Three Latinas. Three Cities. One Global Conversation.

What does it mean to be Latina when you're born and raised outside of Latin America? And should Hispanic Heritage Month be a global celebration?

In this episode of the Amiga Mia Talk Show, host Michelle Yanus Olivares, a proud Chilean-Australian from Sydney, connects across three continents with Monica Rivera, a New York-born Latina of Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage, and Erika Gil (Erika Vibez), a London-born Colombiana bringing all the salsa caleña energy!

Together, three first-generation Latinas unpack what it means to celebrate their Latinidad while navigating identity, culture and belonging in Australia, the US and the UK.

From the debate around Hispanic vs Latino to reconnecting with Indigenous and African ancestry, confronting colourism within our own communities, raising the next generation with orgullo, and the global influence of Bad Bunny, this conversation goes well beyond the celebrations.

We also ask: Does Hispanic Heritage Month resonate with Latinos outside the US? And is it time for a global celebration of our Latin American heritage?

Expect honest perspectives, plenty of laughs, Spanglish, salsa, a little chisme and some powerful reminders that our Latinidad doesn't have to fit into anyone else's box.

🇦🇺 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 Different accents, different experiences, but united by culture, heritage and orgullo latino.

Because being Latina isn't just about where you were born. It's about the roots you carry, the stories you share and the culture you keep alive.

Follow our guests:

• Monica Rivera @YouWannaDoWhat
• Erika Gill @SalsaVibesWithEricaG
• Michelle Yañez-Olivares @AmigaMiaau

For Chilean Australian fashion designer Denisse M Vera, staying connected to culture happens through language, family, food and her signature craft.

In Ep#51 of the Amiga Mía Talk Show, I chat with Denisse for Part 3 of Staying Connected with Latin America, our six-part series brought to you by Western Union.

Denisse takes us from her upbringing in the outskirts of Sydney to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile where she learnt her first macramé knots from a local artisan. What began with learning to make jewellery helped shape the internationally recognised fashion label that carries her name.

We talk about her parents’ migration from Chile, her late mum’s commitment to keeping Spanish alive at home, and reconnecting with her Mapuche heritage through learning and weaving.

There are stories behind her signature designs, red carpet moments and work appearing in a Marvel film. There’s also the meaning she finds in creating a garment for someone’s personal milestone and the joy of passing Chilean culture on to her son.

A conversation about the many ways we carry our roots into the lives we build. Con mucho corazón.

CONNECT WITH DENISSE
Instagram: @denissemvera
Website and collections: Denisse M Vera

MORE FROM AMIGA MÍA
Explore our stories at amigamia.com.au.
Watch the Amiga Mía Talk Show on YouTube.

The ways we connect may have changed, but

the meaning behind them hasn’t. When sending practical

support is part of how you stay close, Western Union offers

ways to send money online or through the app to loved

ones across Latin America.

Find the Western Union app to send money before you go,

new online customers get a $0 transfer fee* on their first

online transfer.

*FX Gains apply.

Follow the show for more conversations celebrating Hispanic and Latin American culture in Australia.

Michelle sits down with Nicole and Jes, the Melbourne-based Colombian-Australian founders of Andina Entertainment, for a deeply personal conversation about the devastating earthquake in Colombia.

With family and roots in Cali and Pereira, they share the anxiety of trying to reach loved ones, the emotional toll of witnessing the disaster from Australia, and powerful stories of resilience and solidarity from affected communities.

They also discuss their Melbourne fundraiser on 6 September—an event bringing the community together through live music, DJs, local markets and messages of hope. All profits will support earthquake-relief efforts assisting communities in Chocó and Buenaventura.

This episode is about grief, culture, community and the collective effort required to rebuild because recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.