Michelle Rojas Is Not Okay Audiobook By Ashley Soto Paniagua, Guillermo Zouain, Wendy Muniz, Jaime Fernandez cover art

Michelle Rojas Is Not Okay

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Michelle Rojas Is Not Okay

By: Ashley Soto Paniagua, Guillermo Zouain, Wendy Muniz, Jaime Fernandez
Narrated by: Dascha Polanco, The Kid Mero, full cast
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Michelle Rojas is not okay. In fact, she’s burnt out.

With a PsyD from Yale and a job at a renowned Connecticut therapy practice, Dominican psychologist Michelle Rojas is a Washington Heights success story. When she gets fired for lashing out at co-workers and giving patients questionable advice, Michelle returns home.

Ashamed yet bullish, she lies to her family and friends: Michelle—voiced by Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black, Samaritan)—opens a therapy practice in a local bodega under the false pretense of expanding the therapy practice from Connecticut to New York.

But where she’s from, people just don’t go to therapy. It’s a struggle to pierce the tough resistance from the community, even with support from her free-spirited cousin Dora (Darlene Demorizi) and her quick-witted childhood friend Niño (The Kid Mero).

Michelle Rojas Is Not Okay follows Michelle as she struggles to grapple with both her professional and personal identities. Throughout her journey, she faces setback after setback before it slowly becomes clear that she’s there not only to offer help to her community, but also to receive it.

Michelle Rojas is not okay, but will she be?

©2023 The Broadway Video Group, LLC (P)2023 The Broadway Video Group, LLC
Literature & Fiction Funny
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Preview Dascha Polanco in Michelle Rojas is Not Okay

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Guillermo Zouain

About the Creator

A Dominican-American producer, director, and editor. He received an MFA in film directing from the ESCAC and is cofounder at Zero Chill. His films have traveled worldwide through sales agents like M-Appeal and distributors that include Amazon. He also enjoys working as a creative producer for emerging Caribbean indie music bands.

Wendy Muñiz

About the Creator

Creative producer, scriptwriter, visual artist, and educator. A Dominican immigrant and first-generation student, she obtained a PhD in Latin American Cultures from Columbia University and is the cofounder of Zero Chill. Her work as a director, producer, and screenwriter has received the support of Ibermedia, DGCine (Dominican Republic), CNCINE (Ecuador), IMCINE (Mexico), and the Tribeca Film Institute, traveling worldwide from BAFICI, Dok Leipzig, and Montréal World Cinema to Colcata IFF, Sao Paulo, and Zlín. She is a graduate of the EAVE Producers Workshop and an Andrew W. Mellon and Woodrow Wilson Citizens and Scholars fellowship alumni for her work as a researcher and educator.

Jaime Fernandez

About the Creator

He is the co-founder and head writer of the comedy troupe Room 28, who were featured on NBC’s 2019 comedy competition series Bring the Funny and were also the first comedy troupe that were attached to Broadway Video’s online comedy channel ‘Mas Mejor.’

Ashley Soto Paniagua

About the Creator

A Mexican and Afro-Puerto Rican native of El Paso, Texas and a former high school teacher in Mississippi, Ashley’s writing credits include Emmy-winning The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Disney+), VIDA (Starz), and Fast & Furious Spy Racers (Netflix). Serving as Co-Executive Producer, Ashley most recently ran and directed Broadway Video/Audible Original podcast series Michelle Rojas Is Not Okay starring Dascha Polanco, she's sold and developed projects for Disney+, and her co-created pilot Chuchi and Adaliz Premieres at SXSW this spring. She was recognized with the CALI Catalyst Award by the Center for Cultural Innovation for her work co-founding #RaisethePercentage, a grassroots initiative that connected working TV writers with emerging Black/Afrolatinx writers in order to reduce barriers to access in the entertainment industry. A graduate of Amherst College, she is repped by Circle of Confusion.

Dascha Polanco

About the Performer

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Brooklyn by way of Miami, SAG Award winning actress Dascha Polanco is well known for her groundbreaking roles in Hollywood as a leading young Latina actor. A fan favorite, Polanco played the role of Dayanara Diaz on the hit Netflix original series, Orange is the New Black (OITNB). Polanco was most recently seen in HBO Max’s adaption of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. She will next be seen starring in the MGM film, Samaritan opposite Sylvester Stallone as well as the voice of Jessica Cruz / The Green Lantern in DC’s League of Super Pets. She recently completed work on the Peacock anthology series, Poker Face, opposite Natasha Lyonne and created & directed by Rian Johnson.
Recent credits of Polanco include Detective Lori Wieder in the Ryan Murphy FX anthology series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and the Narrator in HBO Max’s Gordita Chronicles. Other credits include Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman opposite Robert De Niro, Ava DuVernay’s Emmy-winning Netflix series When They See Us alongside John Leguizamo and, she co-starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in the 20th Century Fox film, JOY, directed by David O. Russell which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. No stranger to the big screen, Polanco also starred in The Perfect Match (2016) directed by Billie Woodruff and producer Queen Latifah and in Adrian Martinez’s indie dark comedy iCreep. She has also starred in Tom McCarthy’s The Cobbler with Adam Sandler (2015) and made her big screen debut opposite Vanessa Hudgens and Rosario Dawson in the dramatic independent flick, Gimme Shelter.
Polanco first received her big break in OITNB while attending classes for nursing at LIU and working as a Central Sterile Manager/Surgical Tech in two New York City hospitals. Since then, in addition to numerous film and TV roles, Polanco has been featured as the face of Old Navy’s national Spanish commercial campaign. In 2015/2016 she became part of the NFL's Women’s Apparel campaign, representing the New York Giants and the Latino community.
Her achievements have been recognized by numerous awards, including the ALMA Awards, HOLA Awards, and The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (Lupe Award). Huffington Post recognized her as one of the Latinas to be "Breaking The Mold," and The Hollywood Reporter named her one of the 40 Young Latino Powerhouses in Hollywood.
As an activist and advocate for the Latinx community and women’s rights, Polanco is on the Entertainment Committee for Feeding America and on the Board of Directors for the Starfish Foundation, which provides financial support to hardworking young women in need of the resources necessary to succeed. She is also very involved with the DREAM Project Foundation which provides more than 732,000 hours of quality education to more than 8,200 children through 14 different programs across 27 communities in the Dominican Republic. Dascha created the #selflovery campaign and is outspoken about representation/diversity in Hollywood as well as size inclusivity.

Darlene Demorizi

About the Performer

Known for her breakout role in the independent feature De Lo Mio currently streaming on HBO, Darlene (Dee) Demorizi is an actress, comedian, producer and host. She starred in her own series on Fuse, Like, Share, Dímelo and recently had memorable guest appearances on Gentefied for Netflix and on CBS’ long running hit series Blue Bloods. Dee is the host for several VICE franchises including *Blunt Reviews, Smokeables, and Dee on the Street. She is a proud second generation Dominican American who hails from the Bronx.

The Kid Mero

About the Performer

Mero was most recently the star and executive producer of Showtime's hit late-night series Desus & Mero, which aired its fourth and final season in early 2022. His book God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons From The Bronx was a New York Times bestseller. He is also known for the beloved podcast called Bodega Boys which he started with Desus back in 2015. Most importantly, Mero is a devoted father of three boys and one baby girl.

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This is the best!!!

Crossing my fingers for more from these characters! This story is much needed in today’s world.

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2 people found this helpful

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Imperfect can be impactful!

An enjoyable quick listen full of cultural references that addresses the stresses of being a minority professional attempting to make a difference in her seemingly reluctant old stomping ground.

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1 person found this helpful

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Great performances

Made me laugh and cry!! Such good performances! I hope they do more! It was so enjoyable to listen y con ese tumbao sabroso, qué más se le puede pedir! Congrats a todos que actuaron!

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  • Overall
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Perfectly laid out

Loved it. Hits home and explains what we go through as women of this culture.

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Great listen

Throughly enjoyed, hope there will be more from the writers. one of the things I loved most is
the community relationships remind me of home.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Full cast, a journey that still hits home.

From the sounds, personalities and story I felt a sense of escape but enjoyed that Michelle's story was one that resonates with many.

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Love it!!

This is the best audiobook I ever heard. This was perfect I was happy, laughing, dancing and glad to felt similar as a Latina woman.

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Great story

Stories about family the ones we are related to and the ones we make along the way when told we’ll are entertaining and this is exactly what this is.

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Loved it

I hardly ever write reviews but the story was so refreshing and taught so many lessons in an entertaining way. Can’t wait to see what Michelle and Dora do next

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Loved it! As someone with ADHD

I often have trouble with books keeping my attention this I had no problem. The performance was great, I just wish the story was longer!

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