Pre-order the book here: My Name Means Fire

Her podcast The Self-ish Latina was named a “Featured Host” by Apple Podcasts North America and with listeners in 32 countries. Denise’s work has been featured by NBC Nightly News, Forbes, CNN, and PBS, and she was honored with the 2023 MPI President’s Award. She is an alum of the Stanford Latino Leaders Entrepreneur Program, a NALIP Fellow, and the 2018 Bridge Builder Award recipient from the Virginia Hispanic Chamber. Her debut book What Will They Say? will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2026.

She talks about growing up as a pastor’s daughter, studying in the U.S., and choosing Canada with her husband Ale also reflects on living with bipolar disorder and ADHD, and how she’s learned to spot her own patterns, build routines, and find balance. 

A book that helped her on that path is Empowering Books for Women with ADHD, by Estelle Rose.

It’s an honest, thoughtful conversation about finding home and learning to live, not just survive.

In this episode, we cover: 

In this episode, Nikita shares her journey of growing up in India, moving to the U.S. to pursue a career in journalism, and ultimately deciding to return home. We discuss how migration, gender, and identity influence her work and worldview, including her own family's untold story of becoming refugees after the partition.

She reflects on the emotional cost of immigration, the cultural shocks of moving and moving back, and how she finds grounding through joy, travel, and curiosity.

Nikita has reported from across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the U.S., and brings a global perspective to the stories she tells. Outside of journalism, she’s a voracious reader, a beginner scuba diver, an indoor climber, and a regular yoga practitioner.

You can find links to her work mentioned in the episode below, especially recommended if you’re drawn to stories about migration, culture, and what it means to belong:

Why I made ‘Between Two Cultures,’ our series on the daughters of immigrants

Video series - Between Two Cultures

The Pain of Familial Separation

“This Is Not America. This Is Dearborn”

A storyteller who grew up in a Chinese Filipino community, Carren shares how she rebuilt her life and career from Manila to Los Angeles. We talk about the threads that connect her work and the power of stories to make sense of who we are across cultures.

She also talks about her two forthcoming children’s books: Shape of Love, inspired by the Filipino balikbayan box tradition, and Maya Breaks It Down, a STEM-forward story that blends breakdancing with the principles of coding.

Connect and know more about Carren here: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carren-jao/

https://www.instagram.com/carrenjao/

https://bsky.app/profile/carrenjao.bsky.social

As President and CEO of Global Refuge, she shares her journey as a baby fleeing Sri Lanka’s civil war with her parents, and how that experience shaped her path toward becoming one of the most influential leaders in refugee advocacy today.

Krish has committed her career to public service because she knows how differently life could have turned out. She previously served in the Obama White House as Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama and at the State Department as Senior Advisor under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry.

In this episode, she shares her focus and how she is leading Global Refuge through one of the most challenging moments in modern migration.

She also discusses why empathy, storytelling, and community action are crucial tools for shaping policy and protecting the rights of newcomers.

- Watch Krish’s TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnnwhQl4mEA&t=180s

- Support Global Refuge: https://www.globalrefuge.org

In this episode, we talk about starting over professionally, finding your voice in a second language, and raising a bilingual child. Rebeca shares what it’s like to grow in a new environment while holding on to your culture.

We talk about career reinvention, work culture differences, identity, and what it means to build a life abroad and a business.

We talk about identity, burnout in the tech world, and what she’s learned as a highly sensitive person and neurodivergent woman. Marwa also explains why she believes creativity, empathy, and tech can—and should—coexist.

Where to find Marwa: 

https://www.marwamabrouk.com/

Substack: https://highseasmind.substack.com/

In this episode, we discuss what it takes to start over—navigating U.S. immigration, the grind of journalism, and the cultural shift of leaving a deeply communal society for a country built on individualism. Ethar shares the highs and lows of building a life far from home, the emotional toll of long immigration processes, and how she’s found purpose in journalism that directly serves the communities she came from.

You can connect with Ethar here:

https://digitalwomenleaders.com/mentors/ethar-el-katatney/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/etharkamal/

Documented: https://documentedny.com/about-us/#contactus

Sharon’s story spans growing up in Israel, competing at the highest levels of skydiving, leading elite teams, and building a coaching practice that helps people refine their mental operating system to align with their values and purpose.

We explore the connections between a high-performance mindset, immigration, and finding a professional path that feels authentic. Sharon offers practical tools for rewiring unhelpful patterns, explains why most decision-making is emotional rather than rational, and reveals how to build the mental resilience to handle high-stakes moments.

The episode closes with a very special meditation you can return to anytime you need grounding.

Learn more about Sharon’s work at divinginwards.com.

You can connect with Sonia here: https://soniadoulton.com/

Chapters

00:00 Sonia's Early Life in Italy

03:12 The Journey to London and Career in Film

05:34 Transition to Psychotherapy

07:59 Cultural Identity and Belonging

09:12 Challenges of Migration and Community Building

11:28 The Impact of Language and Cultural Differences

13:35 Exploring the Refugee Experience

16:09 The Call to Psychotherapy

22:13 Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing

23:18 The Search for Meaning in Life

24:27 Cultural Identity and Language in Family

26:45 Relocation to New Zealand: A New Chapter

28:32 Transitioning to San Francisco: A New Opportunity

29:22 The Impact of Burning Man on Personal Growth

37:00 Exploring Psychedelics: A Personal Journey

41:24 Psychedelic Therapy: A New Frontier

43:01 Preparation and Integration in Psychedelic Experiences

48:46 Finding Community and Belonging in San Francisco

53:18 Navigating Life as an Immigrant

53:18 Reconnecting with the Feminine Principle

56:40 Resources for Psychedelic Exploration and Feminine Empowerment

Today, she’s a Principal PM at Dun & Bradstreet, where she builds tools that transform global news into real-time insights for risk and compliance teams. Just two years ago, she shifted from managing MENA documentation specialists to leading innovation on the tech side—moving from user to builder.

In this episode, Zeina shares how each chapter of her life has been guided not just by resilience but by deep faith. Her story is full of courage, reinvention, and spiritual grounding, reminding listeners that real success is not just about grit, but about walking forward in faith, even when the path is unclear.

She reflects on her childhood experiences, the cultural contrasts she faced when moving to America, and her passion for art and creativity. Michelle discusses her transition into UX design, the challenges she encountered, and how her personal and professional life has evolved since moving to the U.S. She also highlights the importance of community and family in her life, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In this conversation, Michelle Downes shares her experiences of moving from Ireland, discussing the cultural dynamics of her new neighborhood, the challenges of navigating identity, and the complexities of her work in UX design and construction. She also reflects on the importance of family connections, especially in light of her aging parents. 

The conversation highlights the beauty and challenges of adapting to a new culture while maintaining a sense of identity and purpose.

She has invested in over 90 companies, co-founded more than 15 businesses and three non-profits, and is known for her strategic focus on post-seed rounds in life sciences, climate/energy, and disruptive technologies. In 2020, she launched Wealthing VC Club, an investment group built on transparency, flexibility, and post-investment support.

She also helped shape the VC landscape in Latin America, founding Chile’s first entrepreneurship center and the country’s first seed capital fund, while training MBAs and professors on venture capital.

Alicia holds degrees from Universidad Central de Venezuela, Babson College, and the University of Western Australia. She has lived in six countries, lectured in more than 30, and is now based in Silicon Valley.

We explore how podcasting can be both a business and a calling, what it means to raise bilingual kids, and why the word “opportunity” comes up again and again when people define the American Dream. From navigating language barriers to creating safe spaces for immigrant voices, Heidy shares how storytelling can shift perspectives, challenge stereotypes, and build community.

We discuss:

• How Heidi's immigrant background shaped her identity and experiences.

• Parenting in a bilingual household and its unique challenges.
• How Heidi's career journey led her to the medical field and podcasting.
• Common themes in immigrant stories are often overlooked in most media outlets.
• Heidi's advice for aspiring podcasters.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

05:53 Navigating Bilingualism and Cultural Identity

10:00 Career Journey and Podcast Genesis

14:32 Exploring Immigrant Stories

18:29 Common Threads in Immigrant Experiences

21:29 Defining the American Dream

24:26 Achieving Podcasting Success

26:18 Changing the Narrative on Immigration

28:18 The Attainability of the American Dream

31:38 Words of Encouragement

33:34 Empowering Others Through Podcasting

36:14 Future Aspirations for the Podcast

In this episode, Erika talks about navigating visa uncertainty, landing a life-changing job, and slowly coming to see Australia as home. We talk about work culture, identity, accents, and living far from family. Over a decade later, she’s a citizen with strong roots in both countries.

We discuss the integration of these two worlds, tech and intuition, as she opens up about embracing her spiritual gifts after years of hiding them. Ella also discusses her move to Arizona, her reflections on American culture, and how she balances a demanding career in tech with the deep, healing work of Celestial Lights.

The conversation ends with a powerful tarot reading that offers personal insight and clarity, marking a first for the podcast.

You can learn more about her psychic work here: https://www.celestiallights.net/

Born in the Soviet Union, raised in Israel, and now based in Colorado, Ala shares how her global journey shaped her career in tech, her path into leadership, and what it really takes to leave the 9-to-5 and build something from the ground up. In this episode, we talk about identity, reinvention, building with AI, and the deeply human side of software.

You can learn more about Wisary here: https://wisary.ai/