The following is a cleaned up transcript of our episode on Chingona Revolution podcast, with host Erika Cruz. The episode is called EP. 184: Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja: Why Latina Wisdom Is the Ultimate Power Tool with Carolina Acosta and Aralis Mejia. You can hear the full episode here.
ERIKA: Hello. Welcome back to this week's podcast episode of Chingona Revolution. This is your host, Erika Cruz, and in today’s episode, I am joined by two jefas who are rewriting the rules of business, branding, and identity: Carolina Acosta and Aralis Mejia. These two jefas are not only the co-authors of Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja, a book that reclaims power through anti-affirmations—we’ll get into that—but also the creative minds behind Tragos Games, the unapologetic Latino party games that have taken over game night tables across the country.
Carolina is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. She brings design, storytelling, and salsa—yes, the dancing type—into everything she creates. And Aralis is a marketing powerhouse—the brand whisperer—who’s helped bring Tragos to life while building community and authenticity with every launch.
In this episode, we talk about the brave decisions they’ve made, the realities of being first-gen entrepreneurs, and how they use joy, culture, and sarcasm to remind us that we are not here to play small. If you’ve ever felt torn between being humble and being heard, then this episode is for you. Let’s get into the interview.
Carolina and Aralis, I’m so excited to have you on the Chingona Revolution podcast. We have so much to talk about today, especially how there are no pendejas around here! Carolina, let’s start with you. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you both came to create Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja?
CAROLINA: Erika, thank you so much for having us today. I’m excited to talk about the book and our journey—something we never expected when we first started six years ago.
I’m Carolina Acosta, and I started my company, which eventually led to the book, back in 2019. It began with a drinking card game for Latinos called Tragos. I had the idea of merging fun with culture, especially as someone born in the U.S. who didn’t see that dual identity reflected in the products I used—especially fun ones.
So I created this game that became a business. In that first year, I hired my cousin Aralis to help grow the brand and marketing, and we’ve been working together ever since. As we explored more cultural games and products, we started working with a publishing partner and brainstorming new ideas, especially around this concept of tough love that we grew up with in Latina households.
That’s how we came up with the idea for an anti-affirmation deck—something that nodded to our roots. That idea evolved into this book. So, sorry I gave you the whole story upfront, but that’s how we got here.
ERIKA: Love it. And Aralis, what about you? What’s your background and how did you end up co-creating this amazing and timely project?
ARALIS: I started in marketing and events—I studied advertising and marketing communications. But I ended up in hospitality, which aligned with the tough love we grew up with. It’s a tough industry, but I grew into it and eventually moved into corporate hospitality, either on the events side or managing a restaurant’s marketing campaigns.
When Carolina started working on Tragos, everyone was like, “Carolina’s making a game?” We weren’t really sure what it was at first. Eventually, she asked me to join her on a project in California. I went, and I was blown away by how much the community craved connection. Latinos wanted something that brought us together.
Coming from New York where Latinos are often identified by their country of origin rather than as one community, I felt like Tragos opened the door to a more unified Latino identity in the U.S.
And that mentality carried into the book. We're tough on ourselves—it's part of our culture. I’d find myself being hard on me, and Carolina would say, “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” and vice versa. It’s just how we were raised. During COVID, I saw all these fluffy affirmations everywhere—"breathe it into life"—and I was like, that doesn’t resonate unless there’s hard work. That’s where the sayings came in: real words we grew up hearing when we were trying to do our adult thing.
ERIKA: Yes, definitely. Before we dive deeper into the book, I want to talk about making brave decisions. I help Latinas build more courage—because courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s moving through fear. Was there a moment in your journey when you had to choose courage over comfort?
ARALIS: Definitely. Writing the book changed me a lot. Having a real deadline forced me into discipline—something you can push off when you’re self-employed. But working with a publisher meant I had to follow through.
I also had to face some personal things. When the book launched, I didn’t feel great about how I looked or felt. I’d been so focused on my career and kind of rebelled against the pressure to look a certain way. But through the process of writing this book and prioritizing myself, I’ve lost 40 pounds and I’m still on that journey. That’s been the most courageous thing I’ve done—choosing myself.
ERIKA: That’s amazing. Choosing yourself is such a radical act of courage. Congrats on the growth and the self-love journey.
ARALIS: Thank you. It’s been about saying no to things—no to drinking, no to that extra taco, no to the things that don’t serve me. I’m in my “purpose” phase.
ERIKA: And what about you, Carolina?
CAROLINA: Honestly, the last six years have been one brave decision after another. I left full-time work just a year into the business. My parents thought I was a little crazy. But I kept telling myself, “I can always go back.”
Now I’m at another crossroads: do I focus on growing my personal career and do Tragos on the side, or do I go all in and grow the business into everything it could be? Every route feels hard, but I’m trying to be grateful that I even have the opportunity to choose.
ERIKA: Yes—choose your hard. Thank you both for sharing. So, let’s talk about the book. How did the idea for it even come about?
ARALIS: We were working with the publisher and thought of those daily affirmation decks [very trendy at the time]. That sparked the idea: what if we did one, but with the tough love sayings we grew up with? Then the publisher suggested turning it into a book. That hadn’t even crossed our minds.
We started compiling the quotes, translating them literally, and then writing modern translations. But that didn’t feel complete. So we added short reflections or anecdotes. That’s my favorite part—it feels like your girls are talking to you.
CAROLINA: Yeah, and the direct translations ended up being hilarious. Once we found our voice in the writing, the book really came to life.
ERIKA: I love how you followed the process without overthinking the outcome. It feels like a divine project. Why do you think it was so important for this book to come out now?
ARALIS: For me, it was about honoring our moms and grandmothers. Our grandma had a tough life and didn’t always let herself enjoy it, but she left us with so many quotes that live on. If we don’t preserve them, they’ll get lost. Now, they’re in a book that can live on and be passed down.
ERIKA: Yes—and it’s even more powerful that it’s accessible to those who don’t speak Spanish, thanks to your translations. What’s your favorite anti-affirmation?
CAROLINA: Mine is: “Nadie te quita lo que es para ti.” Nobody takes away what’s meant for you. I think about that every day. It helps me stay grounded when I feel behind or overwhelmed. I have to trust that what’s meant for me is already mine—it’s just a matter of timing.
ERIKA: That’s a powerful mindset shift. And you’re right—when you’re in the middle of disappointment, it’s hard to see the bigger picture. But hindsight always reminds us things work out.
CAROLINA: Exactly. I might have to tattoo that saying on me!
ERIKA: And Aralis?
ARALIS: Right now I love: “Haz lo correcto, aunque nadie te esté viendo.” Do the right thing, even when no one’s watching. It’s selfish in the best way—like, take care of yourself, show up with integrity. Good work speaks for itself. And I believe the universe rewards that energy.
ERIKA: That’s beautiful. Happiness is internal. And if you’re miserable now, you’ll probably be miserable even after reaching your “goal” if you don’t shift internally. It’s about how you show up today.
CAROLINA: My brother always says, “We’re living in the best of times.” He’s like, “You’ll never be this young or have these exact friends again—enjoy it.”
ERIKA: That’s so true. Even your brother’s wisdom made the podcast! I love it.
CAROLINA: We’re actually working on a No Pendejo edition. TBD on the name—but we’re thinking about expanding to the male perspective.
ERIKA: I was going to ask about that. Why did you focus more on women?
ARALIS: It wasn’t intentional, but we’re women, our team is mostly women, and we naturally wrote from that perspective. We absolutely want to tap into the male experience, but we’ll need to bring in voices that represent that. The pressure on Latino men is different, and we want to honor that too.
ERIKA: Definitely. Gender expectations are different, but every experience comes with privilege and challenge. What started as a product has turned into a movement. Was that your intention?
ARALIS: Not at all! But the community is what built Tragos. That first viral moment in 2019 came from community support. And now, with the book, another viral moment came from a TikTok creator. We didn’t expect it—but the reactions showed us how much people needed this.
CAROLINA: Yeah, it wasn’t even our video. Someone else made it, and it got over 2 million views. What meant the most was seeing people wanting to share the book—with their moms, daughters, friends. That’s what made it feel really special.
ERIKA: How did you land on the name?
ARALIS: We were bouncing around ideas—“Mama didn’t raise an idiot,” “a dummy”—nothing was sticking. Then we thought: what do our moms actually call us? Pendeja. And the publisher was on board, so we ran with it.
CAROLINA: We wanted something bold that would grab attention. The book itself is gender-neutral, but we leaned into the Latina experience because that’s our audience. We knew the message would still land.
ERIKA: Let’s talk about your focus on the Latino community. Did you ever hesitate to niche down?
CAROLINA: When I started, I didn’t even think it would be a business! Someone told me to form an LLC, so I named it Tragos Games LLC without thinking long-term.
But now, I know how powerful our community is—both in buying power and culture. I love culture in general—I connected with mine later in life. And while I want to keep creating for our community, I also love game development. I’ve built games that aren’t only for Latinos, but still have that cultural nod.
ERIKA: That’s a great way to bridge communities. Culture is meant to be shared.
CAROLINA: Exactly. Even when people don’t share our background, they connect. We’ve played Tragos with people from all over the world—Eastern Europeans, Southeast Asians—and they’re like, “My mom does that too!”
ARALIS: Totally. And not a lot of women—especially Latinas—are in the tabletop game space. If we can make room at that table, we’re doing our job.
ERIKA: So where can people get the book and your games?
ARALIS: Tragos Bilingual is available at Target, Walmart, our website, Amazon, and TikTok Shop. The book is on our site, Barnes & Noble, Target.com, Walmart.com—wherever you buy books.
ERIKA: Carolina, anything else you’d like to share?
CAROLINA: Just that I’d love to be a resource to anyone trying to start their own business, especially in games or DTC. I have templates, tips—reach out! We also want to collaborate more with community creatives as we grow this into a cultural studio.
ERIKA: You’re going to get DMs, trust me. What about you, Aralis?
ARALIS: I’d love to support small business owners with marketing insights. Right now I’m diving deep into AI and how it can enhance our strategies. Follow my page at S Inc. and reach out—I’m happy to share what I know.
ERIKA: Amazing. We’ll link everything in the show notes. If you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it, tag us, and share your biggest takeaway. It’s been a pleasure. I’ll let you know when I’m back in New York so we can all meet up!
ARALIS: We’d love that. Thank you so much, Erika.
ERIKA: Thank you, both.
