Sandra: Bosquette Cabernet Sauvignon

Jessica: Ruch Wines Grenache 2023 — Latina-owned, San Diego winemaker, grapes from Paso Robles

Latina podcast. Latiné voices. First-gen stories. This week, Jessica sits down with Sandra Guzman — author, mortgage loan officer, and mom of three boys — for one of those conversations that feels less like an interview and more like girl talk you didn't know you needed.

Sandra grew up in Altadena as the only daughter of strict Catholic Mexican parents, the kid who loved to read and wasn't allowed to go anywhere. She entered the mortgage industry at 19 as a summer job and never left. She became a wife, a mom, a caregiver at 18 when her mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and a woman who spent decades making herself small to keep everyone else comfortable. Until she turned 40 and decided she was done.

She also survived the Eaton Fire, watching her community of three generations burn while her adult sons stayed behind to fight for their home, and now sees every day what recovery looks like for the families left behind.

This one goes there: the "mas bonita" message, what it does to a woman's voice, learning to model self-worth for your sons, navigating sexism in finance, and writing a book she was afraid to let anyone read.

[0:00] Intro and wines we're drinking

[5:00] Surviving the Altadena fires and how Sandra's sons saved the house, smoke damage, lead contamination, and what rebuilding really looks like from the inside

[17:30] Growing up in Altadena — redlining, a tight-knit community, gentrification, and how the neighborhood changed across three generations

[23:30] The only daughter of strict Catholic Mexican parents, the bubble she was raised in and who she became anyway

[28:00] Callajera stories- sneaking out, concerts, curfews, and growing up without cell phones or trackers to get caught

[36:00] Breaking generational patterns and the "mas bonita" message- what we were taught about silence, beauty, and our own voice

[40:00] Tying your value to your partner and what that belief costs you and what it quietly teaches your kids

[45:00] When Sandra was 18 and her mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor — holding the household together before she was ready

[51:00] Redefining roles in relationships — what a healthy partnership actually looks like and the suegra chisme that says it all

[57:00] 25 years in the mortgage industry — navigating sexism, advocating for Latinas, and empowering women to buy homes on their own

[1:04:00] LA housing market reality check — what the fires did to communities still rebuilding, why it's a buyer's market, and the 2% interest rate trap

[1:09:00] The One Who Stayed — writing the book in secret, almost talking herself out of publishing it, and what readers keep telling her

[1:14:00] Turning 40, doing the real therapy work, and building a life she actually chose

[1:21:00] Where to find Sandra's book and mortgage resources, and closing chisme

Website: www.loanPartner.us

Instagram: @TheLoanPartner

TikTok: @TheLoanPartner

Book: The One Who Stayed — available in English and Spanish on Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, and the Octavia Butler Bookstore

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Website: www.thewineandchismepodcast.com

Instagram: @wineandchisme

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