We continue with our favorite conversations with Latinas in the entertainment industry. Growing up, television writer Ilana Peña was a student of books, where, she says, "girls could be complicated." Now, as creator of Diary of a Future President on Disney+, Ilana brings that vision of girlhood to life. She tells Alicia about rising from assistant to writer’s assistant to writer to creator, how the early loss of her father taught her to use “grief as an engine,” and why being in charge forced her to stop saying “maybe.”

Follow Ilana @lanstagram on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to to-latina.simplecast.com/episodes/when-gentefied-co-creator-linda-yvette-chavez-realized-she-couldnt-quit">Linda Yvette Chavez and to-latina.simplecast.com/episodes/why-cristela-alonzos-drive-to-make-it-is-deeply-personal">Cristela Alonzo for more on creating Latina shows in Hollywood.