This week, Lorena speaks with renowned fashion model, designer, and philanthropist, Camila Alves, who recounts her upbringing in Brazil and her early days of struggle in the United States as a teenage immigrant. Lorena asks about her philanthropy organization, Women of Today, and its goal of providing a community for women to come together and support each other as they try to better their lives. Camila will encourage us to always try to see the beauty in every situation, and to help others see it when we are lucky enough to gain a glimpse for ourselves. 

To learn more about Camila and Women of Today, please visit: https://womenoftoday.com/meet-camila/

No parent with a sick child should have to worry about where they’re going to stay while their little one endures treatment. That’s why the Ronald McDonald House Charity makes it its mission to provide sick children with the care they need and to make sure their families can be an integral part of it. Today, Lorena is joined by Carolyn Schwarz, the CEO of the Ronald McDonald House of Central Texas, who shares her inspiration to get involved in the charity following her son’s blindsiding near-fatal illness. Carolyn will give us the ins and outs of how Ronald McDonald Houses work, clear up some misconceptions about the organization, and offer some tips and volunteer opportunities so we can support its mission in the future! 

If you’d like to learn more about the Ronald McDonald House Charities, please visit: https://www.rmhc.org/

Today, Lorena sits down with actress and blogger, Gen Padalecki, for a heartfelt discussion about Gen’s early days as an actress and the difficult but rewarding process of balancing a career with family life. She tells stories of her crucial mentors in life, and shares the inspiration behind her new media platform, TOWNN, which aims to share resources and tips about how we can all live sustainably with nature. 

To learn more about TOWNN, please visit: https://nowandgen.com/2021/02/10/welcome-to-towwn/

Just how much can style impact our health, sense of joy, and overall well being? Well, ask Lorena’ guest today, style coach and fashion blogger Rose Ferreira! Lorena and Rose share stories of their common heritage and bond over the simultaneous immense joys and deep struggles of motherhood. Plus, Rose gives us an inside look at some of the strategy and metrics behind her flourishing social media business!

To see more of Rose’s work, visit her instagram page @lizostyle

This could be the episode that gets you out of your reading rut! Today, Lorena is joined by Executive Director of the Texas Book Festival, Lois Kim. Listen in as the two talk about their love of books, their shared background as immigrants, and the more noticeable trends in modern literature. Lois demystifies what the book festival is really all about and explains how important the event can be to shine a light on burgeoning authors. 
 
This year, the festival runs from October 23rd - 31st and has both virtual and in-person events. If you would like to attend or learn more about the festival, click here! https://www.texasbookfestival.org/

This podcast is produced by Terra Firma Audio.

What extent of tragedy can the human spirit endure and still be able to go on to lead a fruitful, meaningful life? There is perhaps no better person to pose this question to than Lorena’s guest today, Gilbert Tuhabonye, a professional running coach who, as a young teenager, escaped the Rwandan genocide of the 1990’s in the centuries old Hutu-Tutsi conflict. Gilbert recounts his upbringing in poverty, the descent of his homeland into bloodshed, and his miraculous escape from torture and almost certain-death at the hands of his Hutu captors. Listen as the two discuss Gilbert’s journey of hope and healing as he built a new life in the United States; a life built on faith, family, and running.
 
Gilbert’s Book: This Voice in My Heart: A Runner’s Memoir of Genocide, Faith, and Forgiveness

President George W. Bush’s new book featuring a portrait of Gilbert: Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants