Amiga, Handle Your Shit

Some people get a wake-up call and make small adjustments. Rose Garcia got hers and decided to go all in on everything. This episode is proof of what happens when someone takes a second chance and refuses to let any part of it go to waste.In this episode of Amiga Handle Your Shit, Jackie Tapia sits down with Rose Garcia, a Latina entrepreneur, real estate veteran, ovarian cancer survivor, and the new co-owner of The Dinah, the legendary queer women's festival now heading into its 35th year. Rose talks about growing up Boricua and Salvadoran in Los Angeles, building a career in real estate after starting out as a teenage intern, and how that hustle eventually opened the door to owning a Hollywood nightclub and co-owning one of the biggest festivals in the LGBTQ community.What makes this conversation land differently is the part Rose almost did not get to tell. A swollen stomach sent her to the emergency room, and within days she was diagnosed with stage 3C ovarian cancer. Doctors gave her a timeline if treatment did not work. She walks through what it actually felt like to sit with that news, how she shifted into fight mode, and the lesson she still carries two years later, now cancer-free.Rose also opens up about her connection to “The L Word,” where her real life became the basis for a character, and what it meant to show a Latina Catholic family choosing love over judgment on national television. From East LA bars to red carpets to hospital waiting rooms, this is a conversation about showing up for your life, on your own terms.Tune in to episode 285 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for a Pride Month conversation about resilience, representation, and what it means to get a second chance and actually use it.Episode TakeawaysHow a teenage internship turned into a full career in real estate, and the network that made it possible (05:44)The story behind the Dinah, the 35-year-old queer women's festival now run by Rose and her business partner (08:26)How Rose's real life became the inspiration for a character on The L Word, and the road trip through East LA bars that started it all (12:10)What it meant to show a Catholic Latino family choosing acceptance, and the messages that came after (15:51)The swollen stomach, the ER visit, and the diagnosis that came faster than anyone expected (24:04)What stage 3C ovarian cancer treatment actually looked like, and the mindset shift that got her through it (27:08)Why Rose says cancer is not the death sentence it used to be, and what she changed in her life afterward (32:02)Connect with Rose Garcia:InstagramLinkedInThe DinahLet’s Connect!WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInJackie Tapia Arbonne websiteBook: The AMIGA Way: Release Cultural Limiting Beliefs to Transform Your Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most businesses start with an idea. The resilient ones start with a pivot.Before Local Fixture became a creative landmark in Whittier, it was an e-commerce hustle when larger companies overtook the market. This episode is about what happens when entrepreneurs read the writing on the wall, trust their instincts, and build something rooted in community instead of algorithms.In today’s episode of Amiga Handle Your Shit, Jackie Tapia sits down with Erika and Jason Chung, founders of Local Fixture, to talk about their journey from ranking number one on Google for handbags in the early 2000s to creating one of Whittier’s most beloved local storefronts. What began as a search-engine-optimized online business eventually transformed into a physical space designed to foster connections and create a curated local experience.Jason shares how his early success in e-commerce forced him to pivot when corporate giants overtook the market, and how family investment and calculated risk made their first storefront possible. Erika reflects on the vision behind Local Fixture — inspired by Westside boutiques, fueled by the desire to bring something fresh to their hometown, and shaped by the needs of young families craving thoughtful, curated products.Together, they unpack what scaling really looks like: outgrowing a beloved space after 12 years, navigating leases, managing cash flow, and building a team that feels like family. They also dive into practical business lessons — from reading Profit First to prioritizing cash flow, to using organic social media and AI experimentation to stay relevant without massive marketing budgets.Tune in to episode 272 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for an honest conversation about pivoting, scaling, family-run business dynamics, and building something local that big corporations cannot replicate.Episode Takeaways:How ranking #1 on Google for handbags led to an unexpected pivot (04:00)Why competing with Amazon forced a strategic shift into brick-and-mortar (05:00)The role of family investment in launching their first storefront (08:00)How inspiration from Westside boutiques shaped the Local Fixture concept (09:30)What scaling actually looks like after 12 years in one location (10:20)The philosophy behind creating an in-store experience customers cannot get online (11:30)Navigating hiring, delegation, and working as a married couple (14:00)Why passion and realistic expectations matter more than hype (15:40)Why cash flow management is the backbone of any sustainable business (16:00)How organic social media — and even AI — plays a role in modern marketing (18:00)Resources:Local Fixture websiteInstagramTikTokConnect with Jason:Email: jason@localfixture.comLinkedInLet's Connect!WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInJackie Tapia Arbonne's websiteBook: The AMIGA Way: Release Cultural Limiting Beliefs to Transform Your Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a quiet kind of courage that comes with being the first. First to apply. First to navigate systems your parents never had access to. First to make decisions without a roadmap. This episode is about that courage, and the trust it takes to keep moving anyway.In today’s episode of Amiga Handle Your Shit, Jackie Tapia sits down with Valerie Carrillo, a first-generation Latina navigating the college application process largely on her own. With parents who did not attend college, Valerie shares what it has meant to figure things out in real time, ask for help when she needed it, and learn how to advocate for herself in rooms she was never taught how to enter.Valerie reflects on studying abroad at a young age, returning home with a broader sense of what is possible, and how that experience shaped her confidence and resilience. She opens up about the pressure many first-gen students carry, the fear of rejection, and the mindset shifts that helped her stay grounded while applying to competitive schools without guarantees.The conversation also touches on faith, timing, and learning to trust that not getting what you want right away does not mean you are failing. Valerie reminds us that outcomes do not define worth and that sometimes the long way around still gets you exactly where you are meant to be.Tune in to episode 270 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for a real and refreshing conversation on first-generation ambition, self-trust, and navigating the unknown without losing yourself.Episode Takeaways:What it’s like to be first-gen with no blueprint for college (04:40)How studying abroad early built confidence and independence (11:50)Why asking for help became a turning point in her application process (24:30)The emotional side of applying to competitive universities (26:40)How faith and perspective helped her release fear around outcomes (34:10)Why rejection does not mean you are off track (34:50)Connect with Valerie:InstagramLet's Connect!WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInJackie Tapia Arbonne's websiteBook: The AMIGA Way: Release Cultural Limiting Beliefs to Transform Your Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Healing does not always start in a textbook or a therapy room. Sometimes it begins in a family story, a breakup, a body that learned to survive too early, or a question we were never taught to ask ourselves. This episode is about what happens when a Latina decides to listen to those experiences instead of outrunning them.In today’s episode of Amiga Handle Your Shit, Jackie Tapia sits down with licensed clinical social worker, somatic therapist, and holistic healer Norma Garcia, a proud first-generation Mexicana born and raised in Los Angeles. Together, they explore how personal history, cultural identity, and lived experience can be resignified into powerful tools for healing, not just for ourselves, but for our communities.Norma reflects on growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants, carrying responsibility early and learning how to survive emotionally before she ever had language for it. She speaks to the invisible weight many first-generation Latinas carry, the pressure to succeed, to sacrifice, to keep going. That weight followed her into years of community mental health work, where burnout and broken systems forced her to ask a hard question: what does it cost to always be the strong one? Her shift into private practice was not about ambition, but about choosing care that felt honest, human, and whole.She also shares how a personal breakup cracked something open, exposing patterns of people-pleasing and self-abandonment rooted in culture and survival. That moment reshaped her work, leading her to support Latinas in understanding how they love, how they attach, and how safety actually feels in the body. Through somatic healing, Norma reminds us that healing is not just thinking differently; it is learning to feel safe again. She closes with a simple grounding practice, a quiet invitation to come back home to yourself.Tune in to episode 268 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for a deeply affirming conversation on Latinidad, self-trust, healing the body, and turning lived experience into a source of wisdom and service.Episode TakeawaysHow growing up first-gen shapes responsibility, identity, and emotional survival (04:00)Why mental health conversations often skip Latino households and how that impacts adulthood (06:40)What ten years in community mental health taught Norma about burnout and scarcity (14:30)Why entrepreneurship became an act of self-preservation, not ambition (16:00)How personal heartbreak revealed generational patterns around love and self-abandonment (20:00)What “love blueprints” are and how culture shapes how we attach and relate (21:30)Why healing requires addressing the nervous system, not just the mind (27:00)How somatic therapy reconnects the body, emotions, and sense of safety (28:30)A simple grounding practice to support yourself during emotional triggers (31:30)Why Latinas deserve healing that honors culture, body, and soul together (34:00)Connect with Norma Garcia:WebsiteLinkedInInstagramLet's Connect!WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInJackie Tapia Arbonne's websiteBook: The AMIGA Way: Release Cultural Limiting Beliefs to Transform Your Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year has passed since the Palisades and Eaton fires tore through Los Angeles, but the real story is what came after. The rebuilding. The delays. And the systems that continue to fail the communities most impacted.In today’s episode, Jackie sits down with real estate developer and community voice Marisela Arechiga for a raw conversation about what the one-year mark after the fires actually looks like on the ground, beyond headlines and talking points.Marisela brings a builder’s perspective to the aftermath, explaining why rebuilding has stalled, how Los Angeles permitting and planning processes slow recovery, and why Latino families in places like Altadena have been especially affected. From insurance gaps to generational homes being lost, they unpack how real estate, policy, and bureaucracy quietly displace entire communities.The conversation widens into national and international politics, touching on recent U.S. leadership decisions abroad and how aggressive power moves ripple culturally and economically. Jackie and Marisela question what these decisions mean for immigrant communities, trust in leadership, and the narratives pushed through media and protest movements.They also explore issues many avoid saying out loud: private equity buying up land, homelessness as an industry, the role of AI in modernizing broken systems, and why everyday people are increasingly the ones exposing waste, fraud, and dysfunction.Tune in to episode 266 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for a grounded, perspective-shifting conversation on rebuilding Los Angeles, questioning power, and why informed Latina voices matter now more than ever.Episode Takeaways:What the one-year anniversary of the Palisades and Eaton fires really looks like on the ground (02:10)Why rebuilding in Los Angeles could take a decade, not years (03:30)How permitting delays and bureaucracy stall recovery efforts (04:40)The hidden impact on Latino families with generational real estate (07:20)Why many homeowners will never rebuild and are being forced to relocate (08:30)The role of private equity firms in buying up post-disaster real estate (09:00)How proposed federal action could shift real estate power back to homeowners (09:40)What international power plays reveal about leadership, optics, and consequences (15:00)Why protests, movements, and media narratives deserve deeper scrutiny (21:00)How everyday people using their voice are exposing fraud and influencing change (28:30)What homelessness, leadership, and city policy say about priorities in Los Angeles (34:00)Why this moment demands accountability, not silence (37:30)Connect with Marisela Arechiga:LinkedInInstagramNew Generation Home Improvements WebsiteNew Generation Home Improvements InstagramLet's Connect!WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInJackie Tapia Arbonne's websiteBook: The AMIGA Way: Release Cultural Limiting Beliefs to Transform Your Life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tech is no longer the future. It is the present. And it is moving fast. Today’s theme, Latinas Leading the Tech Revolution, is a reminder that innovation is not reserved for a select few. It belongs to us too, and this moment demands that we stop standing on the sidelines and start shaping the world being built around us.In today’s episode, we revisit three powerhouse conversations with four mujeres who are rewriting the narrative about who gets to lead, innovate, and take up space in tech. Their journeys are different, but they echo the same message: ownership. Ownership of their voice. Ownership of their path. Ownership of their right to stand in rooms where new ideas take shape.We begin with Nikki Barua, interim CEO of Latinas in Tech, whose life is a masterclass in reinvention and bold vision. Nikki shows us that obstacles are not barriers; they are gateways, and when you move with intention, your path expands. Her approach to leadership encourages us to rethink what is possible when Latina women fully step into their ambitions.Next, we revisit Christina Gallegos, leadership strategist and former Google leader. Christina gives us a behind-the-scenes understanding of what leadership looks like inside one of the world’s biggest tech ecosystems. Her message is simple and powerful: leadership without humanity is empty, and women lead differently because we care differently.Finally, we return to a fire-filled conversation with Marisela Arechiga and Lizette Espinosa, entrepreneurs and AI educators dedicated to bringing accessible tech knowledge directly into our community. They remind us that our community cannot afford to be last in line for the tools shaping the world, especially AI.Tune in and let these four mujeres show you what happens when Latinas stop waiting to be invited into the future and start building it.Episode Takeaways:Why Nikki believes obstacles are levels, not limits (2:20)The childhood imprint that shaped her belief in possibility and impact (3:10)How reinvention becomes a superpower when you choose curiosity over fear (4:55)Christina’s path through top global companies and what prepared her for Google (7:50)Why tech is “like water” and why every industry now depends on it (8:40)Her role in expanding Google Maps to support users in crisis and emergency zones (10:00)Why Latina representation in tech isn’t optional, it’s essential (12:50)Marisela’s callout: our community cannot afford to be the last adopters of emerging tech (16:00)The truth about AI tools, what they can and can’t replace, and why human connection stays central (22:40)Connect with Nikki Barua:XLinkedInConnect with Christina D. Gallegos:LinkedInGradient CoastConnect with Marisela Arechiga:InstagramNew Generation Home Improvements WebsiteConnect with Lizette Espinosa:InstagramLinkedInWebsite Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some shifts feel like a choice. Others hit you like a jolt that forces you to look at your life and ask, "Who am I becoming?" This week's episode brings together two mujeres whose stories mirror a truth many of us avoid: sometimes life doesn't fall apart, it pulls you forward.In this episode, we revisit two powerful interviews from 2025 that reveal what happens when a Latina stops moving on autopilot and starts moving with intention. These women's stories are different, yet they echo the same lesson: there comes a moment when you can no longer ignore what your spirit has been asking of you.First, we hear from Brenda Palache, serial entrepreneur and owner of LVS Creations and Bartender Brenda LVS. Brenda traded a stable banking career for the chance to raise her daughter on her terms and build businesses rooted in creativity, family, and freedom. Her leap was not glamorous or convenient. It was necessary. And it reminds us that responsibility can be an anchor or a compass, depending on how we move with it.Then we shift into the emotional and deeply resonant story of Monique Loza, interior designer and founder of Losa Space and Design. Monique didn't step into self-worth. She was pushed into it by betrayal that forced a radical internal shift. Her breaking point became her turning point, revealing a truth she had ignored for years: love that doesn't begin within will never feel like enough.Together, these mujeres offer a message that lands with clarity. Your life expands the moment you stop negotiating with your own needs. Your identity is allowed to evolve. And choosing yourself is not selfish. It is structure. It is healing. It is movement.Tune in to episode 262 and let these stories anchor you in the reminder that you have permission to change your mind, your path, and your life.Episode Takeaways:Why motherhood forced Brenda to rethink what success really meant for her (7:30)The moment she realized that stability was costing her presence and freedom (9:00)How leaving corporate life cracked open her creativity and entrepreneurial courage (10:00)The cultural expectations that shaped Monique's choices and kept her in survival mode (13:50)How betrayal became the mirror that revealed where she had abandoned herself (15:00)The breaking point that led Monique to choose self-worth over staying small (18:40)Why self-love is not a feeling but a practice that rebuilds your entire life (20:00)Why your story is still unfolding and how to step into the version of you that is waiting (22:00)Connect with Brenda Palache:InstagramIVS Creations InstagramConnect with Monique Loza:InstagramFollow Loza Space + Design on InstagramLet's Connect!WebsiteFacebookInstagramJackie Tapia Arbonne's websiteBook: The AMIGA Way Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.