Riding The Wave

The delicate thing we call life is that we only experience it once, so how do we live it with purpose and passion? This week, co-host AYD once again joins us as we discuss how to find our purpose, how it reflects growth, and the internal conversations we must have to determine the things, people, places, and ideas that give genuine meaning to our lives. It is common to be stuck in a routine, living on autopilot and uncertain in a busy world to survive, adhering to a cycle where you are inhibited from accessing, exploring, and understanding what exists within you. MJ and AYD share that to understand your purpose, you need to understand who you are first. As an example, both share that this podcast gives them purpose, knowing that through this platform, they gain the ability to interact with, learn from, and grow alongside others, as opposed to what they were routinely used to before starting the podcast: constantly living to work, instead of working to live, preparing for a mundane schedule that did not allow them the freedom to grow and learn. Both AYD and MJ encourage us to challenge who we are to navigate our purpose. Although it may feel uncomfortable, you learn to let go of the things that no longer serve you to make room for the things that matter.

For the first time, MJ's mother, Silvia, joins us on the 40th episode of Riding The Wave. MJ asks a series of profound questions regarding his mother's tenacity and perseverance during her darkest times, which involve the passing of her friend and that of her husband in later years.It is no easy feat discussing these matters; however, MJ, followed by his sister Mo, after several decades, finally learns about their mother's point of view, feelings, and thoughts on these unfortunate experiences. MJ closes off with a question that few take the time to ponder: if a loved one who passed was sitting right in front of you, what would you say?

On this week’s podcast, we feel nostalgic as we learn to interpret the world through the intricate lens of a child. We are joined by MJ’s very own bright, enthusiastic, and youthful eight-year-old son, Aaron. Although we cannot take back time and revert to our years of childhood, the children around us can offer and teach us many valuable lessons about the world we now live in. Aaron takes us back to the basics and discusses how to have fun, the importance of friendships, being a good person, being an exceptional young scholar, growing up with a loving and supportive family, and managing emotions. Ultimately, Aaron teaches us to recenter ourselves and pursue our goals with tenacity, reminding us that the inner child permanently resides within us no matter how old we grow.

This week, we are joined by returning guest Mo as we explore the topic of cheating within relationships, its psychological effects, and some personal anecdotes. The most prominent question asked is, why do people cheat? Do people cheat because of insecurity, lack of commitment, lack of self-respect, ego, or retaliation? Cheating within a relationship is an action that demonstrates a lack of commitment, accountability, and respect, consequently leading to severed trust. Mo and MJ then ask the audience, should one take back their partner after cheating? How do you forgive a partner who has violated your trust? They delve into emotional cheating and physical cheating, reiterating the importance of self-control and the implications your unfaithful actions have on your partner’s mental health. Ultimately, a relationship requires constant communication, vulnerability, being present, sorting through struggles, and not seeking validation from another person outside the relationship. It is also important to emphasize that if you are cheated on, do not blame yourself or ponder what you should change about yourself. Ultimately, a cheating partner’s insecurities and selfishness do not define who you are, as you should respect yourself by moving on and appreciating yourself instead of surrounding yourself with someone who does not.

In this episode on Riding The Wave, we are joined by a resilient and knowledgeable guest, Rick, a financial advisor who has been in the industry for 17 years. Raised by a single father who was a war veteran and not culturally accustomed to what it meant to live according to city life because of his non-stationary lifestyle, Rick persevered through a myriad of existing adversities. Said hardships were a result of childhood traumas; many of which stemmed from his mother’s rejection, and growing up alongside a father who was going through mental struggles after the Vietnam War. Despite his internal struggles, Rick breaks down the wall to be there for his wife and daughter, ensuring that he presents the best version of himself for them. Rick teaches the audience the importance of coming to terms with the nature of reality; to sit with and acknowledge your grief, but not let it occupy a permanent spot in your life, to dismantle cycles of abuse, unhealthy familial relationships, and harmful practices. Rick leaves a message for the audience to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, encouraging others to seek help and, more importantly, forgive themselves.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our next star, talented vocalist and musical genius, Violet Melody! Although working a corporate office job by day, Violet Melody makes time for her musical passions and hobbies during her free time, encouraging others not to abandon their creative pursuits and talents in lieu of adhering to a 9-5 work lifestyle where there is often little to no room for creativity. Violet Melody, inspired musically by the R&B genre through her tunes, seeks to encourage self-confidence. She reminds her audience and fans to remain genuine, as there is no textbook definition of what an artist should look or sound like. Stars in our galactic ocean are born through belligerent stages in their formation. The result, however, becomes a bright light in our opaque universe. Violet Melody is no different.Stay tuned for Violet Melody's live performance at the end of the episode!

Welcome to Luigi’s Barbershop, where special guest Luigi joins us as he gives MJ his fresh cut. Luigi is a Whittier native whose journey began as soon as sixth grade with a pair of clippers as a result of his desire to achieve the perfect cut for himself and eventually for others. Becoming a certified and trusted barber proved difficult, having worked several other jobs previously. However, Luigi testifies to the importance of continual practice and sticking through to your passion even during challenging times, such as working through COVID. Admittedly, Luigi confesses to having messed up during several haircuts during his inception as a barber but uses that analogy as proof that you must be willing to learn and be an apprentice to achieve your highest form in your desired zone.

In this week’s podcast, we change the scene as we are accompanied by Rudy, The Vicious Barber, in the place where he perfects his craft best, his barbershop, while also giving A.Y.D a cut. Rudy talks of his inception as a barber, from starting ground zero and how, through the help of his brother, YouTube searches, and the willingness to learn and put in relentless hours of work to improve, he was able to obtain his barber license this year. Rudy teaches us the importance of aligning with our values and sticking through with our passions despite adversities and periods of disillusionment because, ultimately, the work put in will yield the results we seek to achieve.

This week, we are joined by special guest Misael, who goes by the name of “Wheels” as a result of having endured a motorcycle accident at the age of 16, resulting in paralysis from the waist down. Despite this complete shift of lifestyle during the early years of his adolescence into adulthood, Misael is a testament to the power of strength as he does not let his condition limit, discourage, or deter him from pursuing his aspirations and accomplishing his day-to-day tasks. Through his sense of humor and dedication to his physical and mental well-being, Misael seeks to challenge those who perceive individuals with disabilities through a deficit lens. He encourages all to remain committed to their overall health and goals.

This holiday week on Riding The Wave Podcast, we are joined by a special guest seeking to change the world through the power of education, Dr. Ji Son. Well-rounded and invested in continual growth, Dr. Ji Son is a Cognitive Science Professor, Scientist, Researcher, Author, and Psychologist. UCLA Alumna with a PhD from Indiana University and proud of her Korean roots, Dr. Ji Son continually follows her curiosity and interests, as advised by her hardworking parents. Dr. Ji Son discusses changes in learning during the digital age and what it means to maximize happiness. Dr. Ji Son encourages others to seek agency, ask questions, and actively pursue new knowledge for cognitive growth.

On this week’s podcast, we are rejoined by Coach Flaco, who presents us with the privilege of introducing us to 16-year-old Lincoln Heights boxing champion, Lennon Sosa, going 21-3, who aspires to be our future 2028 Olympic gold medalist. Hungry for the sport and proud of his persistence, Lennon demonstrates that age is just a number for achieving your goals. Not only is Lennon challenging his opponents in the ring, but academically, he is thriving by inputting the same technique into his studies. With the backing of a supportive coach, relentless determination, and the willingness to continually learn, Lennon teaches us how to condition our minds to respond successfully to life’s struggles inside and outside the ring.

Although there is no way to foretell the challenges that life will throw at us, we do have control over how we choose to respond to them. In this week’s episode, we are joined once again by Fedna, a resilient Coach, Minister, and active member of his community who serves as a testament to the healing power of forgiveness and growth. Living in a single-mother household and being part of the foster care system placed Fedna and his siblings under circumstances where they learned to become independent and self-sufficient –despite having been under the care of a mother who was trying to do her best with what she had. Fedna aspired to be much like those who cared for him growing up, such as his foster father, prioritizing the desire to provide his loving wife and children with constant and unconditional love, appreciation, safety, and security. Although Fedna emphasizes the importance of forgiving and growing from past traumas, he shares how his processing of emotions came to be and how he has learned to cope with them to serve as a mentor for others going through similar situations. Having been in the army as well, Fedna learned not to be complacent with the placement of things, using his new career as a coach to continue teaching others to challenge and confront their inner critics, reminding them that “anytime they find themselves in trouble, turn right and go straight.”

This week, we are joined by Fedna, an active member of the Lincoln Heights community. He serves as a Youth Minister and Coach at his local high school, relentlessly demonstrating his commitment to his family and community. Fedna shares the importance of honoring his father’s legacy, who was murdered, through being rooted in his Haitian-Creole roots. Fedna shares how his upbringing with his siblings and mother contributed to who he came to identify as and aspired to become based on his lived experiences. Learning how to deal with the loss of a parent is an incomprehensible feat, especially at a young age. Many questions remain unanswered, and complete closure feels as though it can not be sought. As children, we craft our parents to be the ideal role models and, to preserve the innocence that comes with being of young age, information is often kept out of the loop. Fedna describes how learning how his father truly passed, as a result of his participation in a cartel, did not yield anger and resentment, although initially, he felt confused and discombobulated; rather, it taught him how to forgive. He remained determined to seek to learn more about his father’s existence, with the help of some of his siblings, acknowledging that although the route his father took was not the best, his intentions to protect and provide for his family were there. Fedna’s calm, stoic demeanor and presence demonstrate the importance of learning to navigate and learn from hardship. Now, as a father, Fedna works hard to provide for his children by being present socially and emotionally, providing for them what he lacked as a child, and instilling moral values and unconditional love in them.

On this week’s podcast, we talk business. We are joined by special guest, Monica Flores Roman, entrepreneur and financial expert of 18 years. Monica shares with us how her upbringing and tight-knit nuclear familial dynamic led to her desire to follow in her hard-working father’s footsteps in the entrepreneurial world and pursue her own business ventures. Monica emphasizes the importance of mindset as her father had instilled in her, reiterating that it is 90% mindset that leads to success, and 10% skillset. “El mundo es de los audaces”, a Spanish mantra that translates into, “The World is yours for the taking.” Seeking to challenge the scarcity mentality that her father’s family once upheld, Monica fervently applied the lesson learned from this motto into her life by pursuing a post-secondary education at UC Riverside, despite being discouraged by other family members. The business world is complicated to navigate, as it presents the challenge of severing ties with even those one thinks are there to support them socially and emotionally, such as family, in order to protect and maintain one’s inner peace when those individuals choose not the embrace and encourage one’s success. Monica also provides in detail the pressures that come with being a first-generation college student, sharing with us heavy and unrealistic expectations that were placed on her, and the importance of pursuing goals and aspirations that are meaningful and specific to who you are and what you represent in order to attract what you want out of your life. Monica’s journey serves as a testament to the fact that despite adversities, hardships, and challenges, persistence and dedication are key, and ultimately, the universe will align you with your passions, aspirations, and what is meant for you. She teaches us to work on believing in ourselves, hold ourselves accountable, and surround ourselves with other successful people to manifest the destiny that we want to create for ourselves and the vision of success that is true to us.Riding the Wave puts our audience first. We want to hear your high and low tides. No judgment! DM us on Instagram @ridingthewave2024, and we will respond to your questions in a future show.

This week we are joined by a special guest "Rooster", an eccentric idiosyncratic individual who shares with the audience his upbringing; from his relationship with his parents to the meaning of his tattoos, which demonstrates his outlook towards life. From enduring difficult losses such as losing his loving wife and home, and living on the streets for 17 years despite working multiple jobs within the construction and warehouse industry, Rooster emphasizes the importance of being an honest and earnest man and encourages others not to judge one another based on appearance. Rooster emboldens others to dismantle misconceptions that label the homeless community as dangerous and unruly, especially those created and maintained by media and other hegemonic forces, and promotes the fact that everyone’s mental health matters. Furthermore, the force of authority interferes during the last minute of the episode, to which MJ complies and ends the episode with less than 10 minutes of the interview. Want to know what happens next? Stay tuned for next week's episode as we follow up with Rooster and the alleged accusation by the 5-0.

Special guest and pastor Sergio Vera returns for part two of this week’s podcast to share how living a tumultuous lifestyle led to a road of struggle, danger, and a lack of progress, motivating him to reframe his mindset and re-establish his priorities in order to be fully present for himself, his family, and his friends. Living an adult life at such an early age means compromising much and missing out on many early archetypal childhood experiences. Sergio testifies to this as he details being shot and wounded at an early age, maintaining unhealthy drug habits, and finding it difficult to abandon a dangerous lifestyle he came to accept as normal. Sergio soon came to realize, as he was reminded by a close friend, that he had a lot to lose by engaging in practices that served no purpose or goal. The multitude of adversities that existed within his life motivated him to do better for his kids to dismantle the chain of trauma and trouble. Through adhering to his newly established faith in the findings of God, and his search for redemption, Sergio achieved forgiveness. Attaining absolution allowed Sergio to be a strong figure for his family and members of his community, where he now promotes compassion and motivates others to seek their purpose and calling in life.Riding the Wave puts our audience first. We want to hear your high and low tides. No judgment! DM us on Instagram @ridingthewave2024, and we will respond to your questions in a future show.

On this week’s podcast MJ and AYD are joined by special guest Sergio Vera, a Boyle Heights native centering his energy around God’s plan. Father of three and a dedicated member of his church, Sergio shares with the audience his experience during his transition from the streets into the church, reminiscing on and demonstrating the significance of willpower, and the importance of finding inner peace and strength in the face of life’s adversities. Family dynamics differ across all households. Although Sergio notes that the absence of a father figure whilst growing up did cast an ache in his heart, he was able to compensate for his father’s absenteeism through his integration into the church, through laughter, and the support of his loving mother, siblings, children, and friends. Despite having been abandoned by those whom he thought should have cared for him most, learning of a sibling he did not know existed, and surviving a gunshot wound, Sergio remained resilient and solidaristic. Through Sergio’s radiant energy, despite hardship, one comes to realize that surviving, learning from, and growing through life’s hardest battles create individuals with strong character, perseverance, and faith.Riding the Wave puts our audience first. We want to hear your high and low tides. No judgment! DM us on Instagram @ridingthewave2024, and we will respond to your questions in a future show.

Boxing and sobriety have helped many develop a lifestyle that is conducive to their needs, goals, hopes, and aspirations for the future. On this week’s podcast, we are joined by returning guests Spencer Valenzuela, undefeated boxing champ and longtime persistence and resistance Coach, Flaco, who reiterate how life’s hardest battles that exist within the ring and outside of it become possible to tackle through acknowledging your need for help and establishing a purpose greater than yourself. Boxing has become a channel through which many can confront their internal struggles, existing turmoils, and self-doubt. Both Spencer and Flaco encourage the youth to pursue this sport at an early age as a means of establishing self-discipline, learning how to problem-solve, and developing a sense of respect for their mind and body. Through this establishing of productive habits early on one learns to fight through and cope with their pain and vices healthily. Everyone goes through hardship, and along the way, vices may become part of one’s daily routine, but Spencer and Flaco encourage all people to acknowledge their discomfort and ask for help because there are people who care. It is through this resilient mindset and willingness to participate in your character development that you will put yourself in a position where you cannot fail.Riding the Wave puts our audience first. We want to hear your high and low tides. No judgment! DM us on Instagram @ridingthewave2024, and we will respond to your questions in a future show.

It’s the sound of the bell ringing and immediately all that exists is you, your technique, the adrenaline, and your opponent in the ring. In that ring and in life, we learn that it does not matter how you start, but how you finish. This mantra is emphasized and reiterated further in this week’s episode with guests Spencer Valenzuela, a boxer with an undefeated amateur record and two belts under his sleeve, and his coach, Flaco, a Boyle Heights native who fell in love with the sport of boxing since the age of 10. Boxing involves combat, confidence, passion, technique, and training. Without these skills and without the guidance of a strong coach who acts as the anchor, it is difficult to deliver in the ring. More importantly, Spencer and Flaco discuss the importance of seeking comfort within the gym setting and within one’s own skin to navigate the ring and the sport that is boxing and life. Although the sport may not be for everyone, boxing helped many like Spencer abandon fear and addiction. With his interest in boxing stemming back to his grandparents, he came to develop a respect for the sport that taught him how to build confidence, technique, and persistence. Ultimately, the sport of boxing has helped many realize that challenges should be embraced and welcomed, in and out of the ring, as they help combat the limitations we place on ourselves.Riding the Wave puts our audience first. We want to hear your high and low tides. No judgment! DM us on Instagram @ridingthewave2024, and we will respond to your questions in a future show.

Setting realistic expectations, repeating exceptional performances systematically, and ultimately trusting the process: all of these being effective mindset tools and strategies recommended by our returning guest and personal mind and fitness coach, Canidate (@IamCanidate) to ultimately ensure that your workout plan serves a purpose. In this week’s episode, we revisit the topic of working out the mind and body and the importance of establishing routines to remain consistent in your journey toward wellness and fitness. Cultivating, working towards, and maintaining an active and fit lifestyle requires more than just engaging in strenuous workouts that apply pressure and force to the body and joints. Being able to maintain a healthy mind and healthy workout habits also requires being able to tap into your mind and remind yourself of the little things. These little things manifest themselves in the form of warming up through low-impact movement, creating breathing techniques, and prioritizing your sleep and diet. When you structure your goals, restore and regulate your mind, and remain consistent in your health habits, it is then that your discipline and resilience will create the desired results you have created for your mind and body. Riding the Wave puts our audience first. We want to hear your high and low tides. No judgment! DM us on Instagram @ridingthewave2024, and we will respond to your questions in a future show.