Luz Community Speakers

Are you currently seeking guidance on your life path? Dealing with loss or heartbreak and want help clearing the fog? Join Psychic Medium, Natalia Ochoa, for our monthly series, Querida Natalia. Each month, we will select questions to answer via IG Live.

Ready to have your questions answered by Natalia? Submit your questions here!

Ann is #firstgen Chilean-American, born in Viña del Mar, Chile and raised in Los Angeles. She attended UCLA and USC, and created a career in Silicon Valley helping hundreds of startups with growth through media. She is the co-founder and CMO of Latina green beauty brand Vamigas, now at Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Thirteen Lune, and more. She is a member of Pipeline Angels, a network of women and femme investors who together fund women-led startups, and the co-founder of blx, an angel syndicate fund made up primarily of Black and Latinx investors.

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Find and Connect with Yolanda:
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IG: @annmaureensf

Website: amurraypr.com

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To Connect with Vamigas:

IG: @vamigasbotanicals

Website: vamigas.com/

Yolanda Ramos, better known as La Clinical Comadre, is an Associate Clinical Social Worker and practicing psychotherapist providing therapy to adults experiencing mild to moderate mental health symptoms. With a special interest in grief and loss, she works to help the Latine community learn to live and cope with the hardships of working through losing the ones we love.

Find and Connect with Yolanda:
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IG: @ClinicalComadre

Website: https://clinicalcomadre.com

Paulette Piñero is an award-winning social entrepreneur, writer, leadership coach, and speaker who dedicated her career to closing the leadership gap for Latinas and Women of Color. Paulette has over 16 years of experience in the social impact field and is skilled in Anti-Racist Business Development, Equity-Centered Leadership Strategy, and Professional Branding. Through her company Unstoppable Latina LLC, Paulette guides Latina CEOs to harness their strengths, amplify their voice, and live their purpose so they become unstoppable. Using an equity and justice-focused approach, her business consulting and leadership coaching services strive to create a world where leadership is diverse, purpose-driven, and joyful. Paulette’s work has been featured in Telemundo, Meta, Muse Careers, Ladders News, Remezcla, The Mujerista, and more. She’s also the co-host of the Making Líder Moves Podcast and a weekly columnist for BeLatina News. A proud Boricua born and raised, Paulette currently resides in Springfield, Massachusetts, and spends most of her weekends finding the best brunch spots with her kids Alex and Sofia.

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Find and Connect with Paulette:
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IG: @unstoppable_latina
Website: unstoppablelatina.com

Natalie “La Brujita Del Jardin” Garcia is a Latina Author, Writer, Creative Director, and Poet focused on healing, self-love, and spiritual manifestation. She specializes in creating manifesting rituals and guiding women with busy lifestyles who yearn to channel and awaken their own cosmic magic. Natalie also uses the power of writing and affirmations as a form of spiritual guidance for mental & emotional stability. Her magical knowledge & intention is geared toward helping others become more self-aware, heal past traumas with the power of words & remove creative blockages. She has worked with many entrepreneurs and creatives in the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries. La Brujita has successfully guided individuals to increase their manifesting marketing powers, gain creative confidence, and follow their intuitive creativity. Her first book “Cósmica” is a collection of spell-casting poems, mantras, & magical rituals and it was published in the fall of 2021 with Alegria Publishing. Natalie lends her spiritual knowledge of spellcasting and ritual creation to help a new generation of modern witches & beginners navigate their magical journey and manifestations with love.

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Find and Connect with Natalie:

‍Website: labrujitadeljardin.com
IG: @loveitnat / @labrujitadeljardin
‍Ella Puede Podcast: Spotify

Sisther Pravia, better known as La Bruja, comes from a generation of Nicaraguan natives. Born and raised in Miami, she’s been intricately linked to the spirit world since she was a child. Studying premonitions in her dreams since she was 10, Sisther began learning how to harness her inner magic such as moon magic, tarot, astrology, yoga, meditation, sound healing, and so much more.

Two years ago, she began studying reiki to further her mystical study. Sisther uses her intuition to connect with divine guides for counsel during sessions. Her life purpose is to help the Latino community live their dream life with tarot guidance and other healing practices.

Find and Connect with Sisther: 

‍Website: labrujadel305.com 
IG: @thetarotqueen
FB: labrujadel305
TikTok: labrujadel305

At the intersection where education, technology, public health, and culture meet user-centered design, I play Frogger. Collecting stories, making connections, and mastering this space in order to prevent others from splooshing as they attempt to navigate this intricately nuanced environment.

Since my toddler years getting lost in grocery stores only to be found in the produce section asking strangers to “tell me more” about their lives, I’ve had a passion for storytelling. Seeking ways to relate to others through empathy, I believe that stories are our best vehicle to design a world of understanding.

I want to continue to help you give life to your stories, finding ways to use them to design connections that make life more meaningful.

In life, we are all designers. Whether you design for the world, a community, a program, or just for yourself, we are all influential in the design that creates beauty in the world. I am a designer, an educator, a programmer, and a storyteller. I design amazing, clean, user experiences; I educate and empower people to live their best versions of themselves; I program people through empathy, and I live to tell the tale in order to inspire others to keep designing.

Jorge is a firm believer in the power of storytelling and visual communications to inform and move people into action. He spent more than 15-years covering race and politics for national news outlets. He has been recognized with a GLAAD Media Award, and medals from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists for his investigative work on immigration detention centers.

Find and connect with Jorge and the Narrative Initiative team at:

Twitter: @thisisjorge

‍narrativeinitiative.org

She/her

Rinku is a writer and social justice strategist. She is formerly the Executive Director of Race Forward and was Publisher of their award-winning news site Colorlines. Under Sen’s leadership, Race Forward generated some of the most impactful racial justice successes of recent years, including Drop the I-Word, a campaign for media outlets to stop referring to immigrants as “illegal” which led to the Associated Press, LA Times, and many more outlets to change their practice, USA Today, LA Times, and many more outlets changing their practice. She was also the architect of the Shattered Families report, which identified the number of kids in foster care whose parents had been deported.

Her books Stir it Up and The Accidental American theorize a model of community organizing that integrates a political analysis of race, gender, class, poverty, sexuality, and other systems. As a consultant, Rinku has worked on narrative and political strategy with numerous organizations and foundations, including PolicyLink, the ACLU, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation. She serves on numerous boards, including the Women’s March, where she is Co-President and the Foundation for National Progress, publisher of Mother Jones magazine.

Find and connect with Rinku and the Narrative Initiative team at:

Twitter: @rinkuwrites

‍narrativeinitiative.org

‍She/her

Megan is a communications strategist with over fifteen years of experience in the United States and Southern Africa.

With experience in both editorial and graphic design, Megan has worked to help strengthen organizational sustainability, infrastructure, and commitment to racial, environmental, and gender justice. She has worked with a wide range of organizations, philanthropists, and activists including PhytoTrade Africa, Hedgebrook: Women Authoring Change, Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, and Unbound Philanthropy and Race Forward.

Megan received her Bachelor of Arts in Women’s and Gender Studies and Mathematics from Sonoma State University and Master of Arts from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Her writing has been published by Colorlines, alternet.org, and the New York Times.

Find and connect with Megan and the Narrative Initiative team at:

Twitter: @meganizen

‍narrativeinitiative.org

Dior Vargas is an award-winning mental health activist with over 10 years of experience in advocacy. She specializes in working with universities and corporations to discuss self-care advocacy, wellness accessibility, diversity within mental health, and related topics.

She is the creator of the People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project, a response to the invisibility of Black Indigenous People of Color in the media representation of mental illness. She is also the editor of The Color of My Mind, a photo essay book based on the photo project.

Dior is the recipient of numerous awards, including the White House Champion of Change for Disability Advocacy Across Generations under the Obama Administration.

Dior tours the country delivering keynotes, hosting workshops, and speaking on panels, and her work and insight have been covered in media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, and NBC News Latino. Dior has a BA in the Study of Women and Gender from Smith College, an MS in Publishing from Pace University, and an MPH from New York University. She is a native New Yorker and currently lives in New York City.

You can also find and connect with Dior here:

Insta: @dior_vargas

Twitter: @DiorVargas

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diorvargas

diorvargas.com

Gia Fey is a bilingual international fitness trainer, blogger, public speaker, and television host. She began her business, Body By Gia to help more people around the world and now does so with more than 3 Million Followers on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok. She has been featured on Telemundo, NBC News, Univision and LATV. Gia has collaborated with stars like Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Eugenio Derbez and Oscar De La Hoya. Gia has solid experience in fitness and social media marketing and has leveraged this to create hundreds of campaigns for million-dollar brands.

Having grown up overweight, Gia redefined herself and turned her passion for health and fitness into a career, earning a prestigious first-class degree from Purdue University. Gia uses her platform to be a positive influence for curvy girls by promoting health, self-love, and fitness.

Her “Curvygirls Fitness” program originally released on DVD, was a hit amongst followers and quickly became her trademark program. Gia now provides personal and online training services. Gia is the CEO of Body By Gia, a Curvygirls fitness community, an American Heart Association Spokeswoman and an avid philanthropist.

You can also find Gia on

Instagram: @bodybygia‍

Twitter: @bodybygia‍

TikTok: @bodybygia‍

YouTube: @bodybygia‍

Facebook: Body by Gia

Cintia Najla Zarate (she/her/ella) is a graphic designer with 15 years of experience in the field. In her current role, she is the lead digital designer for Luz Media. Ever since Cintia started with Luz Media she has felt her work is more meaningful and making an impact that creates change through her art. She loves that she can convey a message to people that makes her work go beyond just designing. Cintia has learned how to communicate with people throughout her career and loves creating amazing content. She has worked in app design, web design, and is now focused on designing for digital marketing.

She loves rock climbing, and dreams of creating her own rock climbing gym exclusively for women to practice the sport. And of course, the gym will have the best design in town.

Julie Diaz Waters is a feminist, activist and California lobbyist deeply committed to fighting for equality on all levels. Julie was born in Berkeley to an African American father and Mexican American mother and raised in Oakland. Her parents instilled the value of hard work and service to her community at a very young age and those lessons have guided her life long commitment to public service.

Julie serves as the Vice Chair of Emerge California, a candidate training program that empowers Democratic self -identified women leaders to run for elected office —and WIN. Additionally, she serves as an elected member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee (AD-15) and in 2019 was appointed to serve as Lead Chair of the Organizing Committee of theCalifornia Democratic Party, where she leads their statewide voter outreach program.

Ms. Waters is a graduate of San Diego State University, JohnF. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University Executive Education,Emerge California, Leadership East Bay and in her free-time volunteers in her local community as a member of the Alameda Contra Costa Chapter of the Links,Incorporated.  

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Genesis Gutierrez AKA Gen Kahlo Tarot has been doing bilingual tarot readings for clients in over 6 countries since 2019. Her specialty is the tarotscope, combining astrology and tarot to deliver a unique “horoscope” or forecast for her querents. Genesis does private consultations and readings which can be scheduled by visiting her instagram page or booking an appointment here.

2022 is represented by The Lovers tarot card, representing perfect unions, shared values, and the choice to come together.

Kevin started Cape Coaching and co-founded Mirror Leadership

to find out if we can transform work from the thing that blocks the life you want into the thing that actually empowers it. Through the years his work with top leaders in companies ranging from Northwestern Mutual to HealthAde has lead him to develop a proprietary, operational model of leadership so that anyone with the desire to serve and grow can earn the right to lead others, even if they’re not a cis white male.

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Find and Connect with Coach Cape on: 

LinkedIn Kevin Cape: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwcape

Insta Kevin Cape: @listenforthemustnts

Insta Mirror: @leadwithmirror

leadwithmirror.com

She/Her/Ella

Cindy Y. Rodríguez is a writer, editor and storyteller who has worked in journalism for over 15 years for companies like NBC, HuffPost, CNN, and, presently, as a digital producer PBS.

She loves creating impactful and diverse content for English-dominant Latinos, specializing on topics like identity, culture and race. In 2018, she founded Reclama, a spiritual hiking and journaling community for women of color. Reclama combines her love of nature, writing and creating safe spaces for BIPOC to thrive. Cindy was born and raised in New Jersey by her Peruvian parents and identifies as indigenous.

You can also find and connect with Cindy here: 

IG Cindy Rodriguez: @bycindyrodriguez

IG Reclama: @recla.ma

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Lucy is a licensed Nevada lawyer and former Nevada Assemblywoman. She and three of her Latina colleagues became the first Latinas to be elected to the state legislature in the state’s history in 2010. Lucy changed course in 2016 when she began a successful career in digital media. She launched the public affairs department at Latine digital publisher mitú and then co-founded Luz Media, realizing that Latinas, except for some stereotypes here and there, were almost entirely absent from mainstream media. She’s been on a mission to correct narratives and keep communities empowered with news and information they can trust ever since.

SUMA is a wealth building digital platform for the Latinx Community via a holistic approach of fin-tech, digital media, and virtual experiences.

SUMA is a digital platform to teach the Latinx Community how to build and sustain wealth. SUMA is a revolutionary financial inclusion brand that inspires, informs and empowers the Latinx community. Suma uses the holistic approach of digital media, fin-tech and virtual experiences to spice up dry and complex topics of investment, debt management, and creating and sustaining wealth. Most importantly, we translate these topics to the global community of Latinx individuals.

By creating culturally relevant content, virtual experiences, and providing financial tools we want to demystify and reimagine financial inclusion. Through entertainment we aim to become the trusted source to help the Latinx community both overcome current financial challenges, and create a more prosperous future.

SUMA was founded by an experienced team of entrepreneurs, financial professionals and socially minded change agents with a track record of successfully building iconic brands for Latinx audiences.

Suma’s Vision:

To eliminate the Latinx wealth gap and bring financial inclusion to the Latinx community by making money matters RELATABLE, ACCESSIBLE, and SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND.