In this episode, I'm joined by close friend and youth development counselor, Tati. We have a conversation about healing from trauma. Together, we reject the concept of justifying traumatic events, how we combat blaming ourselves, and the realities of doing the work for us. We speak from our experience and give our honest takes about where we're at within the realm of our own healing.

Find more of The Holding Space:

https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod

Find more of Tati:

https://www.instagram.com/tatiyenhi/

Friend, dancer, & artist Genesis Perdomo Santos and I start this episode off talking about gratitude and how we practice it in our lives. During our raw and vulnerable conversation living with mental illness, seeking treatment, starting medication, and overlaps in our religious trauma. We talk about mental wellness, therapy, and seeking balance. Disclaimer: The two of us are not licensed professionals and we are just speaking from our own experiences with these triggering topics.

Find more of The Holding Space:

https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod

Find more of Genesis Perdomo Santos:

https://www.instagram.com/genperdomo/

Theatre maker, songwriter & facilitator of community ritual Troy Anthony joins the Holding Space. Through the chaos of this conversation, we speak to creating rituals for yourself, identifying what works for each of us, and give some guidance. Troy shares his experience leading community ritual spaces and reflects on how his practice of "people before project" informs his work at DreamYard Project.

Find more of The Holding Space:

https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod

Find more of Troy Anthony:

https://www.instagram.com/troyanthonymusic/

Find more of Hot Stuff Candles:

https://www.hotstuffcandle.com/

Erica Perez, actor & personal friend, joins The Holding Space to talk about breaking cycles in our interpersonal relationships. We explore the ideas of identifying behavior patterns and how we have tried to influence our own self improvement. We talk about our history with creating boundaries, communicating those with others, therapy, and staying true to our experiences. 

Find more of The Holding Space: 

https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod 

Find more of Erica Perez: 

https://www.instagram.com/erica_linette/

This week we have not one, not two, but three guests! Film production company, Did You Eat productions, joins us in the virtual studio. The co-founders (Angelica Adames, Alana Canares, & Dominique Jean) give us the real about pursuing your passions. We open the episode talking to Angelica, my friend of many years, about the path that lead her to this moment. We talk about finding support, trusting your gut, etc. You don't want to miss the conversation that happened when all four of us were together. The filmmakers share what lead them to start their own company, what it's like to create their own opportunities, and what to expect from them in the future. 

Find more of The Holding Space: 

https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod 

Find more of Did You Eat:  

https://www.instagram.com/didyoueatproductions/ 

https://www.instagram.com/angiemadames/ 

https://www.instagram.com/alanaempanada/ 

https://www.instagram.com/dominiquejean34/

In this episode, I’m joined by close friend, talented performer, and certified social worker, Brianna Cabrera. We talk about what it means to be connected to ourselves, each other, and to the world in general. We share stories about our struggles when it comes to socializing, our experiences with solitude as well as isolation, and what we think it takes to truly connect with others.

Find more of The Holding Space: 

https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod     

Find more of Brianna:   

 https://www.instagram.com/ny_bri/

In this week's episode, my chosen sibling Imani and I check in after spending the holidays apart. We discuss the journey of going from strangers to chosen family.  We share our experiences coming together as siblings, our histories with our given families, and deep dive on what it means to be family.

Find more of The Holding Space: 

https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod

Find more of Matthew:

https://beacons.ai/matthewvazquez

 Find more of Imani:

 https://www.instagram.com/imanisophia

On the inaugural episode of The Holding Space, host Matthew Vazquez is joined by artist friend and educator, Mayelyn Perdomo Santos. Together, we try to make sense of my recurring thought: “this can’t be my forever”. We discuss coming into the new year holding onto hope, how we define being hopeful in the face of adversity and unexpectedly unpack our reservations with the word “faith”.

 Find more of The Holding Space:

 https://beacons.ai/theholdingspacepod

Find more of Matthew: 

https://beacons.ai/matthewvazquez

Find more of Mayelyn: 

https://www.instagram.com/mayelyn.ps/