What does it really mean to live authentically when the world constantly asks you to be someone else? In this powerful Pride Season episode, I sit down with Sydney Rogers—speaker, advocate, drag artist, Senior Manager of the Trans Wellness Center at the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, Chair of the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission, and one of the most inspiring people I've had the privilege to meet. Sydney shares her extraordinary journey from surviving homelessness and addiction to becoming one...
Jul 2
1 hr 1 min
As we kick off Pride Month on JUST DO YOU., I'm excited to welcome a guest who isn't afraid to challenge assumptions, spark important conversations, and speak his truth with conviction. Matthew Conrado is the Founder and CEO of Alphabet Mafia Consultancy, a groundbreaking LGBTQ+ marketing and brand strategy firm dedicated to helping organizations authentically connect with queer audiences and communities. Recognized by Adweek as a Pride Star, Matthew has built a reputation for challenging the...
Jun 11
55 min
There are moments in life when the hardest question is not what we do… but who we truly are beneath the expectations, fear, labels, survival, and the roles we’ve spent years playing for everyone else. This week on JUST DO YOU., I’m joined by Northern California entrepreneur, caregiver advocate, author, and LGBTQIA+ voice Nicola Lopez for a deeply honest and heartfelt conversation about identity, healing, purpose, and the courage it takes to live authentically. Inspired by her book Lesbian, Wh...
May 28
1 hr 4 min
Some stories don’t end when the episode does …they keep unfolding in real time. And today, this one brings the news we’ve been hoping for ... Allan is FINALLY HOME! After ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DAYS of detention, uncertainty, and being moved multiple times across the country, Allan is finally back where he belongs — with his husband, Matthew. And while there is deep relief … and overwhelming gratitude … there’s also something else. Because for Allan, coming home didn’t mean forgetting about his ex...
May 7
1 hr 7 min
In the midst of all the chaos, how do we heal, reconnect, and come home? This has been a question that has consumed my daily thoughts of late so today’s conversation feels especially timely. In a world that can feel overwhelming where uncertainty, stress, and constant noise can take a real toll on our nervous systems it’s easy to find ourselves drifting into anxiety, disconnection, or even isolation. In those moments, self-care isn’t a luxury… it’s essential. It’s how we find our...
Apr 23
1 hr
Matthew Collin Marrero is a New York City–based singer, songwriter, and published poet ... an artist whose work lives at the intersection of identity, advocacy, and truth. Through his voice, he’s spent years telling stories of resilience and self-expression. But nothing could prepare him for the story he’s now living. What began as a routine immigration interview with his husband Allan quickly turned into something unthinkable. After arriving with what Matthew described as “a three-inch binde...
Mar 26
1 hr 7 min
This week, I’m bringing back one of the most vulnerable conversations we’ve had on the JUST DO YOU. podcast. In this special replay, formerly titled Anxiety, Trauma and Loss, therapist Brittaney Latta, LMFT joins me for an honest and heartfelt discussion about grief, anxiety, trauma, and loss—and why healing requires us to face the hard things rather than avoid them. Brittaney is a compassionate but no-nonsense therapist who helps people work through life’s most difficult experien...
Mar 12
44 min
Some journalists report the news. Others make sure you feel the people behind it — and that’s exactly what today’s guest, Jay Valle, does. Jay is an award-winning New York City–based journalist whose work centers community voices, accountability, and real-world impact. In a moment when so many in the LGBTQ community feel targeted, isolated, and afraid, that kind of journalism isn’t just important — it’s essential. In this episode, we dive into the responsibility of telling stories from margin...
Feb 12
57 min
Replay Episode This week we're replaying one of the most powerful conversations from Season 2 — an episode that continues to resonate long after the microphones were turned off. Please meet Marc Winski. Marc is a dynamic actor, singer, dancer, and speaker based in New York City who uses his artistry — and his voice — to champion inclusivity. As a person who stutters, Marc knows firsthand what it means to navigate a world where fluency is expected and voices like his have too often been dismis...
Jan 29
1 hr 2 min
Today’s guest doesn’t just move bodies ... he disrupts them. Toni Nuñez is a Southern California based, award winning professional dancer and movement coach who uses movement to shake people out of autopilot and back into themselves. His work is raw, embodied, and rooted in the belief that the body already knows the truth ... we just have to stop ignoring it! Toni’s approach isn’t polished for approval. It’s honest, physical, and sometimes uncomfortable in the way real growth tends to b...
Jan 23
1 hr 13 min
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