Hollywood Dreamin’ and Hollywood Healing
In Episode Two of Talk Wellness to Me, Delilah and Ashley interview Linda Yvette Chavez, a First Gen Latina and Co-Creator of Netflix’s Gentefied, a show that follows three Mexican-American cousins in East LA as they try to save their grandfather’s taco shop while navigating the effects of gentrification.
In today’s episode, the co-hosts speak with Chavez about her journey to becoming a successful Hollywood creative in an industry where Latinx representation is still very lacking both in front of and behind the camera. She shares her experiences with therapy, one of the most successful wellness tools in her wellness arsenal and one that she has utilized for the past eleven years. This show also discusses the unique obstacles of fulfilling family obligations while chasing different dreams than the ones your family has laid out for you. This episode is full of hard-earned wisdom and dynamic revelations. In other words, this is an episode that you don’t want to miss.
Key Popsyisms from This Episode…
“Oh, shit! I can write about my people?” – Linda Chavez on discovering writers of color as a college student
“They oftentimes can’t imagine for you a life that was more than what they had.” – Delilah DaSilva on the challenges of dealing with the sometimes-rigid expectations placed upon First Gens by their immigrant parents
“How long can you handle the heartbreak of this industry?”- Chavez on the difficulties in making it in the entertainment industry as a POC recognizing that many POCs don’t have the money and access that other peers may have
“I wanna go after my dream, but my family always needed me. So, I had to balance being there for them.” – Chavez on struggling to set healthy boundaries with her family as she moved forward with her career
“This is the one thing that you can do for yourself to show that you love yourself.” – Chavez on how she views therapy
“I’m learning to be nice to my inner child and become her friend.” – DaSilva on learning to tend to her inner child
“I don’t have to make myself feel worthless to meet my goals.” – Chavez on learning to say “no” to low-paying opportunities
“Lean into the good feelings. If something doesn’t feel good, don’t go that way.” – Chavez while discussing her therapist’s advice on trusting your intuition
Season One episodes drop every Tuesday right here at AmPopsy. So be sure to tune in next week for Episode Three as we journey from wellness to wholeness.
About the Co-Hosts….
Delilah Dasilva is a first gen Cape Verdean American from Boston. She began her career in entertainment working at the Roxbury International Film Festival and went on to work in the film festival circuit including working at Sundance and then transitioned to working in Film/TV Production for the last 8 years. She has worked on the Netflix show GENTEFIED both seasons 1+2. In 2020, she produced her first short DREAMER that has screened at the LA LATINX FILM FEST and OUTFEST. Delilah is a the Co-Creator of the Talk Wellness To Me Podcast, with her producing partner Ashley Johnson, that discusses the intersectionality of being black/brown children of immigrants and how we process trauma and get to wellness. Follow her on IG @ staayydope.
Ashley Johnson was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. She began her career in entertainment working on hit shows such as “American Idol”, “Little Big Shots”, “Speechless”, and “So You Think You Can Dance”, and transitioned into films such as Universal Pictures’ “The Photograph” and MGM’s “Everything, Everything”. Ashley took the leap into independent producing, which led her to collaborating with “Talk Wellness To Me” co-host and co-creator, Delilah. Ashley and Delilah began TWTM to normalize discussions of wellness within black and brown and immigrant communities; and to share tools and resources that can help facilitate healing and expand awareness of wellness for others. Follow her on IG @ a.noel.j.
Follow Talk Wellness to Me on IG at talkwellnesstomepodcast.