Latina-by-proxy. Yes, that’s a thing. In this episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY I talk to Lisa Cavalli, Founder and Publisher of BELatina, a premium digital magazine that features daily ambitious articles written by Latinas to bring awareness of authentic Hispanic stories that for way too long went untold…until now. Lisa grew up under the loving embrace of the extended family of her Latina stepmother. Looking back, she realizes she must have stuck out as the little White girl surrounded by her loved ones during family gatherings. However, she never felt like an outsider. On the contrary, she very much identifies with Latino culture, although she is fully aware that it’s “Heart Heritage”. As an ambitious and accomplished entrepreneur in media and marketing, Lisa saw a void in Hispanic media. What was missing was dedicated journalism to tell authentic stories about Latinas in the U.S. (and Latinos, too). She launched BELatina to unpack and celebrate the monumental cultural shift that is currently unfolding, and to create even more space for the evolution of Latina/Afro-Latinx empowerment across multiple themes and channels. Most women-centric publications and Hispanic media outlets lack stories of brave, intellectual, like-minded women and bold ideas that matter. So, BELatina is a disruptive cultural lifestyle destination that disrupts the status quo. Their entire team is inspired to go deeper and change the conversation. It’s an alternative to telenovelas that perpetuate stereotypes, colorism, classism, ageism, and sexism. BELatina’s content reflects all the yummy layers of the contributions of Hispanics to all aspects of life in the U.S. in real-time, and more importantly, through the voices of Hispanic female storytellers.