Dear Gorgeous Podcast

Our next gorgeous guest is Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero. Lola is the managing editor of the University of Guam Press, an activist for CHamoru self-determination, co-chair of the Independence for Guam Task Force, a writer, a wife and a mother to three adorable boys. In this episode, she shares her secrets behind intention setting, how to find humor even in moments of adversity, and sheds factual knowledge about the decolonization movement on Guåhan.

It's scary talking about what exactly one feels about their body.  The girls talk about emotional eating, side comments about their weight, loving their scars and where their opinions of their bodies actually come from (asian beauty standards included). Listen in as the girls unpack what it truly means to build your own opinion about your body, full acceptance, progress and all. 

Since high school, Nedine Songeni, a proud Chuukese woman living on Guåhan and a mother of two, has noticed a great divide within Pacific Islander communities. Instead of giving into the adversity, Nedine found her calling and passion in building bridges amongst the Chuukese community and other cultures through her work at Humanities Guåhan. Join us in conversation around cultural identity, growing up away from your homeland and the importance of providing better mirrors for our people to see themselves in literature and media.

In this week’s G&A sesh, Gilayna and Akina discuss the differences between feeling envious versus feeling jealous. They talk about how both emotions have made an appearance in and affected their personal lives and explored what they call "ekgo' culture" and it's existence in their communities.  

After airing out their dating grievances in their last episode about “Serial Monogamy," Gilayna and Akina sit down with their friend Tamar Celis who recently got married at the ripe age of 24. The girls in turn explore how early exposure to partnerships influence how they cultivate relationships later in life.  Tamar is a CHamoru woman, evangelical Christian, adjunct professor and what makes her so inspiring is her ability to use her intuition in making large life choices. 

What does it mean to be a serial monogamist?  Well, it’s about to get personal up in here.  In this week’s G&A session, Gilayna recalls her vet history with serial monogamy and the girls rehash their dating lives. Listen as they break down the social constructs of the “single girl” stereotype and why you should never delay your self-growth.

Miss Beaudy Camacho has had many challenges come her way but she’s never let them stop her. From starting her own business, to getting an education, to winning awards and community outreach, this single mother of two explains why it’s important not to hold on to the feeling of being ‘stuck’ in any current circumstance and why it’s important to ‘keep it moving’. 

She also discussed the CHamoru term ‘na’mase’. Na’mase is the conversational term for ‘na’ma’åse’, a CHamoru term used to express sadness or pity for oneself or another. We discuss the importance of empathy within the CHamoru community and when it’s important to establish boundaries.  

Beaudy founded an event planning business called Fundforte.  Please check out their website https://www.fundforte.com  or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @fundforte. 

Gilayna and Akina conducted a mid-season check-in by bringing in 7 surprise questions to ask each other.  This gave them a chance to reflect on why their partnership has worked, what they need to work on, and share what it takes to have a healthy professional relationship with a friend: to have a belief in the value of one's personal contribution and an overall respect for each other.  

Akina recently launched multi-media travel platform with some friends called Collective Culture. Show them some love by watching their first episode at www.collective-culture.co. 

We got the chance to chat with Manami iijima Martin – professional triathlete, finance whiz, and a prime example of what it means to be a gorgeous resilient woman. In this episode, Manami talks about how she made the decision to go pro after placing 9th WORLDWIDE in her age group during the 2017 Chattanooga Ironman 70.3 triathlon.   

Although Manami is full Japanese, she was raised predominantly on Guam and humbly shares why she won’t be competing in the 2020 Olympics. She opens up about events in her life that had mentally prepared her to partake in this physically challenging career.

How does one unpack their lineage and liberate their minds?

In this week’s G&A session, Gilayna and Akina explore what happened on this particular day exactly 75 years ago, July 21, 1944– the day that marked the end of the Japanese occupation.

Akina shares the stories of her family’s CHamoru and Japanese lineage prior to the occupation, while Gilayna explores how our island’s water resource is at stake unless we do something now.