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 never allowed other people’s limitations to hold her back. Now, as the head of a growing culinary empire, she looks back at the unconventional way she made it to the top.

Follow Lorena on Twitter @lorenagarcia and on Instagram @cheflorena, @lorenagarciaculinaryloft and @chicarestaurants. If you loved this episode, listen to Fran Medina and Nicole Mejia. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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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 episode, listen to How Girls Night In Founder Alisha Ramos Started a Stay-at-Home Movement and How Beauty Insider Tina Hedges Created LOLI, an Environmentally Sound Brand. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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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 America Ferrera Knows What Real Power Looks Like and When Gentefied Co-Creator Linda Yvette Chávez Realized She Couldn’t Quit.  Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter! 

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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 lifestyle model that emphasizes physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Follow Fran on Twitter and IG @heyfranhey. If you loved this episode, listen to Melissa Alcantara and Nicole Mejia for more on wellness. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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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 Nathalie Huerta Founded the First Queer Gym in the Country and How Girls Night In Founder Alisha Ramos Started a Stay-at-Home Movement. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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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 bankruptcy the next. Like a phoenix, Ana rose from the ashes to build the super successful We All Grow Latina.

Follow Ana @laflowers on Twitter and IG; and follow We All Grow Latina @weallgrowlatina on Twitter and IG. If you loved this episode, listen to Martina Castro and Juleyka Lantigua-Williams for more on building community and a media empire. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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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 brand campaigns. 

Follow Zoila on Instagram @zoiladarton. If you liked this episode, listen to Why Doris Anahí Brings a 'Heart of Service' to Her Art and UNSTUCK: How PR Pro Lissette M. Rios Connects the Dots.

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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 needed to not just accept this part of her, but share it with others. In this fascinating episode, she also tells Alicia about the rare cancer diagnosis that changed her life, her chance encounter with Adele, and her fight against sarcoma. She writes about it all in her new memoir, So Much More: A Poignant Memoir about Finding Love, Fighting Adversity, and Defining Life on My Own Terms.

Follow Zulema on Twitter @TheLatinaMedium and IG @zulemaarroyofarley. If you loved this episode, listen to Nicole Mejia and Angelique Cabral for more on trusting your intuition. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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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 toe-to-toe with the President of the United States.

Visit www.unidosus.org to learn more about the organization's work. 

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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 handle LauraLacquer, she has a large and growing audience that look to her for inspiration and a little bit of lacquer.

Follow Laura on Twitter and IG @laurascottandco. If you loved this episode, listen to Fran Medina and Melissa Alcantara for more on health and influencing. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

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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: beaming her constant encouragement to “treat your body like it belongs to someone you love” to millions of users across the globe. Now, Hannah’s out with her first book: Did You Stretch Tho. In this conversation with host Alicia Menendez, Hannah shares her insights on flexibility, her multi-year struggle with an undiagnosed autoimmune disease, and what it is like to return to professional performing now that she is older and wiser.

Watch the full episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/C56Y3nyHijE

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