Talking to Grandma

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast about raising and teaching bilingual and multilingual kids. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, or just someone who cares about language and culture, this podcast is for you. Together with our guests, we’ll explore how to support bilingualism in ways that affirm identity and strengthen community. In this episode of Talking to Grandma, co-host Jenn Pressman welcomes friend of Bilingual Generation, Dr. Jonnia Torres Carolan, a bilingual mom, linguist, and community advocate from Denver. Jonnia shares her powerful family story of both language loss and preservation. Jonnia offers a heartfelt look at the joys, challenges, and daily decisions that come with bilingual parenting. She also brings insights from her doctoral research and her work with the Hidatsa community on language revitalization, showing how language is more than words to preserve, but relationships to honor and ways of seeing the world we can’t afford to lose. Want to learn more about her work? Send her an email! 

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast about raising and teaching bilingual and multilingual kids. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, teacher, or just someone who cares about language and culture, this podcast is for you. Together with our guests, we’ll explore how to support bilingualism in ways that affirm identity and strengthen community. In this episode of Talking to Grandma, producer Rebecca De Leon sits down with Sofía—a bilingual mother of three, entrepreneur, and community educator—whose journey captures the highs and lows of bilingual identity. From raising bilingual kids at home to creating safe spaces for cultural connection, Sofía shares how bilingualism is more than language—it’s about resilience and community. If you’re raising bilingual kids, teaching, or simply passionate about language and culture, this inspiring conversation is for you. You can find Sofia on Instagram.

Guess who’s back? After a short break, Talking to Grandma returns for Season 4...this time with a twist. For the first time ever, alumni from our Bilingual Generations Collectives are taking over the mic, bringing fresh perspectives, authentic stories, and powerful conversations. Joining producer Beck as co-host is the incredible Jenn Pressman, a Latina, mom, educator, and director of Programa familiar de lenguaje in Denver. With her roots in Colombian heritage, over 20 years of experience in education, and her journey raising bilingual kids, Jenn brings wisdom, heart, and lived experience to every conversation. This season, expect inspiring interviews, heartfelt advice, and episodes in both English and Spanish that celebrate bilingual identity, family connection, and cultural pride. Whether you’re a parent, an educator, or someone who loves stories about language and identity...this season is for you. Hit subscribe and get ready. You won’t want to miss Season 4 of Talking to Grandma.

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Today, you’ll hear from the passionate duo Carolyne Crolotte and Gina Rodriguez as they explore the impact of Proposition 227 on bilingual education in California and their work to shift the narrative through the Two Languages, Twice the Opportunities campaign.  Listen as we dispel common myths and share tools and strategies to communicate the many benefits of bilingual education. Two Languages, Twice The Opportunities Materials English / Spanish Brochure English / Chinese Brochure English Social Media Toolkit Spanish Social Media Toolkit Chinese Social Media Toolkit Learn more:  First5la.org EarlyEdge California CAMPAIGN LAUNCH ENCOURAGES DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNING ACROSS L.A. COUNTY Reading by 9: 3 reasons why language is your child’s secret superpower

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. In today’s episode, we speak with the insightful, witty, and humble Conor P. Williams. In our conversation, he shares his research on expanding equitable and multilingual learning opportunities for young, linguistically diverse children in the United States.  Listen to hear us discuss the colonization of dual language programs and the importance of equity and access in these spaces.  Check out these articles: The Intrusion of White Families Into Bilingual Schools Ensuring Equitable Access to Dual-Language Immersion Programs: Supporting English Learners’ Emerging Bilingualism

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Today, we speak with the brilliant and funny Mike Alfaro about the impact of assimilation on identity and explore his inspiration for the creation of Millennial Loteria and Sí Sabo Kids.  Mike Alfaro is a Creative Director, Content Creator, and Children’s Book Writer with over 370k followers on social media (@millennialloteria). Recognized as one of TikTok's 2023 Latinx Visionary Voices, he also earned a spot in the inaugural class of the LA Time’s 2022 Vanguardia List—celebrating Latino innovators, instigators, and power players breaking through barriers. His influence extends beyond social media, having been profiled by The New York Times, the Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Time Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Telemundo, and many more outlets. Originally from Guatemala, he now resides in Los Angeles with his wife Amy, baby Mya, and dog Bugsy. Tune in to hear Mike emphasize the importance of breaking stereotypes and showcasing the diversity and modernity of the Latine community. Learn more about Si Sabo Kids on instagram @sisabokids Learn more about Millennial Loteria on instagram @millennialloteria

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Over the past couple of years, we have been talking with families and educators of kids with bilingualism in their bones through this podcast and our work with Bilingual Generation on our mission to create resources for educators and families that help kids maintain a connection to their heritage languages and cultures. One of our latest resources that has been brewing is The Bili app, a visionary app crafted by our team at Bilingual Generation. We are back with another episode with the Bili team, who helped bring the visionary app to life. If you missed last week’s episode, make sure you check it out after this! Today, you will hear from Project director Maried Rivera Nieves, Intern developers Aleksandra Makhrova and Fernando Perez Gutierrez, and Artist Graciella Delgado.   Learn more about Bili and join the waitlist to download later this year: www.thebiliapp.com Follow Bili on Instagram: @thebiliapp

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Over the past couple of years, we have been talking with families and educators of kids with bilingualism in their bones through this podcast and our work with Bilingual Generation on our mission to create resources for educators and families that help kids maintain a connection to their heritage languages and cultures. One of our latest resources that has been brewing is The Bili app, a visionary app crafted by our team at Bilingual Generation. Born from collaborations with bilingual educators and families, Bili is a response to the challenges communities face in finding dynamic, culturally responsive tools to support language learning at home and at school.  Over the next two episodes, I will be bringing you a collection of interviews with the people putting together the Bili App.  Today, you will hear from non other than the very Host of Talking to Grandma, Dr. Veronica Benavides as well as chief technology officer, Johnathan Chin and UX designer, Sarah Lynch. Follow Bili on Instagram: @thebiliapp

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Talking to Grandma host, Dr. Veronica Benavides is returning to SXSW Edu next week to lead a panel alongside Dr. Vanessa Santiago Schwarz called Sí Sabo: Children with Bilingualism in Their Bones Speak. Last summer Armando Orduña and his daughter Giuliana shared their vulnerable conversation about language, identity, and growing up bilingual in America. This conversation and other talks with kids with bilingualism in their bones sparked the inspiration for this panel discussion.  This week, we bring you these inspiring conversations from the archives of Talking to Grandma as we revisit this episode we published last summer. If you’re heading to SXSW EDU this year, be sure to stop by the panel on Tuesday, March 5th, at 11:30 AM! We hope to see you in Austin! 

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. In this episode, we explore the vital connection between culture, language, and wellness with Jennifer Velasquez.  Jennifer Velasquez is an illustrator and the founder of Almadé,  a wellness company that provides BIPOC women with the tools to heal their inner child and break free from their generational curses. Using her background in adult education and love of neuroscience, Jennifer’s science-based and abuela-approved tools are used by therapists, social workers, and in classrooms across the country.   She creates in the Catskill Mountains of New York with her husband Jake and pup Ruthie.  For more on her work visit, www.almadeshop.com and connect with her on Instagram @almadeshop. Join us as she shares how her health led her to discover a side to her heritage language she had yet to uncover and how she plans to bridge generations through her work.