Honoring Traditions and Building Community Bonds

What if the vibrant stories of Latina women could inspire and empower us all to embrace our unique cultural identities? This episode of MAMI on a Mission celebrates monumental milestones, such as Mexico electing its first female president and Celia Cruz's iconic image gracing a U.S. quarter. Join me, Mariana, as we honor these trailblazers while diving into the critical work of organizations like Latinas Acting Up, committed to elevating Latina voices in political spheres. We'll also explore the depth of cultural traditions with personal stories about Dia de los Muertos, enhancing cultural understanding and inviting our local listeners to celebrate heritage at the LULAC Dia de los Muertos event in Galveston.

Navigating the complexities of teenage life, this episode shares a heartfelt story about my daughter's spiritual journey amidst the challenges of bullying. Her path to faith and baptism during these trying times highlights the profound role of community and unwavering support. Reflecting on the trials faced by families, we draw parallels to the story of Job, emphasizing themes of redemption and divine purpose. Through MAMI on a Mission, we aim to inspire Latina women to discover healing and purpose through faith, affirming that even in adversity, there's a divine plan for each one of us. Join me on this journey of empowerment and cultural celebration, and let's uplift each other in our quest for purpose and healing.

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Chapters

• 0:04 Celebrating Latina Culture and Empowering Women
• 9:42 Navigating Teen Challenges and Triumphs
• 14:13 God's Redemptive Plan and Empowering Women

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to the Mommy on a Mission podcast. I'm Mariana, your host and the number one bestselling author of Mommy on a Mission a guide towards healing self-discovery and walking in confidence. As a dedicated life coach, wife, mom yaya and, most importantly, daughter of the king, I am passionate about empowering multifaceted women just like you. In each episode, we dive deep into transformative topics that help you reignite your passion and purpose. My unique approach is designed to help you overcome the fear of external expectations and create the space and time you need for both increased job satisfaction and personal growth. Join me on this journey of self-discovery and empowerment as we explore practical strategies, inspiring stories and actionable insights. Together, we'll navigate the complexities of life and emerge stronger, more confident and truly aligned with our deepest desires. Welcome to the Mom on a Mission podcast, your go-to resource for living a more purposeful and fulfilling life. So grab your Tazza cafe y vamos a platicar. Hello, hello, good morning to another episode of Mommy on a Mission podcast, the podcast that empowers Latina women and all women to reach their impossible goals, one dream at a time. And I just want to say welcome back, ladies. I'm so glad that you're joining me today. First of all, my name is Mariana, I am your host today and I am so excited that you are here with me this Saturday morning as we celebrate the last weekend of Hispanic Heritage Month. It's been such an amazing time reflecting on our culture, our roots and our powerful contributions, and there have been so many inspiring highlights this year. So, before we dive into today's episode, grab yourself a cup of cafecito. Join me this morning, as we just have a great conversation of just catching up, just like all mothers, right, and we will dive right on in. Well, first of all, I just want us to take a moment to celebrate a major milestone Mexico has its first female president and talk about a win for women everywhere, latinas especially. It's such a powerful reminder of the strength we have when we rise to leadership. And speaking of Latina power, did you know that Celia Cruz is now gracing the quarter? Yes, our Queen of Salsa is being honored in a way that will last for generations. So I'm telling you, it's such a joy to see these trailblazing women getting the recognition they deserve. And let's not forget about Latinas Acting Up, that organization that was formed in California by the Latina actresses when they were fighting for, when they were on strike, fighting their political rights, to be heard, to be seen, to be paid. It was such an amazing thing to see it established and I mean they are working so hard to amplify our voices in the political spaces, encouraging more Latina women to step up and take action in our communities. And what a time to be alive right. What a time to be alive right Now for my local amigas here in Galveston, texas. Don't miss the LULAC Dia de los Muertos celebration happening on October 26th at the Old Courthouse. It's going to be a beautiful time to honor our loved ones and celebrate our heritage. I'll definitely be there and I'd love to see you there.

Speaker 1: 4:04

And speaking of so, this is so funny because, right when, whenever we don't know other people's cultures, or when we're not, let me see, when we're not familiarized with it, it can be scary, right, or the unknown is nerving. So just recently, one of my co-workers went on a cruise and I think she had gone to Cancun or something and, uh, she said that she had gotten off the boat and that somebody had approached her and it was a man and she was going to take a picture. And then the person started moving and he had the skeleton face and dressed up like a mariachi and whatever. And because this was unfamiliar to her, she got scared, she got nervous, she thought he was going to chase her or whatever. Now I will say this we do have to be cautious, right? Because we just never know, especially if we don't speak the language or whatever. We are going to be cautious. But she had asked us if we had known, like she called it a clown, a scary clown. And she asked me if I knew anything about it. And then I showed her a picture of me with half my face looking like a sugar skull, right Painted up, and she goes oh my God, what does that mean? What is that? That was just like so scary.

Speaker 1: 5:25

And I said it's part of our Mexican tradition, which is Dia de los Muertos, in which we honor our dead. So it's, you know, for the day of the dead. And I asked her if she had ever seen that movie. Coco I said because Coco will talk. Coco will talk a lot about that, about how we offer ofrendas to our dead. You know which means that?

Speaker 1: 5:51

For and I know I'm explaining this to you, but I know that not all Latina cultures honor Dia de los Muertos, but I was just explaining it to her and telling her that what we do is we put up like shrines or altars in our homes and we have pictures of our loved ones that have passed on and we bring items that they loved or that they enjoyed, like coffee or pan dulce or, you know, maybe their dog, whatever. You know that there was. And we even honor our pets that have gone on and we do a little special things for them. And so I was explaining that to her. I said and then there's dancing, and then there's, you know, but we honor them and we love them and stuff. And she says, oh my God, she was girl. That was crazy she was.

Speaker 1: 6:39

I was so scared and I was like girl, don't be scared of that. I said that's just part of our culture. I said it's not supposed to be anything scary, it's just us honoring. But of course, you know it does look scary because of the whole sugar school thing. I just thought that was hilarious. I thought it was funny that she found it scary and she was uh-uh girl she was. That was scary to me.

Speaker 1: 7:13

But I was telling her I mean, that's when you can invest in learning about other cultures, then you'll see what it means to us and you get familiarized and you start to understand, you know some of our beautiful traditions and stuff, and so I say all that to say you know that even if you're unfamiliar with other cultures, because this happens right and it happens to us Latinas a lot. You know, when there's unfamiliarity we have the tendency to I don't think defensive is the word, but I think it's more cautious. I guess, or because we don't understand so right away, our mind has a way of going to the negative end as opposed to. Well, let me explore and find the beauty in why they do what they do. Now, of course, there's going to be some things. You know that, you know, of course has that. I guess you could call it the evil side to it all. But what we want to do is we want to be able to understand and find the beauty of everyone's culture and not be so quick to criticize for what they do.

Speaker 1: 8:21

I've seen this a lot, especially on TikTok, and I don't know why I'm going off to this, but I wanted to say especially on TikTok, because I've seen a lot of women, like in Honduras, el Salvador, mexico, in the poorest countries, and they're still recording TikToks, they're still doing these things and they're washing clothes outside. And I remember someone who's very ignorant in cultures in different places, because when you live in the United States, you have a lot of things that other countries don't have. To us it's, I mean, for us it's just common. For them that's a luxury. A luxury to have a washing machine, a luxury to have a dryer, a luxury to have running water, a luxury to have, you know um, showers and toilets and restrooms, and all of that for us, is a luxury. Even though we may not have the best house or whatever, or people might be in our what we see as poor, it is still a luxury that we have. And so I remember seeing somebody who was washing clothes outside and she's getting water and they're like why are you wasting water? Why are you doing that? How come you don't you know wasting water? Why are you doing that? How come you don't, you know, go here and it's like that's what they do on the everyday. It's a resource that they are using and it's not wasting anything.

Speaker 1: 9:42

And I think for a lot of us that's our mentality is that it's wasteful when we see things like that from other cultures or other countries that don't have what we have. And so sometimes we have to separate ourselves from what we're living in and see what the outside world is, because we have that tendency to be in our own little world, our own little bubble, without even realizing and knowing and understanding what's going on on the outside of outside of the United States, what's going on on the outside of outside of the United States. So, again, I don't know why I went to that tangent, but I just thought, you know, let's, let's acknowledge everyone's culture. And so, I guess, because it is the last weekend of Hispanic Heritage Month and I just kind of wanted to throw that out there so that we can appreciate our Hispanidad, our Latinidad, and just really take the time to reflect that it's, it's. It can be fun.

Speaker 1: 10:39

Now, amiga, I want to take a moment to get a little bit more personal with you, because life has a way of throwing unexpected challenges our way, doesn't it? And I've been reminded of that this past week Actually, it was October like second through my daughter's experience, but God in his goodness has also shown us his faithfulness through it all. What am I talking about? Well, first of all, I am proud to announce that my 15-year-old daughter accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. On last week and on Thursday, october 3rd, she made a public declaration of her faith through water baptism. To tell you that it was an emotional moment and one that I'll never forget moment and one that I'll never forget.

Speaker 1: 11:36

It made this mommy's heart happy to see that my 15 year old, in on her own, received the Lord as her personal savior and to want to get baptized. She's been going to youth group that she absolutely loves. My husband and I have gotten plugged in to a church that we as a family felt comfortable, that we agreed on. Both of our youngest children are partaking in that and they absolutely love going to youth group and it was through there that my daughter received Jesus Christ and it was after that moment that she decided that she wanted to get baptized and I thought that was the most beautiful thing. But she did experience right before that. She did experience a powerful trial before she got baptized trial, um, but you know, before she got baptized and she experienced a form of betrayal or in bullying that no mother ever wants to see their child go through. I mean, I don't care who you are, what you are, but anytime something happens, we want to be there as mama bears. We want to be there to protect our babies, our little cubs. And it was, um.

Speaker 1: 12:56

I wasn't expecting this phone call, but my oldest daughter had called me to tell me that you know, my, my 15 year old had called her and told her hey, can you please come get me out of school? Something? You know, this is happening. Blah, blah, blah, blah, and my daughter calls me at. My oldest daughter calls me up and says hey, mom, you know, um, I got a call and my sister wants me to go pick her up. And I was like, well, what happened? So she tells me what happened and then, in that process, in that moment, my youngest daughter sends me a text message and tells you know, and shows me all of the things that was happening.

Speaker 1: 13:25

So what happened was is that during the school day, my daughter gets a text message from one of her friends, a little boy, and he had taken a picture and sent it to her. And the picture was her phone number and it said send pics to this phone number. And of course it was to send penis pictures to the phone number. And it happened to be my daughter's phone number. And it turns out that it wasn't just in one bathroom stall. It was in two bathroom stalls of the boys restrooms, or in two different bathrooms, and my daughter was like what in the world is happening? Right, and it just you know.

Speaker 1: 14:13

It turns out that that this was happening. Thankfully, though, um, no one did send pictures to her she didn't get any inappropriate pictures because they caught it in time and her first reaction was I don't want to be here, I don't want to go to school anymore, I want to be homeschooled. Mom, can you please homeschool me? Deep down inside, as much as I wanted to say yes, yes, yes. I knew that that wasn't the correct answer, and I had to pray about it, y'all, because I was hot. I was hot, I was one hot mama that wanted to go and protect her baby cub and, I kid y'all not, I was driving down 45, going 45 North, wanting to go 80. Jesus himself was controlling that gas pedal, because my car would not go past 60. And when I tell you I was flooring that gas pedal, it did not budge from 60.

Speaker 1: 15:28

In that moment, god wanted me to come to him and pray to him for my daughter, and that's exactly what I did, because in that moment it was something that could have broken her spirit, and it definitely tested our family. It tested my faith as well. But here's where God's ultimate plan shines through, and I was reminded this in Genesis 50, 20. And it tells us you intended harm for me, but God intended it for good. And what those boys meant for evil, god used for good.

Speaker 1: 16:07

My daughter didn't stay silent, she spoke up, she reached out to us and she reported the incident and even though it hurt and even though it could have left her feeling defeated, she didn't let it stop her from stepping into the waters of baptism. Into the waters of baptism. Let's be real, amiga. Life is full of trials. It can feel like betrayal, like the world is against you. We all face moments like this, but God has a redemptive purpose for every hardship we endure. And this reminds me of the story of Job, because Job lost everything his family, his wealth, his health. It seemed like everything was against him, but through all the pain and suffering, god had a plan for restoration. Job was blessed even more in the latter part of his life than in the beginning. So how can we apply this to our own lives? Just like Job and just like my daughter, we have to find hope in God's redemptive purposes. When the enemy tries to steal, kill and destroy. God is already working on a plan for restoration. We may not see it in the moment, but his goodness will prevail. So, whatever trial you're facing right now, remember that God meant it for good. He sees you, he loves you and he is working everything out for your good, even when it doesn't make sense yet. So I was so proud of my daughter for standing up, for reaching out for help, that it didn't stop her. And in that moment, as I was driving, I realized that I needed to fight.

Speaker 1: 18:02

When I was intentionally going to the school, I wanted to raise all kinds of havoc to the school. Um, principal, assistant, principal, counselor, I mean, I was just ready. I called my husband up. I said, hey, where are you at? And he says I'm doing you know I'm, I'm doing this bank run for the school, whatever. And I said well, I'm about to go to the school. Are you going to meet me? And it was almost like that Um, uh, what is what? Do you call it? Um, bonnie and clyde moment. Like, hey, I'm fixing to go over there. What are you doing? Like, do you have our back? What's up? And and my husband goes well, I guess I'm gonna meet you there and in my, my husband's mind like, oh lord, my wife's about to go, she's gonna go off on people. I better just be there in case I have to just like pull her off of somebody. Because, let's be real, I'm a mom and when my child hurts, I'm going to hurt for my child and I'm going to be angry and, like I said, our mama bear comes out.

Speaker 1: 19:01

But, as I mentioned before, god was in control in that particular moment and what I ended up doing was I ended up fighting, not the people that were supposed to, not the people that are, that were going to help us or that are, are there to help us. I had to fight in prayer and I had to fight the right source, and that source was the adversary, the enemy. And I remember in that car praying and saying you do not have authority over my family. You do not get to have my children, you do not get to ruin their lives. You don't get to do that because my daughter has already accepted Jesus. You are pissed off because you want her. You want to destroy our family.

Speaker 1: 19:55

The thing about it is is that God has me on a journey. God is about to do some things in our lives. God is about to move some things. God is building up this ministry of mommy on a mission, and he is going to reveal himself through this ministry for other Latina women and for other women to see that they have a purpose for their lives, that, no matter what harm has caused them, god is going to give them what they need the healing, the forgiveness, the grace, the mercy, the love that they deserve. Why? Because we are women of God, we are God's princesses, and he is going to do a mighty thing, and so he is about to take me on this ride with him and he is going to show me exactly what it is that he is going to do. See the see. The Lord has already made plans for my life. He's already made plans for my daughter's life. He's already made plans for your life, and the thing about it is is that the adversary is going crazy right now. We can see that in the world today. We see the chaos that's happening. We are living in a modern time, sodom and Gomorrah, and God is about to come and collect all of his people.

Speaker 1: 21:12

We need to stay ready. We need to stay prepared and, instead of fighting each other, we need to be fighting the source, and that source is the enemy. We need to be fighting him, and the way we fight, ladies, the way we are going to fight him, is on our knees, praying to God, praying that God will give us the things that we need in order to fight this battle. We are soldiers, mujeres. We are guerreras. We are the women that are going to have to speak up. We can no longer stay silent, amigas. We cannot stay silent. We need to speak up. No longer are those suppressed voices, no longer are we to stay quiet, no longer are we to shy away. We need to be able to stand up to the adversary and say no, you cannot have our husbands, you cannot have our marriage, you cannot have our children. You cannot take away from me what God has already planned out and given to me.

Speaker 1: 22:10

Oh, I mean, I am so excited because, because it's leading me up to this point too, because, before we wrap up this, I just want to announce to you that Mommy on a Mission has officially rescheduled the she's Bold Women's Conference for May 2nd 2025. And I have some good news, because the early bird tickets are going to go on till November 1st. The she's Bold Conference is for you, mujeres. It's for you to come and just be in fellowship with other women who are ready to take control, who are ready to be healed, who are ready to discover who they are, whose they are, to be ready to walk in confidence. It is going to be such an incredible conference because we're going to lift each other up. We are going to have some powerful women of God speaking to you that evening and I cannot wait.

Speaker 1: 23:11

I am so excited because God has really been, you know, planning all of this event. We were in initially going to have it in November, but it wasn't time yet. It wasn't time. I, you know and I know this because I wasn't even getting prepared or ready or anything because God had opened other doors for me. He allowed me the opportunity to go to be a scholarship recipient for the Mortar Academy Entrepreneurship Program. He's allowing me right now to get my recertification, because I'm no longer going to be just a life coach. I am going to be a Christian life coach and my sessions the sessions that God is going to be a part of, because when I work with women, we are going to include God. See, we can't do this Just me. We can't do this Just me, and and the mujer who is looking to reignite their purpose and passion. We have to include God, because the word says that we have to include him. He has to be part of what we are doing in order to find the purpose that he has already planned out for us. So, mujeres, I am so excited. I am so excited about this event. So, when the tickets go on sale on November 1st, remember to use the code BOLD25 for a special discount.

Speaker 1: 24:34

You don't want to miss this event, amiga. It's going to be a powerful day, filled with inspiration, with healing and connection. So mark your calendar, save the date May 2nd. It's going to be in the evening, on a Friday. Hey, most of us want to have a ladies night out. Well, this is your time to come out and have this lady. Can y'all tell that I'm passionate about this? Can y'all tell that I'm excited? Because I am just like out here shouting to the heavens that this thing is going to happen? This event is going to happen. We thought it wasn't going to take place, but it is, and God is moving things around. I've got the lineup already secured. We are going to have an awesome MC, we're going to have two amazing women of God speaking and we're going to have a fabulous worship leader who are going to lead us in worship.

Speaker 1: 25:27

For this event. I am so excited. I am so excited, all right. So, amigas, thank you, thank you. Thank you so much for spending this time with me and also join me again next Saturday, because I am going to sit down with Melissa Prentice from Bay Area Turning Point Women's Shelter, doing incredible work to support survivors of domestic violence, because we are going to continue. Today I just wanted to come on here and just kind of, like you know, celebrate the ending of the Hispanic Heritage Month, but we're going to jump right back in because, as we know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and so I'm going to be interviewing Melissa Prentice from Bay Area Turning Point. She's going to talk a lot about the programs that are being offered, not just from there, but also from other shelters around. We're going to be raising, continue to raise awareness, and I can't wait to dive into this important conversation with you, all right.

Speaker 1: 26:31

So I mean, as I am, you know, wrapping all this up, I just want to say thank you so much for spending this time with me. I know that it's a Saturday morning, it's eight o'clock and, like my coworkers say, I'm always coming in wild, and what that means is that I'm just coming in loud. But this is me, this is how I am all the time. I just come in singing, you know, good morning. And just because I'm celebrating life, I'm celebrating life. Okay and so for um. So, like I said, thank you for spending this time with me, for celebrating our heritage and for standing strong with me in both the beautiful and tough moments. And don't forget, please, to like, subscribe and share this episode with your friends. Let's keep building this community together. And again, let me just remind you, mark those calendars for she's Bold, may 2nd. Early bird tickets go live on November 1st, so set that reminder. Again, that code is BOLD25.

Speaker 1: 27:38

So until next time, stay blessed, stay confident and always, always, always, walk in your purpose. Walk in your purpose. Thank you for tuning in to the Mommy on a Mission podcast. If you found today's episode inspiring, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share it with your amigas. And before you go, if you're looking to dive deeper into healing self-discovery and walking in confidence, deeper into healing self-discovery and walking in confidence. Be sure to grab a copy of my book Mommy on a Mission a guide towards healing self-discovery and walking in confidence, available now on Amazon. Stay connected with me on social media. Follow us on Instagram at Mommy on a Mission Podcast, and on Facebook at Mommy on a Mission. If you're considering working with a coach but aren't sure if you're ready, send me a DM and I will send you a free gift to help you get started on your journey. Until next Saturday, keep shining and remember the tower is within you. Adios, amigas.