Cultura Convos

Leo Rodríguez was born in Dalton, Georgia and raised his first eight years in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In this episode, he talks about how that upbringing shapes how he shows up in the world, why he describes himself as a multipotentialite instead of searching for one calling, and how that shows up in his work as a creative strategist, DJ, and the founder of Corazón a Corazón, a poetry night and o...

What happens when you show up somewhere carrying assumptions you did not even know you had? In this solo episode, I share the story of packing turquoise pants for Burkina Faso, West Africa and what that cringe worthy thrift store moment revealed about the stories I had been carrying as truth without ever questioning them. From being so nervous telling my parents I was leaving for two years to arri...

What does food really mean to you? In this solo episode, I dive into my personal journey with food. From growing up eating Mexican food every day to the moment everything shifted when my dad had a stroke in high school. I share how witnessing this sparked a lifelong curiosity about health, ingredients, and the deep connection between cultura and what we put on our plates. From tacos de lengua to r...

In this episode of Cultura Convos , we explore Dominique Sade’s journey of reconnecting with her roots and the different layers of her healing and wellness path. Dominique, founder of Dominique Sade Healing & Wellness Institute, opens up about how her health challenges became a turning point that led her to discover Qigong, commit to the practice, and eventually teach it in a way that is roote...

In this episode of Cultura Convos, I sit down with Angie, NYC-born, Southern-raised, an NYU graduate with a Master’s in International Human Resources, and a mother navigating career, family, and life with intention. What began as a challenge with reading eventually grew into a deep love for it and even became a form of personal expression and rebellion. Through that journey, Angie found her voice...

In this episode, I share my personal birth story, starting with my home birth that took an unexpected turn when we had to transfer to the hospital (thankfully everyone was healthy). I was inspired to share this part of my journey because there was so much I didn’t know going into it and my homebirth team made such a big difference along with my family and friends. I also share a bit about my postp...

In this final episode of Season 1, I share the story of the birthing class I never knew I needed and how it changed everything. This experience allowed me to voice some of my fears around pregnancy while also helping me learn about the different options I had for birthing and making the decision to plan for a homebirth.  In this episode, I talk about how this class changed me, how it actually got...

Season 1, Episode 7 | How My Words Became Reality: The 60K Story, Traveling & Rewriting My Self-Talk In this episode of Cultura Convos , we explore something deeply personal and universal: the power of our words including the ones we say without thinking about them too seriously. I share moments where things I said casually ended up becoming my reality, what I learned from those experiences, a...

Season 1, Episode 6: Catracha Fitness, Cultura, and Courage with Joanna Banegas In 2023, Joanna founded Catracha Fitness, inspired by her deep-rooted love for movement, community, and underground Latin electronic music. Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the daughter of Honduran immigrant parents, she spent her days exploring the outdoors, jogging through the neighborhood, and playing with...

Born in Mexico and raised in the immigrant embrace of California’s San Gabriel Valley, Diana was nurtured by my mother’s resilience and the rhythms of Spanish-speaking Latino churches. As a first-generation, low-income, and formerly undocumented student, she carried her community’s stories into her studies of History and Latina/o Studies at Pomona College and later into my M.Div. at Harvard Divini...

Hola, hola. In this episode of Cultura Convos, I share the origins of my debut bilingual children’s book Two Homes, Dos Casas, from the spark of an idea to the decision to self-publish to raising nearly $10K to bring it to life. Along the way, I reflect on creativity and the importance of recognizing that even when we don’t see ourselves as “creatives,” we truly are. This episode is an invitation...

Welcome to Season 1 of Cultura Convos. In this episode, I dive into my why for Cultura Convos and why now? Through personal reflections, stories, and conversations with other guests, this community is forming so we can become the best version of ourselves by writing and rewriting our stories from a place of strength instead of embarrassment, fear, or shame. Our goal is to begin or continue your jo...

This episode is a personal one. I'm reflecting on my decision to become a mother and the conversation I had to have with myself to come to this decision.  I realized I was afraid to have a kid for so many reasons. Yet, ultimately when I shared the feelings out loud I realized the fears weren't enough. I did want a child. And I am so happy with my decision.  Whether it's motherhood o...

In today's episode, I share part of my journey of how I started reconnecting with my roots.  I'll share more about how it hasn't always been easy, but ultimately how this journey has helped me create a sense of pride in my culture, really understanding more of my story, my parents' story, and my great grandparents' story.  Support the show