Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha

In this deeply moving episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries and a father figure to thousands, for an intimate conversation about love, belonging, and the fathers we find along the way. Together, they explore what happens when men grow up without the guidance, tenderness, or affirmation they needed and how healing becomes possible when we are received with compassion instead of judgment. Drawing from decades of walking alongside formerly incarcerated individuals, Father Greg reflects on chosen family, unconditional love, and the radical belief that no one is outside the circle of belonging.

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In this live episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha continues a powerful series on gender violence with Damariz Vasquez and Ozzy Cruz, two practitioners working on the frontlines of healing at the East L.A. Women’s Center. Moving from awareness to action, this conversation centers the day-to-day realities of supporting survivors, working with men, and creating pathways for true accountability and transformation. Together, they explore how shame, silence, and harmful beliefs about power and gender prevent healing and what it truly takes to break those cycles.

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In this powerful live episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha convenes a critical conversation at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center with Barbara Kappos and Jerry Tello on sexual violence and the urgent need for accountability, healing, and community transformation. As the first in a series confronting violence against women and children, this episode moves beyond awareness to examine the difficult truth that much of this harm happens within families and is sustained by silence and shame. Drawing from decades of frontline experience, Barbara and Jerry explore how we support survivors, challenge harmful patterns of masculinity, and create pathways toward repair. 

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits down with filmmaker and novelist Kevin Abrams, whose feature film, Marisol, follows a 17-year-old undocumented teen confronting her identity and fighting for her future. Drawing from his Mexican-American heritage and activist roots, Kevin reflects on how storytelling becomes both resistance and healing. From documentaries like I Got a Monster to his debut novel Mt. Forgotten, he shares how art can challenge stereotypes, reclaim humanity, and restore belonging.

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In this deeply personal roundtable episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with four men from the DENA Heals Men’s Circle for an unfiltered conversation about sex, consent, and the conversations many of us never had growing up. Together, they reflect on coming of age without guidance from fathers or caregivers around intimacy, respect, and responsibility, and how that silence shaped their understanding of masculinity. Through vulnerability and brotherhood, they speak honestly about the messages they learned, the harm those messages can carry, and what becomes possible when men gather to tell the truth and heal generational patterns so the next generation of boys can grow up with a different understanding of manhood.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Fernando Deveras, educator, father, and trauma-informed facilitator, for a powerful conversation on history, masculinity, and healing. Together, they explore how understanding our roots can transform the way we see ourselves, navigate fear, and show up as men in a rapidly changing world. From breaking down inherited ideas of masculinity to reclaiming culture as a source of strength, Fernando shares how remembering our past can become a pathway to healing for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with his brother Yancy "YD" Comins, co-founder of Hands In The Soil, for a powerful conversation on men’s healing, brotherhood, and the medicine of gathering in community. Rooted in their shared experience building the men’s circle at DENA Heals, this conversation explores why so many men are hurting, and how nature, ritual, and honest connection can help us return to ourselves. Together, Mike and Yancy reflect on what happens when men are given space to breathe, to feel, and to heal in community. 

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In this deeply personal episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with his longtime friend Tad Nakamura, an award-winning filmmaker, father, and son of pioneering Asian American cinema icon Robert A. Nakamura. Having known each other for over 25 years, Mike and Tad reflect on growing up as sons of movement fathers, carrying both the gifts and the wounds of legacy. Through Tad’s film Third Act, they explore filmmaking as a bridge between grief and healing, fatherhood as a practice of presence, and storytelling as a way to reclaim generational memory. This intimate conversation is a reminder that art can open doors between fathers and sons and that healing often begins when we find the courage to tell our most vulnerable truths.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Ernesto Yerena, renowned movement artist, cultural storyteller, and truth-teller whose work has shaped a generation of organizers and creatives. Together, they explore how art can become both resistance and medicine, born from the frontera, ancestral memory, and the search for identity. Ernesto speaks candidly about anxiety and his health, offering a rare and vulnerable conversation about mental health among men of color. This episode is a powerful reminder that healing happens in community and that creativity, culture, and lineage can guide us back to ourselves.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Jose Arellano, entrepreneur, community leader, Vice President of Operations at Homeboy Industries, and Mike’s business partner at Tepito Coffee. Together they reflect on Jose’s journey from the streets and incarceration to becoming a leader helping others rebuild their lives. This deeply personal conversation explores second chances, brotherhood, and the power of unconditional love to transform a life. Through his work at Tepito Coffee and Homeboy, Jose reminds us that healing is possible, dignity can be restored, and sometimes a simple cup of coffee can bring people from different worlds together.

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