Identity as a Tool, Not a Trap: The Power of Attaching Who You Are to Who You’re Becoming In my previous podcast episode, I unpacked something uncomfortable: how attaching our identity to political figures, celebrities, or rigid ideologies can shut down critical thinking and turn disagreement into personal threat. But here’s the nuance that matters. Identity itself is not the problem. Identity is powerful. The issue isn’t that we attach our identity to something. The issue is what we attach it to and whether that attachment expands or restricts us.

What if identity isn’t a trap but a tool? In this episode, I explore how attaching your identity to your values (not to people) can reshape your habits and strengthen self-trust. Inspired by Atomic Habits, observations & intentional growth. 🎙️☕

#HaveACupOfJohanny #IdentityAndGrowth #AtomicHabits

Holding Beliefs Without Losing Yourself There is a difference between believing in something and becoming it. In my most recent podcast episode (you can listen to it above), I explored something uncomfortable but necessary: what happens when we attach our identity to political figures, movements, or rigid ideals. Not when we support them. Not when we vote for them. But when disagreement with them feels like a personal attack on us.

What happens when disagreement feels personal? In this podcast episode, I explore the psychology behind tying our identity to beliefs or public figures, and how that attachment can limit growth. This isn’t about apathy. It’s about awareness. 🎙️☕

#HaveACupOfJohanny #CriticalThinking #Identity

When “Spain-Spanish” Is Treated as the Default: How a Bad Linguistic Take Reveals Colonial Thinking I knew the TikTok comment was wrong the moment I read it, but not because it offended me. I have a pretty high tolerance for internet nonsense. I knew it was wrong because it collapsed under the same basic logic I navigate every time I work with editors on my books. The commenter’s argument was this: Spain-Spanish is Latin American Spanish.

Spain-Spanish is not Latin American Spanish, and calling it “slang” is regurgetating harmful colonial thinking. I break down why Spanish has multiple standards and why this matters for writers, readers, and culture.

#LanguagePolitics #LatineWriters #DecolonizeLanguage #Spanglish #HaveACupOfJohanny

Rage, Revelation, and Reflection: Finishing The Unworthy Read the previous post: I finished The Unworthy and, as I suspected, this book left me with one big, resounding “WTF.” But here’s the thing—I expected that. Agustina Bazterrica has a way of crawling under your skin and twisting your perception of what horror can be. It’s never just gore or shock for shock’s sake—it’s psychological, societal, and deeply human.

Just finished The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica and my brain’s still screaming. It’s horrific because it feels possible—an eerie reflection of power, belief, and complicity. A solid 4 stars and a lingering sense of “what if.”

#BookReview #FeministHorror #DystopianReads #HaveACupOfJohanny

The 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge: A Cozy Ritual for Anyone Reclaiming Their Magic Every season brings its own kind of energy, and lately I’ve been craving softness. Not the kind of softness that means weakness or fragility, but the kind that feels like a warm cup of tea in your hands, or the quiet moment before a candle’s flame settles. The kind of softness that lets you breathe deeper, listen closer, and find a little magic inside the ordinary parts of your day.

The 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge is live. A cozy, grounding ritual series for anyone craving softness, magic, and a return to themselves. If you’ve been overwhelmed or disconnected, this challenge is your quiet doorway back. 🌙✨
#MagicalRealism #LatineReads #TheOrdinaryBruja #haveacupofjohanny

When “Speak English Only” Isn’t Courtesy But Control A teacher telling students “don’t speak Spanish in class” isn’t the same as “no side conversations during work time.” One is a neutral behavior guideline. The other polices identity. For multilingual kids—Latine kids especially—language is how they belong, play, and breathe. It’s not a disruption by default; it’s culture in motion. Here’s why the “English-only = courtesy” framing falls apart—and what the research (and a sweet moment from Pixar’s…

Telling kids “don’t speak Spanish” isn’t about courtesy. It’s about control. Language is culture, identity, and connection. My latest post explores how classrooms can teach respect without erasing voices.

#LanguageMatters #EducationEquity #LatineVoices #CulturalIdentity #haveacupofjohanny

Why We Need Softness in Horror When most people think of horror, they imagine blood, jump scares, and the kind of fear that makes you want to sleep with the lights on. But the horror that stays with me isn’t about monsters hiding in the closet. It’s about the quiet kind, the dread that lives in memories, the ghosts that wear our mother’s voice, the grief that lingers long after the screams fade.

Real courage isn’t about being unafraid. It’s about walking through the dark with your heart open. That’s why we need softness in horror.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #EmotionalHorror #LatineReads #HealingThroughStory #haveacupofjohanny

The Fire and Fragility of Juan Gabriel Juan Gabriel was a babe. Fierce, magnetic, and utterly himself. Watching the limited series Juan Gabriel: I Must, I Can, I Will reminded me why his presence hit like a tidal wave every time he stepped on a stage. The docuseries stitches together rare footage and intimate voices to show the duality between the mythic performer and the private man, and it landed right in the center of the things I think about most as a writer: permission, pain, and the alchemy that turns both into art.

Juan Gabriel was fierce and tender all at once. The new Netflix docuseries shows how he turned hurt into performance and love into legacy. I left inspired to live louder.

#JuanGabriel #LatineIcons #HealingThroughArt #CulturalLegacy #haveacupofjohanny

Lessons in Letting Go: Guilt Isn’t Guidance Guilt is sneaky. It disguises itself as responsibility, love, duty, and “being a good person.” But for years, guilt ran my life—and I didn’t even realize it. From the guilt of my childhood to mom guilt, military guilt, and creative guilt, I carried weight that was never mine to begin with. In this episode of Have a Cup of Johanny…

Guilt isn’t guidance. It’s fear in disguise. 💭 In this week’s Have a Cup of Johanny, I share how I’m learning to release mom guilt, creative guilt, and the weight I was never meant to carry.

#TheOrdinaryBruja
#HaveACupOfJohanny
#LatinaAuthor
#CreativeJourney
#EmotionalHealing
#LettingGo

Taking Away the Monster’s Power There was a Threads post I read last night that stayed with me long after I closed the app. It was about sexual-abuse survivors and how, for many, the deepest wound isn’t only what happened. It’s how their families respond after. One comment read something like, “Parents feel shame because they failed to do the one thing they were supposed to do: protect their child.

Some monsters aren’t born in nightmares. They’re born in silence. Writing The Ordinary Bruja became my way to strip power from the unspoken and reclaim my story.

#HealingThroughStory #TheOrdinaryBruja #MagicalRealism #TraumaRecovery #haveacupofjohanny

When Gratitude Doesn’t Erase the Drowning I’ve been thinking a lot about survival mode lately; that state where you’re technically functioning, but everything feels like walking through heavy water. You wake up, you move, you smile when needed, but underneath, you’re just trying to keep your head above the current. And the thing is… we know we’re not the only ones struggling.We know someone out there has it worse: the single mom working three jobs, the friend grieving someone they can’t bring back, the family facing eviction.

You can be grateful and still drowning. Gratitude doesn’t erase struggle. It just reminds you you’re still here, still fighting. Read my latest reflection on survival mode, toxic positivity, and why comparing pain helps no one.

#MentalHealthAwareness #SelfCompassion #haveacupofjohanny

Saturday Reads: Finding the Magic in Ordinary Places – Small Town, Big Magic Every once in a while, a book sneaks up on you—not because it’s packed with shocking twists, but because it feels like a warm reminder that magic can exist in the everyday. That’s exactly what I’ve been feeling while reading Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck. This book has been my cozy comfort read lately, and honestly, it’s giving me all the vibes I needed: small-town charm, witchy empowerment, and a heroine who’s discovering that she doesn’t have to apologize for her strength—or her magic.

This week’s Saturday Read is Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck: a cozy witchy story about memory, sisterhood, and owning your power. Perfect for fans of magical realism and heart-centered fiction.

#SaturdayReads #WitchyBooks #SmallTownBigMagic #haveacupofjohanny

Friday Feature: 5 Self-Development Books That Heal Like Spells There are books that teach you how to think—and then there are books that teach you how to feel.The ones that hold a mirror to your spirit, call you out with love, and whisper, You’ve got this, mija. These are the books that don’t just sit on your shelf—they live in your bloodstream. They remind you that growth isn’t about perfection; it’s about healing, reclaiming, and remembering your worth.

These 5 self-development books heal like spells From The Four Agreements to Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja, these reads remind us that growth is cultural, spiritual, and powerful. Healing isn’t selfish. It’s sacred.

#SelfCareForLatinas #SpiritualGrowth #haveacupofjohanny

Sisterhood, Self-Discovery, and the Power of Misunderstood Women: What Wicked and The Ordinary Bruja Have in Common When people think of Wicked, they often picture Elphaba—the “wicked witch” who was never truly wicked, just misunderstood. But peel back the layers of glitter and green skin, and you’ll find a story about identity, belonging, and what happens when society punishes women for being powerful. That’s the same heartbeat pulsing through The Ordinary Bruja. Both stories take the archetype of the “witch” and strip it bare to reveal something deeper: how women—especially those who are different—are often vilified for simply existing outside the norm.

Two witches. Two worlds. One truth: being “different” isn’t wicked—it’s powerful. 💚✨ Check out my latest blog on how Wicked and The Ordinary Bruja reclaim womanhood, identity, and magic through misunderstood heroines.

#WickedMovie #TheOrdinaryBruja #WitchyReads #MagicalRealism #haveacupofjohanny

Monday Motivation: Turning Tech Chaos Into Creative Comebacks If I told you how many times I’ve wanted to throw my laptop out the window this month, you’d probably nod in painful solidarity. Between spam bots attacking my website, WooCommerce preorder hiccups, and integrations that refuse to cooperate, it’s been one of those seasons where everything that could glitch, did. For a minute, I thought, maybe the universe is telling me to stop…

When everything breaks—your site, your preorders, your patience—remember this: magic is built in the rebuild. 💻
Check out my latest Monday Motivation post on turning tech chaos into creative comebacks.

#IndieAuthorLife #MondayMotivation #AuthorJourney #CreativeResilience #haveacupofjohanny

Why I Believe You Can’t Truly Separate the Art from the Artist There’s this popular idea floating around—“You can separate the art from the artist.” People say it to make themselves feel better about liking something when the creator’s personal life or choices are messy. But every time I hear that, I pause. Because I just don’t think it’s that simple. Art Doesn’t Come From a Vacuum When we create—whether it’s a book, a song, a painting, or even a handmade bracelet—it comes from…

Can you really separate the art from the artist? I don’t think so. Every story, painting, or song carries its creator’s DNA. Here’s why our art will always be part of us — no matter how far it travels. 🎨✨

#newontheblog #controvertialopinion #haveacupofjohanny

Friday Feature: Five Latina Brujas You Should Be Reading Right Now Now that The Ordinary Bruja has officially stepped into the world (and I’m still over here smiling like a proud mama), I want to celebrate this moment by spotlighting other incredible Latina and Latine authors who’ve filled the world with stories of power, identity, and magic. These authors are proof that brujas come in many forms — storytellers, worldbuilders, truth-tellers — each one daring to write the kind of stories that honor where we come from and who we’re becoming.

✨Friday Feature✨ To celebrate The Ordinary Bruja’s release, I’m sharing five amazing Latina brujas who are writing unforgettable stories about magic, grief, and identity. 📚🕯️ Add these to your TBR and feel the power.

#LatineReads #WitchyBooks #FridayFeature #HaveACupOfJohanny

When You Don’t Finish What You Started (and Still Choose to Keep Showing Up) I’ll be honest: I didn’t finish the 75-Day Joa Soft Challenge. I started strong, documenting my progress, checking off my daily goals, and feeling like I was finally doing something that expanded me — something just for me. But somewhere along the way, between the full-time job, family responsibilities, and preparing for The Ordinary Bruja’s release, I ran out of shlits.

I didn’t finish the 75-Day Joa Challenge. Between work, family, and launching The Ordinary Bruja, I ran out of shlits. But here’s what I learned about grace, finishing, and showing up anyway. 💛

#MotivationMonday #CreativeBurnout #HaveACupOfJohanny

When Authentic Stories Fall Flat—Is It the Author, or the Industry? Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about why some traditionally published Latinx stories don’t always feel as authentic as they could. I’m not saying they’re bad books. Far from it. But sometimes, as a reader, I can tell when a story has been trimmed or smoothed out in ways that make it lose some of its cultural heartbeat. Now, I’ll be the first to say that this is speculation on my part.

Traditional publishing wants diversity, but without diverse teams behind the scenes, can stories feel truly authentic? The Ordinary Bruja is my proof that they can when authors lead their own way.

#LatineReads #RepresentationMatters #OwnVoices #HaveACupofJohanny

The Silenced by Diana Rodríguez Wallach — A Haunting Exposé of Control, Culture, and Courage A thoughtful and gripping exposé of the “troubled teen” industry, this supernatural thriller explores how a haunted past collides with a traumatized present to reveal truths that were meant to stay hidden. Welcome to The Farm. Hazel Perez thinks her school project on the abandoned Oakwell Farms School for Girls, otherwise known as The Farm, will be just another assignment she’ll ace.

The Silenced by Diana Rodríguez Wallach gave me chills, and not just from the ghosts. 👻 This supernatural thriller digs into the real horrors of control, silence, and identity. Read my full review on the blog.
#LatineReads #HorrorBooks #BookReview #TheSilenced #haveacupofjohanny

A cozy flat-lay featuring a latte topped with cinnamon foam in a patterned ceramic mug beside a silver spoon and a paperback copy of The Ordinary Bruja by Johanny Ortega. The book’s dark, moody cover shows a woman’s face partially shadowed by branches with the tagline “Something in the dark knows her name.” Behind them, there’s a white sugar canister and a wooden cigar box labeled “Granadina’s Farm Special Selection,” creating a warm, inviting aesthetic perfect for a quiet reading moment.

Cafecito time with The Ordinary Bruja 🖤

There’s nothing like a slow morning with cafecito and a haunting story that feels a little too real. ☕️📖

#TheOrdinaryBruja #MagicalRealism #PsychologicalHorror #LatineReads #HaveACupOfJohanny

Enter to Win The Ordinary Bruja – A Story for Anyone Who’s Ever Felt Like They Weren’t Enough Tomorrow, October 19th, marks the start of something special—the official StoryGraph Giveaway for The Ordinary Bruja! From October 19th through November 18th, I’ll be giving away 10 digital copies (EPUB format) of my debut in the Las Cerradoras series. And because this is a digital giveaway, it’s open internationally—yes, you can enter from anywhere in the world. 🌍

🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉 From October 19 to November 18, enter on StoryGraph to win one of 10 digital copies of The Ordinary Bruja. This giveaway is international, because magic knows no borders. 🌍

#TheOrdinaryBruja #BookGiveaway #LatineReads #MagicalRealism #haveacupofjohanny #horrorbooks #spookybook

Lessons in Self-Doubt: Proving Myself Wrong This weekend, self-doubt tried to take the wheel. While creating all the preorder goodies for The Ordinary Bruja, I caught myself thinking, “My creativity only goes as far as writing.” My husband’s quick, “No, it doesn’t,” stopped me. He was right. I’ve taught myself Canva, Photoshop, Affinity Publisher, podcast editing, marketing copy—so much more than I gave myself credit for.

Self-doubt told me my creativity stopped at writing. This weekend I proved it wrong. 💪🏽 From book design to podcasting, I’m claiming every skill I’ve learned.
Listen to my latest Have a Cup of Johanny & preorder The Ordinary Bruja: haveacupofjohanny.com

#newpodcastepisode #haveacupofjohanny

De Eso No Se Habla: The Cost of Our Cultural Silence There’s a phrase I grew up hearing that still makes my stomach twist when I think about it:“De eso no se habla.”We don’t talk about that. It’s such a simple sentence, yet it carries generations of silence. When I was a kid, I didn’t understand why certain topics were off-limits. I didn’t understand why I was expected to swallow my discomfort, ignore the looks, or pretend something didn’t happen when deep down, I knew it was wrong.

We were told “de eso no se habla," but silence only protects the wrong people. My latest blog post dives into how cultural silence shaped me and how The Ordinary Bruja became my answer to that inherited hush. ✨👁️

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #MagicalRealism #OwnVoices #HaveACupOfJohanny

The Sandman Season 2: Complicated Gods, Closure, and Unanswered Questions Let’s talk about The Sandman Season 2. First off, I’ll admit it—I almost didn’t make it through. The first episode threw me off entirely. The wigs? A choice. The tone? Unfamiliar. It didn’t feel like the same show I left behind in Season 1, and I stopped watching after that episode. I needed a break. But curiosity got the best of me.

I almost quit The Sandman Season 2 but I’m glad I stayed. Despite a rough start and some weird wigs, it delivered deep questions, complicated gods, and a haunting ending.

🖤 Read the review.

#FridayFeature #TheSandman #NetflixSeries #haveacupofjohanny

Why Silence Is Inherited: The Unspoken Legacy in The Ordinary Bruja Shop now One of the quietest yet most damaging traits we inherit in Latine culture is the tendency to stay silent. We don’t often name it, but it’s there. It starts with a whisper that says, “Don’t cause trouble,” and becomes a rule we live by: “Be grateful, even when it hurts.” For those of us raised in immigrant households or as children of the diaspora, we are taught early on that gratitude is survival.

Silence is inherited. But healing requires sound. This week’s blog explores how The Ordinary Bruja tackles the cultural pressure to stay quiet, and why we must unlearn it to truly heal.

✨ Read now.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #haveacupofjohanny

Why We Get So Defensive: A Personal Reflection on Identity, Belief, and Ego I was eating noodles and watching The Sandman—you know, just doing my usual multitasking—when I scrolled across a comment thread that stopped me cold. Someone had posted about Trump’s creepy behavior toward his daughter. And in response, another person jumped in with, “Well Biden took showers with his daughter.” And my gut reaction? Instant defensiveness. I felt it physically—a tightening in my chest, the urge to refute, to defend, to jump into the comments with a mini thesis statement like, …

Ever felt that instant 'nah uh!' rise when someone challenges your beliefs? I did, and then I asked myself why. This reflection cracked something open in me. Maybe it will for you too.

Read the blog

#CriticalThinking #EmotionalGrowth #haveacupofjohanny

K-Pop Demon Hunters and the Magic of Loving Yourself—Patterns and All K-Pop Demon Hunters has me in a chokehold. I’m not even going to pretend otherwise. I’ve watched this film more times than I care to admit, and each time I hit play, I fall a little more in love with it. There’s just so much to adore: the story, the animation, the soundtrack. The visual aesthetic is bold and sharp.

K-Pop Demon Hunters taught me to love my patterns, not erase them. It’s action-packed, beautiful, and deeply healing. This week’s Friday Feature is all heart and glittery chaos.

🖤 Read the blog.

#FridayFeature #KPopDemonHunters #SelfLoveInFiction #haveacupofjohanny

The Hill That Changes Everything: Symbolism in The Ordinary Bruja The hill is more than a setting in The Ordinary Bruja. It is a living metaphor. A quiet teacher. A mirror held up to Marisol’s soul. In the short story that came before the novel, the hill was Marisol’s daily ritual. She walked it every day with the intent of becoming someone better. It was her gym. Her sanctuary. Her emotional proving ground.

The hill in The Ordinary Bruja isn’t just a setting. It’s a sacred path. Every time Marisol walks it, she comes back changed. Read the new blog to uncover how the hill mirrors our own messy, powerful journeys.

✨ Read now.

#TheOrdinaryBruja #LatineReads #haveacupofjohanny

Untamed and the Pain of Grief, Privilege, and Parental Guilt Untamed took its sweet time getting started, but I’m so glad I stayed with it. Once the momentum picked up, it became one of the most emotionally complex series I’ve seen in a while. It’s full of intrigue, shifting loyalties, and supernatural mystery, yes, but what really hooked me was the grief. At the heart of this show is a parent grieving the loss of his child.

Untamed starts slow but becomes a powerful look at grief, guilt, and class. One parent carries loss. Another hides from it. The emotional weight of this show hit me hard.
🖤 Read the full review.

#FridayFeature #UntamedSeries #GriefAndHealing #haveacupofjohanny