LlamaMe Anything

Stop Hiring Influencers: The Business Case for Presence

Hiring influencers isn’t working—and in this episode, I’ll tell you why.
Welcome to Llámame Anything, a podcast where presence meets power, and branding meets neuroscience.
In this episode, “Stop Hiring Influencers: The Business Case for Presence,” I make the case for why brands, hospitality groups, and experience-based companies need to stop chasing aesthetics—and start investing in the people who build emotional trust in real time.
I explore:
🔍 What people actually remember from your event (spoiler: it’s not the signage)
🧠 The neuroscience of somatic memory and how it drives loyalty
💡 The psychology of presence and perception in social spaces
🤝 The real ROI of community hosts, cultural connectors, and presence architects
💼 And how to rethink your brand strategy with the human nervous system in mind
As a presence researcher, future PhD, and cultural strategist, I’ve studied these systems—from virtual reality to real-life venues. And I’ve lived them too. This episode blends theory, lived experience, and strategy you can actually use.
 
👇 Listen if you are:
– A brand strategist or marketer building emotional connection
– A venue operator or hospitality group seeking long-term impact
– A creative, host, or curator tired of not being credited for your value
– A culture-forward thinker who knows vibes ≠ presence
 
🎧 Listen to the full podcast on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts:
👉 http://vfo.podbean.com
🔗 Subscribe for biweekly episodes on identity, power, and the business of being seen.
 
#llamameanything #influencermarketing #brandingstrategy #emotionalmarketing #presencepsychology #somaticmemory #brandtrust #culturalstrategy #hospitalitybranding #neuroscienceoftrust #vanessafrancescaortega

Between La Virgen & The Vision Board

I wasn’t spiraling. I was buffering.
Burnout didn’t look like crying—it looked like me saying yes, posting through the pain, and letting men offer “business opportunities” that turned into massage requests.
This episode is about:
– What burnout really does to your brain
– Why scent heals what words can’t
– How @canaliving_’s Manifesting Candle reminded me softness is sacred
– And why you should never flatten yourself to be understood⁠
I was raised Catholic.
But this candle didn’t make me feel guilty—it made me feel whole.
🎧 Listen now on Llámame Anything
For anyone who’s been told they’re too much—you’re just too powerful to reduce.
⁠
 
#llamameanything #burnoutrecovery #bilingualpodcast #softnessissexy #catholicguilt #manifestingcandle #latinaacademic #neuroscience #intentionalritual #phdjourney #complexnotconfused #femininepower #culturalsoftness #nervoussystemhealing

Tata me preguntó y me guía: From Thesis to Hustle

This episode is for my nieces, my nephews, and anyone out there trying to build something real from scratch.
When I started Llámame Anything, it wasn’t about going viral. It was a continuation of my master’s thesis—my way of processing identity, power, culture, and technology while preparing for a PhD and surviving in Miami. I was a first-gen college student, a Posse Scholar, and a kid from a single-parent household navigating grief, trauma, and ambition all at once.
Now, this podcast is so much more. It’s my voice, my work, my rent money, my resistance. It’s how I went from theory to income, from silence to storytelling, from burnout to business.
In this episode, I share how Llámame Anything became a survival guide—for myself and for the people I love. Especially the ones who call me Tata.
 
In this episode, I talk about:
How my academic work turned into a creative business
Why I created this podcast as a love letter and guide
The trauma I survived (and how I’m healing while building)
The meaning of visibility, vulnerability, and voice
My evolving mission for Llámame Anything
If you’ve ever felt too sensitive, too smart, or too late to start… this is for you.

am I a dumb b*tch… or do I just live in miami?

new episode is up. we talk:
– men with podcasts and no beds
– crying in full glam
– getting soft-launched and hard-ghosted
– aesthetic survival with $4 in your bank account
 
if you’ve ever built a man’s brand and got ghosted by the logo… this one’s for you.
🎧 llámame anything — link in bio
#llamameanything #dumbbitchwithstandards #miamigirlproblems #softlifehardszn #datingdelulu #emotionallaborunpaid

Holy, Hot, and Hyperaware of Rent Prices

I went on Fresh & Fit and stayed quiet.
This episode? I’m done being quiet.
I’m talking about what it means to be Latina in Miami, labeled a “person of color” at Syracuse, and still somehow not American enough when it counts. I’m diving into what it’s like to be feminist and faithful—and still want a man with a house.
In this episode of Llámame Anything, I’m getting real about:
Being gringa-coded in Miami, but “diverse” in white spaces
Navigating identity, class, and code-switching as a first-gen Latina
The spiritual exhaustion of being hyper-independent
Wanting softness, partnership, and financial stability—without guilt
Why God’s plan might just include dual income and central A/C
This isn’t just a clapback. It’s a sermon for soft girls in survival mode. If you’ve ever felt too feminist to ask for help, too brown to feel safe, or too broke to feel seen—this one’s for you.
🎧 Tap play on Holy, Hot, and Hyperaware of Rent Prices now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
#LlámameAnything #LatinaPodcast #FreshAndFit #FeministPodcast #SoftGirlEra #FirstGenVoices #FaithAndFeminism #AmericanIdentity #DualIncomeEnergy #RentIsTooDamnHigh #GodSaidBeSoftNotStupid

Sweetie, Your FYP Isn’t God. #MainCharacterSyndrome

Main Character Syndrome, content fatigue, and the quiet panic of always performing—today’s episode is a soft but honest call-out (and call-in) for anyone who’s ever tried to find meaning through a screen.
We talk about:
Romanticizing your life vs. living it
The pressure to be “the plot” on platforms that don’t care about you
Why being watched doesn’t make us better—it just makes us tired
The spiritual cost of self-surveillance
And how to reclaim your peace in a world that rewards performance over presence
This one’s for anyone who’s felt burned out by branding their personality, or confused God with the algorithm.
🎧 Listen now. Then close your apps and go feel something.
#MainCharacterSyndrome #YourFYPIsntGod #SocialMediaBurnout #LatinaPodcaster #LlámameAnything #SpiritualExhaustion #PlatformFatigue

Thinking in Averages: The cost of outsourcing our minds to AI

In this episode of LlamaMe Anything, I delve into the intriguing relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence. Inspired by a recent MIT study on writing and machine assistance, I explore how AI tools like ChatGPT impact our ability to think and create independently.
Through riveting analysis and historical perspective, I question what happens when we let machines start writing for us. Does it stifle creativity and memory, or merely serve as a tool for curation, helping us to connect ideas like never before?
As the conversation unfolds, you'll find contemplations on the balance between using AI as a thought processor and maintaining our own brilliant, chaotic thought processes. i champion the idea that true creativity involves understanding the "why" behind the words—not just generating them.

No Strings Attached? I Needed Chains, Babe.

Ever trusted someone’s word instead of getting it in writing? Same. This week, I’m pulling back the curtain on what happens when you work, hustle, and pour your heart into a project — with zero strings attached — and then realize you should’ve tied some knots (and maybe added a padlock).
 
In this solo episode, I talk about feeling completely lost lately, getting burned in business because I didn’t protect myself, and how I’m learning (sometimes painfully) to set boundaries, demand clarity, and stop doing free labor for people who should know better.
 
This isn’t just about me — it’s about how we all, especially those of us building dreams from scratch, can stop letting people blur our lines and undervalue our time.
 
If you’ve ever felt lost, underpaid, or afraid to speak up: this one’s for you.
 
✨ Listen. Laugh. Learn. Then go tie your strings, babe.

Swipe Right for a Job? Automation vs. Empathy

Ever feel like applying for jobs is just swiping on a broken dating app? You send out dozens of résumés, only to get ghosted by companies that claim they care about people.
In this episode of Llámame Anything, Vanessa unpacks the hidden truth behind AI-powered hiring: how it screens, sorts, and silently rejects candidates — and what we lose when we replace human connection with cold automation.
With real stories, surprising stats, and a few hard truths for recruiters and job seekers alike, Swipe Right for a Job? asks: Can we bring humanity back to hiring before we all lose hope?
🎧 Listen now if you’ve ever wondered whether you’re just a keyword match or an actual person worth meeting.

We Used to Vibe: Losing Our Spaces Online and IRL

Once upon a time, the algorithm didn’t decide the vibe. We had house parties, hole-in-the-wall clubs, friend-coded tweets, Tumblr moodboards, and DMs that felt like diary entries. But now? Everything’s optimized. Curated. Gentrified.
This episode explores what we’ve lost in the shift from community-driven spaces to platform-optimized culture—and what it means to reclaim intimacy, memory, and presence in an era of hyper-performance.