Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Modern Latina may earn a commission on purchasesGrowing up, many of us heard “calladita te ves más bonita.” You’re prettier when you’re quiet. Hady Méndez heard it too, and her new book Calladita No More is her answer to it.

I’ve heard Hady speak before, and she’s always motivating, so I came to this book with high expectations. She met every one of them. The warmth and wisdom she brings to the stage are all over these pages. Each chapter opens with a refrán, one of the dichos our abuelas and tías loved to repeat. From there she tells a story from her own life and pulls out a lesson you can use right away.

The Lesson That Hit Home

The chapter that stayed with me most is about accepting that you won’t be for everyone. For years in corporate I worked hard to win everyone over. Any feedback that wasn’t glowing felt like a personal failure. Hady’s point is that the search for universal approval costs us energy we could spend on work and people that matter. Reading it felt like permission to stop performing and start showing up as myself.

Like Coffee With a Friend

Reading this book felt like catching up with a close friend. It’s chatty and full of personality, and I could hear Hady’s voice in every chapter. You’ll laugh, you might tear up, and you’ll finish feeling seen. It’s part memoir and part pep talk for anyone learning to reclaim their voice, time, boundaries, and joy.

This book is made for sharing. Pick it up for a friend starting a new job, a daughter or niece heading off to college, or a comadre who’s ready for her next chapter. It would be a great pick for a book club, a company ERG discussion, or a Hispanic Heritage Month event. It would also make a thoughtful gift for a mentee, for your team, or for a graduation, promotion, or birthday.

Watch: The Modern Latina Book Club Conversation With Hady

Calladita No More, Indeed

This book gives you permission to be all of who you are, with no apologies. If you’re Latina, you’ll see yourself in it. If you’re not, you’ll get an honest look at our experience from someone who has lived it.

Meet the Author

Hady Méndez is a Nuyorican author, speaker, and coach from New York and the first in her family to graduate from college. She spent more than 25 years in tech and financial services, including a leadership role in workplace equity, while championing employee resource groups along the way. She also worked with women affected by incarceration and led a community school in the South Bronx. Today she runs Boldly Speaking LLC, where she coaches professionals who are often overlooked. She also hosts Latinas Front and Center on LinkedIn.

Calladita No More came out in September 2025. It has since won several honors, including a top prize for nonfiction memoir at the International Latino Book Awards.

Learn more at boldlyspeakingllc.com/calladitanomore.