Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha

In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Salvador Santana, musician, producer, and son of the legendary Carlos Santana, for a deeply personal conversation about fathers and sons. This isn’t about fame or Grammys. It’s about fatherhood, legacy, and the vulnerability it takes to love across generations. For the first time, Salvador speaks candidly about his own son and the pain of almost losing him, reflecting on how that experience reshaped his understanding of love, responsibility, and healing. Together, Mike and Salvador explore what it means to grow up with a larger-than-life father and the lifelong work of understanding, accepting, and redefining that relationship on your own terms.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Chris Rivas for a powerful conversation about identity, belonging, and the quiet lie that so many of us carry: that we are not enough. Actor, author of Brown Enough, and cultural storyteller, Chris challenges harmful notions of supremacy and masculinity while inviting us to reclaim our stories as medicine for ourselves and for our communities. Together, they explore awakening, intimacy, consumption, and the courage it takes to unlearn what we were taught about taking up space. This episode is for anyone who has ever asked, Am I enough?

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Vic Mensa and his father, Edward Mensah, for a rare, intergenerational conversation about becoming a father, becoming a son, and becoming accountable to something greater than oneself. Vic reflects on how fatherhood has ushered in a quieter, more intentional chapter of his life, grounded in ancestry, purpose, and love. Two men. Two lineages. One shared responsibility: raising sons who know they are loved.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Richie Reseda, artist, abolitionist, and CEO of Question Culture, for a raw and transformative conversation about masculinity, accountability, and healing. From co-founding Success Stories inside Soledad Prison to co-creating Songs From the Hole, Richie reflects on unlearning patriarchy and the radical belief that healing is possible anywhere.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Selema Masekela for an intimate conversation about culture, nature, and the love between fathers and sons. From surfing, skating, and snowboarding to music and movement as medicine, Selema reflects on how the outdoors became a spiritual home and a pathway to belonging. Together, Mike and Selema explore legacy, grief, and healing, honoring their fathers’ impact while learning how to redefine manhood through tenderness, presence, and love.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Maestro Jerry Tello for a deeply grounding conversation on ceremony, culture, and healing. A community leader, healing practitioner, and internationally recognized voice for justice, Jerry shares wisdom shaped by his Mexican, Texan, and Coahuiltecan Indigenous roots and upbringing in Los Angeles. With over five decades dedicated to healing individuals, families, and communities, Jerry reflects on fatherhood, violence prevention, and the power of culturally-rooted practices to restore dignity and connection.

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In this special live episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha facilitates a powerful panel discussion titled “Sacred Lessons: Exploring Men’s Healing” at the launch of The Indigenous House, a visionary lifestyle brand and media platform rooted in Indigenous cultures, creativity, and community. Joined by DJ Emcee One, Eric Michael Hernandez, and Thosh Collins, Mike guides a deep, honest conversation on what it means to redefine manhood in a moment when our communities are calling for healing. Together, they reflect on where their earliest lessons of masculinity came from, the tensions between inherited expectations and lived truth, and the courage it takes to choose vulnerability, presence, and care.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits down with Memo Torres, Director of Engagement and multimedia journalist at the James Beard Award–winning L.A. Taco, for a moving conversation about storytelling, community, and the emotional responsibility of bearing witness. From his roots as a third-generation landscaper to becoming one of LAs’ most trusted narrative voices, Memo shares how writing and cultural reporting can serve as medicine for working-class and immigrant communities. Together, Mike and Memo explore the sacred role of the storyteller holding pride and grief at once, documenting truth without exploitation, and finding humanity in moments of crisis.

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In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits down with Isaac Zamora, youth advocate and family therapist for a number of youth-serving organizations. Rooted in Chumash and Chicano heritage, Isaac’s journey from incarceration to higher education at Santa Barbara City College, UCLA, and Pepperdine University reveals how culture, kinship, and redemption can turn shame into healing. Together, Mike and Isaac explore education as liberation, the power of community healing, and the importance of walking with, rather than apart from, those impacted by the system.

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In part two of this special Sacred Lessons episode, host Mike de la Rocha sits down with his longtime mentor, poet, and cultural leader Luis J. Rodríguez. Together, they explore how mentorship, purpose, and creativity can turn pain into power and how our stories carry the seeds of healing and belonging.

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