Cultura Convos

Season 1, Episode 6: Catracha Fitness, Cultura, and Courage with Joanna Banegas

In 2023, Joanna founded Catracha Fitness, inspired by her deep-rooted love for movement, community, and underground Latin electronic music. Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the daughter of Honduran immigrant parents, she spent her days exploring the outdoors, jogging through the neighborhood, and playing with her siblings and cousins. Those early experiences built her foundation, a genuine love for nature, movement, and connection.

In this Cultura Convo, Joanna and I dive into:
 ✨ Her story behind Catracha Fitness
 🌿 Her love for the outdoors and how it shaped her identity
 🎧 Embracing her cultural roots 
 💬 Letting go of shame

In this episode, Joanna also feels moved to share more about the journey she is currently in trying to conceive. She is deciding to let go of shame and continue owning her story. 

It’s always a joy talking with Joanna, and I’m so grateful to bring you into this heartfelt and empowering conversation.

💌 Let’s keep the convo going!
 If this episode resonated with you, let me know what part spoke to your heart. We’re in the early stages of Cultura Convos and i’d love to hear from you. Don’t be a “ghost follower” (I just learned that from my teen cousin lol). Your feedback will help us and continue creating the best of Cultura Convos together.

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Born in Mexico and raised in the immigrant embrace of California’s San Gabriel Valley, Diana was nurtured by my mother’s resilience and the rhythms of Spanish-speaking Latino churches. As a first-generation, low-income, and formerly undocumented student, she carried her community’s stories into her studies of History and Latina/o Studies at Pomona College and later into my M.Div. at Harvard Divinity School, where she was introduced to faith-rooted activism and liberation theology. Since then, her work in higher education has centered on cultivating spaces of inclusive learning and collective empowerment. More personally, she is on a long journey of healing her family’s lineage, (and what we focus of this episode) one joyful moment at a time. Driven by her hope to break intergenerational cycles, she hopes to gift her daughter a legacy of courageous compassion for humanity and a more expansive connection to Spirit rooted in ancestral wisdom. 

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Hola, hola. In this episode of Cultura Convos, I share the origins of my debut bilingual children’s book Two Homes, Dos Casas, from the spark of an idea to the decision to self-publish to raising nearly $10K to bring it to life. Along the way, I reflect on creativity and the importance of recognizing that even when we don’t see ourselves as “creatives,” we truly are. This episode is an invitation to embrace your own creative voice and reflect on the ideas knocking at your door, waiting to be realized.

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In today's episode, I share part of my journey of how I started reconnecting with my roots.  I'll share more about how it hasn't always been easy, but ultimately how this journey has helped me create a sense of pride in my culture, really understanding more of my story, my parents' story, and my great grandparents' story. 

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This episode is a personal one. I'm reflecting on my decision to become a mother and the conversation I had to have with myself to come to this decision. 

I realized I was afraid to have a kid for so many reasons. Yet, ultimately when I shared the feelings out loud I realized the fears weren't enough. I did want a child. And I am so happy with my decision. 

Whether it's motherhood or something else entirely, this conversation is a reminder to stop waiting for "one day" and start going after what you want now. Tune in for a candid look at what it means to live intentionally.

 📚 Get my book, Two Homes, Dos Casas: edithsuarez.com/books
 🌐 More from me: edithsuarez.com
 📷 Instagram: @itsedithsuarez
 💼 LinkedIn: Edith Suárez Torres
 ☕ Support the podcast: buymeacoffee.com/culturaconvos

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Welcome to Season 1 of Cultura Convos.

In this episode, I dive into my why for Cultura Convos and why now? Through personal reflections, stories, and conversations with other guests, this community is forming so we can become the best version of ourselves by writing and rewriting our stories from a place of strength instead of embarrassment, fear, or shame. Our goal is to begin or continue your journey of embracing and celebrating our cultural identity, while also remembering that no one identity defines us. Not me, Not you. 

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