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An archetype is a model of a person, personality or behavior. Strong archetypes in our culture have meaning for all of us and we use them in our stories, perhaps without even realizing it… Some archetypes include the mother, the king, the hero, the lover and the joker. Other archetypes include the betrayer, the victim, …

We’ve discussed the telling of the stories, why we tell our stories, why OTHERS might tell our stories, and the up side and the down sides of telling stories.  Although we often ridicule “la chismosa,” we all tell stories and we do so in different ways, at different times and all for our own (different) …

There are so many reasons that we each choose to tell our stories, right? We want to connect with each other, we want validation, we want support or understanding, or maybe we want to explore meanings…

We tell our stories to inspire others, to give them hope or to show possibilities. This is one of the reasons I ask women to tell their stories in the Powerful Latinas Interview Series. We also tell stories (our own or others’) to give examples and to show off. We even tell stories to try to figure things out.

Sometimes others tell our stories when we don’t want them to. I love my mom dearly, but she can, at times, tell my story in ways and to people that I would prefer she not tell. And this strained our relationship for a while. I finally told her that, while I love sharing pieces of my life with her, if she continued to tell others what I told her, I’d choose not to share so much with her. Since that conversation (over a decade ago now), things got a lot better. However, I am still cautious now and then about what I tell my mom, and there are times when I specifically ask her not to share what I’ve told her.

How well do we listen? I’ve found, in my experience, that we don’t often listen very well to those around us. When someone is telling us about where they are, we always relate it back to us, and overlay our own meanings on their story. We look for ways to connect their experiences to our own, or make judgments about what their experiences mean, or give advice or tell the speaker how they should feel, etc. We want to connect and contribute, but often how we attempt to do so actually moves us away from the person we’re supposedly listening to.

Communication is such a touchy subject.  Although we all do it all the time, there are so many layers that make communication so difficult, and also so exciting and fun! First of all, there is a layer of assumptions.  We often believe that we all come to the table with the same understandings, the same …

This month we’ll be talking about the idea of “gossip,” how we communicate, what it means and why it’s so important.  We’ll also be talking about how communication can be hurtful, why we communicate as Latinas, and how we can do so better. And I’ll be interviewing Latinas in the media – so hang on …

Under Construction: How I’ve Gained and Lost Millions of Dollars and Hundreds of Pounds by Jackie Guerra
(New American Library) The first Latina to star in her own sitcom charms and inspires with stories about working with Woody Allen, Dick Clark, and Jennifer Lopez, among others.