Tag: <span>Latino</span>

What is a life coach? Find out with GiGi Diaz

GiGi Diaz

Today’s podcast we have the trailblazer and serial entrepreneur Gigi Diaz who has built numerous businesses and has helped countless women in achieving their life goals. She is an expert with branding, business development and goal setting which she teaches through her life coach business “Seizing Happy”.

What is a life coach?

We dive in to the big question of “What is a life coach?” why would we need to hire a life coach and how to find the right one for us. GiGi does not hold back and she is a straight shooter and has the accomplishments to back it up.

Check out the episode today and also check out her upcoming event Unleash Your Inner C.E.O.

Want to find out more or connect with Gigi?

Check out the links below:

Yvette Bodden; Inspirational; PlatformLatino Podcast

Want to be inspired? Meet the resilient Yvette Bodden

Join us on the podcast today where we have a conversation with Yvette Bodden who is an accomplished writer, author, inspirational speaker and all around amazing woman. Hear her resilient story of how she has overcome and persevered though life’s obstacles. She is an accomplished woman who can serve as a role model for both men and women around!

Peek inside the episode

We go in-depth of how she manages her emotions and feelings and lives a well-balanced life. I loved the conversation of how she raises her daughter to allow her to make her own decisions but also guide her to be a strong woman like herself.

Where you can find her:

Check out the episode today and if you want to learn more about Yvette check out her website or buy her book .

Make sure you also follow her on social media:

Danny Reyes: Fulfilling his purpose & passion as a Bolivian Pop Artist

Danny Reyes aka Drop-D – Talented Musical Artist, Producer & Author

Hola Mi Gente today’s podcast we have the Bolivian pop-artist Danny Reyes also known as Drop-D. We dive deep into his passion with music, his journey to where he is today, and how he uses transferrable skills from his biology degree to his production with music.

Quedate Conmigo

We find out the background to creating his music and incorporating his Bolivian and Latino roots, how he compiles his songs into his albums and how he finds inspiration. We start off the podcast with his new single “Quedate Conmigo”.

This podcast is not only for music fans but for anyone who has a passion and is looking for that inspiration to follow your dreams and fulfill your purpose.

Want to find more music from Danny, Drop-D:

Ep. 10 – Hendel Leiva, Host & Producer of ImmigrationMIC and Momentum Podcasts

Hendel Leiva

This was an amazing experience that I appreciate so much. I met Hendel at an event here in NY and we had an instant connection as we were both podcasters. Hendel has a great story of how he got into podcasting and just further strengthened my belief that experiences both bad/good can lead you to your purpose. He currently is the Host & Producer of two podcasts – ImmigrationMIC and Momentum. We talk a lot about his 99th episode which is a touching and motivating story where he lays it all out!

Another thing I took from this interview is that we should never stop learning and always bring in new skills to our toolbox and go out and take risks. Reflection is a great tool that we all need to practice more and look back on our life experiences to learn and grow from them.

I hope you all enjoy the episode, we recorded in Hendel’s studio hence the high caliber sound. Its something Platform Latino can work towards but I know you will learn and have a lot of takeaways from listening!

Ep. 5 – Oscar Benitez, Director for Third Sector Capital & Color Commentator of Los Jets en Español

Oscar Benitez

Today’s episode brings us another Oscar but this one is very different. (of course in a good way) Raised in LA by his single mother, he and his mom knew how important education was in life being a ticket to success in the United States. Also a little football talk – JETS fans should be excited!

On the episode we talk about our own internal challenges with identity and our “Latino-ness”. We also how talk about relocating to colleges where we found out there are huge differences in not only our latino counterparts from other Latin American backgrounds but also with our international peers from Latin America.

It’s a great episode in learning that we always need to hustle and put our best work forward. Also, I think the biggest gem is looking at different career paths to find and learn the skills that will allow you to shine in your future career goals. You have to listen to find out what I mean by this and I hope you find the same motivation I did when hearing Oscar’s story.

Los Jets en Español

We close the episode with some football talk and how he became the commentator for Los Jets en Español. A side gig he has been jet-setting coast to coast doing for the past 10 seasons. Enjoy!

Learn more about Oscar

latina; latinista; diversity

Ep. 2 – Yai Vargas, Latinx Diversity & Strategy Expert

This episode set a high watermark for my future episodes but that only motivates me to really keep up finding high quality guests and interviews.
I’ll be honest, I recorded this episode in February 2019 and it took me a while to face my fears to really kick off the podcast. Even though this was recorded months ago it offers timeless advice that both women and men can use to really propel their careers and life skills.

Yai who reigns from the Dominican Republic has focused her career on diversity and moreover the inclusion and success for women in the workplace. Seven years ago she created the Latinista which is an organization focused on the professional development that has satellite offices in Chicago, Miami, LA with their home base in New York. The Latinista was born when Yai noticed the need for professional development for Latinas. She’s a hands on trainer who gets right to work with all the women (and men) who come and participate in her workshops. I definitely recommend you check out and attend her next workshop.
We dive into issues of DNI, affinity groups, and navigating the corporate office to achieve your career aspirations.

Lastly we close with some great takeaways on:

  • What can women do to establish a fair playing field in business and life to close the gap in the gender inequality?
  • What can men do immediately to help support women empowerment?

My biggest takeaway learned from the episode:

Be bold, offer value, and unapologetic and strategic in working towards your goals!

You can follow and find Yai and The Latinista at the links below:

podcast, latino, episode 1, Empowerment

Ep. 1 – Introduction of the Platform Latino Podcast

Allow me to introduce the Platform Latino Podcast! This has been a work in progress and I am glad to have it finally launch. Listen to the first episode to find out who I am, what inspired me to start the podcast and my goals for the podcast.

I’m mixed with wonderful feelings from happiness, to share this with the world, to scared to see how it will be received. In the end I know sharing the stories of these amazing Latino/a’s will be a positive influence to all who listen.

Enjoy! Let me know what you liked most about the episode. If you know someone who would be a great guest please feel free to send me a message.

Thank You!

Beyond Representation: Why Latinxs Deserve Better than What “Roma” has to Offer

By: David Orta – Guest Writer

We are in a moment in American Cinema. A historic moment where we are seeing improved representation for people of color in filmmaking as well as recognition for those films. For example, Crazy Rich Asians has been heralded by many as a signal of this moment. Its tremendous success in the Box Office suggested to many that an all-Asian and more importantly, an all non-white cast can succeed in filling U.S. theaters. And then (and even more importantly for some) it’s been praised as an important moment for many Asian Americans who have long felt underrepresented in Hollywood.  

And rightfully so. Tons of works have documented how people of color have been grossly under-represented in film and television. Asian Americans, like many other(ed) racial/ethnic minorities have been mistreated by mainstream media (See F. Wu’s book for how this impacts the prevalent stereotypes about Asian Americans). 

 Many have also linked Crazy Rich Asians to the tremendous success experienced by Black Panther, which shattered records in the Box Office. Also signaling to many that a predominantly black cast with a black superhero protagonist can achieve wide American viewership. This means a lot to those who have noticed the recycled storylines that marginalize and stereotype Black Americans (for more on this, check out Vera & Gordon’s workon how American Film centers and protects Whiteness). 

“Roma has symbolized the representation that Mexican Americans have been calling for in popular culture.”

In talking with family and friends (basically all Latinas/os), you would think that Roma is our Black Panther, our Crazy Rich Asians. Roma has also been lauded for its focus on social issues in Mexico. To many, this has marked a new moment in U.S. cinematic history since its director, Alfonso Cuarón, a Latino, took home an Oscar, and its lead was nominated for best actress. The film has symbolized a moment of representation that Latinxs, Mexican Americans in particular, have been calling for in popular culture and media. There’s no doubt that we’ve needed representation. 

And yes, the cinematography is a revelation in Roma. The acting is remarkable. The production quality was impeccable. Look, I tell my gente, the craft overall is impressive. So you can imagine how so many have questioned my sanity when I said I didn’t love the film. Later, after the Oscars, I didn’t care that it didn’t take home so many of its nominations. So why am I crazy? 

[SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t already watch it, go watch it, then come back and read the rest of this.] The film takes place in 1960’s Mexico City, in the wealthy neighborhood of Roma. The story follows Cleo, an indigenous domestic worker as she works for a wealthy doctor’s family. The drama unravels as Cleo experiences a number of hardships and to add to an already difficult life. The film depicts the exploitative relationship she has with her employer family. The work is hard. She undergoes one humiliation after another. The family takes her for granted. They treat her like help while telling her (and in a few instances showing her) that she is part of the family. And ultimately in a gut-wrenching moment, toward the end of the story, she experiences a painful stillbirth. The film highlights the conflict-ridden domestic worker-family relationship. It also doesn’t turn away from the point that Cleo, a worker of clearly indigenous origins serves a Euro-looking wealthy family, showcasing a history of colonization, oppression, and exploitation that continues today in Mexico. But it’s more than just about Roma and Cleo’s story. At the end of the film, the camera pulls away from a rooftop shot where Cleo washes the family’s clothes to show that there are many more stories in Roma yet to be told, more stories like Cleo’s. It is powerful imagery with the performance and storytelling to match. Again, I think everyone should watch it. But before you break out into wild applause, hear me out. 

I also think we need to have high expectations of what we consider to represent us. We (Latinxs and people of color, generally) have such few points where we can claim a rounded depiction of ourselves in popular media. Equally important, we, now referring all critical viewers, need to hold a high standard to filmmakers so that they do more than just “show” us a social inequality. Filmmakers should interrogate the source and beneficiaries of these stark inequalities, not just “show and tell” us about them. 

“We need to move beyond a simple ‘show and tell’ -style of cinema.”

My main issue was with how Cleo’s story ended. I was uneasy throughout watching the film as it showed some hard-hitting moments about Cleo’s life, and waited for a moment where I could exclaim, “Yes! Thank you for making that statement about her oppression/oppressors!” but we never reached that point. Perhaps my main problem was really what lead up to the ending. After Cleo experienced a stillbirth, she saved the lives of the children she works for (probably an intentional irony). Then, she cries about her miscarriage while being embraced by her employers. Was this heartfelt? Was this problematic? It likely depends on which viewer you ask.  

We have to remember, that in the colonizer-colonized relationship isn’t solely a top-down oppression dynamic. In fact, as scholars have pointed out, when a person becomes a colonizer, their whole worldview is, to use a technical term, fucked. Their social position becomes justified and rationalized by their perspective on life and the world. They are incapable of viewing the colonized as a full human being, thus their own personal humanity becomes fractured. So, I can easily imagine someone from a wealthy white family watching the same film and thinking, “Yeah, that’s true, Cleo truly was a part of the family. And, while they all faced adversity they did it together… All’s well, ends well.” They may feel no culpability in their personal role in maintaining an oppressive system. They might even go home and hug their Latinx domestic worker or nanny and feel okay after. In this case, the traditional cinema-as-a-mirrormodel is ineffective. 

We need to move beyond a simple “show and tell” -style of cinema. A wide viewership, blinded by the fact that we desperately needed both quality and quantity representation in the media, has praised Roma. For what it is, it’s a great film. But we should not settle for finally being on camera. We shouldn’t not settle for simply being acknowledged for doing good work behind the camera. We deserve better than that. 

I think I’ll wait for a film that truly represents my background, including my perspective and my values. I will wait for a film that doesn’t allow white elites to continue their colonial relationships and behaviors without a second (or maybe third?) thought. A film that I can genuinely laud without hesitation. In the meantime, I will rely on other well-crafted, real-life narratives about experiences that speak truths. For example, sociologist M. Romero’s works are based on a combination of auto-biographic stories and in-depth data that tell rich detailed narratives about domestic workers in the U.S. You can’t walk away from those books without being pissed off about the social inequalities that prevail today. She’s doing more than showing society a mirror, she’s clearly pointing out what we should focus on in the reflection. 

I don’t know how long it will be before they make a movie that represents my story better. When they do, what would it be titled? Maybe, “CRAZY POOR LATINOS ?”  

February: Month Long Challenge

28 Day Challenge

I am excited for the month of February because I have so many goals and plans on where to take Platform Latino and really level up. So to really kick off this month I have given myself a 30 day challenge! Well maybe not 30 days because February only has 28 days but it will give me a realizable goal to achieve for the month. The goal is to write a blog post every day of the month. (Don’t worry I will try my best to keep it interesting)

What are my goals for Platform Latino?

My goals for Platform Latino are to create a source for Latino encouragement. I want this brand to be a platform for Latinos both young and old to look and learn from for self-betterment. I will be writing articles on topics I have learned about the Latino culture as well as things I have found interesting in the past. Coming soon, I will start uploading an interview podcast, which I bring on Latinos from all walks of life to tell their success story.

How did I come up with the idea for Platform Latino?

One day I was asked what my ultimate goal in life was and I answered that I would want to leave a legacy of being an influential Latino that served as a role model for future generations. The follow up question to that was “Who are your role models?” – This really caught me off guard because I rambled off some names but I quickly realized none of them were Latinos.

It hit me later when I went home and was embarrassed that I couldn’t really name many mainstream Latino Leaders. I could easily name European, Caucasian and even African American heroes but when it came to my own background, I was at a loss for words.

I asked some friends of mixed cultures if they could name more than 5 mainstream Latino Leaders and many of them really couldn’t as easily as they could say African American Leaders. On a side note, there is no problem with having role models from different cultures I just felt that this was a gap in the education system that could be filled with just some awareness. This is where Platform Latino was cultivated. It’s my motivation to bring Latino Leaders to the mainstream and have their names be recognized as much as the Martin Luther King Jr.’s and the Malcolm X’s.

How can you join me on my journey?

There are a few ways you can follow and even help me on my journey:

  1. Social Media – you can click on the links below and follow the PL pages
    1. Instagram
    2. Facebook
    3. Twitter
  2. Write me an email so I can add you to the email list to let you know when our future podcasts will debut.
  3. Share with your friends – Word of mouth is the best way to get the word out. Plus I will be extremely grateful.

Muchisimas Gracias!

Thanks for reading and let me know if there are any topics, you want to learn more about or if you know of a Latino Leader that may be interested in being a guest on the podcast.

Black History Month

Happy Black History Month

Happy February 1st, as we hit the coldest month of the year, we also head into Black History Month. This month celebrates the accomplishments and history of African Americans and their contributions to the history of the United States.

How do they decide?

As I was thinking of what to write today, it made me wonder how they decide which month to celebrate what cause and I thought of Hispanic Heritage Month.

History of Hispanic Heritage Month

If you do not know, Hispanic Heritage Month is oddly not in just one month. Its spread between September & October (Sept 15 – Oct 15th). Why you ask? They chose these dates because of the national independence days that happen throughout Latin America starting with five countries on the 15th, followed by three more in the following 5 days.

In 1968, it started as Hispanic Heritage Week sponsored by Edward Roybal (Los Angeles politician) and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Twenty years later, it was expanded to 30 days, implemented by President Regan.

This blog/podcast is not only to share Hispanic/Latino contributions to American Society but it is also my journey to learn more about our history in this great country. If you think of all that was going on in the 1960’s in America to see the passing of a whole week dedicated to us is a major accomplishment.

Black History Month

Black History Month originated as “Negro History Week” in 1926 and wasn’t addressed by the U.S. President until the 1970’s. That is 50 years that it took to be recognized by our head of government. African Americans have come a long way to working towards equal rights and Latinos have been right behind them supporting them along the way but it also shows we have made great strides in a shorter time.

We share many similarities with the African American population that we are often marginalized and underrepresented in positions of power. Although Latinos have had many strides too because we come in so many shades of skin-color. I also feel that because of this natural distinction they have had to work harder fighting for their rights and to be recognized. In 1968, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. This prohibited the refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of their race, color, religion or national origin. It was monumental because it showed the federal government making strides to fair housing acts. Although it was a start, it still is in the works to making it a perfect system.

Same struggle united as one.

I would like to think if it was not for the civil rights movement and the actions taken by our African American cousins we, as Latinos, would not be in the same position as we are today. We should take a stand, march in equality, and take a moment to support and celebrate Black History Month, as it is part of our identity and history in the United States.