Luisa Navarro, a Mexican-American journalist, entrepreneur and author, is on a quest to celebrate the richness and depth of Mexican culture far beyond its borders. She does this through Mexico in My Pocket — a blog that grew into an e-commerce brand and Brooklyn boutique — and her new book, “Mexico’s Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life Through Photos and Stories.”

Speaking to Mexico News Daily, she shared how this mission feels more urgent than ever amid the current political climate and growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. It’s clear that, at her core, she sees her work as part of a bigger purpose: helping reshape how Mexico is understood and portrayed in the United States. 

The genesis of Mexico in My Pocket 

Luisa is a storyteller at heart, which is why she began her career in journalism, working at CNN and Fox News. She wanted to tell stories that reflected her world — stories centered on her community — but her pitches were often dismissed by editors and producers.

In 2019, after a deeply meaningful trip to visit her grandmother in Saltillo, Coahuila, she decided to tell those stories herself. She realized she’d been so focused on her career that six years had passed since she’d last been to Mexico, and she didn’t know when she’d be able to return.

So she started an Instagram page that slowly evolved into a blog. She named it Mexico in My Pocket because she wanted the memories and beauty of Mexico to live with her wherever she went. Tucked in her pocket like her phone or any of the small, essential things we carry with us. But she also wanted it to be accessible and shareable, a place where others could experience Mexico’s warmth, traditions and everyday magic right alongside her.

“I wanted to spread awareness about the beauty of our culture,” she said. “I was so sick of people portraying Mexicans in a negative way.”

Pandemic foray into entrepreneurship 

The brand grew slowly at first, and Luisa worked hard to cultivate a community of contributors. She created her own content, built relationships online, and ran her passion project alongside her full-time job in news. But when she was furloughed at the start of the pandemic, she suddenly had the time — and emotional space — to focus fully on Mexico in My Pocket.

Despite her long-standing desire to turn the project into a business, the way it actually began was completely serendipitous.

“Mexican artisans started DMing me on Instagram asking for help,” she said.

With travel at a standstill, many artisans were struggling, so Luisa began building a page with their products and their stories. The interest from her audience was immediate, but the logistics were messy: shipping costs were prohibitively high, and many potential customers didn’t feel comfortable wiring money to Mexico.

Luisa felt a deep responsibility to help. She dove into learning Shopify, began purchasing products upfront, and then started doing presales to minimize risk. The margins were terrible, but as she explains, she wasn’t doing it for profit; she was doing it because she couldn’t ignore what these artisans were going through. It was nerve-racking conducting business through WhatsApp and Instagram with makers she had never met, relying entirely on trust. But she felt energized. Working with artisans gave her a sense of purpose she hadn’t felt in years.

Thankfully, she had a community ready to support her. Her audience responded immediately, buying pieces as soon as she listed them.

Mexico in My Pocket sells authentic Mexican arts and crafts, like these silver earrings. (Mexico in My Pocket)“People wanted to contribute, people wanted to help, and the artisans needed help — and then they were inspired because our community showed up,” she said. “It was this beautiful cycle. Exhausting, yes. But inspiring. Truly beautiful.”

As her sales grew, so did the challenges. Luisa soon learned that not all advice — even from well-meaning people — was the right fit for her business. At one point, her margins became so thin that Mexico in My Pocket nearly went under.

Without a business background or affinity for numbers, she turned to other small business owners for guidance, slowly rebuilding her pricing model and confidence. Through that process, she learned to trust her instincts, seek advice intentionally, and follow the kind of counsel that aligned with her values, not just what others thought she “should” do.

Elevating Mexican arts and crafts

The relationships Luisa built with artisans during the pandemic, when many were struggling to stay afloat, have grown into thoughtful, business-savvy collaborations. One of her most popular items, the Mazahua earrings, reflects that evolution. During the early days of COVID, the artisans feared they might have to abandon their traditional techniques. Today, they work with Luisa to develop designs that honor their heritage while appealing to a wider audience.

She is deeply proud of these partnerships and of the products they have created together over the past five years. For Luisa, these collaborations are more than commerce. They preserve tradition while helping artisans not only survive but thrive.

A major part of her mission is shifting how Mexican craftsmanship is perceived.

“I think it’s our media representation that gives people this idea that Mexico is not elevated or not luxurious or elegant, and that’s not true at all,” she said.

She believes Mexican crafts belong in designer homes just as much as in humble ones, and she is determined to help people see them that way. With a big smile, she adds, “Mexico is art.”

Even the location of her physical shop aligns with her mission to elevate the perception of Mexico. Mexico in My Pocket sits in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens, a wealthy neighborhood where, as Luisa puts it, many residents “don’t know the Mexico I grew up visiting.”

In the early days, longtime locals were curious — even puzzled — about why a Mexican boutique had opened there. But for Luisa, that was exactly the point.

“It’s a place where we get to introduce the culture, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I want to go to places where they don’t know us,” she explained.

Today, she has become an integral part of the neighborhood, but she admits those first months were challenging. Establishing Mexico in My Pocket in that particular corner of Brooklyn required patience, persistence and trust in her vision.

Día de Muertos as medicine

The inspiration for her debut book, “Mexico’s Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life Through Photos and Stories,” began with a desire to share Mexico’s most meaningful holiday with the world — and also to honor her cousin Lila, who passed away at just 24. Luisa was 21 at the time, and the loss devastated her. Lila had been like a sister. Although she tried therapy and church, nothing brought her true comfort until she began honoring Lila’s life and spirit during Día de Muertos. That’s when the holiday became deeply personal.

“Losing the person is already hard,” she said, “but what feels even harder is that you’re not allowed to talk about them anymore because it’s taboo. That feels like a bigger death.”

Día de Muertos gave her permission to keep Lila’s memory alive, and that tradition turned into a source of healing.

Her connection to the holiday deepened again when Mexico in My Pocket was on the brink of closing. That year, instead of creating altars for famous figures like Frida Kahlo or Diego Rivera, she built a personal altar in her store. She couldn’t afford all the materials, so she turned to her community and asked for marigolds. People showed up with armfuls of flowers from their gardens, and Luisa brought in family photos from home.

What happened next surprised her. Customers began sharing their own stories of loved ones who had passed.

“It was this serendipitous moment,” she said. “People opened up. It was cathartic. And that’s when I realized more people need this. More people need this in their life.”

Her book has become exactly that — a gentle balm for readers seeking ways to honor their dead or move through grief. The response has been overwhelming. She’s currently on a buzzy book tour, recently appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and made the USA Today bestseller list.

A voice for her community

When asked how she processes the current climate in the United States, where immigrants and Latinos are still being targeted and stereotyped, Luisa paused before answering, reflecting on how heavy these times feel. Because she has built a business rooted in Mexican culture, she sees it as her responsibility to speak up.

“It’s important not to stay silent right now,” she said. “It can feel strange as a business owner to share openly, but I can’t not share. This affects our community, our people.”

She leads her business with her heart, and her work has always been centered on community.  

“We have built something grounded in Mexican culture. How could we possibly stay silent?” she said.

The current political moment feels sad, harrowing and draining, she said. She lets herself feel it. She takes time to cry, to process, to breathe. But she always returns to her purpose.

“I am drained,” she said softly, “but I am also privileged. And because of that, I feel like I need to use my voice for people who can’t.”

As for what comes next, Luisa hopes to keep expanding that purpose. She wants to write more books and eventually make a film. Above all, she hopes her work continues to amplify the truth she knows so deeply.

“Mexicans are the most helpful people. We are the most inviting, welcoming, warm culture,” she said. “And I take a lot of pride in that.”

And as long as Luisa keeps telling Mexico’s stories, more people will finally get to see the Mexico she carries in her pocket.

Rocio is a Mexican-American writer based in Mexico City. She was born and raised in a small village in Durango and moved to Chicago at age 12, a bicultural experience that shapes her lens on life in Mexico. She’s the founder of CDMX IYKYK, a newsletter for expats, digital nomads, and the Mexican diaspora, and Life of Leisure, a women’s wellness and spiritual community.