“Mira, ponte las pilas.” How many times have you heard that phrase before? Or “no seas una pendeja,” or “nadie te quita lo que está para ti.” These phrases helped guide us into the women we are today. We picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off because we had tough love at home that taught us how to be tougher chingonas. And to be honest, these phrases still help me out to this day! When I’m feeling low, I think, “Mira, Erika, ponte las pilas,” and get out of my slump. Because mama didn’t raise a pendeja! 

Carolina Acosta is a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, designer, and co-author of Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja. As the founder of Tragos Games, she’s built a bold, culture-forward brand that celebrates Latino identity through fun, connection, and conversation. A proud NY-born Latina with a love for salsa dancing and storytelling, Carolina blends her background in design with her passion for sharing underrepresented perspectives—creating everything from party games to community-driven experiences. When she’s not developing new products or mentoring the next wave of creators, you’ll find her exploring new countries, dancing all night, or playing party games with friends. Carolina’s mission is simple: to bring more unity, authenticity, and cultura to the table—literally.

Aralis Mejia is the founder of Silara Marketing, Head of Marketing for Tragos Games, and co-author of Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja. At Silara Marketing, she helps businesses of all sizes strategize and execute marketing plans that blend new tech with traditional tactics, including Tragos Games where she’s been helping amplify the brand since launch. Born and raised in NYC, her background in hospitality shaped her love for creating memorable experiences—whether it’s for a brand, her family, or a table full of friends. Outside of work, you’ll find Aralis dining at the newest restaurant, hosting family get-togethers, or experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. From brand launches to birthday dinners, she brings heart and humor to every room she walks into.

Carolina Acosta is a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, designer, and co-author of Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja. As the founder of Tragos Games, she’s built a bold, culture-forward brand that celebrates Latino identity through fun, connection, and conversation. A proud NY-born Latina with a love for salsa dancing and storytelling, Carolina blends her background in design with her passion for sharing underrepresented perspectives, creating everything from party games to community-driven experiences. When she’s not developing new products or mentoring the next wave of creators, you’ll find her exploring new countries, dancing all night, or playing party games with friends. Carolina’s mission is simple: to bring more unity, authenticity, and cultura to the table—literally.

Aralis Mejia is the founder of Silara Marketing, Head of Marketing for Tragos Games, and co-author of Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja. At Silara Marketing, she helps businesses of all sizes strategize and execute marketing plans that blend new tech with traditional tactics, including Tragos Games, where she’s been helping amplify the brand since launch. Born and raised in NYC, her background in hospitality shaped her love for creating memorable experiences—whether it’s for a brand, her family, or a table full of friends. Outside of work, you’ll find Aralis dining at the newest restaurant, hosting family get-togethers, or experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. From brand launches to birthday dinners, she brings heart and humor to every room she walks into.

This week, Carolina and Aralis share the incredible story of how their book, Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja, came to be and how they are working hard to preserve Latino culture for generations to come. They had no idea they were going to go viral, but once the community learned about their book, there was no going back. Now more than ever is the time to take pride in our culture and protect it for this generation and the next. Listen to hear the story behind the viral sensation and what they have planned for the future. 

Follow Caroline and Aralis on:
Instagram: @tragosgame

Instagram: @nopendejashere

Facebook: Tragos Game

TikTok: @tragosgame

LinkedIn: Tragos Games LLC

Check out Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja: Anti-Affirmations Inspired by Tough-Love Abuelas here!

Follow Erika on:
Instagram @‌theerikacruz
TikTok @‌theerikacruz
LinkedIn

Website:
http://www.theerikacruz.com

How to work with Erika:

Join the waitlist for the Courage Driven Latina program here.

Join the waitlist for the Magnetic Mastermind here.

Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.

Episode Transcript:

Erika: Hello. Hello. Welcome back to this week’s podcast episode of Ana Revolution. This is your host, Erica Cruz, and in today’s episode, I am joined by two Jere who are rewriting the rules of business branding and identity. They are Carolina Acosta and Ali. Mejia and these two HEAs are not only the co-authors of Mama Didn’t Raise, which is a book that reclaims power through anti affirmations.

We’ll get more into that in the episode, but they are also the creative minds behind Thrass games, which is the unapologetic. Latino party [00:02:00] games that have really taken over game night tables across the country for Latinos and non-Latinos. So Carolina is a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree. She brings design, storytelling, and salsa.

That’s the dancing type salsa energy, and into everything that she does and creates, and 

Ali is a marketing powerhouse and she is the brand whisperer who has helped bring Thra to life while building community and authenticity with every launch. In this podcast episode, we talk about brave decisions. The brave decisions that they both made that have led them here. The realities of being first gen entrepreneurs, as well as how they’re using joy, culture, and even with a little bit of sarcasm to remind us that we are not here to play small.

So if you’ve ever felt torn between being humble and being heard, then this podcast episode is for you and it is a reminder that you actually don’t have to choose. [00:03:00] So let’s get into this interview. I.

Carolina and Aralis, I am so excited to have you on Ana Revolution podcast. We have so much to talk about today, um, especially how there are an no Dejas around here. So, um, Carolina, if we can just start with you. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and, um, how you both came to create Mama didn’t raise a bandha, the book that I have right here.

So Carolina, we’ll start with you and then we’ll go to you. 

Carolina: Okay, great. Ika, thank you so much for having us today. Um, I’m excited to talk about the book and our entire journey that has led to this book, which is something we never really expected from, I guess the six years ago that we started this journey together.

So, um, I am Catalina Osa and I started. I started my company, which led to the book, um, back in [00:04:00] 2019. It was a drinking car game for Latinos, um, called Dragos. And I had this idea of kind of merging fun with culture back then, um, as somebody that was born in the US and didn’t really see my dual identity, um, a lot in, in any type of.

Products that I was using, particularly fun ones. Um, so I created this game, um, that eventually became a business and in that first year I hired my cousin Erise here, um, to work with me and kind of help me grow the brand and the marketing. And we’ve been doing that for the last six years. Um, and as we were exploring more cultural, um, games and products to.

To launch. Um, we were working with a now publisher partner, um, uh, like thinking about what could we, what could we do with this idea of like tough love that, [00:05:00] um. That we grew up with as Latinas, um, in like strong Latina households. Um, and so we kind of came to this concept of, oh, instead of a a, a affirmation deck, which was something that was very, uh, trending at the time, we’re like, oh, what, what if we came up with like an anti affirmation that’s kind of like more of a nod to our Latina roots.

Um, kind of stemming from everything that we do with, with the company games included. Um, and then this kind of evolved into this book idea. So sorry I gave you the whole, the whole like, story of the book, but that’s kind of like who I am and now who our release is and like how we’ve kind of come to this point together.

Erika: Perfect. And Ali, what about you? Like, what’s your background? How did you end up, um, creating this? I, I’m, I’m gonna say it’s like a, a like divine project that I think is very relevant to our community because sometimes like the fluffy affirmations don’t work for, for some Latinas. Right. So, um, what’s your [00:06:00] background and your, how you ended up here?

Aralis: So, um, I’m Riise. I started in marketing, um, and events. Because that’s what I went to school for was advertising and marketing communications and um, I kind of digressed and went into hospitality. Um, which kind of went in line with the tough love that you grow up with. You know, being in the service industry is super difficult.

I grew in that, uh, role and made it into corporate hospitality, either through the events side or, uh, just managing a restaurants like marketing campaign. And Carolina created, Carolina was going around with a doc and questions. Everyone’s like, Carolina’s making a game. And we’re like, yeah. I think it’s like for Latinos.

We’re like, we don’t know, you know? Um, and then finally she kind of recruited me. She, uh, was like, look, I have this opportunity in California. I think you’d be great for it. So I went out and all that to say I was overwhelmed [00:07:00] with how much the community wanted more connection, and Latinos wanted something that tied us together, and we were so tied together.

We come from New York, so it’s super segregated and. La uh, Latinos are more identified by their country instead of just being Latino. And I thought Dragos opened the door to an opportunity for all of us to connect on a wider level being Latinos as one in America. 

Carolina: Mm-hmm. 

Aralis: Yeah. The book, I guess, transitioned from that, you know, like that mentality comes from our tough background.

And the book came about because we are very tough on ourselves and. I feel like when Carolina gets tough on herself, I’m like, no, don’t be so tough. And when I’m tough, no, don’t be so tough. But I think it’s our nature as Latinas, as Latinos. Yeah. It’s super hard on ourselves. So when I was hearing during Covid and like the years after all these like, you know, breathe it [00:08:00] into life, like close your eyes and like, or even like, like without hard work, I don’t think that, um.

We can get anything done. And that’s why these sayings kind of came together. ’cause it’s like things that you always tell yourself, um, when you’re like trying to do your adult thing. I. 

Erika: Yeah. Yes, definitely. So before we get into like the details of the book, thank you both for, for sharing that. One of the questions that I wanted to ask you both was about, um, so we were just talking about us being hard on ourselves, right?

And it’s so easy for us to see when others are being hard on themselves, but it’s almost like a blind. Thought when we’re doing it for ourselves. And one of the questions I had for you is around like, making brave decisions or like hard decisions. So, uh, I’m specifically a courage coach. That’s what I help Latinas do.

Build more courage. And courage doesn’t mean that you’re not afraid. It means that you’re afraid, but you still do it. So, I wanna know, was there a moment in your journeys when you had to choose courage over comfort, [00:09:00] when maybe you had to do something that felt very difficult, but it has helped shaped who you are and where you are today?

Aralis: Hmm. Yeah, I could start. I mean, um, I think courage comes with that, you know, diligence of doing what you have to do. Mm-hmm. Um, and that comes with discipline as well. So I think when I wrote the book, um, I, it changed me a lot because it had that, you know, deadline where it’s like, you have to do this when you.

Get into your entrepreneurial space or you run your own business. It’s easy to say like, oh, it’ll too later. But when there’s like a publisher like, oh, just read your last three chapters and then give us feedback. You kind of have to create that discipline. I recently just. When we launched the book felt underwhelmed with how I looked and how I felt about how I looked.

I had kind of gotten so focused on my career and also kind of rebelled on like, mom, don’t tell me how I look like. [00:10:00] Don’t comment on my looks. Don’t. So I kind of fell into a place that I was unhappy and I think the book helped me. Focused on myself. I recently just lost 40 pounds and I’m like on that journey.

And I think this has been the most courageous thing I’ve ever done because I’ve always, since I was a kid, wanted to lose weight. But I feel like I’m finally doing the steps to do it. And that’s ’cause I wrote this book where I was like, that’s a huge accomplishment. Yeah. And I’m so happy with myself. 

Erika: That’s amazing. Yeah. So I love what you just shared because uh, uh, you didn’t specifically say this, but sometimes when we’re do creating this labor of love for others, it also is almost love for ourselves as well, right? So like when you do something that’s going to give back and impact others, it inevitably benefits you too.

And I think like through choosing to help others, it, you ultimately chose yourself. And I think that that’s. Such a beautiful thing and congratulations on all of your growth and like really prioritizing yourself, [00:11:00] not because of like the scale or anything, but for you to like, choose you. Right? And I’m sure you just feel different about yourself, so that’s huge.

Aralis: Totally. Yeah. It’s definitely, um, that discipline and like courage to be like, no, to say no to things. Like no to going out, no to drinking, no to like eating the extra taco. Or the extra natural, like all of that stuff that’s, um, the purpose. I think that’s, I’m in that kind of phase right now in my life.

Erika: Yeah, definitely. And what about you, Carolina? Was there like a moment, um, when people maybe thought like, oh my gosh, she’s freaking crazy, but you’re like, no, I, I know where I’m headed. What was your kind of brave, um, action. 

Carolina: Uh, I feel like the last six years has just been one thing after another. Um, and I mean, I feel like I’m in a position right now actually.

I mean, the, well, to start the, just the concept of, [00:12:00] um, ending like any full-time work that I was doing and. Specifically focusing on Thra GOs back, like maybe like one year, just one year into the business was a little bit crazy for my parents, for friends, you know, and I, I kept thinking, oh, well, you know, if I, if I decide I can always go back, it’s fine.

I have, like, I have a background in graphic design, so it’s always something that I’ve leaned on. Um, but now I’m in actually in a position where I’m so torn between. Do I want to grow in my own personal career knowing that I can do this more on the side, or do I wanna go all in and really grow this business to be all it can be?

Which is the much, much more difficult path, even though it’s been something I’ve, I’ve, you know, um, put all this work in for the last six years. It’s like, I haven’t even gotten started on what can be done. And so it’s just kind of, yeah. Mastering, you know, [00:13:00] that, that life decision, like, because, um, people can, people can make decisions all the time.

We were just talking about this this morning and everyone is like, well, what’s gonna make you happy? I’m like, I don’t know. It all feels hard. 

Erika: It does. It really all is hard. Right. And we have to choose our hard. 

Carolina: Yeah. Yeah. So I’m still choosing my heart, but I think I just keep trying to be grateful to even be in the position to have the opportunity at all in instead of, you know.

Anything else that, that, that, that is, yeah, I don’t know. So, so yeah, I’m just, I’m still figuring it out, but I’m trying to put that braveness forward, um, as opposed to, I don’t know, going the, the soft or the easy route. 

Erika: Yeah, definitely. Thank you both for sharing. So obviously. It has been a huge success and the, the drinking game that has brought people together.

But from that came the book. So I wanna [00:14:00] know what, how, where was that moment or what, tell, tell us the story about how the book even came about. Like, were you two playing the game and did, hey, we should do this. Or what actually, what was that moment when you’re like, yes, we’re going to do this. 

Aralis: Um, I had gotten that, those decks with like affirmations, you know, like the daily little, like you pull out a card.

Yeah. And because we were working with the publisher, just kind of brainstorming new products. We thought of a daily affirmation, but with the sayings that we grew up hearing. So it would just be like every day you’d pull out a new card with a saying that we grew up in and. They kind of came back to us like, what about putting them in a book?

Kind of, you know, putting all the quotes in a book. So that was where that I, we were like, we, we never even thought about that being an option. Um, and then when we started putting the quotes together, we’re like, okay, well they’re cool, but now what’s the next, um, component? And it [00:15:00] was, well, let’s translate them into English.

Let’s, let’s give them the verbatim. Uh, translation and then let’s do a modern translation. And that still wasn’t enough. So then we added the cha, like the paragraph that kind of delves a little bit deeper and gives them more anecdotal, um, component of the book, which is my favorite part really? ’cause those are really funny.

And it’s really like your girls talking to you. 

Erika: Totally. 

Carolina: Yeah. It just kind of like expanded into something we didn’t think, apart from being the book. Then we like added chapters and like the, the modern and direct translations ended up also being really funny because when they translate them to direct English, you’re like, what It makes, it has no actual meaning.

Um, and it was a little intimidating to then add our own take with the paragraphs. But the more we started to write them, the more we found our voice. And that’s kind of what really made the book what it [00:16:00] is today. 

Erika: Yeah. I find it fascinating that it wasn’t like, oh yeah, we’re gonna do this one thing. It was like you two were just kind of trusting the process.

Like you were really just like one step at a time. And that’s why I called the book like a Divine Project. ’cause I feel like this was almost like a channel, like you were channeling this from a higher power to the community that really needed it. So now that it’s like, you know, now that it’s physical, why does it feel like it was so important for this book to come out for the community?

Aralis: Hmm. I think for me personally, it’s to honor our moms and our grandmas. grandma who was our grandma, our mom’s mom, was so tough and I think she always had such a hard life ’cause she was so, she was so afraid to enjoy life and she had all these great quotes. 

she would just kind of say them and not live them.

She did leave all of these quotes to all of us. And if you ask any of our cousins, like they repeat them daily. It’s like they all have a little bit of them [00:17:00] in. And then when we started talking to more people, they’re like, oh my God. Yeah, absolutely. And there’s this legacy that our families and our culture leave on each other.

Erika: Mm-hmm. 

Aralis: These like quotes and these sayings that can get lost if we don’t preserve them. So it’s like. Putting them in a book kind of like makes them real, and it’s something we could share with our kids, even if. We’re not talking Spanish or doing it all the time, you know? 

Erika: Yeah. Yeah. And the, the beautiful thing about a book is that like a book’s gonna stay on a shelf for like decades to come.

Right. But the fact that you also provided the modern translation and then you even have like the, the definitions in the back so somebody can enjoy this even if they don’t speak Spanish. 

Aralis: Yeah. Which is 

Erika: beautiful. 

Aralis: Definitely. Um, not only for Latinos, you know. 

Erika: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, what’s your favorite, What’s your favorite anti affirmation in the book that, like, has either hit you the hardest or that you really live [00:18:00] by?

Carolina: Uh, I really love the Dicho. I say it all the time, or least knows this already, but it just, it translates to, nobody takes away what’s already yours or what’s meant for you. And I. Think about this every single day because there are so many routes I can take and, you have accomplishments that happen like coming out with a book, but then every other day feels normal.

And so sometimes I feel like I’m falling behind on like, the next big thing or like making more money or, you know, whatever crazy milestone I come up with next for myself. And so I tell myself this every day, like, okay. It’s all gonna work out. It’s all whatever’s meant for me is coming anyway. Um, it’s all about timing and having that patience and trust in mm-hmm the process in myself and, you know, my faith.

And so it keeps me really grounded and, and from going crazy. 

Erika: Yeah. And I think that this [00:19:00] saying, um, is timeless, but it’s also timely because we’re living in this, this world of, of social media where it’s can be so easy to compare ourselves, right? Or it can be so easy as Latinas and Latinos to, to fall into lack, like, oh, there’s not enough to go around.

Or if this person gets this opportunity, like then I couldn’t get it. But with this saying of like, what’s for you? It won’t miss you. And like, what’s for you is going to be for you, I think reminds us that Yeah. What, what the pers the, the guy that’s meant for you is gonna be for you. And if he’s with somebody else, that’s not the guy for you, right?

Or if you didn’t get the job that you applied for, that wasn’t the job for you. And like my audience. Knows this, but like when I was in the tech industry, I applied to so many different tech companies because I wanted to go work at like TikTok or Instagram, and I ended up getting rejected from all these places except Google, and I got to the last round and then they canceled the position and then I.

A few months later, the pandemic hit and that’s when my business [00:20:00] started. And like we wouldn’t all be sitting here today if one of those opportunities had worked out, but like this was the one for me. And I think about this with my clients who are like feeling FOMO about opportunities or like relationships or jobs.

But with this saying, it’s like how can you trust that the right thing is never going to miss you? It’s always going to work out for you. 

Carolina: And that’s like the hardest part, just knowing that the A better something is going to come along because you must have felt like crap in the last round of Google.

And so it’s like how to te tell yourself or how to like move forward, um, from that mindset that you find yourself in that very, in that very moment that you’re like, oh, it’s gonna be fine. It’s so easy to say that, but when you’re in that position, that’s like the hardest thing. So it’s like, I think I’m gonna have to get it like tattooed on me or something.

Erika: That would be a good tattoo. Um, and s what about you? What’s your favorite anti affirmation in the book 

Aralis: right now? I’m [00:21:00] liking,

um, I think it’s very selfish and I think that’s important sometimes for personal growth, you know, and I’m really in that phase, so it’s like, do the right thing, show up. The best that you can. Even if you’re like in a bad job or in a job that you don’t like or whatever, just put your best like foot forward, um, and friendship and love and life.

And I think that the universe rewards you and it’s just like good, good work. It can’t be faked. So I think like, it, it, it’ll be recognized one way or another. So I think it’s just do the work and kinda put your head down. Don’t compare. Don’t do nothing. 

Erika: Yeah, that’s beautiful. Especially because nothing is permanent, right?

Everything is actually temporary and sometimes like we, that reminds me of a lot. Um. Of what my clients say with like, oh, once I get the job I want, then I’m gonna be happy. [00:22:00] Or Once I get this, then I’m going to be happy. And I think the saying is really like, how can you be happy with where you are now and put your best foot forward because that’s what’s gonna help you get to the place that you wanna be at.

But it’s, if you are miserable where you are, you’re probably gonna be miserable where you’re going as well. 

Aralis: Yeah, definitely. Happiness is like internal, so it’s like it’s a journey and like. When we were writing the book, when we launched the book, now we’re promoting the book. Like we have to be happy in all those phases so that it’s authentic.

And I think what’s one thing I really like, um, about how social media has evolved recently, it’s like authenticity is, is, speaks louder than anything. So that’s what’s really doing well. So even though there’s so much noise, the most authentic uh, message is the one that’s going to get delivered ultimately.

Erika: Definitely, definitely. 

Carolina: My, my brother says, um, this thing now lately, he’s like, turned all positive. He [00:23:00] is like, remember, we’re living in the best of times. Like he does it every day. We are. And it’s like, you’re never gonna be as young or or beautiful as you are now. You’re never gonna have the friends that you have now.

So think about the moment, like even if everything isn’t going great. These are the best of times, and you’re gonna look back on this day and be like, oh, remember when, whatever. We were young. We were living in that apartment. You know, like things like that. So you gotta think about it. 

Erika: Yeah. That’s so true.

Look at that. Even your brother’s wisdom is making it onto the podcast. I know that’s, 

Carolina: uh, we have a, a no pendejo, um, update coming soon. I was, I was gonna actually gonna ask about that. Love it. I mean, TBD we’re like, we’re like brainstorming the name, but we’re like, okay, we gotta get the guys’ opinions now.

Erika: Yeah, exactly. Because that was actually one of the questions that, um, that I was, that I had as, as we were talking. So obviously is, is a. [00:24:00] A gender neutral. Right. But like, why was this important to like be targeted more towards the Latina women? Hmm. 

Aralis: I mean, it’s hard, right? Um, it wasn’t intended to be that way.

Um, even with Dragos, it’s for everyone. But our audience definitely skews women. Um, we are women. We’ve mostly always been a women team. We want to bring in that male tone. But it’s really hard when you have so much, um, woman in you. Like there’s totally no, when you’re talking and you’re, um, thinking of these quotes.

We come from a family of a lot of women, um, on both ends. I know for Carolina on my end when my father too is all women. So it’s like, it’s kind of hard. Um, I think when we do expand it to up in the whole, um. Tone, we will need to recruit or talk to some male Latinos because I know [00:25:00] that their pressures exist as well.

Mm-hmm. So we wanna honor those, you know, like Yeah. Uh, male pressure and that like male dominance in Latina that is very much real. So we wanna definitely give them, are. Yeah, we’re girls. Girls. Four girls. I hear you. So am I. 

Erika: You have a brother, an anise. Do you have a brother or no? 

Aralis: No, I have a sister. Okay.

And the four of us grew up pretty close. 

Erika: Okay. 

Aralis: Um, I think we have other cousins, but the four of us grew up in New York and very tight knit, like four cousins. My sister was the oldest and then Carolina’s brother, then me, and then Carolina. 

Erika: Okay, awesome. So yeah, the, the reason I I ask is because, I mean, I grew up in a Latino household.

My parents are both from Mexico and I have a brother who’s older and he, his treatment was so [00:26:00] different than my treatment being female. Right? So like, yes, we’re all Latino, but I also think the gender expectations differ. And I feel like you bring up such a good point with like, well. Yeah, my, my, the way my parents treated me was very different than the way they treated my brother.

And however, with that being said, I also think. The Latino men are faced with like, oh, don’t show emotion, right. They’re like, they really do have their own struggles, so as much as they’ve been, they’ve been given maybe a lot more freedom and they’ve been, you know, told that their voice actually does matter as compared to like some messages that maybe Latinas got.

They also have their own version, like they’re also finding their own demons. So I love that you said that because yes, we’ve had different journeys, but in those different journeys, each gender has. A certain level of privilege and a cer certain level of challenge, and those are just different. So I like that you’re already like thinking [00:27:00] about this and how to serve the community as a whole because Dragos and even this book, like it’s not just a product, like you’re, you’re building a movement, right?

Like you’re really building community around this. So did you know that this was going to turn into that? Like was that the intention or were you just trying to create a product and then like did the community part. Um, surprise you? Or what has that experience been like? 

So, uh, for us, community is what built Dragos, you know, I think that was the first impressive boom that Dragos had viral moment back in 2019.

Aralis: Um, I think that community, again, because of the noise out there, has gotten a little bit lost and everyone wants to build their own community instead of like supporting each community. But, um, I think for moving forward, authenticity and community go together. When we built the book, we knew it was gonna be great because we put our heart into it, but we didn’t know that it was going to go that [00:28:00] viral, that fast, I guess, uh, organically without us even putting.

The effort into it to promote it as much as we really wish we could, but we don’t have the bandwidth. Um, I think as seeing that boom there, comparing it to the boom in 2019 with Dragos community is where we have to focus back. So I think that’s why I said that with men and I just think really. Uh, soaking all of that community up and then now really tapping into what they wanna do and how we can continue to grow for them is, uh, just the only way that we can continue to grow as a brand.

Carolina: Hmm. Yeah, and we, um, like Ali said, we didn’t really expect the, you know, I don’t think anyone, everyone wants to go viral, but nobody really knows when it’s coming. Totally. And so we, we could never really say, um. Yeah. Like this is exactly what’s going to happen. But, um, we, we did, with the help [00:29:00] of the community, it was, um, a TikTok affiliate creator that just created her own video and that blew up.

That’s the one that got over 2 million views. Amazing. And so it’s incredible to see how much power our community has. Um, but that was also the, the moment where we saw just how much the book affected. Um. Uh, you know, readers or like people just seeing it for the first time, it was like, oh my gosh, like, I wish I had this.

Or, I know somebody, um, I know a friend that really needs this book. Or, oh, I wanna get this for my daughter. I wanna get this for my mom. And it was just, it was a moment where everyone was thinking about somebody else, um, and, and, and of each other. Right. And that was something I, I loved more than just like the views and the reach.

Erika: Yeah. So how did you come up with the name? I think, I mean, obviously my podcast name is Ana Revolution, and I think the word Ana is more like a of a Mexican word, but it means badass in [00:30:00] Mexico, but it’s still technically a bad word, just like Right. But I feel like it’s bold and it catches people’s attention and it’s very like relatable to the modern woman.

But how did the name come about? 

Aralis: So we, we, uh, bounced around ideas like, mama didn’t raise a, a idiot or Mama didn’t raise, uh, a dummy. You know, different things like, but nothing was hitting 

Erika: Yeah, no go hit. 

Aralis: And I’m like, no, but what do our moms always call us? And I know a lot of other Latinas that they’ve, I’ve heard their moms call or they tell themselves.

So, um, we just kind of threw it out there and. The publisher was okay with it. So we were like, cool. You know, if they, if they, um, if they’re cool with it, then that’s the one, and I think that’s the best part of, of the book. It just capture, catches your attention right away. 

Carolina: Definitely. And we knew that the name, like [00:31:00] we thought about versus Bejo and we’re like, oh, I wish we could call it like.

He or something, you know, that would capture everybody. Right? Um, so we thought about that too. We’re like, oh, you know, do we want it to be just for Latinas? And so I think we focus more on, okay, it’s gonna capture the Latina attention, but when you read the book, it doesn’t skew, uh, just female. Mm-hmm. We, we, we made sure to not be like, you go girl, or like, you know, like it’s, it’s, it’s more of a general message across, across the book.

But we do know our audience is mainly Latina, so we’re like, okay, let’s just like lean towards that because we do wanna get it in front of people. And so we didn’t want that message to be like. Uh, less strong than it needed to be. 

Erika: Yeah. So earlier, um, Lina, you mentioned that, uh, you know, the power of our, of our community, and with that, that viral moment, um, whenever you created Dragos, you made a decision to focus on the Latino [00:32:00] community and, um.

I think people don’t recognize like one, the buying power our community has, um, the influence our community has in this, in this country, um, as well as like the. Yeah, the, the community that we, that we really have and how strong it is. So when you made that decision to start your business and focus on the Latino community, was there ever a thought in your mind of like, oh, but what if I make this for everyone?

And so almost like how did you feel about niching down to our community? Or did you know? Okay, the Latino community is. Like really a huge GDP, so that’s exactly where I wanna focus. What was the thought process there? 

Carolina: When I first started the business, I did not even think it would be business, so, oh, I love it.

Oh [00:33:00] my gosh, whatsoever. Um, somebody was like, make an LLC, so I was like, okay, let me call it thra thoses games, LLC, when I didn’t even think, you know, that we would make games that weren’t dragos or drinking related. So that’s how, not far ahead I was looking. I was really just like. This game needs to, needs to exist because nothing out there exists like it.

And then after that, you know, I’ve of course now, um, evolved the business and, and the plan, the plans for it in the future. And yes, uh, Latino buying power is growing more and more every year. Our, um, percentage of the population is growing more every year. And so I don’t think that’s going anywhere at all.

Um, however, I do think that culture is a beautiful thing, um, that, you know, I, I resonate with as just like a person who loves languages and travel. And, um, I connected with my culture late in [00:34:00] life, uh, as an adult. Um, but it only made me realize that other people feel that way, um, everywhere internationally.

And so I think I’m in like a really cool crossroads where. Yes, I could always go more Latino and, and we will, and like there’s so many more industries and products that need to exist out there for our community because mm-hmm. We’re just getting started in games in this like one book and it’s like there’s a lot more that we can do and then a lot more that I know our community is doing.

But I also love game development. I think that’s a, a new passion of mine that I, again, it was very, very new. It was the first time I created a game with Dragos, but now I’m in a position where I’m like, oh, I can, I can do this in my sleep. Like this is so fun. And so I’ve actually developed a few games that are not just for Latinos.

There’s a nod to Latino culture and there’s a nod to like general Bipoc, um, similarities. And so that’s. Where I want to expand our products, where it’s not just only Latinos playing, it’s, Hey Latinos, you’re definitely gonna see [00:35:00] yourself in this game, but now you can play with your friends that are non-Latino.

Erika: I love it. that’s actually really cool. ’cause whenever you have your friends over, if it’s just Latinos, then you can play rags. But these other games are like, oh wait, like when I’m with my Filipino American friends, right.

Or when my black friends are around, it’s like, oh yeah. It’s just like, because our communities do intertwine and do, do co-mingle a lot. So I think that that’s great. 

 I was just going to say, even if something is kind of written from the Latino perspective, I, I think about Bad Bunny, right? And it’s like I have friends who do not speak Spanish and they listen to Bad Bunny. So, um, I just think that having it be from the perspective of, um, Latinas, that doesn’t mean it’s only going to serve Latinas and Latinos or Latina, but, um, it’s.

I simply think about music and how that’s like bad bunny’s, not just touring in Latin America and in the United States. Like he’s going through Europe and he’s gonna be in all these different places and he has followers [00:36:00] everywhere. So, um, there’s also, there’s also that, like, there’s a lot of people who listen to my podcast who don’t speak Spanish, but the whole thing’s pretty much in English.

Maybe we’ll throw in a few words here and there. So I, I do think we’re getting to this place where, like, to your point, Carolina, how you like other. Cultures and you like learning languages. Other people love Latino culture and I was just got back from Mexico City yesterday and I was at a like, um, dance class, Carolina.

Are you the one who dances salsa? 

Carolina: Yeah. 

Erika: Okay. We 

Carolina: both do. 

 right? Or at least you dance. I dance salsa. I think loos is a better dancer, but I, I like going on more. 

Erika: Yeah, like whenever you go dance salsa, you all dance salsa on two though. ’cause you’re in New York. We dance salsa on one over here on the west coast.

And um, but like, even when you go dance salsa, like there’s not just Latinos dancing salsa. I wanna say some of the best dancers that I’ve danced with have been like Indian or some type of Asian. Yeah, at least I think it’s maybe ’cause we’re, um, there’s [00:37:00] a lot of Indian and Asians in the tech industry and that’s like where I’m at and they like a little tech bubble, but I’m like, damn, there are some good dancers.

Carolina: Yeah, and I mean, we, we’ve played Dragos with every nationality and it’s so fun. I’ve played with like Eastern Europeans and like Southeast Asians, all types of, you know, everywhere. And, um, it’s so fun to see how many similarities there are with their cultures. They’re like, oh, our moms do the plastic bags.

And the plastic bags too, or like, um, yeah, we, uh, we’ve, uh, our, our. A lot of, a lot of it is like the way that they were raised with their parents. Mm-hmm. So it’s very interesting to see the overlap and then also learn like from their experiences, like what’s different. 

Aralis: Yeah. Yeah. And I think with the creation of Trago and then, you know, we have get loud, we, we don’t just have trago, we’ve had other, um, additions of Dragos, we have Get Loud, um.

What we do know is that there’s not a lot of women in the tabletop game [00:38:00] industry, let alone Latina or Latinos. So if we can grow and take this opportunity and be a game house and play with the big boys and kind of really amplify what our passion is, then yeah, it’s great that we’re Latina. But we’re not just Latinas.

We like we’re game makers. You know, we have this like 

Erika: totally. 

Aralis: Power to, to get people that are not just that look like us, but like other people. And that’s where like Latina, that’s really going to continue to grow because I think in the past six years we have found our voice as Latinos. I mean, it’s still developing, but um, we’re louder where we stand on business more.

Mm-hmm. Um, yeah. Latino women, Latino men. So I, that’s really important. 

Erika: Yeah, we have the fastest, um, percentage, like the fastest growing percentage when it comes to business creation. So we’re, we’re definitely growing and, and here to stay in here to take over a lot more of the, [00:39:00] the business market. So we’ve been talking a lot about th drags get loud.

Um, mama didn’t raise up in the, the book. Where, where can people get their hands on this? Obviously your website, but where else can they find your products? 

Aralis: So rao’s bilingual is sold on, um, at it’s sold at Target, at Walmart, on our website, on Amazon, and on TikTok shop. Um, all of our other products can be found on our website on TikTok shop, and the book can also be found on Barnes and Noble.

Uh, target.com, walmart.com. So wherever you buy your books, individual retailers, you can just, uh, get Mama didn’t raise up in hat. 

Erika: Beautiful. Um, Carolina, is there anything I didn’t ask that you would love to share with the listeners?

Carolina: I loved our conversation. I thought we touched on a lot. Yeah, I mean, I, I think I’ve, I’m starting to become, um, a, a big [00:40:00] resource. I’m not a big resource, I mean a resource for our community. You’re a big resource. You. So I, I’d love to like open it up to any listeners, um, people that are trying to start their own business, their own D two C, their own game.

Um, I have like email templates at this point. Like, this is how you get started. Um, so yeah, I’m kind of opening it up to that. And for anybody that wants to collaborate with us, I think, um. What, like, what we really wanna do in the next upcoming years is to really build that network and kind of really become that, um, cultural, cultural studio known for the products that we, that we come up with.

And having those type of collaborations and input from the communities, um, would be huge. So, yeah. 

Erika: Beautiful. Don’t be surprised with a bunch of dms because my listeners take your action for sure. Um, so yeah, thank you for that. Um, Ali, what about you? Is there anything that [00:41:00] I didn’t ask that you feel called to share?

Either like, I don’t know, a lesson or a, something that, that I didn’t ask that you might wanna share? 

Aralis: Lina, I’ve been, um, you know. Marketing’s all about education and really trying to learn what the best tools, the best strategies are. So if anyone has a small business, they have any questions, they can reach out to my, uh, page at s Inc.

And I can answer anything. Right now. I’m really delving into AI and seeing how we can amplify our, um, strategies and really learn those platforms so that we. Are staying up to date. That’s really important for small businesses and kind of hard to do with like all of the things that we have going on. So, um, I, I’m hoping I could be more of a resource and get more information together for people.

So just keep an eye out on that. 

Erika: Perfect. So what we will do is we’ll tag below in the show notes, um, the links where people can get your products, as well as [00:42:00] the, um, company’s Instagram, TikTok, all of that as well as both of yours, so that way people can stay in touch. So for those of you listening, if you took anything away from.

This conversation, take a screenshot, tell us your biggest takeaway, and then tag all of us please. Because we wanna see if this, what was res, what was relevant and resonated with you during this podcast episode. Um, it has been such a pleasure to get to know both of you and to talk more about the amazing book as well as the game.

And I’ll have to let you know when I’m back in New York so we can all get together and maybe go get some coffee or something. 

Aralis: We would love that. Thank you so much, Erica, for having us and for having this platform for Latinos. 

Erika: Of course. Thank you. Thank you so.

[00:43:00]