Kapwa Konversations

On this we have Lauren Santiago, a Brooklyn-based community builder, multidisciplinary creative, and founder of aNAK—an immersive retreat experience rooted in the belief that creativity and connection can help us return to ourselves. aNAK stands for Awaken in Nature, Artistry, and Kinship, reflecting the three pillars that shape the experience: reconnecting with the natural world, engaging our inn...

On this we have Michelle “Mich” Bengzon (she/her/siya/sila), LMFT. She is a couples and relationship therapist based in New York City who specializes in anxious attachment, people-pleasing patterns, and the childhood wounds that quietly run our adult relationships. As a Filipino-American immigrant, Michelle brings a lens that most therapy spaces miss: one that holds the weight of colonial and cult...

On this episode of the podcast we have Eunice Kimian (she/her), a Somatic Business Coach for visionary daughters of immigrants, entrepreneurs, and creatives who are ready to bet on themselves and build a thriving business and life they love, with ease and pleasure. With over a decade of experience in somatic coaching, entrepreneurship, growth strategy, and sales, she helps you uncover your unique...

On this episode of the podcast we have Mike Sagun who is the founder of SHIFT Men's Retreats, SHIFT Men's Foundation, and the co-founder of MELD (Men's Emotional Leadership Development). As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) he designs, produces, and facilitates somatic based experiences through 1:1 coaching online programs, and in-person re...

On this episode of the podcast, we have Kristine Citarella. Kristine Citarella is the CEO and Founder of Spark OBM Agency , where she helps online coaches and entrepreneurs streamline their systems, scale with ease, and step fully into their CEO role without the tech headaches. With a background in corporate product management and over a decade of experience in marketing, operations, and project m...

On this episode of the podcast, we have Justine Lee. Justine leads the development and management of all artist and organization-focused programs at Asian American Arts Alliance (A4), a nonprofit serving AAPI artists and cultural groups across disciplines. Previously, she facilitated bridge-building conversations featured on NPR, CBS Evening News, and BBC. Her work with the AAPI community includes...

On this episode of the podcast, we have Jerome Viloria, who I met through the dance community. Our journeys have followed similar journeys of integrating our identity into our art and our careers serving the AAPI community, through the theme of art as a form of wellness. Jerome is a queer, non-binary public health professional based in Astoria, NY by way of the Hudson Valley. With a BA in Biology...

On this episode of the podcast, we have Andrew Suseno, who I met through his workshop Brotherhood in Motion: Explore Masculinity through Movement & Reflection. It was a powerful space for Southeast Asian men to move through and discuss concepts of strength, manhood, resilience, and care using a framework designed by Moving Rasa .  Andrew Suseno is a Chinese-Indonesian American movement ar...

On this episode of the podcast, we have Robespierre Dornagon , one of my best friends for over 15 years! Listen as we reflect on the importance of community and communication, and reminisce on lessons learned witnessing each other grow and evolve over the years.  Robes is the Founder of DirectStory an advertising resource group created by advertisers FOR advertisers to connect. Network. And g...

On this episode of the podcast we have Isidora Torres , author of Working with Feelings , to discuss the topic of Dimensions of Care. As a daughter of Filipino immigrants, Isidora greatly emphasizes understanding family dynamics and how they inform generational patterns. She has published work on her exploration as a Filipino-American within American culture and the impact of acculturation on iden...

It’s about time! On this episode of Kapwa Konversations we welcome Tanvi Mittal, a coach and facilitator who holds reflective spaces, to join us to discuss all things related to time. You’ll hear us connect on: Our relationship with time growing up in our cultures  Where do you find flow vs. resistance? Time as a concept – is it something you own? Experience? Something else? We think this is...

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well. I'm excited to catch you up on life since we were last on the air in early 2022! In this into to season 2 of the podcast we'll go into: what I've been up to these past 2 years why bring back the podcast now? what am I learning/re-learning? what's next for this season of the podcast? what topics will we cover? I look forward to being in kapwa (to see the self i...

Hi Everyone. We are hopping on the mic to share a bonus episode of what we've been up to since season 1 ended, what the vision for Kapwa Yoga and the podcast looks like for 2022, and an invite to our first event of the year: Kapwa Currentsea: Healing Our Money Stories March 26th 3-5:30pm EST It will be a virtual space where we offer a combination of journaling, conversation, embodiment, and yoga t...

Christine is a professional actress onstage and onscreen. Most of her experience has been in the regional theatre and she has worked at Tony Award-winning companies such as the Public Theatre (in NYC), the Alley (in Houston), the Denver Center and Utah Shakespeare Festival. She recently Guest Starred on CBS’ Magnum P.I. as a 1986 Imelda Marcos! She was a theatre kid in my teens and started ou...

Natalie is both a Yoga Teacher and Essential Oil Educator. She has been on an odyssey to find home within herself through her travels around the globe and in her quest for deep connection, radically fun living and healing. Among her most adventurous journeys were in her political science days at St. Petersberg Technical University in Russia on a National Security Education Program S...

Chloe Alcid is a professional dance artist and movement teacher based in Manila, Philippines. After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Dance in 2014, she underwent her 200-hr Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training and decided to take a break from dancing. During this break, which ended up lasting for 4 years, Chloe accumulated over 700 hours of yoga training, focus...

Stef is all about intensity. Off the bike, she’s accustomed to high intensity interval training and circuit training. Workouts that she believes only yield results as great as the effort that is put into them. Stef leads each class with the utmost level of intensity and resistance while having equally as much fun. Always hoping to push and inspire her riders to approach each cl...

Ea Torrado is a multidimensional healing artist whose medicine blends the use of body, voice, ritual and storytelling. She is also the founder of Daloy Movement , a guided and durational free-form healing dance practice originated and developed in the Philippines, that many people find liberating, transformative and healing. With 17 years of professional dance and teaching experience, coupled...

Marissa is a compassion-focused therapist and certified yoga instructor at the 200-hour level. She runs a virtual private practice where she works with women and the LGBTQIA+ community to build awareness, skills, and a compassionate self. As a queer woman herself, she has a personal and professional understanding of what it means to hold these identities and uses this knowledge to care and support...

Tim Landicho is a personal trainer and online coach based in NYC. He got his start in the fitness industry because of his fascination with movement (since he is a dancer), but his driving force gradually evolved as he realized that training, nutrition, and mindset are all simply vehicles for living a more fulfilled life -- one that constantly nourishes us and allows us to give back...

Jeffrey’s yoga journey started in 2007, after graduating from Berklee College of Music. At the time he couldn’t afford to attend daily yoga classes, but the practice was such an emotional healing bomb for him that he learned on his own from DVDs, YouTube and attending one community class each week at his local yoga studio. Jeffrey moved to New York in 2009 and began practicing at Jivamukti Yo...

We are back and want to share this bonus grounding guided meditation for the new year. Inspired by a recent trip to Hawaii, we use the visualization of the mountain as a reminder that strength and stability lies within. We'll be back with our next Konversation later this week. In the meantime, you can stay connected with us on IG at @kapwa.yoga . Thank you, Maraming Salamat, and catch you on the n...

Kimberly is the chef and co-founder of Kora, an apartment-based bakery born during the COVID-19 pandemic that explores the richness of Filipino culture & flavors through cuisine and her late grandmother’s recipes. She is an alumna of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York with pastry & savory NYC restaurant experience for teams like Make it Nice and USHG. Kimberly is a pr...

Paolo Española is a wandering diner in search of a good meal and an ever-elusive identity. He started this blog during his soul-crushing stint as an accountant and later co-founded Hidden Apron , his side project that dabbles in everything from catering, hosting pop-up dinners, podcasting, and everywhere in between. He is also a contributing author to the best-selling cookbook, “The New Filipino K...

An LA native dedicated to staying in the Lenape Territory for awhile. Melani De Guzman is a Filipinx-American multidisciplinary dance artist, actor, educator, community facilitator, and healer. The heart of her work is rooted in healing, sensual embodiment, and reclaiming ancestral lineages. She has integrated her diverse practices and collaborative partnerships into site-specific solo works, danc...