Pina Soul Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Mona Gable,  an award-winning journalist and author of Searching for Savanna. Mona shares the inspiration behind her book, the reporting journey that brought this powerful story to life, and the lessons she learned while exploring themes of family, identity, resilience, and belonging. We also discuss her broader work covering gender, conservation, nature, and trav...

In this episode, we sit down with Teton Saltes of The Bear Program to discuss the power of education, mentorship, and cultural connection in supporting Indigenous youth. Teton shares the organization's mission, its impact on Indigenous communities, and the importance of creating opportunities that empower future generations. Join us for an inspiring conversation about leadership, resilience,...

In this episode of the Piña Soul Podcast, we sit down with Indigenous journalist, author, and human rights advocate Brandi Morin. Known for her courageous reporting on Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and the impacts of resource extraction on Indigenous communities, Brandi shares her journey as a storyteller committed to amplifying voices often left out of mainstream narratives. Together,...

In Episode 7 of Piña Soul, we are joined by Dr. Hortencia Jiménez, professor, sociologist, author, podcaster, and activist for a conversation about healing, identity, ancestral wisdom, and self-discovery. In Part 1, we discuss her new poetry collection, I Carry My Ancestors in My Bones: A Love Letter to Every Version of Me . Dr. Jiménez shares reflections on migration, belonging, queerness, and th...

Welcome to Episode 6 of the Piña Soul Podcast! 🎙️ In this episode, we speak with Otilia Portillo Padua, director and producer of Daughters of the Forest , an immersive sci-fi documentary that follows two Indigenous mycologists in Mexico as they navigate the intersections of ancestral knowledge, modern science, and environmental change. Together, we explore the relationships between humans and mush...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Rocio Rosales Meza, a Xicana/Mexicana seer, mother, spiritual guide, and initiated medicine woman with a Ph. D. in Counseling Psychology. Rooted in a matriarchal lineage, her work weaves together ancestral, Earth-based, and cosmic traditions through the Ñusta Paqo path in the Q’ero Inca lineage. With over 25 years of experience as a healer and teacher, Dr. Ros...

In this episode, we explore Pretty by KB Brookins, a powerful, award-winning memoir that confronts identity at the intersections of race, gender, and perception. Drawing from personal experience and Black queer studies, Brookins reflects on what it means to navigate the world as a Black trans masculine person in a society that is quick to define others. Pretty moves between tenderness and critique...

In this episode, we step into the winding, layered world of Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings by Myriam Gurba. Blending memoir, botany, and sharp cultural critique, Gurba invites us to reconsider California not just as a place, but as a living archive shaped by language, power, and ancestry. Structured like a labyrinth, the book moves through stories of plants, personal...

In this powerful episode, Dr. Beronda Montgomery invites us to reimagine the relationship between science, history, and the living world. Drawing from her book When Trees Testify , she reveals how trees are not just part of the landscape, but witnesses to history—holding stories of resilience, survival, and resistance within Black communities. Through a unique blend of plant biology, personal narr...

Welcome to the Piña Soul Podcast with Dr. Jessica Hernandez. Today’s episode features a powerful conversation with Dr. Kyle Mays, an Afro-Indigenous writer and scholar whose work explores U.S. history, urban studies, race relations, and contemporary popular culture. Dr. Mays joins us to discuss themes from his forthcoming book, When We Are Kin: The History and Future of Afro‑Indigenous Solidarity...