What does it take for brands to build community? It's a question I ask myself all the time,

especially because I want to build community with you around this brand Latina to Latina.

And that query is what drives Zoila Darten's work at Word,

a full-service creative agency that specializes in content, storytelling, and experiences.

Zola and I talk about how she refined that offering, what marketing budgets actually look like right now,

and her hard-earned wisdom about what really creates

brand connection, loyalty, and legacy.

Hi, Zoyla. Hi, Alicia. How are you? I am so great, so happy to see you. Congratulations, baby number two.

Oh my gosh. Yeah, baby number two is making me sick again. I thought I was over this part of the deal.

But I'm really excited.

I'm very excited for a second and last, second and last baby.

So you have said about your upbringing that you were raised hard and free.

What did that look like?

Oh my gosh. It looked like single mom who worked really hard.

And even when my parents were together, I think there was a lot of chaos in the home. My parents divorced when I was seven. But you know, my mom is an extremely hard worker.

She had two kids.

My brother went to private school.

She just was working really hard to provide for us, but also make a career for herself and really enjoy the work that she does.

And that without a partner is really challenging on children. And so I was

left to my own devices quite often, constantly, you know, expected to make my own decisions.

And so that became a pattern. And it's, you know, now people look at me and they're like, oh, you're such a hard worker or you're so, you know, ambitious.

And I'm like, is it or is it a trauma response from being?

...