Pam Covarrubias is more than a podcaster — she's a storyteller, community builder, and inspiration for Latinas. Through her podcast Café con Pam, Covarrubias has carved out a vibrant space where stories of resilience, entrepreneurship, and cultural pride are shared over a cup of cafecito. With over 400 episodes under her belt, Covarrubias has given a platform to voices that break barriers, change lives, and make the world a better place, giving her listeners stories that fill out their community with new perspectives.
Café con Pam is rated five stars on Apple Podcasts and has earned a spot on lists like Oprah Daily’s Best Spanish and Latino Podcasts. Covarrubias' roster of guests is as impressive as her clientele, which includes organizations like the Small Business Development Council and the Latino Development Center-Empowered Women International. Covarrubias is on a mission to tell compelling stories that empower Latinas and underrepresented groups, allowing them to rewrite their narratives.
As a first-generation American, Covarrubias' mission when developing Cafe con Pam was to create a space to vent her deepest concerns. Years later, the space grew into a community of like-minded individuals, where listeners tune in regularly to discuss topics like mental health, entrepreneurship, growing your own business, and more, all the while learning a little bit more about their neighbor.
In an exclusive chat with HOLA!, Covarrubias opened up about some of the stories and experiences she’s heard from her guests, ranging from entrepreneurs creating unique and necessary businesses to inspiring teachers. She also discussed her mental and physical health, including the shocking moment her Apple Watch saved her life from an unexpected heart incident. She shared her opinion on why people need to monitor their health and use all of the tools they have at their disposal to be as healthy as possible.
"We are rewriting history from our perspective. My hope is to continue to inspire people to share their stories."
What made you start your podcast, Cafe con Pam?
“Cafe con Pam” started because I was traveling a lot for work, and I was listening to podcasts back in 2014. This is like way back when I was going through airports and I needed something beyond music. I wanted to hear some conversations, and I wondered, where are the stories of people like me? Where are the stories of the immigrants? Where are the stories of the single parents? I grew up with a single mom. Where are the stories of the firsts? Anyone who has done something for the first time in their family, not just first generations, but like first one to graduate college, first one to start a business.
I kept looking and looking, and waiting for someone to start those conversations. Nobody did. So finally, in 2016, I bought a mic from a retired rapper from Craigslist (laughs) and I plugged it into my computer and started asking questions, and I haven't stopped.
So you’ve been making podcasts for a while. I feel like we’re in the peak podcast craze. What do you think has shifted since you first started and now?
Video podcast wasn't a thing before. The pure essence of podcasting is truly just audio. And now the majority of podcasts that are starting out are video-driven first, and then audio, which is cool. I mean, it's the evolution of the medium. That's one of the big, big shifts that I've seen. All of this comes from the huge podcasters that have gotten so much exposure that have led with video that then it just creates this trickle effect. Also, because of social media, it's very much video-driven. And then the pandemic helped because it brought us this sense of wanting to connect with humans and the only way to do it was by watching them through screens. I think all of those elements caused a shift in podcasting.
What do you hope to communicate with your audience with this project?
I think that it frankly started from a very selfish point of view. I wanted to get inspired because I was in a corporate world where everyone looked nothing like me. It was all very male, pale, and stale. And so I wanted to get some flavors and colors into my life (laughs). Eventually, I realized that that selfish project that I started to get myself inspired is now inspiring other people. My goal has shifted from ‘I wanna get inspired’ to sharing the stories that would be untold or that are only had at the table of a specific family.
We are rewriting history from our perspective. My hope is to continue to inspire people to share their stories.
Do you have some examples of the types of conversations that have been facilitated by this podcast?
Yeah. I know a school teacher, who’s one of my friends. She takes her students to travel to Europe. She’s a history teacher. Besides just being in the classroom, she expands her students’ points of view by traveling all over Europe and learning history firsthand.
There are also a lot of authors, whether they’re self-published or have published books traditionally. It’s great to listen to their stories behind the scenes and learn how that world works.
I also speak to innovators who found a gap in their lives and worked to fill it. For example, one of them needed a healthy snack and figured out that there was a discrepancy in the economy and housing, and built a business around it because they realized that was what the community needed.
I interviewed someone who advocated and created a park in her mom’s name. These are things that I didn’t know you could do until I had a conversation with her.
Yeah. So your podcast kind of fills in the holes of a community with stories
I also heard that you had a unique experience with the Apple Watch and that it saved your life. Can you tell me about that?
Yeah, I was at my friend’s party, two years ago in March, and we were celebrating her. We went to get a massage the night before, went to dinner, and then went to bed. And I woke up in the middle of the night with my left arm numb. I couldn't breathe.
I've had an Apple watch since the first one came out and I use it all the time, so I know my heart rate. And when I looked at it, it asked me if I was working out, because it was elevated. It was beating at like 140 beats per minute. Checking the watch allowed me to see my heart rate and to know that I wasn’t losing my mind.
I had some water, tried to calm down but my heart rate didn’t drop. So I started to feel that this wasn’t normal. I also couldn’t feel my arm. So I took myself to the emergency room and when they took my vitals I was immediately taken in for tests. Looking back, I wouldn’t have gone to the ER if I didn’t know my heart rate. As someone with depression and anxiety, I would have been like ‘I’m just anxious.’
Having the Apple Watch saved my life because it allowed me to see that it wasn’t my brain telling me that I was anxious. It was my heart, which was about to explode.
Did that experience impact your approach to everyday life? Do you still feel the resonance of that experience?
Yeah, a hundred percent. There was a moment when I was in the hospital and I started thinking ‘What happens if I don't come out?’ Because it was quite alarming. There were doctors coming in and out, from neurologists to cardio to all of the departments coming in to look at my chart. And at that point, I was feeling fine, but I was like, ‘Ooh, what would happen if I just don't come out of this?’
It’s made me reflect on how I live my daily life. I think that it was a pivotal moment where I asked myself, ‘Are you truly living how you wanna live every day?’ Because you may wake up one day and your heart rate might explode and you’re done.
So yeah, it’s changed the way I live my life because now I’m more deliberate in the choices I make and the things I want to do.
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