In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Karina Barillas shares what it looks like to live courage not as a choice, but as a necessity — from speaking up as a child in the face of abuse to leading a movement rooted in dignity, belonging, and community.
She brings us into the reality of what it means to use your voice in spaces that don’t welcome it — and the courage required to insist on humanity, visibility, and equity for immigrant and refugee communities.
This is a conversation about courage, voice, and belonging — and what it takes to build spaces where people don’t have to fight to be seen.
Meet Karina Barillas ✨
Karina Barillas is the co-founder and Executive Director of La Casita Center, a Latinx and feminist-led nonprofit dedicated to accompaniment, empowerment, and advocacy for families facing poverty and limited access to resources.
A native of Guatemala and Fulbright Scholar, Karina has spent decades working alongside immigrant and refugee communities, including supporting Latina survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking.
She is a nationally recognized advocate for equity, dignity, and belonging, and her leadership has been honored with numerous awards, including Louisville’s Keepers of the Dream Freedom Award and the Mexican government’s Ohtli Award.
Karina is also a proud mother of two and loves to dance salsa, sing, garden, and cook with her husband, Louis.
Conversation Highlights 🎙️
- Courage as Survival — Karina reflects on her childhood experiences with abuse and how speaking up, even at a young age, became a necessary act of survival.
- Finding Voice in a New Country — After arriving in the U.S., she encountered racism for the first time and chose to speak up — challenging narratives about identity, belonging, and who gets to claim space.
- Silence Is Not an Option — Karina shares her belief that silence is complicity, and how that principle guides her leadership and advocacy, even when it carries risk.
- Building La Casita — She describes creating a Latinx-led organization rooted in dignity, community, and investment — not charity — to support immigrant and refugee families.
- A Vision for Belonging — Karina envisions a world where her community’s humanity is not questioned, where they are not an afterthought, and where belonging does not require explanation or permission.
“Silence is complicity.” — Karina Barillas
Stay in Touch 🔗
With Karina Barillas
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-barillas-b39145269/
La Casita Center Website↗: https://www.lacasitacenter.org/
With Dr. Kristi McClamroch
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch
Website ↗: www.CourageousPublicHealth.com
Follow for weekly reflections on courage and leadership ↗: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6
Public Health Consulting to Support You 🤝
We partner with public health, healthcare, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to design and facilitate interactive workshops for women leaders in public health — turning courage into a leadership skill so it becomes an organizational strength.
If your organization would benefit from this kind of support, we’d love to connect. Reach out on LinkedIn ↗ or through our website ↗.
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