Brown Enough

Here’s another episode from you, our amazing listeners.

Chris has been practicing meditation for more than ten years now. It’s his daily morning routine to sit and be present in the moment. The practice of meditation has been life changing for him. Today, Chris gets into the roots of yoga and meditation as he speaks with Rosie Acosta and Susanna Barkataki - both women of color in the world of wellness.

Saadia Khan knows first-hand what it is to be an immigrant in the United States. She’s an activist, a social entrepreneur, a mother of two and a podcast host of two shows - Immigrantly and Invisible Hate. Today, Saadia chats with Chris about her dual identity as a Pakistani American, how she’s amplifying stories and narratives of immigrant communities and how she feels about America.

Comedian Erik Rivera has been making audiences laugh for more than a decade. He sits down with Chris to talk about how identity and family life makes it into his jokes, and about creating a supportive and inclusive comedy ecosystem.

A star is on the rise and she’s making her big splash in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new Broadway show, Bad Cinderella. Her name is Linedy Genao. The Brooklyn native plays the leading role of Cinderella putting her own twist to the character. And this is not the Disney version we all know of.

This episode is an invitation to pause, take stock and recharge as Chris takes a reset in Napa, California - where he talks to leaders, creatives and disruptors in all fields of work. 

Annie Gonzalez is setting fire -- but not literally. The actress is spicing things up in the new movie Flamin’ Hot, playing Judy, the wife and partner of the man who invented one of America’s favorite snacks, the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Today, Chris chats with Annie about her acting career, what it was like playing the role of Judy and executive producing a new biopic of the Mexican American singer Jenni Rivera.

Bri Majsiak is a journalist, but her work extends beyond that. She’s also a co-founder of a nonprofit called Breasties, an all inclusive organization that creates a community for survivors of breast and gynecologic cancer. But also for previvors, thrivers and caregivers. Today, she chats with Chris about how her mother’s story inspired her to start Breasties, what her nonprofit is doing to support folks impacted by breast cancer and an important decision she made regarding her health.

Today’s episode is extra special. We’ve been asking for your stories, thoughts, and reactions - and today you’ll get to hear all the beautiful messages you’ve been sending over time.

Henry R. Muñoz III's career has spanned art, architecture and politics and entertainment. And as the the son of a farm labor leader who worked closely with the legendary Cesar Chavez, community-building is in Henry's blood. Today, Chris chats with Henry about lessons Henry took from his parents, how his interest for the arts and advocacy intersect and all the tremendous work he’s done for the Brown community.

Today, we’re bringing you a special episode from The Man Enough Podcast - where our host Chris Rivas shares his journey towards self confidence, education and peace as a brown man in America. Our hosts get intimate about their relationships to privilege, adolescent insecurities and actionable steps they are taking towards being a “good” person.  The video version of every episode will always be available on the @wearemanenough YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/WeAreManEnough

When Chef Miguel Trinidad was introduced to cannabis, it was all about getting high. But as he got older and learned about the medicinal benefits of marijuana, he began to think about it differently. Now, he is taking cannabis to the next level. He’s infusing cannabis with food at private dinner parties. These dinners are invite only. Luckily, Chris got his invitation. Today, Chris chats with Chef Miguel about the art of cooking with cannabis, how Chef Miguel got started in the industry and how he is using these dinners to de-stigmatize the stereotype of cannabis.

If you open your Instagram account and search for the name Sarah Bahbah, you’ll find yourself looking at beautiful images inspired by romance and films. These images -- of loving couples, luxurious bathtubs and platters of food -- are just a glimpse of the world the Palestinian/Jordanian artist Sarah Bahbah has created with her photographs. And today, Chris and her chat about her visual art and identity. You can purchase of book of her copy Dear Love here.

How does masculinity show up in relationships, everyday life and in culture? For this week's episode, Chris gets deep into the topic with Mark Pagan, creator of the Other Men Need Help podcast. And then he welcomes another special guest --  his pops William Rivas. Together they chat about the stereotypes of masculinity that exist in Latin American culture and how William has gone through his own evolution.

Classical music is pretty much a space where Black and Brown folks are missing. But there’s someone close to the Brown Enough team who’s shaking things up to make the world of classical music more diverse. She’s Jazmín Morales, chief of staff at the prestigious Juilliard School and partner of executive producer Carlos E. Hernandez. Chris and Jazmín take us on a deep dive into the world of classical music, discuss what it was like playing mariachi growing up and how educational institutions should support the arts.

Chris has a little secret! He’s an actor but he surprisingly doesn’t watch much TV. He’s a busy man. He’s either auditioning for roles, writing and/or hosting this podcast. So for this week’s episode, he chats with television aficionado Ashley Ray. Ashley is the host of TV I Say, an Earwolf podcast that celebrates all things television. Both Chris and Ashley discuss their favorite shows, how Black and Brown representation on TV has evolved, and the insidious role advertising plays in all of this. We need your help. We are looking for YOUR STORIES about meditation. Do you meditate ⁠— or feel that meditation is accessible to you? Have you ever been the only Brown person in a meditation class or space? Have you tried to introduce this practice to your community in an interesting way? Tell us everything. Send your stories in an email or as a voice memo to brownenough@stitcher.com. You could wind up on a future episode! 

There've been a slew of terms used to identify people of Latin American heritage over the years: Hispanic, Latino, Latina, and Latinx. That last one -- Latinx -- has sparked controversy, headlines and even political fights recently. So this week, Chris dives deeper into the conversation of assimilation, self identity, census checkboxes and who gets to police language. He's joined by fellow writer Julissa Arce, author of You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case For Rejecting Assimilation, who has her own thoughts on the term Latinx.

Kweli Caldereon has been a makeup artist for more than 20 years. She's often called when films, tv shows or music videos need someone to take care of hair and makeup for Black creatives. She even did host Chris' makeup once, on the set of Call Me Kat. Today, Chris chats with Kweli about how she got started working in Hollywood, what changes she’s seen in the industry, why segregation in the beauty industry persists, and the changes she wants to see.

When Chris interviewed his dad for the Rubirosa podcast, he found out a secret about his dad's real name. That story inspired today's episode, which is all about names. And the special guest is YOU! Tune in for stories about beautiful, Brown names: what you were named after, whether people can pronounce your name and how some of y’all are reclaiming your names.

Chris speaks very little Spanish. A fact he's been ashamed of for quite some time since his parents and sister are fluent. But a little while back, he enrolled in a program called "Spanish Sin Pena" that aims to empower folks with Latin American heritage to speak Spanish confidently. Today, he chats with the founders of Spanish Sin Pena about how it started, the impact they are making and why so many people feel shame and embarrassment about not knowing their parents' first language.