La Vida Más Chévere de Childfree Latinas
Childfree Latinas: you’re not alone. You're a movement! This podcast is here to make that loud and clear.
Hosted by speaker and community builder Paulette Erato, this Spanglish show digs into what it really means to choose a life sin hijos in a culture that treats motherhood like an obligation. But we don’t stop there! LVMC pushes past the surface-level “childfree” conversation and into the messy, cultural beliefs we were all raised with: the silence, the guilt, the constant self-sacrifice, the pressure to make ourselves small, agreeable, and convenient.
Every other Tuesday, Paulette (and sometimes guests) invites childfree Latinas y Latines to say F THAT! Let’s unpack the toxic traditions, the generational curses, and trickle-down pendejadas that keep us calladitas. Because once you see how these patterns show up in our careers, relationships, families, finances, creativity, and identity, you can’t UNSEE it. So let’s do what it takes to unlearn them without burning down our entire lives.
This is not a judgment zone, but it’s also not a polite one. It’s a space where we name things out loud: machismo, marianismo, internalized misogyny, cultural expectations, and all the emotional labor we were told was just part of being “a good girl.”
By mixing real talk, sharp analysis, and bilingual humor, the show helps you let go of the old burdens we were raised to carry: the duty to please everyone, the fear of disappointing la familia, and the constant need to defend your choices. If you’re ready to trust yourself more, reclaim your time, live on your own terms, and design a life that actually feels like yours, you’re in the right place.
And that’s a burrito!
Episodes
130 episodes
The Happiness Hit: Why Celebrating "Wins" is Essential for Confidence and More {Re-Release}
Ep #52 - Want more confidence? Hack your brain!While brain hacking sounds mysterious (if not illegal—and painful!), it's simply the latest way to describe an effective neuroscientific method that rewards you with a “hit” of the happines...
The Healing Power of Storytelling and Reframing Motherhood with Talia Molé {Re-Release}
Ep #51 - Storyteller Talia Molé, an activist, anthropologist, and artist, shares her journey confronting societal pressures, the impact of language on reproductive rights, and her mission to redefine motherhood. From fighting for a hysterectomy...
Living Your Best Life: 6 Tips for Achieving La Vida Más Chévere
Ep #50 - It's celebration time! Having achieved 50 episodes, it's a great time to use this milestone moment to look back on where we've been, how we got here, and where we're going to continue this journey of living our best lives—la vida más c...
A Childfree Destination Wedding: Worth the Drama with Andrea Watt
Ep #49 - Another childfree wedding success story —this time, it's a childfree destination wedding! Bride Andrea Watt shares her experience in throwing the childfree wedding she always wanted: at sunset on the beach with only a smal...
Latines Embracing Mental Health: Shattering Therapy Taboos with Dra. Mildred Ortiz
Ep #48 - Today's toxicity ripe for dismantling: the stigma around therapy. Brown people prefer not to air their dirty laundry with strangers, but bury their mental and emotional distress for fear of being labeled weak or crazy. All that does is...
Let's Get to 100...on Substack! *Hiatus*
Ep #47 - As you heard last week, we're moving to Puerto Rico! So while that's happening, *new* episodes will be on pause. Because as I always tell you: rest is required! So I'm taking a break from producing new content. Don't worry, you ...
Puerto Rico: A Crash Course on Island Life
Ep #46 - Have you ever been to Puerto Rico? Did you know it's part of the United States? If you didn't, you're not the only one!That's just one of the seven surprising facts packed into this week's episode, which you can consider your c...
Take That Risk with Luis Octavio
Ep #45 - Serial entrepreneur and childfree Latino Luis Octavio has something to tell you about taking risks. He gives us the play-by-play of what it took to go from being a closeted experiential marketer to launching multiple companies and bran...
Setting Boundaries for a Childfree Wedding with Jamie Feinberg
Ep #44 - It's wedding season! So let's dive into the world of weddings, particularly childfree weddings, and the significance of setting boundaries during this emotionally charged event. Weddings should be about the happy cou...
Living Your Most Authentic Life with Fede Vargas
Ep #43 - Have you ever wondered what life can look like after you've successfully dismantled the patriarchal bullshit our society throws at you? Fede Vargas is the living embodiment of how we can all do that.After 15+ years in the rat r...
Debunking the Patriarchal Myth that Childfree People Hate Kids
Ep #42 - We've been socialized to believe that the traditional "life script" is the ultimate path to happiness. And anyone who doesn't follow it is doomed. Which puts childfree people, especially childfree Latinas y Latinas, at total odds with ...
Dismantling the Toxic Latine Money Mentality with Wealth Warrior Linda Garcia
Ep #41 - Just because the stereotype that childfree people have more disposable income exists, doesn't make it true. And even if it is, childfree Latinas y Latines might have the added burden of a scarcity mindset instilled upon us by our cultu...
Becoming a Shame-Free Childfree Latina with Rena Martine
Ep #40 - Shame: everyone knows what it is because shame is a universal emotion. So how do you become shame-free?Although not Latina herself, guest Rena Martine shares her expertise in addressing shame, which is deeply rooted in Latine c...
Challenging the "Grandparent Entitlement" Mindset with Rosalba Fontanez {Re-Release}
Ep #39 - In this re-released episode, guest Rosalba Fontanez is challenging parents to love their children without expectation of grandchildren. As the mother of a childfree person herself (the host of this program!), she knows a little bit abo...
We're the Otherhood with Theresa Gonzales
Ep #38 - Here’s a scary stat: less than 2% of the technology sector workforce is made up of Latinas. And yet tech is all across our lives. What are you reading these show notes on right now? How are you listening to this podcast?It’s al...
Perfectionism and Childfree Latinas: The Ivy League School Dropout
Ep #37 - Can we break the Latina cycle of perfectionism and disappointment? How being a childfree Latina means you're already doing that! Have you ever been crushed by the weight of expectations on you as a Latina or Latine? Ca...
The Dangers of Calladita Se Ve Más Bonita with Pam Covarrubias
Ep #36 - Pam Covarrubias has bounced between the US and Mexico her entire life. As a business coach and host of the Cafe Con Pam podcast, she has learned to stand in her power and will explain on this episode exactly what that means an...
Self-Care You Can Do in Your PJs
Ep #35 - The idea of self-care has lost all its meaning. Even we childfree Latinas think it's something we only get to have as a treat, but in reality it's something each and everyone needs every single day. It should be ingrained in your routi...
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Introducing La Vida Más Chévere
Introducing La Vida Más Chévere!Still the same great content you've come to expect about overcoming cultural roadblocks and imposter syndrome, but with an even better name. That's what living la vida más chévere means: lo...
You've Got Fans: Building Confidence from Your Support System (bonus mini episode)
Ep #34 - If someone asked you who your biggest fan is, what would you say? Do you even know that you've got fans? Your inner critic is probably screaming no at those questions, and that's great for fueling your imposter syndrome. Not so great f...
Don't Be a Sissy: Dealing with Absurd Insecurities (mini bonus episode)
Ep #33 - If you've ever let your insecurities limit your ability to stretch yourself and grow, this episode is for you! And it features a story time about a guy so scared of being perceived as a sissy, he refused to use basic common sense when ...
Finding Power in a Word of the Year (mini bonus episode)
Ep #32 - Have you heard of this trend of creating a "word of the year?" Some people think it's woo-woo bullshit, but you know that words have power, and confidence can come from power, so why wouldn't you want some of that for yourself? <...
Small Ways to Manage Overwhelm (mini bonus episode)
Ep #31 - No matter what time of year it is, overwhelm and anxiety seem to get the best of us. What if it didn't have to be that way? What if you didn't have to carry all that anxiety around all the time, burning out your central nervous system ...
Comparison is the Thief of Joy (mini bonus episode)
Ep #30 - Comparing ourselves to everyone else is usually a recipe for disaster. And it's also something you can choose NOT to do. But we do it anyway. Yet we don't pay attention to how others look up to us. Instead we use th...
Baby Steps to Setting Boundaries (mini bonus episode)
Ep #29 - Boundaries are a good thing to have but all to often it feels like an overwhelming task to create and then enforce them against other people. Because being assertive or even confrontational can be hard!So here are some examples...