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Ever wanted to start a band? Then this is your year! In 2025 we're all grabbing our favorite instruments and getting loud! We're also choosing joy—bold, defiant joy—in the face of Project 2025's looming threat.

They want to impose so-called "traditional Christian values" on all Americans by stripping women of their autonomy and power, and silencing anyone who refuses to conform. Bottom line: they want us all to shut up and stop being inconvenient.

Sounds boring. Instead, let's create a joyfully raucous, gloriously outlandish concerto of resistance. It starts with a single conversation—a simple arrangement of voices, like the opening notes of an orchestral masterpiece. Every voice, every instrument, every conversation builds the symphony of rebellion. 

Are you ready to join the band? No experience required. Come as you are, and be ready to play!

In 2025, we're making noise. #FreeLuigi

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Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

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• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
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Merry Xmas!! This episode drops on Christmas Day—a gift for you. Let’s reset and enter 2025 healthy and restored, together. 🎁

Burnout isn’t a trophy to win or a test to pass—it’s a warning sign we need to take seriously. In a society that glorifies overwork and exhaustion, too many of us are running on empty, especially nosotras childfree Latinas.

Raised in cultures steeped in resilience, sacrifice, and people-pleasing, we’re often expected to give more simply because we can. Add to that the scrutiny we face as triple minorities—women, Latinas, and childfree—and the weight can feel unbearable.

2024 has been a year of relentless challenges and uncertainty, especially for women and marginalized communities. This re-release is one small way to help you close out the year by choosing yourself.

Join Karenna Soto and me as we tackle hustle culture head-on and reclaim our well-being.

In this episode, we’ll explore:
🌟 How to spot burnout’s early warning signs—physically, emotionally, and mentally.
🌟 Practical strategies for setting boundaries and protecting your energy.
🌟 Why honoring your health and capacity is the key to building a thriving, sustainable life.

Let’s leave burnout behind and enter 2025 with balance, strength, and clarity.

To get the full show notes, and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 78.

About Karenna:
Meet Karenna, a seasoned expert in communication, relationship cultivation, and anxiety management. With a passion for facilitating personal evolution, Karenna thrives on guiding individuals through the complexities of interpersonal dynamics. As a keynote speaker on burnout, host of "The Fully Expressed Podcast," and a trauma-informed somatic practitioner, she brings a holistic approach to her work.

Karenna specializes in empowering high-achieving women to honor and optimize their capacities, speak their truth, and navigate difficult conversations with confidence. This empowerment enables them to fully engage in both their personal and professional spheres. Through her teachings, she champions authenticity and encourages women to embrace their fullest expression in life and business. Karenna's mission is clear: to foster a community where women can flourish and thrive, embodying their true selves without reservation.

Check her out on https://thefullyexpressedpodcast.com/

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

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• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
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In a media landscape that continues to demonstrate its selective empathy, the recent disparate coverage of two tragic and avoidable deaths starkly illustrates Professor Evelyn Alsultany's core argument about media representation. While extensive airtime has been devoted to the death of a white CEO, the death of Black Girl Disney's Dominique Brown has received far less attention—a painful reminder of how media systematically determines whose stories matter and whose lives are deemed worthy of collective mourning.

Media representation isn't just about entertainment—it's a powerful force that shapes our perceptions of marginalized communities. In this compelling re-released interview, Professor Alsultany dismantles the harmful stereotypes and narrow narratives that reduce complex human experiences to simplistic caricatures.

In her groundbreaking book, Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion, Professor Alsultany dissects the harmful “logics” that justify exclusion and inequality. She boldly challenges the idea that marginalized people should need to be a "good" version of themselves to be accepted.

As a Cuban-Iraqi American, a childfree Latina, and a leading expert on Arab and Muslim representation, Evelyn's work exposes how Hollywood and media narratives that legitimize exclusion and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Through her research, we gain a better understanding of how our perceptions are shaped—and how we can push back against injustice.

This episode explores themes of identity, representation, and accountability in the wake of historical events currently unfolding in Arab and Muslim countries, and how our media is covering them. The professor invites us to step out of our comfort zones, confront the systems of oppression we live within, and listen to voices we too often ignore. 

⚠️ Content note: This episode discusses terrorism, rape, school shootings, and genocide. Also the death toll in Palestine as of Dec 9, 2024 is now 42,000 people.

To get the full show notes, including Professor Alsultany's bio, and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 77.

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

• Send a text!
• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
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My dear childfree Latinas, we're obviously in trouble. The assignment everyone seemed so excited to turn in last week was an utter failure. Like most group projects, it sucked.

So what do we do now? How do we exist in a world where people voted for both AOC (yay!) and Donald Trump (boo!)? How do we co-exist with people who have effectively told us we mean nothing to them?

Well, if we mean nothing then we have nothing to lose. So let's try to combat some of our toxic cultural bullshit while we still have our rights intact.

5 takeaways from this episode:

1. Reject imposter syndrome; it’s a form of self-sabotage.
2. Embrace the power of your voice—speak up and be heard.
3. Be mindful of your media consumption; diet isn’t just what we eat.
4. Become media literate to avoid being a “useful idiot.”
5. Question religious narratives about women’s roles; reclaim the story.

Finally, pass your knowledge on to the people around you. Break the patriarchy's influence over us  one conversation at a time. Grassroots, mi gente. That's where we'll thrive. We've done it before, and we'll do it again.

To get the full show notes and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 76.

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

• Send a text!
• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
• DM me on Instagram @pauletteerato
• Join the LVMC newsletter at https://pauletteerato.substack.com/
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LVMC friend and fellow childfree Latina podcaster Ydaiber Orozco of Rekindle Your Light interviews Paulette for her show. These show notes are from her channel.

This is the last "new" episode of 2024. The fun continues with the Latinas In Podcasting Virtual Summit, a free event that includes Ydaiber! It's all about amplifying the voices of Latinas and other marginalized groups that are hard to find in a podcasting space dominated by the male-and-pale. Get your free ticket while you can, or upgrade to the VIP experience: https://www.latinasinpodcasting.com/

From Rekindle Your Light:

Get ready for an insightful, boundary-breaking conversation with Paulette Erato, host of La Vida Más Chévere de Childfree Latinas, as she delves into the unconventional choices that define her life. From defying cultural norms to rejecting societal expectations, Paulette opens up about living child-free, challenging the status quo, and embracing authenticity. Tune in to explore how to reclaim your identity, unlearn toxic beliefs, and design a life that’s truly your own.

Key Takeaways:

1. Living Child-Free: Paulette highlights the freedom and intentionality behind her choice to live without children, dismantling cultural expectations and showing how this decision has allowed her to design her best life​.
2. Unlearning Toxic Cultural Norms: She discusses the need to deconstruct and unlearn toxic elements within Latino culture, specifically around family and gender roles, to embrace a more authentic self​.
3. The Power of Nonconformity: Paulette emphasizes the importance of questioning popular trends and societal expectations, sharing personal stories of how her skepticism has shaped her unconventional life choices​.
4. Freedom through Adaptability: Flexibility in life, particularly the ability to adapt without the constraints of children, has allowed Paulette to embrace spontaneous changes like moving to Puerto Rico, reinforcing her appreciation for freedom​.
5. Standing in Your Power: Paulette reflects on how building self-confidence enables her to stand firm in her beliefs, even when they go against societal norms. She encourages others to explore opportunities instead of conforming to expectations​.
6. Your Hype Squad: Paulette advocates for surrounding yourself with people who uplift and support you, stressing that relationships should be collaborative, not competitive​.
7. Self-Love as a Foundation for Loving Others: Paulette discusses the significance of self-love, suggesting that being able to love yourself provides the capacity to love and support others in the ways they need​.

To get the full show notes and an e

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

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• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
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As we gear up for another contentious election cycle, it's prudent to ask: why do we keep voting against our own best interests? Angela Chavez, Communications and Public Affairs Director for Courage California and a childfree Latina, explains it very plainly: because you're being manipulated by immensely well-funded propaganda, all day and every day.

The 2020 Proposition 22 campaign is a prime example of this!

So how do we find out the truth behind the constant disinformation crusades that play on our emotions about crime and homelessness, swaying us to vote against the greater good? Angela educates us about the tools that Courage California provides for CA citizens to make those informed choices (these tools exist in all states too!), like the Courage Score legislators receive on their voting records.

Angela also challenges conventional narratives about political success—emphasizing that elections are less about "winning" and more about "moving the needle" toward meaningful progress. And how much of that work is done down ballot, not at the federal level.

Finally, Angela shares actionable steps for young voters (and all of us) to take so we can overcome election apathy to create real change.

Voting for change is a group project, and the very least all of us can do on November 5th is show up to vote. Groups like Courage California have already done all the homework for us. So if we all want to get an A+, get out the vote and encourage everyone around you to send in their ballots, too.

The childless cat ladies are watching!🧙‍♀️🐈‍⬛

To get the full show notes, tools mentioned guest bio, and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 74.

About Angela:
I'm the Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Courage California, the Founding Director of Chicas Latinas de Sacramento from 2009 to 2024. I oversee the strategic communications for Courage California’s 501(c)(4), 501(c)(3), and PACs, on progressive statewide and regional legislation, electoral, and issue-based campaigns. I have my BA in Journalism and was a reporter in the central valley for a bit.

Find her full bio and all the tools mentioned at https://pauletteerato.com/74-why-are-we-voting-against-our-best-interests-angela-chavez-on-manipulation-and-political-power/

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

• Send a text!
• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
• DM me on Instagram @pauletteerato
• Join the LVMC newsletter at https://pauletteerato.substack.com/
• Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@lavidamaschevere
• Support the show at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1948831/supporters/new

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In Part 2 of this series with TikTok sensation and childfree Latina, Yoreim Virella, we continue our deep dive into the complex realities of modern motherhood: the societal neglect of new mothers, the devaluation of women beyond motherhood, and the systemic challenges faced by parents. All of these truths are conveniently obscured by our fast-paced, capitalist culture.

We also take a critical look at the trad-wife aesthetic that's currently flooding social media, exposing this dangerous propaganda that lures women into believing that traditional roles of wife and mother lead to an easy, carefree life. It’s time to talk about the truth behind the so-called soft life, because what truly makes a "soft life" is self-awareness. And that's something 80% of people lack. 

How can we do better? Start by recognizing the harm of hustle culture, and the toxic individualism that’s driving us apart as a society. And learn to heal. Because we ALL have healing to do if we're going to achieve a soft life. 

To lighten things up, we also get into the hilarious divide between childfree pet-owners and childfree non-pet-owners. Are pets a status symbol for the childfree?

About Yoreim:
Yoreim is originally from Corozal, Puerto Rico and she considers herself a multi-passionate who enjoys combining a practical career with humanitarian work, content creation, and entrepreneurship. She has over a decade of experience in human resources working in the non-profit, private, and federal sectors. While in the federal sector, she had a unique opportunity to merge her human resources expertise with disaster response work. Yoreim has been involved in multiple national disaster and humanitarian missions, from deploying to Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria to supporting CDC and OMB/White House leadership behind the scenes during the COVID-19 response efforts. She currently serves as the HR lead for her agency, managing a volunteer workforce that supports Departmental or interagency emergencies due to public health or humanitarian crises.

Follow @yorlatinawellness on Tiktok and Threads.

To get the full show notes, guest bio, and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 73.

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

• Send a text!
• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
• DM me on Instagram @pauletteerato
• Join the LVMC newsletter at https://pauletteerato.substack.com/
• Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@lavidamaschevere
• Support the show at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1948831/supporters/new

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In part 1 of a two-part interview, we're diving into an enlightening conversation with Yoreim Virella, a Diásporican, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and content creator. 

Yoreim shares her personal journey about growing up in a predominantly Catholic town and navigating societal expectations, including wondering if she should have a child to avoid being "left behind." She has keen insights on the religious impact on motherhood and how those beliefs shape the way women are expected to navigate life after becoming mothers. We unpack the idea that mothers often disappear into their roles, losing a sense of self and identity, and discuss the glaring lack of support for those on the parenting journey.

Is motherhood all it's cracked up to be...or is it a scam? 

It’s a thought-provoking episode as we break down stereotypes, celebrate authentic living, and champion the freedom to choose a life that's truly your own. Stay tuned for part two, where we continue this important conversation.

About Yoreim:
Yoreim is originally from Corozal, Puerto Rico and she considers herself a multi-passionate who enjoys combining a practical career with humanitarian work, content creation, and entrepreneurship. She has over a decade of experience in human resources working in the non-profit, private, and federal sectors. While in the federal sector, she had a unique opportunity to merge her human resources expertise with disaster response work. Yoreim has been involved in multiple national disaster and humanitarian missions, from deploying to Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria to supporting CDC and OMB/White House leadership behind the scenes during the COVID-19 response efforts. She currently serves as the HR lead for her agency, managing a volunteer workforce that supports Departmental or interagency emergencies due to public health or humanitarian crises.

Follow @yorlatinawellness on Tiktok and Threads.

To get the full show notes, guest bio, and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 72.

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

• Send a text!
• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
• DM me on Instagram @pauletteerato
• Join the LVMC newsletter at https://pauletteerato.substack.com/
• Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@lavidamaschevere
• Support the show at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1948831/supporters/new

Wanna share your thoughts? Send a text!

Dive into the insidious nature of diet culture with Dra. Hortencia Jimenéz, a sociologist, professor, author, and health coach. She highlights the interconnectedness of diet culture with systemic oppression (calling it a spider web) and the importance of dismantling toxic cultural norms.

So how do we, like little flies, free ourselves from the web and avoid being devoured? Dra. Jimenéz paves the path to freedom for us, starting with returning to our ancestral ties severed by colonization and white supremacy and leading with compassion for yourself.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding how diet culture is rooted in systemic oppression, and its impact on marginalized communities is crucial 
• Recognizing and appreciating the diverse cultural foods is essential for promoting true wellness 
• How to set boundaries and addressing food and body shaming within our own families 

To get the full show notes, and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 71.

About Dr. Jimenéz:
Dr. Hortencia Jimenéz is a queer Mexicana inmigrante of Wixárika ancestry. She was born in the Sierra Madre in Nayarit, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States as a child. She holds a B.A., MA, and Ph.D in Sociology and is also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Dr. Jimenéz is a Sociology professor and the author of the book Challenging Inequalities: Readings in Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration and co-author of Latinx Experiences: Interdisciplinary Perspectives by SAGE Publishing. Her research writing has appeared in academic publications and has numerous awards and recognitions for her work in the Latinx community.

She has been featured in Theluzmedia, Belatina News, Hip Latina, Poderositas, Hispanic Kitchen, CanvasRebel Magazine, and most recently in L.A. Weekly. Radio stations and numerous podcasts throughout the United States have also interviewed her. She is currently a co-host for the radio Joya 1570AM “Comunidad En Contexo.” Dr. Jimenéz hosts a podcast called Dismantling Diet Culture: F*ck Being Calladita. Her work centers on dismantling diet culture from a social and racial justice framework and helping Latinxs heal their relationship with food and body image.

Follow her on Instagram and Threads. And check out her free resource, Strategies For Disrupting Food and Body Shaming. 

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

• Send a text!
• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
• DM me on Instagram @pauletteerato
• Join the LVMC newsletter at https://pauletteerato.substack.com/
• Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@lavidamaschevere
• Support the show at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1948831/supporters/new

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Dive into Human Design with childfree Latina, actor, and coach Ydaiber Orozco, as we explore some burning questions like: 

• What the heck is Human Design?
• Is Human Design based on science?
• Is Human Design a cult?
• Can I change my Human Design?
• What kind of tool is Human Design?

Whether you're a skeptic or a fan of personality frameworks like Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram, this will probably spark your curiosity. Plus, can your Human Design chart help you decide if you're childfree?

To get the full show notes, and an episode transcript, go to PauletteErato.com/shownotes. This is episode 70.

PS: get a bonus episode by joining the newsletter, where we'll breakdown a certain billionaire's Human Design chart. Sign up here.

About Ydaiber:
Ydaiber is a certified Emotion Code Practitioner, Human Design reader, Dharma Coach, working actor & voice over talent. In her one-on-one coaching or in her group program "The Fearless Creator" she empowers multi-passionate creatives and soul searchers conquer self doubt, align with their purpose and embrace their authentic selves free from comparison and hesitation.  She is also the creator and host of the Rekindle Your Light podcast.

Find her on Instagram: @ydaiber and @rekindleyourlight

To get your own Human Design reading, check out Ydaiber's website at https://rekindleyourlight.com. And grab some merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dogmanzen/

Support the show

Like what you hear? Reach out to send your thoughts, and don't forget to grab a limited edition LVMC baseball t-shirt. Check it out at pauletteerato.com/shop.

How to reach me:

• Send a text!
• Email me at hola @ pauletteerato dot com
• DM me on Instagram @pauletteerato
• Join the LVMC newsletter at https://pauletteerato.substack.com/
• Watch on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@lavidamaschevere
• Support the show at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1948831/supporters/new