Kyle and ADVERSITY

Many of us struggle with the work-life balance trying to find time for play and recreation.  At times we feel trapped in the "hamster wheel" where we just keep running and running without a sense of purpose.  On this episode, Roberta and I sit down with David Fernandez, someone who understands greatly the importance of hobbies and the necessity for setting aside time to cultivate interests.  He invites us into the truth that at their core hobbies are not an escape from reality but truly doorways to enter the present moment where we experience true joy.

Michelle Cantu Solomon is a Director at The National Association of County and City Health Officials in the Infectious Disease and Immunization Department.  Michelle admits that a little bit of naïveté and childhood dreams kept her feet to the fire when it came to making “BOLD MOVES.” Mostly, in this episode, she shares the wisdom she gained from her childhood and mentors when it came to making decisions.  Michelle explains in this podcast, that although she did not have it all figured out, she genuinely trusted in her instincts when taking risks and shares with us how she conquers the voices of insecurity.

Kyle Mendoza is a 26-year-old young adult from Orange County who has experienced a lot of adversity in his short life including: his parents’ divorce when he was 5 years old, a major accident when he was a teenager, and a friend's suicide while he was in college. Through these incredible hardships he had to grow and discover the path on how to move forward allowing him to gain a significant amount of spiritual insight and life wisdom. He reminds us that although we can get stuck in the pain of difficult situations, we always have the power of “choice” to evolve from the adversities we face to live life more fully.

Co-host Francis Mendoza, also known as Father Francis Mendoza is on this episode today as I interview him on one of the greatest gifts of life: authentic relationships.  Francis has been a Roman Catholic Priest for 16 years and has invested in building a community of his own.  He leads us through the experience he has had with himself and others in cultivating honest and real friendships.  If you are interested on how to begin your personal spiritual journey with yourself and others, this episode will provide insight and take-aways you may enjoy!

Nicole Godinez-Medina is an artist/photographer as well as a wife and new mom from Los Angeles County.  She wants us to look at the relationship we have with ourselves and the constant necessity for self-love.  She describes concretely what that looks like for her which includes: setting boundaries, speaking up, and asking for help.  She encourages us to reflect on our past and present relationships and whether or not they serve our authentic selves.

Karina Hotchkiss is an artist/hairstylist/educator from the Inland Empire in California who invites us to look deep within ourselves and understand our motivation for all of our actions.  She encourages us to always check in with the SOUL.  There, we will find our truth as well as everything we do distract ourselves from it.

Here we go! Welcome friends to the Spiritual Normies Podcast, a joint venture/adventure of Roberta Gomez-Fernandez a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Fr. Francis Mendoza, Pastor of St. Finbar Church.  This podcast is a platform for meaningful conversations that reveal the spiritual wisdom in people’s lives. This 5 minute intro explains how this project all came about and what we want to accomplish.  Thanks for joining us.