Heidy De La Cruz is a passionate storyteller and podcast host dedicated to amplifying the voices of immigrants. Through her podcast, The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants, she has created a platform for sharing the diverse and powerful experiences of immigrants in the United States. Inspired by her own family's immigration journey and a deep curiosity about others' stories, Heidy launched her podcast to bring these often-overlooked narratives to light. Her journey, filled with personal challenges and triumphs, serves as an inspiration to others, proving that with determination and a clear purpose, anyone can create something impactful and meaningful.
1. What inspired you to start The American Dream in The Eyes of Immigrants Podcast?
I wanted to start a podcast in 2019, but then I was finishing my Master's degree program and didn't have the extra time. In 2020, I was dealing with mental health during the pandemic; in 2021, I was pregnant with my son; and finally, in 2022, during my maternity leave, I started researching how to launch a podcast. I wanted the podcast to be interview-style because I've always been intrigued by people's stories. So, when I was brainstorming ideas of what kind of stories to share, I came across an article about an immigrant from Kenya. She explained how each culture shock she experienced in the US diminished her confidence. After reading her story, I thought to myself how immigrant stories aren't shared often; we don't hear about what happens once they come to the US. So I asked my husband about his story when he came to the US since he was only nine years old - I asked him what he remembered. As he was telling me his story, a light bulb went off, and I realized that's what I want my podcast to be about - sharing immigrant stories.
2. Can you share a bit about your family’s immigration story and how it influenced the podcast?
- My parents came to the US in the 90s from the Dominican Republic. They first lived in New York, where I was born, but they moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, shortly after. Back in the 90s, there wasn't a big Dominican community in Grand Rapids, but as time passed, more Dominicans immigrated there.
My dad eventually remarried to my stepmom, who also came from the DR in the early 2000s. As a child of immigrants, I remember translating for my dad often, helping them study for their citizenship test and interview, and listening to their stories of living back home in the DR. Because of my experience, I started interviewing children of immigrants in addition to immigrants themselves.
3. How has your husband’s immigration experience shaped the direction of your podcast?
- I did a special interview with my husband and his two siblings. I interviewed them all together because listening to them talk about their experience made me realize they all had slightly different memories of when they came. His oldest brother was 14, his sister was 10, and he was 9 when they moved, so perspectives differed. This was the second interview I had done with siblings together and I'd love to do more.
4. What have been some of the most memorable or impactful episodes you’ve recorded so far?
- The most impactful episodes I've published are those who are/were DACA recipients. Some of them have been able to receive their citizenship status and even become immigration attorney - so now they help others who were in their shoes. These are the most impactful stories for me because them coming to the US was a choice that was made for them by their parents and yet, they have to suffer the consequences of their parent's actions. Still, it's a choice their parents felt was correct- to provide their kids with a better life.
5. What challenges have you faced while running the podcast on your own?
- The challenge of having to do everything on my own, from booking guests to editing, to production, to marketing afterward. It can be a lot sometimes and sometimes I feel like skipping steps or cutting corners, but then I remember why I started or I'll receive a message about how great an episode was and I am reminded why I'm doing this.
Also, technology doesn't always work the way it's supposed to, so I have to figure out the solution on my own, unlike if I had a team, I could delegate to talk it through with someone else.
6. How do you manage the feeling of guilt related to being ahead in your episode release schedule?
- The guilt was getting bad when I was over a year ahead, but as I was talking to my husband about it, he shared this perspective - that what I'm sharing is timeless content - meaning it's not going to change whether I share the story one week from now or two years from now because it's their immigration journey. That helped me with my guilt and the fact that when I tell guests when their episode will air (which is months in advance), they are pleasantly surprised my podcast has so many episodes lined up. I mean, there are millions of immigrants and children of immigrants in this country, so hopefully, I'll always have content, LOL.
7. How has creating and maintaining the podcast impacted your mental health?
- It actually has been good for my mental health - whenever I finish recording an episode, I feel so inspired! And I'm reminded again why I'm doing this and how so many people have lived such an incredible life! People's stories are truly moving - I am a firm believer that storytelling changes the world.
8. What strategies do you use to balance podcasting with other aspects of your life?
- Staying on schedule. I burned out at the beginning of my journey, which is why episodes are released every other Tuesday. It gives me space to take a break between episodes. And I have specific days when I record episodes and edit them.
9. Have you encountered any unexpected rewards or benefits from running the podcast?
- Yes! A few, I've had opportunities to be on other podcasts, speaking opportunities, host webinars, internships with other podcasters, and network opportunities. I also had the opportunity to be in a movie with my daughter because of my podcast, which was a very cool experience. I've interviewed authors and received advance copies of their books before they were published.
10. What advice would you give to other women looking to start their own creative projects or podcasts?
- My advice always is to reach out to someone who's doing what you want to do to ask questions. Don't do it alone, you don't have to do it alone, there are so many people willing to help you on your journey, all you have to do is ask - which may be the hardest part.
11. How do you handle moments of self-doubt or burnout in your podcasting journey?
- Whenever I'm dealing with self-doubt God always sends me a message of encouragement through someone. It never fails! It's always the little boost I need to keep going. And when I do receive those messages I take a screenshot and save them for the days I need a little reminder of why I'm doing what I'm doing.
12. In what ways has your perspective on the American Dream evolved since starting this podcast?
- I've realized that everyone has their own American Dream. Some are similar and others are different but the great thing about this country is that everyone has a chance to achieve their own American Dream.
13. Can you describe a time when sharing a particular story on your podcast had a significant impact on you or your listeners?
- I cried during the recording of an episode. Unfortunately, when it was time to publish (again, since it's always been months in advance), the guest decided to pull the episode, so it was never published.
14. What role does community play in your podcasting journey, and how do you engage with your audience?
- I am currently building a community around my podcast and I did this by moving my podcast newsletter to Substack - which is build exactly for that, for community. Listeners can comment on posts and interact with me and other listeners. It's been a slow start but I'm looking forward to how it grows years from now.
15. Looking ahead, what are your goals or hopes for the future of the podcast?
- I have a few plans for my podcast. One - I'd love to include a food portion for the episodes so guests can share the traditional dishes of their country. Two - I'd love to write a book about the history of immigration in the US and how it has impacted immigrants.
Three - I'd love to do a podcast tour one day. Four - I'd love to share a documentary of immigrant stories.
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