Hyphenated with Joanna Hausmann and Jenny Lorenzo

Joanna and Jenny talk about what they did over the holidays, the types of superstitions Latinos observe for New Year Eve, some other New Years rituals from around the world, and why those types of traditions can be so strange but important. (*PLUS Hyphenated will be taking a short break in the new year, with a new episode coming later in January.*)

To commemorate the 100th episode of the podcast, Jenny and Joanna look back at how Hyphenated came to be, and then read emails from listeners, including one person that listens to the podcast when they are feeling lonely, another who was inspired to give up being a telemarketing scammer and go back to theater, and few who were encouraged to get diagnosed and go to therapy after listening to the show (PLUS Kevin finally airs his grievances about what is the hardest part of producing the podcast!)

Jenny and Joanna welcome their friend Carolina Ravassa, a Colombian-American actor who voices the character Sombra in the video game OVERWATCH, as they discuss the process and experience of being a voice actor, how the interactivity of video games is different than the passive relationship with film and TV, and what it’s like to interact with fans of immensely popular characters you bring to life (PLUS Joanna finally comes out as a video game nerd!).

Jenny welcomes back her best friend Karla Guerra, who was born in Honduras to her Honduran mother, but raised by her Colombian step-father’s family in the United States, as they talk about her experience not feeling Colombian, Honduran or American enough, growing up with family members who felt the need to overly-explain why she looked different than them, what it’s like to interact with Hondurans when she wasn’t raised with their customs and food, and how being “extra-hyphenated” might actually be the basis of Latin American culture.

Joanna welcomes back comedian and writer Eitan Levine, to discuss the growing concern of antisemitism in the mainstream sphere, including recent inflammatory statements from Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), share their experiences with the harassment they receive when being openly Jewish on the internet, and dispel myths about Judaism.

Joanna and Jenny talk all things horror movies, as they discuss the ways different cultures tell scary stories, how the horror genre has changed and evolved to reflect the times over the decades, and why comedians, like Jordan Peele, are so good at creating scary experiences.

Joanna and Jenny try talking about the current trend in the news of celebrities cheating on their spouses, how tying your personal life into your social media and digital content brand can backfire when you have a perceived moral failing, and what exactly is a “Wife Guy” and why it might be a red flag.

Joanna and Jenny discuss the recent situation where a group of Venezuelan migrants seeking asylum where sent from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard by the governor of Florida, how they feel the whole stunt backfired on the intended purpose, and why it’s disheartening to them when Venezuelan and Cuban immigrants already living in the U.S. look down on current migrants fleeing those same countries.

Jenny and Joanna share various idioms and expressions from their home countries and try to explain their history and meaning, including “Un arroz con mango” and “Cachicamo diciéndole al morrocoy conchudo”, as well as other strange sayings from around the world. (With a cameo from Jenny’s dog Delilah, who’s antics coin a brand new 'modismo'.)

Joanna welcomes Ximena Sariñana, who started her career playing the child villain on the telenovela LUZ CLARITA and is now a Grammy Nominated singer-songwriter, as they talk about the constantly changing music industry, what it was like being considered a “Diva” while growing up as a child performer, and finding a balance as an artist and creator.

Jenny and Joanna discuss the current state of the entertainment industry, how corporate mergers end up cancelling Latino led shows like GORDITA CHRONICLES and movies like BATGIRL, why the age of the streaming services has ultimately closed more doors than it’s opened, and when algorithms control how authentic what you watch can be.

Hyphenated producer Kevin interviews Joanna and Jenny (separately) about why both of them were too busy to host the podcast this week. Turns out they each had a very packed and eventful week working at San Diego Comic-Con, Jenny moderating a panel for an upcoming Disney show in front of 4000 people, and Joanna on a panel for another upcoming Disney show that she is the head writer for (and that both she and Jenny voice characters on).

Jenny and Joanna share their childhood experiences with SUMMER VACATION, like being sent to an American-style sleep-away camp in the grassland plains of Venezuela, spending the entire vacation in abuela and abuelo's backyard learning about botany and talking to parrots, getting bullied at science camp, and falling in love during summer school (as well as wondering whatever happened to all those kids that signed their yearbooks).