Hella Latin‪@‬ Latina Podcasters Network

Ruben Quesada 🇨🇷 is the editor of the award-winning anthology Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry (2022), a collection of original essays from poets of Latin American descent. His poetry collections are Jane/La Segua (2023, digital), Revelations (2018), and Next Extinct Mammal (2011).
Ruben's writing was featured in Best American Poetry, Harvard Review, New York Times Magazine, American Poetry Review, Southern Review, TriQuarterly, and Pleiades. He has a history of consulting for notable organizations like the NEA, Illinois Humanities Council, NBCC, and Publishing Triangle Awards. He is an editor, writer, and advocate for diversity and inclusivity in the literary arts.
In this episode, we delve into the vibrant world of Latinx poetry with Ruben Quesada, editor of the award-winning anthology "Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry" (2022). Ruben shares his unique journey, growing up in a household where Spanish was the primary language and where Chinese influences were seamlessly woven into their cultural fabric, thanks to their Chinese neighbors. We learn about Ruben's Costa Rican heritage, and how a trip to Costa Rica revealed how his Spanish had been shaped by the diverse linguistic tapestry around him.
Keep up with Ruben on his website and on his Instagram. 
For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.
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Mario began his artistic career as an illustrator and designer and had a decade-long run with Disney during what is considered its second golden age of animation. His credits include The Lion King, Pocahontas, Atlantis, the Warner Bros film, and Looney Tunes Back in Action. He was an art director for independent animated features and is now a faculty instructor. 
Rosemary was born and raised in the South Bronx and started her creative journey as a magazine writer and editor working at Telemundo and NBC, all while creating ideas on the side. This included developing content for animated movies and TV shows with Mario, and together they created this book called Myra and the Drawing Drama, one of their various collaborations which we'll talk a lot about in this episode today.
In this week’s episode, Rosemary and Mario share their experiences as first-generation Latinx growing up in the Bronx, pursuing creative careers, and eventually creating a book together. Theirs is an incredible story of resilience and following their dreams. Both Rosemary and Mario have had a tough upbringing, but they were able to endure it all, become some of the best people in their fields, and become incredibly successful storytellers. 
Keep up with Rosemary on her website and her LinkedIn.
Keep up with Mario on his website and his LinkedIn.
For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.
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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.
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Luis Báez is an entrepreneur, sales executive, and unwavering optimist who's a little obsessed about helping you build a career and business you’re proud of. His pronouns are he, him, and él. His ability to build genuine trust and help people around him shine is why he's been recruited to work at some of the most influential companies in history — including LinkedIn, Google, Uber, and Tesla.
Not bad for a First-Gen Nuyorican boy from the Bronx! No one taught him how to sell — putting himself out there is just what he's had to do to create the life he wanted. After closing over half a billion dollars in sales at Fortune 500 companies, she still had trouble putting himself out there confidently as an entrepreneur when he got started.
Launching his own business was a totally new ball game, but by combining all the strategic thinking he learned working in Silicon Valley with his NYC hustle, he was finally able to figure out his formula for stacking sales. This system has helped him make some serious impact on the lives of the people he serves — and his own.
In this week’s episode, Luis shares his experience as a gay Latino working in the hypercritical environment of corporate sales. Luis is very aware of the societal expectations placed on him - how machismo defines what kind of man he should be, and how he used to navigate code-switching to fit in. He worked tirelessly and in return, he only received a wobbly chair at the table. He soon realized he was not just keeping pace, but outperforming his peers. That’s when he decided to grow beyond his current employer, build his personal brand, and launch his own company. 
Keep up with Luis on his website and his LinkedIn.
For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.
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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.
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How many of y'all are first gen corporate? This episode is for you!
Today I'm talking to Maria Medrano, co-founder and CEO of Inspirame, a mission-driven organization dedicated to ending generational poverty through educational attainment. As a first-generation Mexican American and the first in her family to earn a high school or college degree, Maria has held strategic leadership roles spanning two decades at Google, Visa, and Cisco, to name a few, and has used her first gen superpowers to make big career moves
Maria Medrano is a global bilingual Latina leader who has made a name for herself with an exceptional track record in managing multi-million to billion-dollar businesses with a focus on bottom-line growth, large-scale project plans, data-driven decision-making, and strategic partnerships. Her leadership style emphasizes supporting long-term growth, business continuity, process improvements, and transformations while ensuring business strategies are aligned with corporate objectives.
Throughout her career, Maria has prioritized building a sense of community within corporate settings and bridging the gap between business strategies and community values. She firmly believes that sustainable success comes from aligning business objectives with community needs and has a proven track record of achieving this balance.
Despite humble beginnings, Maria's accomplishments have been widely recognized. She has received numerous awards, including the YWCA Tribute to Women Emerging Leader Award, Top 100 Under 40 Diversity MBA, Silicon Valley 40 Under 40, and Top 50 Under 50.
In this week’s episode, Maria shares her experience as a Latina making a difference in Corporate America. Corporate America can still present challenges for Latinos, but Maria's journey shows us that it's possible to navigate this space without losing ourselves. She is creating a community that is a beacon of hope for all Latinx in corporate spaces and is a living reminder that we can create our own paths and create our own success stories.
Keep up with Maria on her LinkedIn and on Instagram @techoguide_. 
For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.
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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.
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Dominique Cordero 🇵🇷 is a Spanish Coach, salsa dancer, and world traveler. When she was twenty-three years old, she was working a soul-crushing “Corporate-America” job when she asked herself, “Is this it?” She felt lost, uninspired, and more than ready for a radical change. So that’s exactly what she did. In three months, she sold my car, broke her lease, packed her life into two suitcases, and boarded a plane to Barcelona, Spain. With that one-way ticket, she was off to live with a host family, work as an Au Pair, and pursue a long-time dream of living in a Spanish-speaking country. From there she was able to immerse herself in Spanish culture, learn how to speak the language fluently, and come home to show off her new skills to all her Spanish-speaking family members. 
Her love of Spanish continues to gift her with cherished moments and treasured relationships. And that's why, a decade later, Dominique has devoted her time to helping adults—like you—unlock the habits and methods they need to confidently carry on a conversation in Spanish too. She wants her clients to experience the joy of actually living in Spanish, something that goes far beyond the superficial level of communication.
In this week’s episode, Dominique shares how she transitioned into teaching Spanish full-time during the 2020 pandemic and doing it all online. As a proud Puerto Rican, Dominique shares her thoughts on the importance of preserving and celebrating the cultural legacy and communicating with our elders, including her grandfather who settled in the midwest and didn't have anyone to speak Spanish with for a long time. 
Listen to hear more about how learning a language changed the course of Dominique’s life for the better!
Keep up with Dominique on her website and on her Instagram. 
For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Wendy Amara is a proud Guatamalan with Mayan roots and has spent her time as a transformational Strategy Coach, Speaker, Trainer, and Best Selling Author. She has coached thousands of people over the past twelve years and helped them achieve very powerful goals for their lives. Her results-oriented, no-holding-back approach opens up new possibilities for her clients and has them stay accountable for producing extraordinary results. She has coached many prominent individuals including numerous CEOs of large companies and high positioned appointed and elected officials. She supports all her clients in gaining more clarity, connecting to their vision, and developing a plan of action for their lives that will skyrocket them to their goals.
Wendy’s wish for every client is that they live a life they are excited about and proud of! She has worked for numerous transformational companies specializing in ontological coaching, result-oriented coaching, and leadership principles.
In this week’s episode, we find out how Wendy became a coach way before it was popular. She found out about coaching before Facebook was even a thing! And while undergoing life coaching to find solutions for her ADHD, she found herself wanting to try coaching for herself and support others in her community. She worked with businesses, consulted with others, and even earned her coaching certification to specifically support people with ADHD. Her goal is to get every one of her clients to trust in themselves and learn the tools they need to be the best version of themselves. 
Keep up with Wendy on her website and on her LinkedIn. Listen to her podcast Yes Mujer Build It here. 
For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.
Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.
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