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While helping her Mexican parents plan for retirement, Lyanne has to be strategic to get them to open up about money. And Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez, a financial coach who works with millennial first-gens, speaks with Juleyka about initiating conversations about money with older relatives, and shares a handy retirement-planning checklist. Lyanne is the creator of the podcast Moneda Moves. If you loved this episode, listen to Talking to Mamí about Her Money and Mom is Pressuring Her to Buy a House. Featured Expert: Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez, Esq. is a money coach, speaker, and the founder of Zero-Based Budget Coaching LLC. After graduating law school in 2015 with $215,000 of debt, Cindy documented her debt payoff journey on social media, while sharing the personal finance knowledge that she was learning in a simple and relatable way. She has spoken to thousands and coached hundreds on budgeting, saving, debt payoff, investing, credit, building generational wealth, and more. She is committed to helping millennial women, particularly women of color, create a realistic money plan to achieve financial freedom. Cindy practiced law as a commercial litigation attorney at an Am Law 100 firm before diving into full-time entrepreneurship. She is a graduate of Stony Brook University and obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Learn more about her work here.   We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 

Saadia wants to put a stop to the toxic colorism within her Pakistani family, for the sake of her daughters. And sociologist Joanna Rondilla, who studies colorism, race and beauty standards, speaks with Juleyka about how this type of prejudice is perpetuated in our intimate circles, and where to focus our energy when pushing back. Saadia Khan is the founder, producer and host of the Immigrantly podcast.  If you loved this episode, be sure to listen to to When Our Parents Don't See Their Bias, and The Mixed Privilege of Being a White Immigrant. Featured Expert: Joanne L. Rondilla is an award-winning educator. She is Filipina, born in Dededo, Guam. Joanne and her family moved to the San Francisco bay area (Union City) when she was thirteen years old. She holds degrees from UC Berkeley (M.A., Ph.D.) and UC Santa Barbara (B.A.). Currently, she is an assistant professor in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (SISS) and Asian American Studies at San Jose State University. Her research interests include: race, gender, colorism, beauty, media representations, pop culture, and colonialism. Learn more about her work here. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Yvette dates men from different backgrounds, but her Dominican dad worries that cultural and racial tensions may lead to heartbreak. And relationship coach Sherrae Lachhu shows us how to use our core values to advocate for ourselves and our romantic partners. Yvette Bodden is the author and founder of Awakened-Woman. You can learn more about her work, book and podcast here.  Featured Expert:  Sherrae Lachhu is a licensed marriage and family therapist who empowers individuals to be the best versions of themselves in life, love, and business through her speaking, coaching, consulting, and therapy services. With over two decades of experience in community-based mental health, Sherrae has worked with a diverse range of clients from all walks of life. She has provided therapy to individuals, couples and families, provided supervision and mentorship to numerous coaches and clinicians, and served as a clinical director at a local mental health agency. In 2021, Sherrae made the decision to leave community-based mental health to solely focus on launching her virtual practice to support individuals, couples and businesses. As a highly regarded professional, Sherrae specializes in working with Black, interracial, and multicultural individuals and couples, and has helped many individuals, couples, and organizations to maximize their strengths and overcome their challenges. Learn more about her work here. If you liked this show listen to When Mom Doesn't Believe in Romantic Love and Dating, But Not to Get Married, the first episode on a special series on dating and relationships. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 

Cassandra’s Haitian mom urges her to turn to God to help her feel better, but she prefers therapy. And Cidna Valentin, a mental health practitioner, speaks with Juleyka about how to utilize our families’ lived experiences to build mutual understanding, and debunks myths about religion and mental health treatments. Cassandra Dunbar runs Be Well, Sis, a podcast and online community dedicated to inspire and support Black women on their journey to wellness and self-care. Featured Expert:  Cidna Valentin, Phd. is a clinical psychologist and Clinial Director and Supervisor at Let's Talk Psychological Wellness. As a clinician of diverse cultural experiences, she values culturally-relevant and integrative evidence-based practice and has flexibility in psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, and interpersonal therapeutic approaches. She has experience working with clients across the lifespan in a variety of settings, practicing most recently in global mental health/international psychology. Through the lens of social justice, she is dedicated to creating healing spaces for people of color and underserved communities. Her specialties include depression and mood disorders, Haitian mental health, migration/acculturation stress, trauma/PTSD, and Maternal mental health. Learn more about her work here.  If you loved this episode, listen to "You're Grieving and in Pain. They Call you 'Crazy'" and "When You Don't Believe in God, And They Really Want You To". We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 

Hoang’s Vietnamese mother wants her to buy a house, but she’s unsure if that makes sense for her and her family at the moment. And financial planner Thao Truong speaks with Juleyka about this often symbolic purchase among immigrant families, and offers practical advice for discussing the decision with our loved ones. Featured Expert:  Thao Truong joined Morton Wealth in December 2020. She has 10 years of experience in the wealth management business. Prior to joining Morton Wealth, she held various roles in financial planning, private investments, portfolio design, and advisory services at other independent advisory firms based in San Francisco and San Diego. Additionally, Thao is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™️ professional. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in finance and economics from the University of New Hampshire. Born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam, she moved to the United States by herself and became financially independent at age 16. Thao is dedicated to supporting youth and women through life transitions and closing the financial literacy gap. Recently, she helped launch “Herself by Morton,” an initiative that provides free networking opportunities and financial education resources for women. Thao is a member of the National Association for Divorce Professionals and is training to become a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®️ (CDFA®️). She is one of the honorees of the 2022 class of40 Under 40 by InvestmentNews. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, crafting, and maintaining an active lifestyle: running, cycling, hiking, tennis, and yoga. She is fluent in Vietnamese, and also knows some French because of her Vietnamese heritage. Learn more about Thao's work here. If you loved this episode, listen to Talking to Mamí about Her Money and When They Send Money Back Home But It Hurts You. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

On the last episode of our special food-and-family series Juleyka reflects on her experience around parenting and food with Claudia Serrato, a culinary anthropologist who studies how to decolonize food practices. In this inspiring conversation, Claudia shows us how to reclaim the power of the kitchen, strengthen family time by centering food, and honor our hybrid identities through what we eat. Featured Expert:  Claudia Serrato is an Indigenous culinary anthropologist, a public scholar, a doctoral candidate, a professor of ethnic studies, an Indigenous plant-based chef, and a food justice activist scholar. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California predominantly on a P’urhépecha, Huasteca, and Zacateco diet. At an early age, she began to cook alongside her elders, gaining time-tested food knowledge, which she centered in her academic studies, arriving at the conclusion in 2007 that decolonizing the diet was essential to the survival of Indigenous foods and foodways. Since 2014 Claudia has been actively involved in the Native food justice and sovereignty movement. Claudia is also the co-founder of Across Our Kitchen Tables, a women of color culinary hub and event series founded in 2017 that generates and supports socially responsible food-based work by women of color. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Gender, Ethnicity, and Multicultural Studies, a Master’s in Mexican American Studies, a second Master’s in Anthropology, and is currently completing a Ph.D. in sociocultural anthropology from the University of Washington, Seattle. She is currently a teaching scholar at California Polytechnic University Pomona. Learn more about her work and research here. If you loved this episode, listen to Replicating Family Recipes That Were Never Written Down and Stepping Up from Guest to Host at Family Gatherings. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.  

On this episode of our food-and-family series our colleague Kori opens up about her challenges in documenting beloved family recipes and getting her Caribbean relatives to share their rich culinary knowledge. And Nadege Fleurimond, restaurateur and cookbook author, speaks with Juleyka about how to understand, write down and adapt kitchen techniques when our loved ones are simply “cooking from the heart.” Featured Expert:   Nadege Fleurimond is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, culinary ambassador and business strategist living life in New York City. She is the author of two books. Taste of Life, part cookbook, part memoir, Taste of Life offers readers an opportunity to view their own lives through a culinary lens and appreciate the beauty of food, family, friends, and tasty pleasures. Her latest book, Haiti Uncovered, is a culinary travel coffee table cookbook that delves into the Art of Haitian Cuisine representing dishes, recipes, and cooking traditions, from all the 10 geographical Departments. Nadege is a passionate innovator who harnesses her skills and love of food to serve communities through the realms of the culinary arts and entrepreneurship. She conducts culinary tours to Haiti as a way of providing Haitians, Haitians Americans and friends of Haiti access to experience Haiti and its rich culture. Her latest food venture BunNan, is a plantain concept restaurant in NYC that shares Haitian, Caribbean and black diaspora cuisine with the rest of the world. When she’s not hosting an event, she regularly hosts cooking classes and other culinary experiences. Learn more abouther work here. If you loved this episode, listen to Feeling Pressured to Eat What Loved Ones Cook and Questioning Papí's Food Choices. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

As part of our special series on food and families, LWC Studios' managing producer Paulina shared her concerns that hosting and cooking for the holidays is taking a toll on her aging Mexican mom. And culinary educator and hospitality expert Trisha Pérez Kennealy offers practical tips for maintaining family traditions while transitioning the related responsibilities. Featured Expert:  Trisha Pérez Kennealy is the owner of the Inn at Hastings Park in historic Lexington, MA. A proud Puerto Rican-Jewish woman, Trisha grew up in Puerto Rico (before moving to Lexington as a teen) & spent much of her childhood with her multi-generational family sitting around the table. A graduate of Harvard College & Harvard Business School, Trisha went on to a successful finance career. While working as an investment banker in London, she realized that cooking is truly where her heart was. She earned both her Diplôme de Cuisine & Diplôme de Pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu and went on to open her dream hospitality concept upon returning stateside, The Inn at Hastings Park in 2014. Today, Trisha shares her passion for teaching in her role as Culinary Educator, offering cooking classes for hotel and day guests where she shares her culture through her food with her community. Learn more about her work and business here. If you loved this episode, listen to Feeling Pressured to Eat What Loved Ones Cook and Cooking for a Loved One with Special Dietary Needs. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

On this episode of our food-and-family series our friend Manuela tells us all about how in her Colombian family food is a love language, and how guilty she feels saying “no” when she doesn’t want to eat something a loved one made. And Lisa Jimenez, a therapist specializing in body and eating related issues, returns to the show to help us manage well-intentioned food pushers. Featured Expert:  Lisa Jimenez is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor based in South Florida who specializes in eating disorders, mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, and family dynamics. A Miami native, Lisa graduated from the University of Miami with a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. She has worked in a variety of settings including a residential eating disorder treatment center, a court-mandated outpatient substance abuse program, and outpatient services in a private practice setting. Through her clinical work and experience, Lisa has gained extensive knowledge in working with children, teens, adults, and families. Her technique blends evidence-based practices such as CBT, DBT, ACT, and psychodynamic theories. Learn more about her work here. If you loved this episode, listen to Cooking for a Loved One with Special Dietary Needs and When Relatives Always Comment on Your Body. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

We continue our series about food and family featuring our colleagues. When LWC Studios' senior editor Jordan learned that her mother-in-law was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, she worked to quickly figure out how to offer support and what to cook. Patient advocate Mary Mukira shares advice on caregiving around the holidays by adopting a person-centered attitude and preparing inclusive meals. If you loved this episode, listen to When Family Holiday Cooking Turns Into a Showdown and Questioning Papí’s Food Choices. Featured Expert: Mary Mukira is the manager of grassroots advocacy at National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF), based in DC, and is working to organize a patient-led grassroots movement to transform our healthcare system to prioritize patient and caregiver needs and their preferred outcomes. To achieve this, Mary works closely with members of NPAF's volunteer network and collaborates with patient partners at their sister organization, Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), to engage patients and caregivers throughout the research process. Learn more about Mary's work here. PAF and NPAF help patients and caretakers advocate for themselves and make informed, personalized health care decisions. PAF provides free case management and financial assistance to anyone with a diagnosed, chronic or debilitating condition within the United States. If you or a loved have have been diagnosed with a chronic condition, visit PAF's website for a list of financial assistance and case management resources.  We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.   

As part of a special holiday series we're bringing you stories from our team as they tackle difficult conversations around food and families. In this episode, LWC Studios' audio designer Kojin says his Japanese family loves to cook, but competition in the kitchen is cut-throat. And Mori Lemau Willhite, who runs a Japanese cooking school, offers practical advice for staying focused and non-combative when preparing a high-stakes meal. Featured Expert: Mori Lemau Willhite owns and operates Katsumi’s Teaching Kitchen, a catering company and cooking school in Beech Grove, Indiana. Through her teaching kitchen, Mori teaches students to cook authentic Japanese dishes, how to shop for the right ingredients and about the cultural significance of the Japanese cooking process. In addition, she offers cooking classes as team-building activities for groups and for special events. After earning her degree in Japanese education and serving in the Army, Mori moved to Indiana. She originally thought she would open a side business teaching Japanese language, but encouraged by friends, decided to open a cooking school instead. Learn more about her work on her website. If you loved this episode, listen to Questioning Papí’s Food Choices and When Mom Body Shames you. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

This is the first episode of a special holiday series exploring tensions that arise when food and families mix, featuring the team behind LWC Studios and some of our friends. In this episode, Virginia, the show's producer, is concerned about her Peruvian father’s eating habits, and thinks everyone in her family should eat more vegetables! Registered dietitian Dalina Soto busts some myths about Latin American foods and offers advice on how to think critically about nutrition and what is truly healthy for our families. Featured Expert:Dalina Soto, MA, LD, RDN is a bilingual registered dietitian and positive health advocate committed to helping clients reclaim the joy and pleasure of diet-free living. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences from PennState University, then went on to Immaculata University to complete her Dietetic Internship and Masters Degree in Nutrition Education. She loves nutrition because she loves food and was inspired to be on the “preventative” side of health. Dalina founded Your Latina Nutritionist because she’s passionate about building nourishing new narratives that don't include depriving ourselves of the foods we grew up eating. Learn more about her work on her website and follow her @your.latina.nutritionist.  Dalina also recommends following the work and resources of  these two Black dietitians she loves.  If you loved this episode, listen to When Relatives Always Comment on Your Body and When Mom Body Shames you. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Ody's grandmother lived with her family when she was growing up. The expectation of always putting family first created a toxic environment due to emotional abuse from her grandmother, whom she suspects may have had a mental illness. An expert on Latino cultural values breaks down the concept of familism and how it shapes the dynamics at home. This episode originally aired on November 2, 2020. Featured Expert:  Our expert this week is Gabriela Livas Stein, Associate Professor of Psychology at University of North Carolina in Greensboro. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in child and family psychology from UNC Chapel Hill in 2007. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship at University of California, San Diego/VA Consortium followed by a postdoctoral fellowship position at Duke University. Broadly, her research uses developmental psychopathology and cultural-ecological frameworks to investigate the impact of culturally relevant factors on the development of psychopathology for minoritized youth and their families. Dr. Stein’s program of research revolves around three themes: (1) understanding the role of familial cultural values in Latinx families and their impact on the development of Latinx youth, (2) identifying individual risk and protective processes for Latinx and other minoritized youth when facing cultural stressors (e.g., discrimination, acculturative stress), and (3) improving mental health treatment access for Latinx families in community mental health. Learn more about her work here. If you loved this episode, be sure to listen to When Mamí and Papí Fight, and Papí and I Don't Talk, We Argue. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts

Diane's Korean mother and grandmother live in New Jersey, and would like her to visit more often. But Diane has a full life in NYC, and feels guilty and torn. Hatty Lee, a marriage and family therapist who works with Asian-Americans, shares tips on how to speak with loved ones about honoring our individual and family needs. This episode originally aired on June 7, 2021. Featured Expert: Hatty J. Lee is a licensed marriage and family therapist and brainspotting practitioner based in California, with over 12 years of experience working in child and family clinics, schools, adult outpatient centers, and private practice. She is the founder and director of her private practice, Oak and Stone, and the author of The Indwell Guide that integrates visual storytelling, mental health education, and practical tools to support people to heal and thrive. If you loved this episode, listen to When Mamí Wants You Close, But You Need Space and Mom is Upset About Her Gift (Hint: It’s Not About the Gift). We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to hello@talktomamipapi.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Moving to the U.S. was hard for Michelle’s family, and it impacted how she was disciplined growing up. As a parent herself, she’s coming to terms with experiences her parents now deny. Betty Ming Liu, a life coach who specializes in childhood trauma, speaks with Juleyka about nurturing our inner child and ending the family cycle of violence. Michelle Yang is an advocate whose writings on the intersection of Asian American identity, body image, and mental health have been featured in NBC News, CNN, InStyle, and more. Her memoir, PHOENIX GIRL: HOW A FAT ASIAN WITH BIPOLAR FOUND LOVE is forthcoming. Learn more about her work and writing on Instagram @michelleyangwriter  If you loved this episode, listen to Talking About a Brother's Emotional Abuse and You're Grieving and in Pain. They Call You "Crazy." Featured Expert: Betty Ming Liu is the online Life & Work Coach for at NYU’s journalism graduate school. Her personal pronouns are she/her. Learn more about her work here. Betty also teaches journalism at NYU, where she was awarded the university’s Outstanding Teaching Award. As a life coach, she specializes in issues related to diversity, communication skills, writing, alcoholism and addiction, the immigrant experience, and, transforming childhood triggers and traumas. Before becoming a professor and life coach, Betty spent 16 years as a full-time New York City journalist and was a New York Daily News columnist who covered diversity and the immigrant experience. She is the recovering daughter of her beloved control freak Chinese immigrant parents, who raised her in New York City’s Chinatown. Betty recently moved to Los Angeles, where she and her rescue pit bull and 17-year old cat live five minutes away from her grown-up daughter. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to virginia@lwcstudios.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Yaffa's Dominican mom wanted her to marry a White American. So when she fell in love with a Dominican man, she kept the relationship and wedding secret. And marriage and family therapist Claudia Parada speaks with Juleyka about how to confront our parents' bias while sparing our romantic partners the drama. Yaffa S. Santos is the author of the novel A Touch of Moonlight. You can learn more about her work and writing here. Our expert this week is Marriage and Family Therapist, DEI trainer Claudia Parada. Learn more about her work here If you loved this episode, listen to Telling Them I'm Moving in With Boyfriend and Telling Mom She's Also Biased. tktk Featured Expert: Claudia Parada Claudia Parada is an associate marriage and family therapist, antiracism consultant and trainer, and holistic life coach, A San Francisco Bay Area native, Claudia completed my Bachelors at San Francisco State University Latinx Studies Program and a Master’s degree in Integral Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies training in humanistic approaches to therapy. She has a passion for working with people of color to re-member and reimagine the way they heal together in today’s world. Claudia uses ten years of holistic life coaching experience, six years of apprenticeship in Mesoamerican tradition, and four years of counseling training to support clients uncover their own inner wisdom around what health and healing mean for them. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to virginia@lwcstudios.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.    

Juanita decided to write her life story and got pushback from her Mexican mom, who remembers their family life very differently. And memoirist and writing teacher Yasmín Ramírez shares strategies for reconciling different family accounts of the past, and offers advice for keeping ourselves honest when telling difficult stories. Juanita E. Martinez is a lawyer, writer and performer. You can learn more about her work and her memoir Tales of an Inland Empire Girl here.  Featured Expert:  Yasmín Ramírez is a writer and writing teacher from El Paso, Texas. She is a 2021 Martha's Institute of Creative Writing Author Fellow as well as a 2020 recipient of the Woody and Gayle Hunt-Aspen Institute Fellowship Award. Her fiction/CNF works have appeared in Cream City Review and Huizache among others. She is an Assistant Professor of English, Creative Writing, and Chicanx Literature at El Paso Community College. She stays active in the Borderplex arts community and serves on the advisory board of BorderSenses, a literary non-profit. Her memoir ¡Ándale, Prieta!, by Lee and Low Books, is now available. Our expert this week is author and educator Yasmín Ramírez. Learn more about her work and her book ¡Ándale, Prieta! on her website here. If you loved this episode, listen to Finding his Mom's Lost Father and She's Trying to Close the Emotional Gap with Papí . We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to virginia@lwcstudios.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

After years of working toward a career as a tenure track professor, Sylvia left this path in academia under duress. And getting her Peruvian parents to understand her decision also proved challenging. And Dr. Michelle Espino Lira, who studies Latinos in higher education, speaks with Juleyka about connecting our bold acts of self-advocacy with the grit and resolve our parents modeled for us. Featured Expert:  Dr. Michelle M. Espino Lira is an assistant professor of higher education, student affairs, and international education policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Espino Lira investigates the individual, organizational, and community factors that affect educational attainment and career pathways for racial/ethnic minorities. For the past few years, her work has focused on Latina/o/x student and faculty experiences. Her research engages in the following lines of inquiry: (1) advancing critical theoretical and methodological approaches that enable scholars to conduct meaningful and rigorous educational research; (2) analyzing the interplay between educational institutions and racial/ethnic factors, exposing the social inequities that undermine individual motivations to study and work in colleges and universities; and (3) offering critical perspectives that counter traditional deficit-centered representations of racial/ethnic minorities and promote assets-based strategies. In 2019 Dr. Espino Lira launched “Latinx Intelligentsia” a podcast dedicated to uplifting Latinx/a/o students, scholars, practitioners, families, and communities as they journey to and through higher education. Learn more about her work and research here. If you loved this episode, listen to Taking a Break from Grad School, Then Telling Her Parents and Is Tenure the End or the Beginning (from our sibling podcast, How to Talk to [High Achievers] about Anything. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to virginia@lwcstudios.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Tony’s Vietnamese mom didn't talk much about her father, a Black American soldier who fought in the Vietnam War but whom she never really knew. So Tony decided to find him. And marriage and family therapist Thien Pham who works with adult children of Amerasians and refugees speaks with Juleyka about respecting our parents’ trauma while trying to understand our family history, and finding peace when we don’t have answers. Featured Expert:  Thien Pam is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in California specializing in working with 1.5 – 2nd generation immigrants on issues such as anxiety, work stress, perinatal mental health and cultural identity issues. Through her work, she supports clients in exploring racial history, country of origin, intergenerational dynamics/trauma(s) as they navigate their relationships. On a personal level: Thien was born in Vietnam and raised by a single mom in East Side San Jose, which allows her to empathize with the internal work and journeys of many of her first-gen clients. Learn more about Thien here. If you loved this episode, listen to Mom is Upset About Her Gift (Hint: It’s Not About the Gift) and Should She Confront a Family Secret? We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to virginia@lwcstudios.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Brenda thinks it’s time for her Mexican family to speak openly about her father’s infidelity and newly-discovered half-sister, but she's ambivalent about starting the conversation. And marriage and family therapist Gilza Fort Martinez offers advice for creating the right context, choosing the time and place, and exercising sensitivity around family revelations. Featured Expert:  Gilza Fort-Martinez is a bilingual licensed marriage and family therapist with over 25 years of experience in conflict resolution, interpersonal relationships, women’s challenges and life transitions, she has successfully helped individuals in the community rediscover and create paths of resolution that have turned their lives around. Through honest feedback and a solution-driven approach, My Navigational Mapping™, she meets patients where they are emotionally and guides them in building an abstract comprehensive roadmap that helps increase self-awareness, and explores safe paths that bring them to a place of emotional wellness. Learn more about Gilza's work here. If you loved this episode, listen to She's Trying to Close the Emotional Gap with Papí and Telling Mamí You Use Weed. We’d love to hear your stories of triumph and frustration so send us a detailed voice memo to virginia@lwcstudios.com. You might be on a future episode! Let’s connect on Twitter and Instagram at @TalkToMamiPapi and email us at hello@talktomamipapi.com. And follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.