Cultura Convos

What is your relationship with the language of your ancestors?

In this episode of Cultura Convos, we explore three powerful and deeply personal messages about language, identity, and belonging.

First, you do not need to speak a language perfectly, fluently, or at all to belong to your heritage. You are Mexican, Dominican, Nigerian, Korean, whatever your roots,  simply because you are. Your ancestors live in your blood.

Second, I share why I am taking Spanish classes even as a fluent speaker, and what that journey of continued learning has taught me about my own identity, my roots, and my love for language.


Third, we go deeper. Into history. Into politics. Into the systems that were deliberately designed to erase language from communities of color. From Proposition 227 in California to Native American Boarding Schools. At the same time how we can also use the same tools to embrace culture and how Hawaii is one example of the power of revitalization efforts when it comes to language and culture.

Plus a bonus original writing piece I share at the end of the episode.

This episode is for every first gen, second gen, and beyond who has ever been made to feel like they weren't enough because of how they speak. You are enough.


Topics covered in this episode:

● Language and cultural identity

● First gen and second gen belonging

● Taking Spanish classes as an adult and what it taught me

● Proposition 227 in California,  what it was and why it matters

● Native American Boarding Schools and forced language erasure

● Forced assimilation and its impact on communities of color

● Reclaiming your language on your own terms

Follow Cultura Convos on IG: @itsedithsuarez

New episodes monthly 🎙️

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Books 

Two Homes, Dos Casas - Bilingual Version

Dos Casas - Spanish Only Version

E-Book Versions 

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We’re breaking the silence. In this episode of Cultura Convos, I sit down with Betty, a sexual wellbeing specialist whose work bridges academic research, cultural advocacy, and lived experience.

Betty is the daughter of Mexican immigrants from Guanajuato, raised in Long Beach, California, now living life on ranches in the Pacific Northwest. She studied at the Universidad de Salamanca, the oldest university in the Spanish speaking world, and holds a master’s in applied anthropology. Her thesis examined how culture shapes sex education access in the U.S. Latino community, and early on her research started with her curiosity to explore why Latinas faced disproportionately high rates of teen and unintended pregnancy.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Her journey from Long Beach to studying abroad in Spain
• What it means to be a Sexual Wellbeing Specialist 
• How Culture and Religion Play a Huge Role in How We Think About Sex 
• Real, anonymous questions on sex and sexual wellbeing submitted by our community

This episode is for the lifelong learners, the ones rewriting the stories we inherited, and anyone ready to talk about sex and culture without shame.

IG: itsedithsuarez

Website: edithsuarez.com

Two Homes, Dos Casas & Dos Casas Available at edithsuarez.com/books

Betty’s IG: betts.ology

🎧 New episodes of Cultura Convos drop every week. Subscribe and join the conversation.

#CulturaConvos #SexualWellness #LatinoHealth #ReproductiveHealth #CulturalIdentity

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Leo Rodríguez was born in Dalton, Georgia and raised his first eight years in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In this episode, he talks about how that upbringing shapes how he shows up in the world, why he describes himself as a multipotentialite instead of searching for one calling, and how that shows up in his work as a creative strategist, DJ, and the founder of Corazón a Corazón, a poetry night and open mic built on community and intention. 

We talk about his mom's role in shaping how he sees his roots as a strength, what it really takes to build a space people want to come back to, and why he's chosen to keep Corazón a Corazón small and meaningful instead of scaling it into a business.

In this episode, Leo shares that: 

You don't need only one "true calling." Leo reframes being a multipotentialite as a strength, not a lack of focus, drawing on diverse interests (writing, DJing, strategy) that all inform each other. 

Roots can be reframed as a superpower. Leo's early years in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, followed by a culture shock to Dalton, Georgia, shaped how he shows up in the world, how he solves problems and even his empathy for other cultures. 

You don't have to monetize everything you love. Leo intentionally keeps some creative outlets, like Corazón a Corazón, free from the pressure to scale or generate income, preserving them as a space for authentic expression instead. 

Follow Leo:
📲 Instagram: @leorodriguezz
🎶 Corazón a Corazón: @_corazon.a.corazon_

Stay Connected with Cultura Convos:

🎙️ Listen to more episodes of Cultura Convos wherever you stream podcasts.
 📖 Get my children's book, Two Homes, Dos Casas, in English/Spanish or Spanish-only editions:  edithsuarez.com/books
 📲 Follow along: @itsedithsuarez
 🌐 www.edithsuarez.com

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What happens when you show up somewhere carrying assumptions you did not even know you had?

In this solo episode, I share the story of packing turquoise pants for Burkina Faso, West Africa and what that cringe worthy thrift store moment revealed about the stories I had been carrying as truth without ever questioning them.

From being so nervous telling my parents I was leaving for two years to arriving in West Africa and realizing an entire continent had been reduced to a stereotype in my mind, this episode goes deep on something that shows up in all of our lives: the stories we are told and never told shape everything. How we see other cultures, other people, and even ourselves.

In this episode I share:

• Where my inherited assumptions actually came from
• How World Vision commercials, National Geographic, and limited representation shaped my entire worldview
• Why examining our stories is the starting point to reframing our own story 
• How to be intentional about what you expose yourself to
• What your own turquoise pants moment might be trying to teach you

This is exactly what Cultura Convos was built for. Real, nuanced conversations that help us write and rewrite our stories from a place of strength.

What is your turquoise pants moment?

 Share it with me:  [email protected] or LinkedIn, and IG. 

Read the original blog entry: edithsuarez.com/blog 

Get Two Homes, Dos Casas: edithsuarez.com/books 

Visit my website: edithsuarez.com

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who you think will love it.

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What does food really mean to you?

In this solo episode, I dive into my personal journey with food. From growing up eating Mexican food every day to the moment everything shifted when my dad had a stroke in high school. I share how witnessing this sparked a lifelong curiosity about health, ingredients, and the deep connection between cultura and what we put on our plates.

From tacos de lengua to roasted eggplant mole, from my family joking that all I eat is lechuga lechuga to honoring my ancestors' way of eating, this episode is all about food, familia, and the ongoing journey of becoming more intentional about how we nourish ourselves and seeing the abundance of ingredients in our roots.

In this episode:

• Growing up eating Mexican food and the memories attached to it
• How my dad's stroke became my first real pivot with food
• Why I walked away from labels like "vegan" and "vegetarian"
• How this journey allowed me to see the abundance of ingredients in our cultura
• Why eating healthier doesn't mean letting go of your cultura

✨ Get my children's book Two Homes / Dos Casas and more at 👉 edithsuarez.com/books

Cultura Convos is a space for stories and reflections of identidad y cultura because there's no one identity that defines us.

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In this episode of Cultura Convos, we explore Dominique Sade’s journey of reconnecting with her roots and the different layers of her healing and wellness path.

Dominique, founder of Dominique Sade Healing & Wellness Institute, opens up about how her health challenges became a turning point that led her to discover Qigong, commit to the practice, and eventually teach it in a way that is rooted in lived experience.

Qigong is a holistic mind-body practice that combines gentle movement, breathwork, and meditation to support energy flow, reduce stress, and restore balance in the body.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Reconnecting with her ancestors
• How health challenges can reshape your path
• Experiencing and practicing Qigong
• What led her to begin teaching Qigong

This conversation is a reflection on healing as a journey, one that is influenced by our roots, our experiences, and the choices we make to come back to ourselves.

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations on identity, culture, and personal transformation.

Connect with Edith

Get Edith's Childrens Book Two Homes, Dos Casas, which is about a little girl who visits her parents first home for the first time, which is in a different country. At first she doesn't like it...

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In this episode of Cultura Convos, I sit down with Angie, NYC-born, Southern-raised, an NYU graduate with a Master’s in International Human Resources, and a mother navigating career, family, and life with intention.

What began as a challenge with reading eventually grew into a deep love for it and even became a form of personal expression and rebellion. Through that journey, Angie found her voice in ways that continue to shape who she is today.

We explore what it was like growing up Dominican in the South and how she embraces her identity as both an Afro-Latina and a Black woman. This conversation speaks to the nuances of identity and the reality that we are not defined by a single label, but by layered experiences that continue to evolve over time.

If you have ever felt in between, found joy in reading, or perhaps not reflected at all in certain spaces, this episode is a reminder that all parts of you belong.

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform and watch the full conversation on YouTube.

Subscribe and join the community at edithsuarez.com

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In this episode, I share my personal birth story, starting with my home birth that took an unexpected turn when we had to transfer to the hospital (thankfully everyone was healthy).

I was inspired to share this part of my journey because there was so much I didn’t know going into it and my homebirth team made such a big difference along with my family and friends. I also share a bit about my postpartum / cuarentena period, where I leaned into Mexican cultura prioritizing rest, nourishment, and healing. This episode is rooted in my desire to share honestly so others feel more informed, empowered, and less alone in their own journeys.

Whether you’re pregnant, postpartum, or simply curious about birth stories, I hope this episode meets you where you are.

I talk briefly about my debut childrens book, and if you’re interested see the link below:

📚 My books Two Homes Dos Casas and Dos Casas are available at
edithsuarez.com/books

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In this final episode of Season 1, I share the story of the birthing class I never knew I needed and how it changed everything. This experience allowed me to voice some of my fears around pregnancy while also helping me learn about the different options I had for birthing and making the decision to plan for a homebirth. 

In this episode, I talk about how this class changed me, how it actually got me excited for birth, and several highlights of what I learned. What I didn’t expect was walking out with a whole different plan of how I wanted to birth. What I thought would be a weekend of just a little more info on pregnancy and birthing taught me so much more about myself, birthing, and tools for advocacy. 

Through this experience, I began rewriting some of the narratives I had heard about birthing (i.e., pictures of dramatic novela scenes) and started to actually get excited about birthing, realizing that my story didn’t have to be what I saw on TV or around me. 

In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

• How the class quickly began shifting my mindset. 
• The questions that helped me voice some of my fears. 
• Stats about birthing that confirmed some of my concerns.
• How all this ultimately led me on a path to decide on a homebirth.

Thank you for being part of Season 1 of Cultura Convos. If this episode resonates, please follow, rate, or share it with someone who would love it too. Stay connected for Season 2! There’s so much more to explore together.

 Website:edithsuarez.com
 Instagram: @itsedithsuarez
Two Homes, Dos Casas Book: edithsuarez.com/books

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Season 1, Episode 7 | How My Words Became Reality: The 60K Story, Traveling & Rewriting My Self-Talk

In this episode of Cultura Convos, we explore something deeply personal and universal: the power of our words including the ones we say without thinking about them too seriously.

I share moments where things I said casually ended up becoming my reality, what I learned from those experiences, and how my self-talk shifted as I learned to speak with more love, compassion, and awareness.

As first- and second-generation folks, so much of our language comes directly from our cultura, our childhood, and the beliefs we inherited. But part of rewriting our narrative is choosing words that support who we are becoming, not who we were taught to be.

In this episode, we dive into:
 ✨ Words we say without realizing their impact
 ✨ How culture shapes the way we speak (and think)
 ✨ The importance of shifting into loving, intentional self-talk

If you're a person who loves conversations about identidad y cultura, a lifelong learner, curious about what writing and rewriting your story can look like, and you're on a journey of self-growth, healing, or redefining your identity, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Listen now and let’s keep rewriting our stories with intention and love.
✨ Connect with me on IG, Linkedin, or Tik Tok @Itsedithsuarez

 📚 My bilingual children’s book → Two Homes, Dos Casas & Dos Casas available at edithsuarez.com
💌 Join the newsletter for stories and reflections of identidad y cultura at edithsuarez.com

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