Spanish Sin Pena

Today we’re hearing from Vilmarie Fraguada Narloch. She’s a clinical psychologist based in Chicago, who moved from Puerto Rico to the U.S. with her family as a young girl. When she first arrived, she vividly remembers not being able to speak a lick of English, but slowly she assimilated and lost her native tongue. For the past three years, she’s been an instructor for Spanish Sin Pena where she’s been building back her confidence. 

In this episode, we talk to Vilmarie about her work in addressing drug addiction and harm reduction through psychedelic therapy. She’s also a strong advocate for alternative therapies, especially when it comes to building community around cultural wounds, like language. 

Vilmarie Fraguada Narloch, ~recomendaciones~

Esmeralda Santiago, Puerto Rican Author 

La Brega Podcast

Connect with Vilmarie Fraguada Narloch:

IG: @vilmurrary 

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website

IG: @spanishsinpena

TikTok: @spanishsinpena

Connect with Suzy Exposito: 

Twitter: @HexPositive

IG: @brujacore

Website

Connect with Liz Sánchez:

Twitter: @lizbetsanch

IG: @lizbetsanch

LinkedIn

Today we’re hearing from Piper de Young, who’s the CEO of her own marketing agency, Style My Biz, which specializes in beauty and lifestyle branding. She was born and raised in Southern California to second generation Mexican and first generation Colombian parents, but didn’t grow up speaking fluent Spanish with her immediate family. Instead, she went to the school of abuela – if you know, you know. She started taking Spanish Sin Pena classes just a few years after her own daughter started attending a Spanish language immersion school. In this episode we’ll hear about how she started her own business, as well as the experience of learning Spanish at the same time as her young daughter.

Piper De Young’s ~recomendaciones~

Piper’s Muy Excited Playlist

La Ultima on Disney+

Suelta La Lengua con Itati Podcast 

Hija De Tu Madre

Boss Up Cosmetics

Connect with Piper De Young:

IG: @piperdeyoung

Piper’s business: stylemybiz

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website

IG: @spanishsinpena

TikTok: @spanishsinpena

Connect with Suzy Exposito: 

Twitter: @HexPositive

IG: @brujacore

Website

Connect with Liz Sánchez:

Twitter: @lizbetsanch

IG: @lizbetsanch

LinkedIn

In this episode, we chat with Carmen Blanco. A Washington D.C. native who now lives in South Carolina, she works for an agency that’s supported by the University of South Carolina whose whole mission is to increase the health incomes of the community. Basically, she trains healthcare workers to help them bridge clients to necessary resources.

Recently, Carmen was able to translate a webinar curriculum for community health workers. She said it was great to see how much she knew in Spanish and how she could identify spots where she could make the translation more "conversational" Spanish rather than formal. Because of that & being able to sit in that class with “promotores de salud,” she felt comfortable not only being in that space but possibly seeing herself being able to navigate in the Spanish-speaking professional world. 

Carmen’s ~recomendaciones~ 

Amor y Traición en Telemundo

Karaoke: Juanes, La India

Podcasts: El Hilo, Radio Ambulante, La Brega, LOUD

Instagram Accounts: Belly of the Beast, Liz Oliva Fernández, Bianca Graulau, Centam_beauty, Joel Gaitan

Connect with Carmen Blanco:

LinkedIn

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website

IG: @spanishsinpena

TikTok: @spanishsinpena

Connect with Suzy Exposito: 

Twitter: @HexPositive

IG: @brujacore

Website

Connect with Liz Sánchez:

Twitter: @lizbetsanch

IG: @lizbetsanch

LinkedIn

In this episode, we chat with Aimee Piña. She's a first generation Latina from Ecuador, who grew up speaking fluent Spanish, but her confidence eventually diminished as she grew up around her American peers.

A recent graduate from Gallaudet University’s masters in speech pathology, Aimee wants to use her skills to help bilingual children who experience language learning delays. As a current Spanish Sin Pena student, Aimee wants to regain her fluency and heal her language wounds so she can work with more patients whose first language might be Spanish. In our conversation, she also dispels common myths about growing up bilingual, how the current English-dominant language hierarchy can undermine other cultures, and how important it is for Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) like her to practice speech therapy in multiple languages.

In this episode, we’re going to chat with Gina Marie Rodriguez. She's an actress and filmmaker based in New Jersey. She's Puerto Rican and Italian-American who, like us, didn’t grow up speaking fluent spanish. Gina shares her experience as a multi-cultural Latina who’s felt imposter syndrome when it comes to her Latinidad both onscreen and off. We dive into what it means to write or create authentically in the film, TV, and media world. 

Gina's ~recomendaciones~ 

LookingBillinuge

Acapulco on Apple TV

Connect with Gina Marie Rodriguez:

IG: @not_that_gina

Website: Linktree

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website

IG: @spanishsinpena

TikTok: @spanishsinpena

Connect with Suzy Exposito: 

Twitter: @HexPositive

IG: @brujacore

Website

Connect with Liz Sánchez:

Twitter: @lizbetsanch

IG: @lizbetsanch

LinkedIn

Welcome to another new season of the Spanish Sin Pena Podcast! This time, we're going to focus on how Español appears in our careers and everyday lives. In this first episode, we'll get to know our new hosts Suzy Exposito and Liz Sanchez. They'll share their personal histories with pena, and their current language goals. 

Suzy Exposito is an award-winning journalist and artist based in Los Angeles. Her family hails from Cuba and Belize. You can read her work in Vogue, Rolling Stone and the Los Angeles Times.

Liz Sánchez is a freelance audio producer, writer, DJ, and tennis coach (yup, you read that right!) born and raised in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. Her Chicago-native mother moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in radio and film, where she met Liz's squash-playing Mexican father -- and the rest is history. Liz has produced shows for Marketplace, KCRW, Sony Podcasts - Neon Hum Media, CBS News, and more. 

Suzy & Liz's ~recomendaciones~

Helado Negro's Phasor

Cassandro on Prime

No Hay Tos Podcast

Made in Mexico on Netflix

Connect with Suzy:

Twitter: @HexPositive

IG: @brujacore

Website

Connect with Liz:

Twitter: @lizbetsanch

IG: @lizbetsanch

LinkedIn

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

IG: @spanishsinpena
TikTok: @spanishsinpena

⁠Website⁠

An adoptees journey of connection and letting go.

Episode transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/0y1ArwiD2WZ

Connect with Kel:

IG: @therealkeltracey

Website: Arbez Films |

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website: Spanish Sin Pena

IG: @spanishsinpena

Tik TOK: @spanishsinpena

Being between two cultures, feeling othered, and a sense of belonging in alternative music are a few things Emmy-nominated documentary film producer Jamie Rogers Caballero opens up about on today’s episode.

Episode transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/rYXKG4nNqbm

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website: Spanish Sin Pena

IG: @spanishsinpena

Tik TOK: @spanishsinpena

Our relationship with the Spanish language is, well, it’s

Episode transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/warEfnk6889

Connect with Paul:

Website: Paul Hlava Ceballos

IG: @paulhlava

X/Twitter: @PaulHlava

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website: Spanish Sin Pena

IG: @spanishsinpena

Tik Tok: @spanishsinpena

Raise your hand if you, like today’s guest, also had/have a grandparent you communicate with only in English and they respond only in Spanish? Today educator Jacquelyn Fabian shares memories of her abuela and how their relationship will always be the connecting thread to the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

Episode transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/f8pXTk3pN8D

Connect with Spanish Sin Pena:

Website: Spanish Sin Pena

IG: @spanishsinpena