Latest / Cristy M. Diaz Podcast Conversations from the Heart / Heart to Heart | Beyond the Pastelitos with Betty Williams

Transcript

Heart to Heart | Beyond the Pastelitos with Betty Williams · Cristy M. Diaz Podcast Conversations from the Heart

• 0:23
  Good morning everybody. Or should I say
• 0:26
  good afternoon if you're hearing this in
• 0:27
  the afternoon. I'm Christy Diaz and
• 0:29
  we're here at the heartto-he heart
• 0:30
  podcast and today we are going beyond
• 0:33
  the pathalos. I'd like to welcome Betty
• 0:36
  Williams to the show or aka for most of
• 0:39
  Miami as you guys know her as Betty
• 0:41
  Balitos. Hi.
• 0:43
  >> Hi.
• 0:44
  >> How are you?
• 0:45
  >> Good. Good.
• 0:46
  >> With our Miami two degree of separation
• 0:48
  or less, we have so many people in
• 0:50
  common.
• 0:51
  >> Yes. How did that happen?
• 0:52
  >> I mean, typical Miami, right? But I want
• 0:55
  to thank you so much for coming out
• 0:57
  today because um I've been following
• 1:00
  your work for quite some time now.
• 1:02
  >> Awesome.
• 1:02
  >> You've always made me laugh.
• 1:05
  >> When I was traveling in Singapore and
• 1:06
  you reposted a picture of mine that I
• 1:09
  was comparing our Cuban ampoo to the
• 1:12
  Singaporean one that they gave me. I'm
• 1:13
  like I've made it cuz Betty Patelitos
• 1:16
  has reposted my pictures.
• 1:18
  >> A thank you.
• 1:19
  >> So thank you so much.
• 1:20
  >> Thank you for thinking of me in
• 1:21
  Singapore
• 1:22
  >> always.
• 1:24
  So, um, why don't you go ahead and
• 1:25
  introduce yourself?
• 1:27
  >> Okay. So, I am Betty Williams, like you
• 1:29
  said, Betty Partalitos. I am first
• 1:33
  before anything a mom of three.
• 1:36
  Navigating that.
• 1:38
  >> Yeah,
• 1:38
  >> it's very hard.
• 1:39
  >> Yeah.
• 1:40
  >> And I'm a wife and a M graduate like
• 1:44
  you. No canes.
• 1:45
  >> Yep.
• 1:46
  >> And I am an educator and a content
• 1:49
  creator. That's kind of like me in a
• 1:52
  nutshell,
• 1:53
  >> right?
• 1:54
  >> Um, I am a special education teacher
• 1:57
  because I have an older brother with
• 2:00
  Down syndrome, which I know we're going
• 2:02
  to get into that, but he kind of
• 2:04
  inspired that. I am the youngest of six.
• 2:07
  >> Wow.
• 2:07
  >> Actually, technically nine. I always
• 2:10
  >> not forget, but I always say the
• 2:12
  youngest of six cuz we're the ones here
• 2:13
  that were the closest, but I also have
• 2:15
  three sisters in Argentina.
• 2:17
  and I am the daughter of immigrants.
• 2:21
  >> I think that's
• 2:22
  >> that's a wonderful feeling, but I think
• 2:24
  that's like the big part of what makes
• 2:27
  me me. And part of the reason why I
• 2:29
  wanted you to be the one to in um
• 2:31
  introduce yourself and not me just
• 2:33
  rattle off a list of your what you do is
• 2:36
  because a lot of people see you on
• 2:38
  Instagram or whatever real and they
• 2:41
  think you're just the funny girl from
• 2:43
  Miami that's always right on in their
• 2:45
  sketches, but you're so much more than
• 2:47
  that, Betty.
• 2:48
  >> And when I dug deep into your story and
• 2:50
  I heard where you came from and the fact
• 2:53
  that you are a special ed teacher, I
• 2:55
  said, "You know what? She lives and
• 2:57
  embodies heartful living because not
• 3:00
  only do you make people laugh, but you
• 3:02
  do so much good in the world.
• 3:03
  >> Thank you.
• 3:04
  >> And then I came across your workbooks
• 3:06
  and I thought, "This woman is brilliant.
• 3:09
  She's doing exactly what I've always
• 3:11
  thought of, which is, you know, these
• 3:13
  little worksheets and books and and the
• 3:15
  Spanish speaking ones are the ones that
• 3:17
  I found first and I go, "Oh, this is,
• 3:19
  you know, ideal scenario. Why hadn't
• 3:21
  anybody done this before?"
• 3:23
  >> Thank you. So, um,
• 3:25
  >> I want to start from the beginning,
• 3:26
  >> okay?
• 3:27
  >> Because today you may see Betty
• 3:30
  Patalitos on your Instagram and all your
• 3:32
  social media and you laugh, but I want
• 3:34
  you guys to get to know Betty Williams
• 3:36
  today and leave the pastitos behind,
• 3:38
  which is why we are going beyond the
• 3:39
  batalitos.
• 3:40
  >> Okay. Love that.
• 3:41
  >> Okay.
• 3:41
  >> Love that.
• 3:42
  >> So, um, a lot of people don't know
• 3:44
  because you come off as such a Miami
• 3:46
  Cuban girl that you are half Z. You are
• 3:49
  also half Argentinian.
• 3:51
  >> Yeah. Yeah. So, I am My mom is Cuban and
• 3:53
  my dad is from Argentina, but I was
• 3:56
  raised in Westchester. My the child care
• 3:59
  that I went to until I was 5 years old
• 4:01
  was like super Cuban in the middle of
• 4:05
  not little Havana, but like that area
• 4:07
  getting too little Havana. Um, I was
• 4:10
  raised around my Cuban family.
• 4:12
  Unfortunately, my I mean, fortunately
• 4:14
  for them because Argentina is a
• 4:15
  beautiful country, but my dad's whole
• 4:17
  family is in Argentina. So really the
• 4:19
  only Argentinian influence that I had
• 4:21
  growing up was just my dad in the house.
• 4:23
  And it's funny because I don't really
• 4:24
  hear his accent. Everybody hears it and
• 4:26
  they tell me like, "Your dad has a
• 4:28
  really strong accent." And I don't
• 4:30
  really hear it. So the only really
• 4:32
  Argentinian
• 4:34
  upbringing I had was maybe the foods,
• 4:36
  maybe some of the words cuz I still use
• 4:38
  some words that are just very particular
• 4:39
  to Argentina that Cubans don't use.
• 4:41
  >> Sure. Um, and I am very familiar with
• 4:44
  the food and I will defend the food of
• 4:46
  Argentina in the sense of like
• 4:48
  >> Argentinian empanadas are better than
• 4:50
  all the other ones. Alahores are from
• 4:52
  Argentina. Milanessa is an Argentinian
• 4:55
  food. Um, some proteins are better with
• 4:58
  mashed potatoes than with rice, right?
• 5:01
  >> So, I have those like Argentinian
• 5:03
  quirks. I did visit Argentina for the
• 5:05
  first time when I was 18 and I met some
• 5:08
  of my family for the first time. Um, but
• 5:12
  unfortunately I never got to meet my
• 5:13
  grandparents. I never got to meet my
• 5:15
  uncles, any of my aunts. So
• 5:20
  when you meet me and you see me, I'm
• 5:22
  like I embody like una,
• 5:25
  but part of me is also Argentinian. And
• 5:29
  I also look like physically my features.
• 5:32
  If you see my family, there's times that
• 5:34
  my oldest sister in Argentina will post
• 5:36
  like a throwback picture of herself and
• 5:38
  I'm scrolling on Instagram and I think
• 5:40
  it's me. Like I'll be like I'll be like,
• 5:42
  "Oh my god." Like, "Who posted this
• 5:44
  picture of me?" But it's her.
• 5:46
  >> So,
• 5:46
  >> do you pull physically then to a lot of
• 5:48
  your dad's side of the family?
• 5:49
  >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 100%. If you
• 5:51
  see my dad, if you see my sisters, it's
• 5:52
  like it's 100%.
• 5:54
  >> That's amazing.
• 5:55
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 5:56
  >> So, your dad at this point, is he
• 5:58
  Cubanized? So he jokes about it and he
• 6:01
  jokes that he can go to Cuba and he
• 6:03
  knows his way around even though he's
• 6:04
  never been
• 6:06
  >> and he makes jokes about like
• 6:10
  like he makes those things but he
• 6:14
  >> Yeah. I mean things like he he doesn't
• 6:15
  really have anybody to drink mate with
• 6:17
  in the morning. Right. He has my mom
• 6:19
  makes the coffee so he's going to drink
• 6:20
  the coffee. But if you go over and you
• 6:23
  ask him for a mate he'll prepare it for
• 6:24
  you.
• 6:25
  >> Yeah. So clearly, you know, growing up
• 6:28
  in Westchester and growing up a Miami
• 6:30
  girl, it's no joke, I think, and no
• 6:33
  secret that if you grow up in Miami, it
• 6:36
  just sticks to you.
• 6:37
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I have
• 6:38
  one of my best friends is Ecuadorian and
• 6:40
  French.
• 6:41
  >> Uhhuh.
• 6:41
  >> But she jokes that she's Cuban,
• 6:43
  >> right?
• 6:44
  >> So
• 6:44
  >> So, but you didn't marry a Cuban.
• 6:46
  >> No,
• 6:47
  >> you you expanded the horizon.
• 6:49
  >> I did. I did.
• 6:51
  >> So, tell us about that and that that
• 6:53
  further influenced into your family.
• 6:55
  >> Yeah. So I married a Dominican and now I
• 6:57
  joke because sometimes when I speak
• 6:59
  Spanish to somebody now a lot in the
• 7:02
  last four or five years I get a lot
• 7:03
  asked am I Puerto Rican and so my joke
• 7:06
  is like with my accent and then in
• 7:08
  Spanish and then my joke is no I'm Cuban
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  I married a Dominican so the Cuban
• 7:13
  Dominican accent made a Puerto Rican
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  >> I love that.
• 7:16
  >> Yeah. So that's like my joke cuz I get
• 7:18
  that a lot like I don't even get asked
• 7:20
  anymore like are you Cuban? somebody who
• 7:21
  doesn't know me or whatever if I just
• 7:23
  speak Spanish.
• 7:24
  >> When I visit DR with my husband's
• 7:26
  family, I get asked, "Are you Puerto
• 7:28
  Rican?"
• 7:28
  >> Of course.
• 7:29
  >> Um, which is a little bit of a
• 7:31
  compliment cuz I'm like the biggest Bad
• 7:33
  Bunny fan. I'm like, "No, but
• 7:36
  >> No, but Benito is my cousin."
• 7:38
  >> Yes. I wish. So, um,
• 7:42
  >> it's funny cuz now I do have that in
• 7:44
  Spanish. Like I'll say the Dominican
• 7:46
  words, I'll say Cuban words, I'll say
• 7:48
  Argentinian words, which is something
• 7:49
  that's so beautiful about the Spanish
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  language that there's so it's one
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  language, but there's so for one object,
• 7:56
  there's so many ways to say it.
• 7:58
  >> Exactly.
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  >> So now I I have three ways of saying it.
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  >> I love that.
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  >> So I guess I never thought of this till
• 8:03
  now, but in Spanish, I'm triilingual cuz
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  I have like the three.
• 8:06
  >> That's so I didn't think of that.
• 8:08
  >> Neither until literally right now.
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  >> I
• 8:10
  >> But that's the whole thing.
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  >> That's your next workbook.
• 8:14
  >> Yeah. triilingual Spanish.
• 8:16
  >> You know, that's actually a great idea
• 8:17
  for your next workbook is you have one
• 8:20
  cup, but all the different ways people
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  say it.
• 8:22
  >> Yeah.
• 8:23
  >> Because one of the things that my son
• 8:25
  really uh struggles with in Spanish
• 8:27
  class is like uh what was the word the
• 8:29
  other for glasses? No. So, you know,
• 8:33
  anteos.
• 8:34
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
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  >> So, he's like, "What are I?"
• 8:40
  He goes, "Yeah, but why not just say
• 8:43
  >> Yeah. And then also there's the whole
• 8:44
  like there's some words in Dominican
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  that's a bad word in Argentina.
• 8:48
  >> Yes.
• 8:49
  >> So that also is Yeah.
• 8:51
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And for me forever my
• 8:54
  grandmother instilled in me that futa is
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  futa and you don't say it any other way.
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  >> Yeah. Well Dominicans say le chos.
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  >> There you go.
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  >> So it's all different ways to say it.
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  >> And I think that's the beauty of Miami.
• 9:06
  >> Oh yeah.
• 9:07
  >> And Yes. That's
• 9:08
  >> you miss it when you leave Miami.
• 9:10
  >> Yeah.
• 9:11
  >> Right.
• 9:11
  >> Yes.
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  >> I agree. So, um, you total homegrown
• 9:16
  girl because you were born and raised
• 9:18
  and then you went all the way to M.
• 9:21
  Yeah.
• 9:21
  >> which was right down the street.
• 9:23
  >> Well, that's another secret about me
• 9:26
  that if you know me, you know this about
• 9:28
  me.
• 9:28
  >> Okay.
• 9:28
  >> But I actually left FSU for 2 years.
• 9:32
  >> Hated it. I had a horrible experience.
• 9:35
  >> Oh, no.
• 9:36
  >> And came right back to M.
• 9:38
  >> Smart.
• 9:38
  >> And I graduated from M. So even when
• 9:42
  it's like the FSUM games, that to me is
• 9:44
  so personal and like so emotional. The
• 9:47
  FSUM game for me is like really
• 9:49
  emotional
• 9:50
  >> really
• 9:50
  >> because of the experience that I had in
• 9:51
  FSU and I went in super excited. I was
• 9:54
  super excited to go to FSU. I was super
• 9:55
  excited to be in Tallahassee.
• 9:57
  >> Now at this point in my life when I
• 9:59
  really reflect back like what went
• 10:01
  wrong? Like what went so wrong?
• 10:04
  >> Part of it was I was coming out of a
• 10:07
  very traumatic situation. and something
• 10:08
  I went through in high school had just I
• 10:11
  guess finished
• 10:13
  uh when I started FSU. So I had I had
• 10:15
  not addressed that trauma. And then the
• 10:18
  other part was my parents were not
• 10:19
  supportive at all about leaving
• 10:22
  >> about me leaving home and they made it
• 10:24
  very well known and they made it very
• 10:26
  difficult. They didn't even move me up
• 10:28
  like I moved up by myself.
• 10:30
  >> Wow buddy, that's big.
• 10:32
  >> So yeah. So,
• 10:33
  >> is this your typical Latino family
• 10:37
  until you get married? And how did you
• 10:40
  >> bypass that?
• 10:41
  >> I just went and I was very like, "No,
• 10:44
  this is something I want. This is
• 10:45
  something I want. This is something I
• 10:46
  want." And another part of it was I was
• 10:50
  a big nerd in high school. Like I was a
• 10:51
  big book nerd. I was a big like
• 10:54
  >> it's just academics is like a very
• 10:55
  strong skill for me. Mhm.
• 10:57
  >> So, I got into a lot of universities and
• 10:59
  my dream school was actually Penn State
• 11:02
  that I got into.
• 11:03
  >> Wow.
• 11:03
  >> And I even got invited to visit it. They
• 11:05
  were going to pay for the weekend for me
• 11:07
  to visit it. I had I got in high school.
• 11:10
  I got a scholarship from the Bill Gates
• 11:12
  Foundation. So, I had all of school paid
• 11:15
  for like books, housing, food, like
• 11:17
  everything. I had a full full full ride.
• 11:20
  >> And so, I could have gone anywhere. And
• 11:22
  my parents killed me so much that I was
• 11:24
  like, okay, I'll stay in state but go to
• 11:26
  FSU.
• 11:27
  >> So then I always had that thing of like,
• 11:28
  what if I was in Penn State? Why didn't
• 11:30
  I go to Penn State? That was my dream
• 11:31
  school. My oldest brother and my uncle
• 11:33
  both went to Penn State as well.
• 11:35
  >> Wow.
• 11:35
  >> So it was kind of this thing of like, I
• 11:37
  want to go to Penn State and then I
• 11:38
  pleased my parents by going to FSU, but
• 11:40
  that still wasn't good enough for them.
• 11:41
  Were you upset about the double standard
• 11:44
  that the men in the family were able to
• 11:46
  go but not
• 11:46
  >> you know I never thought of it but maybe
• 11:49
  maybe that was like something that was
• 11:51
  you know like embedded in me.
• 11:53
  >> My older sister
• 11:55
  >> she went to M and then she went to UF
• 11:58
  for college for med school
• 12:00
  >> and then she went to Utah for her
• 12:02
  fellowship.
• 12:03
  >> No, then she went to uh North Carolina
• 12:06
  for her residency and then Utah. So she
• 12:08
  went to a lot of different places, but
• 12:10
  she's kind of like the black sheep
• 12:11
  middle child where she's like that stuff
• 12:13
  was not going to bother her.
• 12:15
  >> So she was a little stronger in that
• 12:17
  sense of like you don't want to come
• 12:18
  visit me, oh well like here's my
• 12:20
  address, here's where I am. But for me,
• 12:22
  I don't know. It was a little bit
• 12:23
  harder.
• 12:24
  >> Have you made your peace with not having
• 12:27
  gone away with that guilt that your
• 12:29
  parents put in you?
• 12:30
  >> No, because that's good that you asked
• 12:32
  me that because I still have this itch.
• 12:35
  I've always wanted to get my doctorate.
• 12:37
  I still haven't gotten it, but I've
• 12:38
  always I got my masters
• 12:40
  >> and I haven't gotten over that itch
• 12:42
  because I still want to leave. And me
• 12:44
  and my husband talk a lot about like if
• 12:46
  we were to go live somewhere else, where
• 12:48
  would we go? But I still have that fear
• 12:50
  and I've never made that move because
• 12:52
  I'm like what's going to happen this
• 12:53
  time if I'm like when I was in FSU, I
• 12:55
  got shingles from the stress. Let's talk
• 12:59
  about that because so for those of you
• 13:02
  who really don't know what shingles is,
• 13:04
  it's part two of the chickenpox and
• 13:06
  nowadays you're not going to see it in
• 13:07
  kids because they're all vaccinated for
• 13:09
  the chickenpox.
• 13:11
  >> But yours in my generation, which we all
• 13:13
  had chickenpox,
• 13:14
  >> let's talk about I've had shingles three
• 13:16
  times. And I don't know anybody else
• 13:18
  until I and we didn't know this coming
• 13:20
  into the room
• 13:20
  >> literally right now.
• 13:21
  >> Right now, um I don't know anybody in my
• 13:25
  generation our age
• 13:26
  >> that has had shingles
• 13:27
  >> that's had shingles. you think about is
• 13:29
  the old people thing.
• 13:30
  >> The old people thing.
• 13:31
  >> Yeah. So, I got shingles when I was 20
• 13:34
  because literally every day around
• 13:37
  sundown, I would have a panic attack.
• 13:39
  Like a full-blown panic attack.
• 13:40
  >> Really?
• 13:41
  >> Every day I would start like as soon as
• 13:43
  the sun would start setting, I would
• 13:44
  start sobbing. I would start panicking.
• 13:47
  I would start shaking about anxiety,
• 13:50
  about doom, about like and I would just
• 13:52
  be so so so scared. I was very scared to
• 13:54
  be home alone when I was in FSU my
• 13:56
  second year. Wow. I was I couldn't sleep
• 14:00
  in my room because I was scared that
• 14:01
  somebody was going to break in and kill
• 14:03
  me. And if I was in the living room, I
• 14:04
  could catch it quicker. So, I literally
• 14:06
  slept in the couch.
• 14:07
  >> Your mind just
• 14:08
  >> for a whole year. I didn't sleep in my
• 14:10
  bed. For a whole year, I slept on the
• 14:11
  couch because if somebody came in to
• 14:13
  murder me, I could catch them quicker if
• 14:15
  I was on the couch.
• 14:17
  >> It was really bad. I couldn't shower if
• 14:19
  I was home alone. Like, I had to have my
• 14:22
  roommate there if I was going to shower.
• 14:23
  Like, I wouldn't shower if somebody
• 14:24
  wasn't in the house. Somebody that I
• 14:25
  knew, obviously.
• 14:27
  So all of that stress led to me getting
• 14:30
  shingles and it was out of the stress
• 14:33
  and I would call my mom every day at
• 14:34
  sundown crying and crying and crying and
• 14:37
  she would like comfort me and I think in
• 14:38
  a way it was her way of like I don't
• 14:41
  know I think she was like happy to like
• 14:43
  comfort like oh but you're okay type of
• 14:46
  thing and one day when I was doing my
• 14:48
  daily call to her my dad picked up and
• 14:50
  he was like
• 14:54
  you're stressing out your momah hung up
• 14:56
  on me and I went into full-blown.
• 14:58
  >> Is that when the shingles came out?
• 15:00
  >> Panic. I don't remember like the exact
• 15:02
  exact timeline.
• 15:03
  >> And another one of my stressors was
• 15:06
  medication. I never for a good like
• 15:08
  seven years I was too scared to take
• 15:10
  anything. Any anything Tylenol for a
• 15:13
  headache, any like I was scared to take
• 15:16
  medicine, Pepto-Bismol for like
• 15:18
  anything, anything
• 15:20
  >> really.
• 15:21
  >> And when they prescribed me my
• 15:22
  medication like you need to take this,
• 15:25
  >> right? And my sister was in med school
• 15:27
  residency at the time. I had to like beg
• 15:30
  her like, "Please, are you sure that the
• 15:32
  pharmacist didn't spike my medication?"
• 15:35
  >> Oh my goodness.
• 15:36
  >> She's like, "The pharmacist does not
• 15:37
  care about you."
• 15:39
  >> Wow.
• 15:39
  >> So, unfortunately, I wasn't able to take
• 15:41
  the pain meds cuz I would take them and
• 15:43
  immediately throw them up because of the
• 15:44
  anxiety. But I did take like the
• 15:46
  shingles medication, whatever,
• 15:48
  >> the Valtrax,
• 15:49
  >> whatever it was,
• 15:49
  >> which is like a horsesiz tranquilizer, a
• 15:52
  blue pill this big.
• 15:53
  >> I don't remember. I do cuz I've had it
• 15:55
  three times.
• 15:57
  >> So yeah, that's after that I was like I
• 16:00
  need to go back home. So imagine now
• 16:02
  thinking about like I am dying to move
• 16:04
  away and get a doctorate but what if I
• 16:06
  go through that again and now I have
• 16:07
  three kids. How am I supposed to deal
• 16:09
  with them? But like my life now is 360
• 16:13
  who I was when I was 20. So I keep
• 16:15
  reminding myself like you're in a
• 16:17
  different place. You have so much
• 16:18
  support. Like that's not going to happen
• 16:20
  to you. You're going to catch it
• 16:21
  quicker. You have therapy. You have
• 16:23
  everything. like you have a way more
• 16:26
  packed toolbox than you did when you
• 16:27
  were 20.
• 16:28
  >> Right. I'm so grateful that you brought
• 16:31
  this up because, you know, we're meeting
• 16:34
  for the first time actually in person
• 16:36
  and we didn't even touch upon all of
• 16:38
  these challenges that you had medically,
• 16:40
  which I've had too, and we'll have to
• 16:42
  talk about them together at another
• 16:44
  point. But
• 16:45
  >> the fact that you're opening up
• 16:47
  >> and sharing this because what I like to
• 16:49
  do here is break taboos.
• 16:51
  >> Yeah. And that's one that people do not
• 16:54
  talk about.
• 16:54
  >> Yeah.
• 16:55
  >> At all. It's okay.
• 16:56
  >> Open book. I've told you.
• 16:58
  >> Me too. I am too. Um going away for the
• 17:02
  first time for a Miami girl and leaving
• 17:05
  that bubble
• 17:06
  >> Yeah.
• 17:07
  >> is so scary for so many reasons. And if
• 17:09
  you have parents, Hispanic strongheaded
• 17:12
  parents,
• 17:16
  it's hard.
• 17:17
  >> Yeah. And that was that's part of my
• 17:19
  story, too. The first time I realized
• 17:21
  that I'm Latina, that I'm Hispanic. The
• 17:23
  first time I embraced it, the first time
• 17:24
  I realized like, wow, this is such a
• 17:26
  cool culture I'm part of was when I went
• 17:28
  to FSU. That was the first time I
• 17:31
  noticed and like I had such a culture
• 17:33
  shock,
• 17:34
  >> right?
• 17:35
  >> My I remember walking into a class and
• 17:37
  there was girls with their bags on the
• 17:39
  floor and I was like like that to me was
• 17:42
  like first of all, ew. Second of all,
• 17:46
  like that's such bad luck. What are you
• 17:48
  guys doing?
• 17:49
  >> Right. And that just like started this
• 17:51
  whole chain of like where am I?
• 17:54
  >> That is crazy. So by the time you got
• 17:57
  back to Miami and well first of all so
• 17:59
  you did two years at F FSU I'm assuming
• 18:02
  you were working on just your core
• 18:04
  subjects.
• 18:05
  >> Yeah. So remember I was a big nerd so I
• 18:08
  did do a lot of AP classes. So I did
• 18:09
  already start um I was able to start
• 18:12
  taking classes of my bachelors like
• 18:14
  already from my first year. So, I guess
• 18:17
  we could jump back into where we thought
• 18:19
  we were going to take this class.
• 18:20
  >> Let's talk about it because you studied
• 18:23
  two different things that don't even
• 18:25
  >> Yeah.
• 18:26
  >> I don't know how you miraculously kind
• 18:28
  of merged them mysteriously and
• 18:30
  magically, but you did.
• 18:32
  >> Yeah.
• 18:32
  >> So, let's talk about it.
• 18:34
  >> Yeah. So, when I started school and all
• 18:36
  my life, I always knew I wanted to be
• 18:37
  either on television in this media world
• 18:41
  or an educator. Like I said, my older
• 18:43
  brother has Down syndrome. My He's two
• 18:46
  years older than me. We are the youngest
• 18:48
  of six. Like I said, he's number five.
• 18:50
  I'm number six. But I always like he was
• 18:53
  my little buddy growing up.
• 18:54
  >> You're the baby.
• 18:55
  >> Yes.
• 18:56
  >> And your three older sisters in
• 18:57
  Argentina are much much older.
• 18:59
  >> Well, I have two sisters here and three
• 19:02
  sisters in Argentina.
• 19:03
  >> And you're the baby of everybody.
• 19:04
  >> I'm the baby of the nine.
• 19:05
  >> And you wonder why they don't want you
• 19:07
  to leave.
• 19:07
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• 19:11
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• 19:13
  in comfort, trust, and caring for the
• 19:15
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• 19:17
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• 19:19
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• 19:21
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• 19:23
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• 19:25
  heart right here in Miami. Visit Dr.
• 19:28
  Adrien Gonzalez, a trusted partner of
• 19:30
  the Heartful Living community. Now, back
• 19:33
  to the conversation.
• 19:34
  >> And there was a lot of guilt of like
• 19:36
  leaving my brother behind,
• 19:37
  >> was there?
• 19:38
  >> Oh, yeah. I remember my first night in
• 19:40
  FSU, he texted me and he said, "Mom is
• 19:43
  crying cuz she misses you."
• 19:44
  >> Hi.
• 19:45
  >> That killed me.
• 19:47
  >> Did he miss you?
• 19:48
  >> Of course. Of course. So, um, when I
• 19:52
  started school, I still wasn't sure if I
• 19:54
  wanted to go the education route or the
• 19:56
  media route. And like you said, those
• 19:58
  are like two completely different
• 20:00
  things. And at the time, social media
• 20:02
  wasn't a thing the way that it is now.
• 20:05
  you would just upload like 50 pictures
• 20:06
  into a Facebook album
• 20:08
  >> if that cuz I think there was still
• 20:11
  MySpace when I started college.
• 20:13
  >> This was 2008.
• 20:15
  >> There was for sure. There had to have
• 20:16
  been.
• 20:17
  >> Yeah. So, I didn't know if I wanted to
• 20:19
  go more the education route or the media
• 20:20
  route. So, I started taking classes in
• 20:23
  both. And my education classes, my child
• 20:26
  development classes, my child psychology
• 20:28
  classes, I wouldn't even take notes.
• 20:31
  Like, I would literally just sit there
• 20:32
  and absorb everything. like literally
• 20:34
  enthralled like that's so cool. Oh yeah,
• 20:37
  kids do do that. Wow, cool. Like I was
• 20:39
  literally I wouldn't even take notes and
• 20:41
  I would ace my tests. I remember I would
• 20:43
  get a 99% and I would sit there and
• 20:45
  think of like I remember there was one
• 20:47
  test I think it was a final and I got
• 20:49
  like a 98%. And I'm going through all
• 20:51
  the questions in my head like which one
• 20:52
  did I get wrong that I didn't get 100%.
• 20:55
  Right?
• 20:55
  >> And I was like I think it was the one
• 20:57
  about PSJ. Like I would literally go
• 20:58
  through my mind and be like what was it
• 21:01
  >> right? And it wasn't like now where all
• 21:02
  the tests are on the computer and you
• 21:03
  can go back and it'll tell you.
• 21:05
  >> We're going to have to you and I sit
• 21:06
  down and talk about education today at
• 21:08
  another session because
• 21:10
  >> that's another can of worms I would love
• 21:12
  to get into with you as well.
• 21:14
  >> I can I have TED talks about that.
• 21:16
  >> So, and then for my media classes like I
• 21:19
  would sit there, I would make
• 21:20
  flashcards, I would take notes, I would
• 21:22
  read the material over and over and I
• 21:24
  would get BC's and it was like hard,
• 21:27
  right? I remember for my advertising
• 21:29
  class, I don't know why I just never
• 21:31
  understood it and it would never stick
• 21:33
  like and the information was just like
• 21:35
  and I would be repeating it over and
• 21:37
  over and I'm just like I don't get it. I
• 21:40
  remember the one class that I did do
• 21:41
  well but that's cuz the way that the
• 21:42
  professor structured it was PR. So the
• 21:45
  PR class I did do very well in because
• 21:47
  it was like it was just the way that the
• 21:49
  class was structured I did pretty well
• 21:51
  >> but my media classes was like pulling
• 21:54
  teeth. So after like the second semester
• 21:57
  maybe, I was like, "Well, I guess I'm
• 21:59
  destined to be a teacher because this
• 22:00
  comes to me so easy,
• 22:02
  >> right?"
• 22:03
  >> And I would like sign up to do like
• 22:05
  community service stuff in the realm of
• 22:07
  like we would um you could do community
• 22:10
  service hours of like going to like this
• 22:11
  media event or whatever. And I always
• 22:13
  felt very out of place.
• 22:14
  >> I always felt very awkward. I didn't
• 22:16
  know how to talk to the people around
• 22:18
  me. But when you would go do your field
• 22:21
  hours,
• 22:21
  >> it was like I belonged there, right?
• 22:24
  >> So, um,
• 22:26
  >> did you go to West Lab next door?
• 22:27
  >> Yes, of course I did do hours there. Um,
• 22:32
  so I was like, "Okay, well, I'm destined
• 22:33
  to be an educator as well." Um, I guess.
• 22:35
  So, I did the education route through my
• 22:39
  classes that I would pick as like
• 22:40
  electives. I got a minor in psychology
• 22:42
  without even realizing it.
• 22:44
  >> Flipsy.
• 22:45
  >> Yes. In Flipsy.
• 22:47
  And so I graduated with my degree in
• 22:51
  education. I went into education and I
• 22:53
  love it. Like I truly love special
• 22:55
  education. I love child development.
• 22:58
  It's just something that I am passionate
• 23:01
  about.
• 23:01
  >> Of course.
• 23:02
  >> Um I
• 23:03
  >> But you did dream about being
• 23:04
  >> and I still always had that like but if
• 23:06
  I street you said yes
• 23:09
  >> and big comfy couch.
• 23:10
  >> Yes. So my dream was so I always still
• 23:12
  had that like but what if I would have
• 23:15
  just done the journalism route and I
• 23:16
  would look up journalism jobs and I
• 23:18
  would look up like well what if
• 23:20
  somebody's hiring that I can and my
• 23:23
  dream was always to be on Sesame Street.
• 23:25
  I've applied to Sesame Street jobs like
• 23:27
  three times.
• 23:28
  >> Really?
• 23:28
  >> Yes. Because I still dream of working
• 23:31
  for Sesame Street. I love that kind of
• 23:36
  like teaching kids. And then I realized
• 23:38
  like, wow, something that really really
• 23:40
  appeals to me is teaching kids through
• 23:43
  TV, right? Like being able to reach a
• 23:46
  large audience. I was always fascinated
• 23:48
  by how they come up with scripts for
• 23:50
  shows like Dragon Tales, for shows like
• 23:53
  Arthur, like that has always fascinated
• 23:56
  me,
• 23:57
  >> right? And actually in college I had a
• 24:00
  professor that worked on sessimistry to
• 24:03
  help develop a puppet. She was um a
• 24:06
  linguist and she had her PhD in
• 24:07
  linguistics and they reached out to her
• 24:10
  to help her develop a Hispanic puppet
• 24:13
  >> and like how to make it correct and how
• 24:15
  to um like do it correctly and you know
• 24:18
  like not cheesy and like wearing a
• 24:20
  sombrero like that's not you know
• 24:24
  >> um
• 24:24
  >> do you happen to know which muppet it is
• 24:26
  on It wasn't. It wasn't like Rosita,
• 24:29
  which is like the main one that we see.
• 24:31
  I don't know which one it was. Um,
• 24:34
  >> that's very cool.
• 24:35
  >> Yeah. So, I was like, that is so cool. I
• 24:36
  would love to help develop like scripts
• 24:38
  and topics and and dialogue. Um, that is
• 24:42
  such a cool job.
• 24:44
  >> So, but I was still in my education
• 24:46
  route. After teaching for three years, I
• 24:48
  worked for M for five years. For five
• 24:50
  and a half, six years. We developed a
• 24:53
  curriculum to help teachers learn how to
• 24:56
  um teach kids with special needs. I
• 24:58
  think that's amazing.
• 24:59
  >> A general education setting. And through
• 25:01
  that, it was a grant through the
• 25:02
  Department of Education. Part of that
• 25:04
  program was developing videos for
• 25:06
  teachers. And then when they were like,
• 25:07
  "Oh, we're going to have to hire an
• 25:09
  actress, like finding the budget,
• 25:10
  whatever." I was like, "I'll do it." Me.
• 25:14
  So, um, that project that I worked on,
• 25:16
  they have a whole YouTube channel and
• 25:18
  I'm like the talking head and I loved
• 25:21
  that. I loved that aspect of like being
• 25:25
  able to develop a script, say it, read
• 25:27
  it off the teleprompter. I loved that.
• 25:30
  Um,
• 25:32
  and yeah, sometime around a little bit
• 25:34
  before CO, I started to dip my toes into
• 25:37
  like the world of like once social media
• 25:40
  started getting bigger and I started
• 25:41
  getting inspired by people like Jenny
• 25:43
  Lorenzo, the Cuban Aella. I started to
• 25:46
  say like, "Oh my god, she's using her
• 25:48
  Miami accent." Cuz that was another
• 25:50
  thing that I completely forgot to say.
• 25:51
  When I started my journalism thing and
• 25:54
  when I started taking classes, I had
• 25:56
  somebody tell me, "You're never going to
• 25:57
  make it in the media world with a Miami
• 25:59
  accent."
• 26:00
  >> And now that's literally what I'm doing.
• 26:03
  I'm making it in the media world with my
• 26:05
  Miami accent.
• 26:06
  >> You're making lemonade.
• 26:07
  >> Yes.
• 26:08
  >> With your Miami accent.
• 26:09
  >> Yes. So I That's another reason why I
• 26:12
  was like, "Well, then I guess I got to
• 26:13
  be a teacher." So, I started dipping my
• 26:16
  toes in the whole like social media,
• 26:18
  making funny videos here, making funny
• 26:20
  videos there, and one thing led to
• 26:21
  another. And now I am the funny girl on
• 26:23
  social media. I'm using my degree and my
• 26:26
  talent and my expertise and education to
• 26:28
  also put things out in the world. And
• 26:31
  >> and that's how you married media and
• 26:33
  education.
• 26:33
  >> Yep.
• 26:34
  >> So, what moment did you have that made
• 26:37
  you viral?
• 26:38
  >> So, it had nothing to do with education
• 26:40
  at all. like kind of how you mentioned
• 26:42
  like I have this expertise in education
• 26:44
  but people just see me as like the funny
• 26:46
  fun girl.
• 26:47
  >> Yeah.
• 26:48
  >> Um my first like really viral video was
• 26:52
  during co I did a video of the teacher
• 26:55
  pretending to call out names in 2025
• 26:58
  which we're here now. Um like all the co
• 27:01
  babies are going to kindergarten now.
• 27:02
  And I I was like pretending to read off
• 27:04
  the list of like babies entering
• 27:06
  kindergarten five years from now is
• 27:07
  gonna be like go be lacy.
• 27:10
  >> And um
• 27:11
  >> I love that.
• 27:12
  >> Yeah. So I was like using like these
• 27:14
  words that were big back then like
• 27:16
  toilet paper. I forgot what I said. Like
• 27:17
  I had to go back and look at it.
• 27:19
  >> Oh, I think it was like charming Miguel
• 27:21
  or something like that. Like so I came
• 27:23
  up with all these names.
• 27:24
  >> I love it.
• 27:25
  >> Yeah. And then that video like blew up
• 27:29
  and then um I was never really
• 27:31
  consistent. My mental health had a lot
• 27:33
  to do with it, too. So, I used to take
• 27:35
  um like big mental health breaks during
• 27:37
  the holidays off of social media. So, I
• 27:40
  would be off of social media pretty much
• 27:42
  from like November 1st through like
• 27:45
  January.
• 27:45
  >> Good for you.
• 27:46
  >> Yeah. And so, I was never consistent
• 27:49
  with it. So, I would like every now and
• 27:51
  then put out a video. It would like go
• 27:52
  viral, but it wasn't like that. I was
• 27:55
  like I would literally just do it for
• 27:57
  fun. Like I would think of something
• 27:58
  funny. I would make the video. I would
• 28:00
  go on, I'd post it and haha and then
• 28:02
  like whatever, forget about it for a
• 28:04
  little bit. And then I was doing it for
• 28:05
  fun. And then when I started when I went
• 28:08
  back to the classroom that I started
• 28:09
  teaching again,
• 28:11
  um I thought of a funny teacher one. I
• 28:14
  think it was the career day, like career
• 28:16
  day in Miami.
• 28:18
  >> That one was hilarious. I loved that
• 28:20
  one.
• 28:21
  >> I did that one and that one blew up. And
• 28:24
  from there, I was like, let me start
• 28:26
  making more funny teacher things. So
• 28:29
  then I did like I don't know like PTA
• 28:31
  parents in Miami be like or something
• 28:33
  like that. And I always I want to
• 28:35
  mention I always write if you notice in
• 28:38
  my videos I always put like whatever the
• 28:40
  topic is going to be like the la the
• 28:42
  latest one was like kids being late and
• 28:44
  like the excuses of kids being late. I
• 28:46
  always write Latina edition because
• 28:48
  something we have to remember about
• 28:49
  Miami or Miami date county is that it
• 28:52
  runs from Homestead all the way to North
• 28:55
  Miami. And we're in our Latino community
• 28:59
  space, but there is huge Jewish
• 29:02
  communities. There's huge black
• 29:04
  communities and in the black communities
• 29:05
  there's Jamaican, there's Bahamian,
• 29:07
  there's American.
• 29:08
  >> So, um, well noted. I started making
• 29:11
  sure that I addressed like Miami girl
• 29:15
  the Latinas like the Latina version and
• 29:18
  of course there's always going to be a
• 29:19
  hater because then one day somebody was
• 29:20
  commenting like people forget that Miami
• 29:22
  is not just Cubans and I'm like oh my
• 29:24
  god I know that's why so not even
• 29:28
  putting the Latina thing like somebody
• 29:30
  had to pick on the fact that like not
• 29:31
  every Latino is Cuban and it's like okay
• 29:33
  if you don't like it just scroll I don't
• 29:35
  care.
• 29:35
  >> Yeah. Well, people unfortunately they're
• 29:38
  just
• 29:38
  >> there's always going to be nitpickers.
• 29:40
  >> There's always going to be a
• 29:41
  >> But my videos are for somebody and if
• 29:42
  they're for you, watch it. If they're
• 29:43
  not for you, don't.
• 29:44
  >> They were for me.
• 29:46
  >> Yeah. Good.
• 29:47
  >> So, when you went back to teach again
• 29:50
  after, um, did you fall straight back
• 29:53
  into the special education?
• 29:55
  >> So, when I went to teach at M, I was
• 29:57
  always back and forth like, what kind of
• 29:58
  teacher do I want to be? Um, and then I
• 30:01
  was like, let me take my education
• 30:03
  classes and also get the minor in
• 30:04
  special education. When I went to go ask
• 30:06
  my adv um adviser about like the special
• 30:09
  ed minor, she was like, you know, you
• 30:12
  have a minor in psychology. I was like,
• 30:13
  I do. Um, so I minored in special
• 30:16
  education. My first teaching job was
• 30:18
  general ed. Um, and then I went to
• 30:21
  another school where I had general ed,
• 30:22
  but I had told them like, look, I really
• 30:24
  love special ed. And so they gave me the
• 30:27
  students with IEPs. So, it was like an
• 30:29
  inclusive setting. Um, and then when I
• 30:31
  left that teaching job that I went to,
• 30:33
  M, it was like a special ed focus. We
• 30:37
  were teaching teachers how to work with
• 30:38
  kids with special needs in their
• 30:40
  classrooms. Um, how to use assisted
• 30:44
  assistive technologies. And then, so
• 30:47
  special ed has always been around me.
• 30:50
  Um, and then I took two years I was at
• 30:51
  home. That's when I was developing my
• 30:53
  workbooks. I was helping a diff um
• 30:55
  different hotels in Miami Beach run
• 30:57
  their kids clubs.
• 30:58
  >> Let's talk about the workbooks.
• 30:59
  >> Okay.
• 31:00
  >> You developed these worksheets and
• 31:04
  eventually they became a book.
• 31:05
  >> Mhm.
• 31:06
  >> And you self-published them.
• 31:08
  >> Yes.
• 31:08
  >> And a lot of people don't know that.
• 31:10
  >> Yes.
• 31:10
  >> Briando with Betty are worksheets and
• 31:13
  workbooks for kids ages what?
• 31:16
  >> So my workbooks are more like the early
• 31:18
  elementary ages.
• 31:21
  um kinder through thirdish depending on
• 31:23
  the child's abilities and needs.
• 31:26
  Uh so I developed my workbooks cuz when
• 31:30
  I started teaching in the public schools
• 31:31
  here, they're like, "Oh, you speak
• 31:33
  Spanish. You're also a Spanish teacher
• 31:34
  now." And I'm like, "That's not how it
• 31:35
  works."
• 31:36
  >> Yeah.
• 31:36
  >> Just because you speak English doesn't
• 31:38
  mean you could teach English. Like
• 31:40
  >> I've noticed that, too.
• 31:41
  >> So I'm like, "Okay, that's not." So they
• 31:43
  handed me the curriculum and I'm looking
• 31:44
  at the curriculum and I'm like, "This
• 31:46
  does not make sense." So, if your child
• 31:49
  is a second grader, they were expected
• 31:50
  to read like second grade
• 31:53
  um comprehension and like do second
• 31:55
  grade material as if they were like a
• 31:57
  second grader in Spain. Now, I don't
• 32:00
  know if you've noticed, but as a Spanish
• 32:02
  speaker, and this is like a phenomenon,
• 32:05
  right? I don't know what this is called.
• 32:06
  I'm sure I learned it in my linguistics
• 32:08
  class, but we grew up with ouros. We
• 32:10
  grew up speaking and hearing Spanish. We
• 32:12
  are completely fluent. We can read speak
• 32:15
  in Spanish but we don't read and write
• 32:17
  in Spanish as well as we speak and hear.
• 32:20
  I am completely fluent. I can go right
• 32:21
  now in Telmundo and give a whole but
• 32:25
  >> the the reading and writing part is not
• 32:28
  >> it wasn't until re it wasn't until my
• 32:30
  job at so at my job at M part of the
• 32:33
  grant was that we were going to develop
• 32:35
  all material in English and Spanish. Oh,
• 32:38
  >> so when I started working at M is when I
• 32:40
  started and they were like, okay, now we
• 32:41
  have to translate the documents,
• 32:42
  whatever. I was like, how do you say
• 32:44
  early literacy in Spanish? How do you
• 32:46
  say um alphabet alphabets? Now I can't
• 32:50
  even say it in English and Spanish, but
• 32:52
  how do you say uh phmic awareness? How
• 32:55
  do you say goodness?
• 32:56
  >> So all these things that I was like,
• 32:58
  wait, what? So that's when I started
• 33:00
  learning a lot of academic Spanish.
• 33:03
  So yes, we are 100% we I am not going to
• 33:06
  take that away from anybody. We are 100%
• 33:08
  fluent in Spanish, but not the academic
• 33:11
  part of it. Buenos das or buenades. This
• 33:14
  is the heart-to-he heart podcast for
• 33:16
  heartful living. My name is Betty
• 33:18
  Patelitos. I am also known as Miss
• 33:20
  Betty. And for all the parents and
• 33:22
  teachers out there looking for a fun,
• 33:24
  simple, easy way to make learning
• 33:27
  engaging and fun, check out my
• 33:28
  workbooks, Byond the Books, on Amazon
• 33:31
  and through my website. Here you'll find
• 33:33
  workbooks that are created in order to
• 33:35
  make learning engaging and fun, but also
• 33:38
  easy for you to implement. See you
• 33:40
  around. And it wasn't until I was at M
• 33:42
  that I started learning accenttos. I
• 33:45
  never knew accenttos.
• 33:46
  >> Well, I know. I still don't.
• 33:47
  >> I Sorry. Right. And so that's when so
• 33:51
  why was I teaching these Spanish things?
• 33:52
  So imagine 8-year-olds. Yeah. We're
• 33:55
  being raised at home with our aos and
• 33:56
  ouras, but the writing and the grammar
• 33:59
  and the is a whole different ballgame.
• 34:01
  >> Yes.
• 34:02
  >> But when our kids go to school, they're
• 34:04
  expected to read stuff that I couldn't
• 34:06
  read, stuff that I couldn't write that I
• 34:08
  was like learning with them. I was like,
• 34:10
  I'm not a Spanish teacher. I could I
• 34:12
  could teach you how to speak Spanish,
• 34:15
  >> but I'm not a Spanish teacher. So that's
• 34:18
  when I was like, I wish I had a workbook
• 34:20
  that did this, this, this, and this, and
• 34:21
  that. And then I was like, wait a
• 34:23
  minute. And then as I was trying to
• 34:24
  teach the kids to Spanish, I realized in
• 34:26
  Spanish Spain, like, you know, like
• 34:29
  Spanish literature, there's no site
• 34:31
  words and there's no core words. That's
• 34:33
  an English thing. So I was like, why
• 34:35
  isn't there site words in Spanish?
• 34:37
  >> The kids don't even the kids are
• 34:38
  expected to learn all these vocabulary
• 34:41
  words, but they don't know how to read
• 34:42
  etoy and son and sos and e. like they
• 34:46
  don't know how to read those things.
• 34:49
  >> So that's mostly what my Spanish
• 34:50
  workbooks are right now is like site
• 34:53
  words like imagine if you had Spanish
• 34:54
  Spanish site words that's what they are
• 34:56
  right now
• 34:58
  >> and I'm working on the silas now. So
• 35:01
  like then teaching them how to put
• 35:02
  syllabas together.
• 35:03
  >> That's brilliant. So I kind of like
• 35:06
  developed my own Spanish curriculum
• 35:08
  where like they need to start with like
• 35:10
  core words which they know how to say
• 35:13
  them but the reading and writing and
• 35:15
  spelling them like there's differences
• 35:16
  between L with an accentto and L without
• 35:18
  the accentto.
• 35:19
  >> Sure.
• 35:20
  >> So yeah.
• 35:21
  >> So you self-published?
• 35:23
  >> Yes.
• 35:24
  >> Amazing.
• 35:25
  >> Thank you.
• 35:26
  >> Um where can we find your workbooks? So
• 35:29
  right now you can find them bound
• 35:30
  printed on Amazon under Briando books
• 35:34
  because there's another Beatatrice
• 35:35
  Williams but I'm like hello and she's
• 35:38
  also published but
• 35:40
  >> she's not a Betty Balitos
• 35:41
  >> but she's not Betty Patalitos. So uh
• 35:44
  Briano books and then on my stand store
• 35:47
  I have them all where teachers can print
• 35:50
  and bind them themselves. So you can
• 35:52
  print the workbooks, make additional
• 35:54
  copies um and put them together
• 35:56
  yourself. Um, and that's on my stand
• 35:59
  store as Miss Betty, Ms. Betty.
• 36:02
  >> Well, with Betty's permission, we are
• 36:03
  actually going to put a link to all of
• 36:05
  this on our Heartful Living website.
• 36:06
  >> Yes.
• 36:07
  >> So that our community can reach out and
• 36:09
  have access to all of these workbooks
• 36:11
  cuz I think they're fantastic.
• 36:13
  >> Thank you.
• 36:13
  >> And what you said
• 36:15
  >> just blew my mind. It's true.
• 36:17
  >> Yes,
• 36:18
  >> it's absolutely true. And that again
• 36:21
  with my son with theos
• 36:23
  like Yes. Yeah. So, I can read I can
• 36:26
  speak Spanish perfectly, but if you make
• 36:28
  me read a novel, it's kind of like it's
• 36:31
  going to like it's not going to be the
• 36:33
  same.
• 36:33
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 36:34
  >> As like
• 36:34
  >> Of course.
• 36:35
  >> Yeah.
• 36:36
  >> Well, being the Cubans that we are being
• 36:39
  born and raised by Araos. I'm sure in
• 36:41
  your household you always had a million
• 36:44
  and one sayings.
• 36:45
  >> Yes.
• 36:45
  >> That have stuck with you.
• 36:46
  >> Yes.
• 36:47
  >> So, I thought we'd have a little fun
• 36:48
  today.
• 36:48
  >> Okay.
• 36:49
  >> And we do literally like Buddy.
• 36:51
  >> Okay. Okay. I like that.
• 36:53
  >> Okay. So, what we're going to do is um
• 36:57
  I'm going to give you the English
• 36:58
  translation of Elicho and you have to
• 37:02
  give me the Spanish translation.
• 37:06
  >> Okay.
• 37:06
  >> And if you get the phrase, awesome. But
• 37:09
  extra credit if you throw in our hand
• 37:11
  mannerisms
• 37:12
  >> because of course every Cuban talks with
• 37:14
  their hands.
• 37:15
  >> Okay.
• 37:15
  >> Okay. You ready?
• 37:16
  >> Yeah.
• 37:17
  >> Okay. So, number one, like literally,
• 37:22
  the train is going to catch you.
• 37:25
  >> I don't know that one.
• 37:26
  >> Get out.
• 37:28
  >> Yeah.
• 37:29
  >> I've never said that.
• 37:30
  >> Really?
• 37:31
  >> Yes.
• 37:32
  >> It's hurry up. You're running late.
• 37:35
  >> Really?
• 37:35
  >> Yeah.
• 37:36
  >> Oh my god.
• 37:38
  >> No, I didn't know that one.
• 37:40
  >> How funny.
• 37:41
  >> When you always get a new That's a That
• 37:43
  one I'll give to you and you can use it
• 37:45
  whenever. Okay. Ready? Now I'm nervous.
• 37:47
  I wasn't nervous, but now I am.
• 37:49
  >> Don't be. The rest are good. That's on
• 37:51
  fire.
• 37:55
  >> Close.
• 37:56
  >> What?
• 37:58
  >> Tandela. Yes. Yes.
• 38:01
  >> And that means situation crazy.
• 38:04
  >> Okay.
• 38:05
  >> Or the kid like
• 38:08
  >> Yeah.
• 38:09
  >> You're in size.
• 38:11
  >> In size.
• 38:12
  >> You're in size.
• 38:13
  >> Why don't I know any of these? Are you
• 38:15
  kidding?
• 38:18
  >> Yes.
• 38:19
  >> You know this one
• 38:21
  >> size.
• 38:22
  >> See, I was going to give it to you the
• 38:24
  opposite way. I was going to give it to
• 38:25
  you the Spanish way and you would have
• 38:27
  to tell me what it meant.
• 38:28
  >> Was trickier. Are you really? You're
• 38:29
  making my brain work. I like it. I like
• 38:31
  that.
• 38:32
  >> So,
• 38:34
  >> I don't know.
• 38:34
  >> You don't know. Okay, Betty.
• 38:39
  >> I don't know that.
• 38:40
  >> You look good. Like, you've been working
• 38:41
  out. You look good.
• 38:43
  Stop.
• 38:44
  >> You're on point.
• 38:45
  >> I know. Like
• 38:47
  I like
• 38:49
  >> Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed right now.
• 38:51
  Don't revoke my Cuban card.
• 38:54
  >> Okay, ready?
• 38:55
  >> We'll give you more. The running around
• 38:57
  has started.
• 39:00
  >> Yeah, absolutely.
• 39:02
  >> Chaos broke out. Everybody's scrambling.
• 39:04
  >> Yes,
• 39:06
  that's me every morning for school.
• 39:11
  Then this one would follow. What do you
• 39:12
  tell your girls?
• 39:15
  Put in the batteries.
• 39:16
  >> Yeah.
• 39:21
  >> Get it together. Wait.
• 39:24
  >> Yeah.
• 39:25
  >> Okay. This one. You have to know this
• 39:27
  one.
• 39:29
  My half orange.
• 39:32
  >> Of course.
• 39:34
  >> Never.
• 39:36
  >> Cuba was here for
• 39:38
  >> cuz we're wahoo. My family's from
• 39:41
  Oriente. My Oh my god, I just realized
• 39:44
  something. Has my skirt been up the
• 39:45
  whole time? I got to edit that out.
• 39:47
  >> Oh my god.
• 39:48
  >> I hope not.
• 39:50
  Well, I know that one's for the
• 39:51
  bloopers.
• 39:53
  >> Okay.
• 39:53
  >> Okay. No. Yeah, my soulmate. My other
• 39:56
  half. My
• 40:05
  >> Okay. That egg wants salt.
• 40:07
  >> Yes. I know that one. What does that
• 40:10
  mean?
• 40:10
  >> That means like he's looking for he
• 40:12
  wants something.
• 40:15
  >> I don't think you're going to know this
• 40:16
  one.
• 40:16
  >> Tell me. No. No. Tell me.
• 40:18
  >> More face and back.
• 40:21
  >> Yeah. I didn't know that one either. I
• 40:24
  will tell you that. I didn't know that
• 40:25
  one. And it meant you have a lot of
• 40:26
  nerve.
• 40:27
  >> Okay.
• 40:31
  Yeah.
• 40:31
  >> See, in my house it wasn't. It was
• 40:38
  okay. like your face will only get red
• 40:40
  once. You'll only be embarrassed to say
• 40:42
  it once, but they'll never mess with you
• 40:43
  again.
• 40:45
  >> I like that.
• 40:46
  >> Um, it doesn't paint anything.
• 40:48
  >> No, that one I do know. I I was just
• 40:52
  telling my friend that yesterday about a
• 40:53
  situation. I was like,
• 40:56
  >> they don't belong there.
• 40:57
  >> Yeah.
• 40:59
  >> Okay. Throw the house out the window.
• 41:00
  >> Yeah.
• 41:03
  And that one is
• 41:05
  >> that's like throw like like
• 41:07
  >> going all out. So, what I love is spare
• 41:09
  no expense. And what I thought of that
• 41:11
  one was um when we were all in the
• 41:14
  stage, like a wedding in the gins, but I
• 41:18
  have a friend whose dad said, "Oh, cuz
• 41:21
  we just hit the ikea fund."
• 41:23
  >> And I go, "What's thea fund?" He goes,
• 41:25
  "You know, I needed the cafes cart." I
• 41:29
  needed the the So, once you hit the ikea
• 41:31
  fund,
• 41:32
  >> that's it.
• 41:33
  >> Everything's out the window.
• 41:34
  >> That's it.
• 41:34
  >> Yeah. I like that.
• 41:35
  >> So, which ones did you grow up with?
• 41:38
  like
• 41:41
  >> um now let me think of something that is
• 41:43
  like
• 41:47
  >> and you know what like not to say
• 41:49
  anything but my grandma was like very
• 41:53
  like like super one of these super super
• 41:56
  fina ones. So she would never say
• 41:57
  anything that came off as like vulgar.
• 42:00
  The And not that any of these are
• 42:01
  vulgar.
• 42:02
  >> Yeah. But my grandma was always very
• 42:04
  like like
• 42:06
  >> proper.
• 42:07
  >> Yeah. The first time that I said a bad
• 42:09
  word, I remember thinking like it's just
• 42:12
  words like but the way she reacted and I
• 42:15
  remember in my mind being like and I
• 42:16
  think it was like or something but she
• 42:19
  was so taken a back
• 42:22
  >> that I was like
• 42:24
  >> so my grandma was very like dama like
• 42:26
  very like so she would never say
• 42:28
  anything like
• 42:30
  super fina to the max. So my like like
• 42:34
  >> guareo
• 42:35
  >> uhhuh came from the lady that raised
• 42:38
  that was my babysitter growing up
• 42:40
  >> that she it wasn't even I said like
• 42:42
  childc care center at the beginning of
• 42:43
  our podcast um she just had unagasa she
• 42:46
  would take care of kids she wasn't
• 42:48
  registered she was like nothing she had
• 42:50
  daycare nasa but it wasn't nothing like
• 42:52
  >> under the table daycare
• 42:54
  >> super under the table and that's where I
• 42:56
  learned things like like
• 43:01
  India like she used to call me India,
• 43:03
  which is
• 43:03
  >> I haven't heard that one.
• 43:05
  >> Well, that that was which is also now
• 43:07
  like not PC nowadays.
• 43:09
  >> Seriously? Right.
• 43:10
  >> She would call me India because I was
• 43:12
  always the one like telling the kids
• 43:13
  what to do and like making kids do
• 43:15
  homework at her at home daycare and so
• 43:18
  she was like,
• 43:20
  >> see in my house it would have been
• 43:23
  >> okay. Yeah. Yeah.
• 43:26
  my like manurisms and stuff came from
• 43:28
  her because at my aa's house it was like
• 43:31
  it was always very like proper very like
• 43:34
  super
• 43:35
  my like loa like I remember one time
• 43:38
  when I was little and my brother was
• 43:40
  behaving bad and I was like
• 43:43
  so it was like my mom was even like
• 43:46
  where did you learn that? So that was
• 43:50
  and my mom came older. My mom came my
• 43:52
  mom was a Pedro Pang and she came when
• 43:53
  she was like 15. So she was one of the
• 43:55
  older kids on the plane. Um and my I
• 43:59
  don't know they were just like very like
• 44:01
  Catholic, very like dressed up head to
• 44:04
  toe. I never saw my grandma in unavata.
• 44:07
  >> No,
• 44:08
  >> never. My grandma was always beta like
• 44:11
  from the time she woke up to
• 44:13
  >> Yes. Bada with her palades brushes like
• 44:16
  Right. That was my grandparents.
• 44:19
  Something my grandpa always said to me
• 44:20
  which isn't a kuano phrase was when I
• 44:23
  would come into the house and like if
• 44:25
  there was like a lot of people and like
• 44:26
  sal
• 44:29
  just because I got distracted my cousins
• 44:31
  whatever he would say
• 44:34
  is what he would always say to me which
• 44:35
  isn't a thing anybody says but that's
• 44:37
  always something he said to me.
• 44:39
  >> And you love it.
• 44:39
  >> And I love it. Yeah.
• 44:41
  >> So like those like
• 44:43
  >> So what did you call your grandparents?
• 44:47
  people.
• 44:47
  >> I love that.
• 44:49
  >> Yes.
• 44:49
  >> Well, you I can't say that I'm going to
• 44:52
  award you with the MIMA award.
• 44:53
  >> No, you can't.
• 44:55
  >> But
• 44:55
  >> I'll get the FA award.
• 44:57
  >> But we are going to go ahead and give
• 44:58
  you the prize because you know what's
• 45:01
  better than a prize than Unaakita from
• 45:02
  Laentita.
• 45:04
  >> A thank you.
• 45:06
  >> And crocettas.
• 45:07
  >> Oh, thank you.
• 45:08
  >> And we could have them now if you want.
• 45:10
  >> Yes, I absolutely want them now.
• 45:11
  >> So, what's your favorite patalito?
• 45:13
  >> Queso.
• 45:15
  Shoot. You're not going to believe it.
• 45:16
  It's the only one I didn't get.
• 45:17
  >> Did you get waves?
• 45:19
  >> I gota
• 45:20
  >> Okay. Okay. Okay.
• 45:21
  >> I gota butas.
• 45:23
  I mean, I saw you the other day at
• 45:25
  Canaria. Downing the
• 45:27
  >> Yes, we were Donnie theas.
• 45:29
  >> Talk to me about that.
• 45:31
  >> I love And you know what's funny? The
• 45:32
  original Ela Canaria. Yeah.
• 45:34
  >> That people think it's the one on Coral
• 45:36
  Way, but the original one was I would go
• 45:39
  walking with my grandparents and how
• 45:40
  close they lived. And that's where it
• 45:42
  was like on Fridays that my grandma
• 45:44
  didn't cook. And we would go walking to
• 45:47
  Oh my god.
• 45:49
  >> That's for you and me.
• 45:50
  >> Thank you. We would go walking to the
• 45:53
  Canaria right here on in
• 45:56
  Bounty.
• 45:57
  >> Bounty
• 45:59
  Bounty.
• 45:59
  >> So we gota
• 46:02
  >> Yummy.
• 46:03
  >> The car and croetas.
• 46:05
  >> Oh my god, those crocas look amazing.
• 46:07
  >> Right.
• 46:08
  >> Can I have half?
• 46:09
  >> Yeah. No, I'm all the way.
• 46:11
  >> You're going all the way? Go all the
• 46:12
  way.
• 46:13
  >> My baby had me up all night
• 46:14
  breastfeeding him.
• 46:16
  >> So, you are mama three. And what are the
• 46:18
  ages?
• 46:20
  >> 12, four, and 10 months. About to be 11
• 46:23
  months.
• 46:23
  >> How's that?
• 46:24
  >> Hard. Hard. Three.
• 46:27
  >> You're a teacher.
• 46:27
  >> Mhm.
• 46:29
  >> And tell me how many kids are in your
• 46:31
  class? You teach the littles.
• 46:33
  >> Yeah. So my class is only I I say only
• 46:38
  lightly but I have seven kids in my
• 46:40
  class but varying abilities and when I
• 46:43
  say varying abilities I mean varying. So
• 46:46
  I have I teach at a private school a
• 46:48
  private nonprofit and um we have seven
• 46:53
  kids but each kid is on his own his or
• 46:55
  her own track. So every day it's seven
• 46:58
  lessons, seven assignments, seven and
• 47:03
  not seven exactly each time because
• 47:05
  there's like
• 47:07
  some kids I can kind of group together,
• 47:09
  >> right?
• 47:10
  >> But my kids need a lot of support. So if
• 47:12
  we're doing like a cutting and pasting
• 47:13
  activity, like I need to be doing a lot
• 47:16
  of prompting for each one. So it's like
• 47:18
  even if they're doing kind of the same
• 47:20
  similar thing, it's like I have to help
• 47:21
  with the scissors, the glute, like you
• 47:23
  know. So, it's like it's only seven, but
• 47:25
  it's a lot of support for seven kids.
• 47:29
  Um,
• 47:30
  >> and you love it.
• 47:30
  >> I wouldn't change it for the world. I
• 47:32
  wouldn't change it for the whole wide
• 47:34
  world. I love my students. Some of them,
• 47:36
  this is my third year with them. We have
• 47:38
  some new ones to the class and they came
• 47:41
  in perfectly. They blend with my other
• 47:44
  students perfectly. I love each and
• 47:47
  every one of my students and I mean that
• 47:49
  from the bottom of my heart. Even on the
• 47:52
  hard days, even when they're driving me
• 47:54
  crazy, even when they're throwing
• 47:56
  themselves on the floor just because
• 47:57
  they don't want to do something and
• 47:59
  they're smirking because they see me
• 48:00
  stressed out. Like, I wouldn't change it
• 48:03
  for the world.
• 48:04
  >> And that's what people don't know about
• 48:05
  you. And that's why I so badly wanted to
• 48:07
  go beyond the past today.
• 48:09
  >> Yeah.
• 48:10
  >> Because what you do is helping make the
• 48:13
  world a better place.
• 48:14
  >> Thank you. and
• 48:15
  >> you don't get the proper props, the
• 48:18
  proper um
• 48:20
  >> uh you know, not props, what what's the
• 48:23
  right word? You don't get the proper
• 48:24
  credit for it.
• 48:25
  >> Thank you.
• 48:26
  >> You're not just fun and laughs.
• 48:28
  >> Yeah.
• 48:28
  >> Although we thank you for everything
• 48:30
  that you do for the laughs.
• 48:31
  >> Yeah. I see a lot of teachers that post
• 48:34
  um content of like what they do during
• 48:35
  the day and like a day in their life and
• 48:37
  all those things and it's like I can't
• 48:39
  do those things. Number one, because
• 48:40
  when my phones are out, they're grabbing
• 48:41
  it and they're trying to take pictures
• 48:43
  and they're trying to whatever. And
• 48:44
  number two, because I am so like go go
• 48:46
  go like I don't have time. Sometimes the
• 48:49
  parents will text me something and I'm
• 48:51
  like I'm sorry I couldn't see my phone.
• 48:53
  Yeah.
• 48:53
  >> And besides the fact that we shouldn't
• 48:54
  have our phones, but like it's not easy
• 48:57
  to like stop and like
• 49:00
  >> there's no time in the day where my kids
• 49:01
  are doing something when they're
• 49:03
  playing. Yes. But there's no time in the
• 49:05
  day where they're like working
• 49:07
  independently cuz I have to be like
• 49:09
  guiding them so much through it. Um, so
• 49:13
  yeah, I wish I could do more content of
• 49:15
  like what I do and like my students and
• 49:17
  like the kind of but you know like when
• 49:19
  they're doing something simple or
• 49:20
  whatever like I'll kind of just like
• 49:22
  show it just to show the parents too
• 49:23
  like what they're doing or whatnot but
• 49:26
  my job is very go go go like I don't
• 49:29
  know how you find time for it all.
• 49:31
  You're listening to the Heartto-Heart
• 49:33
  podcast with Christy Diaz for Heartful
• 49:35
  Living where stories, connection, and
• 49:37
  intention guide everything we do.
• 49:39
  Interested in partnering with us? We're
• 49:41
  always open to collaborations that align
• 49:43
  with intention, creativity, and
• 49:45
  community. If you feel your brand is a
• 49:47
  match, we'd love to connect and explore
• 49:49
  what we can create together. And now
• 49:51
  back to listening.
• 49:53
  Me either. And now, especially with
• 49:56
  three, it's become a lot more
• 49:57
  challenging. But luckily, I have my
• 49:59
  husband's support. I do use my planning
• 50:02
  period a lot to like do my funny in the
• 50:04
  class stuff.
• 50:05
  >> Yeah. Um,
• 50:08
  and I don't sleep a lot, which I don't
• 50:11
  recommend. Now I'm starting to
• 50:13
  prioritize that. I'm starting to realize
• 50:15
  how important sleep is.
• 50:16
  >> How about eating? Are you eating?
• 50:18
  >> Yeah. Oh, that's something I will never
• 50:19
  pass. No, no, no. Food for me is a
• 50:22
  non-negotiable.
• 50:24
  That's so good.
• 50:25
  >> Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes.
• 50:27
  >> Well, we love watching you. We really
• 50:29
  do. And you crack me up.
• 50:31
  >> You really do. I every time you you post
• 50:34
  something, I'm like, she nailed it
• 50:36
  again. Love it.
• 50:38
  >> Thank you.
• 50:38
  >> Um, how is it? Is it good?
• 50:41
  >> Okay, good. I'm so glad.
• 50:42
  >> That's for you to take home and you
• 50:44
  don't have to share it if you don't want
• 50:45
  to.
• 50:46
  >> Thank you.
• 50:47
  >> So, some closing questions for you,
• 50:50
  Betty. Um, looking back at your journey,
• 50:53
  what's the one message you want parents
• 50:55
  and teachers to take away? Um,
• 51:01
  for parents and teachers,
• 51:03
  be present. Be present with your kids
• 51:06
  and be present with your students.
• 51:08
  Especially in a in the day and age of
• 51:10
  digital connectedness. And I know, like
• 51:12
  I know from the bottom of my heart, I
• 51:14
  know how hard it is to keep our kids off
• 51:16
  the tablets. But
• 51:19
  just try.
• 51:20
  >> Yeah.
• 51:21
  >> Just try. And 15 minutes makes such a
• 51:24
  big difference. 15 minutes. And this is
• 51:27
  coming from somebody whose part-time job
• 51:29
  is being connected,
• 51:31
  >> right?
• 51:32
  >> Um, so I get it. Um,
• 51:36
  my oldest daughter, she's perfect and I
• 51:38
  love her, but a huge first- time mom
• 51:41
  mistake that I made was giving her the
• 51:43
  iPad too early. And I say this with such
• 51:46
  a grain of salt because I know for some
• 51:47
  students, especially kids, um, with
• 51:50
  special needs or sensory needs, I know
• 51:52
  how important the iPad can be for them.
• 51:55
  But in this world where everything is
• 51:59
  moving towards the iPad, like let's try
• 52:01
  and get off of it a little bit.
• 52:03
  Something that's really really hard for
• 52:04
  me in my classroom is I have no iPads,
• 52:06
  no TV in my classroom. No Prometheium
• 52:09
  board. I got it taken out of my
• 52:11
  classroom. And I was like, really?
• 52:13
  >> Yes. And I was like, they have enough
• 52:15
  time for that outside of the classroom.
• 52:18
  >> I do have a couple students with um
• 52:21
  feeding problems like s it has to do
• 52:24
  with sensory. sure
• 52:25
  >> that the only way they'll eat is
• 52:27
  watching TV, which sucks. So, I will
• 52:30
  support it in that way. So, now I have a
• 52:33
  TV that I roll into the classroom
• 52:35
  >> at lunch.
• 52:35
  >> At lunch. Um, and sometimes I forget
• 52:39
  >> our old school way of doing it like on
• 52:41
  the
• 52:42
  >> Yeah. Wow.
• 52:43
  >> So, I roll in on TV every day, but I
• 52:45
  don't want it in my classroom because
• 52:47
  then they see it and then that's what
• 52:48
  they want. Um, so
• 52:52
  you know, be more present, especially in
• 52:54
  the car. Sometimes it is crazy and
• 52:56
  annoying and you want to drive and
• 52:57
  you're like, "Shut up."
• 52:58
  >> Yeah.
• 52:59
  >> But in the car, that's another time that
• 53:02
  I think especially for drives to school,
• 53:04
  drives around the community, whatever.
• 53:06
  That's a good time to connect with your
• 53:08
  kids cuz you're not doing anything. Cuz
• 53:10
  I know at home we're cooking, we're
• 53:11
  cleaning, we're running around, we need
• 53:13
  peace and quiet. just want to but the
• 53:16
  car is a huge time for me that I'm like
• 53:19
  they shouldn't have but I'm not judging
• 53:21
  parents or saying whatever but that's
• 53:23
  such a good time to be present with your
• 53:24
  kids.
• 53:25
  >> Agreed.
• 53:26
  >> Um I remember one time telling my
• 53:28
  daughter like we were driving home. She
• 53:30
  must have been like 10. I was like take
• 53:32
  me home. She's like what do you mean? I
• 53:33
  was like how do I get home
• 53:35
  >> from here? How do we get home?
• 53:36
  >> Yes.
• 53:37
  >> I was like tell where do I turn? And I
• 53:39
  was like we've taken this route for the
• 53:40
  last 5 years. How do I get home?
• 53:42
  >> Yep. smart
• 53:44
  >> like look outside and how do we get
• 53:45
  home?
• 53:47
  >> So, um
• 53:47
  >> I have a cousin in Chicago and he told
• 53:50
  me he goes, "You know, I'm going to
• 53:51
  start taking my son around and I'm going
• 53:53
  to have him start figuring out a way to
• 53:54
  get us home."
• 53:55
  >> Yes, I do that with my daughter.
• 53:57
  >> And my my husband goes, "That is
• 53:58
  brilliant."
• 53:59
  >> Jason, if you're listening, we're
• 54:01
  thinking of you. Um you and Sam, because
• 54:03
  that idea triggered in our household to
• 54:05
  do the same.
• 54:06
  >> Yeah.
• 54:06
  >> And we were actually really proud of our
• 54:07
  kids for knowing how to get. She knew
• 54:09
  she and I she one time when we were
• 54:12
  supposed to turn right, she told me left
• 54:13
  and I went left and
• 54:15
  >> did she correct
• 54:17
  >> a little bit and I was like, "Okay, this
• 54:19
  isn't the usual way that I go about how
• 54:20
  do I get home from here."
• 54:22
  >> Smart.
• 54:22
  >> And I told her, I was like, "Eventually
• 54:24
  you're going to be driving." And I was
• 54:25
  like, "Listen, we live in Miami, which
• 54:26
  has the easiest grid system. Learn it."
• 54:29
  And I would show her the signs. I'm
• 54:30
  like, "You see how that says 24th
• 54:32
  Street? As we go up, what do you notice
• 54:35
  about the signs?" "Oh, the numbers are
• 54:36
  going up sequentially, right?" And I was
• 54:38
  like, we don't live in one of these
• 54:39
  neighborhoods that it's like like bird
• 54:42
  street, car street, like no, we have
• 54:44
  number systems. So I started teaching
• 54:46
  her.
• 54:46
  >> Although like if you start throwing
• 54:48
  labro, la coral way, and all those
• 54:50
  you're like, "Oh my god."
• 54:52
  >> I know. It is a little bit trick, but
• 54:54
  it's easy to learn.
• 54:55
  >> It is.
• 54:55
  >> And then and it's funny because my
• 54:57
  daughter, the four-year-old, now that I
• 54:59
  say a lot because I'll tell her like
• 55:01
  when and when my kids say I'm bored, I
• 55:03
  tell them one of two things. I say,
• 55:04
  "Thank you for letting me know." just
• 55:06
  like, "Oh, thank you for letting me
• 55:07
  know." As in like noted, like, "Yeah."
• 55:09
  >> And then the other thing I tell them is,
• 55:11
  "I can't wait to see what you're going
• 55:12
  to come up with."
• 55:13
  >> And that's it. That's another message
• 55:16
  for parents and teachers. Please let
• 55:17
  your kids be bored. They don't
• 55:18
  understand how important boredom is. Um,
• 55:22
  I'm telling you, we're you and I are
• 55:23
  going to have a completely different
• 55:25
  session if you will come back.
• 55:27
  >> Yes, I will.
• 55:28
  >> And I want to talk about boredom. I want
• 55:29
  to talk about the changes in curriculum
• 55:31
  every 17 seconds.
• 55:32
  >> Yes. I did my last video, my latest
• 55:34
  video. last video really resonated.
• 55:37
  >> Yeah,
• 55:37
  >> because I used to hate in um like when
• 55:41
  my kids were in elementary school how
• 55:42
  they would change the textbooks every
• 55:45
  year and I'm like but this is supposed
• 55:47
  to be
• 55:48
  >> building blocks.
• 55:49
  >> Yes.
• 55:49
  >> And when you change a curriculum, you're
• 55:51
  not throwing off the poor teacher who
• 55:52
  has to restructure her entire school
• 55:55
  year and her lesson plans, but you're
• 55:57
  also throwing a major wrench into the
• 55:59
  child.
• 55:59
  >> Yeah. Oh, don't read it like that. Don't
• 56:01
  annotate like this now. Now we annotate
• 56:02
  like that. Like that.
• 56:04
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 56:05
  Okay, so that's number one. Here's
• 56:07
  number two.
• 56:09
  If you could give one piece of heartful
• 56:11
  advice to someone navigating their own
• 56:13
  challenges, whether it's parenting,
• 56:15
  teaching, identity, mental health, what
• 56:17
  would it be?
• 56:18
  >> My biggest thing is
• 56:23
  >> everything is temporary. And my best
• 56:26
  friend one time, she made me um like a
• 56:28
  canvas that said that it's from a song
• 56:30
  that we like. Um, and I remember when I
• 56:34
  was in the trenches with my first
• 56:36
  daughter, when I became a single mom,
• 56:39
  when I was in that, I remember thinking
• 56:42
  like, I can't wait till I get to the
• 56:45
  point when I realize why all of this
• 56:46
  happened to me because I know I will get
• 56:48
  there.
• 56:50
  >> Yeah.
• 56:50
  >> And I think I'm there now. It took a
• 56:53
  while, but I think I'm there now.
• 56:55
  >> Full circle.
• 56:56
  >> Full circle. And everything is
• 56:58
  temporary.
• 57:00
  And when you're in it, it doesn't feel
• 57:02
  like that. Like for example, you know
• 57:04
  when you have a stuffy nose. Yeah.
• 57:05
  >> And you're like, I always took for
• 57:06
  granted the times that I could breathe
• 57:07
  and I can't wait to breathe again.
• 57:09
  >> Yes.
• 57:09
  >> That's how it is when anything when
• 57:11
  you're going through an identity shift,
• 57:12
  a career shift, when you're in a
• 57:14
  relationship, when you don't know how to
• 57:15
  get out of something, like you will get
• 57:17
  to that other side.
• 57:19
  >> And believe me when I say this, and this
• 57:22
  is something that I have to repeat to
• 57:23
  myself a lot. Everything I know it
• 57:26
  sounds cheesy, but everything happens
• 57:27
  for a reason.
• 57:28
  >> I agree that. everything will
• 57:32
  one day you'll be somewhere and you'll
• 57:33
  be like that didn't happen for me then
• 57:35
  for xyz reason
• 57:38
  >> and as you want to force something you
• 57:39
  want to do like you're going to and you
• 57:42
  don't realize that
• 57:43
  >> yeah I agree
• 57:44
  >> it's for a reason
• 57:45
  >> 100% um another one of these sayings
• 57:48
  that my grandma used to tell me and
• 57:50
  that's the one that has stuck with me
• 57:51
  the most since she passed is much
• 57:55
  >> oh yeah
• 57:56
  >> oh yeah much you will come back to that
• 58:00
  point of like
• 58:00
  >> 100%
• 58:01
  >> okay this is why that happens
• 58:03
  >> and this is why and it's almost you know
• 58:05
  for those that think about it in a
• 58:07
  different way it's like a deja vu moment
• 58:09
  like this is what led me to this okay
• 58:12
  >> and whatever higher power of be you
• 58:15
  believe in you're like okay this is why
• 58:17
  you did this
• 58:17
  >> this is why you did this and now I get
• 58:19
  why it happened
• 58:20
  >> yeah I'm a full believer in that
• 58:22
  >> so what's next for you what are you
• 58:24
  dreaming and building next
• 58:26
  >> so um I started a YouTube channel a few
• 58:30
  years ago for kids, okay? But I had to
• 58:32
  stop that when I went back into the
• 58:34
  classroom,
• 58:35
  >> but some videos are
• 58:38
  >> edited already. I just have to add a
• 58:40
  couple touches and I will be putting
• 58:41
  them up. Um, it is a bilingual
• 58:45
  >> and just Yes. Um, for the kids that hear
• 58:48
  English and Spanish together all day
• 58:50
  long. So, that's my next chapter.
• 58:54
  >> Yes. Well, I know how badly you wanted
• 58:56
  to be the girl on the comfy couch. So, I
• 58:58
  came up with the name of your show.
• 58:59
  >> What?
• 59:00
  >> Betty on the Boom.
• 59:01
  >> Betty and Pimp. I love that. Yes. El Pin
• 59:05
  Pampoon. Yes. See, that's how Cub and
• 59:07
  one that I know. I earned my patalito.
• 59:09
  >> You earned the whole box, girl. Thank
• 59:11
  you.
• 59:12
  >> You all know box. And I just want to
• 59:13
  thank you for making everybody in Miami
• 59:15
  smile and laugh and beyond Miami because
• 59:19
  us Cuban girls,
• 59:20
  >> we're everywhere. And I support the
• 59:23
  girls in Denver and Chicago and
• 59:25
  everywhere. And I hope I could be like
• 59:27
  you guys one day and live somewhere else
• 59:29
  >> just to try it.
• 59:30
  >> Do it.
• 59:31
  >> Yeah.
• 59:33
  >> I my mental health took a very big dip
• 59:36
  when I ended up in Colorado during CO
• 59:39
  for those 18 months that I lived there.
• 59:41
  >> And you know what? Best thing I ever did
• 59:44
  >> was go to Colorado.
• 59:45
  >> Took me way out of my comfort zone. We
• 59:48
  lived there during co when Miami became
• 59:50
  an epicenter. We said, my husband goes,
• 59:52
  "You're not going you're not going back
• 59:53
  to Miami."
• 59:54
  >> Yeah.
• 59:54
  >> Your mental health has taken a turn. The
• 59:56
  kids need to be in a classroom.
• 59:59
  >> There's no way you can continue teaching
• 1:00:01
  them at home. God bless everybody. And I
• 1:00:03
  say this every day. Everybody in a
• 1:00:05
  classroom because all of us that did it
• 1:00:07
  during the pandemic know that it is a
• 1:00:10
  vocation.
• 1:00:11
  >> Yes,
• 1:00:11
  >> we know it. And it, you know, best thing
• 1:00:14
  it ever did. So I I really hope that I
• 1:00:16
  hear in the next 5 to 10 years that you
• 1:00:19
  and your husband took off and you're
• 1:00:20
  getting your PhD somewhere else.
• 1:00:22
  >> Yes, I will be. I will be.
• 1:00:23
  >> Let us know.
• 1:00:24
  >> Thank you.
• 1:00:25
  >> Well, that's all the time we have for
• 1:00:26
  today. I want to thank one again once
• 1:00:28
  again Betty for being here with us and
• 1:00:31
  the next time you see her, do not call
• 1:00:33
  her Betty Balitos. Call her Betty
• 1:00:35
  Williams cuz this woman's a star and
• 1:00:37
  she's doing wonderful things in our
• 1:00:39
  community. Betty, thank you.
• 1:00:40
  >> No, thank you.
• 1:00:41
  >> Bye.
• 1:00:42
  >> Bye everybody. Five.