Brown Enough

Today we are sharing 3 short terrific and spooky tales I had the pleasure of voicing from a horror fiction podcast called, Long Winter Nights. Ps. This story is a work of horror fiction and may be triggering for some viewers. For a full list of content warnings, please visit longwinternights.com

Long Winter Nights was co-created and produced by Matt Hill, Chelsea Sutton, and Lisa Sanaye Dring. Listen to all the other episodes wherever you listen, also follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube.  And check them out at longwinternights.com

Today we're with Jorge R. Gutiérrez - the visionary animator, filmmaker, and storyteller behind The Book of Life, Maya and the Three, and some of the most vibrant, soulful worlds in contemporary animation. Jorge doesn’t just make art, he makes myth. He takes our stories, our ancestors, our jokes, our heartbreaks, our colors, and he turns them into epic universes where brown kids get to be heroes, warriors, lovers, and legends. We talk creativity as devotion, holding onto your roots while dreaming wildly, and what it means to stay true to your corazón in an industry that tries to shape you.

For all my mental health advocates, therapists and those bing therapized! This is a bonus episode from a podcast called, Books That Shape Us: Stories, Science, & Healing  - I had the pleasure of chatting with the host about Brown Enough as a theraputic model. 

Today we're joined by the incomparable Gina Torres - an icon of stage and screen whose presence has shaped entire worlds. From Firefly to Suits, to 9-1-1, Gina has made a career of playing roles with strength, grace, and depth, roles she often had to fight for long before the industry knew what to do with a woman like her.

We talk about craft, confidence, longevity, and the audacity it takes to build a career on your own terms. We get into representation, resilience, joy, and what it means to hold your power in a business that rarely gives it freely.

This is a conversation about talent, yes - but also about legacy, courage, and the brilliance of a woman who has spent decades expanding what’s possible for the rest of us.

Today on Brown Enough, we’re at Lopez Urban Farms with Bianca Ustrell-Friend - better known as Farmer Bianca, and community organizer Nathaly Moreno. Together, and with many others, they are building a refuge. A place where mutual aid isn’t theory - it’s tomatoes, shade, compost, care, and a free-giving economy rooted in love. Go check them out https://www.lopezurbanfarm.com/

Today on Brown Enough, we’re doing something special — a roundtable with three powerhouse women whose minds and hearts shape culture in ways you can feel. I’m joined by Maytha Alhassen, Nina Hosseinzadeh, and Farah Fezz for a conversation about story, identity, community, and the work of imagining freer futures.

We get into lineage, belonging, the politics of representation, and what it looks like to build spaces where all of us can be whole. It’s sharp, generous, and full of that kind of truth you can only get when brilliant people sit together and really talk. Let’s get into it.

Today on Brown Enough, I’m joined by Reza Farazmand, the creator of Poorly Drawn Lines, a comic that’s equal parts funny, tender, and existential. Reza has been making art online for over a decade, turning simple sketches into an entire universe of talking animals, awkward humans, and cosmic jokes about being alive. We talk about what it means to be an audacious artist - discipline, delusion, and the quiet magic of making… and making… and making again.

Moon Chola is an astrologer, tarot reader, and cosmic guide. Their work lives at the intersection of intuition and ancestry, blending ancient wisdom with the realities of modern life. We talk about the wounded healer, the stars, self-trust, and how reading the sky can help us better understand what’s happening inside and all around. 

Today we sit down with Terry Hu - actor, artist, chess player! We talk about self-worth, identity, the theater, and what it means to build a life outside of performance. It’s a conversation about presence, purpose, and the beauty of just being.

This week, a bonus episode featuring me as the guest. I recently sat down with Zen Commuter to talk about meditation, presence, and what it means to live a mindful life in the middle of chaos. As an avid meditator and Dharma practitioner, I wanted to share this conversation with our Brown Enough community. We get into sitting with discomfort, turning awareness into action, and remembering that peace isn’t a destination, it’s a daily practice. If you’ve ever wondered how meditation shows up in my creative life, or how I balance the noise of the world with the stillness of the cushion — this one’s for you.