La Chismosa Del Valle

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Welcome back to La Chismosa del Valle! Host America Castillo kicks off a brand-new second season with a deeply personal catch-up before diving into an insightful interview with real estate duo and brothers, Alex and Humberto Castaneda.

From navigating career shifts and mental health struggles to moving past the "fame game" of activism, America sets the stage for a conversation about what it truly means to search for "home." Then, she sits down with the brothers behind the Casa Casttaneda brand. Alex (a high school friend of America's) and Humberto share how they transitioned into real estate, the work ethic they inherited from their trailblazing contractor father, and the psychological impact of navigating identity and Latino culture while growing up in the suburbs of Simi Valley.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• America’s Season 2 Update: Returning to work, navigating life with bipolar disorder, stepping away from corporate code-switching, and finding peace in fresh starts.
• The Roots of Casa Casttaneda: How Alex and Humberto combined their love for real estate, an eye for design, and business savvy to form their own brand.
• A Father’s Legacy: Lessons learned from their father, a landscape contractor who designed high-profile Hollywood homes (including a famous feature on MTV's The Hills).
• The Suburb Identity Crisis: A candid look at growing up in Simi Valley, moving past the embarrassment of cultural names, and learning to reclaim and take pride in Latino roots.
• Entertainment Meets Real Estate: How the brothers use their entertainment backgrounds and lessons from film festivals like LALIFF to build an authentic social media presence.
• Community Over Competition: Breaking down the gatekeeping and criticism that can happen within the community, and why there is more than enough room for everyone to succeed.

Episode Timeline / Chapters

• 00:02 – Welcome back to Season 2! America’s life updates, mental health journey, and leaving corporate culture behind.
• 11:15 – Reminiscing about LALIFF (Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival) and a funny celebrity editor mix-up.
• 13:10 – An open letter and heartfelt apology to Simi Valley.
• 17:46 – Interview starts: Introducing Alex & Humberto Castaneda.
• 21:00 – Inheriting a strong work ethic from their entrepreneur father and his Hollywood design legacy.
• 26:15 – Moving from Inglewood to Simi Valley: Navigating the suburbs and reclaiming cultural identity.
• 40:27 – Alex’s journey through art school and entering entertainment management.
• 45:30 – Merging the entertainment industry with modern real estate branding.
• 51:15 – The reality of networking: Finding your true people and avoiding the gatekeepers.
• 56:10 – Real talk on language barriers, holding each other accountable, and supporting the Latino community.
• 01:01:40 – What’s next for Casa Castaneda? Future social events and professional networks.

Quotes from the Episode

Connect with the Guests:

• Casa Castaneda: @casacasttaneda
• Alex Castaneda: @alexcasttaneda
• Humberto Castaneda: @humberttocasttaneda

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This week, we’re exploring what happens when personal reflection meets professional ambition. I share a candid look at my experience with Lent discussing the specific habits I stepped away from and the surprising lessons that surfaced when I cleared the air.

That mental clarity couldn't have come at a better time, as I’m officially pulling back the curtain on two major milestones: the launch of my dedicated art account and the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. From the first "post" jitters to the logistics of building a brand, I’m sharing the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of turning a creative passion into a professional path.

Key Highlights:

• The Lenten Fast: A breakdown of what I gave up and the spiritual/mental growth that followed.

• Artistic Origins: Why I decided to create a separate space for my artwork and what I hope to achieve with this new platform.

• The Leap into Entrepreneurship: The challenges and triumphs of starting a business and the mindset shift required to go from "creative" to "founder."

• Connecting the Dots: How discipline in my personal life is directly fueling the momentum in my creative career.

Your Turn: Who’s Next?

As the show grows and enters this new chapter, I want to bring on guests who inspire, challenge, and move us forward. I’m looking to you for suggestions!

Is there a specific artist, entrepreneur, or visionary you’d love to hear an interview with? Send me your guest nominations via DM or in the comments this show is built with you in mind, and I can’t wait to see who you want to hear from next.

Help shape future episodes!

Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism. 

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IG: @lachismosadelvalleoffical, @la_ameriquita 

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America dives into the world of surveillance, showing how constant monitoring shapes fear, behavior, and memory. From Erika Perez’s mother, who had to check in regularly with immigration, to America herself, triggered by everyday sounds like a doorbell, this episode exposes how tech, government systems, and societal pressure turn lives into a high-stakes game. A look at privacy, trauma, and what it really means to live under watch.

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Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism. 

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When personal data becomes public drama, where do you draw the line between community and control? America unpacks a digital unraveling from online stalking to realizing her digital paranoia was the truth then turns to Erika Perez’s story to reveal how surveillance and systemic power shape real lives. The players are everywhere, the rules are unclear and the algorithm is watching you.

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In this episode, I sit down with Vanessa Carrillo, a first-generation Latina, product marketing manager at Microsoft, and founder of Latinas and Lattes, before she gets too big. We talk about navigating college, showing up in professional spaces, and finding our way through career and identity shifts.

Our conversation made me reflect on my own early 20s—especially now as I turn 30. We talk about growing up bilingual, being ESL kids, dealing with imposter syndrome, finding faith, and learning how to ask for help. Vanessa shares her journey from El Paso to Georgetown to working in tech, and how her experiences led her to create Latinas and Lattes, a nonprofit helping Latinas in Seattle connect and support one another.

We also talk about rejection, rest, and what it means to choose yourself when the world often expects you to shrink. Whether you're figuring things out at 23 or starting over at 30, this episode is your reminder that you're not behind—and you're definitely not alone and every Latino has their own story.

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Help shape future episodes!

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Undocumented creatives have helped shape the American brand but we’re only good for the brand until we speak up. Rarely are we trusted to shape our own narratives.

In this episode, America Castillo sits down with Miriam Frutos, an influencer marketer, to talk about what it means to be a DACA recipient working in media and marketing and navigating an American workforce that often benefits from our creativity while quietly pushing us out.

In the first half, Miriam shares her immigration story crossing the border at age nine, growing up undocumented in a predominantly white neighborhood, and pushing through community college, state college, and grad school with little support and a lot of persistence.

In the second half, the conversation shifts to the challenges of being let go from jobs where they were praised one moment and dismissed the next. Despite showing up with ideas, care, and commitment, both Miriam and America experienced what most undocumented creatives risk when being outspoken about your status.

Journalism taught them to question what they were told. Branding taught them that speaking up can cost us everything. 

Whether you’re a DREAMer, a creative of color, or someone genuinely trying to understand how the system works, you’ll want to hear this.

Help shape future episodes!

Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism.

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Help shape future episodes!

Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism. 

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América has been on a long hiatus. It’s a long story, but she won’t trauma dump or bore you with it today. She’s here to give a quick update and let her friends know what she’s been up to. Even though she’s still had a few “mental health breakdowns” along the way, her head is still in the game and more focused than ever.

Fair warning: the audio levels in this episode are a little all over the place. She tried to fix it, but it’s a bit chaotic, kind of like her life right now.

Like everything América does, she completely overthought this podcast and this episode. She recorded it twice, tried editing the second take, then realized she liked the first one better. She spent way too much time trying to cut out the ums (she says a lot of ums) and adjust the audio. In the end, she decided to leave it. Everything online is too filtered so lets leave it unfiltered and a little messy, just like the country she is in.

Help shape future episodes!

Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism.

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Help shape future episodes!

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Stephanie is back and listens to America discuss the Writer’s Guild of America strike.  Then they, like, talk about what being a valley girl is and the misrepresentation in the media. 

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Help shape future episodes!

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In this episode, America discusses the health care expansion to include DACA recipients and Florida’s new anti-immigration bill.  Then, she proceeds to dive into the topic of DACA by sharing her personal stories of growing up as an undocumented student. 

Help shape future episodes!

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Help shape future episodes!

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What is Chisme? In this first episode America and Stephanie discuss what it means to be a chismosa and whether gossiping is good or bad. 

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Help shape future episodes!

Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism. 

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