Morado Lens

Social media influencer, lifestyle blogger, and self-love extraordinaire Ana Benzan joins us to talk about the difference between self-care and self-love, growing up fast after coming to America from the Dominican Republic at 14, and learning to find a home within herself. This fierce Latina isn’t afraid of keeping it real and showcasing her “non-instagrammable” moments on her Instagram account. From body positivity and mental health to sheet masks and a glass of wine, Ana takes us on her journey to self-love and shares how journaling in moments of insecurity has taught her the importance of being comfortable being by herself. She also talks about being vegan-ish, her relationship with food, and finding a balance between her plant-based diet and her Dominican culture. You can find Ana on Instagram or on her blog at PositivelyAna.com.

Nancy Ruffin is an award winning author of Live Purpose, host of @theempowermenthour podcast and also a badass Latina who is unapologetic about becoming the next Oprah. When it comes to confidence Nancy lacks none. She explains how it all came about from her love in prayer and truly believes all is possible if you imagine it. She continues with her maternity journey and how her difficulty in conceiving moved her to write letters to her unborn (but very much wanted) daughter and how that came to life because of what she (and we agree!) is calling the power of manifestation. She is definitely a boss in her own right and proves that through her multiple books, podcast, and more.

Vida aka Mama Vida almost needs no introduction. If you’ve taken a deep dive into embracing your inner bruja and you should have already heard about her. She’s the most energetic, warm, and powerful bruja rocking tarot readings with mucho amor. But, if you’ve come across her social media platforms, particularly Instagram, you may notice that her page is private. And, there’s a very good reason for that. Hint: #spiritualboundaries Listen to her breakdown of intuition, when to seek an espiritualista, energy contracts, how not to be scared of seeing spirits, and her magical trajectory that led her from medical billing and collections provider to full-time spiritual entrepreneur complete with her own product line. She drops gems on where she thinks she will be in 5 years and how Spirit has taught her and can teach you about connecting to your higher source. For more on Readings by Vida, check out her website The Almighty Pineapple. Email her, please do not DM her on Instagram.

Wow, we’ve come along way and if you’re still tuning in we got mad love for all of you! You also know that we couldn’t let October get away from us without highlighting incredible Brujas doing the spiritual work for the community. First up for this magical month is Jessyka Winston from Haus of Hoodoo, who specializes in Tarot Therapy and Folk Magic. In this particular episode she gives us insight on the power of the broom, how she uses it for her magic and even breaks down when not to sweep!! We also bring up folktales, some passed down from her abuela but also others that we’ve collected along the way from random brujas that are questionable. Last but not least, there’s a difference between appropriation and appreciation and Haus of Hoodoo does not shy away from dropping some truth bombs on this topic. Let’s get right to it!

In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, a.k.a. Hispanic Heritage Month, we are highlighting Latinx authors. Erica Garza’s memoir Getting Off explores the taboos in culture around sex and porn from a woman’s perspective, her voice is necessary in how we talk about addiction. In this episode, she talks about needing to masturbate whenever she didn’t know how to deal with issues in her life to knowing something was wrong but didn’t feel comfortable talking to her parents about it because sex was not spoken about at home. Find out what led to her recovery and how she feels about her daughter her memoir. This is not the anti-porn conversation but rather a reality check that women can also have sex addiction. You aren’t alone. Don’t be ashamed. There is help out there. Find out more about her book here.

In honor of Latinx Pride in September, we will honor Latina authors changing the game one word and illustration at a time. Say hello to Sheree Brown, a woman of many colors. Somewhat of an old soul too. Only 29 but when vibing with her over a call (excuse the reception issues at the end), you almost feel you're sitting down with an elder. The book she wrote spells it out for you. Sheree describes lovemestiza as "Dreaming beyond the shadows of life". She takes you on a journey to explore the realms of breaking apart, to heal again. Weaving the journeys of ancestry and future timelines, Brown carries us to the depths of her darkest moments with a recent loss and somehow finds a way to facilitate the transformation of her life and body through process, writing, and ritual. Exploring the convergences of identity, she illustrates the unique experience of a woman of mixed ancestry living in the North American Southwest.

Meet the warrior from Colombia bringing indigenous sound and lyrics to your ears: Lido Pimienta. This singer shares her most intimate details on what it was like to face colorism as a young girl living in Colombia, not seeing herself represented in telenovelas, and how she stays fierce. She may have spent her adult life in Canada but remains close to her roots in Colombia as part of the Wayuu tribe, located deep in the La Guajira desert, close to the Colombian and Venezuelan border. Do yourself a favor and check out 2016 album La Papessa which won the 2017 Polaris Music Prize. Look out for her upcoming album Ms. Colombia. This is part 3 of our August music series. Be sure to check out our interviews with Ivy Queen and DJ Riobamba.

Sara aka DJ Rio Bamba is a diverse human being with a passion for culture who delivers Caribbean/Indigenous music that will get you off your a$$. She is a first-generation immigrant with an Ecuadorian-Lithuanian background who is even more passionate about human rights and helping incarcerated women of color. Rio Bamba was all open heart and even shares with us her most intimate space - her shrine at her Brooklyn apartment. Oh and the kicker! Rio Bamba tells us who the artist that inspired her on her music journey is. And to top it off, she goes on to coin a whole new music genre - Perreo Espiritual! Yeah, its officially a thing now. Tune in to hear all the badassery she has to deliver, including the mix we dropped at the very end of the episode. And you can follow this music #Bruja @RioBamba_DJ on IG, FB, etc…

There’s only one Ivy Queen and we got to interview this fellow bruja. We even reveal the story behind getting this interview with her. Listen to what she wants her legacy to be and if she identifies as a bruja. Her influence and lyrics brought us to a real ass convo on life, love and, of course, heartache. Nat talks about how Ivy Queen helped her through a tough time while going through a breakup when she was younger. Which couldn’t come at a better time because Cindy makes an important announcement on her own love life. Spoiler alert: Cindy is on a mission to do una limpieza profunda! Letting go of toxic relationships is hard but having powerful music like Ivy’s will give you life. If you didn’t already know, music is a form of therapy and contributes to your vibrations because how it seeps into your subconscious. That and more on our episode back from summer solstice! S/o to sound healer Rebecca Gitana, PR pros Zayda Rivera and Janice Torres, and La Marina in NYC. We see you!

Okay, don't freak out but this is our last show for the summer. Yes, you read it right. WE are leveraging the summer solstice to rejuvenate and care for our soul. And, we are also utilizing this time off to put together some amazing content for your ears (and eyes!). In the meantime, please take a moment to hear what 2018 has brought to fruition for us. We dive into some of our favorite highlights, give you insight to what some of our Brujitas or badass guests are up to these days, and even giveaway some clues for what we have in store. Get acquainted and let us know what or who you want to hear from starting August 2018. Until then, please take a moment to appreciate the sun's energy source, and remember we are only a DM or email away from all of you amazing ladies who have been a source of inspiration for us.