Yvette Vargas was born in San Diego, raised in Mexico, and moved to Indianapolis eight years ago with a plan already set. She studied, took her first job at the Indiana Latino Institute, and turned networking contacts into real relationships one coffee at a time. When she wanted a spot on Telemundo she told the producer to call her if one ever opened. He did. At twenty five she hosts De Todo un Poco on Telemundo Indy, advocates for survivors of domestic violence and trafficking, runs her own business, and has collected the IBJ Twenty in Their Twenties and Prospanica’s Rising Star. Her family says she has un alma de viejita, an old soul. Her advice: shut up, listen, and get out of the rooms you are always in
Podcast Title:
Very Caliente
Hosts:
Pablo Alsina & Jennie López
Episode Title:
EP 037 - In Spanish I’m More Sassy - Language, Identity & Leading at 25 with Yvette Vargas
Summary
Yvette Vargas was born in San Diego, raised in Mexico, and moved to Indianapolis eight years ago with a plan already set. She studied, took her first job at the Indiana Latino Institute, and turned networking contacts into real relationships one coffee at a time. When she wanted a spot on Telemundo she told the producer to call her if one ever opened. He did. At twenty five she hosts De Todo un Poco on Telemundo Indy, advocates for survivors of domestic violence and trafficking, runs her own business, and has collected the IBJ Twenty in Their Twenties and Prospanica’s Rising Star. Her family says she has un alma de viejita, an old soul. Her advice: shut up, listen, and get out of the rooms you are always in.
Main Topics
• Mexico to Indianapolis at seventeen, with the purpose already decided
• Turning transactional networking into relationships that actually go somewhere
• Asking the Telemundo producer directly instead of waiting to be noticed
• Why a second and third language opens doors and keeps the brain sharp
• Sassy in Spanish, professional in English, and switching between the two
• Culture shock in a state that looked nothing like the American movies
• Advocacy work with survivors of domestic violence, abuse and trafficking
• Not being nonchalant, and why being amable beats talent
• Germany: love expressed through actions instead of words
• The Very Caliente question, Bad Bunny’s all-Spanish halftime show
Intriguing Quotes
“Las cosas no te caen del cielo. You have to go and get it.” - Yvette Vargas
“In Spanish I’m a little more sassy, and when I speak English I activate my professional level.” - Yvette Vargas
“It is very important to sometimes just shut up and listen.” - Yvette Vargas
“How do you become a better person? By listening.” - Pablo Alsina
Key Moments
[01:28] Mexico to Indianapolis, and a first job at the Indiana Latino Institute
[03:04] Las cosas no te caen del cielo: ask for what you want
[03:43] Luxembourg, five languages, and the case for learning more
[05:19] Sassy in Spanish, professional in English
[05:55] Born in California, raised in Mexico, back to Indiana
[06:19] A state that looked nothing like the movies
[08:15] Community involvement and the advocacy work
[10:13] Un alma de viejita, and training with people older than her
[11:20] Pablo on listening as the skill behind everything else
[12:40] Don’t be nonchalant, and the case for being amable
[14:17] Germany: love expressed in actions rather than words
[18:25] The Very Caliente question: Bad Bunny’s all-Spanish halftime show
Notable Guests / Resources
• Yvette Vargas, host on Telemundo Indy, community advocate and business owner
• @yvettevargas2025 on Instagram and Yvette Vargas on LinkedIn
• De Todo un Poco, her show on Telemundo Indy, Saturdays 11am, channel 19
• Indiana Latino Institute, where she took her first job in the community
• Pablo Alsina, TV host and Telemundo alumnus, co-host of Very Caliente
• Jennie López, speaker, coach, author of Intentional Unicorn, co-host of Very Caliente
Special Announcements
🔥 Yvette joins the divided house on Bad Bunny. Go back and watch the full halftime show episode for where Pablo and Jennie landed.