Davina Ferreira is an author, speaker and entrepreneur, founder of Alegría Media & Publishing @alegriamagazine that connects the world with Latinx books & magazines. The Alegría bilingual platforms include Alegría bilingual magazine, a quarterly print and digital vehicle; Alegría Mobile Bookstore, a traveling bookmobile that brings the joy of reading to younger generations in their own neighborhoods; Alegría Publishing, a self- publishing platform focused on bringing more representation to LatinX poets and writers. Alegría is dedicated to empowering and enriching the Latinx community in the United States by highlighting the stories and contributions of outstanding Latinx men and women whose remarkable achievements have historically been overlooked or under-represented. Its mission is to transform the public’s perception of the beauty and strength of the Latinx experience and culture. Alegría connects Latinx entrepreneurs with other like-minded businesswomen/ creatives who can help them find 1) Inspiration via success stories; and 2) Collaboration with other entrepreneurs/ creators Ferreira was born in Miami but grew up in Colombia. She is the quintessential symbol of the immigrant’s American Dream. Upon arriving in the U.S. Ferreira attended college, receiving a B.A. in Fine Arts from UC Irvine and worked as an actress at with the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. Later on, she attended The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (RADA) to pursue classical acting. Ferreira then completed a Journalism Certificate at UCLA Extension and began a career in journalism, which led her to launch ALEGRÍA Magazine. She then wrote her first book, Take Me With You/Llévame Contigo, a bilingual compilation of short stories and poems of love. Her latest book, Finding My ALEGRIA is an inspirational memoir, which she hopes will motivate young entrepreneurs around the world to pursue their dreams regardless of their circumstances. Ferreira has received The Rising Star Award, given to an entrepreneur under 35 by the prestigious National Latina Business Women Association, and the Latina of Influence Award by Hispanic Lifestyle magazine. This year, she received the CSQ Magazine New Gen Award for entrepreneurs under 40 at the Rockefeller Center in New York City. She is a sought-after speaker; whose passion is to inspire others to succeed as entrepreneurs. This Year, she has just returned from speaking at Harvard’s Latina Lead Conference & Google’s Women’s summit. In her free time, Ferreira volunteers bringing wellness programs through creative writing, yoga and meditation for mental health awareness to at risk youth in Los Angeles Country. Her new poetry book, If love Had A Name debuted last year. She is launching a new short story collection for Valentine’s Day titled: Stories of Happy Lovers & Unhappy Wives.IG @davifalegria / www.alegriamagazine.com___________________________________________________________________Your hosts of Are You Waiting for Permission? are Meridith Grundei and Joseph Bennett. They're friends, co-hosts, actors, improvisers and coaches. She lives in NYC and coaches actors, business professionals and presenters to fully engage with their audience, and themselves. She also mentors young actors and directors. He lives in San Miguel de Allende, México and coaches artists and other creative beings about the beautiful business of art — and life. You can find Meridith here at Meridith Grundei as the performer artist gal and if you want to be a more confident and credible speaker, please visit her at  Grundei Coaching, LLC  You can find Joseph: Joseph Bennett the artist/coach extraordinaire*Special thanks to Amy Shelley and Gary Grundei of high fiction for letting us use their music for this podcast!And... while the podcast is free, it's not cheap. We'd be thrilled to have your support on PATREONThank you.