State of the Podcast 2025: Small Team, Big Growth | Identity, Healing & Giving Back

State of the Podcast 2025—recorded on location at The Kava Bar Oakcliff (Dallas). In this short behind-the-scenes update, host Crispin Valentin shares how The Global Latin Factor Podcast has grown this year, what we’ve learned from highlighting Latino stories, and where we’re headed next.

📈 Year highlights: 90K+ YouTube views • 8.6K downloads • 600K impressions • +300 subscribers • TikTok: 5K followers / 70K likes.

More than numbers, this episode breaks down the biggest themes we keep hearing from our guests: resilience, faith & family, reinvention, identity, healing, giving back, and the power of representation.

🙏 Big thank you to The Kava Bar, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Los Primos for supporting the mission.

If you’ve been rocking with us, share this episode with someone who needs Latino inspiration—and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

Transcript

Welcome, welcome you and all to another episode of the Global Latin Factor podcast where we talk about Latino everything. I'm your host Grispine Valentine. Make sure you subscribe to the channel right now. Why you got so much content to gain and today it's a very different episode as you can tell. We are in location. We at the Cababar Oak Cliff. Very, very particular place for us. Very special place for us. We come here often to do different things. Uh when we're not doing the podcast, either we're hanging out or recording or plotting something that we're going to be doing the podcast. So today's episode is what we're going to be calling the state of the podcast 2026 about a year ago. So you saw one that we did. We created an episode. The idea came from something that I saw at the Chamber of Commerce, the Forward Chamber of Commerce. They did a state of the podcast state of the chamber and I thought that would be a great idea to do something like that to bring awareness of the number the things that we have done our anniversary for the podcast is technically May 5th however we celebrate it and that day for me it's more of a day of celebration it's more of a day to invite everybody make feel special of a year that we accomplish another one now the state of the podcast 2026 is more of giving you a little more inside detail details, a few numbers and things that we actually have touched up and kind of uh learned throughout the journey of the podcast because one of the main things not only to highlight Latinos, to bring amazing content to you, to bring real life stories, another part of the podcast part was to be able to learn also ourselves about things that other people do and help us. So, let's get started. So, let's talk touch up on some numbers that we did. So, from November of last year to November of this year, we're grown tremendously. Uh, it might not seem like it sometimes for myself, but it is. So, we're talking about 8,600 downloads just for the year itself, over 90,000 views in YouTube, thousand uh 1,500 hours on Facebook, 300 subscribers that we grew and 600K impressions. In Instagram, we're approaching 1500 followers. Uh Tik Tok, 5,000 followers. And so many likes, over 70 likes, 70,000 likes. and Facebook followers were approaching 1K and 29,000 30,000 technically downloads on the audio part. So Apple podcast, Spotify, you name it. All you that listen to those platforms that run into are people that see the the sticker and say you you know who they are. Those are the ones we talking about that sometimes just listen to the audio portion. So we highly highly appreciate you. We don't realize sometimes the impact that we're making. And sometimes I try to compare to other bigger ones and other things we're doing. But technically the crew itself for the global land factor is myself and Bri rebel media. That's the only people that incorporate. So that's the team even though it seems like a bigger operation. So we figure a way to do it. And sometimes we're very still from the last. If you want to learn more about the history of how the podcast began, go check out the state of the podcast, the very first one we did last year, and you'll be able to kind of sort of get the history of how it got started, learn a little bit more about it. But at that time, Carlos was with me, and we were still doing the Latino way of being very uh creative when it comes to making it work. And the same thing with Bri. She's amazing, but at the same time, we still work with very minimal things to be able to make amazing things happen. and pivot and and just work around things to make sure that we get another amazing episode to you because it's super important for us to show representation, show the things that we've been continuing to do as a community of Latinos here in the United States that are continually to contribute and uh is amazing. Another thing that we have learned about more all of our guests that we have, there is a lot of resilience. So if you notice all across what we are as Latinos across all the countries is that we very resilient. Not only that, but we're very faith and family centered. So a lot of the individuals that stop by share the story about personal growth, religious growth and different things like and we all this is all what incorporates us and we've learned uh reinvention. Some of them started from doing this to going in this direction. All of a sudden their story now changed and now they're going this direction. they get into this field and becoming a different person that they were before. And even within the podcast themselves after they leave, I've seen the things that they go and do. And it's amazing to be able to see amazing individuals, amazing humans just striving for more. And then not only that, but the growth that they do after they leave. I'm not saying it's because of our podcast, but because they put themselves in an uncomfortable situation to be able to some of them never been interviewed to later on be interviewed on TV and different things like that. to to me is just amazing of the things that we get them to see and the reinvention that they do for themselves. Uh identity all of us the question itself that I pose what does Latino mean to you? A lot of the times it's on purpose for the the sake of understanding that the work so profound so deep that it's not just a one single thing size fits all type of situation. What entails is to be able to the word itself is so vast that it really really identifies who we are. so many things from so many colors to so many uh uh even the slang itself is different in different cultures in the Latino community. So it's amazing and a work ethic. A lot of our guests talked about how the inspiration they get now and the work ethic comes from their father comes from their mother comes from this come from that they work so many jobs sometimes two or three jobs to put them to school or so many jobs two or three to raise their kids and it's inspiring to them and that's the reason they do it. We've seen it with Vicki. Vicki got a lot of inspiration for for the things that her mom and her dad used to do. Uh we also have Courtney Jordan that you know she's seen her grandparents and the way that it worked. They influence her a lot on the things that she does now with mental health and her journal. So so many guests that and of course a lot of our guests do give back. Example is Rosa uh the law office Rosa Maria Verdeas. She's Rosie is amazing. Not only does he always out in the community helping out, but she is always giving back as well. You seen some of the things that you see on social media. It's just a minimal things of the things that she does that I seen on on the back uh as far as her contributions to society. So, it's a lot about giving back. There's not more a lot of more of our guests giving back to the community and continue to give back because it's part of the things that that we do as well. Another lesson, big lesson that we learned is representation opens minds, mental doors. Literally, you have to almost see somebody do the things that you want to do in order for you to be able to be somebody that wants to do that as well. And that's some of the things that super important lessons we learned on the podcast as well. Healing is huge part of our community. We've seen it with Dr. Norma Garcia. We've seen it with Courtney. We've seen it with other people that advocating for mental and Jesse as well. So, that's another thing that is part of our culture right now that we are working on to be able to be better off mental healthwise. Culture, our culture is our superpower. or the things that we have is our superpower. I will touch up on a little bit of the things that I always always reference to different people of the things that we contribute that without that this entire world would not be the way that it is now. And again once again if when people are seen they open deeply about what they're what they got going on and how impactful can they be for other people. So they really open up to our community to be able to talk more about their story and have other people see it so they can go ahead and continue moving forward and elevate our culture. Okay. So let's talk about the evolution of the podcast. So we started with very for humble beginnings. So if you remember the very first one, the very first state of the podcast, we talked about we started just with the homies and just kind of sort of trying to put something together and turned out that we could talk for a long time, but now we talking about not really a fancy setup as well. And again, we still working with minimal, very resourceful, what's we do? and slowly started growing, incorporating a brand new camera that we got today that I'm super excited about. And then we're going to be incorporating to everything that we do. Not only that, but we're slowly being recognized as one of the podcast here in the community in the DFW area. It's the one that people want to be in. People want to go for it. A lot of times when you saw the solo episodes, because we didn't have somebody because somebody wasn't able to make it. Now, it's hardly that case that happens and we have plenty of people that we can talk to that they want to share the story because they see all the work that we're doing. And literally we started from the homies to now attorneys, PhDs, licensed therapists, founders and CEOs, influencers, creators, doctors, health experts, award-winning entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, artists, chefs, you know, all those people that I wanted to show great examples. That's who we get to talk to now. And it's amazing that they're here to be able to want to share the story. Remember what I said earlier? It's just being seen. They can go deeper of their story. And a lot of the times that's the intention. Like if you are if you're going through something hard or if you come out of something hard, I don't want you to expose yourself for that. I want you to tell people how was it or what tools did you use to be able to get yourself out of it and be somebody that people can look for whenever they go into the same situation and get out of it and be in a better place. Now, some of the Latino contributions that I keep at it and remember that this world would not be the world that it is if it wasn't for the things that it came from the Americas. We're talking about cacao, tomatoes, Italian food wouldn't be Italian food that it is. Potatoes literally saved uh Europe from famine, vanilla, we're talking about chile, we're talking about squash, beans, yuka, all those amazing foods. Literally the menu of the world would not exist if it wasn't for the things that we the Americas the people contribute just like the contribution of our Latino individuals that come here on the podcast and share their story. It wouldn't be the same. Color TV, co-creator of the color TV was Mexican, uh, and so many more that we're going to be talking about as far as going forward. The influence literally today probably you probably heard some kind of Latino type music and that's the reason that I'm talking about the global factor. We're only contributing, we're not going anywhere, and we are continue to show amazing representation. Now, some of the major impacts that we have also, we have data to back it up like literally uh $1.3 trillion dollars is the the buying power of the Latinos. 1.2 1 $3.4 trillion $3.4 trillion of the buying power of the Latinos. Not to mention in general what we contribute in taxes, over 120 million in taxes yearly. And that's just the people that are like documented. That's not the undocumented that also contribute to taxation and everything else. So again, we are doing amazing work. We're doing amazing things. So we contribute to amazing. Another thing that I want to touch up also in regards to the economy is 68% of the new workforce is Latino. 68% of Latinos. So we always have a concern about what's going to happen with the uh certain generation demographic. Boomers are gone. Well, guess what? over the past decade, 68% of 100 Latinos that are contributing to the economy. And again, we pay pay more than our share amount of taxes and we uh if the Latinos the Latino generation themselves were a country, we were the we will be the fifth biggest economy topping Brazil, India, France and UK. So literally if all of us Latinos became a country today, we'll be number five in regards to the world and what we are as far as the GDP and everything else and all the big fancy numbers that people like to throw on. Home ownership. We are quickly becoming some of the uh force to reckon with in regards to home ownership. Uh Latinos, 70% of Latinos home ownership grew over the past decade. It's projected to increase by 2040. That's only four years away. Uh the entrepreneurship three three out of whatever it is three out of any other we are literally are creating jobs being entrepreneurs three out of whatever ethnicity there is Latinos are three of that particular one contributing to the economy in regards to entrepreneurship. We really are creating jobs. We really are moving the market. We really are innovating new industries. We really are doing everything that we said we're doing and we are highlighting here on the podcast as of right now. Another thing that we're doing here on the podcast that might be taken for granted is what we're really doing. We are sharing stories. We are of future generations that they can see and get inspired from the things that we're doing today. We're literally are changing the stereotypes. So people are saying that this kind of people and you that kind of people. We are changing that narrative because we're showing you amazing examples of amazing people doing things. We are literally highlighting uh nations and different things in regards to the things that we do for us. We are inspiring young Latinos, dreamers to be able to dream even bigger. We are more than a monolith with bigger than that. We are continuing to improve ourselves every single day. As I mentioned with the entrepreneurs to creating more jobs and we unite countries, we unite other people to collaborate. We unite identities to be able to tell other people that we are a bigger deal. We are a big deal. we will continue to be a bigger deal with education, with celebrating everything that we do and continue to move forward our community that we call Latinos here in the world. We want to take a few seconds to say thank you so much for the Cabo Bar, all the Cabo Bars in general throughout the DFW for open up their doors to be able to have us not only work here, do episodes here, have events here, work on editing and different things that we have. We we masterminded some stuff here at the Cabo Bar as far as the things that we do. We also want to give a big shout out to the forward Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Forwardware. They open up the doors to be able to talk to a lot of their entrepreneurs. They're very supportive. They're great too. And I highly recommend if you check them out if you have not checked out the the four Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. They're amazing people and shout out to them. And also Los Primos. They open up their doors to be able to be part of their career fair and we will be able to be there and talk to the kids, do an improv episode. So that's some of the locations that we've been to. And guess what? In 2026, we're going farther away. Whether it be out of state or maybe even out of the country, we don't know where it's going to take us, but I guarantee it's going to be amazing. And you're going to be right there on the journey to be able to be part of this. So, thank you so much. ..