Who said life would be easy? Mine certainly wasn’t, and still isn’t. Perhaps it will never be. And yet, like Teresa Mendoza, of Queen of the South, I feel I slay every day. And I like to celebrate it by watching the show on USA Network, Thursday 10pm/9PMc. Best part of it is, that wonderful feeling when I share the viewing with a good friend. We can catch up on our lives, then immerse ourselves in the story of Mendoza overcoming adversity and coming out on top. All this while we sip on delicious beverages and munch on snacks.

Today, I’m a Spanish teacher at a reputable school in California. I get paid to do what I’m best at: teaching. It’s in my blood and it’s what makes me tick. What I love the most is that I get to make a difference in the lives of the kids in my classroom. I also get to chaperone school trips to beautiful places like Nicaragua and China.

Over 20 years ago, I was in an extremely dark personal place at the time. In order to find strength and hope one day I moved from Spain to San Francisco out of a survival instinct. I have called California home ever since. Teresa Mendoza of Queen of the South also finds herself uprooted from Mexico to the U.S. for different reasons. But she, too, is forced to forge forward no matter what.

The path to any kind of success is often winding. Mine is no different. Those who look at me today may see a positive, caring, insightful woman. But this only came about after a lifetime of struggles that included addictive behaviors, abusive relationships, a midlife divorce and crisis that caused me to question my entire life once again.

Now that I’m on the other side of heartbreak, loss, unemployment and sometimes hopelessness, I can tell you it IS possible to overcome almost anything life throws our way. It takes a strong mindset and letting yourself be carried by friends and family when you can’t carry yourself.

If I ever have a down day, I remind myself that the new season of Queen of the South airs every Thursday at 10PM/9PMc on USA Network. That keeps me going. Watching Teresa Mendoza in action inspires me to slay no matter what, every single day. And guess what, the way I watch Queen of the South is with the friends who´ve stood by me in the toughest of times.

One of my best friends has also been through a tough divorce and she and I get together to toast to better times to come. I drink a non-alcoholic beverage and she sips her wine. And who says popcorn and wine don´t mix? When you´re newly single you just love to mix and match things that maybe you couldn´t do when you were married. There really is nothing better than two strong women watching the story of of an empowered mujer.

I had never had a watch party before, but now my friends and I gather to watch Queen of the South every Thursday at 10PM/9PMc on USA Network.