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

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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.

At 17, Karoll Pinzon left Bucaramanga, Colombia, and travelled across the world to become an exchange student in Australia. What followed were months of homesickness, culture shock and struggling to understand Australian English but also the beginning of a new life in Melbourne.

In Ep# 49 of the Amiga Mia Talk Show and Part 2 of the Staying Connected with Latin America series, brought to you by Western Union. We chat all things reflection on migration, motherhood, language and belonging.

Karoll shares how she went from creating a WhatsApp support group for Hispanic families to founding The Familia Hub, a trusted Spanish-language platform helping migrant families navigate life in Australia. She also takes us behind the scenes of her national guide to childcare centres, schools and learning programs that teach Spanish.

Content note: This conversation includes discussion of domestic and family violence.

Connect with Karoll:

• Website: https://www.thefamiliahub.com
• Instagram, Facebook and YouTube: @thefamiliahub

• The Spanish Schools in Australia resource: https://buymeacoffee.com/thefamiliahub/e/559548

The ways we stay connected may have changed, but the reasons behind why hasn’t. Sending money is always a welcomed gift to those that mean so much to us. Send money with the Western Union the app to loved ones across Latin America. New online customers get a great rate and $0 transfer fee* on their first online transfer. *FX Gains apply.

Episode 49 | Staying Connected with Latin America, Part 2

What does it really mean to grow up Latino in Australia living between cultures, languages and different ideas of home?

In this ep, host Michelle sits down with Mía Agraviador @porquenolosdosgirl and Baz @LifebyBaz for a candid conversation that goes beyond viral moments and travel highlight reels.

Mía grew up in Sydney across Costa Rican, Honduran, Filipino and Australian cultures. She became one of Australia’s most recognisable faces at just six years old through the iconic “¿Por qué no los dos?” advertisement.

Baz was born in Chile and raised in Australia before choosing to return to Santiago as an adult. Through his travel and cultural content, he shares what it means to reconnect with a country you inherited while navigating life between Chile and Australia.

Together, they unpack:

• Growing up between multiple cultures
• Feeling “Latino enough” and cultural gatekeeping
• Language, accents and belonging
• Being widely seen without feeling genuinely known
• Solo travel, loneliness and personal growth
• Returning to your roots and redefining home
• The realities that don’t make it onto the highlight reel

It’s an honest conversation about identity without neat boxes—and the freedom to choose Australia and Latin America, visibility and privacy, independence and community.

Recorded at DM Podcast Studios in Woolloomooloo, Sydney.

Subscribe to Amiga Mía for more conversations celebrating Latino culture, identity and community in Australia.

Introducing a six-part series on The Amiga Mía Talk Show called 'Staying Connected to Latin America' brought to you by Western Union.

In this first episode, Marina shares her rich cultural journey, the significance of drumming, and her efforts to empower women through music and cultural expression. Discover how her Brazilian roots and musical passion shape her identity and community impact.

Marina Da Silva is a Sydney-based Australian multi disciplinary artist and entrepreneur, born to Brazilian parents. Her family have lived since the 80s in Bondi, known to be one of most prominent Brazilian diasporas in Australia.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest introduction

01:28 Marina's early memories and cultural influences

04:00 The meaning behind Ile Ilu and its origins

05:16 The TEDx performance and its cultural significance

10:34 The orchestration of Brazilian drums and rhythms

20:13 Language, identity, and cultural connection

27:51 The symbolism of drums as womb of creation

37:15 Instruments and their cultural origins

44:30 The instrument made for Marina

50:23 Studying Afro-Brazilian dance and drumming in Brazil

01:02:16 Future projects and cultural initiatives

01:13:08 Health journey and personal growth

01:15:08 Upcoming cultural and women empowerment projects

01:17:35 The importance of women in cultural and musical spaces

01:21:59 Connecting with Marina online

Resources:

• Marina Da Silva - https://www.instagram.com/marina.da.silva_/
• Ilé Ilu - House of Rhythm - https://www.instagram.com/ileilu/
• Julian Bel Bashir - Instrument Maker - https://www.instagram.com/jbelbashir/
• Samba de Moça - Women's Samba Group - https://www.instagram.com/sambademoca/

• Jerônimo Santos Da Silva book - https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/10000853 - https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/10000853

The ways we stay connected may have changed, but the reasons behind why hasn’t. Sending money is always a welcomed gift to those that mean so much to us. Send money with the Western Union the app to loved ones across Latin America.

New online customers get a great rate and $0 transfer fee* on their first online transfer. *FX Gains apply.

What happens when an accomplished businesswoman decides to step away from what she knows and test herself inside the MasterChef Australia kitchen?

In this ep, I sit down with Peruvian-Australian entrepreneur and MasterChef Australia 2026 contestant Alita Harvey-Rodriguez for an honest conversation about food, family, identity and taking bold risks at every stage of life.

Alita shares how her family’s migrant journey and work ethic shaped the woman she became, why the kitchen has always been a place of creativity and connection, and what finally convinced her to stop treating food as “just” a passion.

In this conversation:

• Growing up between Peruvian, English and Australian cultures
• The family flavours and experiences behind Alita’s love of cooking
• How migrant parents can shape our relationship with success and hard work
• Building a career as a tech entrepreneur and Chief Operating Officer
• Choosing to become a beginner again after achieving professional success
• The application process and reality of entering the MasterChef kitchen
• Cooking under pressure, receiving feedback and trusting your instincts
• The difference between being successful and feeling creatively fulfilled
• Latin representation on Australian television and in the food industry
• Why elimination, rejection or failure cannot be the end of your story
• Alita’s food dreams and what she hopes to create next

Alita’s story is a reminder that you are allowed to be multidimensional. You can be strategic and creative, successful and still hungry for something new. You can honour where you come from while building something the generations before you may never have imagined.

About Alita Harvey-Rodriguez

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez is a Peruvian-Australian entrepreneur, Chief Operating Officer and contestant on Season 18 of MasterChef Australia. After building a successful career across technology, e-commerce and customer experience, she entered the competition to challenge herself and explore the creative ambition that had always existed alongside her business career.

Follow Alita on Instagram: @msalita

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Loved this ep? Send it to someone who needs a reminder that it is never too late to back herself and try something completely new.

Daniel Campos’ World Cup Briefing moves to a new audio-first format as part of the Amiga Mía Talk Show.

In this edition, Daniel provides independent commentary on Third Round Matches, with a focus on Latino and Australian teams. Daniel Campos is a Sydney-born Latin American Football Analyst & Journalist now living in South America.

The first three briefings remain available on the Amiga Mía website www.amigamia.com.au.

Note: this series is independently produced and is not affiliated with or endorsed by FIFA.