Melany del Carpio is a first-generation, first-born Peruvian-American who is deeply committed to empowering women of color to thrive and be unapologetically themselves in the face of societal and capitalist pressures.

With eight years of experience in higher education, she made a pivotal career transition into the tech industry in 2022. Throughout her career journey, Melany has faced significant challenges, including reaching a breaking point that required her to take medical leave and reclaim her power from a toxic work environment. This transformative experience has become the foundation of her passion: supporting others in achieving success while maintaining their well-being, free from the weight of overwork and unrealistic expectations.

Melany is dedicated to helping others set boundaries, reclaim their rest, and define success on their own terms, empowering them to become who they are meant to be without compromise.

In this week’s episode, Melany shares exactly why rest is resistance. We all have these overwhelming expectations put on us, and it feels like the end of the world if we don’t meet them. Our families immigrated here for a better life, and we don’t want to even think of the possibility of letting them down. But Melany’s story reminds us that while their journey was a brave one, it is brave for us to live our own lives on our own terms, too. And if that means letting go of their dreams for us and getting the rest our body needs, so be it. 

Keep up with Melany on her website and LinkedIn @melanydelcarpio 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Cynthia Diaz is a Salvadoran-Honduran American artist, beauty visionary, and content creator from Los Angeles. As a proud first-generation Latina, she is on a powerful journey of breaking generational cycles and redefining what the American dream looks like through faith, creativity, and fearless self-expression.

Cynthia first found success in the beauty industry, working with top brands and artists, using glam as her way to tell stories and uplift her community. Now, she’s introduced music into her world amplifying her voice through Latin pop and reggaetón while continuing to lead with purpose and pride in her roots.

Every project she touches whether it’s a makeup look, a video, or a song—delivers a message. For Cynthia, art is not just a form of expression, but a calling. Through her work, she reminds other Latinas that they are worthy, powerful, and never too late to build the life they dream of.

In this week’s episode, Cynthia shares her mother's incredible story of crossing the border and how that resilience was passed down to her - eventually being the strength she needed to take the ultimate leap of faith and choose a creative career path. Nothing in her life has been easy, but she’s been taking on every challenge with a smile on her face.

Keep up with Cynthia on their LinkTree and Instagram @thecynthiadiaz. 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Jasmine Romero is a first generation Salvadorian 🇸🇻 and a writer, producer, and actor. She is best known for her work on Sesame Street, where she plays Sofia Sanchez and is the face of their social impact work. She was also the lead producer and editor for the award-winning podcast and Alexa skill, Chompers. She created, directed, and co-wrote the award-winning podcast Princess of South Beach (Now in development at Netflix)- starring Rachel Zegler, Raul Esparza, Gina Torres, and Danny Pino. She is the host/writer/reporter of Sacred Scandal: Nation of Saints, which investigates the religious murders during the Salvadoran Civil War. 

In this week’s episode, Jasmine is taking us behind the curtains and letting us know exactly what it’s like being a Latina writer/actor in Hollywood. There is so much work to do when it comes to making sure that Latinas are properly represented in our stories. And it looks like we’re going to have to do it ourselves. We can’t wait around for industry executives to do the right thing. If we want to stop seeing harmful stereotypes and start seeing creative, well-rounded characters, we need to do it together, as a community. Jasmine has been in the game for years, and now that she knows how the industry works, she has a plan. Tune in to hear her plans and more on this week’s episode. 

Keep up with Jasmine on their website and Instagram @lachilatera. 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Tiffany Leonardo 🇩🇴 went from the Bronx to The Bay to LA, from health care to self care, and studio instructor to studio OWNER 🗣️. This mujerón is a testament to following your inner compass, pivoting even when it feels impossible, and doing what you love with passion and intention. In this episode, we talk about how she does it. 

In this part 2, Tiffany and I are in person live from her LA-based studio called Sueños! Tiffany tells all about the process of opening up a studio, why wellness and self-awareness is salient to our overall health, and she even does a quick little astrology reading on me. AH! 

There’s all this and more, including more on the Latinas in wellness conversation, in this week’s episode. Keep up with Tiffany on their website and Instagram. 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Maisa Morrar is a Palestinian woman and dedicated advocate with over 18 years of active involvement in Palestinian organizing spaces. As the daughter of Palestinian immigrants—her mother hailing from Venezuela and her father from Palestine—Maisa embodies a unique blend of cultural identity.

A founding member of both the Healthcare Workers for Palestine Bay Area and the Palestinian Feminist Collective, Maisa is driven by a profound sense of justice and solidarity. Her work amplifies the voices and struggles of Palestinians, particularly through the intersection of healthcare, gender, and activism.

In this episode, Maisa shares multiple anecdotes about Palestine and how it changed over the years through her eyes. She opens up about the complexities of identity and cultural preservation, the interconnected histories of Palestine and Latin America, and discusses what liberation can look like for all of us.

Keep up with Maisa through Palestinian Feminist Collective and Healthcare Workers for Palestine Bay Area.

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Jessica Berrocal (Chau) Ricardo is a proud Latina Muslim, first generation Colombian and Peruvian-Chinese, immigration paralegal, philanthropist and a community advocate making a lasting impact across New Jersey. In this episode, Jessica shares her journey of navigating embracing Islam through a Latino lens.

24 years ago Jessica discovered Islam after listening to the Quran in the wake of 9/11 and now you can find her breaking her fast con arepas. Being the first in her family to pave a new religious path came with cultural pushback and familial challenges, but if anything, Jessica found empowerment in her new faith. She's here to tell that story, highlight the growing presence of Latino Muslims in the U.S. and share the significance of preserving language and traditions amidst changing cultural landscapes.

Keep up with Jessica on her Instagram. For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

In this week’s episode,  I'm talking to mi hermana Dominicana, Tiffany Leonardo, a healthcare educator who pivoted from teaching healthcare to teaching self-care. Tiffany tells us all about her career in healthcare, what it was like growing up as a first-gen daughter who was a little different than everyone else, and how she found that her family was living a life of dis-ease after three family members were diagnosed with cancer. Tune into this episode as we laugh, vibe, and unpack everything from sound healing, medical astrology, and of course, being a first-gen Latina navigating it all on her own. 

Tiffany's extensive time in the operating room has fueled her passion for teaching and deepened her understanding of stress and its detrimental impact on the body. Believing that blossoming as a teacher requires being a devoted student of life, Tiffany has completed various training modalities.

Her studies include Katonah Yoga with Mary Dana Abbott, Art of Assisting from Baron Baptiste Yoga, and Anatomy & Asana immersion with Emilie Perz. She has also undergone Breathwork training with Marlize Joubert, intensive Yin Yoga training with Yoga Loft, Qigong with Mark Tanaka, Sound Healing with Susy Markoe Schieffelin, and an apprenticeship in Acupressure and Yoga integration with Hydra Yoga. In essence, Tiffany’s dream is to inspire individuals to explore and discover their fullest selves through a deeper connection with their mind and body, no matter the environment.

Keep up with Tiffany on their website and Instagram. 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

 Lariza Quintero is a first gen Colombian queen from Queens, New York. Lariza is an experienced Website and Digital Marketing professional with a strong background in SEO, media, and e-commerce. She is currently the Global B2B Website Lead at TikTok.

In addition to her leadership roles in the tech space, Lariza is the founder of FOR WMN, an online brand and social platform dedicated to uplifting and empowering women through bold fashion and storytelling. Her commitment to inclusivity and representation drives her to create digital spaces that inspire confidence, creativity, and community.

 In this episode, we are live and in person in New York City! Lariza and I talk about all things first gen, how she went from anthropology to tech, and why she decided to build her brand from the ground up.

Keep up with Lariza on her Instagram and her LinkedIn. 

Keep up with FOR WMN on their Instagram and shop from their website. 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Professor Laura Chávez-Moreno to chat about her latest book - How Schools Make Race, Teaching Latinx Racialization in America. Laura’s work covers how race influences institutions, like schools, and pushes white supremacist ideology. As Latinos, we’ve all seen who is accepted into honors classes and who is in remedial classes, or which schools get the best books and which ones get the torn-up ones. In this very special interview, Laura shares how the concept of race works to divide us within these institutions in real-time and how we can combat it. 

Laura C. Chávez-Moreno is an award-winning researcher, qualitative social scientist, and assistant professor in the Department of Chicana/o & Central American Studies and Department of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her work is at the intersection of education, pedagogy, language, literacy, and ethnic studies. Her research has been published in top-tier journals such as Review of Educational Research, Educational Researcher, American Educational Research Journal, Research in the Teaching of English, and Journal of Teacher Education.

Y'all ready to be radicalized? Tune in!

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Tania Mercado 🇲🇽 is a Principal Communications Manager and Community Impact Lead at Intuit. Her expertise has made her the go-to source for reporters seeking information on topics related to tax, small business, regulation, litigation, and financial empowerment. 

Tania is also the Deputy Lead for the Intuit IDEAS program and is a key member of the Intuit External Multicultural Engagement team, which works to cultivate relationships with multicultural organizations and leaders. From public policy to tech — Tania is all about the people.

In this week’s episode, Tania and I talk about how she was able to build her career, her immigrant story growing up in Mexico and in LA, and why we need to talk more about how powerful our Latino purchasing power is. We are so much more than our stereotypes, we are hustlers and dreamers and we succeed at everything we set our mind to. And Tania’s life story is living proof of that. Listen to Tania’s episode to hear more about how she advocates for herself and everyone around her wherever she goes. 

Keep up with Tania Mercado on her LinkedIn. 

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.