Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha

In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Gilbert Márquez, artist, craftsman, and co-founder of Márquez Clásico, for a deeply personal conversation about fatherhood, cultural pride, and the power of remembering where we come from. Inspired by the memory of his late father, Gilbert reflects on how learning the art of traditional Mexican hatmaking reconnected him with his Chicano identity and honored the lessons passed down through generations. Together, Mike and Gilbert explore why there is no single way to be Chicano, how love and partnership shape what we create, and why the people we love continue living through the stories, traditions, and gifts we pass on to others.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Peloton Tread and Strength instructor Andy Speer for a deeply personal conversation about strength, self-worth, and the muscles we can't see. After spending much of his life building his body and a career in fitness, Andy reflects on realizing that changing how he looked couldn't heal how he felt about himself. Together, Mike and Andy explore how therapy and vulnerability transformed his understanding of confidence, why real strength includes allowing others to help us carry the weight, and what becomes possible when we learn to train what's underneath the surface.

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In this special live episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with creators Evan Marshall, Kofi “Kizzle” Forson, and Timm Chiusano at the Marketing to Men Summit for a timely conversation about creativity, vulnerability, and how we tell more honest stories about men. Together, they explore how creative expression can become a pathway to healing, why men are hungry for content that gives them permission to express what they feel, and what happens when brands move beyond simply marketing to men and begin creating meaningful connections with them.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with poet, cultural worker, and organizer aja monet for a deeply personal conversation about art, healing, and what it will take to create a world free from violence. Drawing from her poetry, activism, and the lessons passed down by the women who raised her, aja reflects on how creative expression can become medicine and why ending violence requires us to examine not only the systems around us, but the ways they live within us. Together, Mike and aja explore the power of love and tenderness, what men can learn from the women in our lives, and why building a more just and peaceful world requires the courage to listen, change, and become more fully human.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with educator, surfer, filmmaker, and founder of Native Like Water Marc Chavez for a conversation about water, grief, and ancestral connection. Through his work and Indigenous surf film Haagua, Marc reflects on how the ocean can become a place of healing, remembrance, and reconnection with those who came before us. Together, Mike and Marc explore what water can teach us about letting go without forgetting, how reconnecting with culture can move communities from surviving to thriving, and why healing is intimately connected to nature.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with author, spiritual teacher, and creator of The Mayan Oracle Deck Christine Olivia Hernandez for a deeply personal conversation about ancestry, grief, and remembering who we are. From losing her Guatemalan father and feeling disconnected from her roots to finding her way back through ancestral practices, Christine reflects on how grief can transform our relationship with those who came before us. Together, Mike and Christine explore the wisdom our ancestors leave behind, our relationship with nature and sacred time, and how remembering where we come from can help us reconnect with who we truly are.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with comedian, actor, and creator Frankie Quiñones for a deeply personal conversation about laughter, trauma, and the courage to tell the truth. From finding refuge in comedy to speaking openly about childhood sexual abuse, addiction, and therapy, Frankie reflects on what it took to stop running from his pain and finally ask for help. Together, Mike and Frankie explore the silence so many men carry, how vulnerability becomes a form of strength, and why telling the truth about what happened to us can help heal generational cycles and give others permission to heal.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Carmen Perez-Jordan, Chicana feminist and longtime movement leader, for a deeply personal conversation about friendship, grief, and liberation. From their shared roots in Oxnard to decades of organizing together, Carmen reflects on transforming the loss of her sister into purpose and the responsibility of carrying forward the lessons of our elders. Together, Mike and Carmen explore what feminism asks of men, the personal sacrifices of living on the frontlines of history, and why liberation must be practiced not only in our movements, but in how we love, heal, and show up for one another.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Ken Salazar, former U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Interior, and U.S. Ambassador to México, for a timely conversation about immigration, identity, and who gets to belong in America. Drawing from his family’s centuries-long history in the American Southwest and his memoir Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America, Ken reflects on how history continues to shape our understanding of borders, belonging, and one another. Together, Mike and Ken explore the fear and grief underlying our divisions, how men can redefine leadership and strength, and why building a more inclusive world begins with recognizing our shared future.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Mónica Ramírez, founder of Justice for Migrant Women, for an important conversation about gender justice, patriarchy, and redefining power. Recorded live at the five-year anniversary of the Raizado Festival in Aspen, Mónica reflects on decades of fighting alongside migrant women, immigrant families, and survivors of gender-based violence, and what that work has taught her about how patriarchy harms all of us. Together, Mike and Mónica explore how men can help end sexual and gender-based violence, what it means to move from power over others to power with others, and why building a more loving future requires all of us to examine what we've inherited.

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