Episode 303: Empowerment, Support and Strength: Learning about Community Resources with Jessika Ahlberg of My Safe Harbor

Shining a spotlight on community resources is something we love, and today’s episode features one of our favorite organizations. This week we interview Jessika Ahlberg, program director at My Safe Harbor in Anaheim, California. This organization focuses on empowering mothers and strengthening families through education programs and community get togethers, and the success rate of program graduates is awe-inspiring. These are mothers who want to learn, work hard and support themselves and their families in ways that might not be possible without the resources provided by My Safe Harbor. We are honored to be able to donate to this wonderful group so that they may continue to support local moms who need encouragement in their lives and with their families. To learn more about this group and how you can help, listen to the rest of this episode and visit MySafeHarbor.org.

Before the episode, Bricia is talking about her new cookbook and the full on photoshoot production thats happening at her house! She also talks about last weekend, where the entire Lopez family got together at the park for a carne asada cookout for the book (and we taught you the right way to secure tables at the park LOL) and she also talks about her son’s freak accident.

A lesson from this episode

“You can’t be a good mother without mothering yourself first.”

Pick or tip of the week

Paulina’s pick is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. She’s read it multiple times before and Bricia suggests even reading it once a year. Paulina goal is to pass the book around to everyone in the restaurant staff because she feels it always has new lessons to provide, no matter how many times you read it.

Bricia’s tip is from their life coach, Victor Pierantoni. He gave her a tip on how to take visulization to the next level. You visualize it from three points of view and read it every night. Check out their tips below and let us know if it works for you!

How to Visualize Your Goals into Reality

1. Write it in your goal down in a journal as if it’s happening.

   example: You want 5 kids.

2. Visualize someone talking to you about your goal and write it down as it someone is talking to you about it.

   example: “Omg Bricia, I can’t believe you have 5 kids!”

3. Visualize and write it down as if two people talking about it together.

   Example: “Wow, did you see Bricia has 5 kids?! How does she do it?”

   “She’s such a great mom! Her kids are great and so well behaved.”

Links

Learn more about My Safe Harbor on their website. You can also follow them on Instagram @my.safe.harbor and like their page on Facebook.

Episode 296: Representation Matters in Children’s Television, a chat with with Sonia Manzano, creator of PBS’ Alma’s Way

We have a Latina television icon on the show! We interview actress & writer, Sonia Manzano, AKA Maria from Sesame Street. This super mama has over 40 years experience bringing quality television to children & families on Sesame Street, and now she’s helping teach even more heartfelt lessons through her new PBS show, Alma’s Way. Together we talk about the importance of representation and why age appropriate TV will teach children lessons they’ll carry for life.

More about Sonia: Sonia Manzano is a first-generation American of Latino descent who has affected the lives of millions of parents and children since the early 1970s, when she was offered an opportunity to play “Maria” on Sesame Street.

Manzano was raised in the South Bronx where her involvement in the arts was inspired by teachers who encouraged her to audition for the High School of Performing Arts. She was accepted there and began her career as an actress. A scholarship took her to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and in her junior year, she came to New York to star in the original production of the off-Broadway show Godspell. Within a year, Manzano joined the production of Sesame Street, where she eventually began writing scripts for the series. She was thrilled to help write the story line for “Maria’s” marriage and birth of “Maria’s” baby, played for a while by Manzano’s real-life daughter Gabriela.

Manzano has performed on the New York stage in the critically acclaimed theater pieces The Vagina Monologues and The Exonerated and Love Loss and What I Wore.

Movies include Deathwish, Follow That Bird and Elmo in Grouchland.

She is an advisor for literary NY institution Symphony Space and is often a reader for Selected Shorts. She regularly reads for their adult literacy program All-Write.

She has written for the Peabody Award-winning children’s series, Little Bill, and has written a parenting column for the Sesame Workshop web site called Talking Out Loud. Her children’s book, No Dogs Allowed! published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing in 2004. In 2005 General Mills selected No Dogs Allowed! for their Spoonfuls of Stories series. Over one million copies of No Dogs Allowed! were given away in cereal boxes courtesy of General Mills.

Her first young adult novel entitled The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, published by Scholastic was a Pura Belpre Honor.  Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx, is a memoir published by Scholastic, 8/25/2015. Miracle on 133rd Street is a picture book published by Simon and Schuster, 9/25/2015.

She enjoys traveling the country giving comedic speeches with substance. 

More about Alma’s Way: Inspired by Manzano’s own childhood, ALMA’S WAY centers on 6-year-old Alma Rivera, a proud, confident Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx along with her parents, Mami and Papi; younger brother, Junior; her Abuelo; and their lovable little dog, Chacho. In every episode, Alma speaks directly to young viewers with asides and her “Think Through” moments, where she stops, thinks, and processes. She models optimism and determination, showing that if she puts her mind to a problem, she can figure it out. Young viewers will tag along with Alma as she learns to speak up for herself, make tough decisions, figure out how to help friends, and so much more. Infused with Manzano’s humor and grounded in a social and emotional curriculum, the series will give children ages 4-6 the tools to find their own answers, express what they think and feel, and recognize and respect the unique perspective of others. 

“The stories on ALMA’S WAY are designed to help kids learn to think for themselves and take into consideration the perspectives of those around them,” said Ellen Doherty, Chief Creative Officer, Fred Rogers Productions. “As Alma thinks things through, she models self-advocacy, empathy and social awareness. She’s a smart kid with a big heart — we hope young viewers will think she’s way, way, way fun to watch!”

Each episode showcases different aspects of Latino cultures through language, food, music, and customs. All viewers will see how other families are both alike and different from their own. Music is the “backbeat” of the series and includes traditional Puerto Rican styles like Plena, Bomba, and salsa along with other Latino genres such as Cuban son and Colombian cumbia. The original theme song, written and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Bill Sherman, is performed by Flaco Navaja and Summer Rose Castillo, who plays Alma. The series music is composed by Asher Lenz, Stephen Skratt, and Fabiola M. Mendez. The series will be available for viewers in both English and Spanish on all PBS KIDS platforms.

LINKS

You can watch Alma’s Way on PBS stations - check your local listings - and streaming for free on PBS Kids.

Episode 288: Going Viral & Giving Back with Kristine Rodriguez, founder & CEO of GRL Collective

It’s been a minute since we had a super mamacita on the show! This week we interview Kristine Rodriguez, founder & CEO of GRL Collective, a lifestyle brand for grls that give a f*ck. This badass chick, with her activist mind and empathetic heart, created GRL Collective to continuously give back, represent our communities of color, and do whatever it takes to protect our planet for the future generations. She talks about going viral on social media (even we reposted her image!), growing her brand and why she will always be excited to donate to bigger causes. 

More about Kristine: Kristine Rodriguez is the Founder and CEO of GRL Collective a lifestyle brand for grls that give a f*ck.  This Latina trailblazer has curated an inspiring brand that began as a vision after going on volunteer trip to India Kristine’s activist mind and empathetic heart created GRL Collective to continuously give back, represent our communities of color, and do whatever it takes to protect our planet for the future generations. Since 2017, GRL Collective has been able to donate thousands to The Sambhali Trust, Black Lives Matter, and RAICES Texas for immigration rights. The fashion meet activism brand has also garnered the attention of notable fans such as AOC, Pitbull, Becky G, America Ferrera, Jessica Alba and more. Kristine and GRL Collective have been featured in People Espanol, POPSUGAR, LA Times, CNN, and others more.  Today, Kristine has her sights to expanding her women empowerment brand to be able offer job opportunities to women of color, support more emerging WOC brands and mentor aspiring entrepreneurs. Kristine’s goals for 2021 are to keep her brand sustainable, eco-friendly, and fair-trade, to make enough funds to support ten girls and their education, and to inspire others to turn their darkness into light. 

LINKS

Follow @GRLCollective on Instagram and follow Kristine too! @heykristine16

Shop all the swag for girls who give a f*ck only at grlcollective.com

Episode 271: College Success & Resources for Undocumented Students with Sarahi Espinoza, founder of DREAMer's Roadmap

“If I can change the life of one person, if I can help one Sarahi out there and let them know they can go to college after high school, that’s success to me.”

- Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca

Is someone in your family getting ready to apply to college? Maybe your teenager is looking at school’s out of state or your young cousin is starting to think about their future career and what schools would benefit their education? This week we interview Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca, founder of DREAMer’s Roadmap. This free mobile app provides resources and helps undocumented students find scholarship opportunities for college. Sarahi talks to us about her own journey as an undocumented student, the inspiration behind creating the app and what high school & college students can do to make their college tuition life a little easier. Furthering your education can be a little confusing, but luckily Sarahi has created a helpful resource for any student looking for new opportunities!

More about Sarahi: Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca is the Founder and CEO of DREAMers Roadmap, a mobile app platform that helps undocumented students navigate the necessary resources to access higher education. This is Sarahi’s project for the past 4 years within a longer trajectory of activism within and for the undocumented community, which has placed her in the spotlight of continued conversations centered on national immigration policy.

Sarahi was a Champion of Change at the White House in 2014, has received 4 House of Representatives Awards, and was named in Forbes 30 under 30 in 2016. A former undocumented student who once had to drop out of school to support her family, Sarahi’s personal experience informs her unwavering vision: to help hundreds of thousands of students eliminate the barriers to success and achieve their full potential. 

More recently Sarahi has directed two major campaigns serving minorities. #FirstOfTheMonth where she and two other local orgs Cosme together and raised 2.2 million dollars to help the most vulnerable of their neighbor who were impacted by covid and got no financial support. The other #Supplies4FarmWorkers a grassroots community-led campaign organized by 100% volunteers where we go to farmworker camps and fields to distribute backpacks, school supplies, PPE, and essentials. Serving families affected by the California fires and Covid19.

Tips for College Success from Sarahi

• Be proactive!

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

• Reach out to the Admission’s Office and EOPS offices.

• Be persistent. Call, email and show up in person if possible.

• If parents can’t make these calls due to language barriers, students need to make these call.

• Check out FastWeb.com for random scholarships. Anything helps!

Links

Follow @dreamersroadmap on Instagram and Facebook.

Download the DREAMer’s Roadmap app from the Apple Store or Google Play for more information, scholarship opportunities, resources and events local to you and around the country.

Episode 243: Making Language Learning Fun with @bilingual_birdies founder, Sarah Farzam

So many businesses have had to adjust under quarantine but this week's guest had her business flourish even more online. This week we speak to Sarah Farzam, CEO of the bilingual education program, Bilingual Birdies. She shares how her program uses music to help kids stay engaged and excited about speaking a second or even a third language, and how you can make some extra cash as well while keeping the kids busy this summer. Estas Lista? Escucha ahora mismo!

More about Sarah Farzam: Sarah is half Mexican and half Iranian and grew up speaking Spanish, Farsi and English. She’s from L.A. and graduated from UCLA with a BA in English.  In 2006, with zero business experience, Sarah launched Bilingual Birdies, a foreign language and live music program for children up to age six. Today Bilingual Birdies teaches Spanish, French, Mandarin, and English to thousands of children per week across 21 cities in the US, Canada, and Australia through their online training program which certifies and licenses bilingual and educators to launch their own Bilingual Birdies businesses in their own city.

Enrolled families benefit from original Bilingual Birdies products such as bilingual ebooks, music albums, and the most adorable bird puppets you have ever seen in your entire life.  Under Sarah’s leadership, Bilingual Birdies educators have traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico to volunteer and preform in the children’s section of La Calaca Festival., journeyed to Paris, France to train early educators on how to implement their methodology to teach English to children in a fun and musical way, and most recently they traveled to Nairobi, Kenya to volunteer at Little Ray of Hope, an informal preschool in Kawangware, the country’s second largest slum. Nearly 13 years after Sarah started Bilingual Birdies she is more motivated than ever to identify bilingual educators with an entrepreneurial spirit who are looking to share their language and culture with children, make money doing what they love, and transform their communities to encourage future generations of global thinking, open-minded humans. You can learn more about Sarah Farzam and Bilingual Birdies at bilingualbirdies.com. 

Our Conversation with Sarah

Tell us about yourself. How are you? How is life in quarantine?

You’re trilingual! Tell us about your company. Is this how is began?

How many languages do you teach? What is the age range of your students?

How has your business shifted with covid?

What does a class with Bilingual Birdies look like?

What are some tools that you recommend for my parents to use at home to help teach your children another language?

How often are your students taking classes in order for them to feel comfortable speaking the language?

Do you need to be a musicican to start the program as a teacher?

When covid is over and we are no longer required to do social distance learning, can our kids take this class in person?

Sarah’s Tips for Making Second Language Learning Fun

• Amp up second language learning in any area you can! If it feels like homework, chances are your kids won’t want to learn it. Work at it everyday based on your child’s interest.

• Reading books and singing songs/listening to music in another language is a great introduction to the love of language learning.

• Play based learning is super effective. Bilingual birdies gets your kids dancing and moving with the use of puppets, props and more, and you can do the same thing at home!

• Turn learning into a game by incorporating the new language into your daily routine. Breakfast, bath time, and cleaning can be an opportunity to get stuff done and learn new words and phrases.

• Check out video.oznoz.com to watch your kid’s favorite cartoons in up to 10 different languages.

Links

To learn more, sign up your child for virtual language classes, or learn how you can start the program in your city, go to BilingualBirdies.com.

Episode 239: How to talk and help educate our family in the Latinx Community about Black Lives Matter with Maricela Becerra @academicmami

How is everyone holding up? Between covid, the safer at home order, and the Black Lives Matter Movement, the last few weeks have been pretty overwhelming. It’s really been a huge awakening for a lot of us when is comes to anti-racism.

On this week’s episode we speak to Maricela Becerra aka @academicmami about what has transpired with the BLM Movement. We are all trying our best to learn and educate ourselves, but we also must acknowledge that racism is learned and exists in our own community. Mari also shares resources on how to address uncomfortable topics with our tíos and grandparents, who may not understand what’s going on. It can be challenging to start these conversations but we have to remember that changes starts with ourselves and our family. 

More about Maricela Becerra: Dr. Maricela Becerra is a professor of Spanish and Latin American literatures and cultures. She researches state violence and social movements, particularly in Mexico. She is also the mom of two very active children. For the last four years, Mari (as she likes to be called) has shared her journey as a mami in academia on social media as Academic Mami and founded the scholarship fund for moms in higher ed called Mami Goes to School. 

Our Conversation with Maricela, the Academic Mami

How do you recommender speaking with our families about the BLM Movement?

What topics can we start with?

How do we talk to our kids about what’s going on?

Links

Learn more about Dr. Maricela Becerra on academicmami.com and follow her on Instagram - @AcademicMami and @MamiGoesToSchool.

Click HERE for a list of anti-racist resources in Spanish mentioned on the podcast.

Episode 163: Julissa Arce- The Power of an Immigrant Dream

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This week on the show we have our friend, political commentator, speaker, writer and best-selling author of My (Underground) American Dream, Julissa Arce. Julissa is a leading voice in the fight for social justice, immigrant rights and education equality. We talk about her & our experiences as undocumented immigrants, the most valuable lessons she learned from her parents and her new book, Someone Like Me- which is available now.

Before the interview, Bricia and Elizabeth share their weekend in Valle de Guadalupe and their Christmas conundrum. Get to planning your holidays, ladies!

our conversation with Julissa Arce

(10:20): Let us know who are you (on the quick lol)?

(11:40): Where are you from? Where did you grow up? How did you find yourself in America?

(15:00): Takes us through your journey of being a undocumented to becoming a wall street executive.

(17:00): Becoming undocumented at the age of 14

(21:00): What do you think set you on this successful path? What are the most valuable lessons your parents taught you?

(27:09): When do you think you experienced the most growth?

(31:00): When did you decide to write a book/ how did that come about? At what point did you leave your wall street job?

(35:11): Tell us a little bit about your new book, Someone Like Me: How one Undocumented Girl Fought for her?

(38:55): If you could back to your 11 year old self, what would you tell her?

(40:10): Ascend Educational Fund- AEF is a college scholarship and mentorship program for immigrant students in New York City, regardless of their ethnicity, national original or immigration status. How can we get involved?

Follow Julissa on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Pick or Tip of the Week

(42:10): After hearing a story from her friend, Paulina URGES everyone to have a fire extinguisher in their homes. Order one on Amazon today!

(45:20): Pre-order/buy Julissa’s new book by visiting her website, JulissaArce.com & register for her at the book launch in LA, by clicking here. Also, wanna get that Julissa glow? Get yourself the Nars Highlighter- Ibiza.

(48:50): Are you a toaster or toaster-oven kind of person? Bricia is in L.O.V.E with her new the Smart Oven Pro Breville toaster oven. 10/10 would recommend.