Meet Mirtle Peña-Calderón | Founder/CEO of Latinidad Collective and Freelance Copywriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mirtle Peña-Calderón and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mirtle, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Like most of my career, starting my own business was happenstance. If you had told my super introverted younger self that I’d be an entrepreneur when I was older, she’d tell you that you were crazy. It wasn’t anything I ever imagined, but it was the journey that life took me on. When I look back, everything that I went through was preparing me for this season of life that I’m in.

Now, I’m finding my way with not one business but two: one as a freelance copywriter helping fellow entrepreneurs find their stories through branded copy, and one as the co-founder and CEO of a media platform focused on the Latino and Latine stories, Latinidad Collective. Has it been easy? Most definitely not, but it has been rewarding. As a reformed introvert who struggles with the constant introverted RBF, I’m proud of the strides I’ve made.

Another thing that’s fueled me is the nature of the media industry and how journalism is turning into an ROI and cutting meaningful stories at the neck. It’s honestly a hill I can die on gladly because it hurts to see teams being gutted because the people up top want to keep making money and not bring forth the best stories with solid writing teams. It’s what pushed me to create Latinidad Collective. I want our stories to be told. I want our stories to shine as brightly as they are meant to. I want us to have our damn, hard-earned moment in the sun.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’ve always loved stories. The earliest form of storytelling was listening to the chisme the women in my family would tell. I want to clarify that this wasn’t the kind of chisme that would disparage and destroy, but the kind that sought to weave a tale about the realities of complex human actions and emotions.

To me, it was something that wrapped me up in a melodic state of wonder and curiosity. I always wanted to know the “why” of the story, which, as a journalist, is at the heart of every story you write. I also loved the camaraderie surrounding it.

I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a journalist, but I did know that I wanted to do something creative that involved words. I also grew up as a bookworm, so words have always been my thing. I graduated from the University of Florida with a public relations degree, but I ended up working as a social media manager for some years. Neither was a preferred vehicle of storytelling, but I didn’t know this until my pivot into journalism. When I got to journalism, I found my home.

Oftentimes, as we walk through life, we think, “Why are we here?” about certain stops along our journey, but when I look back, I know that every single stop led me to the moment when I embarked on my path of entrepreneurship. Was it rough at times? Yes. Can it still be rough? Yes. But my desire and passion for telling stories has always been my guiding star. When I find myself in a proverbial hole, I look up and see my north star in the sky and remind myself that it is always darkest before dawn.

So, what makes me different? I’m obsessive about getting meaningful stories out there. We all know what it feels like not to feel seen or heard, and I want to carve out a little space on the internet where people will feel just that. I want to emulate the camaraderie that comes with storytelling. I want to help people know that they aren’t alone.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a bookworm who happens to be friends with a lot of other bookworms, we’d for sure be at Books & Books in Coral Gables, adding another 15 books to our “to be read” pile. To eat, I’d probably take them to either Luca Osteria on Giralda for dinner; drinks would be at the bar at Eating House. Cocowalk has made a comeback, so we’d probably pop over there as well.

I wouldn’t let them leave without taking them to Phuc Yea because Chef Cesar Zapata and Ani Meinhold are utterly brilliant with the food and drinks there. I’d also take them to the beach because out-of-towners love a gratuitous beach visit and the PAMM as well. If there’s a candlelight concert that weekend, we’d do that as well.

I’d love to mention more things, but driving from one place to another would be a massive part of the visit. Given that, I’d also introduce them to Miami traffic.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Throughout my career, several people have helped me along the way. First off, my parents because without their support or the way they’ve held space for me, I for sure wouldn’t be where I am today. I also need to shout out my Latinidad Collective co-founder and literal brother, Beris Peña-Calderón, for always being the best hype man and friend.

A few others I’d love to give a shoutout to are my work wife and prolific journalist Karla Montalvan, my soul sister and “Jefa in Training” author Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda, business coach and founder of Seizing Happy GiGi Diaz, branding bruja Victoria Carrington-Chavez, and The First Gen Madrina, Sara Diaz, for connecting me with this publication.

As a journalist, I wouldn’t be where I am without the publicists who have trusted me to bring stories to life for their clients. I’d also be remiss (and wouldn’t hear the end of it) if I didn’t shout out my family and friends who have supported me and held space for me while I figured out my businesses and life.

Thank you all for holding me up when I couldn’t or didn’t know how to hold myself up.

Website: https://latinidadcollective.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirtlepcalderon/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirtlenpenac/

Other: https://www.mirtlepcalderon.com/

Image Credits
Karen Khounthavong