Morado Lens

FavyFav and Babelito of the Latinos Who Lunch podcast joined us to talk about the behind-the-scenes of creating a podcast, the rise of faux brujas a.k.a. cultural appropriation, if and how they embrace their inner bruja. They even opened up about why at first they chose to use nicknames instead of using their real names when launching and how liberating it's been in committing to being vulnerable on the show. This honest conversation on culture, politics, and importance of visibility in the podcast world might leave you hungry for more. Check them out at Latinos Who Lunch for more and listen to their podcast! #supportbrownpodcasts Shoutout to Pam Covarrubias from the Cafe con Pam Podcast and the FEMININE Podcast By The Modern Curandera, both available on iTunes.

In this episode, Nat & Cindy get into how it all began for them when deciding to launch a podcast. They also get super real on energy vampires that are no good for you and how to cope with idea stealers, being resourceful and saging the shit out of shade you may get when exposing yourselves to the world. Please remember to subscribe and review Morado Lens on #itunes. We're also available on #spotify, #stitcher, #iheart #googleplay and God knows where else.

Valeria of Mestiza Magic is not a traditional woman. As she puts it, she’s “that bruja that has really long armpit hair and likes to cuss out loud.” We were instantly attracted to her knowledge of Mexican curanderismo, owning her bruja identity as a form of healing and complicated but touching journey on coming out as a bruja to her mother. Her mom tries to sway her to not identify as a bruja because as she put it, "it's not something that's embraced in her family.” The Massachusetts-based queer mestiza bruja is on her way to New Orleans to expand her creativity in reading and designing tarot cards and recently launched blog which came to her in a vision best described as "just a little bit of poison and a whole lot of consciousness." Check out her Instagram account @MestizaMagic and website at MestizaMagic.com where she crafts her existence outside of the patriarchal world that tells her she’s not powerful.

Annie the Alchemist joins us again after a short hiatus and gets into her past life as a grade-school teacher, her former relationship and why embracing the different stages of grieving is key to overall growth. Be sure to follow our journey on Instagram @moradolens. #innerbruja

Cuban-American illustrator Cristy C. Road is unlike any other artist you've ever met before. Her vivacious attitude isn't just contagious but endearing. This Miami-based gemini is nothing short of spectacular as she spills on her toughest experiences proving that vulnerability is in fact a strength. Cristy, whose real name is Cristina Carrera, also dives into what it was like to come out to her conservative Latino family, using art as an escape in her teens through zines, and how proud she is to have produced a soon-to-be released beautiful 78-tarot card deck after all these years. She also reveals the story behind her name. Hint: punk rock is near and dear to her heart. Check out this fellow bruja's raw and passionate work on moradolens.com. This is part 2 of our FUERZAFest coverage, the first LGBTQ Latino festival, run by Mario Colon who was interviewed in our previous episode. Don't forget to show Cristy C. Road some love by visiting her website.

We sat down with LGBTQ activist and founder of Fuerza Festival, Mario Colon. He talks about growing up as a gay, brown-skinned Latino man in Puerto Rico and what he endured from his own father through this journey. He also offers great advice to the LGBTQ community on how to push forward in life and even lets us in on his secret on how to tap into your #innerbruja. *FUERZAfest is supported by the Hispanic Federation and highlights stage and film work, art exhibitions, workshops and panel discussions that contribute to the gay rights movement.

We couldn't get enough of Joanna Solotaroff so we are back with part 2 of our conversation with the producer of 2 Dope Queens and sidekick on Sooo Many White Guys podcast. She shared her thoughts on keeping your day job when attempting to dive into a creative field and the power of really telling the people you work with what you're passionate about. We even, ahem Cindy, talks about her undying love for Louis C.K. and what she plans to do if they ever meet. Joanna shared her thoughts on Tinder, why Minneapolis is one of the best cities in the country and what makes a good podcast.

Joanna Solotaroff is a producer at WNYC Studios in NYC who currently produces the 2 Dope Queens and Sooo Many White Guys podcast. In this episode, she sits down with us and talks about life behind-the-scenes, dating a Latino man, and her parents. Spoiler alert! Her mom is a fellow bruja (aka witch) who reads the tarot cards. #innerbruja This is part 1 of our awesome conversation with her. Look out for part 2 next week! In the meantime, follow Joanna on Twitter (@joannna).

On our continuous mission to practice self-love, we talk to anxiety coach Palak Vani who launched CuratedGoals.com, an affordable anxiety coaching service offered over the phone, email, text message or in-person. She breaks down the different types of anxiety, how she got her Indian family to own the once taboo conversation, how to deal with it in the moment and even opens up about how she handles her own anxiety. We also get into how we've dealt with our own anxiety and how tapping into our inner bruja has helped cope with it.

Annie The Alchemist dials in to discuss why she is dedicated to daily palo santo cleanses - sometimes even more than once! And, you don't want to miss as she gets super real on what a sexual energy cord is and how to rid yourself of negative energy you picked up from your last lover.