- Funding for this episode of Que Pasa NJ with Carlos Medina has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, PSE&G, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Hackensack Meridian Health, the Engineer's Labor-Employer Cooperative 825, ROI-NJ Business Magazine, Hudson County Community College.

- Hola, familia, welcome to this month's episode of Que Pasa.

This month, we're lucky to have Lizeth Morales, owner of El Gordo Restaurant, Carmen Cusido, author and mental health advocate, Beth Marmolejos, business and nonprofit leader, and the star of Chicago on Broadway, Bianca Marroquin.

Que Pasa?

(upbeat Latin music) Welcome to Que Pasa, Lizeth Morales from El Gordo Restaurant.

- Thank you.

Thank you so much for having me.

- You have four locations in the tri-state area.

- Yes, yes I do.

- Now, these are Peruvian cuisine, correct?

- Yes, it is traditional Peruvian cuisine recipes inspired by both my mother and my abuela, my grandmother.

- Amazing.

Amazing.

Now, you have a real intriguing story.

I read some of your biography.

I read some notes that you had written during some of the turmoil in your life.

Tell me your family's journey from Peru here to the tri-state area.

- Sure.

Well, my parents migrated to the US in the late '80s.

Their journey started in Paterson, my parents working service type of jobs.

My father used to work in a restaurant.

My mother used to work as a housekeeper and looking back, I really value those times in the sense that I believe that's where my really strong work ethic was implemented because I was the child that they took to work.

(laughs) You know, it really does ingrain in you what hard work is and I think most importantly, it allows you to see the sacrifices that your parents are making to be able to just give you better opportunities.

- Now, how old were you when you came to Paterson, New Jersey?

- I was six.

- Six years old from Peru- - Yes.

- So, born in Peru, you came here at age six and when did that fateful, how old were you when that fateful day happened when you were approached by ICE?

- So, I found out of my legal status right before entering college.

So, I got accepted to William Paterson University and a couple of weeks after being accepted to college, I was faced with the news that my father and I were being presented an order of deportation and I'll never recall my mother saying to me, "You've just got accepted to college and we won't let this get in the way of you building the life of your dreams.

This is an obstacle and we will figure out how to get past it," so I still went to college, I worked my way full time along with my parents help since I didn't qualify for any loans or anything, graduated, and then at the age of 29, on my way to work, at that time, I was working in New York, I came face-to-face with ICE officers and spent 17 days in Delaney Hall in an immigration center in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

- Wow, 17 days.

How did that feel?

I mean, not having your freedom, being with other immigrants that had been also going through the deportation process?

- You know, looking back, it's a mix of emotions, it's a mix of...

It was such a humbling experience in the sense because you are with so many that are in similar stories as yours, similar situations.

I just received so much love and support in such a dark time in my life and I believe that that's what fueled me to get through it and to not give up on hope that eventually, I would come out of this situation and still figure out a way to move forward and win.

- Now, you mentioned the immigrant experience, the role models that your parents played.

We see the statistics, New Jersey is 21.6 Hispanic.

Businesses are growing at a rate of two, three times that of the general population, I would argue, 'cause there've been different ways of immigration from Ireland, from Italy, those immigrant workers are always very hard workers 'cause they're coming from another country, they value their freedom, they value entrepreneurship.

So, what do you tell our young Latina entrepreneurs that are coming from other countries or from second generation, their parents came here hoping that they would get an education.

What do you tell these young entrepreneurs, especially after having gone through so much with your journey?

- Right.

Remember, first, is everything that our parents sacrificed to get us to where we are.

That for me, my family values, which I think is what makes our culture the culture that it is.

Most importantly, as well, I would say, use all the resources.

A lot of times, especially in entrepreneurship, we can feel like we're very alone and for me, when I started out as an entrepreneur, I think the first thing you've realized is you're wearing so many hats and you're focused on the things that maybe you're not so good at, but instead, focus on what your strengths are, focus on what parts of your business you really enjoy and know that there's resources and people out there that are gonna help you do the other parts of the business that maybe you're not so good at and that's okay.

- Now, that's great advice.

Often at the chamber, we have to let entrepreneurs know that there's lawyers, there's CPAs, you don't have to do all the work.

If you're a chef, if you're an artist, if you're a lawyer, do what you do best- - It took me so many years- - and hire folks to do some of the other things that you need to do.

- to really understand that.

Yes.

(laughs) - Lizeth, thank you for being a great role model, thank you for sharing some of your journey, it's really inspirational, and again- - Thank you so much.

- thank you for coming to Que Pasa.

- Thank you so much for giving me a space to share my journey and hopefully inspire others to just always keep dreaming and never give up.

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

- And up next, we have Carmen Cusido, author and mental health advocate.

(upbeat Latin music) Welcome back.

Now, we have Carmen Cusido, author and mental health advocate.

Welcome to Que Pasa, Carmen.

- Thank you, muchas gracias.

- So, tell me a little bit about, I know with COVID, we recently had Mental Health Awareness Day on October 10th, tell me what you're doing out there, I know you're spreading the word, you, yourself, have written books about depression and anorexia- - Yes.

- and other maladies that affect us, especially in times of a pandemic.

- Yes.

So, thank you for asking.

I am recovered from anorexia, proudly so.

I wrote a book about it or included my story in a book and I have written for various publications about it, but most recently, unfortunately, my depression has gotten worse.

I lost my mother to lung cancer in April of 2019 and then my father to dementia in August of 2020, so it was a 16-month time span of losing both my parents.

So, unfortunately, on top of, on top of having such a tremendous loss, we had COVID and we couldn't really interact with others the way that you normally do when you are grieving and so, one of the things that I am doing is just being very vocal about grief and grieving in the middle of what is still a very tragic pandemic.

But also, I think it's important for our communities because this is not really discussed enough to be able to go to a doctor if you're not feeling well mentally, not just physically- - Sure, yeah.

- and I know that something that helped me, at least in the beginning, because it was so hard, other than going to therapy, what was therapeutic for me was to completely just revamp my childhood home that I now own and so, I have new floors, new windows, everything, and that has really helped me until I was fully vaccinated and able to start traveling again.

- So, what do you tell our viewers, our business people, that sometimes a societal pressure, right, especially men, you could go through this, be tough, man up, there's a lot of terminology that men, especially in Hispanic culture, aren't able to express themselves and show weakness and be vulnerable.

What do you tell people that need that relief, need to be able to vent and self care as you mentioned?

- I think it's really important, these past two years almost have really taught us that self-care is crucial, from a point of view of public health, but also from a point of view of individually, if you can't take care of yourself, that analogy, going with travel, that you have to put your mask on first before you can put it on someone else and I think that it's important, not just for men, for women, for anybody to understand, in general, the last two years have been really tough on everybody and we all need a break every once in a while and we all need, just like you would go get your sugar checked if you're diabetic, you have to get your mental health checked if you are feeling sadder than usual or lethargic or whatever other symptoms you might have and there really is no shame.

We all go through something.

This tends to be what I go through more than anything else, but there are people, there are organizations that help, that can help people who are feeling depressed or who are feeling anxious or in any other way.

- Sure, sure.

Do you feel that the seasons also impact your mood or the way you feel and your mental health?

The various seasons of the year?

- I mean, growing up as the youngest person, or really the only child of my parents marriage, my parents doted on me and so I will say the holidays, since they've both passed, are really difficult for me, but actually, I would say the hardest thing for me is the month of April, because that's when my mother died and my birthday's in May, so that's a trigger for me, but I try to find ways.

I just got a dog, I have my cats, having pets has really helped with my depression, my PTSD from my losses, but really just trying to find ways and for me personally, and this might help others, understanding that it's just temporary, so whatever you might feel, there are times where I feel overwhelming grief, but I know that that's just one point in time.

That's just one moment in time and then you get on through to the next moment and sometimes, it's really just about going through it, whatever you're feeling, if it's sad, if it's just feeling like you can't go on, either finding a person, finding yourself, taking a breath and just realizing this is only temporary and I can continue on.

- Great, well, thank you for all you do.

Thank you for your kind words and to our viewers, we'll make sure and put some websites on screen, so they could check out sites that offer free help.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- Thank you very much, Carmen.

And up next, we have Beth Marmolejos, business and nonprofit leader.

(upbeat Latin music) Welcome back.

Now, we have Beth Marmolejos, business leader and nonprofit leader.

Welcome to Que Pasa, Beth.

- Thank you, Carlos, for having me here today.

I really appreciate it, I'm excited.

- You have so many hats.

One is you're an executive at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, which is a very large, one of the largest Blues in the country.

Tell me a little bit about what you do at Anthem.

- So, I have been very blessed and lucky to have been, well, to be in a position of leadership on the Northeast region, handling the provider experience Northeast region teams.

So, I'm a chief of staff to my boss who I think is fantastic and it's a new role that I just got in July, so it's a promotion.

- Awesome.

Congratulations.

(Beth laughs) Well, it's a lot of building relationships with hospitals and providers, so... - Exactly.

Exactly.

Tell me about your family's journey from the Dominican Republic.

Were you born in DR or were you born here in Jersey?

- So, I was born in Dominican Republic and I came to United States when I was 19 years old and I did go to high school then in the Dominican Republic and I guess I would say I grew up in the Dominican Republic.

Then, I came to visit my sisters, not to stay and then had to stay to renew my green card and renew the status.

So, it's a long process and by the time it was done, I'm like, "Oh, I like it here."

(both laughing) - Excellent, excellent.

A common theme of a lot of our guests are their ability to be involved with philanthropy and giving back and your resume is filled with that.

Tell me some of your nonprofit roles and what drives you to get involved with the community.

- I think, I guess as far as I remember, even when I was in high school in Dominican Republic, I always wanted to raise my hand and get the impossible to be possible or get done, like project graduation.

I took on that role in my high school and got it done and that was being a teenager.

As a treasurer, organizing concerts to raise money, talking to corporate companies at that age, 14, 15 years old and then when I moved to the United States, I got involved, and I think you know Lucila Santos, right?

- Yes.

- So, I call her my political mentor in politics with Bob Menendez.

Right here, in Jersey City, when he was like a mayor, and I met Bob Menendez, Senator Bob Menendez, and I also met Steve Rothman from Hackensack, Congressman Steve Rothman and I just fell in love with his speak, his elevator speech on what he was about and from there, what I did is I utilize that connection to open up in Bergen Community College, they have a campus in Hackensack.

Through that relationship, English as a course of English as a second language, I was 19 years old- - Wow, wow.

- and then senior citizenship classes and then, there were factories in Hackensack, so my students range from like 18 all the way to 60 something.

Some of them didn't even know how to write in Spanish or English and they were there to learn the language.

So, I guess my point is I have always used my network connection to help the community, even politics, I leverage for that, to open programs and to help the community.

- Now, tell me about Prospanica.

Tell me what it's about and what your role is with that organization.

- Yeah, so for those of you who potentially, Prospanica's fairly new, we rebranded, it used to be called Nashimba and a lot of people, "Oh, yeah, Nashimba," the National Society of Hispanics with MBAs We rebranded to Prospanica going back a few years ago and it's the Association of Hispanic Professionals and MBAs.

So, I was the former president of the New York Chapter, current president of the New Jersey Chapter and basically, simple, is a way of paying it forward, and you know this, Carlos, you do this all the time, we become professional, we go into the corporate world, and we find ourselves being the only Latina and that's what happens to me constantly and you start to think, well, how do I change that?

How do I pay it forward?

And so Prospanica is about forming partnership with companies like PNC, Prudential, BASF, BMS, Bank of America, and many others through the United States to open doors for our Hispanic professionals.

But in addition to that, we partner with them to put together workshops, right?

Professional workshops to help people develop their career as a professional.

So, in a nutshell, it's really opening doors, it's making sure that people that look like you and I, they have a seat at the table in the corporate world.

- Sure, sure.

What do you tell our viewers about the value of relationships?

Whenever I call you, and I call you often to ask for favors, you're a good, you connect the dots, you always are very good at using your network to help others.

I tell it to our members at the chamber, I tell it constantly, but I want to hear your perspective on the value of relationships, 'cause you're somebody who really knows how to leverage those relationships.

- Connections are given, not to be utilized for your benefit.

Connections are given to leverage them to help humanity and when you understand that, I think that you can change and you could make little changes that become big changes.

- Excellent.

Well, thank you, keep doing what you're doing.

God bless you.

And up next, a star of Broadway's Chicago, Bianca Marroquin.

(upbeat Latin music) (upbeat jazz) Welcome to Que Pasa, Bianca Marroquin from Chicago.

(Bianca speaking Spanish) Tell me about your family's journey from Mexico to Texas.

- Well.

Okay.

So, I was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon- - Okay.

- and when I was a year and a half, my parents decided to move to the border, so they moved to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, but that has border with Brownsville, Texas.

So, I lived in Matamoros, but I would cross the bridge every morning to go to school in Brownsville and that was a normal lifestyle and my mother used to always tell us we were very privileged kids because we got to grow up between two worlds, two traditions, two cultures, two languages, and so later in life, when I went out into the world and to life, that I knew she was right, and I had a certain advantage or a tool that served me throughout my career and hence, cut to why I'm here.

- I'll tell you, from having many guests on the show, I feel, personally, that being bilingual and growing up bilingual is a superpower.

- Yes, yes, yes, yes.

- The way your brain operates- - For sure.

- you could think in English, you could think in Spanish.

- The switch right?

- Yes, yeah.

- Espanol, English, and the same goes for, "What do you dream in?

Spanish or English?"

Well, sometimes English, sometimes Spanish.

"What do you write songs, when you write your songs," Well, sometimes Spanish, sometimes English.

- So, from that to Velma- - Yes- - on Broadway.

- It was a journey there.

Yeah, how does that little girl that grows up in Matamoros, Tamaulipas- - So, tell me about- - How does she end up on Broadway?

- Tell me about this character, what do you make of Velma Kelly?

- Well, Velma Kelly, thank God I trained as a dancer since I was three years old, I always knew what I wanted to do.

So, there I was in Tecnologico de Monterrey, but during my fifth semester, Beauty and the Beast comes, Disney comes to Mexico to open a Spanish-speaking production of Beauty and the Beast.

I was in the ensemble.

Rent, I was a swing.

Phantom of the Opera, I was dance captain and swing and understudy to Madame Giry and then Chicago comes and they audition.

Long story short, I land Roxie, my first lead role, and that's my beginning, the beginning of my journey was Chicago.

20 years later, they say, "Okay, you've been playing Roxie for 20 years, how 'bout," after pandemic, "what do you think about coming back as Velma?"

So, that was a challenge, a great challenge, one of those challenges that the universe often puts in your path and you best take it if you want to keep growing, right?

Because nothing blooms in comfort zones, that's what I like to believe, and if it scares you, do it, more the reason.

It scared the crap out of me, so I did it, I said "yes," and here we are.

It's been a month in since we opened.

- That's amazing.

- Yeah.

- That's amazing.

Now, very few actresses have been able to portray both Roxie and Velma.

- Yes, yes.

- One is Chita Rivera- (Bianca speaking Spanish) and you played Chita Rivera in the Fosse, (Bianca speaking Spanish) Netflix, so crazy world, but how was that playing legendary Chita Rivera?

- Yeah, so when I got the chance to play Chita in the "Fosse/Verdon" for FX, what an honor, I mean, what a responsibility.

I wrote her immediately, and I said, "I'm going to attempt to, (Carlos laughing) with all my humble heart, with all the humility in me, and all the respect and admiration I have for you."

But, that was the only other moment in my life that I ever played Velma, was in that series because I played her and she played Velma.

- Gotcha.

- And so cut to, how funny, you know how you say life imitates art?

Well, in this case, that was art and this is art, so art imitating art, (Carlos laughing) but the opportunity comes like this after I just did the series, so that's why it's just fascinating what the universe does and how it plans things and how everything is perfect at the time it has to be and when it has... You know, it was just, it couldn't have happened before.

It had to happen now, after everything I've lived- - Exactly.

- because of my experience.

- Sure.

- Everything that I have now to offer Velma, I don't think I would have had it before.

- Now, you mentioned life imitating art.

- Yes.

- Tell me the parallels of Velma and Roxie and you coming back to Broadway and dealing with other actresses that wanted that role and nemesis and oddly enough, somewhat, the characters are nemesis, but at the end, role models, I guess you would say.

- Totally.

- So... - Yeah.

In my experience, in Chicago, working with ladies, as first as a Roxie and with my Velmas, there's always been an admiration and a respect for each other's work.

Roxie has to sit a lot in her show and watch Velma's numbers.

Two of the numbers, she has to sit and watch.

So, I remember watching my dear friend, Brenda Braxton, doing Velma and Tara McClard and Amber Faye and Lana Gordon and just always being in awe of what they were doing, what they had to do for that role and going, "Oh my God, it's a matinee.

Look at these ladies go."

(Carlos laughs) So, there's always been a sense of support between dancers, between actresses, there's always like a comradery, rooting for each other- - Sure.

- because we know what it takes to do those numbers on stage and so there's always like, even though I'm supposed to be hating you in this scene, deep down, I'm rooting for you and I got you and they'll know in my eyes, if I'll wink, maybe the audience won't know that, but I'm like, "I got you and I know this is hard, but I'm rooting for you and you got this, you got this."

Basically, that's what we're both saying to each other- - Sure, sure.

- throughout the entire show and then in the end, we don't let them know, but then in the end- - Exactly.

- we truly do it, so it can be very evident, but it is very unusual to have two leading ladies and to have to share the bow in the end.

- [Carlos] Yes, yeah.

- So, yes, ladies have to be very, very conscious of that and be willing to share that and to be proud of each other.

- And in today's society, right?

Two Latinas, that's amazing.

- Uh-huh, exactly.

- My daughter is Latina, studying musical theater in Mary Mount and she texts me, "I just saw her in Chicago and it's two Latinos- - Yes.

- I'm so excited."

- So, I know that what is happening right now is very powerful and we are an example and we're inspiring and motivating a lot of people.

Well, I've been alone for a long time because I was, I'm Latina and I've been here for 20 years now- - Yes, exactly.

- But it's kind of nice to now have more in the cast- - Sure.

- and we're, feel the power and the presence a little more of a Latino, so I am very proud and I am very grateful to what our producers have been doing.

- When we poll our viewers, most of our viewers are Latina.

It's like 60% Latina- - Okay.

- 40% Latino.

- Uh-huh.

- What do you tell some of our business leaders, people that are into the arts, what do you tell these upcoming Latinas to inspire them?

Give us some words of wisdom.

- Well, you know, from my experience, when I got here 20 years ago, it was a very different world and we've come a long way.

There are more opportunities for us now and keep going, don't stop fighting, and for all those people that have been fighting behind us and paving the way, and now it's up to you, now it's your hands and now it's you are our future, the young generation, to keep paving it and keep opening those doors for other people to come behind us and that's what it's all about, to be strong for other people to climb on our shoulders, to get in our shoulders and climb on everybody's shoulders and that's what we should be for everybody's shoulders.

- Sure.

Well, thank you for paving the way and being a role model.

- Thank you.

(laughs) - Thank you for joining Que Pasa- - Thank you very much.

- and good luck tonight.

- Thank you, thank you.

Thank you.

(upbeat Latina music) - That's a wrap.

Another great episode of Que Pasa with four powerful Latinas.

Authors, business leaders, nonprofit leaders, and stars of Broadway.

Please remember, Que Pasa?

- Funding for this episode of Que Pasa NJ with Carlos Medina has been provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, PSE&G, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Hackensack Meridian Health, the Engineer's Labor-Employer Cooperative 825, ROI-NJ Business Magazine, Hudson County Community College.

This has been a production of the Modesto Educational Foundation.

(upbeat Latin music)