March 7, 2024 • 25 mins
Amigas, do you ever struggle with your identity as a Latina? In this episode Tani Estefy and Lily B. give tips on how to find your voice as first generation Latinas. They discuss the importance of celebrating your roots and staying true to yourself.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Oh last, so almost Latina Approve. We're your hosts Stanny,
Stephie and Lily B.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
And this podcast is dedicated to our bilingual Latinas who
are resilient eleas.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
And for the Latinas that resonate with the phrase sooviya
ky either yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Join us on this journey every week where we engage
in relatable conversations.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Share uplifting stories and empowering insights from everything that is
Latina Approved. Hey, this is our first episode.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So excited.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
How are you feeling? How are you feeling one of
the vibes.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I'm feeling energized. You know, I love having conversations with you.
So let's make it up.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Let's do it. Let's do it. We're we're going beyond
our social media page, right, Latina Approve our brands.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, and you know, for those of you who've been
following us, you know we share a lot of fun
content out there.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yes, and if you don't know who we are, then welcome.
Let's talk about it. Let's be a me guys, let's
get to know each other. Dm us, let's talk about it. Right,
But on today's episode, we will be talking about finding
your voice as a first gen Latina. We're all about
like representing Utura the by culture and bilingual Latina. So
(01:10):
that's why we're here.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yes, absolutely, And in this episode we will be providing
you with tips on really how to find your voice
as first gen Latinas and giving you some insights on
how we both found ours through our amistav and commonalities
that we share.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yes, and you know, it's really important when we say
commonalities because you never know what other move heads are
going through, or what common stories and experiences you can
share with one another or also learn from one another.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Exactly, and it's super empowering when you meet someone that
shares certain upbringings that you shared.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Yes, I feel like, sure, you can find your voice,
but there's nothing more beautiful, I think than finding your
voice with that amiga or that friend.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah, exactly, exactly, So let's get into it.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Let's get into it. So we have some tips that
we will like to give you. Right if you are
looking to find your voice or just step out of
that shell or simply just join us in representing like that,
then we have some tips. We have some tips. So
the first one, most importantly I would say, is know
(02:18):
your roots. It's important to embrace and honor your cultural background.
Understanding where you come from can really give you that
clear sense of identity and confidence in expressing yourself because
you need to be proud from where you come from.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Right, yeah, exactly, being proud of your identity, celebrating what
that is. You know, we're super excited to share with
you our background and where we come from and the
unique intersection of the cultures that we share.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
So yeah, yeah, Like for example, I'm Salvadorian American. My
parents came to this country from Unsalvador due to the
Civil War, and I grew up like Spanish is my
friend language, right being Salvadoran is my first language, and
I know that you can relate to that as well.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, absolutely, And so my background is I'm Mexican American.
My parents immigrated from Mexico, but also, like you, my
first language too was also Spanish.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yes, And you know when we talk about like knowing
your roots, like, for example, I'll give you an example
last year, a couple of years ago, actually I traveled
to al Salvador, like this was my third time, but
I would say more in like adulthood of going to
a Salvador with my family and it was the first
time that I actually got to connect with my ancestral
(03:40):
roots and met extended family like great grand like where
my great grandparents lived. So we went to actual that
house where my dad grew up, and just seeing that
was I felt this like immediate like connection and feeling
in my heart and my gut that I'm like, man,
this is where I'm supposed to be, this is where
(04:01):
I'm from. You know. It was just so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
That is so cool. So is most of your extended
family here in the US or are they in a Salvador.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Part of it is in El Salvador. Part of my
family's inn El Salvador, but mainly because of the civil
war that happened, they all came over here. So I
do have a lot of family, like in California, New York, Texas.
So everyone's like a little bit everywhere. But I can
tell you in that trip, it was my first time
(04:31):
visiting the town that my mom is from.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Your first time.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
It was my first time, like I only heard that life.
So my mom she grew up in Elcampo, So if
you know, it's very like nature vibes right. So, and
while we were walking through the home, she grew up,
and which, by the way, it's like already kind of
like falling down. No one really lives there, but she
was painting a picture for me in terms of like, hey,
(04:56):
this is where our restroom was, this is where we
would cook, this where I would run around. And it
was just such an amazing moment to experience with her,
to see, like, man, her childhood was completely different than
my childhood, and it makes you appreciate your parents more
(05:16):
and your cultural roots, like where you come from.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
No, that's amazing. I'm so happy that you got to
experience that.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Beautiful. I recommend it for anyone who hasn't done that.
And just even if you go by yourself and just explore,
like what your heritage is and where your background is,
it'll definitely give you inside of who you are, why
you look a certain way, why you believe certain things. Right,
So simply beautiful, but which leads me. I know you've
been to Mexico, but what has your experience been connecting
(05:44):
with your Mexican roots.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, so I actually grew up going to Mexico since
I was a baby. I actually have dual citizenship, oh Mexico.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So that's it.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
We're cool. But No, since I was a baby, I
would say we go to Mexico like multiple times a year.
And then as I started to get older and going
to school, every vacation, like we would go to Mexico.
So that has been my experience, like I grew up,
I would say part of me in Mexico. So sometimes
(06:15):
I really do resonate with that phrase. Yeah, thatswoyiaki ea.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Yeah, absolutely, one hundred right, because it's like, yeah, and
I know you go often. What part of Mexico is
your family from?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
So my family is from Sinaloa, which is like the
northern part of Mexico, but both of my grandparents are
from there and live there. So all of my cousins
and I have a huge, like extended family, but I
grew up being super close to them, all of my
primos andrias.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
No, I was just gonna say that always a fist.
But if there's one word, because when you talk about, like,
you know, being around your family and grandparents, what's one
word that you would say that would describe the experience
of going to your grandparents' home?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Wow, I can I say home because I just feel
like their home is my home, Like it just like
being there just makes me so happy. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Happy.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
It takes me back to my childhood running around having
some compassy though with my grandma, like joking around with them.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah no, like that's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Their home is my home. And now into our second tip.
Our second tip as into finding your voice as a
first and Latina, and that is to build a support system.
You know, really surrounding yourself with supportive friends, family members, mentors,
even co workers can play a big part into your
(07:52):
support system.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, I know, one hundred percent. And I think that's
a really important tip, is to have that support system
and to not go too far right like, because we
are Latina Approve and you know, it is our brand
that we mutually like created, I think you know something
that makes our friendship so special. And I'm sure that
(08:16):
if you're listening, you probably have this special bond with
either a friend, a coworker, a sibling, or a cousin.
A putima. Right, So Lilly and I actually were co workers, yes, yes,
ten years ago.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Or I don't even know. Ye, wow, you're stuck with me.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Oh my god, I never suck for life. But yeah,
I think it's been over ten years now and we
started off as coworkers working on projects to them, leading
to a beautiful friendship. Yes, and believe it or not,
you known tell them how we how Latina proof started.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Yes, over you know some mimosas, mimosas Sunday Sunday brund.
You know how all great ideas come about.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Exactly no better way than mimosas on a Sunday in La,
I'll tell La.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
And the sun was shining. We were feeling super inspired.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Oh, we were feeling it, that's for sure. So you know,
I think it's important to have that, which goes back
to building a support system. Right. So I think you
go through different phases when it comes to different people.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
You have your coworkers that you work with. You have
friends that you probably party with. You have friends that
you can cry to, You have friends maybe all in
one right. But with Lily and I we've always been
really goal oriented. And believe it or not, we were
like over mimosas and brunch and we're talking, We're talking
about this, We're talking about our vision. What's your vision?
(09:40):
What are your goals? Like?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
But I love that, like surrounding yourself with friends that
are empowering like that with you.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yes, yes, And that's really how it happened. We started
talking about our goals and we discovered that, hey, we
want to create a community online for bilingual Latinas that
live in the US specifically or just looking us from
different paths of life.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Because we felt like there wasn't some platform out there
that we could be like, we could relate.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
To, exactly. And we're like, you know what, if there's
nothing that we can relate to, why don't we just
create one? And that's really how it started. It started
with hard it started with passion, It started with a
vision and goals. And now here we are.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Here we are how many years later but almost.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Five years, five years of Latina approved, So.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Latina approved, and ten plus years of friendship exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
And if you want to find us, we're on Instagram, Facebook,
just you know, pull us up, say hellove, but we're there,
and you know that's part. I feel like that's one
part of building a support system, right is through friendships
and colleagues maybe, but also building on your network of
professionals that also believe in your vision and your initiatives.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yes, For example, we've been blessed to really meet great wonderful,
genuine people alone on our journey that truly believe in
what Latina Proved represents. Yes, and like one of them.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Is b So if you don't know about Buen Provechel
Tani and I had a food show where we spotlighted
Latino owned restaurants in LA which was an amazing experience.
But this all started from a network.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
It all started from network from you know, professionally working
in uh the media industry, and you meet people and
it's okay to share your ideas, it's okay to share
your visions because you never know who can resonate with that,
who also believes in that. And something that Lily and
I have always believed in is like you know what,
(11:46):
like why not? You know this is what we're doing,
this is our vision and you just never know who
might be support So really shout out to everyone who's
really always believed in us.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yes, shout out to Prove.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, so you guys can find us there and yeah,
it's a beautiful thing to build your support system. So
make sure that those that surround you are genuine people,
are in it for real, genuine reasons to support you.
And I think that's the most important thing when it
comes to building a support system. And so with that,
(12:23):
we'll leave you on the next tip, which is educating
yourself because knowledge is power. Like we said, knowledge is power,
It's important to educate yourself on issues that matter, that
matter to you, right and matter to your community. So
definitely staying informed and be prepared to like speak on
(12:44):
topics that are important to you. This is great so
that you're not afraid like take that class, attend that summon,
attend that conference, and meet different people that share the
same vision or value you.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Yeah, and we know how important education is within the
Latino community, Like we know that our parents are so
proud of us for pursuing higher education. And that's why
I want to ask you because one thing I'm so
proud of you, Tonny, is that you got your MBA.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Oh and I know.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
How proud your family is of you. So I just
kind of, you know, wanted to ask you, like how
how that was for you and like walk me through that.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
You know, Well, first of all, thank you so much
for saying that. That means a lot. And you know,
getting getting your masters is not easy, right, but it's
also not impossible. So if you're considering to go back
to school for continue your education, girl, like, just go
for it. Right, For me, it was super important to
(13:48):
challenge myself and also educate myself about business, right because
I've always wanted to have a business, start a business,
and it's like I wanted to educate myself on how
to start one from scratch and how to maintain it.
And really knowledge does become powerful, and even if a
subject is super hard for you, challenge yourself. I think
(14:10):
there's there's nothing more like beautiful than to challenge your
mind because then you grow.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Yeah, and I feel like and correct me if I'm wrong,
But I feel like as you get older, you kind
of value and appreciate education a little bit more because
I feel like when you're younger, you're small, like you
forget things or like you don't you're just kind of
tired of.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
It, you know. Yeah, No, I one hundred percent agree,
And it's like I'm glad that I did get that done.
You know, well, it was actually in my late twenties,
Like it was in my late twenties where I graduated
with it, and that's fine, you know, no matter what
age you are, is never too late. But I would
say that educating myself definitely was a huge stepping stone
(14:53):
for me finding my voice, to teaching me how to
speak up for myself, teaching on how to pursue my fearlessly.
So I feel like having an education definitely helped me
with those other avenues of self development and self growth.
And that's just personally for me. But how do you
feel like getting an education helped you in terms of
(15:14):
finding your voice? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
No, I mean in at school, I remember doing presentations
and being always so nervous to speaking up. So school
really empowered me to gain the skills and the confidence
to really pursue my dreams. And so definitely, I think
that for anyone who's considering getting a higher education, getting
(15:38):
their master's degree, like, we are here to support you.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yes, ten out of ten, it's Latina approved, right, it's
Latina proved to get any kind of education, right. Depending,
it doesn't have to be in business, it doesn't have
to be in journalism, communication, it has to be with
whatever your heart desires. There's always an opportunity for you
to grow and different aspects.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Yeah, Like even like if you want to learn a
new language or if you just want to learn a
new skill, like take that class.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Take that class, no matter how afraid. And let me
tell you a quick story. I will never forget my
first ever my first ever public speaking class that I took,
and my first presentation that I ever took. I was
terrified and the topic was so simple, like what are
your peppeeves? So we had to just like give a
(16:29):
one minute presentation on your peppeves? And I got in
front of my class. Girl, my leg, when I tell you,
my leg was shaking, uncontroll.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Like it's shaking right now.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
I'm reading the moment, the moment, but I was terrified.
My leg was shaking. I felt like my heart was
gonna explode. But I'm glad that I pulled through with
it because I challenged myself and then it got better
and better and better, and you know, it's it's okay.
It's okay to go through those moments because that's called
(17:05):
so knowledge is power, mole hit is so yeah. So
onto with that. I think it leads us to our.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Next tip tip, right, yes, So this leads us to
our next tip, which is speaking up. I know that
a lot of us are maybe familiar with the phrase
or saying I'm not true, no girlfriend, we hear that,
we are to hear to say that that's not true,
(17:34):
because you shouldn't be afraid to voice your opinions and
share your perspectives even if it feels intimidating.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, and let me rephrase that phrase. You know, it's
like no, and I think we grew up with and
many of you that are listening can probably relate to
that phrase where you grow up with that type of
like upbringing of like no, no, no, no, no. Let's
(18:01):
scratch that out of our vocabulary, out of our minds
because your thought thoughts matter, right, and sometimes it can
be intimidating. Biddle thuvos not to mention the power your
voice brings, right even even to yourself, right speaking up
(18:22):
to yourself like hey, I did this thing that wasn't right?
What can I do better? Don't see things as a failure,
see things more like as a learning lesson. What did
you learn? You know? And I think something that Lily
and I like to do in every every experience, whether
good or bad, we evaluate like, Okay, what was great
about this and what can we do better in the future,
(18:45):
So it's really important and something we're big on. We
won't dive super and deep into this unless you want
to hear more about this than DMAs and let us know.
But it's like speaking to you know, speaking to yourself
and to the universe on things that you manifest. And
it probably sounds like cliche, but it's important, but it
(19:06):
works and it's worked for us like for many many examples,
and you know, it's super important to at least start
speaking up for yourself to yourself.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
You speak positively, speaking positively to yourself what you want,
the things you want, like speak it into existence.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Yes, And I'll tell you something that my therapist said,
you know, because we have so many thoughts in our
heads throughout the day, and she's like, for any time
that there's a negative thought in your mind about yourself,
you say a positive. So if you say something bad
to yourself, like I don't know, you know, you you
call yourself out but in a bad way, quickly change
(19:46):
that and say something positive about yourself. Right. So that's
called you know, working on self love and trust, which we.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Will definitely get into more in this podcast. You have
this snake tune for those episodes exactly there's more to
come to come.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
But yeah, so that leads us to our next tip,
which is embracing your bi lingualism. Right, if you're fluent
both in English and Spanish Spanglish, like girl, you need
to embrace that to the fullest. And if you know
anything about Latina, I proove is we speak Spanglish.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
We are fluent in Spanglish.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
We are fluent in Spanglishah, a little bit of Salvadorian slag,
a little bit of Mexicans and you know what, we're
a beautiful community, right, so let us know where are
you from? Are you South America and Central American, Mexican Caribbean?
Where are you from? Right? We would love to know,
(20:44):
We would love to know.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
And speaking a little bit more into being bilingual, Tany,
I want to ask you, like, what is a proud
bilingual moment that you have?
Speaker 1 (20:55):
You know, I think my proudest moment, definitely it has
to be the creation of Latina. Approove with you because
we you know, just to give you some context if
you're listening to this, Lily and I came from a
background of Hispanic medium, where like all advertisement or marketing
(21:16):
efforts were towards only Spanish speaking. And I think you know,
eventually we can dive more into this, but sure, there's
a lot of us that speak Spanish in the US,
but there's also a lot of us that are bilingual,
that speak this dual language of bilingualism, right that we
live in both world we think in both languages. It
depends on the context, and we didn't really see that
(21:38):
kind of representation. So I would definitely have to say
the creation of Latina Approve is one of my proudest
moments when it comes to being bilingual, because we're able,
if you notice, we're able to express ourselves in both
languages and at times and both both languages combined.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Yeah, and that's absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Yeah, And I mean, would you say you share the
same kind.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Of like proudest moment or is there another Yeah, it's
super it's super empowering to see so many people being
able to relate to those experiences, and especially bilingual experiences
where we've serviced others, right where we've helped our parents
translate things, where we've been at a store and we've
helped a stranger, you know, order something or get help.
(22:22):
So I think that embracing bilingualism is such a superpower.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
It is a superpower. It is a superpower, you know.
And I'll tell you a joke that my sister that
my sister said that I thought it was just so
funny because back to what you said, like, we grew
up translating things for our parents, who probably would have
been seven or eight, and they're like, what does this
letter say? What is this? And even up to this day,
even now I'm doing even up to this day, they're
(22:48):
still asking us, Hey, can you fill out this? Hey
can you submit this? Hey can you read this? And
something that my sister said the other day, she's like,
my parents don't know it, but they have full time
personal assists. And we're like, yeah, for life, for life.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Do you have your parents' password safe? Because that's another thing. Yes.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
My dad literally just got a phone like a couple
of days ago, and he was like telling us, okay,
to my brother, hey, what's my password for this? And
then Thanny, what's my password for that? And set this
up and literally we amongst my brother and I we
were like helping him log in. We were like we
had a whole track of everything. So it's just like
(23:29):
that's how it is, and that's beautiful. No, it's absolutely beautiful.
What was that saying like we're parents' personal assistance and
we think that's beautiful. We think we're bilingual and we
think that's beautiful. And ultimately.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Ultimately going into our final tip of.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Staying true to yourself, right because above all, it's so
important to stay true to who you are and your
values in order to find your voice.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Yeah, we all have to remember that there is no
one else out there like you, and that is amazing.
You know, everyone's journey is special and we should never
try to compare ourselves to others.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
No, Like, authenticity is key, and the beautiful thing is
that we were created with that authentic touch. You know,
we all have our own superpowers. We all all have
that special magic or that special skill that we bring
to the table. Just when you think that man, but
somebody else is already doing it, Yeah, but they're not you, right, Like,
(24:42):
we are all unique. We can all deliver the same
message or the similar message. But what's important is who
you are, Like, it's your magic, it's your magic slawce
that you're bringing to the table. Right, So staying true
like to yourself, being authentic can be your biggest, biggest,
biggest strength.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Yes, don't try to be anyone else.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
But yourself exactly exactly, and like Lisa, everyone's journey is
different and it's also special. And with that we'll leave
you here. This concludes our first podcast episode.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Thank you so much for tuning in. We are so
happy to have you be a part of our community
and continue to listen to us.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yes, continue to listen. We have more episodes coming, more
cultural empowering topics, more like any Just just stay tuned.
That's all you have to do. But thistascucando and we're
looking forward to the next episode.
Oh last, so almost Latina Approve. We're your hosts Stanny,
Stephie and Lily B.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
And this podcast is dedicated to our bilingual Latinas who
are resilient eleas.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
And for the Latinas that resonate with the phrase sooviya
ky either yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Join us on this journey every week where we engage
in relatable conversations.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Share uplifting stories and empowering insights from everything that is
Latina Approved. Hey, this is our first episode.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
So excited.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
How are you feeling? How are you feeling one of
the vibes.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I'm feeling energized. You know, I love having conversations with you.
So let's make it up.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Let's do it. Let's do it. We're we're going beyond
our social media page, right, Latina Approve our brands.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, and you know, for those of you who've been
following us, you know we share a lot of fun
content out there.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yes, and if you don't know who we are, then welcome.
Let's talk about it. Let's be a me guys, let's
get to know each other. Dm us, let's talk about it. Right,
But on today's episode, we will be talking about finding
your voice as a first gen Latina. We're all about
like representing Utura the by culture and bilingual Latina. So
(01:10):
that's why we're here.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yes, absolutely, And in this episode we will be providing
you with tips on really how to find your voice
as first gen Latinas and giving you some insights on
how we both found ours through our amistav and commonalities
that we share.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Yes, and you know, it's really important when we say
commonalities because you never know what other move heads are
going through, or what common stories and experiences you can
share with one another or also learn from one another.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Exactly, and it's super empowering when you meet someone that
shares certain upbringings that you shared.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Yes, I feel like, sure, you can find your voice,
but there's nothing more beautiful, I think than finding your
voice with that amiga or that friend.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Yeah, exactly, exactly, So let's get into it.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Let's get into it. So we have some tips that
we will like to give you. Right if you are
looking to find your voice or just step out of
that shell or simply just join us in representing like that,
then we have some tips. We have some tips. So
the first one, most importantly I would say, is know
(02:18):
your roots. It's important to embrace and honor your cultural background.
Understanding where you come from can really give you that
clear sense of identity and confidence in expressing yourself because
you need to be proud from where you come from.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Right, yeah, exactly, being proud of your identity, celebrating what
that is. You know, we're super excited to share with
you our background and where we come from and the
unique intersection of the cultures that we share.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
So yeah, yeah, Like for example, I'm Salvadorian American. My
parents came to this country from Unsalvador due to the
Civil War, and I grew up like Spanish is my
friend language, right being Salvadoran is my first language, and
I know that you can relate to that as well.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, absolutely, And so my background is I'm Mexican American.
My parents immigrated from Mexico, but also, like you, my
first language too was also Spanish.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yes, And you know when we talk about like knowing
your roots, like, for example, I'll give you an example
last year, a couple of years ago, actually I traveled
to al Salvador, like this was my third time, but
I would say more in like adulthood of going to
a Salvador with my family and it was the first
time that I actually got to connect with my ancestral
(03:40):
roots and met extended family like great grand like where
my great grandparents lived. So we went to actual that
house where my dad grew up, and just seeing that
was I felt this like immediate like connection and feeling
in my heart and my gut that I'm like, man,
this is where I'm supposed to be, this is where
(04:01):
I'm from. You know. It was just so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
That is so cool. So is most of your extended
family here in the US or are they in a Salvador.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
Part of it is in El Salvador. Part of my
family's inn El Salvador, but mainly because of the civil
war that happened, they all came over here. So I
do have a lot of family, like in California, New York, Texas.
So everyone's like a little bit everywhere. But I can
tell you in that trip, it was my first time
(04:31):
visiting the town that my mom is from.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Your first time.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
It was my first time, like I only heard that life.
So my mom she grew up in Elcampo, So if
you know, it's very like nature vibes right. So, and
while we were walking through the home, she grew up,
and which, by the way, it's like already kind of
like falling down. No one really lives there, but she
was painting a picture for me in terms of like, hey,
(04:56):
this is where our restroom was, this is where we
would cook, this where I would run around. And it
was just such an amazing moment to experience with her,
to see, like, man, her childhood was completely different than
my childhood, and it makes you appreciate your parents more
(05:16):
and your cultural roots, like where you come from.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
No, that's amazing. I'm so happy that you got to
experience that.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Beautiful. I recommend it for anyone who hasn't done that.
And just even if you go by yourself and just explore,
like what your heritage is and where your background is,
it'll definitely give you inside of who you are, why
you look a certain way, why you believe certain things. Right,
So simply beautiful, but which leads me. I know you've
been to Mexico, but what has your experience been connecting
(05:44):
with your Mexican roots.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, so I actually grew up going to Mexico since
I was a baby. I actually have dual citizenship, oh Mexico.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So that's it.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
We're cool. But No, since I was a baby, I
would say we go to Mexico like multiple times a year.
And then as I started to get older and going
to school, every vacation, like we would go to Mexico.
So that has been my experience, like I grew up,
I would say part of me in Mexico. So sometimes
(06:15):
I really do resonate with that phrase. Yeah, thatswoyiaki ea.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Yeah, absolutely, one hundred right, because it's like, yeah, and
I know you go often. What part of Mexico is
your family from?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
So my family is from Sinaloa, which is like the
northern part of Mexico, but both of my grandparents are
from there and live there. So all of my cousins
and I have a huge, like extended family, but I
grew up being super close to them, all of my
primos andrias.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
No, I was just gonna say that always a fist.
But if there's one word, because when you talk about, like,
you know, being around your family and grandparents, what's one
word that you would say that would describe the experience
of going to your grandparents' home?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Wow, I can I say home because I just feel
like their home is my home, Like it just like
being there just makes me so happy. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Happy.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
It takes me back to my childhood running around having
some compassy though with my grandma, like joking around with them.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah no, like that's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Their home is my home. And now into our second tip.
Our second tip as into finding your voice as a
first and Latina, and that is to build a support system.
You know, really surrounding yourself with supportive friends, family members, mentors,
even co workers can play a big part into your
(07:52):
support system.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, I know, one hundred percent. And I think that's
a really important tip, is to have that support system
and to not go too far right like, because we
are Latina Approve and you know, it is our brand
that we mutually like created, I think you know something
that makes our friendship so special. And I'm sure that
(08:16):
if you're listening, you probably have this special bond with
either a friend, a coworker, a sibling, or a cousin.
A putima. Right, So Lilly and I actually were co workers, yes, yes,
ten years ago.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Or I don't even know. Ye, wow, you're stuck with me.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Oh my god, I never suck for life. But yeah,
I think it's been over ten years now and we
started off as coworkers working on projects to them, leading
to a beautiful friendship. Yes, and believe it or not,
you known tell them how we how Latina proof started.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Yes, over you know some mimosas, mimosas Sunday Sunday brund.
You know how all great ideas come about.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Exactly no better way than mimosas on a Sunday in La,
I'll tell La.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
And the sun was shining. We were feeling super inspired.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Oh, we were feeling it, that's for sure. So you know,
I think it's important to have that, which goes back
to building a support system. Right. So I think you
go through different phases when it comes to different people.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
You have your coworkers that you work with. You have
friends that you probably party with. You have friends that
you can cry to, You have friends maybe all in
one right. But with Lily and I we've always been
really goal oriented. And believe it or not, we were
like over mimosas and brunch and we're talking, We're talking
about this, We're talking about our vision. What's your vision?
(09:40):
What are your goals? Like?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
But I love that, like surrounding yourself with friends that
are empowering like that with you.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yes, yes, And that's really how it happened. We started
talking about our goals and we discovered that, hey, we
want to create a community online for bilingual Latinas that
live in the US specifically or just looking us from
different paths of life.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Because we felt like there wasn't some platform out there
that we could be like, we could relate.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
To, exactly. And we're like, you know what, if there's
nothing that we can relate to, why don't we just
create one? And that's really how it started. It started
with hard it started with passion, It started with a
vision and goals. And now here we are.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Here we are how many years later but almost.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Five years, five years of Latina approved, So.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Latina approved, and ten plus years of friendship exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
And if you want to find us, we're on Instagram, Facebook,
just you know, pull us up, say hellove, but we're there,
and you know that's part. I feel like that's one
part of building a support system, right is through friendships
and colleagues maybe, but also building on your network of
professionals that also believe in your vision and your initiatives.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yes, For example, we've been blessed to really meet great wonderful,
genuine people alone on our journey that truly believe in
what Latina Proved represents. Yes, and like one of them.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Is b So if you don't know about Buen Provechel
Tani and I had a food show where we spotlighted
Latino owned restaurants in LA which was an amazing experience.
But this all started from a network.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
It all started from network from you know, professionally working
in uh the media industry, and you meet people and
it's okay to share your ideas, it's okay to share
your visions because you never know who can resonate with that,
who also believes in that. And something that Lily and
I have always believed in is like you know what,
(11:46):
like why not? You know this is what we're doing,
this is our vision and you just never know who
might be support So really shout out to everyone who's
really always believed in us.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yes, shout out to Prove.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Yeah, so you guys can find us there and yeah,
it's a beautiful thing to build your support system. So
make sure that those that surround you are genuine people,
are in it for real, genuine reasons to support you.
And I think that's the most important thing when it
comes to building a support system. And so with that,
(12:23):
we'll leave you on the next tip, which is educating
yourself because knowledge is power. Like we said, knowledge is power,
It's important to educate yourself on issues that matter, that
matter to you, right and matter to your community. So
definitely staying informed and be prepared to like speak on
(12:44):
topics that are important to you. This is great so
that you're not afraid like take that class, attend that summon,
attend that conference, and meet different people that share the
same vision or value you.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Yeah, and we know how important education is within the
Latino community, Like we know that our parents are so
proud of us for pursuing higher education. And that's why
I want to ask you because one thing I'm so
proud of you, Tonny, is that you got your MBA.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Oh and I know.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
How proud your family is of you. So I just
kind of, you know, wanted to ask you, like how
how that was for you and like walk me through that.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
You know, Well, first of all, thank you so much
for saying that. That means a lot. And you know,
getting getting your masters is not easy, right, but it's
also not impossible. So if you're considering to go back
to school for continue your education, girl, like, just go
for it. Right, For me, it was super important to
(13:48):
challenge myself and also educate myself about business, right because
I've always wanted to have a business, start a business,
and it's like I wanted to educate myself on how
to start one from scratch and how to maintain it.
And really knowledge does become powerful, and even if a
subject is super hard for you, challenge yourself. I think
(14:10):
there's there's nothing more like beautiful than to challenge your
mind because then you grow.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Yeah, and I feel like and correct me if I'm wrong,
But I feel like as you get older, you kind
of value and appreciate education a little bit more because
I feel like when you're younger, you're small, like you
forget things or like you don't you're just kind of
tired of.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
It, you know. Yeah, No, I one hundred percent agree,
And it's like I'm glad that I did get that done.
You know, well, it was actually in my late twenties,
Like it was in my late twenties where I graduated
with it, and that's fine, you know, no matter what
age you are, is never too late. But I would
say that educating myself definitely was a huge stepping stone
(14:53):
for me finding my voice, to teaching me how to
speak up for myself, teaching on how to pursue my fearlessly.
So I feel like having an education definitely helped me
with those other avenues of self development and self growth.
And that's just personally for me. But how do you
feel like getting an education helped you in terms of
(15:14):
finding your voice? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
No, I mean in at school, I remember doing presentations
and being always so nervous to speaking up. So school
really empowered me to gain the skills and the confidence
to really pursue my dreams. And so definitely, I think
that for anyone who's considering getting a higher education, getting
(15:38):
their master's degree, like, we are here to support you.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
Yes, ten out of ten, it's Latina approved, right, it's
Latina proved to get any kind of education, right. Depending,
it doesn't have to be in business, it doesn't have
to be in journalism, communication, it has to be with
whatever your heart desires. There's always an opportunity for you
to grow and different aspects.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Yeah, Like even like if you want to learn a
new language or if you just want to learn a
new skill, like take that class.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Take that class, no matter how afraid. And let me
tell you a quick story. I will never forget my
first ever my first ever public speaking class that I took,
and my first presentation that I ever took. I was
terrified and the topic was so simple, like what are
your peppeeves? So we had to just like give a
(16:29):
one minute presentation on your peppeves? And I got in
front of my class. Girl, my leg, when I tell you,
my leg was shaking, uncontroll.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Like it's shaking right now.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
I'm reading the moment, the moment, but I was terrified.
My leg was shaking. I felt like my heart was
gonna explode. But I'm glad that I pulled through with
it because I challenged myself and then it got better
and better and better, and you know, it's it's okay.
It's okay to go through those moments because that's called
(17:05):
so knowledge is power, mole hit is so yeah. So
onto with that. I think it leads us to our.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Next tip tip, right, yes, So this leads us to
our next tip, which is speaking up. I know that
a lot of us are maybe familiar with the phrase
or saying I'm not true, no girlfriend, we hear that,
we are to hear to say that that's not true,
(17:34):
because you shouldn't be afraid to voice your opinions and
share your perspectives even if it feels intimidating.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, and let me rephrase that phrase. You know, it's
like no, and I think we grew up with and
many of you that are listening can probably relate to
that phrase where you grow up with that type of
like upbringing of like no, no, no, no, no. Let's
(18:01):
scratch that out of our vocabulary, out of our minds
because your thought thoughts matter, right, and sometimes it can
be intimidating. Biddle thuvos not to mention the power your
voice brings, right even even to yourself, right speaking up
(18:22):
to yourself like hey, I did this thing that wasn't right?
What can I do better? Don't see things as a failure,
see things more like as a learning lesson. What did
you learn? You know? And I think something that Lily
and I like to do in every every experience, whether
good or bad, we evaluate like, Okay, what was great
about this and what can we do better in the future,
(18:45):
So it's really important and something we're big on. We
won't dive super and deep into this unless you want
to hear more about this than DMAs and let us know.
But it's like speaking to you know, speaking to yourself
and to the universe on things that you manifest. And
it probably sounds like cliche, but it's important, but it
(19:06):
works and it's worked for us like for many many examples,
and you know, it's super important to at least start
speaking up for yourself to yourself.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
You speak positively, speaking positively to yourself what you want,
the things you want, like speak it into existence.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
Yes, And I'll tell you something that my therapist said,
you know, because we have so many thoughts in our
heads throughout the day, and she's like, for any time
that there's a negative thought in your mind about yourself,
you say a positive. So if you say something bad
to yourself, like I don't know, you know, you you
call yourself out but in a bad way, quickly change
(19:46):
that and say something positive about yourself. Right. So that's
called you know, working on self love and trust, which we.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Will definitely get into more in this podcast. You have
this snake tune for those episodes exactly there's more to
come to come.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
But yeah, so that leads us to our next tip,
which is embracing your bi lingualism. Right, if you're fluent
both in English and Spanish Spanglish, like girl, you need
to embrace that to the fullest. And if you know
anything about Latina, I proove is we speak Spanglish.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
We are fluent in Spanglish.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
We are fluent in Spanglishah, a little bit of Salvadorian slag,
a little bit of Mexicans and you know what, we're
a beautiful community, right, so let us know where are
you from? Are you South America and Central American, Mexican Caribbean?
Where are you from? Right? We would love to know,
(20:44):
We would love to know.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
And speaking a little bit more into being bilingual, Tany,
I want to ask you, like, what is a proud
bilingual moment that you have?
Speaker 1 (20:55):
You know, I think my proudest moment, definitely it has
to be the creation of Latina. Approove with you because
we you know, just to give you some context if
you're listening to this, Lily and I came from a
background of Hispanic medium, where like all advertisement or marketing
(21:16):
efforts were towards only Spanish speaking. And I think you know,
eventually we can dive more into this, but sure, there's
a lot of us that speak Spanish in the US,
but there's also a lot of us that are bilingual,
that speak this dual language of bilingualism, right that we
live in both world we think in both languages. It
depends on the context, and we didn't really see that
(21:38):
kind of representation. So I would definitely have to say
the creation of Latina Approve is one of my proudest
moments when it comes to being bilingual, because we're able,
if you notice, we're able to express ourselves in both
languages and at times and both both languages combined.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Yeah, and that's absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Yeah, And I mean, would you say you share the
same kind.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Of like proudest moment or is there another Yeah, it's
super it's super empowering to see so many people being
able to relate to those experiences, and especially bilingual experiences
where we've serviced others, right where we've helped our parents
translate things, where we've been at a store and we've
helped a stranger, you know, order something or get help.
(22:22):
So I think that embracing bilingualism is such a superpower.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
It is a superpower. It is a superpower, you know.
And I'll tell you a joke that my sister that
my sister said that I thought it was just so
funny because back to what you said, like, we grew
up translating things for our parents, who probably would have
been seven or eight, and they're like, what does this
letter say? What is this? And even up to this day,
even now I'm doing even up to this day, they're
(22:48):
still asking us, Hey, can you fill out this? Hey
can you submit this? Hey can you read this? And
something that my sister said the other day, she's like,
my parents don't know it, but they have full time
personal assists. And we're like, yeah, for life, for life.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Do you have your parents' password safe? Because that's another thing. Yes.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
My dad literally just got a phone like a couple
of days ago, and he was like telling us, okay,
to my brother, hey, what's my password for this? And
then Thanny, what's my password for that? And set this
up and literally we amongst my brother and I we
were like helping him log in. We were like we
had a whole track of everything. So it's just like
(23:29):
that's how it is, and that's beautiful. No, it's absolutely beautiful.
What was that saying like we're parents' personal assistance and
we think that's beautiful. We think we're bilingual and we
think that's beautiful. And ultimately.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Ultimately going into our final tip of.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Staying true to yourself, right because above all, it's so
important to stay true to who you are and your
values in order to find your voice.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Yeah, we all have to remember that there is no
one else out there like you, and that is amazing.
You know, everyone's journey is special and we should never
try to compare ourselves to others.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
No, Like, authenticity is key, and the beautiful thing is
that we were created with that authentic touch. You know,
we all have our own superpowers. We all all have
that special magic or that special skill that we bring
to the table. Just when you think that man, but
somebody else is already doing it, Yeah, but they're not you, right, Like,
(24:42):
we are all unique. We can all deliver the same
message or the similar message. But what's important is who
you are, Like, it's your magic, it's your magic slawce
that you're bringing to the table. Right, So staying true
like to yourself, being authentic can be your biggest, biggest,
biggest strength.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Yes, don't try to be anyone else.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
But yourself exactly exactly, and like Lisa, everyone's journey is
different and it's also special. And with that we'll leave
you here. This concludes our first podcast episode.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Thank you so much for tuning in. We are so
happy to have you be a part of our community
and continue to listen to us.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Yes, continue to listen. We have more episodes coming, more
cultural empowering topics, more like any Just just stay tuned.
That's all you have to do. But thistascucando and we're
looking forward to the next episode.
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