Dude, tengo chisme. And this time, it’s about the 2026 midterm elections.

In this special episode, we get together the day after the election to talk through what surprised us, what gave us hope, and what both parties still have to learn about talking to our communities. Aimee brings her organizing and advocacy lens, Maribel brings her marketing lens, and we both have thoughts about what happens when campaigns talk about “the Latino vote” like our tías in Florida, our neighbors in New York, and families in Texas all have the same priorities.

We get into the races that caught our attention, the women who took their organizing experience into campaigns, and what we’re eager to learn about how young people voted. We also talk about why knocking on doors and having real conversations matters when people are trying to pay for groceries, find a job, or get healthcare for their families.

And now comes the part we’ll be watching just as closely. Can the people who earned those votes deliver on what they promised?

Come for the election chisme. Then tell us what’s giving you hope and what you’re watching next.

“This is some bull.” That was our working title for this conversation about perimenopause. And honestly? It still fits.

In Episode 4 of Dude, Tengo Chisme, we’re getting personal about brain fog, sleepless nights, mood swings, hot flashes, and the moment we each realized that something was changing in our bodies.

We grew up hearing about “the change,” but there was a whole lot missing from that conversation. Nobody told us how disorienting it could feel to lose our train of thought at work, wake up in the middle of the night unable to sleep, or feel furious while knowing the person in front of us hadn’t actually done anything wrong.

As two Latina best friends navigating this phase of life, we compare our very different experiences, reflect on what our mothers and tías shared, and talk about what it takes to feel supported at home, at work, and in the doctor’s office.

We get into:
• The symptoms that first caught our attention—and how they’ve changed
• Talking openly about perimenopause without apologizing for it
• Bringing our husbands into the conversation
• Our experiences with symptom management and seeking care
• Learning to give ourselves grace
• The relief of having a friend you can ask, “Did this happen to you, too?”

We’ve talked more about our bodies in the last five years than in the preceding 25 years of our friendship. Some of those conversations are frustrating. Some are vulnerable. And some are funny enough that all we can do is laugh.

Our biggest takeaway? Find your people. Build a table where no topic is off limits.

Send this episode to someone who belongs at yours.

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dudetengochisme/

Dude, Tengo Chisme with Maribel & Aimée. Chisme since ’96.

A note: This episode shares our personal experiences, not medical advice or treatment recommendations. Please discuss symptoms and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional.

New York City is more than the backdrop to Maribel and Aimee’s friendship—it helped shape who they became.

In Season 1, Episode 3 of Dude, Tengo Chisme, “Our NuevaYol,” the longtime best friends revisit the New York of their childhoods and the summer of 1996, when their new friendship grew over Thursday-night dinners, free events, street fairs, movies in the park and whatever fun they could find without much money.

Maribel remembers growing up in public housing in Chelsea, surrounded by the striking contrast between working-class families and the wealth right across the street. She shares memories of neighborhood bodegas, five-and-dimes, local shopkeepers who knew her family and the generations of people connected to her parents’ immigrant story.

Aimee reflects on a childhood split between Kingsbridge in the Bronx and Washington Heights, where Puerto Rican, Dominican, Irish, Jewish and Cuban neighbors shared apartment buildings, celebrations and responsibility for one another’s children. Spanish, Spanglish, salsa, merengue, food and time spent on the stoop all became part of her understanding of home.

Together, Maribel and Aimee explore what neighborhood community looked like in 1970s, ’80s and ’90s New York; how the city’s boroughs and blocks shaped identity; and what has been lost as families have moved away and familiar neighborhoods have changed.

They also ask a classic New York question: Can someone become a New Yorker if they weren’t born there? Their conversation considers the difference between living in a city and being from it, while making room for people who embrace New York’s boroughs, cultures and communities with genuine love and respect.

The episode includes reflections on Hispanic Heritage Month, the Puerto Rican Day Parade, cultural showcases and why intentional celebration matters—especially when people are living or studying far from the communities that make them feel at home.

In this episode:

• How Maribel and Aimee’s friendship grew in New York during the summer of 1996
• Growing up Latina in Chelsea, the Bronx and Washington Heights
• Bodegas, stoops, neighborhood shops and the adults who helped raise everyone
• Finding free and affordable things to do in New York City
• The difference between a native New Yorker and a transplant
• Respecting a place without trying to remake it
• Hispanic Heritage Month and the joy of cultural celebration
• The multicultural New York that shaped them both

Listen to “Our NuevaYol” and join two best friends in remembering the neighborhoods, people and cultures that made their New York feel like home.

Follow Dude, Tengo Chisme on Instagram: @dudetengochisme

#LatinaPodcast #NewYorkCity #LatinaStories