From healthcare to home care, education to service industries, Latinas are at the forefront of essential labor—but their contributions come at a steep cost. With one of the highest labor market participation rates in the U.S.—even surpassing pre-pandemic levels—Latinas are critical to the workforce, but their stories are often left unheard. How do overloaded schedules, burnout, and workplace safety issues impact not just health but mental well-being?  Reporter Julia Binswanger dives into the often overlooked work hazards, injuries, and environmental risks faced by Latinas in the workforce today. 

Between 2015 to 2019, unsheltered homelessness increased among two populations: women and Latinos. Homelessness carries a social stigma, and getting help is difficult because people do not disclose how much they’re struggling. But housing insecurity—overcrowding, doubling up, and moving often—can be traumatizing and have life-long impacts on a person’s health and well-being.  In this episode, reporter Vicky Diaz-Camacho explores the cultural taboos of homelessness and the link between housing instability and overall health of Latinas.  

This week, we are sharing an episode from our Peabody-nominated series, 70 Million.  The newest season focuses on the ways that Immigration and Customs enforcement, or  ICE, detention impacts those in its custody who identify across the gender spectrum. We hope you like it.

Many make the dangerous trek across South and Central America to arrive at the U.S. border to seek asylum and safely. But for some mothers, reaching the country is where their hardships begin. Reporter Inés Rénique connects with two immigrant mothers in NYC whose journeys only intensified as they sacrifice and work to support their families after arriving in the U.S. Find an annotated transcript at our website here.

Find more information—including transcripts and resource guides—visit 70MillionPod.com (Here). Follow @70MillionPod.

Being diagnosed with ADHD can feel like a complicated and isolating experience—but for Vanessa, her ADHD diagnosis as a 28-year-old Latina gave her much-needed clarity. Vanessa spent most of her life questioning why "simple" tasks were so challenging. She knew something was not right, so she sought out a psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety disorders. In this two-part episode, reporter Carmen Marquez explores the challenges of receiving a correct ADHD diagnosis, the cultural misconceptions that prevent parents from acknowledging the illness, and how embracing a diagnosis can lead to self-empowerment and healing.

 Being diagnosed with ADHD can feel like a  complicated and isolating experience—but for Vanessa, her ADHD diagnosis as a 28-year-old Latina gave her much-needed clarity.   Vanessa spent most of her life questioning why "simple" tasks were so challenging. She knew something was not right, so she sought out a psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety disorders. 

In this episode, reporter Carmen Marquez explores the challenges of receiving a correct ADHD diagnosis, the cultural misconceptions that prevent parents from acknowledging the illness, and how embracing a diagnosis can lead to self-empowerment and healing.

Nearly 80% of Latino youth suffer childhood trauma, but many don’t start actively healing and acknowledging adverse childhood events until later in life – often when they start showing up as physical symptoms – stomach pains, headaches, racing heart rates. Some Latinas are starting to recognize the inextricable link between the mind and body, and reconnecting to ancestral medicine to heal. But in the process of offering a deeper healing, compassionate practice to their communities, they are also discovering the depth of problems created by a Western medical system that centers profit over care.

Nearly 21.4% of Hispanic and Latino adults report having a mental illness. In this episode, Juleyka Lantigua, the creator of our show, sits down for a roundtable discussion with two mental health practitioners to discuss some of the most prevalent mental health issues among Latinas and to unpack how Latinas understand and cope with their mental wellbeing. Generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, and PTSD––the panel gets into it all. Gabriela Livas Stein, PhD, is Professor and Chair of Human Development and Family Sciences at UT Austin. and the Principal Investigator at CAMINOS Lab. Catalina Fortich, MS, LMFT, is a clinician in private practice and owner of Safe Place Therapy. 

This is Part 2 of a special two-part episode of 100 Latina Birthdays. After serving 10+ years in prison, Destiny and Diana had to adjust to a new life outside of prison. From finding a new job, to rebuilding relationships, and learning to regulate their emotions, returning to the community, their families, and their kids was often an overwhelming experience. Reporter Francesca Mathews investigates why Latinas impacted by the carceral system often struggle with isolation and cultural disconnection, and the negative impact on their physical, mental and emotional health.

100 Latina Birthdays is an original production of LWC Studios. It's made possible by grants from Healthy Communities Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Woods Fund Chicago, the Field Foundation of Illinois, Pritzker Foundation, and the Chicago Foundation for Women. Mujeres Latinas en Acción is a series fiscal sponsor. 

The negative health impacts of incarceration on Latina mothers and their families are profound and long-lasting, even beyond a release from prison. Destiny and Diana were incarcerated during their transition from adolescence into adulthood and motherhood, so they had to learn about their bodies and reproductive health, as well as their physical and mental wellbeing in the dehumanizing setting of prison. Francesca Mathews documents the journey of two Latina mothers impacted by incarceration, and dives into the health implications of the medical neglect, and the psychological and emotional trauma many women experience behind bars. She also speaks with medical experts, community organizations and counselors on the outside who are working to improve the wellbeing of women as they transition into the community and rebuild their lives.

100 Latina Birthdays is an original production of LWC Studios. It's made possible by grants from Healthy Communities Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Woods Fund Chicago, the Field Foundation of Illinois, Pritzker Foundation, and the Chicago Foundation for Women. Mujeres Latinas en Acción is a series fiscal sponsor.