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:

• Kali’s journey of writing Sabrina & Corina and how she has to be self-ish in order to get to where she is today through honoring her calling. She speaks about coming to own her Latinidad through the many barriers presented to her. Some of the topics we discuss include the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship, the abandonment of one's roots through colonialism, and learning to embrace who we are through our own “enoughness.” We touch on navigating being in “two worlds” and the ever familiar not feeling “Latino/a enough.” 
• One of the main themes of this podcast is sharing how we can use personal experiences and hardships to create art, heal, and touch others. We can make beautiful out of the ugly and difficulties life throws at us. I speak with April about her journey as an artist and how she uses her art (filmmaking) as a form of healing. 
• Through our conversations, I introduce concepts often discussed in the Eñye Dream Accelerator (EDA), such as allowing ourselves to ask for help. That fact that it is OKAY to seek help from others as uncomfortable as it may feel and one of my personal favs, you earn your success in life simply by being who you are.

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:

• Luz speaks about her process of working through rejection to get to where she is today in the context of the We All Grow Summit. She encourages us all to see rejection as a development stage and to keep working at our goals. 

• We analyze our  “Ah-Ha” moments and experiences with religion and what it meant to us growing up. We think critically about the positionality of the feminine through the lens of religious teachings and the complexities that come with how this shapes one’s identity. 

• Luz enlightens us about getting in touch with femininity and the process of listening to one’s higher self. She shows us how we can honor and embrace our feminine divine power to its fullest including giving ourselves permission to let the tears flow.

• She shares her personal work with moon cycles and how these phases align with menstruation. She teaches us how we can utilize and embody the four phases to move through our monthly calendars and better execute our goals. We can be, and are empowered through our natural bodily functions.   

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: 

• At what age did you examine your own beliefs? Did you experience a religious questioning? How have your religious or spiritual practices, if at all, shaped who you are today? 

• Think about a time when you felt your “shadow side” show. How did this feel? Did you come out of this? What would be possible if you went back and embraced this side? What  would be different? What do you need in order to walk through this darkness? 

• What can you delegate during the times in your cycle when you need extra help? How can you receive other’s support? What will you do to honor your moon cycle phases and harness your feminine power? 

• Think about our discussion about the power of our menstruation cycles. Have you had THESE kinds of talks with friends and families? Why do you think people become uncomfortable when talking about something so natural as the monthly calendars all women have?  

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:

• You will get a first-hand listen and feel into the intimate moments during our retreat.
• You will experience the raw emotions and the building of a sisterhood.
• Brenda candidly shares her “Collective love letter” to the group. Get your tissues ready ladies, because it is a beautiful (and emotional) ride.
• We introduce you to Melody Estrada, an amazing, smart, and beautiful (inside-and-out) human, who we all agreed is the hope and inspiration for our next generation. She’s also a quarter-rican but you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out more!

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:

• How I met Gary 10 years ago at a book signing of "Crush It", and what it was like to be invited to spend the day at VaynerMedia including having a chance to interview Gary in his iconic NYC office. I was beyond excited to get to talk one-on-one.
• We speak about the importance of authenticity and how telling the truth, your truth, is going to be what helps you win.
• Listen as I explain to Gary what an Eñye is and hear him connect to what I was saying - a pretty cool personal moment for me!

 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.