In Confianza

During a trip to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, Liz finds her way to the traditionally Mexican neighborhood of Pilsen to eat her way through two fabulous establishments. It’s a tasty mission to discover what stories these restaurants tell about food, community, identity, and how their owners would stage their version of TV’s “The Bear.” 

This episode was produced and edited by Mark Pagán. Audio engineering, scoring, and mixing by Charlie Garcia. I’m your host, Liz Rebecca Alarcón.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Liz speaks with Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez, author of Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us, about the complex archetypes/identities of our family’s matriarchs, and the routes we have to embracing and breaking these sometimes restrictive roles. 

This episode was produced and edited by Mark Pagán. Audio engineering, scoring, and mixing by Charlie Garcia and Mark Pagán. Additional audio editing by Julian Blackmore. I’m your host, Liz Rebecca Alarcón.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Whether it’s working in a corporate world, hiding your accent, or styling your hair in a certain way, what’s been your journey to assimilate as a Latine person in the United States? Referencing the part memoir, part manifesto book You Sound Like a White Girl, we speak with speaker, social justice advocate, and author Julissa Arce about her journey in recognizing the ways she’s hidden her identity in the pursuit of an American dream and the empowering road in learning about reclaiming her Latinidad. 

This episode was produced and edited by Mark Pagán. Audio engineering, scoring, and mixing by Charlie Garcia and Mark Pagán. Additional audio editing by Julian Blackmore. I’m your host, Liz Rebecca Alarcón.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

This year marks a first — the inclusion of breakdancing as a competitive category in the 2024 Olympics. It’s been a long road for a dance style built by young Black and brown teens in New York in the 1970s. But how should we approach mainstream acceptance with artforms that were once underground and marginalized? Liz speaks with B-girl Ana “Rokafella” Garcia and Borivogue founder Edrimaelle “Edrit” Delgado to find out about the history of breaking and ballroom culture and how we should approach the idea of success when it comes to community built artforms.  

This episode was hosted by Liz Rebecca Alarcón and produced by Charlie Garcia & Mark Pagán. Editing by Mark Pagán. Audio engineering, scoring, and mixing by Charlie Garcia and Mark Pagán. Additional audio editing by Julian Blackmore. 

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

When more Latin Americans became residents of Miami in the 1970s, the city seemed to calmly welcome the influx of Spanish-speaking newcomers — prompting a city ordinance to create bilingual options throughout the municipality. But following the massive influx of Cuban citizens, via the Mariela Boatlift in 1980, an English-only antagonism grew, setting off a decade-long struggle to acknowledge the multilingual identity of the city. We revisit this fight and how it speaks to ongoing tensions to accept Latino identity in cities throughout the United States. 

This episode was produced and written by Charlie Garcia. Editing by Mark Págan.. Audio engineering and scoring by Charlie Garcia.  It was hosted by Liz Rebecca Alarcón.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

Yvonne grew up in a tightly knit Latino community in California before moving to a less culturally familiar Nashville, Tennessee in her adolescence. She found strength and culture in the home with the introduction of a long lost brother and in watching her mother modeling compassion and inclusion. Years later, when forced with a move that would present the same cultural challenges for her daughter, Yvonne decided to follow the lessons of her upbringing and open her doors to bring vulnerable children into her home. 

This episode was hosted by Liz Rebecca Alarcón, it was produced & written by Maribel Quezada Smith, Mark Pagan, & Charlie Garcia. Editing by Charlie Garcia and Mark Pagán.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

We know this one might be controversial, but hey we’re gonna do it — Liz and former co-host Maribel give us the top five moments in Latino pop culture from 1990 to today. We know you’ll have opinions. 

This episode was hosted by Maribel Quezada Smith and Liz Rebecca Alarcón. It was produced by Maribel Quezada Smith. Our supervising producer is Mark Pagán. Editing by Charlie Garcia and Mark Pagán. Sound engineering and scoring by Charlie Garcia.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

When it comes to baseball talent, Venezuela certainly can compete on the world’s stage. But what happens to the nation’s talent when they’re forced to move to countries where the sport and Venezuelan citizens aren’t warmly welcomed? Reporter Anthony Wallace takes us to Lima, Perú, where a group of Venezuelan (baseball) players have built a thriving community to keep their sport and culture alive. 

This episode was produced and narrated by Anthony Wallace with editing by Mark Pagán and Charlie Garcia. Audio engineering and scoring by Anthony Wallace. Additional audio engineering and mixing by Charlie Garcia. The host of In Confianza is Liz Rebecca Alarcón.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

It’s an American right, but how many Latinos own guns and how many want nothing to do with them? Liz puts the issue in her hands as she takes us to a shooting range and holds a gun — for the first time. 

This episode was produced and hosted by Liz Rebecca Alarcón. Editing by Charlie Garcia, Mark Pagán, and Jackie Nowak. Audio engineering, scoring, and mixing by Charlie Garcia. Additional audio editing by Julian Blackmore & Additional narration from Maribel Quezada Smith.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media: @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.

After experiencing early family tragedy and witnessing the vulnerable position between patients who don’t speak English and medical staff who don’t speak Spanish, a physician and policy expert team up for a decades-long fight to bring Spanish-speaking doctors to California. 

This story was made in collaboration with WHYY’s health and science show The Pulse, and supported by The Commonwealth Fund.

It was reported & produced by Charlie Garcia. Story Editing & Production Support from Maiken Scott & Alan Jinch.  Sound Design & Mixing by Charlie Garcia. Additional field reporting from Jackie Noack, and additional audio editing from Julian Blackmore. Our Supervising Producer is Mark Pagán. Special thanks to Erick Lopez, Mayra Pantoja, and the staff at Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas.

If you like what you heard, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and, hey, tell a friend, too.

Follow & continue the conversation with us on social media; @ProjectPulso. You can find the transcripts to this and other episodes on our website.