Where We Land in 2025 l Just Us
To close out the year, we share the origin story of the podcast. We also talk about unexpected moments, what made us the most nervous, our favorite episodes to record and many more behind the scenes details.
Coalescing identities with Farrah Daniel
After spending her childhood in Haiti, Farrah Daniel moved with her family to the US. It took several years, but Farrah has managed to navigate her way through, sort, and reckon with all the cultural identities that collided within her as an 8 year old when she first arrived in Florida.
Far from home for the holidays l Just Us
As immigrants living in the US, we haven’t always been able to go home to Peru for the holidays. In this episode we share our experiences spending the holidays far from home, and even family.
Immigrating for a relationship with Marianna De Luca
Marianna De Luca, a successful lawyer in Costa Rica, had just purchased a new apartment and had no plans to immigrate. Until, during a girls trip visiting a friend in DC, she fell in love. But how do you leave your life behind for a shot at something new?
Nobody Wants This: adult relationships and cultural differences l Just Us
We explore the complicated nature of dating someone with a different cultural background and what we enjoyed so much about the series Nobody Wants This.
Sneaking your way into Hollywood with Carlos Meléndez
Carlos Meléndez is a writer/director of film and television. Born in Mexico City, Carlos sneakily made his way to film school in LA at 18. But after finishing his studies he didn’t feel quite prepared to take Hollywood on just yet.
Friendship among immigrants l Just Us
In this episode we talk about making friends in a new country. Specifically, making immigrant friends when you yourself are also living abroad.
Feeling behind and catching up with Miguel Angel Hito
Miguel Angel Hito has a successful career in marketing at Google, but at 26 he had yet to attend college. He left his home country of Peru at 16, but delaying college made him feel like he'd fallen behind. Miguel shares the story of how he finally 'caught up', a journey that includes Japan, Miami and San Francisco.
The Summer I Turned Pretty: boys, growth and living abroad l Just Us
The Summer I Turned Pretty became Luciana’s favorite show, so we had to talk about it on the pod. We explore the ups and downs of Belly’s experience living abroad in Paris and the multicultural moments depicted in the show.
Producing a life in Hollywood with Zosia Garcia
Zosia Garcia is a movie and TV producer based in LA. Originally from Puebla, Mexico, Zosia left her home town right out of college to pursue an acting career in LA. She quickly pivoted to producing and has been climbing the industry ladder ever since.
Our relationship to food in Peru vs the US l Just Us
Abroad people eat different foods or have a different ideas of what an every-day meal is. This episode we share the differences we noticed between how Peruvians and Americans each relate to food.
Disordered eating & health coaching with Lina Salazar
Lina Salazar, born in Colombia and based in D.C., works in food security, a career she found her way into after working towards recovery from an eating disorder.
Shakira, Ricky Martin... Taylor Swift: Music that crosses cultures
Why are some singers global sensations while others can’t seem to ‘cross over’? We talk all about this and share our experiences loving lesser known artists and global superstars.
Moving back home before finding success with Miguel Sagaz
Miguel Sagaz left Mexico City to try to make it in Hollywood. When his first attempt didn’t work out, he moved back to Mexico, gained more experience, and tried again.
Sinners: music, culture and crying l Just Us
The movie Sinners (2025) is layered with metaphors and symbolism. We break down the movie through an immigrant and multicultural lens.
From Ballerina to PhD: achieving against the odds with Johanna Arenaza
Johanna Arenaza left her home country of Spain at 18 to study ballet in New York City. In a few years Johanna went from a full-time ballerina who didn’t speak English, to a psychology student who would go on to get a PhD.
Awkward convos: marriage, kids, neither? l Just Us
If you’re a single, childfree woman visiting your conservative hometown, there are certain questions you tend to get asked: Why are you still single? Don’t you want to get married? When are you going to have kids?
LA, acting and keeping the dream alive with Mariana Vílchez
Mariana Vílchez was a working actress in Los Angeles for 12 years before she had to move back to Peru when her talent visa didn’t get renewed and upended her life.
Christmas cards and feeling homesick l Just Us
As two people that have lived abroad quite a bit, it’s safe to say we’ve felt homesick more than once. So on today’s episode we share our experiences with homesickness and the coping mechanisms we’ve used.
Big avocados and knowing you’ll live abroad with Andrea Moncada
Andrea Moncada is a political analyst based in Oxford. She was born in Peru, but by 7 had already lived in three different countries. Andrea says she knew even as a child that her life would take place abroad.