Lili talks with Jennifer Pernia, actor, host of The Bold Type podcast, and volunteer for HOLA. They discuss her work with HOLA, why she started The Bold Type podcast, and what she’s learned along the way, as well as the importance of intersectionality in change-making work.
Jennifer's website
Jennifer's instagram: @jennifer.pernia
The Bold Type Podcast
The Bold Type's instagram: @theboldtype.podcast
Reveal Lab with Peter Shepherd
HOLA
**HOLA's membership is available to everyone, not only Latino & Hispanic actors. It's $30 for the first year, $125 to renew.
HOLA’s instagram: @holaofficial
BBC Article, "West Side Story's Rita Moreno: 'J-Lo can't be sole representative' of Latinos"
If you’re thinking of starting a podcast and want to coach with me, you can sign up for a FREE consultation here. Mention TDQ and get 10% off your first coaching! AND you can get more info on my 4 week Podcasting 101 course at Ahava Theatre Company HERE!
TDQ’s Website
Instagram: @thedreadedquestion
Lili’s instagram: @lili_torre
Email: thedreadedquestionpodcast@gmail.com
TDQ Jennifer Pernia
[00:00:00] Lili Torre: Hello listeners. Welcome back to The Dreaded Question podcast. I'm your host, Lili Torre, and this week, our guest is the lovely Jennifer Pernia. Jennifer is the host of her own podcast, The Bold Type, which will be starting season two on March 8th. So make sure to subscribe at the link in the show notes.
In today's episode, we discuss her work with HOLA, why she started The Bold Type podcast and what she's learned along the way. Jennifer is an incredibly kind and brilliant person, so I have no doubt that you'll enjoy today's episode. So let's get to it and find out what Jennifer Penia is up to.
So Jennifer Pernia, what are you up to?
Jennifer Pernia: Well, first of all, thank you so much, Lili, for having me on your show. I've been a huge fan for a very long time, and I am excited to share what I'm up to.
So this year I started taking the Reveal Lab with Peter Shepherd and it's been eye-opening [00:01:00] and so exciting. And I also am a volunteer for the social media team at the HOLA organization. And I have also been recording, editing and getting ready to launch the second season of my podcast that's called The Bold Type podcast.
Lili Torre: Oh, my gosh. That is so much to be up to. I'm so excited for you. First of all, I'm so thrilled that you're doing Reveal Lab. Reveal Lab is wonderful. I know I have sung it's praises many times on this podcast and sung the praises of Peter Shepherd many times on this podcast, but I'm just so excited for you.
I would love to just know like a major takeaway from Reveal so far. I know you're still like in the middle of it.
Jennifer Pernia: So I think right now we're on action week. So I think we get so into the idea that we're stuck sometimes and just creating and brainstorming, even if it's not going to be a perfect idea, just to get [00:02:00] these ideas out and moving, and even like the ideas that we think that are not great, might end up being amazing ideas to try.
So that's been very exciting to take from this week to just try, create, and less judgment of what we put out there.
Lili Torre: Yes. And I find that it's always so much more simple than we allow ourselves to think it is before actually taking action on something. I've also been noodling on action recently, and I have a little sticky note at the top of my screen that says, how can I take action on this right now? And I have found that so helpful to get me out of like what you were saying that sort of stuck headspace of like, I don't know what to do about this, or I'm not ready or I'm overwhelmed with what this could be.
And so just reminding myself, what if you just took action on it right now has been really helpful for me.
Jennifer Pernia: Yes, especially like thinking of what's the small [00:03:00] thing that I can start in today that could compile into something bigger later. So just starting small also helps.
Lili Torre: That is such a good point. I think we often think of action as like this huge sweeping thing and it's overwhelming and it's big, but really it can be as small as sending an email or, you know, clicking send on an application or whatever it is that you're working on. But I love that.
And you also mentioned that you've been volunteering with HOLA, which is the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.
And I would love to hear more about your work with them.
Jennifer Pernia: Oh, it's been incredible to be a part of this organization to volunteer. They have been around for such a very long time and they have evolved in a fantastic way, and they are huge advocates for not only Latino, but the Hispanic community of actors here in the US.
So I think it was a year and a half ago, a group of amazing actors and friends [00:04:00] sent a proposal of how to into a new direction. And they're led by Malcolm March. He's the executive director. I work with Samuel Garnica, he's the digital content director. We have Monica Delgado, she's the member coordinator. Pablo Andrade, the programming director, and Mathia Vargas and Johann Gamez, they are event producers.
And it's been fascinating to see how much of a need there is for this platform for this platform to connect and engage and help the Hispanic community of actors. There have been more workshops and panels to talk about different experiences, within the Hispanic community.
And they need all the help that they can get, so if anyone else wants to join this amazing group of volunteers to amplify their message, just send them an email on Instagram @holaofficial. And they're always welcome to have more people to collaborate and help with.
[00:05:00] Lili Torre: Absolutely. I will definitely link that information in the show notes as well. And I think that it sounds like an incredible organization and, you know, it's both like, exciting and interesting, and also like weirdly mildly discouraging that they've been around for such a long time, that, you know, it's this has been a necessary struggle and fight for, for so long, but I think it's amazing and encouraging to see a community come together to support a like-minded mission.
And I'm sure that that mission and the approach has changed and evolved over the years as the conversation has changed. And, you know, it'd be so fascinating to look back at their original panels and meetings and see what they were talking about then, and then to see what they're discussing now.
And I just think that it's, it's exciting when organizations exist for a specific need, but also include and incorporate a variety of people and a variety [00:06:00] of needs and see sort of the parallels with other people's fights and struggles as well.
Jennifer Pernia: Yes exactly. I mean, the organization was founded. By a group of actors who were frustrated and concerned by how the Latino and Hispanic community was being represented in the entertainment and media industry. So that fight is still the same, but it has evolved into how many more people can we include to make it truly diverse and truly inclusive.
So each month, there is a theme of where they're going to focus their attention. So they had the panel for Afro Latinos and they're having a month where they're going to discuss about what it is to be a woman, and the LGTBQ experience as well.
And it's been opening more conversation to certain communities within the community that haven't had like a stronger voice and they also have their [00:07:00] membership, which a lot of people don't know they have a membership. Right now, I would definitely take advantage of it, it's $30 for a year and you get access to many workshops with industry experts.
Right now, they're having one with Heidi Miami Marshall. So it's exciting. It's accessible and they offer help for you as an artist to improve your resume, to improve your website how to take care of yourself and as an artist, because I feel sometimes we neglect that part of how to take care of ourselves in the industry. And yeah, they're creating a lot of very interesting things that people would definitely take a lot of advantage of.
Lili Torre: Yeah, that sounds like an incredible membership. And you know what you were saying... yeah, again, it's like the intersectionality of these fights, like there is no one experience of what it's like to be a Latino actor or Hispanic actor, just like, there's no one experience of being a woman or of being an LGBTQ+ person.
And [00:08:00] so I think it's really amazing to sort of offer as many programs for as many identities as possible so that we can see, where our fights or our struggles are unified? And I think it's so much more empowering.
And especially, you know, I'm sure this is true for, many different races and ethnicities, but for Latinx people, there's such a spectrum and such a variety of, you know, countries that, that makes up.
And I think it's just so important to represent the diversity within the Latino community and the Hispanic community. Because again, the more that we inform ourselves about a variety of experiences, the more that we can uplift others as we attempt to uplift ourselves.
And I think that that is such a powerful way that an organization like HOLA can support a variety of people. And I think it's so cool that you're a part of it. And I think that [00:09:00] they're so lucky to have someone like you as part of it, because there's so much alignment with your podcast, The Bold Type, and what you're trying to do. So I'd love to hear more about that.
Jennifer Pernia: So The Bold Type podcast was born out of the lack of visibility that I experienced of the Latino community in the arts. It was something that there were definitely seeds along the way.
When I moved here to the US, I'm originally from Colombia, so I moved here to study musical theater. And in my experience here, when I went to the theater, especially that season, there were a lot of traditional revivals. So I didn't see a full diversity on stage.
And when it came to Latino representation, it was even harder to find. And there was this whole... I kept hearing this word "type." And I had never heard that before in my education and it was "type type type." And I noticed that sometimes for certain communities, that type became a [00:10:00] stereotype.
And it was a negative stereotype that didn't really accurately represent that culture or that ethnicity, and it was very frustrating that that was something that was happening. And when I looked up to see people who were succeeding and Latinos, it was always the same people and it wasn't still enough.
So when I graduated from school, I found this bilingual theater company that has become my home is called Teatro SEA, and there is a fantastic group of Latino actors that are incredibly talented, passionate, dedicated, and hardworking, and they're all making incredible work, but people don't really hear about it and hear about them.
So I wanted to create something that would increase visibility because we are out there creating things. It's just, we're not being highlighted or showcased for the things that we are doing and creating.
So The Bold [00:11:00] Type is a podcast where I have a different guest each week, from the artistic industry. And we talk about their journey and their art and their successes and their challenges. And my hope is for more people to feel inspired by their stories, because as a Latina actress, and I came here as a student and looking up to see who has succeeded, it seemed like an impossible journey when you don't see people like you, that are succeeding. But once you start to see people succeeding, you suddenly become more inspired and you feel like it's a possibility instead of just a dream.
Lili Torre: Oh, I love that so much that you feel like it's a possibility instead of just a dream. It's so true. You know, that it's something that's come up a lot on this podcast is the idea of "see it to be it," and then more recently, Jen Waldman talked about how, in order to become passionate about something, you first have to be exposed to it.
And I, you know, I [00:12:00] agree with that so much. And I think I might also add, like, you have to be exposed to it and then you also have to see yourself in it. Either literally or figuratively that you see a place for you there, you, you believe that, that you belong there. And I think that sometimes if you don't see anyone who looks like you or seems like you, or has a similar experience as you, then you wonder if there really is a place for you there. And if you really are welcome in that space.
And, you know, it's interesting as we're recording this just recently an article came out... did you see this? About Rita Moreno
Jennifer Pernia: Yes, and Jennifer Lopez?
Lili Torre: Yes! I have such mixed feelings. One thing that I feel is, you know, we've already talked so much about intersectionality, so maybe this is why I'm thinking of this.
One thing that I feel is that sometimes people from marginalized communities are [00:13:00] not sometimes oftentimes people from marginalized communities are pitted against each other. And, you know, once you read the full article and get the full context around what Rita was saying, you see that it's not an attack on J-Lo, but the, the headline was something about like, you know, Rita Moreno says J-Lo can't represent all Latinos or something.
And the fact that that was the pull quote, to be the headline to me... you know, then if you read the article, she goes on to say like, "J-Lo is amazing, I love her. And she's not representative of our entire experience. And by simply repeatedly casting J-Lo, we have not achieved, you know, adequate representation of what it is to be a Latinx person."
But pulling that as the headline makes it seem that by trying to amplify the voice of a Latino person, that then you are also pitting her against another woman and [00:14:00] against another Latino person. And that just like really bothered me. but I, I do think the greater idea there is true.
I often feel this way about Sofía Vergara, who I think is a brilliant actor and comedienne, but is not representative of all Latino people, of all Colombian people. And I do feel very much like she is pigeonholed into that stereotype that you were talking about. So I don't know if you have any thoughts on that, but I would love to hear it, if you do.
Jennifer Pernia: Oh, my gosh, I read the headline and I was shocked. I stopped. Because it was very shocking to hear that from Rita Moreno because she has been the representative for the Latino culture for a lot of artists for a very long time. So it came as a shock that she would be saying that, but once you read and the context, she even knew that that was going to happen, which is like, shocking to me, she already knew that it was going to happen.
She's like, [00:15:00] "Everyone is going to say that I have something against her, but it's not. I love her! But we can't keep showcasing the same person and have it be as that is the full representation of an entire... and it's...
It's really hard for me to say, Oh, the Latino culture, the Latinos, there's so many countries that encompass what it is to be like from Latin America. And they all have within their countries, so many different ... like there's a diversity in culture that just, simplify it all into just one and then just put it into just one person of what it is to be Latino... that was... I do agree in that, that we have to have more people so we can see the full diversity within the, the Latino community.
But I was shocked and... and yeah it just didn't seem like it was an article, the headline, it wasn't to create a helpful conversation. That conversation that was supposed to happen is we need to include more. [00:16:00] And the headline was like, she hates J-Lo.
So it was, it's very frustrating to see. And once you read the full article and get the full context of where that came from, you're like she's she's right. She's right. And I think that's came to me when I started- because I started studying musical theater and there's nothing against all the amazing, brilliant people who have made it.
But when you look to Latinos, it's always the same people and yes, congratulations. I absolutely love the work and I'm a huge fan and an admirer, but I know there's so much, like so many more who are creating as well. So we need to showcase as many people as possible to show the full diversity in our culture and stories.
Lili Torre: Absolutely. And I think, you know, it also speaks to the... you know, this is such a big part of the conversation right now in general, especially as we're sort of, re-evaluating what we want theater to look like when we come back. But I think also [00:17:00] the part of the reason that so many of the opportunities are given to the same people over and over is that the number of opportunities are fairly limited in the sense that you know, how many productions and revivals of West Side Story are we going to have?
I love West Side Story, but you know, there's... Latino people can be in more shows than West Side Story, just like real quick, like headline they're shocking stuff. And that's true for every race. It feels so limiting to limit the storytelling abilities of a person to their race or ethnicity.
And similarly it is a shame to limit the representation of a race or ethnicity to one or a few people repeatedly. And I definitely think that's what Rita Moreno was, was talking about with J-Lo. And I, again, take issue with the headline. I think it's always dangerous to pit women against each other.
Jennifer Pernia: Yeah.
Lili Torre: And I understand the value of [00:18:00] clickbait. But my greater fear is that people didn't click, they just read the headline and we're, you know, shocked.
Jennifer Pernia: Yeah. They missed out on a more important conversation than the headline.
But yeah, talking about the stories, I think that's something that I wanted to also highlight in the podcast because I love performers, but I didn't want it to be only highlighting performers. I also wanted to highlight people who are not probably as seen in the frontline in the industry, like casting directors , producers , the writers, the playwrights, the composers.
Because I was talking to one of the guests that I had. I love her, she is Florencia Cuenca, she's absolutely brilliant. And she said there has to be a change, but there cannot be a change if we're not included in the creative and decision-making teams.
So I made it a mission to also include, and find my guests in those areas. So more people are like, probably I love the arts, I'm not a performer, I want to be involved in some [00:19:00] way. There are other ways to be involved. And if they see, Oh, this person is creating something amazing, how can we collaborate? Or how can I be inspired by their story to do my own?
Lili Torre: Exactly.
Jennifer Pernia: I think that the more diverse the creative teams are like the more diverse the stories are and different points of view, we'll be able to experience and see. I think that a thing that a lot of people are struggling with is when they're diverse, but for the wrong reasons. When it's the token character and it's not an authentic story.
And I think that that's something that a lot of people in the creative teams and a lot of performers are fighting for, for full characters with their stories being told authentically and not just be there for the quote like of diversity sake, but not adding anything substantial to the story.
And also when it comes to like casting and composers, a lot of the things that I've noticed with my guests, I, [00:20:00] I interviewed Elsie Stark from Stark Naked Casting, and she was born here in the US but both of her parents are Latino.
And she, in her mission it's to create more diverse casting. She calls diversity the spice of life, and why wouldn't you want to have that in your projects? So what she said is that yeah, sometimes labeling things is not that great because she, she did general market casting, and then when people are like, Oh, you're Latina, you speak Spanish, you can do this.
So she was labeled the Latina casting director and she wasn't called as much for the general markets. And while she takes pride of being a representative of the Latino community and fighting for the Latino actors, is like, I can do more. I'm a casting director, not just a Latina casting director.
And also the same thing happened with Jaime Lozano, he's like I'm telling the stories of the people that need their voices to be heard the most, but I am a composer. I take pride of representing the Latino [00:21:00] community, but I am composer, not just the Latino composer that can just tell Latino stories, we tell universal stories. So that was something that I, I really appreciated to see that people are fighting for humanity. Yeah, because the, we're people, it's not just the Latino performer, the X performer, it's the performer, the casting director.
Lili Torre: Yes. I'm sure that everyone listening can relate to the idea that any one element of who you are is, is just, that is one element of who you are. It's not... no one thing about you is everything about you or the thing that you identify yourself as. And of course, some things are a bigger part of who you are and other things are smaller parts.
But, you know, I think that there's such a complicated assortment of experiences that come [00:22:00] with with being any marginalized community or historically marginalized community. And, for people who are Latino and Hispanic, that can range from, being an immigrant as well, or being the child of an immigrant or, looking a certain way that people think of either as looking extremely Latino or not looking Latino at all, or struggling to learn a new language of this country that you want to be part of.
There's such a variety of experiences. And so, again, like any identity relying on one person or a handful of people to write those stories, to cast those stories, to perform in those stories is so limiting of the variety of experiences that we have all had.
Brilliant pieces can be created about the Latino experience and still not encapsulate everything that it means to be Latino. So I love that you're holding [00:23:00] space and creating opportunities for a variety of experiences and hopefully, you know, shining a light on the pipeline of the future of our industry.
Jennifer Pernia: Yes. it's just, there's so many talented people that you don't hear about and they're having so many successes and it's hard when you, when you see them not having the same visibility. And I think also coming to how sometimes your journey stops before it begins.
I know that I wanted this to be for possibly the kid who's dreaming of becoming a performer or a composer and want their story to be told, but they don't know if they'll be able to tell it because no one that looks like them or sounds like them is having those opportunities. But there are people who are creating their own opportunities and fighting for it.
I feel that there are a lot of things that are [00:24:00] kind of like microaggressions towards Latino artists. And when you talk about an accent. Why can't you celebrate that accent instead of trying to fix it?
I think that's something that I had a huge issue with that a lot of people would say, you have to fix it if you want to have work in the United States, when not all stories are like...Something that Elsie said is like, every story is available to every actor, unless the script specifically has a reason of why it has to be that way. So if we just opened up and show more of the acts and the story, the culture, the diversity within more people will be inspired to create their own journey in the, in the arts.
And I think it's fine, like, if you can see yourself and have your dream role, that you think that, okay, I can do it one day. Instead of being told that because you have an accent, that role is not available to you unless you fix something about yourself, and I just want to [00:25:00] be able to create a path where people see a possibility within whichever path in the arts, because there's so many paths within the arts.
And yes, the whole mission of the podcast is to inspire more people to understand that each journey has its own struggles, but there are people who are willing to help others and have a big heart within the Latino community that wants to see others succeed as well. And I think in the end, the stories are universal and we should advocate more for that instead of it just a role of what it's supposed to be like or what you have been taught of what it should be like.
Lili Torre: Yes. I love that stories are universal and yeah, I mean, I think that's a beautiful way to say that. And also just the idea of anyone telling you that you have to fix something about yourself [00:26:00] is just honestly horrifying to me. To fix something implies that it is broken and that is simply not the case.
Like your accent is so beautiful and it's such a part of who you are and it tells such a beautiful story about you. And I just think that anyone asking you to fix that is clearly not in alignment with the work that you want to be doing. And I hope that that is verbiage that can be left behind in pre Corona times because it's just such limited thinking from a community of people who identifies, as creative, so that can stay in the past. Thank you.
Jennifer Pernia: Yes, definitely.
Lili Torre: Well, I would love to chat a little bit about the actual process of creating The Bold Type, of creating a podcast and what that's been like. And what has changed for you now that you're [00:27:00] heading into season two. I'd just love to hear a little bit about what you've learned.
Jennifer Pernia: Oh, my gosh, the process of creating a podcast. I had the idea for the podcast for a very long time, but I didn't actually sit down to plan it and do it until the pandemic hit. So it was a lot of emotions at the same time, but also I wanted to have something, a creative outlet as well.
And I felt like what a better time where people are in their homes? I was hoping that more people would be available to talk. So at the beginning, when I wanted to start the podcast, I started doing some research. And there was such an incredible amount of information online of what to do, what not to do. And then a lot of them very conflicting. So I felt very overwhelmed. I had days that I can do this and other days where I was like, why am I doing this? And then I thought about like, the mission was just like, no, I [00:28:00] need to do this.
So it was very conflicting of what microphone to buy? What's the set up? What's distribution? I had no idea. So that was a huge challenge at the beginning. So then if anyone is thinking of creating a podcast, Lili is amazing. I reached out to you and you helped me so much. I had a coaching session with Lili and you helped me clarify all the questions that I had and also to have more of a structure in the show, so I really thank you for that. And it helped me so much to have a clearer idea.
So yeah, so that was some of the external challenges that I had. It was the setup how to make a podcast. And especially in a time where a lot of people were creating podcasts, the microphones were sold out everywhere. So. Yes. That was like some of the challenges.
Also I'm a huge introvert, so reaching out to people was [00:29:00] exciting, but very... it gave me a lot of nervousness and my imposter syndrome started to kick in. It's like, who are you? You've not created anything. What are you going to talk about? Creating something great when you have done nothing, but it was like, shut up. It's not about you. It's about the other people who are making an impact and telling their stories.
So, thankfully, I am so grateful to every single guest that I've reached out to and believed in the show and agreed to be in the show. So it's been amazing to hear artists from different backgrounds telling their story and it's inspiring to hear their, their journey and their challenges and their successes and sharing them.
Now in season two, I have incredible guests from different backgrounds. I have casting directors, producers. I have composers as well as performers and not only musical theater performers. So that's been exciting to have their views [00:30:00] of the arts here in the U S.
And I also want to continue to create two shorter segments. One it's called Our Gente. And that section is to highlight people in the community that you haven't heard enough, like you need to hear more of. And then there's another section that I created. That's Where to Find Us because I think like being a performer or any sort of artists here in the US, you should be able to find organizations easier, but that's not the case I found in my experience, unless you are within the community. That's when you start to hear more about how connected everything is and all the different organizations that are available.
So I wanted to create Where to Find Us that highlights organizations created by Latinos or for Latinos. So that has been great to also highlight the work of organizations as well.
Lili Torre: That's so cool. There's so much that you said that I absolutely love and want to [00:31:00] highlight. Well, first of all, thank you for your kind words about coaching together. I loved coaching with you. You were a dream client and just seeing you take off with this podcast has been so gratifying for me. So thank you for working with me,
Jennifer Pernia: Thank you.
Lili Torre: But also what I find interesting is it seems like every time you ran against an obstacle, be it overwhelm or, you know, microphones being sold out, or imposter syndrome, or whatever it was, it sounds like what really carried you through was your mission. You know, you kept saying like, think of the mission, think of the stories that you're trying to amplify the people whose voices you want to amplify, the amazing things you want to highlight.
And I think that struck me working with you as a coaching client that you were so why-aligned with your mission and purpose for this podcast that I knew that, that you would inevitably succeed. Because you know, like creating anything, creating a podcast is not [00:32:00] easy. I think that that is a little bit of a misconception that it's, you know, you just like get the microphone, plug it in, you record, and then like you get it out into the world. And there are many, many steps in between, and it can definitely be really difficult.
So if you have that clear mission and clear reason for doing it, then that will keep you going. And I think that you are such a great example of that.
Absolutely. And something else that I love that you said is that you are more introverted, which I love for people to hear that about a podcast host, because I think a lot of introverts would think like, Oh, I can never have a podcast. I'm too introverted.
But I also love to hear that from a Latino person, because again, going back to that stereotype and even, you know, the name of your podcast is The Bold Type, and I think when people think of someone bold, they think of someone loud who like when they come into a room, you immediately know they're there. There's a lot [00:33:00] of energy. They're maybe, you know, very strong willed.
And I think that that can very much also be the stereotype of Latino people, but I love that you're sort of redefining what it means to be bold by having this podcast, by being the host of this podcast, by being your introverted self on those podcast, by featuring a variety of Latino and Hispanic people , some of whom might be our usual definition of bold and some who might be the Jennifer definition of bold, and I mean, I would love to hear more about what you think the Jennifer definition of bold is.
Jennifer Pernia: Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for saying that in me so much as an introvert, I think that when placed in an extroverted setting, and sometimes you can just take more time, but I've recently been more... I think that the thing is accepting that it's... And it comes back to finding that it's something [00:34:00] to fix.
It's not something to fix. It's something to, okay, this is a personality trait, how can I work the best way that it is going to set me up for success the best, instead of trying to be something that I am not. And I think that at the beginning, yes, stereotypically, when you think, Oh, Latinos is like, Oh yes, they're extroverts by nature. That is not my case.
So yeah, for me, when I was thinking about names of the podcast, I had such a long time just trying to find a name that really encaptured what it, I felt that the podcast was about. And it's about breaking the stereotype. And when I thought of the word bold, and I looked it up it's to demonstrate courage when facing adversity. And that can take so many different shapes and forms. And there are people who take boldness as huge gestures, [00:35:00] others who make it more internally. And it doesn't mean that one is better than the other, it's just showing up and demonstrating courage. And fighting for what you love and believe is just a huge act of boldness.
And I think that that, and also having a great support system are also helpful. My family listens to every episode, once they release, they sit down in the living room to listen to it, which is amazing. And they're not in the artistic world at all, but they do relate a lot to the challenges of the Latinos in the community here in the US , because they lived here in Michigan for two years, so they remember.
And also my boyfriend has been an incredible support that whenever I felt that I wasn't good enough or it wasn't what I wanted to be, he just held my hand and helped me and said, you're you. And that's what makes it unique and just keep going, and that also helps a lot in the process.
Lili Torre: I couldn't agree more. And I love what your [00:36:00] boyfriend said that, you know, a lot of times when people talk to me about starting a podcast, they'll say like "Uh, I don't know, like there's so many podcasts out there. Like maybe the world doesn't need what I have to say." And, you know, I've said this before, like someone could start a podcast with the exact same topic with the exact same idea as The Dreaded Question and inherently because it's hosted by a different person with a different worldview and a different set of experiences, like it will be different.
And so, you know, I try to remind people of that all the time and it sounds like that's what your boyfriend was trying to say. And I, I just absolutely, wholeheartedly agree and I love the ways that you've allowed The Bold Type to evolve between season one and season two.
And as you have grown, and as you have learned from other people's stories, you've seen opportunities to amplify other voices. And, you know, you've realized more about the crux of the issue and the core, the center of the [00:37:00] issue and you've adapted. And I think that that is what makes a great host and a great creator. And I'm just so excited for season 2!
Jennifer Pernia: Well, thank you so much. I'm so excited to share all the wonderful guests, you included! I'm so happy to have a podcaster on the show and artists as well.
Lili Torre: Yes. Oh my gosh, we had so much fun. I can't wait till it comes out. I will definitely be sharing it far and wide. And I'm just so thankful that you took some time to be on TDQ today. And I just love everything you're doing and I applaud you.
Jennifer Pernia: Well, thank you so much. And thank you for having me and, helping me share more of what The Bold Type is.
Lili Torre: I absolutely love that Jennifer is redefining what it means to be bold and what it means to be a Latino artist in the U. S. Jennifer goes about change-making in a kind and empathetic way that is extremely effective and impactful. I'm so grateful that she not only took the time to be on TDQ, but that she [00:38:00] also invited me to be a guest on season two of The Bold Type.
Season two premiers on March 8th. So make sure you're subscribed. I'm also linking HOLA in the show notes, so make sure to follow them on Instagram and check out their incredible membership that Jennifer mentioned in today's episode.
As always, thank you so much for listening. I'm Lili Torre and this has been The Dreaded Question. .