Irina Gonzalez

Journalist | Editor | Author of the Parenting in Hard Mode newsletter

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Personal Essays

I love to turn a difficult topic into an engaging personal essay. Here are some favorites:

Recovery:

  • At 30, My Gray Area Drinking Problem Spiraled Into Alcoholism — and I Lost My Dream Job [Prevention]
  • The Day My Mom Took Me to Rehab [Glamour]
  • Like Demi Lovato, I Relapsed. This is What I Wish I’d Known. [Marie Claire]
  • This is What No One Tells You About Relapsing (Like Demi Lovato and Me) [HuffPost]
  • What It’s Really Like to Have a Relapse [The Temper]
  • Ambition, Anxiety, and Alcoholism [The Fix]
  • The Conversation Around Demi Lovato’s Relapse Shows Why the Social Stigma of Addiction Needs to End [INSIDER]
  • What I Learned About Work-Life Balance After Relapsing from Alcohol Addiction Recovery [Bustle]
  • 8 Things I Learned About Alcoholism Since Going Into Recovery [HipLatina]
  • Why Meditation Was Crucial to My Recovery From Alcohol [Headspace]
  • What Happened When My Partner Quit Alcohol to Support My Recovery [Bustle]
  • Will Mommy Drinking Culture Put My Sobriety at Risk? [The Temper]
  • Why It’s Difficult to Talk About Recovery as a Latina [The Temper]

Parenting: 

  • Pregnancy Has Amplified My Anxiety Disorder, But I’m Finding Comfort in Nesting [The Washington Post]
  • ‘I’m 39 Weeks Pregnant in the Middle of a Pandemic’ [Glamour]
  • How I’m Preparing for Postpartum Anxiety as an Already Anxious Person [Parents]
  • My Anxiety After Miscarriage Didn’t Stop When My Baby Was Born [Good Housekeeping]
  • My Miscarriage Made Me Grateful for My Sobriety [O! The Oprah Magazine]
  • The Anxiety of Pregnancy After Miscarriage [Glamour]
  • I’m Not Ready for Kids — But Waiting Might Not Be An Option [CafeMom]
  • Pregnancy Amplified My Workaholic Tendencies, but Here’s How I Learned to Chill [CARE.com]
  • Why I Chose to Announce My Pregnancy at 5 Weeks [SheKnows]
  • Masturbation During Pregnancy Is a Thing — I Would Know [Glamour]

Latinx Culture:

  • How Growing Up Russian and Cuban Made Me an American [Ravishly]
  • Am I Latina Enough? [Latina magazine]
  • ‘Coming to America’ Was the Immigrant Story My Family Needed [VICE]
  • My Small Cuban Family Contrasts with Latino Stereotypes Which has Often Made Me Question My Latinidad [Fierce by mitú]
  • What My Nameplate Necklace Means to Me [Fierce by mitú]
  • How My Latina Shame Kept Me from Going to Therapy for Years [The Flama]
  • Why I’m Glad My Mom Supported My Weight Loss Surgery [HipLatina]
  • Why Being an Immigrant Makes a Name Change Complicated [A Practical Wedding]
  • The Reality of Dating as a Bisexual Latina [The Flama]
  • Why Brooklyn 99’s Survival is so Important for Rosa Diaz Fans and Bi Representation On TV [Bella Books]
  • When Unhealthy Food is Part of Your Culture, How Do You Lose Weight? [Greatist]

Travel:

  • As a Cuban-American, I Can’t Help but Feel Jealous of My American Friends Traveling to Cuba [HipLatina]
  • I Had Plastic Surgery in Colombia — And I Would Do It Again in a Second! [MamásLatinas]
  • What I Learned About Latinos (And Myself) When I Moved Out of Florida [The Flama]

Relationships:

  • How Willow from ‘Buffy’ Helped Me Come Out [VICE]
  • Why I Made Masturbation Part of My Self-Care Routine [O! The Oprah Magazine]
  • My Husband and I Have a Great Marriage but We Still Go ro Couples Therapy. Here’s Why. [HuffPost]
  • I’m a Bisexual Woman in a Straight Relationship — and Yes, I Have the Right to Celebrate Pride [O! The Oprah Magazine]
  • Why It Took Me 7 Years to Realize I Was Sexually Manipulated [them.]
  • My First Time Having Sex Was Just the Way I Planned It, Nothing Special at All [Fierce by mitú]
  • How Wearing Lingerie Helped Me Fall in Love with My Body [Fierce by mitú]
  • I Cancelled My Wedding Because it was Getting Too Expensive — And Regret Nothing [Glamour]
  • I Got Engaged with a $35 Engagement Ring, and the World Didn’t End [Glamour]
  • This Bride’s Cold Feet had Nothing to do with Her Fiancé. It Dad to do with Her Feminism. [Upworthy]
  • I Picked My Partner Because He Didn’t Believe in Circumcision [Ravishly]
  • Marrying a Man Doesn’t Make Me Straight [A Practical Wedding]
  • Girl Talk: I Fell for My Starter Boyfriend [The Frisky]
  • 25 Candid Anal Sex Tips from Someone with Actual Experience [SheKnows]

Wellness: 

  • ‘I Fell in Love with THIS Food — And it Helped Maintain My 90-Pound Weight Loss’ [Women’s Health]
  • I Learned the Hard Way That Weight Loss Surgery Isn’t a Fix — It’s a Tool [Greatist]
  • My Body, My Choice: What Body Positivity Advocates Get Wrong About Weight Loss [Ravishly]
  • I Didn’t Need a Partner or a ‘Perfect’ Body For Boudoir Photos — And Neither Do You [Ravishly]
  • How Jennifer Lopez Inspired Me to Embrace My Curves [O! The Oprah Magazine]
  • Here’s What Happened When I Went From Couch Potato To Exercising For 30 Days Straight [Brit+Co]
  • I Didn’t Love Exercise Until I Embraced My Curves [Healthline]
  • The Importance of Taking a Mental Health Day [HipLatina]
  • How My Mom Convinced Me to Get Breast Implants [MamásLatinas]
  • Why Latinxs Need to Talk About Depression and Suicide [Fierce by mitú]
  • Here’s How I’m Learning to Manage My Anxiety as an Adult and Recovering from Years of Practicing Self-Harm [Fierce by mitú]
  • ORIGINAL RECIPE: Cuban Meaty Potato Stuffing [The Kitchn]
  • Make This Holiday Survival Smoothie for a Healthy Recovery [SheKnows]

Other:

  • My Electric Kettle That Looks As Cute As ‘Real’ Stove Kettles [Curbed]

Irina Gonzalez is a journalist, editor, and sober bisexual Latina mom with ADHD. She is the author of the Parenting in Hard Mode newsletter—for those of us who are raising social justice-minded families and getting real about mental health for parents navigating life on the difficult setting. She is also working on an upcoming book on impactful Latinx Americans with The Quarto Publishing Group.

©2025 Irina Gonzalez