Vida aka Life Podcast

Welcome Julia! Julia is my husband’s cousin’s wife. We start with talking about how we met and then her middle school troubles. In high school, she met her sweetheart. They moved in together at a very young age. And 15 years later, they are happily married.  They have kept their love strong. Patience and forgiveness are key.  Growing up her father was very strict, while her mother was very loving.  Her relationship with her mother has always been a very close and supportive one. On the other hand, her father ended up leaving her family, and virtually broke their relationship. Time has healed their relationship, but he now lives in Mexico.  This however has given her the chance to visit Mexico more often. And trust she loves to travel! Julia also shares about her new business that is doing so well. Follow them on Instagram @charmingcuterie. She also shared her wishes for expanding her family.  Julia also talked about legalizing her status here in the US. And lastly, she talks about her goals, goals, goals. Listen in!

Welcome my Sobrinos! Celeste and Joe are back…but this time together with Ulysses! Celeste is my oldest sister’s daughter. Joe is my oldest brother’s son. And Uly is my older sister’s son.  We started with me sharing one of my fondest memories of each of them. They then each shared their favorite childhood memories of each other. I posed them the question of how they encourage and learn from each other. Celeste and Joe also shared their experiences of adapting to different households; when they visited their other parent’s house.  We also discussed each of their dating situations at the moment, and their dating approach. Since they currently spend a lot of time together, they shared their thoughts on what the future holds for their relationship. We end with a lightning round! I had soo much fun recording this episode. Listen in!

Welcome my Chicas! Susy, Vanessa, and Lisa are back…but this time with Celeste! I got the Chicas together for this second Chicas Chat. The ladies first discuss their experiences with their children during the Pandemic.  Celeste discusses her outside perspective, since she doesn’t have children.  We then discuss the role we play when family members are feuding. Is it a good idea to get involved? And of course, no Chicas Chat is complete without talking about our relationships! Next the Girlies talk about unfriending and blocking on Social Media. When is it okay, if ever? We end our talk with the Chicas sharing what they’re currently streaming. Listen in!

Welcome my Daddy! Manuel is my father.  My father grew up in rural Michoacán.  We begin with my dad sharing about how life was as a child.  He was raised by his grandmother, and saw his mother very little.  He helped raise the animals en el Rancho, and harvested a variety of crops. At 19, he decided to come to the United States when his friend convinced him of the idea. Here, he worked at a restaurant in Costa Mesa, California.  The owner of the restaurant moved him to their other restaurant of the same name, The Derby, in Arcadia, California.  Starting off as a dishwasher, he made his way up the chain.  Seeing the potential in my father’s work ethic and talent, the owner started to groom him to become the Head Chef.  After years as Head Chef at the prestigious restaurant, he decided to open his own restaurant. He then details how he met my mom.  And we end with discussing my dad’s bout with COVID-19.  His appreciation for life has grown immensely. ¡Disfruten!

Introducing the Comadriando with Laura Series! Welcome my coworker Laura.  In this series, we will answer our friends and listeners questions.  Do you have a problem you would like your Comadre's opinion on? Do you have a question? Any question??  Well, we can help! :)  Laura gives such good advice.  And when I created this podcast, I knew I wanted to create this series with her.  In this series, listeners will write in, detailing their problems, and we will give our in depth, genuine, practical advice on the matter. For this episode, Laura and I posted on our Facebook/Instagram asking for questions. Our peeps came through! And after gathering all these questions, we have brought them here and answered them.  This episode is UNEDITED. Listen in to our unfiltered conversation!

Welcome my sis! Susy is my older sister, and we start off by talking about what compelled her to pursue college clear across the country (from Cali to Michigan). Susy was the first in our family to go to college, and her main reason for making college a priority was our parents. She details the excitement of being a Freshman in college. And then quickly realizing that she was alone, across country, and with boundless freedom. Susy ended up getting pregnant during a secret spring break trip to visit her then boyfriend. While their baby led them to move in together, she details on what finally was the last straw in their relationship. She also talks about the guilt of failing her parents, and how that fueled her to return to MSU, and finish her bachelors. We end our talk with discussing her goals, goals, goals. Listen in!

Welcome my sis! Vanessa is my older sister. We start by talking about her journey with the Lord, and how she finally surrendered. She then talks about being a single mother.  She talks a bit about becoming a mommy for the first time, and how she set the bar as high as possible for her son Ulysses. Vanessa’s boys are about 10 years apart, and life has been different for each of them; as has been her approach to raising them. In her career, Vanessa went from an entry level customer rep to a Marketing Manager. She details her career path, and how certain people along the way helped her get to where she is now. Vanessa also talks about her experience with welfare, and how no one should feel ashamed if they have to use it.  We end our talk with discussing her goals. Listen in!

Welcome Sylvia! Sylvia is my cuñada aka cuñis. We start with her story of how she got pregnant in her sophomore year of high school. She discusses her experience going through a depression, after her breakup with her father’s son. She shares how she raised a wonderful young man, while co-parenting. She then details her academic journey from high school to community college. Sylvia changed majors, took some time off, but at the end she received her associates in Child Development. All throughout, she had her Mother's and her family's support. She also talks about partying, dating, and playing soccer. We end our talk with discussing her goals. Listen in!