To kick off Women’s History Month, on March 6th a very special event returns to the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz. It is called HERstory, and it celebrates the important women of Santa Cruz County—past, present, and future. The event features performances, special activities and, most importantly, talks from extraordinary women who were nominated by the community and selected by a diverse committee representing local organizations dedicated to supporting and uplifting women.

In this conversation, we meet event organizers Stephanie Sumarna (County Office of Education) and Jessie Durant (Museum of Art and History), as well as two of the event’s honorees, Amara Anderson (Santa Cruz High Black Student Union President) and Ivory Woodson (Student Leader & Founding Black Student Union President, Soquel High School Black Student Union, Countywide BSU). The guests talk about their backgrounds and the upcoming event.

For more information and registration, visit the event page at https://santacruzcoe.my.canva.site/herstory.

In a victory in the indigenous landback movement. The Amah Mutsun Land Trust and Peninsula Open Space Trust have purchased the 2,284 acre Juristac property,(Formerly Sargeant Ranch),  preventing the building of a gravel pit mine, and returning the land to its original inhabitants. We hear from Amah Mutsun tribal chairman, Ed Ketchum about the history of his people in relation to this land and what plans are for its future.

Guest Tom Llewellyn grew up in the small rural enclave of Canyon, California, where sharing food, road work days, and fighting fires together as a community was common. Full disclosure, I also grew up there, but we didn’t cross paths until recently in Bonny Doon. Growing out of that belief in the collective wisdom of communities working together, Tom is now Program Director for the nonprofit, Shareable. Far beyond ride shares, this organization promotes libraries of things, lending libraries of tools and other useful items, and leads trainings around the world to fuel this growing movement. If you’ve ever used a tiny neighborhood library or organized a car pool, you know the joy of the sharing economy. So far, there is no tool lending library in Santa Cruz. Anyone want to start one? https://www.shareable.net/about/

Andrew Schoneberg was fortunate to meet and interview Dr. Elisa Lagana.  Dr. Lagana is a natural psychic, remote viewer and clairvoyant. For the past 15 years, she has worked professionally as a remote viewer, offering accurate, real-world insight to clients across the globe.

Her work has contributed to the prediction of major world events outcomes months in advance. Her skills include locating missing persons, which she’s done for the CIA and law enforcement agencies.

Elisa shares that at the heart of her work is a devotion to healing. Her greatest joy comes from helping people understand the language of energy—how it moves, speaks, and guides.

Joan Hammell is a board member with the Santa Cruz County SPCA. More than just a place to adopt or give up a beloved pet, the organization has broadened its mission to help humans and animals help each other in often profound ways.

Fraud and identity theft targeting immigrants are on the rise, according to Claudia Abasto Rivella of Latinan, a legal aid nonprofit serving three central coast counties, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey. Even Ms. Abasto Revilla, a lawyer, has had her identity stolen and used to extort people in North Carolina seeking green cards. She warns people to never conduct business of a legal nature over the phone or internet, but to work in person.

Consuelo Alba is the Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Watsonville Film Festival. Consuelo is a visionary arts leader harnessing the transformative power of film and culture to ignite social change in Santa Cruz County and beyond.  Under her leadership, the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) has grown from a grassroots collective into a nationally recognized cultural force offering year-round programming, supporting local filmmakers and redefining what a film festival can be: an inclusive, community-centered space for dialogue, joy and inspiration.

Consuelo was born and raised in Mexico City. Her early career as a journalist laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices. As a documentary filmmaker, Consuelo explores cultural identity, healing and justice. Her award-winning short documentary El Andalón / The Healer screened at more than 30 international festivals, won seven awards, and was broadcast on Mexican public television. She is co-director of a new film, The Long Labor.

LiliArlen Gomez is the Production Coordinator of the Watsonville Film Fest. LiliArlen was born in Monterey, California and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, where traditions and storytelling deeply influenced her path as a filmmaker. After earning her degree in Cinematic Arts and Technology from Cal State University Monterey Bay, she worked on projects with Apple, Google, and 20th Century Studios, with her collaborative work reaching festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Watsonville. LiliArlen is excited to bring her passion, creativity, and production experience to help uplift diverse voices and strengthen the Watsonville Film Festival’s presence in the community.

The 14th annual Watsonville Film Festival begins Thursday March 12th, and runs through Saturday March 21st, with showings in Watsonville, and during the second weekend, in Salinas and Santa Cruz. You can view the schedule of films and events here.

This recording includes an interview of ~54 minutes with Consuelo Alba, followed by an interview of ~3 minutes with LiliArlen Gomez.

David Hahklotubbe is a Death Doula and Gerontologist, as well as a motivational speaker.  Death Doulas serve people who are about to die, their families and loved ones.  Their goal is to provide counseling, wisdom, and peace of mind, as well as practical help for families and loved ones navigating the practical aspects of dealing with this life transition.

Based on his experience witnessing over 1000 deaths, David believes that the worst pain many suffer at death is regret — regret at wishes and goals not pursued, relationships not healed, etc.  So as a motivational speaker and author, David Hahklotubbe advocates for living the lives we truly wish for, while we still can.  And he imparts his wisdom about how to have a “good” death.

In this interview with Andrew Schoneberg, David shares that many people have communications from loved ones who’ve recently passed.  He says if we are open to it, this is a common occurrence, and evidence that consciousness doesn’t end at death.