You’re tired but still pushing through? Amiga… I see you.

In this episode, we’re talking about rest. The kind that goes deeper than a nap. The kind that calls us back to ourselves when the world wants to wring us dry.

We’re getting into burnout, boundaries, inherited exhaustion, and why learning to pause is one of the most radical things we can do. I’m sharing stories about my mamá, my debut year, and how I’m still learning to rest through the guilt.

If you’ve been feeling the weight of what’s happening in our comunidad, especially with the ICE raids, I’ve got you. I’ll share a resource from CHIRLA that’s there to support you and your loved ones.

This episode is not about tuning out. It’s about tuning in. To your body. Your breath. Your capacity.

💌 Subscribe to the Con Alas newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/ab59f968f99c/subscribe-to-con-alas-notes-from-maras-desk
📚 Browse my books: https://mariadoloresaguila.com/forthcoming-books/
🎥 Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mariadaguila
📲 Follow me on IG: @maria.d.aguila + TikTok: @mariadaguila
🧡 CHIRLA resources: https://www.chirla.org/
📖 Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey: https://g.co/kgs/CyYRs8X
✨ This week’s affirmation: I deserve rest, even when the world tells me to keep going.
🎵 Music credit: “Dream Pop LoFi” by DRAGON_STUDIO via Pixabay

You’re scared they’ll judge you? Amiga… they already are.
So go ahead and post it. Start the thing. Say the dream out loud.
In this episode, we’re getting into the fear of being perceived. Why it keeps us small. Why it still hurts (even when you know better). And why doing it anyway is the most poderosa move you can make.

💌 Subscribe to the Con Alas newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/ab59f968f99c/subscribe-to-con-alas-notes-from-maras-desk
📚 Browse my books: https://mariadoloresaguila.com/forthcoming-books/
🎥 Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mariadaguila
📲 Follow me on IG: @maria.d.aguila + TikTok: @mariadaguila

✨ This week’s affirmation: I release the fear of being seen and choose to show up anyway.

🎵 Music credit: “Dream Pop LoFi” by DRAGON_STUDIO via Pixabay

Emotional Regulation for Creative Latinas: Anxiety, Rumination & Becoming Rooted

In this grounded and personal episode, I reflect on the deep inner work behind creativity and peace. I share how emotional regulation, not happiness, became my foundation, and how learning to sit with discomfort helped me come home to myself.

We talk about what it means to be addicted to worrying, how rumination gets in the way of our creativity, and why regulating our emotions can help us move forward when we feel stuck. I also talk about affirmations, boundaries, and giving ourselves permission to grow slowly.

If you’ve ever spiraled before starting, pushed through panic to get things done, or felt shame for not doing enough, this one’s for you.

✨ Topics we explore:
• Why worrying feels productive when it’s not
• The difference between emotional regulation and suppression
• How affirmations help rewire anxious patterns
• Boundaries, people pleasing, and protecting your energy
• Growing at your own pace instead of chasing urgency
• Writing through discomfort and learning to trust the process
• Finding your way back to calm without forcing perfection

💌 Weekly Affirmation:
I’m rooted. I’m safe. Estoy creciendo, poquito a poco.

📚 Check out my books, podcast clips, and upcoming events:
https://mariadoloresaguila.com/links

📸 Follow along on Instagram:
@maria.d.aguila

🎶 Episode Music:
“Dream Pop Lofi” by DRAGON_STUDIO via Pixabay.
Free to use, no credit required, but I love to give them a shoutout.

Rooting takes time.
Your peace is worth the effort.
You’re not behind. You’re becoming.

Friendship After 30 for Latina Moms: Boundaries, Chisme & Becoming Rodeada

In this tender, honest episode, I’m breaking format to share a more personal story about friendship, loneliness, jealousy, and healing. I open up about how I went from having almost no close friends in my twenties to being rodeada, surrounded by comadres who truly see and support me.We talk about what it means to unlearn toxic family dynamics, how chisme can be both protective and harmful, and the difference between emotional intensity and emotional intimacy (yes, even in platonic relationships). I also share what I’ve learned about small talk, boundaries, reciprocity, and putting yourself out there, especially as a Latina millennial mom still figuring things out in her forties.If you’ve ever felt too awkward, too intense, or just too behind when it comes to making real connections, this one’s for you.✨ Topics we explore:• How jealousy reveals what we actually want• Chisme, nuance, and red flags in friendship• The myth of the “one perfect best friend”• Love bombing in platonic relationships• Why small talk isn’t shallow, it’s foundational• Making friends as a neurodivergent, recovering people pleaser• How to keep showing up, even after rejection💌 Weekly Affirmation:I don’t have to force connection. I am worthy of being rodeada by people who see me, choose me, and grow with me.📚 Check out my books, podcast clips, and upcoming events:mariadoloresaguila.com/links📸 Follow along on Instagram:@maria.d.aguila🎶 Episode Music:"Dream Pop Lofi" by DRAGON_STUDIO via Pixabay.Free to use, no attribution required, but I love to shout them out anyway.Your people are coming.Some of them might already be here.You just haven’t met all your comadres yet.

Episode Title:
Punishment / Castigo

Show Notes:

In this episode, we’re talking about the kind of punishment that doesn’t come from a chancla — but from inside our own heads.

That voice that says, “You should be doing more.”
The guilt that creeps in when you rest.
The pressure to be productive, polished, and perfectly nice... even when you're running on empty.

Yeah. That.

I’ll share two moments from my own life where I confused punishment for discipline:
One where I tried to be That Girl — waking up at 5AM to be creative — and it completely backfired.
And one where I kept overextending myself in critique groups until I finally chose devotion to my own work instead.

This episode is a reminder that discipline doesn’t have to be mean.
It can be rooted in care.
It can be gentle.
It can come with cafecito and boundaries and saying no without apologizing.

Because you don’t have to punish yourself into becoming.
You’re already becoming. And you’re allowed to do it gently.

💌 Don’t forget, Con Alas, my companion newsletter, lands every Wednesday with extra reflections and tenderness in your inbox.
🌐 You can find all my links (books, podcast, newsletter, and more) here.

🎶 Intro + Outro music:
"Dream Pop Lofi" by DRAGON_STUDIO via Pixabay
Free to use, no attribution required, but I like to shout them out anyway. ✨

Amiga... have you ever held it all together so hard you're basically held together by vibes and cafecito alone?

Yeah. Same.

This week, we’re diving deep into aguantar, the art of enduring, surviving, pushing through... and knowing when to stop. From family legacies to PTA drama, debut year meltdowns, and finally learning how to sit with the truth (even when it's spicy), this episode is for anyone who's been carrying more than they should.

We’re reclaiming aguantar as more than just "put up with it." We're turning it into a blueprint for growth, healing, and badassery.

✨ Topics we get into:

• Aguantando like our abuelas (and why that’s both beautiful and heavy)

• The burnout no one talks about when you’re the reliable one

• Debut year pressure, UTIs, and the magical powers of Sertraline Hydrochloride

• Redefining endurance in a way that actually serves us

💌 Don’t forget, Con Alas, my companion newsletter, lands every Wednesday with extra reflections and tenderness in your inbox.

🌐 You can find all my links (books, podcast, newsletter, and more) here.

🎶 Intro + Outro music:

"Dream Pop Lofi" by DRAGON_STUDIO via Pixabay

Free to use, no attribution required, but I like to shout them out anyway. ✨

Take what you need, leave the rest, and remember: You’re not too much. You’ve just been holding too much.

Season 1, Episode 1: Whispers/Susurros
Host: María Dolores Águila

What happens when we ignore our inner voice? What’s at stake when we finally decide to trust it?

In this debut episode, I share stories of the times I’ve silenced my inner selves, and the times I followed it with my whole heart. We talk about past selves, intuition, the prison of shoulds, and how hard (and healing) it is to truly listen to the voice within.

We’ll explore:

• What “inner selves” really are and how they show up in daily life

• Why it’s so easy to override your inner knowing with external advice

• A story about being fired, and realizing I had betrayed my own truth

• The long road to becoming a published author and what happened when I finally listened to myself

• Why listening is a lifelong practice worth fighting for

Plus, I leave you with a journaling prompt and a gentle affirmation to carry with you.

Whether you’re reconnecting with your voice or just beginning to hear the whispers, this one’s for you.

Mentioned in this episode:

• No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz

• Journaling as a daily reflection practice

Affirmation of the Week:
Even when it’s inconvenient, when I listen to the whispers of my inner selves, I move into alignment with who I really am.

What if transformation didn’t have to be loud to be powerful?
The Monarka Podcast is a soft place to land and rise again.

In this trailer, you’ll hear the heart behind the show: a space created for mujeres who are ready to return to themselves. Whether you’re in the middle of a big shift or just longing for something quieter and true, you’re welcome here.

Hosted by poet and author María Dolores Águila, The Monarka Podcast offers short episodes filled with reflection, memory, and soft jefa energy. Because we don’t have to rush our growth. We can unfurl slowly, like wings.

María is the author of the picture books Barrio Rising and Menudo Sunday, as well as the forthcoming middle grade novel-in-verse A Sea of Lemon Trees. At the heart of her work are stories of resistance and resilience that remind us we’re never alone in the becoming.

✨ Learn more, explore her books, and connect: mariadoloresaguila.com/links