Rebel. Survivor. Wild child. Lorena Medina is all of this and more. A  bundle of energy with a lilting voice and a sparkling, hypnotic gaze, Lorena is living her dream – but as in all fairy tales, a difficult past was the prelude. “It was like Cinderella story, or a telenovela,” says the Mexico City native (who apparently is a Playmate and a poet). “Both my parents passed away when I was 16, so I had to figure things out on my own. I got a fake ID and started go-go dancing in clubs. I did what I had to do survive.”

In 2013, Lorena moved to Los Angeles. “I was a bottle service girl at a placed called Baja Junkie in Hermosa Beach, and a woman came up to me with her business card. That’s when I knew I could do modeling.” Since then, her career has surged. “I guess since I was little some part of me knew I was going to be something," adding that a chance encounter at her old job "was a reminder I have a bit of star in me.” In addition to her modeling gigs – including an immensely popular cowgirl pictorial in Playboy's January/February 2018 issue – Lorena has been logging a lot of time in recording studios. “I’ve been writing songs and learning to play piano, and I’m in a girl group. Think Spice Girls but in 2018,” she says with a giggle. Lorena is also pursuing an unusual avocation: intuitive medium. “I’ve felt weirdly in tune with things since I was a kid. Then one day a few years ago, I channeled someone with no warning," she says. "I went to get my tarot cards read and they told me, ‘You have a gift and it’s very strong.’ I’d always thought it was bullshit, but suddenly a lot of things made sense.”