Araceli Esparza
Araceli Esparza is a poet, author, transformational coach, and founder of Midwest Mujeres, a nonprofit that amplifies women's voices and economic power, particularly Latina and Black women. A first-generation Chicana from the Midwest, Araceli has spent more than 15 years using storytelling, poetry, and community-building to create spaces where lived experience becomes a source of connection, leadership, and action.
Her work is rooted in a simple belief: our stories are not just about where we've been. They can help shape where we go next. Through her writing, coaching, and community work, Araceli explores how the stories we carry can help us name injustice, reclaim belonging, build relationships, and imagine new possibilities together.
A twice Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and published author (Healing from Racial Discrimination, Ahora Que? Now What), Araceli brings her professional experience and lived experience into the spaces she facilitates. She believes some of our most powerful movements begin when one person is brave enough to tell the truth about what they have lived, and someone else realizes, “Me too.”