When You're Invisible – Details, episodes & analysis

It was during her teenage years that Kiana’s life changed dramatically due to pain. She wanted to be an actor and a singer but her condition put that dream on hold. Instead of attending a prestigious performing arts program, she spent her early 20s confined to her bed. 

I met Kiana doing theater in high school, but didn’t know everything she was going through. More than a decade after graduating, it was a privilege to reconnect. We talked about her diagnosis and how it’s affected her relationships, responsibilities, and art. Everything in her life is still impacted by an unseen battle, but as she has received better treatment Kiana is grateful to be expanding her horizons and showing up for her Minneapolis community in new ways.

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In high school, Francisco didn’t fit in with his white, upper middle class, conservative classmates and he didn’t want to. Maybe it was teenage angst, but his identity revolved around being different and rebellious. As he got older, he channeled his punk rock spirit into a fight for social change. Now, he’s a community organizer in Philly dedicated to finding common ground. 

My brother Francisco has always been someone I’ve looked up to because he’s never been afraid to stand up for what he believes is right. I loved sitting down to rehash our childhood memories together, but I also learned what motivates him to get up every morning and do the hard work of building a better world. As our country experiences a resurgence of strikes, mutual aid, and activism I thought we could all take something away from Franscisco’s winding path towards organizing. 

To learn about the organizations and resources Francisco mentions in the episode, check out the Center for Popular Democracy (and their affiliates), the AFL CIO, Democratic Socialists of America, Make the Road NY, and the Working Families Party. 

Note: This interview happened prior to the election. 

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Louie worked alongside Ralph at the Columbia University package center, which was an oasis for me in a high stress environment. Being two Latin kids around the same age, Louie and I experienced two sides of this elite institution – me as a student, and Louie as an employee. Louie, ever positive, manages to distill life lessons from encounters with students and colleagues. He also shares his experience of being the oldest of three growing up ‘free range’ in the Dominican Republic and the clash between that and his working class life in the States.

“They would never respect us as they should have. One day, I just thought, they're gonna go on and live their life like nothing ever happened…and I'm stuck in the mailroom, still thinking about what just happened…so I would just brush it off. Who is it hurting, that person or is it hurting you?” –Louie

Creator & Host: Maria Fernanda Diez 

Executive Producers: Gisselle Bances, Anna Stumpf, Nikki Ettore 

Producer: Pablo Cabrera, Arlene Santana 

Associate Producer: Claudia Marticorena

Original Theme Music: Tony Bruno

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Ralph – a Marine vet, first generation Dominican American – was the manager of the package center at Columbia University, which is where I went to school for undergrad as a scholarship kid. An unexpected bonding over Spanish led to conversations with him that helped me when I wanted to drop out. He describes his upbringing in Washington Heights as a game of ‘Cops and Robbers’ and then we rehash our early encounters, unpacking the assumptions we made about each other. 

“I think the world would be a better place if we treated each other the way we wanna be treated. If you're going through a hard time, you would want somebody to be empathetic and we should do that back, especially at that place, right? I got that.” –Ralph

Creator & Host: Maria Fernanda Diez 

Executive Producers: Gisselle Bances, Anna Stumpf, Nikki Ettore 

Producer: Pablo Cabrera, Arlene Santana 

Associate Producer: Claudia Marticorena

Original Theme Music: Tony Bruno

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Community, resilience, legacy and being underestimated are the themes at the heart of this season. Meet everyday yet extraordinary Americans - from a community organizer in Philly, to a trans teen in Arizona, unionized coal miners in West Virginia, and an artist with chronic illness in Minnesota. These stories will leave you feeling inspired, connected, and seen. 

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UPDATE: We will be back in November! 

We’re honoring International Workers’ Day with an exciting announcement - season two of When You’re Invisible is coming this July! We’ll be talking about labor, organizing, and community.

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My parents often had to take risks in pursuit of change, whether emigrating from Mexico or taking a leap of faith on a job that moved our family across the country. They open up about their childhoods in Mexico, and their journey from food stamps to the middle class. Being away from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Mexico, our nuclear family has always been close and we unpack what we’ve learned from each other, be it American expressions or more complex conversations about race, sexuality, and Latinidad. Our season finale breaks down their lived experiences as in-betweeners and the ways in which belonging to more than one country, culture, and socioeconomic background has expanded their worldview. 

“I cannot say that I ever had the American dream, to be honest. It's been an accident in my life. Let's put it that way.” –Francisco

“There is a story behind each person, and if we are able to embrace those people and just recognize them as a person, what a difference that will make.” –Claudia 

Creator: Maria Fernanda Diez 

Executive Producers: Gisselle Bances, Anna Stumpf, Nikki Ettore 

Producer: Dylan Heuer  

Associate Producer: Claudia Marticorena

Original Theme Music: Tony Bruno

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The white rural working class is so often depicted in the mainstream media as just Trump supporters; but there’s a lot of layers to this community that go unseen. Jen comes from this world and she’s also a new member of my family (my sister-in-law’s sister). We talk about her experience as the first in her family to date a person of color, the isolation caused by grief, and her struggle at times to fit in with her community. You’ll witness the most in depth conversation she and I have ever had, where I discover some of our shared values despite our very different backgrounds. 

“To have a good conversation, you have to open yourself up and be prepared to just listen to what somebody else has to say.” –Jen

Check out sites like GriefShare and others resources listed in this Love to Know article to find support. 

Creator: Maria Fernanda Diez 

Executive Producers: Gisselle Bances, Anna Stumpf, Nikki Ettore 

Producer: Dylan Heuer  

Associate Producer: Claudia Marticorena

Original Theme Music: Tony Bruno

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today my friend Lani lives very authentically, but she has struggled with perception and invisibility throughout her life. She unpacks the complexities of living a rough childhood that took her around the world and the nuances of her identity as a half-Korean, half-white woman who never looked like the rest of her family. She gets real about the power dynamics of past relationships and talks about how she hopes to maintain a full range of humanity and sexuality as a soon-to-be mom. From a disability that grounded her, to an OnlyFans page that empowers her, you’ll hear about all the things that have made her who she is in her strength, her power, and her joy.

“If I get rejected and I've showed up as my whole self, that's such a blessing. It's not about me not being good enough. It just means that they know something about themselves and see something in me that isn't a good fit. Awesome. Cool. How great.” –Lani

If you need to talk to someone about any instance of abuse there are National Hotlines you can call.

Creator & Host: Maria Fernanda Diez 

Executive Producers: Gisselle Bances, Anna Stumpf, Nikki Ettore 

Producer: Dylan Heuer  

Associate Producer: Claudia Marticorena

Original Theme Music: Tony Bruno 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.