When her parents’ tourists visas expired, and they were no longer allowed entry into the United States, Elizabeth, an American citizen, persuaded her parents to allow her to stay in Arizona solo.  She was only 15 years-old. Even as she contended with housing and food insecurity, Elizabeth managed to graduate valedictorian of her high school class, before going on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, we talk about the values tension in wanting to change the world and needing to pay rent, why the responsibilities she carried never allowed her to “let loose” like her peers, and her decision to share her story in her new memoir, “My Side of the River.”

Follow Elizabeth on instagram @lizzycancu and find her book My Side of the River here.  

If you liked this episode, listen to How Travel Empowered Nikki Vargas to Bring Her Life Into Alignment and What Jennifer De Leon Had to Confront to Become the First Writer In Her Family.

In her new book, Making the Latino South, the Hunt Family Assistant Professor in History at Duke University chronicles the dramatic racial evolution of non-Black Latinos living in the American South from the 1940s to the early 2000s.

Follow Cecilia on X (formerly Twitter) @ProfCeciliaM , and learn more about her research here, and find her book here.

If you liked this episode, listen to How Natasha Alford’s Lived Experience Informs Her Political Analysis and Storytelling and For Sociologist Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve Getting Latinos to Care about Justice Reform Is Personal.

She wrote her book, Self-Care for Latinas: 100+ Ways to Prioritize & Rejuvenate Your Mind, Body, & Spirit, deep in her own grief, a year after suddenly losing her best friend. Raquel shares what that experience taught her about self-care and community care, living with life-changing loss, and how she is building a career in media from her beloved Orlando, Florida.

Follow Raquel Reichard on Instagram @raquelreichard. Find her new book here. If you liked this episode, listen to How Robyn Moreno Gets Rooted and How Chef Grace Ramirez Found Her Place Outside of the Kitchen .

Check out our live recording of Latina to Latina x Poderistas in conversation with Xochitl Gonzalez, author of the new novel, Anita de Monte Laughs Last - taped before a live audience at The William Vale on March 27th, 2024!

Follow Xochitl on instagram @xochitltheg and find her book, Anita de Monte Laughs Last, here. Learn more about Poderistas and their work and follow them on Instagram @poderistas. 

Thank you to our lead sponsors, Fund for the City of New York and Telemundo's Mujeres Imparables, whose generous funding allowed us to bring you this recording of the event, and to the Latina-owned brands who showed up and showed out for our gift bag: 

Agua Bonita

Bloomi

Bonita Fierce

Brazi Bites

Cindy Castro New York

Loisa

Nopalera

Ocoa

Oeste

Reina Rebelde

Rizos curls

Siete Foods

She started her career as a political organizer, launching Mass VOTE, a state-wide voter engagement campaign, then parlayed those skills into economic development. As the EVP and Regional President at Berkshire Bank, Malia evolved the bank’s strategic focus to prioritize community impact. Malia shares how her theory of change evolved, how she identifies gaps between organizations’ intentions and their impact, and the very personal question she is constantly circling back to in therapy.

Follow Malia and her work on Instagram @theurbanlabz, and find her book From Intention to Impact here. If you loved this episode listen to Why Cristina Tzintún Ramirez Wants Latinas to Be Less Humble and More Demanding and  Code for America’s Amanda Renteria Lost Some Battles, but Is Winning the Political War.

The entrepreneur, TikTok star and author of the personal finance book “Cultura and Cash: Lessons from the First Gen Mentor for Managing Finances and Cultural Expectations” shares her tips for setting money boundaries with those you love most, and the importance of defining the driving values and “why” of your money plan.

Follow Giovanna on instagram @gigthegirstgenmentor and find her book, Cultura and Cash here. If you liked this episode listen to How Alejandra Campoverdi Traced Her Family’s Invisible Inheritances and LEVEL UP: How to Secure Your Financial Future Starting Today.

Just a few days left to purchase tickets for our Latina to Latina + Poderistas Live event with NYT Best selling author Xochitl Gonzalez!

The first 150 tickets sold come with a bag from Hija de tu Madre, stuffed with goodies from Latine brands including: Agua Bonita, Bloomi, Loisa, Nopalera, Ocoa, Oeste, Reina Rebelde, Rizos curls, Siete Foods, plus a reusable beverage bottle from the City Fund of New York - one of the event’s lead sponsors. We also have some special discount codes from Brazi snacks, Cindy Castro New York and Bonita Fierce candles!

There are only a few dozen of these tickets left, so grab yours today:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/latina-to-latina-x-poderistas-live-tickets-795621153287?aff=oddtdtcreator

The prolific author and poet started her career as a community reporter, then pivoted to creative writing. Now, the award-winning author of the new book, Forgotten Sisters, blends fairytale, horror, suspense and more to capture the grit and mysticism of moving between worlds. Cynthia shares how her success has forced her to rethink her boundaries, and how being the mother to two children with autism informs her writing.

Follow Cynthia on instagram @cynthiapelayoauthor. Order her book, Forgotten Sisters, here.

If you liked this episode, listen to How Johanna Rojas Vann Wove the Truth Into Fiction and What Jennifer De Leon Had to Confront to Become the First Writer In Her Family

When the pandemic hit, she lost her news job and doubled down on creating her own content. Now, as a creator and influencer with hundreds of thousands of social media followers, Vanessa explains how her early foray into YouTube (doing song covers in her high school bedroom!) prepared her for the “TikTok Boom of 2020,” a subsequent job offer from BuzzFeed, and what to do when the algorithm steals the joy of performing and creating.

Connect with Vanessa on instagram @vanessacsirias and TikTok at @vanessacsirias. If you liked this episode listen to Why Kat Stickler Doesn’t Have Vulnerability Hangovers and Mayan Lopez Knows That Art Imitates Life.