This Is EZ With Friends

Danellia Arechiga aka Dane Real is the multidimensional mami. She’s a birth worker, a mother, a teacher, a healer, a musician, a writer, and one of the most free and confident women I’ve ever met.  We met back in the early 2000s and lost touch for many years until we reconnected on social media. Her Instagram captions were like warm hugs for my soul. I told her while we were recording, that I wasn...

The podcast is back, and so is Mark, for this introductory episode about slowing down in the new year. I know that it’s March, but it’s never too late or too early to start implementing healthier habits and behaviors. I talk about shoveling food into my mouth at an alarming rate, having road rage, and the benefits of my break from social media at the end of last year. If you’re feeling burnt out a...

The season finale of This is EZ with Friends has arrived and I am honored to share it with all of you. Aileen Paola Villarreal Castillo and I have been friends since 1994. We shared a love of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harry Potter, The Backstreet Boys, and Back To The Future. Our braces and hairy legs set us apart from the rest and we owned our awkward pre-teen phase like a couple of divorcees w...

Jessica Estrada always knew that she wanted to be a mom. At age 40, she made peace with her single life and even contemplated having a baby on her own. Shortly thereafter, she met the love of her life. They got pregnant within their first six months of dating and, sadly, Jess miscarried. She took the experience in stride and hoped that she would get another shot at motherhood. At 43, Jess is engag...

Marissa Leal is an artist, a dental hygienist, and one of my favorite people in the world. She volunteered her time and her story to the podcast, and to say that I am grateful would be understating it. Marriage struggles, health struggles, and a fear of vulnerability made for a difficult year for Marissa. But don’t worry, it was a healing podcast for both of us. Life isn’t always easy, but it’s EZ...

Jake Rothfeld grew up in a New Jersey town where an opioid epidemic created a rise in suicide cases. It was commonplace for Jake to find out that someone he grew up with had succumbed to dark thoughts. Despite having great parents and an excellent support system, he battled his own demons during his seventh grade year. Jake brings so much insight to the podcast, which allowed me to talk about my o...

Mark Morales is a Texas native, an ex-musician, and definitely not my old boss. He and I caught up after COVID times and busy lives. Mark talks about losing his mom during the pandemic and coming to terms with his mortality after her death hit his family pretty hard. It’s not a sad podcast at all, because Mark is a glass-half-full kinda guy. He’s funny, he’s smart, and he’s one of the coolest peop...

Christina Arzate spent a few years getting to know herself before setting up her Hinge profile, joining a sexual empowerment group, and dying her hair purple and pink. Christina wears wrestling t-shirts to dates and she DGAF.  Her optimism about dating in these dark times is a breath of fresh air. She shares funny dating stories and real issues that plague a dating culture that values casual...

Monica Villaruel is an LA Native, a public research scientist, and a bonafide badass. She works for the California Department of Public Health - focusing on the areas of maternal, child, and adolescent health. She joins the podcast to talk about self-development, therapy, and emotional hard-ons (tune in to find out what these are). We coined the term emotional hard-on, so you won’t find this kind...

Erik is an aquarius. He’s left handed and color blind. He joins the podcast to tell his beautiful coming out story - a process that he refers to as finally “just being.” Erik’s Catholic upbringing in a Mexican household created a tumultuous journey to self discovery. He was prepared to hide his truth in order to avoid telling his parents, but life had other plans. Erik fell in love in his early th...

Erika and Kim talk about their long, toxic relationships in their early twenties. Being young and in love isn’t easy, especially if you’re with the wrong person. Listen to what they did, how they learned, and what they know now.

Hello and welcome to the trailer episode for This is EZ With Friends. My name is Erika Zapata and I am your host. I’m just a woman who decided to start a podcast after a long battle with paralyzing fear of the unknown. I haven’t found a niche yet, but so far I’ve had the great privilege of discussing toxic relationships, spirituality, and coming out as queer with some wonderful guests. Thank you f...