Nopal Kweenz Podcast

It's First-Gen February! Tune into part I of a two-part series this month highlighting the experiences of first-generation gente. In this episode, La Sirena, La Estrella and returning guest Rafa Morales-Ordaz, a college advisor who works with first-gen students, discuss the experiences of first-generation students as they navigate college for the first time, the power of asking for help, the delicate journey of navigating feelings of guilt, balancing family and school obligations and not giving up when times get tough. We honor the challenges and real experiences of first-gen students and how these factors affect mental health, and also celebrate the amazing tenacity and strength of our gente. You don't want to miss out on this conversation! 

Join Nopal Kweenz as we dive deep into our favorite movie Encanto to unpack everything it brought up for so many of us. The impact of historical/colonial trauma, the vicious cycle of trauma responses, how generational trauma gets passed down, and how we can heal our familias. [**Encanto Movie Spoilers in this episode]

In this episode, we tackle how the beginning of a new year always feels like a fresh start to do things differently, and realize that we have the power to do so! Join us as we talk with Michael Lemus @arisewithlemus Life Coach, Strategic Brand Consultant, and Speaker. Michael is a Latino whose mission is to help others find their voice, reclaim their happiness, and align themselves with their life goals. If creating the life you want by aligning your intentions with your mind, body and soul has been on your mind, you don’t want to miss this episode!

Welcome to the re-launch of season 2! In this episode Nopal Kweenz get real about money and mental health. Join us as we talk with Luzy D. King, found of Viva La Budget and Finance. She is a Latina whose mission is to help Latinx folks break through beliefs that limit us in our journey to financial success. Also joining us is the fabulous new co-host, La Estrella. If building generational wealth has been on your mind, you don't want to miss this convo! 

Nopal Kweenz started as an Idea in a parking lot three years ago. We had no idea that we would still be here in the community three years later with all of you! We are excited to enter a new season and invite y'all to check out this episode to learn more about what we are doing and where Nopal Kweenz is headed. We have so many sueñitos for this podcast and are looking forward to bringing them to life. Thank you for Supporting this Latina Driven podcast. We could not do this without you, our community. We have a seat waiting for you at the table; see you soon.

Much Love,

Nopal Kweenz

Hola, listeners! 

Hola Gente,

2020 is coming to an end, and it's been quite the year *cries in Spanish*. We are still living through a pandemic, and this year the Holidays are looking different. In this episode, we want to validate all of the feels that this pandemic has brought us, especially during the Holiday season. We cry and we laugh. We get a little frustrated because let's be real, we miss our families, friends, and life outdoors. We explore opportunities to create some new traditions with our loved ones in quarantine while still holding onto childhood traditions. 

We have no idea what 2021 will bring, but we are in it together. We will continue to invite you all to have a seat at our table and chat with us.

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

-Nopal Kweenz 

And we are back with a fresh new episode for you all. Episode 19 is here! We don't know how Nopal Kweenz did it, but we survived the election. *Cries in Spanish*  Like many of you, we went through so many feels, and we are happy to be on the other side. We recognize that we have a lot of work to do in the Latinx community. We will continue to raise our voice, organize, and remind folks that Latinos are not homogenous. We are beautifully diverse and come in all shades. Join us at our table as we talk about our post-election feels, division in the Latinx community, our thoughts, what we learned during this time, our takeaways, and what we hope to accomplish as a community moving forward. 

#NopalKweenz #postelectionvibes #Unidos #thefightisnotover #LatinaPodcasters #SaludMental #Mentalhealth #Latinx

Hola Gente! We missed you all! This Pandemic has us all going through it. This episode is dedicated to all of you, our listeners. In this episode, we catch up and get real about life during a pandemic. We are all adjusting to life in quarantine (cuarentena), and this episode is more of a chit chat where we bring on all the validation and healing vibes. We appreciate you all for the love and support you have shown us throughout the podcast. You are not alone in this struggle. We see you, and we are in this together.  Grab a snack, snag your seat, and get ready to chat with us.

Much love,

Nopal Kweenz

Nopal Kweenz Episode 17 is here. We dedicate this episode to our Spanish Speaking Latinx gente! Grab your tias, tios, Abuelos, Primos, primas, Madres y padres. You do not want them to miss out on the Nopal Kweenz Spanish episode!

We have two fantastic guest speakers, LaToya Jackson-Laínez and Norma Mendoza. LaToya Jackson-Laínez identifies herself as an Afro-Latina (her mother being Mexican and her father African-American). LaToya is Director of Human Resources with a focus on issues of equality and inclusion for communities of color and is also a professor of Communications.

Norma Mendoza is a public policy and administration professional. She currently works as a policy analyst regarding the care of foster youth in California.  Her experience and interests encompass immigrant rights issues, racial justice and environmental sustainability, and education policy. 

Together, They will lead us in a conversation about Racism, White Privilege, and Anti blackness in the Latino Community!  This episode is raw and authentic. We throw in some Spanglish; we struggle to find the words to express ourselves, but here we are.  We hope this episode will inspire you to bring these conversations into your homes. Change starts with all of us. We can no longer remain silent as our Black Brothers, and Sisters' lives are taken. This fight is our fight too!

Nopal Kweenz Episode 17 ya está aquí. Dedicamos este episodio a los miembros de la comunidad que hablan español. Agarra tus tías, tíos, Abuelos, Primos, primas, Madres y padres. ¡No dejes que se pierdan el episodio en español de Nopal Kweenz!

Tenemos dos oradores invitados fantásticos, LaToya Jackson-Laínez y Norma Mendoza. LaToya Jackson-Laínez se identifica como una Afro-Latina (su madre siendo Mexicana y su padre Afro-Americano). LaToya es Directora de Recursos Humanos con un enfoque en temas de igualdad e inclusión para comunidades de gente de color, y también es profesora de Comunicaciones. 

Norma Mendoza es una profesional en administración y políticas públicas. Actualmente trabaja como analista de políticas con respecto al cuidado de jóvenes de crianza temporal en California. Sus intereses y experiencia incluyen temas sobre derechos de los inmigrantes, justicia racial y sostenibilidad ambiental, y políticas educativas.

¡Juntas Nos guiarán en una conversación sobre el racismo, el privilegio de ser blanco y la lucha contra la Anti-negritud en la comunidad Latinx! Este episodio es crudo y auténtico. Agregamos algo de spanglish; luchamos por encontrar las palabras para expresarnos, pero aquí estamos. Esperamos que este episodio los inspire a llevar estas conversaciones a sus hogares. El cambio comienza con todos nosotros. Cuando una comunidad sufre, todos sufrimos. Ya no podemos permanecer en silencio mientras nuestra comunidad negra sufre a manos de la supremacía blanca. ¡Esta pelea es nuestra pelea también!