautiful and fierce Linda Garcia, also known as Luz Warrior. Luz is a California naitive with a rich career in the television and film industry. Notably, one of her main focuses is on spiritual growth by empowering women to harness their feminine power and intuition during their menstruation cycles. Luz launched her own podcast in 2017, Let There Be Luz, which focuses on these ideas and has received an extraordinary response from women all over the world.
In 2018, Luz was accepted as a “storyteller” for the We All Grow Summit which brings together some of the most influential Latina creators and entrepreneurs. This is a BIG. DEAL. Luz’s name had been brought up to me a number of times with people telling me I had to meet her, so naturally, I decided to check out her Instagram. When browsing, I came across a post that particularly stuck out to me. Luz had created a post about her acceptance to speak at the We All Grow Summit. However, instead of focusing on herself, Luz decided to utilize the post to acknowledge the readers who might be triggered by her big accomplishment. She explains that this achievement came from a long road of personal pain, scars and rejection. She gracefully shows her followers that when we are in touch with our “shadow side” and can lean in to those unwanted feelings, we can heal, grow and better understand ourselves and what we need.
In my conversation with Luz, we dove into the topic of femininity and the power of a woman’s intuition through the lens of religion, menstruation, and moon cycles. For some, these types of conversations are considered uncharted territory - taboo even. But by tapping into ideas and feelings that at times are uncomfortable, we begin to have the hard conversations that must be addressed so that we can find freedom from the past.
You do not want to miss this weeks thought provoking episode on harnessing the woman power within us all!
Here is a sneak peek of what we talk about in this episode:
Overview of the moon phases-a new way to view our menstruation cycles:
Wise Woman Phase:
This phase occurs during your bleed and when you have the biggest capacity to tap into your intuition. Make sure to protect and nurture yourself so your intuitive voice can come through. It is okay to embrace this down time. Set intentions, goals, and most importantly, make sure you are caring for yourself.
Virgin Phase:
This young and tender phase is your time of rebirth. During this time, you must be more selfish in moving to executing these goals. Consider how you want to execute the goals set in the Wise Woman Phase. Give yourself permission to be selfish. This is when you have the most energy!
Mother Phase:
During this ovulation phase, we consider the questions, “How can I be of service?” How can I support others in their goals?” During this time of growth, we extend a helping hand.
Enchantress Phase:
We are making our way back to Wise Woman Phase. We can become irritable and upset OR we can listen to our body and triggers, center ourselves, and honor that we are going into the next chapter of the cycle. Embrace the pain of menstruation and treat them as sacred (lasts 2-4 days before the bleed).
Thought questions/reflections:
Join the conversation about this episode in our Facebook group or shoot me a DM on IG @projectenye and share some of your answers with me there!
We are jumping back into the Project Eñye Breckenridge retreat and getting intimate with the lovely and talented Brenda Aviles. Brenda is a self proclaimed “Brooklyn girl all day every day” and we love her for it! She’s brave, she’s exciting, and her energy is contagious, calming and feels like it just flows through you. Brenda is a true soul sister who keeps it real. We love her, and I know you will too!
Brenda is a certified life coach, who has in-depth experience as a teacher and trainer to teachers in NYC. She aides others by helping them tap into the power to transform themselves and their lives.
In this episode:
Believe me when I tell you, this episode is emotional, raw, and as real as it gets. We crafted it to give you a taste of what a Project Eñye retreat is like - . beautiful at times, intense, and absolutely life affirming. The sisterhood and relationships that were built are forever and are real. You do not want to miss this one, listen today!
The voices you hear alongside Brenda and Melody are: Cindy Robles, Eloisa Perez-Lozano de Castelan, Lupe Montes-Hirt, Janeli Saucedo and Theresa Gonzales.
Janeli Saucedo-Castrejana is a 30-year mother, wife, and advocate living in San Antonio, Texas. Her blog, "The Esposa Experience" chronicals her attempt at being the quintessential Esposa her family and cultura tells her she needs to be. In 2017, she came out as HIV positive and has continued on her path of advocating to end the stigma against HIV/AIDS and those living with the virus. She recently launched the “Positive Vida Podcast” with her husband Jake. They intend to use the podcast as a tool to help those living with HIV and those who love them.
She’s also an advocate for autism awareness, chronicling her son’s diagnosis and daily life with autism, as well as her battles with depression and anxiety on her social media platforms.
When she’s not working as a Communications Specialist or advocating, she’s burning sage, blasting 90’s hip hop and R&B, aligning her chakras, and trying to connect more deeply to her spiritual self. She promised Denise on the Eñye retreat she would get more creative in 2019, and is still working on that!
Important links:
Blog: theesposaexperience.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/jlisaucedo
Instagram: instagram.com/janelialejandra/
Twitter: twitter.com/janelialejandra
Podcast: Spotify and Anchor: Positive Vida Podcast
Gary Vaynerchuk, is the chairman of VaynerX, a modern-day media and communications holding company and the active CEO of VaynerMedia and VaynerX. In addition to running the two communications and media company, Gary is a highly sought after public speaker, a 5-time New York Times bestselling author, as well as a prolific angel investor with early investments in companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Venmo, and Uber.
He is currently the subject of DailyVee, an online documentary series highlighting what it’s like to be a CEO and public figure in today’s digital world, as well the host of The GaryVee Audio Experience, a top 100 global podcast, and host of #AskGaryVee, a business and advice Q&A show which can be found on both YouTube and Facebook.
Gary also appeared as a judge in Apple’s first original series “Planet of the Apps” alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba and Will.i.am.
This is a small glimpse into who Gary is and what it was like for me to spend the day at Vayner. He is full of personality and inspiration.
In this episode you will hear us discuss:
This episode is full of inspiring and valuable content that you do not want to miss out on! I walked away feeling like I got so much value from my time with him, Maribel and the team at VaynerMedia and I know you will too!
Important Links:
Personal website: www.garyvaynerchuk.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/garyvee
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gary
Twitter: www.twitter.com/garyvee
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/GaryVaynerchuk
Lorraine is a bright light in this world. She is the founder of a successful blog and YouTube Channel and is living proof that it's never too late to redesign your life exactly the way that you want it. Lorraine is a master at graceful aging, overcoming embarrassment and obstacles that come with conquering an eating disorder. She is a force of nature and proves it every day by living and breathing authenticity in everything she does.
During my time with Lorraine we discuss where her family is from, what it was like growing up in a house of writers, and the "series of unfortunate events" that brought her to the happiest point of her life today.
Here is a breakdown of what we talk about this episode:
How Lorraine broke into the journalism world and how that quickly turned into writing and publishing books.
Lorraine shares candidly about her eating disorder and how she overcame that.
How exciting it is to be 50 and how happy she is about it! She explains how aging gives her the ability to embrace purest joys in life.
Lorraine embodies the saying "owning your story", and that by doing that it is never too late to be happy, to be who you want to be, and to succeed.
Remember to never be ashamed or embarrassed about your story. It deserves to be told, and YOU deserve to be happy.
Important Links:
Personal website: www.lorrainecladish.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lorrainecladish
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lorrainecladish/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lorrainecladish
Blog: VivaFifty.com
The quality of my conversation in this episode with Jasmine is something I hold very sacred. It couldn't be a better beginning to our new season as it's such a perfect example of the power of authentically sharing your story. My hope is that after listening, you feel connected to your power, inspired to take action towards your dreams and are reminded that you are never ever alone.
Welcome to Episode # 013! "The Kickstarter Special" In this podcast we share the campaign we've launched for "being ñ", a film about what it’s like growing up in America having to navigate through two sets of cultural waters and figure out how they work together and as one. It’s a film that candidly shares what it’s like to grow up in the “in between” - this is the place we call “ñ.”
Together, we’ve created a 37 minute film that has and will transform lives.
Up to now we have been almost completely self-funded. If we are able to raise the remaining money for the film we’ll be able to complete these three things:
1. Add unforgettable music to the film.
2. Add motion graphics to the film which will help us tell the story more powerfully.
3. Final color correction which will bring the film to a completely different aesthetic level making it a feast for the eyes to watch.
These three things easily cost double what we are asking for in this campaign. We are incredibly lucky to have three very generous men on the project that are working for much less than their full fee just to help us get this done so we can get out there and change lives.
>>>Every dollar that is raised beyond the campaign amount will go directly towards bringing the film to as many high schools and middles schools all over the country as we possibly can this year.<<<<
Welcome to Episode # 012! "No Revolutions Without Poets" In this podcast we speak to Charleen Ramirez-Mares, principal and teacher at La Academia Denver Inner City Parish. We talk about the powerful experience of learning and teaching the famous poem, “I Am Joaquín”, written by Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales in 1969.
Episode 011: We're back in Denver after and incredible week at Hispanicize in Miami! We interviewed nearly 30 different mega influencers in the Latino community and connected with hundreds of other incredible #Enyes & #FrEnyes!
Welcome to Episode 010: Where we interview Enye, Danett Hernandez, and her husband Miles Wartes - both actors who were in the controversial Coca-Cola Superbowl commercial "America is Beautiful" in 2014...
This is Podcast Episode # 009! In this weeks podcast we discuss the transition that Enye’s and their families go through when they leave for college. We first discussed Irene, who struggled a great deal with her parents as they labeled her choices to move away from home to attend graduate school as “white” and a “betrayal” to her family. Next, we discuss Bianca, about 20 years younger than Irene. Bianca is the first to graduate from her family and now she envisions leaving Denver for graduate school. And finally, we’ll hear Abry Deshong, a 3rd generation American who can even relate on various levels as well…
Hello! This is Episode #008! Where we share the behind the scenes look at young Enyes (ñ)s in L.A. This week we will be discussing young Enyes (ñ)s in LA. Last week, while in L.A., Denise and Henry spent a day on set at East Los High and met with Pastor Gabe over breakfast, former Youth Pastor turned Pastor for Latinos and Enyes (ñ)s.
Hello! This is Episode #006! 5280 Magazine has just published an article by Mary Clare Fisher! With this great media attention, we are hearing from many people and how they heard about the project. We love it, so keep them coming! Next, we’re speaking at the Inner City Parrish school this week – excited to share about Enye (ñ) with youth! Then, Cooking Social: “Cocinando Con Enyes (ñ’s)” – we have room for 18 people to cook a multi course Enye (ñ) inspired…
Welcome to Episode #005! Update: We’re On the cover of Westword. A huge thanks to the writer, Kyle Harris for doing a great job. Speaking Engagements: North High School has invited us to join their community for the day to count Enyes (ñ)’s! #EnyesCount. Project Enye (ñ) Socials: Our First Enye (ñ) Social at the SIE Film Center was so much fun…
Welcome to Episode #004! We’re On the Cover: During this episode we feature our excitement (and frankly a bit of disbelief) for our upcoming cover article in Denver’s Westword newspaper. Being Nimble: Next, we share an invaluable experience where being nimble and being able to pivot strategic directions when necessary has proven to be essential…
Welcome to Episode #003! During this episode we start off by discussing the real numbers when posting video content on Facebook and YouTube. Next, a very important UPDATE! We are asking all Enyes (ñ)’s to stand up and be counted! We have just launched a campaign on our site asking all Enyes (ñ)’s to enter themselves in our count to show to the world that #EnyesCount!...