This week, we bring you another one of our favorite conversations with Latinas in the corporate world. Carla Vernón describes herself as “a very malleable piece of clay” with a sense of pride and self-awareness. She has used that singular strength to rise from associate to executive at General Mills. She reflects on her long tenure there, being among the first in her Afro-Panamanian family to venture into the business world, and setting and keeping her own standards as she gained success and status.

Follow Carla @CarlaInspired on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Elisa Villanueva Beard's Aha Moment As Teach For America's CEO, and Remix: How Ad Exec Nancy Reyes Became Undeniable.

We continue with our favorite conversations with Latinas in the corporate world. After Alicia’s conversation with advertising superstar Nancy Reyes, she wanted to make t-shirts that read, "I am undeniable." That’s how inspiring this trailblazer’s story is. From learning that “everything feels better when you earn it” to “dealing with a massive career failure” and making the decision to go from “good to great,” Nancy’s success is a testament to what happens when grit and tenacity meet opportunity.

Follow Nancy on X (formerly Twitter) @reyesjimbo. If you loved this episode, listen to Daisy Auger-Dominguez on Making It in Corporate America and Top 25 Countdown: #24 How Meg Medina Summoned the Courage to Write.

Our Top 25 Countdown Continues! "Who is she? What does she want? Why can't she have it?" Those are the questions the Newbery Medal-winning children's author asks about each of her young Latina protagonists. What Meg Medina wanted was to write professionally, but first, she had to get brave.

Follow Meg on Instagram @megmedinabooks. and find all her books here. If you loved this episode, listen to What Sonia Manzano Knows Kids Need and How Canticos Creator Susie Jaramillo Built an Inclusive Kids' Brand.

This week, we bring you another one of our favorite conversations around food. As she was researching her new cookbook, Asada: The Art of Mexican Style Grilling, the LA restaurateur began to realize how men dominate the grill scene. Now, she’s trying to change that by giving others the tools and inspiration to master asada. Bricia explains the financial margins necessary to sustain a successful restaurant, and the pride and responsibility of being Oaxacan.

Follow Bricia on Instagram @bricialopez and discover the secret to incredible asada here.

If you liked this episode, listen to and How Chef Grace Ramirez Found Her Place Outside of the Kitchen and Remix: Chef Ariel Fox is Expanding Our Understanding of 'Authentic' Cuisine.

We continue with our favorite conversations around food. The VP for Dos Caminos and Del Friscos pulls back the curtain on what it takes to launch a restaurant, talks about the difference between competing on Hell's Kitchen as a newbie versus an established chef, and shares the personal change that inspired her new cookbook: Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin and Caribbean Cuisine.

Follow Ariel on Instagram @chefarielfox. If you liked this episode, listen to Why Rum Master Distiller Sylvia Santiago Will Never Quit and Master Chef Lorena Garcia Says It Takes More Than Sharp Knives.

We are celebrating almost 300 episodes of Latina to Latina! For the first Monday of every month, we are counting down our top 25 episodes of all time. In between, we'll curate special playlists of some of our favorite episodes. For the next three weeks, we bring you some of our favorite conversations about food. When Karla Vasquez learned that there were virtually no Salvadoran cookbooks in print in the United States, this food writer and cooking instructor made it her mission to capture the food and the spirits of the women of El Salvador.

Follow Karla on Instagram @karla_tv and find her book here. If you loved this episode, listen to Why Pioneering Journalist Maria Hinojosa Put Herself in the Story and How Documentarian Cristina Costantini Fed Her Soul While Making Mucho Mucho Amor.

To celebrate almost 300 episodes of Latina to Latina, for the first Monday of every month, we are counting down our top 25 episodes of all time. In between, we'll curate special playlists of some of our favorite episodes. Coming in at #25: This television executive turned entrepreneur took a major detour—mid career—to go back to school. Nely shares how that decision changed her life, as well as her insights on how to find your true purpose.

Follow Nely on instagram @nelygalan. If you loved this episode, listen to Fashion Entrepreneur Lilliana Vazquez: “Build Something for Yourself” and How Carolyn Rodz Is Connecting Entrepreneurs with Opportunities.

When her parents’ tourists visas expired, and they were no longer allowed entry into the United States, Elizabeth, an American citizen, persuaded her parents to allow her to stay in Arizona solo. She was only 15 years-old. Even as she contended with housing and food insecurity, Elizabeth managed to graduate valedictorian of her high school class, before going on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode, we talk about the values tension in wanting to change the world and needing to pay rent, why the responsibilities she carried never allowed her to “let loose” like her peers, and her decision to share her story in her new memoir, “My Side of the River.”

Follow Elizabeth on instagram @lizzycancu and find her book My Side of the River here.

If you liked this episode, listen to How Travel Empowered Nikki Vargas to Bring Her Life Into Alignment and What Jennifer De Leon Had to Confront to Become the First Writer In Her Family.