La Chismosa Del Valle

Faith, Fine Art, and the Founder Journey

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2139515/fan_mail/new] This week, we’re exploring what happens when personal reflection meets professional ambition. I share a candid look at my experience with Lent discussing the specific habits I stepped away from and the surprising lessons that surfaced when I cleared the air. That mental clarity couldn't have come at a better time, as I’m officially pulling back the curtain on two major milestones: the launch of my dedicated art account and the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. From the first "post" jitters to the logistics of building a brand, I’m sharing the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of turning a creative passion into a professional path. Key Highlights: • The Lenten Fast: A breakdown of what I gave up and the spiritual/mental growth that followed. • Artistic Origins: Why I decided to create a separate space for my artwork and what I hope to achieve with this new platform. • The Leap into Entrepreneurship: The challenges and triumphs of starting a business and the mindset shift required to go from "creative" to "founder." • Connecting the Dots: How discipline in my personal life is directly fueling the momentum in my creative career. Your Turn: Who’s Next? As the show grows and enters this new chapter, I want to bring on guests who inspire, challenge, and move us forward. I’m looking to you for suggestions! Is there a specific artist, entrepreneur, or visionary you’d love to hear an interview with? Send me your guest nominations via DM or in the comments this show is built with you in mind, and I can’t wait to see who you want to hear from next. Help shape future episodes! Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism.  Follow along on social media. IG: @lachismosadelvalleoffical, @la_ameriquita  Tik Tok: @lachismosadelvalle

Uncle Sam’s Reality TV Game Show: Starring Erika Perez Pt. 2

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2139515/fan_mail/new] America dives into the world of surveillance, showing how constant monitoring shapes fear, behavior, and memory. From Erika Perez’s mother, who had to check in regularly with immigration, to America herself, triggered by everyday sounds like a doorbell, this episode exposes how tech, government systems, and societal pressure turn lives into a high-stakes game. A look at privacy, trauma, and what it really means to live under watch. Help shape future episodes! Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism.  Follow along on social media. IG: @lachismosadelvalleoffical, @la_ameriquita  Tik Tok: @lachismosadelvalle

Uncle Sam’s Reality TV Game Show: Starring Erika Perez Pt. 1

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2139515/fan_mail/new] When personal data becomes public drama, where do you draw the line between community and control? America unpacks a digital unraveling from online stalking to realizing her digital paranoia was the truth then turns to Erika Perez’s story to reveal how surveillance and systemic power shape real lives. The players are everywhere, the rules are unclear and the algorithm is watching you. Help shape future episodes! Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism.  Follow along on social media. IG: @lachismosadelvalleoffical, @la_ameriquita  Tik Tok: @lachismosadelvalle

Vanesa Carrillo: From the Border to Tech and the Start of Latinas & Lattes

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2139515/fan_mail/new] Say hi or share a story! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2139515/open_sms] In this episode, I sit down with Vanessa Carrillo, a first-generation Latina, product marketing manager at Microsoft, and founder of Latinas and Lattes, before she gets too big. We talk about navigating college, showing up in professional spaces, and finding our way through career and identity shifts. Our conversation made me reflect on my own early 20s—especially now as I turn 30. We talk about growing up bilingual, being ESL kids, dealing with imposter syndrome, finding faith, and learning how to ask for help. Vanessa shares her journey from El Paso to Georgetown to working in tech, and how her experiences led her to create Latinas and Lattes, a nonprofit helping Latinas in Seattle connect and support one another. We also talk about rejection, rest, and what it means to choose yourself when the world often expects you to shrink. Whether you're figuring things out at 23 or starting over at 30, this episode is your reminder that you're not behind—and you're definitely not alone and every Latino has their own story. ☕️ Enjoying the podcast? Support La Chismosa del Valle on Buy Me a Coffee so I can keep telling stories from our community. Every cafecito helps cover production costs and keeps this space going for everyday Latinos doing dope things. https://buymeacoffee.com/la_ameriquita [https://buymeacoffee.com/la_ameriquita] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2139515/support] Help shape future episodes! Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism. Follow along on TikTok and Instagram: @la_ameriquita, @lachismosadelvalle Help shape future episodes! Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism.  Follow along on social media. IG: @lachismosadelvalleoffical, @la_ameriquita  Tik Tok: @lachismosadelvalle

Undocumented Creatives: We Build the Brand but It Wasn’t Built For Us.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2139515/fan_mail/new] Say hi or share a story! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2139515/open_sms] Undocumented creatives have helped shape the American brand but we’re only good for the brand until we speak up. Rarely are we trusted to shape our own narratives. In this episode, America Castillo sits down with Miriam Frutos, an influencer marketer, to talk about what it means to be a DACA recipient working in media and marketing and navigating an American workforce that often benefits from our creativity while quietly pushing us out. In the first half, Miriam shares her immigration story crossing the border at age nine, growing up undocumented in a predominantly white neighborhood, and pushing through community college, state college, and grad school with little support and a lot of persistence. In the second half, the conversation shifts to the challenges of being let go from jobs where they were praised one moment and dismissed the next. Despite showing up with ideas, care, and commitment, both Miriam and America experienced what most undocumented creatives risk when being outspoken about your status. Journalism taught them to question what they were told. Branding taught them that speaking up can cost us everything.  Whether you’re a DREAMer, a creative of color, or someone genuinely trying to understand how the system works, you’ll want to hear this. Help shape future episodes! Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism. Follow along on TikTok and Instagram: @la_ameriquita, @lachismosadelvalle Help shape future episodes! Leave a voicemail or shoot us a text. I actually wanna hear from you! I like constructive criticism.  Follow along on social media. IG: @lachismosadelvalleoffical, @la_ameriquita  Tik Tok: @lachismosadelvalle