Gold Hoops and God Podcast

This week my lovely guest is the amazing Lupita Castañeda-Liles. She is currently a student at the University of Southern California pursuing her degree in Neuroscience and is the co-founder of Becoming Mujeres, an organization that focuses on Latina mental health. She identifies as Chicana and embraces her complex identity. She is also an active Roman Catholic. It is a fabulous conversation to wr...

This week my amazing guest is poet and passionate educator Diosa Xochíquetzalcóatl. I know you will love hearing her share her story. She identifies as both a Chicana and Mexicana having spent significant time on both sides of the frontera. She has even done some fantastic exploration of her ancestry, tracing back several generations of her lineage. We discuss her prolific writing including her la...

  This week my lovely guest is Artist and Central American studies scholar Paula Ayala. She was born in Los Angeles and raised in Fresno, CA. Her Salvadoran roots run deep. In this episode she shares how her social location inspired many questions about identity. She gives us an amazing insight into Salvadoran culture particularly through her family’s love of music. In terms of faith, we discuss s...

My guest this week is the lovely Bianca Alba. Bianca was born in Bolivia and grew up in the USA...in Northern Virginia specifically. She currently resides in Puerto Rico and has lived on the island for over a decade now. She shares how a trip to South Africa really sparked her love for travel. Her company “This Latina travels” has grown into a blog, podcast, and thriving business. Bianca also shar...

My guest this week is Award winning podcaster Angela Briones. She is the host of, “The Gay Podcast for Everyone” and “Thank you for Joining me” where she takes us on a behind the scenes look at podcasting. Growing up in Austin, Texas...Angela shares how dancing Baile Folklorico for many years allowed her to connect and learn about her culture. She also mentions how important it was that there were...

This week, my guest is the lovely Yazmín García. She is an artist and is the owner of Sagrario Arte Studio.  Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico...Yazmín and her family are currently based in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a proud Mexican American, she shares her immigration story with us. In fact, she is working on a children’s book as a helpful way to share her immigration story and help other families....

This week, my guest is podcaster Jennifer Cortez. Jennifer’s podcast and group “Latina Leaders” is an amazing space for BIPOC women. She is in the GTA region of Canada. As a proud Canadian Ecuadorian, Jennifer’s parents instilled education and a love of learning. Her family is talented and has many gifts. Her mom and Grandmother were singers in Ecuador. She has grown up in a family of very strong...

This week, my guest is First Gen academic influencer Cynthia Nunez. As a first generation Mexican American, she became aware of issues of racism at an early age. We connected on both being eldest daughters and being family oriented. She also shares how faith and spirituality have always been present in her life. She also has a podcast called “Academic Comadres.”   https://www.instagram.com/academi...

This week, my guest is Rubi Tapia. In addition to being in a doctoral program for biomedical engineering at Northwestern, she also hosts a podcast called “Academic Comadres” with her amiga Cyn Nunez.   Rubi reflects on the current political climate and disturbing anti-immigrant rhetoric. She shares how she was undocumented until she was sixteen years old, reality that shaped her high school years....

This week, my guest is the lovely Heidy De la Cruz. In addition to being an award-winning podcaster, of “The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants podcast.”  She is a wife and mom. In our conversation, her passion for podcasting and for sharing the courageous stories of immigrants shines through.   Heidy is currently located in Central Florida and is very proud of her Dominican roots.  She shar...

Episode 10: Dr. Yohana Junker – Joy as Resistance #latina #art  This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed my dear friend and colleague Dr. Yohana Junker. In addition to being an artist and Reiki master, Dr. Junker is an Associate Professor of Art, Spirituality, and Culture at Claremont School of Theology. We have an amazing conversation about healing and decolonial art practices...

Episode 9: Dr. Marisol – Choose your hard #latina #intuition   This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed Dr. Marisol. She is an alchemist, mystic, and curandera. I know you are going to love this conversation! She is Salvadoran American and has lived on both the east coast and west coast of the USA. We talk about migration and the search for a place to call home. She also shares...

Episode 8: Dr. Christina Rodriguez – Educated Latinas  This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed Dr. Christina Rodriguez. In this conversation, she shares her cultural background and doctoral journey. She is Nicaraguan and grew up in the Bay Area. Currently, she lives in Vallejo, California with her husband and children. She is also the founder of “Latinas in Masters,” which foc...

Episode 7- Gabriela Meza: Gifts from the Ancestors #latina #ancestors   This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed Gabriela Meza. She truly embodies the transnational experience as she grew up in various parts of California and in El Sauzal, Baja California. We were able to speak about indigenous struggles and solidarity work. One of my favorite parts of this episode is when we t...

  Episode 6: Danielle Guillen- Where is the love... of neighbor? #latina #citizenship  This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed Danielle Guillen. Danielle is a social impact consultant from the Inland Empire and is of Mexican American background. We talked about her family connections to Chihuahua, Mexico and growing up with Chicano culture. Prior to her work in social impact,...

Season 4, Episode 5: Lola Barraza- The best of both worlds #losangeles #latina  This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed Lola Barraza. Lola is an esthetician and energy reader based in Los Angeles. She shares with us her experience as a Mexican- American who also spent a lot of time in Mexico. Lola comes from generations of small business owners. We address gentrification in LA...

Episode 4: Nichole Christine- What is a spiritual awakening? #intuition #latina This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interview Nichole Christine. She is a psychotherapist and coach based here in California. If you tuned in last week, you would know that she is Gabrielle Celeste’s sister, and they have a podcast called “The Spiritual Sisters”.  Nichole Christine shares her experience as...

Episode 3: Gabrielle Celeste, Am I intuitive?  This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interview the wonderful Gabrielle Celeste. Gabrielle Celeste is an intuitive astrologer. She shares a bit about her journey and the ancestral work she has done. We talk about the importance of intuition, family, and her Catholic roots. Speaking of family, she hosts a fantastic podcast with her sisters c...

Episode 2: Grace Agostino, How to be confident in yourself This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interview the lovely Grace Agostino.  Grace Agostino is the Vice President of Network Sales at Nueva Network, working with national brands and agencies. She is not only an expert in marketing and media, but she also has decades of experience in radio. Grace is proudly Cuban American and a pr...

Carla Santamaria: Should I stay, or should I go? This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interview Carla Santamaria. She is originally from San Pedro, Honduras and is Miami based. Our conversation covers her experiences growing up in the Mormon church. I am so appreciative of her honesty as she shares how racism and harassment eventually led her to make the difficult decision to leave the...

Season 3, Episode 10: Odalys Jasmine, How can I become resilient? This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed the lovely Odalys Jasmine. As a first-generation Hondureña, Odalys leans into her sense of curiosity through the art of storytelling. She proudly represents her community of Southeast San Diego, California and is the host of a fantastic podcast. Her podcast “Hella Latin@”...

Season 3, Episode 9: Rev. Milly Silencio, How can I deepen my faith? This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed Rev. Milly Silencio. Milly is Peruvian and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. We talk about growing up in urban cities and our love of music! Milly is currently working on her Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary and is a wife and mother. Our conversatio...

Season 3, Episode 8: Yesenia Godoy, How can I improve my Money Mindset? This week on “The Gold Hoops and God” podcast, I interviewed Yesenia Godoy. She is a money mindset coach based out of New Mexico. She was born in Mexico and grew up in the Southwestern part of the United States. Yesenia shares that she often served as an English translator for her parents. Looking back, she sees this process o...

Season 3, Episode 7: Jaylah Sandoval- Take the leap! This week on “The Gold Hoops & God” podcast, I interviewed Jaylah Sandoval. She is a multimedia personality and has worked in many fields including tech, modeling, and radio. Jaylah shares her unique experience of growing up Salvadoran and Costa Rican in Boca Raton, Florida. She also shares how taking the risk and moving to New York to start her...

Season 3, Episode 6: Adriana Espinosa – Can I heal myself? This week on “The Gold Hoops & God” podcast, I interviewed Adriana Espinosa. She is the host of the “Finding the Healer Within” podcast. Her podcast focuses on tapping into healing and most importantly, finding a sense of comfort. She is in Houston, Texas and shares with us a bit about her very musical family and how musical performance ca...