Melissa Gallardo is the CEO & Founder of Bonita Fierce Candles, a company that creates luxury candles inspired by Latinx culture. In this episode, we explore her journey into entrepreneurship and the magic of re-imagining where we see ourselves. Melissa is also a brand consultant, an Ulta Beauty MUSE Accelerator Alum and is the first Latina to have her own candle brand at Nordstrom.

Discover her beautiful Latino inspired scented candles on her website here: 

https://bonitafiercecandles.com/

Naibe Reynoso is the Host and Executive Producer of Latinas Take the Lead. 

Production Assistant is Anna Sophia Monzon

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Jannese Torres, creator and host of the award- winning financial podcast, Yo Quiero Dinero.  She is a Latina money expert, speaker and business coach. After a sudden job loss in 2014, Jannese accidentally discovered her passion for entrepreneurship as she began her food blog, Delish D’Lites, which revenued up to $60,000 as just a side hustle. All together, Jannese’s content- based businesses have earned her over 1 million dollars! Since then, Jannese has become passionate in financial literacy and has made it her mission to educate other first-generation Latinas, like herself, on entrepreneurship. Yo Quiero Dinero, teaches the Latinx community how to invest, create generational wealth, how to have financial freedom and so much more. 

You can find her website at yoquierodineropodcast.com

Follow her on Instagram at @yoquierodinerodineropodcast

Listen to Yo Quiero Dinero on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Naibe Reynoso is the Host and Executive Producer of Latinas Take the Lead. 

Production Assistant is Anna Sophia Monzon

Follow Latinas Take the Lead on Instagram 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sandra Velasquez, founder and CEO of Nopalera, -a Mexican luxury Bath and Body brand,

was raised by Mexican immigrant parents in California near the US/Mexican border. Nopalera celebrates her culture, loud and proud. She launched her business during the pandemic, when she found herself in between jobs. Since its launch in November of 2020, Nopalera has gained thousands of loyal followers and can be found in major stores including Nordstroms and Credo. Sandra was also recently featured on Shark Tank, where she  proudly proclaimed her worth by saying “My ancestors are whispering in my ear and they say, ‘Mija, no te desprecies.’”   We talk to Sandra about why she decided to start Nopalera and the strategies she implements to grow her business.

You can find Nopalera at  Nopalera.co 

Naibe Reynoso is the Host and Executive Producer of Latinas Take the Lead. 

Production Assistant is Ana Sophia Monzon

Follow Latinas Take the Lead on Instagram 

If you loved this episode please follow us, subscribe and leave a review!

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In this episode, we delve into the pain of generational trauma which can affect us in ways we aren’t even aware of, especially for immigrant communities. In order to heal, we need to have open conversations about what trauma is and how Latinos can become better at destigmatizing mental health. To guide us through all of these complexities, we talk to Psychotherapist and Psycho-educator Jeannette Sandoval.

This episode is very personal to me, as I have a heart to heart with my own father.

If you need help, you can reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by  Calling or Texting 988. The Lifeline provides free and confidential support for people in distress and is available 24 hours. 

Jeantte’s Recommendations: 

Links to Resources:

GROK Cards and  

The Body Keeps Score Book

You can find Jeannette on her website.

JeanntteSandoval.com 

Naibe Reynoso is the Host and Executive Producer of Latinas Take the Lead. 

Production Assistant is Ana Sophia Monzon.

Follow Latinas Take the Lead on Instagram 

If you loved this episode please follow us, subscribe and leave a review!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Reyna Grande is an inspirational and award- winning author. Her memoirs include A Dream Called Home  and The Distance Between Us,  which was a finalist for the  National Book Critics Circle Award. 

Her novels include, Across a Hundred Mountains which draws heavily on her own experience as an undocumented immigrant, Dancing With Butterflies, and most recently, A Ballad of Love and Glory.. From her immigration journey to being a struggling single mom, to dealing with feelings of abandonment when her own mother ran away with a wrestler , Reyna is a latina taking the lead that will definitely inspire us.

Follow her @writerreynagrande 

You can find her books here: reynagrande.com/

For more information on the Emerging Voices Fellowship program visit their website. 

https://pen.org/emerging-voices-fellowship/

Also follow  Latinas Take the Lead on Instagram

If you loved this episode please follow us, subscribe and leave a review.

Naibe Reynoso is the Host and Executive Producer of Latinas Take the Lead. 

Production Assistant is Anna Sophia Monzon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katya Echazarreta is a Mexican electrical engineer and Citizen Astronaut and Activist. She shares with us how she is helping change the landscape of space exploration in Mexico, and how she learned to navigate unfamiliar territory by using her voice.

You can follow Katya on Instagram at @katvoltage . Also follow Latinas Take the Lead on Instagram @LatinasTakeTheLead

If you loved this episode please follow us, subscribe and leave a review!

Naibe Reynoso is the Host and Executive Producer of Latinas Take the Lead. 

Production Assistant is Sophia Monzon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Through fun yet intimate and revealing conversations, Latinas Take The Lead hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Naibe Reynoso, dives into issues modern Latinas face. There are 29.6 million Latinas in the U.S., but many times they feel left out of the conversation. To help understand how Latinas navigate two worlds whose cultures and values sometimes clash, Naibe Reynoso will interview trailblazers like astronaut Katya Echazarreta, entrepreneurs like Sandra Velasquez founder of Nopalera, award winning authors like Reyna Grande, leaders in the community and more. Latinas  are the 200 percenters': 100 percent American and 100 percent Latina.  It’s about time… LATINAS TAKE THE LEAD!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.