As we strive to understand, include and serve our community, we look to you as an essential resource for the things that matter to you, our audience.  This special series of We Live Here centers the voices, concerns, perspectives and experiences of Women.

Living life in a larger body, especially as a woman, comes with scrutiny and assumptions about acceptability, worthiness and quality of life.

Ebbi Nicole, Founder & Chief FLUFFtivist of Fluffy GRL Movement celebrates, elevates and educates the plus-size experience through events, workshops and storytelling in brave spaces.

Today we follow the story of one woman who intentionally de-weaponized and reclaimed the word FAT as an adjective.

What does Empower the Fluff mean to you?


To Empower the Fluff means to fill the void and unapologetically amplify the voices of this marginalized community that still experiences socially acceptable hate (fatphobia) on micro and macro levels.


A huge thank you to Ebbi Nicole for sharing your story with we live here. For more from Ebbi and the FlffyGRL movement,  be sure to give a listen to her new podcast Ebbi & Flow wherever you get your podcasts! FlffyGRL is a local movement that seeks to celebrate body diversity and build a community for plus-sized women. Learn more at [empowerthefluff.com](empowerthefluff.com).

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of “We Live Here Women”. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts by clicking on the link below. It will help us to keep delivering more ways to “WE”!

We Live Here Women | Ebbi Nicole | Empower The Fluff

A St. Louis-based podcast that shares stories about race and class from St. Louis and beyond. Episodes range from investigative accountability pieces to story-based reflections with a focus on everyday people in and from our region.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

[WLHA 013]: We Live Here Auténtico! | Ben Molina | Bolivian Born... Made in STL

Today we’re joined by Ben Molina. Originally from Bolivia, Ben is passionate about elder care and his work at the Alzheimer’s association is making a difference in the Hispanic community.

Ben opens up about his journey with depression, finding love and his calling in his field.  He discusses the challenges of a disease that disproportionately affects Hispanics and gives us some advice on the conversations and planning that we should start to have in our own families.

Ben’s superpower is Empathy! “I don't know how I discovered it. I was always very sensitive to other people and very observant of other people. Also, my mom had a wonderful way of always encouraging us to think positive about people and situations. It's helped me a lot in the field of social work”, says Ben.

What does living Autentico mean to you?

Autentico means being comfortable in my own skin regardless of the situation. If I am comfortable and honest in who I am, then you are getting the best version of me that I can be.

About Ben

Ben Molina is a Bolivian-born St. Louis City resident. He’s been living in St. Louis for 8 years. Ben has a master’s degree in social work from Washington University and currently serves as Program Manager for the Alzheimer's Association, Greater Missouri Chapter. Ben is also on the Board for Social Work Leaders in Healthcare.

Mentioned in this episode:

What is Alzheimer’s. 

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/what-is-alzheimers

Hispanic Americans and Alzheimer’s



Latinos & Alzheimer’s Disease:  New numbers behind the crisis

https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/sites/default/files/Latinos-and-AD_USC_UsA2-Impact-Report.pdf

Links to power of attorneys/ financial:  https://missourilawyershelp.org/legal-topics/durable-power-of-attorney-for-health/

Poder Notarial Duradero para el Cuidado de Salud y Directiva de Cuidado Médico

https://missourilawyershelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Durable-Power-of-Attorney-Full-Booklet-4-25-17-Spanish.pdf

Connections:

Connect with Ben Molina

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennmolina

Music Guide:

SEGMENT 1

Good as Hell-Lizzo

Good As Hell (Clean Version) (Audio) - Lizzo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QskZIrbRt7c   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoAm4om0wTs

Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande - Rain On Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoAm4om0wTs

SEGMENT 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tgspkNRIcc&ab;_channel=KaceyMusgravesVEVO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0X03zR0rQk  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpwSV1QBd8M&list;=OLAK5uy_m4wNZ2nJPQ9ACIaRbcxcsMxZM6oC6MsSk&index;=5&ab;_channel=NLaFourcadeVEVO

SEGMENT 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msl2fl3h59I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSfH2AuhXfw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83S-KtvGM2M&ab;_channel=CeliaCruzVEVO

We Live Here Auténtico! | Ben Molina | Bolivian Born...Made in STL

[WLHA 012]: We Live Here Auténtico! | The Hispanic Chamber | Connection and Community Central

Today we spend time with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis - a connection and central resource in the St. Louis region for 40 years.

From the Latino Festival in O’Fallon, the Hispanic festival in Florissant, dance clubs in mid-town and cuisine from restaurants representing many different countries, St. Louis’ Latino culture is booming and is a vibrant reflection of our growing Hispanic population.

The median age of Hispanic St. Louisans is 25 compared to 36 of the general population and the percentage of Latinos in the region roughly doubled. Most of the growth in the past 20 years has come in Madison, St. Clair, St. Charles and St. Louis counties.  In St. Louis, Latino residents now account for more than 5% of the city’s population.

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce purposely creates a safe and open environment for people that have similar backgrounds of experiences. The Chamber has specific tools that address some of the needs of the Hispanic community in our region. The staff is bilingual in Spanish and English, so they can help entrepreneurs in their preferred language. 

Like other chambers, the Hispanic Chamber does not only serve Latino businesses, it serves everyone.

Happy 40th Anniversary!!

Mentioned in this episode:

Leave a voice message. https://anchor.fm/autentico--podcast/message

HCC website:  www.hccstl.com

FB:  https://www.facebook.com/HCCSTL

Insta:  @hccmetrostl

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/metrohccstl/

Eduardo Platon:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardoplaton/

Sisi Beltran:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sisibeltran/

Build  a bear:

https://www.buildabear.com/

Wash U:  https://wustl.edu/

Hispanic Festival: https://www.hispanicfestivalstl.com/about

Mural:  https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/hispanic-heritage-month-hispanic-artists-create-mural-st-louis-show-representation-offer-hope/63-53f8c3d1-c56f-4770-afd4-ee71e4065c5c

Latinx Arts Network:  https://www.latinxstl.com/

https://instagram.com/latinxartsstl?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Esmeralda Aharon:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/aharones/

Luisa Otera-Prado. https://www.linkedin.com/in/luferotero/

Carol Lara. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-lara/

https://www.instagram.com/carollaraphotography/

Ricardo Martinez. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-martinez-3609a0168/

Fernanda Estrada https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernanda-estrada-799a61138/

Brian Muñoz:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisismunoz/

Ricardo Garza:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-garza-/

Club Atletico:  https://www.gobluebirds.com/news

Karlos Ramirez:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlos-ramirez-8a872b8/

Midwest BankCentre: https://www.midwestbankcentre.com/

Asian American Chamber of Commerce:  https://aaccstl.org/

Heartland St Louis Black Chamber:  https://hbcstl.com/about-the-chamber/

Afghan Chamber of Commerce STL:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/afghan-chamber-of-commerce-stl/

Brian’s article referenced:

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/culture-history/2021-11-16/the-st-louis-region-is-already-home-for-many-latinos-and-more-are-moving-here

Thank you so much for checking out this episode of “We Live Here Autentico”. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts by clicking on the link below. It will help us to keep delivering more ways to “WE” for you each week!

We Live Here Auténtico! | The Hispanic Chamber | Community and Connection Central

[WLHA 011]: We Live Here Auténtico! | Ricardo Martinez | DACA Dreams Realized

Today we are talking to Ricardo Martinez. Born in Mexico, Ricardo is a DACA recipient who grew up in Illinois. His passion for helping Spanish speakers with financial literacy is fueled by his entrepreneurial journey and of course, his love for St. Louis.

Ricardo came to the United States when he was five years old and spent most of his life in central Illinois. At heart, he would say he was a “mid-Midwesterner”.  He never really understood how different he was different until later.

Ricardo’s parents were immigrants and they jumped at the chance for deferred action. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA, enabled roughly 832,881 eligible young adults work lawfully, attend school, and plan their lives without the threat of deportation.  It provides temporary relief from deportation (deferred action) and grants authorization to work for young undocumented immigrants.

For Ricardo’s parents, it meant their children would have temporary, renewable permission to be in the United States.  Meanwhile, they had to learn how to make things work without documentation of their own.  Every two years they essentially lived day-to-day without knowing, for sure, if DACA would continue or not. For Ricardo, DACA granted the opportunity to keep moving forward.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, more than 1.3 million U.S. residents were eligible for DACA as originally implemented and it is estimated that the average DACA recipient arrived in the United States in 1999 at the age of 7. More than one-third of DACA recipients (37 percent) arrived before the age of 5.

Ricardo’s background, culture and journey are an integral part of what led him to help the Hispanic community.

Ricardo founded JuntosAdelante.com, a personal finance website dedicated to helping Spanish speakers understand the American personal finance system.

He then founded CentralJA, a digital marketing agency focused on helping Spanish speaking business pivot their business online.

What does living Auténtico mean to you?

Living Auténtico means understanding who you are and being able to share that with everyone. It means understanding and being able to embrace that you can be yourself, learn who you are and keep building on that. You do not have to be what everyone refers you to be.

Mentioned in this episode:

DACA Source, Launch code

Connections:

Connect with Ricardo Martinez

Linkedin, Central JA, Juntos Adelante

Music Guide:

Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons

Natalia Lafourcade - Para Qué Sufrir

Day Trip - Desmond Cheese

Calle 13 - El Aguante

Everything I Am · Kanye West

Calle 13 - Latinoamérica

Calle 13 - La Vuelta al Mundo

Calle 13 - Latinoamérica

Thank you so much for LISTENING to this episode of “We Live Here Autentico”. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts by clicking on the link below. It will help us to keep delivering more ways to “WE” for you each week!

We Live Here Auténtico! | Ricardo Martinez | DACA Dreams Realized

[WLHA 010]: We Live Here Auténtico! | Suzanne Sierra| The Consummate Connector, Storyteller, Collaborator

Today’s guest, Suzanne Sierra is the consummate connector, storyteller and collaborator. Her evolving career path and search for purpose led her to the St. Louis Mosaic Project.  She is Senior Program Manager and leads key programs with major stakeholders including corporations, universities, ethnic communities and multicultural innovation initiatives. Through her work, Suzanne goes all-out to promote regional prosperity and to transform St. Louis into the fastest growing metropolitan area for immigrants by the year 2025.

Suzanne’s personal immigration story fuels her passion to create change.  She is the proud daughter of immigrants from Colombia, South America, and she is bilingual.  Her parents moved to the U.S. so her father could practice medicine. Her dad landed a job at a clinic in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Suzanne and her siblings were born.  Soon after, they moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, a small town on the western edge of the state bordering Minnesota.

Her story is one that reveals an identity crisis. She grew up in what she likes to call a “lily white” community where she was immediately pegged as different.  Though it pains her to share today, she was embarrassed of her parents as kids would make fun of their heavy accent.  There was a meanness that prompted her not to speak Spanish, ironically her first language.  When traveling to Columbia each year for the holidays, she felt out of place and self-conscious about speaking Spanish. She was the “gringa” and found it difficult to find where she fit in.

Suzanne brings compassion and empathy to her work in the community because she has the lived experience of being and feeling “other”.  She understands the immigrant story and brings her experiences, language and knowledge to the table.

In this episode you’ll discover:

·        Why there is a need for a grassroots approach and focus on language access in our community

·        How we lose people when they need services and don't know that they're available

·        The necessity of access to information

·        The importance of providing information to foreign born people in their native language

Connections:

Connect with Suzanne Sierra

Website:  Sierrapublicrelations.com a small, St. Louis-based PR Firm delivering boutique communication services, in English and Spanish.

Linkedin @suzannesierrasewell

Twitter: @sierrapr

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of “We Live Here Autentico”. If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute and leave a quick rating and review of the show on Apple Podcasts by clicking on the link below. It will help us to keep delivering more ways to “WE” for you each week!

We Live Here Women | Ebbi Nicole | Empower The Fluff

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