It's 2018 Y'all!!!
Did you miss me? Well, I am back. Sharing some fun ladies this week. Here we go.
One of my favorite things to do is listen to Podcasts. I might have mentioned in the past that one of my favorites is THE MFCEO. Well, think of that but with MOMMAS!
I started following and listening to Elle and Liz a few months ago when we met in a Facebook and Instagram group. Their conversations are SO fun, so real and so heart-warming. They have truly inspired me and moved me to tears with their shows. So, I decided to kick off the year by featuring them and their Mami podcast. (Links at the end of this post.)
Hoping to one day follow in their podcaster footsteps... hello universe in 2018, te hablo a ti.
:: About Oye Mami Hosts ::
Hi! Our names are Elle Gutierrez & Liz Quirion, We are 36 & 32 yrs old and we are from New York City. Upper West Side and Brooklyn to be exact. Liz's parents were both born in the Dominican Republic and Elle's parents were born in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Liz is married and has three children, a 3-year-old son and (surprise) twin 2-year-old girls. Elle is married to her college sweetheart and has three children, two girls ages 10 and 9 and one 5-year-old son.
:: Interview ::
Tell me what is it that you are after when it comes to your podcast? What was your original goal?
We wanted to give women like us a voice. The American Latina is a forgotten genre. Our audience loves Univision as much as ABC, the Latin Grammys as much as the VMAs, Biggie Smalls as much as Marc Anthony. This country is filled with women just like us who struggle with being the bridge between their Latino and American cultures. Our goal is to give these women a home.
Tell me what motivated you to start on this journey?
What motivated us was that during our weekly bochinche calls we would always have a story about someone pointing out how we weren't Latino or American enough. That's how this all started two outsiders rallying up other outsiders and becoming a movement.
Was was your plan of action?
Our first plan of action was to start our podcast off with a good foundation. We studied and learned for a year. We split responsibilities. One of us did all the tech and marketing research while the other listened to podcasts all day so that we could know what we did and didn't want to do. We also worked with our podcast spirit guide, Jackie MacDougall who is a TV & Digital Producer, Podcaster, Writer, and Media coach to help us kick off our podcast in seamless manner.
How did you first get started and what was the most difficult part?
The most difficult part was going live and sharing our idea with whoever wanted to listen. We stalled so many times. Nothing was ever "right". The fear of vulnerability was our biggest obstacle.
Did anyone help push you or inspired you to get here?
Elle: My husband. I am so grateful for his support and how he believes in my crazy ideas even more than I do. Also, Liz. When I called her with this idea she could have easily said, "Bish, you crazy" but instead she said, "Let's do this bish".
Liz: Elle inspired and pushed me to get here. My husband and family have also been so supportive in believing in our mission and pitching in to help with my three toddlers whenever I need it.
What has your progress been?
We set short term goals and surpassed them. Not to sound super cliche, but we are truly blessed that putting our hearts on our sleeves is being well received. It shows that this was needed.
How are you keeping motivated to continue down this path?
What keeps us most motivated are our listeners. We had no idea what an impact our show would make in people's lives or how many women would connect with what we were going through. Men too! Whenever a listener slides up into our DM and says that we make them feel normal or that we get them or that we helped them get through a tough day gives us so much motivation to keep pushing. If you have listened to our episodes from the very beginning until now you will see how we held back more in the beginning and are now at a point where we say, "F-it, don't leave that on the cutting room floor because someone will connect".
What advice do you have for others in your place?
Our advice would be to lead with your gut and work with your brain. Get ready to lose sleep, make mistakes, and get good sunglasses because the shade is real.
We all struggle daily with so many "self-issues"; what has been your favorite quote, book, movie, item, or website that has helped you keep strong and move forward?
Elle: For me and don't laugh it's DJ Khaled. His positivity is contagious. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I tune in to his snapchat story and feel like, if Asahd is a king, I'm a freaking king too. Liz even sent me a DJ Khaled book when I was in one of the lowest points in my life. She loves me. I also keep a mini notebook in my purse where I write my own personal quotes that pop into my head and reading those over inspire me. Now I sound like a low-key narcissist but seriously, re-reading those one liners that I came up with make me re-connect with those times. Some positive, some negative and they inspire me to keep moving forward and creating even more one liners.
Liz: "It's never too late to be what you might have been" that's my favorite quote by George Eliot. I remember the first time I read that quote. I almost came to tears because I was at a point in my life where I was scared and then this quote popped up and I was like, THIS! THIS! THIS! It keeps me in check every time I think it's too late to accomplish my dreams.
You can contact Elle and Liz (Oye Mami) via
Website: https://oyemamishow.com/
Twitter: @OyeMamiShow
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OyeMamiShow or
slide up in our DMs on Instagram: @OyeMamiShow
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