Sarah Eagle Heart is an Emmy-winning social justice storyteller, activist, media strategist, and producer focused on advocacy on behalf of Indigenous Peoples. She is an internationally accomplished executive with a diverse background in tribal, corporate, and non-profit organizations. Her creative projects are rooted in her worldview as an Oglala L…

Tangia Renee is doing something a little different and coming out from behind the mic to be a guest on her own show, sort of. After working hard on a new project Tangia Renee and Maribel Quezada Smith are here to talk about the launch of BIPOC Podcast Creators. An online community and consulting firm that aims to help BIPOC creators in podcasting r…

Dash Harris Machado is a Peabody-award-winning multimedia journalist and entrepreneur currently based in Panama. She is the producer of NEGRO: A docu-series about Latino Identity, a decade-long, ongoing web-based docu-series that explores AfroDiasporic identity, colonization, the historical and present-day class, and color complex, and hierarchy am…

A self-love advocate, businesswoman, and community champion, Kim Guerra, the founder of Brown Badass Bonita founded one of my favorite online small businesses. Brown Badass Bonita is a brand and movement that she considers to be a work of self-love and an expression of her love for her community. Guerra is the author of “Mariposa” and “Mija”: both …

Bree Davies is a multimedia journalist and arts community advocate born and raised in Denver. Rooted in the world of Do-It-Yourself arts and music, Davies co-founded and produced several music and arts festivals and has toured the country with various bands. Parallel to a decade-long practice in arts and organizing, Davies has also cultivated a car…

Erika Righter is a social worker-turned small business owner. Since coming to Colorado, she has worked with youth experiencing homelessness and in the foster care system, rural families, and with low-income older adults. In 2012, Erika founded Hope Tank, a gift store that gives back in the heart of the Baker neighborhood. She uses retail to connect…

Today we have Dusti Gurule to talk about how reproductive rights are not just a women’s issue and how she is building collective community power through her work at Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR). Dusti is an organizing and community-building expert and is here to share about how movements are created a…

Detroit Native, Nicole Lindsey is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director for Detroit Hives, a 501c3 nonprofit working to create sustainable communities for people and pollinators by transforming vacant lots into pollinator-friendly spaces. In just under four years, Nicole educated thousands of Detroit-area youth on the importance of bee conservat…

Marcia Chong Rosado is one of less than 30 Latinas in the U.S. in the venture capital (VC) field. Focusin on BIPOC founders, she is passionate about using her expertise to help scale BIPOC led tech startups. Learn about her journey into the VC world and her focus on helping train and fund underrepresented entrepreneurs. She is currently dedicating …

Farzana Doctor is a Toronto-based award-winning writer, activist, and psychotherapist working to ban female genital cutting in her Dawoodi Bohra community. In her latest book, Seven, Farzana blends beautiful storytelling with social justice, using the pages of Seven to tell the story of female genital mutilation and its impact on the communities wh…

We're thrilled to present to you Season 7, The Movement Makers. This season we're bringing you truly groundbreaking women who have found imaginative and creative ways to make positive impacts in the world, and they are creating movements in the process. From a beekeeper revitalizing a community to someone that is using travel to create game-changin…

Ever since I applied to become an American citizen, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be the "perfect" American. To answer this question I have to face a childhood trauma before I take my oath. This is the final episode of season two. Stay close to me on social media or my website for details on the next season! ¡Hasta pronto! ABOUT T…

#158. In this solo Spanish-language episode of DIFERENTE, I explore why it's so challenging to listen to our intuition while seeking perfection. En este episodio de DIFERENTE exploro la dinámica entre la intuición y el deseo a llevar una vida perfecta. ----more---- ABOUT THE SHOW: Latina media producer and curiosity expert Maribel Quezada Smith bri…

#157. In this episode I catch up with my friend, fellow podcaster and artist, Stephania Ramos to chat about the common thread that unites so many of us multi cultural folks, the idea that love needs to be somewhat toxic to be real. I call this type of love, "amor de telenovela", you know where slapping someone is a turn on, "no" often means "yes", …

#156 - In this Spanish-speaking episode of DIFERENTE, I catch up with my BFF from Aguascalientes, Mexico Stephania Ramos, after more than 20 years of not seeing or speaking to one another. (That's a story for the next episode.) Steph and I talk about the multiple culture shocks we lived when we moved to the U.S., each of us at a different age, and …

#155 - Arianna Davis, Senior Director of Editorial & Strategy at Oprah and Hearst Magazine's New Multiplatform Lifestyle Brand, and the author of "What Would Frida Do, A Guide to Living Boldly", joins me for this DIFERENTE conversation. We talk about the things we've learned, through Frida Kahlo's story, about sex, feminism and how not to be in a t…

#154 - Do you think your parents gave you a specific name so that you could be called something else? Something that doesn't really sound like your name, but it makes people comfortable, it's easier this way. I know my parents named me Maribel (Mah-REE-bel). That was always my name, until we moved to the U.S., and one day my dad picked up a call fr…

As people of multicultural and multiracial backgrounds, we're often hit with the most random and intrusive questions. Constantly being asked to define ourselves in order to be properly catalogued, and boxed in, according to society's expectations. Why is that? And why do people of multi-racial identity have to divide themselves into percentages, 50…

One of the coolest things I've learned from another culture is how to meditate. Meditation was never part of my life as a child in Mexico, or even as a teenager in Ohio. I discovered it later in life, when I was struggling to figure out how to "tone down" my Latina fury-a title I gave to my reactionary personality back then. Little did I know that …

Let's kick off the New Year with real talk that might make some of you uncomfortable. As a person of color, I deal with "buyers remorse" whenever I'm called to invest in myself or my business. Things like hiring help, paying a business coach, going to therapy, even upgrading my sheet thread count have made me feel bougie, or like an impostor. Raise…

With last week's premiere of Selena, The Series on Netflix, I was reminded of the immense Spanglish subculture that exists within the Latinx community and how there's a lot of debate on whether or not Spanglish is an "acceptable" form of communication. The verdict might be still be out on that, but one thing is certain, much like Selena, el Spangli…

When Ibi Zoboi randomly bumped into her former college classmate, Yusef Salaam, of The Central Park Five she knew serendipity was at work, and she knew she needed to help him write his story for young adults. Together, they authored Punching The Air, the tragic, beautiful, and touching story of a young Black boy convicted of a crime he did not comm…

Winner of a 2019 She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) Contest award, Robin Farmer, wrote Malcolm And Me for every one of us that was once a 13-year-old girl trying to figure out life. A seasoned journalist and writer, her fiction projects include screenplays and poetry focusing on girls advocating for social justice.…

Winner of the She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing contest, Veena Rao, knows what it's like to have to start life over from scratch. She came to the US from India to create a whole new life and then spent 10 years pouring her lessons learned, observations, and inspiration into her book, Purple Lotus. Purple Lotus, is a beau…

An accomplished writer and media personality, Janice Kaplan knew she had a great book idea on her hands when she realized that “genius” is a word used to describe men, but not often women. Not even very accomplished and genius women. That’s why she wrote, “The Genius of Women,” her latest book highlighting, you guessed it, genius women who have bee…

As we prepare to celebrate the holidays without our extended families this 2020 I have been thinking a lot about my first Thanksgiving in the United States, a lonely and weird time, not too different from this year. The good news is that we made it through back then, just like we'll come out of this year as well, by learning how to feel gratitude i…

Minna Salami is a Nigerian-Finnish and Swedish writer, and the founder of the multiple award-winning blog, MsAfropolitan, which connects feminism with critical reflections on contemporary culture from an Africa-centred perspective. Minna is the author of her new book, "Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone" - a collection of th…

Dr. Gail Parker is a well-known psychology expert, having been featured on nationally and internationally syndicated talk shows including numerous appearances on the Oprah Show. She is with us on the podcast today to discuss her new book, Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma, a first of its kind book describing how Restorati…

My guest Denise Soler Cox, filmmaker, top 100 podcaster, two-time TEDX speaker and coach, who produced a short film called "Being Eñye", the stories about American-born Latinos who don't feel Latino enough or American enough. Sound familiar? I thought so! We chatted about finding our way around the world when you're someone who lives within two cul…

Virginia Mendez is a children’s book author, public speaker, and co-founder of The Feminist Shop, a brand educating on gender equality through content and also selling feminist books and ethically produced wearable activism and gifts. Her bilingual book Mika & Lolo invites parents and children to challenge gender stereotypes and focus on critical t…

What do Día De Muertos and the United States Presidential election have in common? NADA. But this week, they land within 24 hours from each other, and they are both equally important in our bicultural lives! That's why I put this episode together with three things you should know about El Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), and FIVE things you can do…

This episode is for every woman who is considered “too much.” Too loud, too sexual, too edgy, too confident. In her new book, Too Much: How Victorian Constraints Still Bind Women Today, Rachel braids cultural criticism and storytelling together in an exploration of how culture grinds away at the bodies, souls, and sexualities of women, forcing them…

Because Diferente is a bilingual podcast, this episode is in Español. This is a narration of my experience during one of my first (early) encounters with racism in the United States. Tied together with verifiable facts on the topic, and information about anti-racism practices by three experts, in order of appearance: Roger Senserrich, Editor y Acti…

S6E2: How To Break Through with Nicole D. Vick A college professor, community activist, and public health advocate, Nicole D. Vick published her first book, a memoir, called Pushing Through: Finding The Light In Every Lesson. She shares both the heartbreaking pain and the extraordinary triumphs that led her to advocacy and social justice work. Her …

The past few months have felt like we are living inside of a SciFi movie, often trying to figure out what's real and what's make believe. That's why in this episode I wanted to take some time to reflect about how this Pandemic has affected us on a personal level. Because sometimes we have to be reminded that there are real people behind these COVID…

When Dr. Ivelisse Rodriguez debuted her short story collection, Love War Stories, it quickly became a 2019 PEN/Faulkner finalist and a 2018 Foreword Reviews INDIES finalist. Her collection of short stories bring a cultural richness and elegant approach to discussing heartache, violence, and the hard choices women are often faced with as they find t…

Welcome back! Bienvenidos de regreso a DIFERENTE! The bilingual podcast that celebrates and explores the complexities of living life between two (or more) cultures. I'm your host, Maribel Quezada Smith, a producer, and creative consultant, from Mexico City, living in the U.S., who loves Hip Hop and Cumbia. I created Diferente to learn, laugh, and g…

Season 6 Launches October 16th and you do not want to miss out! We've curated impactful and dynamic writers across genres whose work intersects with today's social issues. In this season of That's What She Did Podcast we share with you the stories of how these incredible authors found their way in the challenging publishing industry, the obstacles …

The Movement Makers Panel is the culmination of History Colorado’s yearlong initiative “Year of La Chicana”. This community-driven programming was a directive born out of a desire to honor Chicanas - past, present, and future and to share their stories with a wide range of communities. This group of dynamic and impactful women are current movement …

You're invited to a fun and inspiring virtual live podcast event on Tuesday, Sept. 29th at 6pm MST/ 8pm EST. In partnership with History Colorado and Year of La Chicana, we are thrilled to bring you a one-night-only live event called Movement Makers. It’s a panel discussion elevating Latina Leaders of Colorado who are creating change and amplifying…

For our final episode of Season 5, The Womxn Who Disrupt, we created a round-up of some of our favorite clips. Enjoy! Don't miss bonus episodes and Season 6 releasing Fall 2020. Subscribe Now! Featured Clips: Teri Ijeoma - Ep. 1 on how to build wealth. Cheyenne Woods & Maribel Quezada Smith - Ep. 3 on disrupting golf as women of color. Denise Hamil…

Corrine Rice is the Executive Director of a non-profit called the B.U.F.F.A.L.O Project, which works to train men in non-indigenous communities on healthy masculinity using traditional indigenous understandings of balance. The B.U.F.F.A.L.O. Project has found a unique way to combat violence against women and sex-trafficking through their training b…

We are podcasters united to condemn the tragic murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and many many others at the hands of police. This is a continuation of the systemic racism pervasive in our country since its inception and we are committed to standing against racism in all its forms. We believe that to be silent is to be complicit. We believ…

Nicole Porter is the Director of Advocacy at the Sentencing Project. Nicole was named a "New Civil Rights Leader" by Essence Magazine for her work to eliminate mass incarceration. Her work has been cited in several major media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, and National Public Radio. She is with us today to talk about the wo…

In an effort to catalyze change, and elevate opportunities for women and people of color, Simone Founded Simone D. Ross, LLC, a consulting firm with the vision of catalyzing human thriving. Simone uses her 15+ years of corporate experience to bring voice to the importance of creating equity within business enterprises. Simone also brings a refreshi…

Stepping back to Season 3 this week to share one of our early breakout episodes, with sex worker Sita Kaylin. She wrote a book about her real-life experiences as a veteran stripper and sex worker, and why she doesn't have anything to apologize for for...because she made the choices she wanted to make. In this Episode: How to find your voice and liv…

Amplify Latinx is a non-partisan, collaborative movement whose mission is to build Latinx economic and political power by significantly increasing Latinx civic engagement and representation in leadership positions across sectors. Amplify Latinx was launched by the Latina Circle, a Boston-based, non-profit social venture that is advancing Latina lea…

This June and July House of Pod and AMPED are hosting a podcast incubator for women of color called From the Margins to the Center. Rebecca Nunziato is the Program Director of From The Margins To The Center and here to talk about why a program like this is needed in the podcasting space. The program is free to apply and free to participate. So, if …

Regan is a recognized anti-oppression activist, speaker, and trainer. She was named a “Woman to Watch” by the Denver League of Women Voters, and received the Lily Ledbetter Award. She was recently named “Woman of the Year” by the Business and Professional Women of Denver. She trains people from all backgrounds and knowledge levels, focusing on the …

The Museum For Black Girls is an immersive tribute to black girl magic. Founded by Keisha Marie and Charlie Billingsley. The two women created an immersive experience representing black women and sisterhood starting from the camaraderie of gathering in salons and kitchens. They are creating a celebratory space where the stories of black women are n…