Have you ever tried to record something important only tohave the world get louder the moment you hit record?

In this episode, Sonia shares the humorous realities ofrecording voiceovers from home while living near the Hollywood Freeway. From helicopters and leaf blowers to moving blankets and technical glitches, this lighthearted episode explores the unexpected challenges creative people face when trying to make art in the middle of everyday life.

Topics Discussed

Voiceover auditions from home

Home studio challenges

Recording near freeway noise

Moving blanket recording booths

Technology mishaps

Podcast and meditation recording

Creativity in imperfect conditions

Mentioned in this Episode

Home voiceover recording

Podcast production

The Still Point Minute meditationseries A YouTube series.

Instagram: @overheard.chica

https://overheardatchicascafe.com/

In this episode, Sonia explores the idea of writing shortstories as a pathway into film—without becoming a screenwriter. With humor and honesty, she shares what she’s learning about modern “treatments,” storytellingfor the screen, and how actors can begin creating their own material in a constantly shifting industry.

Topics include:

• The difference between shortstories and modern film treatments
• Why traditional treatments areevolving
• Creating visual, compellingstories for potential adaptation
• Moving from waiting for roles tobuilding original material

In this episode, Sonia shares her lived experience navigating identity in the entertainment industry—from early typecasting to evolving roles and the future of AI in performance.

Topics include:

Latinx representation in Hollywood

Typecasting across cultures

Middle Eastern representation in the 1990s

Ethnomusicology and cultural depth AI and identity in acting

Reclaiming narrative through creative work

References and inspirations:

Cultural and music studies from University of California, Los Angeles (Ethnomusicology)

Ongoing discussions in diversity, casting, and AI ethics in entertainment .

https://poeticresurrection.com/store/

https://sonialozada.com/

#RepresentationMatters
#LatinxVoices
#ActingIndustry
#VoiceActing
#Authenticity
#DiversityInFilm
#Storytelling
#AIandCreativity

In this episode, I reflect on watching Bad Bunny’sperformances on Amazon and the Super Bowl stage — not just as entertainment, but as cultural memory brought into global light. With a background in Ethnomusicology from UCLA, I share how my academic research into Puerto Rican music — through texts such as El Jíbaro de Puerto Rico, La Música en Puerto Rico, La Música Folklórica de Puerto Rico, and Voz Folklórica de Puerto Rico — deepened my understanding of traditions like Jíbaro, Bomba, Plena, and Aguinaldo.

But this episode is not only scholarly — it’s personal.

I revisit childhood memories of my father playing Jíbaromusic loudly while driving down Chicago Avenue in Chicago, and the shame I once felt. I reflect on how that discomfort evolved into teenage pride and later adult understanding.

I also honor my mother, who sang “Preciosa” and “En Mi ViejoSan Juan” in the kitchen, and my uncle who played guitar and cuatro, going door to door during the holidays performing Aguinaldos.

This episode explores:

What once felt too loud became legacy.What once felt distant became home.

What happens when you still love being on set, but thepassion for the dream doesn’t feel the same?

In this episode, I talk honestly about discouragement inacting and entertainment — not the dramatic kind, but the quieter season where you keep showing up without a five-year plan or a constant sense of inspiration.

This isn’t an episode about quitting or forcing motivation.It’s about staying present, redefining success, and letting the work be part of your life instead of the explanation for it.

If you’ve ever felt discouraged but still here — still doingthe work — this conversation is for you.

Music: Blue Ballsa by The Blue Cherries

As the year turns, we’re keeping it simple at Chica’s Café.No resolutions, no reinventions—just a pause, a coffee refill, and a moment to appreciate the conversations we’ve shared.

This short New Year episode reflects on curiosity,observation, and the kinds of everyday moments that make us stop, laugh, and think a little differently. Thank you for being part of the conversations thisyear. Here’s to good stories ahead—and whatever unexpected dialogue wanders into the café next.

Pull up a chair. The conversation continues.

Blessings for the New Year.

On today’s episode of Overheard at Chica’s Café,Sonia pulls up a chair (and a warm cup of ginger tea) to talk about something every actor, voiceover artist, and podcaster knows all too well: what happens when you get sick… and everything on your creative plate comes crashing into amessy little pile.

With her voice still not quite back to its usual sound—todaycomes with a complimentary side of rasp—Sonia dives into the hilarious, humbling reality of being a multi-hyphenate creative whose entire job depends on having a functioning throat. From the dreaded “booking-out” email to agents,to the guilt spiral of falling behind on content, to the dramatic inner monologues that only artists understand, this episode is a gentle reminder that being human comes first.

Sonia shares compassion, humor, and honesty about navigating deadlines, expectations, and recovery while sick. She encourages listeners, especially those in creative fields, to release perfection, slow down, and trust that their audience—and opportunities—will still be there.

Whether you’re an actor juggling self-tapes, a podcasterkeeping up with your release schedule, or simply someone who’s been under the weather, this episode is a soothing, funny exhale.

You’re doing enough. You’re allowed to rest. Creativity will wait for you.

In This Episode:

• What really happens when creatives get sick
• The guilt of “booking out” with your agents
• The pressure of staying consistent while healing
• Why raspy-voice episodes should count as a vibe
• Releasing perfection and honoring your humanity
• A gentle reminder that your audience won’t disappear

In this episode of Overheard at Chica’s Café, Sonia Iris Lozada explores the unseen side of acting — the hours of preparation that audiences never witness. From memorizing lines for a single scene, to scrambling with last-minute sides, to navigating the silence that follows auditions, actors carry invisible labor that shapes every performance. Sonia also touches on the growing reality of self-tapes, where actors double as their own crew — a topic she’ll expand on in a future episode.

But invisible work isn’t unique to actors. Parents, teachers, creatives, and caregivers all hold hours of unseen labor that sustain lives and communities. With humor, compassion, and a touch of Los Angeles reality, Sonia reminds us that even the work that goes unrecognized mattersdeeply.