Before she published her debut novel, Neruda on the Park, she spent 20 years in corporate America. She knew she needed to make a change, but it was life-changing grief that finally propelled her forward. Now with her second novel, The Grand Paloma Hotel, Cleyvis is rejecting the notion that compartmentalization is necessary for success. Set in the Dominican Republic, the writer's birthplace, with an anti-hero Latina protagonist who is climbing the corporate ladder, Cleyvis weaves together parts of her life that she once sought to keep separate. The result is a can't-put-it-down page turner that begs the question: what is the true cost of extreme luxury?

Cristela Alonzo knows about starting at square one — and then doing it again and again. In the second part of our interview, she talks to Alicia about facing her make-or-break moment, how she “had to go live a life to have things to talk about,” and why she’s back with her new tour, "My Affordable Care Act.” She writes about it all in her new memoir, Music to My Years.

Follow Cristela on Twitter and IG @Cristela9. And buy her book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up. If you loved this episode, listen to Gina Brillón, and Sasha Merci and Dee Nasty for more on comedy. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

As a latchkey kid growing up in San Juan, Texas, comedian Cristela Alonzo dreamed of leaving her border town and seeing the world. In this emotional two-part episode, she tells Alicia how her childhood aspirations made her the black sheep of her family, and how she needed to put those dreams on hold, first to care for her sister’s children, and then, her ailing mother. Through it all, music and television – from the Backstreet Boys to the Golden Girls – was her "connection to the outside world." She writes about it all in her funny and moving new book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up.

Follow Cristela on Twitter and IG @Cristela9. And buy her book, Music to My Years: A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up. If you loved this episode, listen to Gina Brillón, and Sasha Merci and Dee Nasty for more on comedy. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

The gold medal athlete opens up about how she dealt with emotional and verbal abuse at the hands of coaches, the key role her mother played in advocating for her, and why leaving her beloved sport for a while was exactly what she needed.

"Habla Now," HBO Latino's award-winning "Habla" series, features Laurie Hernandez in its latest installment. It is now available to stream on HBO Max.

Follow Laurie Hernandez on Instagram at @lauriehernandez. If you loved this episode, listen to How Jennifer Mercedes Made Herself an MVP in Sports Journalism. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

The award winning singer-songwriter, author, podcast host and entrepreneur shares her journey to forgive and embrace her mother, the legendary singer Jenni Rivera. Chiquis details her decade-long healing journey (come for the talk therapy, stay for the foray into alternative modules); the evolution in her own thinking on motherhood and fertility; and how her mom’s everlasting love became the basis for her beautiful new children’s book, The Girl Who Sings to Bees.

The Girl Who Sings to Bees:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250322999/thegirlwhosingstobees/

https://www.youtube.com/@latinatolatina

After experiencing violence and media censorship in her native Venezuela, Mariana Atencio embarked on her journalist career in the United States. An early opportunity at Univision gave her the chance to hone her skills before making the leap to English-language television. But soon a personal tragedy tested ethics, faith, and her place in the world. She put it all in her new book, Perfectly You.

Follow Mariana on Twitter and IG @marianaatencio. And buy her book, Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real. If you loved this epsiode, listen to Ilia Calderón and María Elena Salinas for more on journalism. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

Growing up, Irma Olguin expected to join the next generation of farmworkers in her family. But the CEO of Bitwise Industries, which has turned California’s Central Valley into a thriving tech hub, says she experienced so much ‘serendipity in her life’ that she realized everything that lifted her out of poverty and struggle was possible for her home community. Someone just had to address the inequalities. The story of how she did it gave us goosebumps.

If you liked this episode, listen to How Neurosurgeon Dr. Analiz Rodriguez Made Her Own Way and Code for America’s Amanda Renteria Lost Some Battles, but Is Winning the Political War. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!

This first-generation Latina shares her journey from entry-level employee at a credit union to co-owner of New American Funding, the largest Latina-owned private mortgage company in the nation. Patty shares how leaving corporate America to become an entrepreneur enabled her to build wealth, and the (many) mistakes she has made once, but never again.

Follow Patty on Instagram @pattyarvielo. If you liked this episode, listen to How Carolyn Rodz Is Connecting Entrepreneurs with Opportunities and Why Rum Master Distiller Sylvia Santiago Will Never Quit.