From Poetry Circle to Platform: How Araceli Esparza Transformed Storytelling into Economic Liberation for Women of Color
Araceli Esparza's journey from a high school poetry circle to becoming one of Wisconsin's Most Influential Latinas wasn't linear, but it was inevitable. Growing up with migrant farmer roots, she learned early that storytelling isn't just art—it's survival, connection, and a way to carve new paths for those who follow.
What started as a passion for poetry evolved into something much more powerful: a recognition that the stories of Black and Latina women, particularly those over 40 who face compounding barriers, held untapped potential for both healing and economic empowerment. When Wisconsin Public Radio offered to feature her informal group of creators and activists in a six-part series, Araceli witnessed firsthand how sharing authentic stories could transform not just art, but livelihoods.
Today, as the founder and Executive Director of Midwest Mujeres Inc., a Pushcart-nominated poet, and author of the upcoming book "Healing from Racial Discrimination: ¿Ahora Qué? Now, What?", Araceli has built a movement that goes far beyond traditional storytelling workshops. Her nonprofit focuses on women who are often overlooked—low-income, single parents, those without college degrees, and the formerly incarcerated—teaching them to leverage their voices for credibility and income generation.
Balancing roles as a consultant, DEI certified professional, City of Madison Equal Opportunities Commissioner, and creative practitioner, Araceli has spent over a decade helping organizations build authentic bridges with communities while maintaining her own artistic practice. Her approach is rooted in a simple but revolutionary belief: when women of color own their narratives, they don't just heal—they thrive economically.
In this conversation, Araceli shares how she learned to price her worth from the beginning, why she walks away from clients seeking diversity optics over real change, and how her family's courageous stories continue to fuel a mission that transforms ordinary life into extraordinary opportunity.
Q1. You started as a poet in high school, joining a poetry circle made up of only women of color, which you’ve called a pivotal experience. After earning your MFA from Hamline University and being named Wisconsin’s Most Influential Latina in 2018, you founded Midwest Mujeres, a podcast and movement that teaches women how to free their voices, money, and speaking opportunities. What made you realize that your gift for poetry and storytelling could become a platform to help Black and Brown women gain credibility and create new streams of income? How did growing up with migrant farmer roots shape your mission?
I love hyping up ordinary life. As a social worker, I witness many courageous stories of living humbly, and yet they were wealthy and had social capital, innovation, and grit in facing so many complex challenges. I worked my way into development and marketing in the nonprofit field. During the pandemic—and after major job loss—I pivoted and formed Midwest Mujeres, and an opportunity came that rarely comes for women like us: Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin Life offered to do a six-part series on our group.
At the time, we weren’t formally an organization. We were simply a group of creators, activists, leaders, bloggers, and website developers curious about how to grow our impact on social media. For Black and Latina women, visibility in a positive and authentic way in local and state media is rare. Through that project, we told stories of women who had lost friends, babies, and businesses—but also found purpose again through storytelling.
One woman who ran a cleaning business shared her story on that program. After her episode aired, she took new headshots, doubled her business, and began confidently marketing herself on LinkedIn. Her leap inspired me. It showed how sharing our stories can transform not only our art but our livelihoods. That’s when I knew that teaching storytelling was key to people’s success.
My migrant roots taught me that courage is generational. My family’s stories—like that of my great aunt, who came to Wisconsin in 1974—of walking in the snow from one farm to the next, or crossing countries without knowing the language, remind me that storytelling is our inheritance. It’s how we survive, connect, and celebrate the new paths we create for those who will follow.
Q2. You wear many hats: consultant, workshop facilitator, DEI certified professional, author of the upcoming book Healing from Racial Discrimination: ¿Ahora Qué? Now, What?, City of Madison Equal Opportunities Commissioner, and founder of Midwest Mujeres. How do you balance all these roles while maintaining your own creative practice as a poet, and what’s been the biggest challenge in building a sustainable consulting business focused on healing after workplace discrimination?
I balance it through structure and sacred pauses. I use multiple mediums for quick reflections, jot notes by hand, voice memos, task apps, and a great Team who support the work I do—supporting the people that I want to work for! And of course, I keep dry-erase boards in both my home and office. Writing, for me, is physical—it’s a ritual. I also take self-imposed retreats where I disconnect completely, so I can be quiet, still, and enjoyable to be around again.
The biggest challenge has been internal—recognizing that my work is valuable. For years, I struggled to believe that healing-centered consulting, especially when rooted in art and storytelling, could be sustainable. I had to learn to walk into rooms knowing that my work holds value—that I am magical, that my gifts make a difference, and that people love to support other people’s transformational journeys. That’s why we generate supporters and members—for the betterment of our nonprofit and the community we focus on: Black and Latina women over 40 who are low-income, who didn’t go to college, who are single parents, and or who have been previously incarcerated.
Building Midwest Mujeres has been about embodying the belief that our stories matter. We don’t provide direct services—we provide transformational experiences that change how women see themselves. That, to me, is sustainable impact.
Q3. You’ve spent over 10 years providing diversity and inclusion training, anti-bias training for direct service providers, and outreach strategy assessments for nonprofits and corporate entities. You help organizations build authentic bridges with donors and audiences. As a Chicana woman building a consulting practice in the Midwest, what advice would you give to other women of color about pricing DEI work appropriately, positioning yourself as an expert when your lived experience is often questioned, and knowing when to walk away from organizations that want the optics of diversity work without committing to real change?
Start with pricing your worth from the very beginning—even before you have a full business plan. Include your time for research, developing curriculum, and pitching. Someone once told me, “Price your work as if you’re a white man driving a BMW.” It was meant as humor, but it carried truth. When we raise our rates, we raise the bar for everyone who comes after us.
Create a circle of trusted peers—women and men—who can give you honest feedback. And above all, get an accountant, a bookkeeper you can trust, who will teach you about the numbers. Use anonymous surveys to learn what clients truly think and collect your own data. Research and quantitative data builds credibility.
And most importantly, trust your instincts. If a client or organization is more interested in optics than in real change, you will feel it in your bones. Listen to that. Not all money is good money. Even when a contract has a lot of zeros, if it compromises your peace, it’s not worth it.
The inner story supports the outer story—and that’s exactly where transformation begins. When your inner story is strong, you don’t chase validation; you attract alignment.
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