A Pretty Normal Podcast

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Quick reminder that we have started streaming the interviews live on Youtube and Facebook and Twitch! This gives you the opportunity to join the conversation and ask questions to all of the amazing guests that come on the show. Also you can hear these great interviews much earlier than when they are uploaded in audio form. So make sure to follow us on all of our social media handles so you get updated every time we go live! In this episode I am joined by Bianca Graulau, an independent journalist and content creator from Puerto Rico. Bianca and I discuss why she quit her job as a news reporter and moved back to Puerto Rico during the pandemic and what the political future of Puerto Rico looks like. Check out Biancas work on Instagram @biancagraulau and Youtube Support the show at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Support the show by visiting www.aprettynormal.com Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Quick reminder that we have started streaming the interviews live on Youtube and Facebook and Twitch! This gives you the opportunity to join the conversation and ask questions to all of the amazing guests that come on the show. So make sure to follow us on all of our social media handles so you get updated every time we go live! In this episode I am joined by Zach Schleien, co-founder of the video speed dating app, Filter Off. Filter Off has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, BBC, and ABC. Prior to Filter Off, he ran and sold the dating blog Top Romp, which covered dating hacks and apps for the millennial dater. His passions lie in technology, health, and creating authentic connections. Check out Filter Off on Instagram @filteroffdating Support the show at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Support the show by visiting www.aprettynormal.com Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Quick reminder that we have started streaming the interviews live on Youtube and Facebook and Twitch! This gives you the opportunity to join the conversation and ask questions to all of the amazing guests that come on the show. So make sure to follow us on all of our social media handles so you get updated every time we go live! In this episode I am joined by Annabel Garcia Torres, host of Latinx On The Rise, a show focusing on conversations with high achieving Latinx movers and shakers. We discussed why she started her show, not feeling "Latino/Latina" enough, why more Latinos/Latinas haven't adapted the term "Latinx", Marjorie Taylor Green and more! Connect with Annabel on Instagram @latinxontherise Support the show at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Support the show by visiting www.aprettynormal.com Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Quick reminder that we have started streaming the interviews live on Youtube and Facebook and Twitch! This gives you the opportunity to join the conversation and ask questions to all of the amazing guests that come on the show. So make sure to follow us on all of our social media handles so you get updated every time we go live! In this episode I am joined by Pete Bombaci, Founder of The GenWell Project, a Canadian organization dedicated to making the world a healthier and happier place by reminding people about the importance of face-to-face social connection as a proactive health action that they can take, and inspiring them to take action. Following a successful career in the beverage alcohol industry, Pete ventured into the world of charities and not-for-profits We had an amazing conversation about what his organization is doing to help combat loneliness, something that affects everyone across the spectrum all over the world. According to a survey by Cigna Health Insurance, more than three in five Americans are lonely, with more and more people reporting feeling like they are left out, poorly understood and lacking companionship. In this interview we discuss why we live in a time where although we have so many ways to stay connected at our fingertips, people still report to feel more alone than ever before. Connect with Pete and The GenWell Project at www.genwellproject.org/disconnected Support the show at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Support the show by visiting www.aprettynormal.com Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Quick reminder that we have started streaming the interviews live on Youtube and Facebook! This gives you the opportunity to join the conversation and ask questions to all of the amazing guests that come on the show. So make sure to follow us on all of our social media handles so you get updated every time we go live! In this episode I am joined by Donnie C. co- host of the podcast The Diamond Lounge. We had an amazing conversation about a wide variety of topics including Donnies connection with God, why fathers started taking on more responsibility in the home, what made her a Bernie supporter in the primaries and why she came around to Vice-President Kamala Harris and more. Connect with Donnie C. and check out The Diamond Lounge on Youtube! Support the show at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Support the show by visiting www.aprettynormal.com Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Quick reminder that we have started streaming the interviews live on Youtube and Facebook! This gives you the opportunity to join the conversation and ask questions to all of the amazing guests that come on the show. So make sure to follow us on all of our social media handles so you get updated every time we go live! In this episode I am joined by The Art Engineer, Luis Martin, host of the podcast Studio Confessions. Luis is a personal favorite of the show, an all around awesome person and was the first featured guest on the Pretty Normal Day series which I highly suggest everyone go watch on Youtube. In that video Luis takes us into his studio and shows us what a pretty normal day looks like for him. I knew this interview was going to be great because Luis is a walking, living book of inspirational quotes. Everything he says sounds so uplifting and im always super excited to have him come on the show. In our conversation we discuss his recent trip to Merida, Mexico, where he hosted his own art show, we discuss finding the balance between staying consistent and taking breaks from your creative work, whether or not art school is necessary, copyright laws when it comes to collaging, what we would like to change in Latinx culture and more. Connect with Luis Martin and check out his art at www.collagedream.com and check out Studio Confessions on all podcast platforms! Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Support the show by visiting www.aprettynormal.com Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast and I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Quick reminder that we have started streaming the interviews live on Youtube and Facebook! This gives you the opportunity to join the conversation and ask questions to all of the amazing guests that come on the show. So make sure to follow us on all of our social media handles so you get updated every time we go live! In this episode I am joined by Krisha, host of the podcast Gay Monologues and the creator of Loud Pride. Krisha's podcast Gay Monologues, talks about queer topics for personal growth. It was a really great conversation and Krisha is someone I knew I wanted to come on the show since late last year and i'm glad that we made it happen. I want to thank Krisha for being open about her coming out story. She describes the lead up to the day she came out to her parents and how that decision changed her relationship with them. We dove deep into problems that affect the LGBTQ community and spoke about why Krisha decided to start her podcast, Gay Monologues. She also taught me what the term LGBTQ2S means! I learned a lot and although same sex activity seems like a normal thing to me in 2020, it was appalling to learn that same sex activity is still illegal in approximately 70 countries. Which shows how the work for equality never ends. Connect with Krisha and check out her content at www.loudprideco.com and check out Gay Monologues. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Support the show by visiting www.aprettynormal.com Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Like I announced last week, I have started streaming the show live on Facebook and Youtube so anyone can join me in the chat and get involved in the conversation. Ill always post the audio to the podcast the next day but I do definitely enjoy streaming the show, it makes it more interactive and it lets me cover topics in a faster and more timely manner. So definitely subscribe and like the pages on Facebook and Youtube and join me next time! In this episode I am joined by Rob and Perry, two great friends of the show who have come on in the past. Always love talking politics with these dudes and who better to bring on when the US is falling into chaos? There was a lot to cover since last weeks events at the capitol building but we get into all of it, discussing Trumps social media ban, the house voting to impeach him for the second time, what Joe Biden's best move going forward is, what will become of the GOP and more! Make sure to subscribe to A Pretty Normal Podcast so you get notified every time a new episode drops. This show can be found on Spotify, Google, Apple and all other other podcast streaming platforms. Subscribe and please leave a review and a five star rating if you enjoy the content. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at A Pretty Normal. Also subscribe on Youtube at www.youtube.com/prettynormalproductions. If you enjoy the free content and the interviews I produce I kindly ask you to go check out the website, www.aprettynormal.com and check out the merchandise we have on there. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz. Now I didn't plan on releasing a new episode until at least mid January, I wanted to take some more time off to figure out what I wanted to do next and to learn any new software that I would need to take the podcast to the next level. But life has its own plans and 2021 got off to one hell of a start and I couldn't not comment on the recent events at the capitol building. So we expedited the process and took the podcast live for the first time on Facebook and Youtube. I was joined by the homie, the one and only Rocio Vives, co-host of Chica Chats as we discussed our thoughts on what took place as well as the media reactions and coverage to the aftermath. Streaming the show live was something I really wanted to do this year and I am happy to announce that I will be live streaming all of my podcast interviews from now on. So definitely make sure you follow us on Youtube and Facebook so you can participate in the discussion every time we go live. I will always post the audio to the podcast afterwards, but why not come join and get involved in the conversation! Make sure to subscribe to A Pretty Normal Podcast so you get notified every time a new episode drops. This show can be found on Spotify, Google, Apple and all other other podcast streaming platforms. Subscribe and please leave a review and a five star rating if you enjoy the content. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at A Pretty Normal. Also subscribe on Youtube at www.youtube.com/prettynormalproductions. If you enjoy the free content and the interviews I produce I kindly ask you to go check out the website, www.aprettynormal.com and check out the merchandise we have on there. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

GOODBYE 2020!! I can't believe it is the end of the year, but I want to make this short. I'm incredibly grateful for all of the people I have met along this podcast journey. All of you are super talented and I hope to continue to grow and evolve beside you as we head into the new year. 2020 didn't affect everyone in the same way, but we all had our own unique challenges to deal with as we adapted into the new reality. It was great to see all of the things you were grateful despite this being such a difficult year. There's too many of you to tag but if you came on the show this year, THANK YOU!! You are what makes A Pretty Normal so special and the stories you come on here to tell inspire me everyday. Goodbye 2020, it's been one hell of a ride. Support the show at www.aprettynormal.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and I am excited to announce that this will be the final episode of 2020. The year started off with episode 29 and I am super proud to say we have made it all the way to episode 74. That's not even including all of the monologues, all of the lives, all of the video content that we produced this year. 2020 has been one hell of a ride and I know that is has affected people in very different ways. But go back to the beginning of the pandemic back in March and throughout all of this time I have consistently said how grateful I am to be in the position that I am in and even from the start I knew that I was going to use this year as a way to create as much as entertaining and thought provoking content as possible. And that meant continuing what I started in 2019 with the podcast by interviewing people from all walks of life. I'm really proud of all of the growth of this show and I couldnt have found a better way to end this year than with my next guest. I had the pleasure of speaking with Jalen Vasquez - host of The Inspired By Fire Podcast, a show which seeks to analyze all aspects of what it means to be a free human being. Jalen decided to push his life experience to the extreme when he sold all of his possessions and traveled all over Asia, South America and Australia. His show interviews and discusses a wide variety of guests and topics as he explores the meaning of liberty in all forms. Connect with Jalen and check out his content at www.inspiredbyfire.org Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have something a little different for you this week. Recently I discovered the app, Stereo. Stereo describes themselves as a LIVE broadcast social platform that enables people to have and discover real conversations in real time. They aim to combat loneliness and provide a platform for debate and education. To be clear this is not an advertisement, I just started using the app and I think its pretty cool. You create an avatar, so its pretty anonymous if you are shy. Anyone can start a conversation with anyone else on the app people are literally on there streaming all the time at all hours of the day and then the cool part is listeners can record audio messages and submit them and everyone can listen together, giving the app a really cool interactive feel. You can share clips straight to Instagram and overall its just a really fun and new way to go live and speak with your followers. I think it was released in August this year so its pretty new and has a lot of potential. I went live for the first time with my good friend Reme Flyizhie and we had a blast with it talking about family members who hurt us, the impacts of technology and a lot more. We're planning on going live again this Friday at 9 pm EST so if you enjoy what you hear, download the stereo app and follow us so that you can join the conversation. https://stereo.com/ Stereo Usernames: @xavierdiaz @1flyizhie Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have an amazing new interview for you this week! I had the pleasure of speaking with Simon Chadwick, the Author of For The People: A Citizen's Manifesto to Shaping Our Nation's Future. Simon is the managing partner of Cambiar, a management consulting company dedicated to the market research industry. He grew up in two totalitarian societies and is the son of Bishop Graham Chadwick, a prominent anti-apartheid activist. Simon is someone who is intensely interested in and concerned about politics and society in America. We had a really great conversation about Democratic Libertarianism, why people fall for authoritarian leaders, what Joe Biden can do during his administration to prevent another fake populist from taking control in future elections and plenty more. His book, For The People, A Citizen's Manifesto to Shaping Our Nation's Future, is available for purchase on Amazon, and I highly recommend everyone go check out his website where he has the first 3 chapters available for free. Simon does a great job explaining Why Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is relevant to modern-day government and what the people can do to reclaim their power. Website: https://www.simonchadwick.us/ Amazon Link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/People-Citizens-Manifesto-Shaping-Nations/dp/1632992698 Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have an amazing new interview for you this week! I had the pleasure of speaking with Jackie, aka La Gorda Corajuda on Instagram, Tik-Tok and Twitter. She's a Latinx, intersectional feminist making really awesome and educational content on social media and I came across her profile right before the 2020 election and instantly knew that I needed to have her come on the show. She wants the best for her community and wants us all to progress forward, even if that means discussing issues that make some people uncomfortable. Here's an example of some of the work she is creating that made me really want to interview her. We had a really great wide ranging conversation about the Latinx community, what intersectionality means to her, how Democrats can improve their messaging to the Latinx community and you'll definitely want to stick till the end of the episode where we discuss the subject of whether or not Latinos and Latinas can say the “n” word. This has been a topic she has discussed on her platform, i've discussed here on mine and I wanted to take some time to really dive into the issue and see where the disconnect lies among the Latinx community when it comes to this word. Connect with Jackie on social media at: Tik Tok Instagram Youtube Twitter Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have an amazing new interview for you this week! Its been a week since the election was held and there were some amazing results on a variety of fronts including the fact that 5 different states passed some form of marijuana legalization measures. This was a huge victory for the cannabis industry and another step forward in ending the drug war. One amazing comeback story came to us from the state of Arizona, where voters passed proposition 207, which legalizes recreational marijuana. In 2016, the initiative failed to pass but only by a few percentage points, which left proponents of legalization, no pun intended fired up and ready to finish the job. And it certainly paid off because this time prop 207 was passed with 60% of the vote and was, once again no pun intended, the highest vote getter in Arizona state history with 1.92 million people voting in favor of legalization. I wanted to take the time out to learn about what changed in those 4 years and how community organizers got the message out. So I spoke with Alejandro Chavez, a Political Director at Strategies 360, who joined to help win the Smart and Safe Arizona campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona. He's done a lot of amazing work with MoveOn.org where he helped the successful campaigns of Arizona State Representative Ruben Gallego, Texas Rep Veronica Escobar and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez. Oh yeah and he just so happens to be the grandson of legendary civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. Connect with Alejandro Chavez on Twitter @alejchavez Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

This is part 3 of my special election coverage. I did three different interviews throughout the night with people of different political backgrounds and demographics. Here I speak with Rocio Vives, co-host of Chica Chats a Liberal Democrat from New York City about why some Latino voters are choosing to support Trump. Check out part 1 where I discuss big tech monopolies and part 2 discussing whether or not Texas will ever turn blue. Check out our merch and more content at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

This is part 2 of my special election coverage. I did three different interviews throughout the night with people of different political backgrounds and demographics. Here I speak with a political independent from Texas who leans Democrat about the election results and whether or not Texas will ever turn into a blue Democrat state. Check out part 1 where I discuss big tech monopolies and stay tuned for part 3 where I speak with a Democrat from New York City. Check out our merch and more content at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

This is part 1 of my special election coverage. I did three different interviews throughout the night with people of different political backgrounds and demographics. Here I speak with a political independent about big tech censorship, how to balance combatting misinformation while also not giving complete power to the tech monopolies and more. Stay tuned for part 2 & 3 where I speak with an Independent from Texas and a Democrat from New York City. Check out our merch and more content at www.aprettynormal.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, I am your host, Xavier Diaz and we have an amazing new interview for you this week! Tomorrow, November 3rd is the election here In the United States. I can't believe 4 years have come and gone already. No matter what happens it's truly amazing to see the amount of voter enthusiasm this time around. Early voting records have already been surpassed and whatever happens I hope people continue to participate this much in our election process. This week I had the opportunity to speak with Triston Jackson, a U.S army veteran, entrepreneur and founder of a non-profit which aimed at helping the homeless. Triston grew up in the deep South however his political views are very interesting considering the conservative nature of the state he lives in. It was a pleasure to speak with Triston and that speech you heard at the beginning was an amazing speech he wrote. His words inspired me to create a powerful video detailing the struggles the black community faces. Go check that out on Youtube or Instagram and let me know what you think. Connect with Triston Jackson on Instagram @the_0racl3 https://www.facebook.com/Triston412 Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast. This week I had the opportunity to speak with Qyarris, a New York based Youtuber, and this was the perfect person to have on after taking a break from the show. I had so much fun speaking with Qyarris about why he has made the decision to not vote this year and the backlash he receives from the black community. As I always state, use the information you hear from this interview as a starting point into your own research and always educate yourself before making any decisions. Connect with Qyarris on Instagram @Quba.j https://www.youtube.com/user/qjest1993 Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Michele Goodwin, a professor, social commentator, an internationally acclaimed bioethicist and the award winning author of several books including Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.Dr. Michele Bratcher Goodwin is a global thought leader and advisor.  She is the host of the popular podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, at Ms. magazine. Her writings address pressing matters of law, society, and global health. I had a pleasure speaking with her and learned so much in our discussion of race and mass incarceration in America.If you would like to connect with Dr. Goodwin check out the show notes for all the links. Connect with Dr. Goodwin on Instagram @michelebgoodwinwww.michelebgoodwin.com/Women and Mass Incarceration | Michele Goodwin | TEDxUCIrvine Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity to speak with Rocio, co-host of the podcast, Chica Chats. Chica Chats is composed of Rocio and Kendy, 2 Latinas trying to tackle taboo topics. Each episode highlights different topics that are then dissected with a weird mix of sincerity, humor, and brashness. Rocio has been on the show a couple of times in the past and it's always a pleasure to speak with her. You know the vibes, the conversation geared off into a wide variety of topics including the controversy surrounding the film, “Cuties,” Donald Trump's new supreme court nomination, America's fascination with violence, podcasting and more. Connect with Rocio on Instagram @pandamunchies_ @Chica.Chats Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity to speak with Tahmina Watson, the inspirational founder of Watson Immigration Law as well as Widen, a non-profit organization that trains and mentors lawyers to help detained immigrants. She's also the host of the podcast, Tahmina Talks Immigration and an author and blogger. Tahmina is making a huge impact on protecting immigrant rights and lives and breathes immigration.In our conversation she shares why immigration became such a passion for her. Tahmina has been on the other side of the legal process and understands the long and complicated process immigrants go through. We also spoke about how immigration has changed and even become more difficult and expensive.It may have slipped under the radar for many Americans, however not too long ago, United States Citizenship and Immigration Service also known as USCIS, was at risk of completely grinding to a halt. The agency had announced that without more money from congress, they would have to furlough 13,400 employees. Tahmina breaks down that situation and what ultimately happened. Connect with Tahmina Watson and learn more about her onInstagram: @tahmina.watsonTwitter: @tahminawatsonFacebook: @TahminaTalksImmigrationWebsites:https://watsonimmigrationlaw.com/https://www.widenlaw.org/Blog Posts:https://watsonimmigrationlaw.com/2020/07/03/uscis-fee-increase-here-is-what-the-increased-fees-will-look/https://watsonimmigrationlaw.com/2019/12/31/uscis-fee-increase-and-more/Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity to speak with Pam Pendleton, the co-host of Diva Hustle Radio an 100% independently black owned radio station that aims at bridging the gap between cultural boundaries in Hip Hop, Rap and R&B. Pam took some time to explain to me why she helped start a traditional radio station and how she hopes to help more independent artists break out into the mainstream. We had a great conversation about a wide variety of topics including hip-hop and how the industry is changing, whether latinos and latinas can say the n word or not, the 2020 election and more. It was really such a chill conversation and I hope to have Pam and her co-hosts back on the show in the future.Connect with Diva Hustle Radio on Instagram @divahustleradio Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

This week we continue our conversation with Joe Moore, the co-founder of Psychedelics Today, an organization dedicated to exploring and discussing the important academic and scientific research in the field of psychedelics.In part one of the interview, which was released last week, we got to know more about Joe Moore, who has spent nearly 20 years studying psychedelics.As we continue to go down the rabbit hole in part 2,  we discuss what the connection between spirituality, religion and psychedelics is. We also discuss what makes the demographics of Colorado so unique and open to the possibilities of legalized marijuana and decriminalization of magic mushrooms. If you haven't already definitely make sure you check out part one of our interview so you can get a full sense as to what Psychedelics Today is and the work that they're doing to educate the public.Check out part 1 of the interview at Episode #63: “Psychedelics Today” Co-Founder Joe Moore (Pt. 1)Connect with Joe and learn more at www.psychedelicstoday.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

This week I had the opportunity to dive into a subject I've been very curious about for a long time. In recent years the taboo around psychedelics has shifted and more and more we hear about it in the media. In May of 2019, Denver, Colorado became the first city to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms. However psychedelics such as LSD still remain schedule 1 drugs in the United States, meaning the government has deemed that there is a high potential for abuse and there is no currently accepted medical use in treatment. Which makes Denver's decriminalization that much more significant, as society begins to become more informed on the potential benefits and role psychedelics can have in medicine.  Here to join me as I begin to learn more about this subject is Joe Moore, the co-founder of Psychedelics Today. Psychedelics Today is dedicated to exploring and discussing the important academic/scientific and other research in the field of psychedelics. Joe Moore has spent nearly 20 years studying psychedelics, psychology and western esotericism.  This is such an interesting topic and we had such a great conversation I had to split this interview into two parts. Part 2 will be released next week. Connect with Joe and learn more at www.psychedelicstoday.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity to talk to my homie Mike Nicolia. Mike is a stand-up comedian, a comedy producer, the creator of “Party Mike” and in his own words an all around decent guy.We had a great conversation on a wide range of topics including how comedy shows have been affected during the quarantine, how the scene is adapting to new restrictions, why he created Party Mike and more!Check out the show notes for all the links to connect with Mike and make sure to check out his comedy shows and stay updated with his work.Connect with Mike on Instagram @mikenicoliacomedy Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity to talk with Sheba Kamisri, a journalist, the founder of the production company, African Standard Time, and the host of Afro Beat Woman podcast. We had a great conversation on a wide range of topics including the idea of black on black crime, how we can protect black women in America, dark skin representation in media and how Sheba is trying to change the entertainment industry.  Go check out the show notes for all the links to connect with Sheba, shes got a lot of big things in the works and shes definitely someone you should follow and I hope to work with her again in the future. Connect with Sheba on Instagram @sheba.kamisriMake sure to follow African Standard Time  Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I went live on the Podbean app to discuss serveral different current events such as the recent #challengeaccepted viral campaign, Kanye and his election bid, the potential Tik-Tok ban and China. Thank you to my homies Rob and Perry for calling in and joining the conversation. I will definitely be going live again soon and will try to find a feature that lets people dial in instead of downloading an app.  Stay tuned for that announcement soon!  Topics and Time Stamps:Kanyes Election Bid: 7:40#Challengeaccepted: 16:14China: 26:56 Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Lois Stark, an Emmy award-winning producer, documentary filmmaker, and author of The Telling Image: Shapes of Changing Times.  As an NBC News documentary filmmaker, one question popped out to Lois: How do humans make sense of the world? In her global assignments, she looked for a telling image that summed up the situation. She found an answer hiding in plain sight - it was shape itself. Connect with Lois at her website loisfstark.comYou can find her book at The Telling Image: Shapes of Changing Times. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Kathryn Boyd-Batstone, a Director, photo journalist and Cinematographer, she is the director and writer of, "For Rosa," a short film inspired by the Madrigal 10, an event where ten Mexican-American women from Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against the University of Southern California Medical Center alleging that medical personnel coerced them into submitting to sterilization.  I had never heard of the Madrigal 10 case before coming across this short film. The events that happened and the judges ruling are something that we can all learn from and apply those lessons today as women's reproductive rights are still being threatened. So I encourage everyone to go read more about the case. As of this recording, the film, "For Rosa," is currently still not out, however, Kathryn hooked me up with the exclusive sneak peak preview link and it was fantastic. I dont want to reveal too much but she and the rest of the cast did an incredible job telling the story. So make sure you connect with Kathryn so you can get updated when the film drops. Connect with Kathryn on Instagram @kathrynboydbatFollow the film for updates on Instagram @forrosafilm Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Reyna Marquez, a community organizer and immigration activist from Arkansas. We had a great conversation about DACA, the importance of the 2020 census, Latinx communities and so much more. Shes also trying to get the word out about US House of Representative candidate Joyce Elliot who is currently running a campaign to challenge Representative French Hill in Arkansas second congressional district.So make sure you get informed about that race and stay politically active as we approach Novembers elections. The presidential election is obviously important but just as important are the house and senate races so make sure you stay informed!Connect with Reyna on Instagram @@reyna_m42Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Adrien Behn, host of the Strangers Abroad Podcast, a narrative travel podcast about a solo female backpacker who interviews strangers she meets while backpacking. I always love interviewing digital nomads and travelers because they have amazing experiences to tell and while were all still daydreaming about the day when we can return to traveling and vacationing without fear of coronavirus why not live vicariously through their stories. So make sure you go check out the Strangers Abroad podcast, Adrien is an amazing story teller and the quality of her show is superb. You really feel like you're right there with her as she takes you around the world meeting new people. In this interview we speak about her experience as a solo female traveler, her episode titled worried where she describes her experience with sexual assault while abroad and she gives advice to other women who are considering travelling by themselves. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity of interviewing my homie the one and only SRV. He was a guest on episode #05 of the show way back when. In that episode we discussed his travels as a digital nomad to South East Asia and Mexico so go make sure to check out that episode after you're done with this one. Its always a great time chopping it up with him. We go back to Square One and SRV days making music and performing together and i'm honored to call him a friend.In this interview we speak about the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, white privilege, stereotypes people impulsively jump to, how he protested in Mexico and more. It was a great conversation that branched out in a bunch of different directions but i'm super excited to share it with yall. You can connect with Stephen Valenti on Instagram @srv_valentiSubscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Alexandra Streisand, a certified confidence and relationship coach whose goal is to create an open, honest, and judgment-free space so that you feel completely comfortable while exploring your mind to all of the opportunities that surround you. Alex graduated with a business and restaurant management degree, and used to work over 80 hours a week managing a restaurant in New York City. After a few years of doing what she initially thought was her dream job, she decided to leave the restaurant business and travel around the world.I had a blast speaking with her about her travels around the world, why she left the restaurant business, why she became a confidence and relationship coach and more. You can connect with Alexandra Streisand on Instagram @abundantly_freeand check out her website at www.alexandrastreisandcoaching.comSubscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.We recently crossed the one year anniversary of the podcast and I put out an episode detailing the big plans and changes coming to the show. Go check out the one year anniversary episode to get informed on all of the dope news about A Pretty Normal Podcast. I've said thank you hundreds of times but I can never say it enough, thank you to everyone who listens and supports the show. Thank you to all the guests who share their stories with me, yall make the show what it is.This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Alec Santiago, the host of Trail Pope Confessions a show that follows Alec on his journeys as he hikes through the National Scenic Trail systemAlec was also my friend in College and I haven't seen him since we graduated back in 2015, its been a hot minute and every time I would see him pop up on my social media hiking these beautiful trails I knew I would always tell myself I gotta reach out and get him on the show!   You can connect with Alec Santiago on Instagram @trail.popeand check out his podcast at www.anchor.fm/trail.popeSubscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Its officially been one year since I started A Pretty Normal Podcast and it has been an incredible year of growth and learning! I want to thank you all for tuning in every week to listen to the amazing stories our guests have shared with us.Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the show, thank you to everyone whose come on the show as a guest. I got big plans for this show and the more I do this the more pumped I get to keep putting out creative content.I will always keep putting out more podcast episodes but I want to release more than just podcasts. I wanna share more videos, create documentaries, share my collage art, and other random projects floating in my head.Thats why im excited to announce i've begun working on my next big project, Pretty Normal Productions,An umbrella brand home to A Pretty Normal Podcast, but also a platform where I can share more of my ideas with you all.Stay tuned for more updates as I go and subscribe to the show so you never miss out on new content! Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. Before the interview starts I give a short moment of silence for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Three people who were murdered and whose deaths have rightfully so sparked massive outrage and protests across the country. This is the smallest possible thing I can do, but even if it helps bring a tiny bit more awareness and keeps this in our conscious as we try to move forwar, then I will gladly use this podcast platform to help. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Hendel Leiva, the host of Immigration MIC podcast, a show that takes you through the story of each guest, and the reasons they're fighting for immigrants across the nationHendel was the guest on episode #27 and hes someone whose hustle and energy I really respect. I love getting a chance to talk to him and this will definitely not be the last you hear of him here on this show.You can connect with Hendel Leiva on Instagram @hendelonthemicand check out his podcast at www.immigrationmicpodcast.comSubscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Abena Motaboli, a Chicago based, South African educator, facilitator, project manager, writer and visual artist.Her art practice is performative, contemplative, and transformative. Known for her intricate plastic installations and meditative line-work found in her paintings, she is Influenced by her home country of Lesotho and Southern African culture. She uses a variety of ephemeral material such as plastic, tea, dirt, coffee, and charcoal to comment on displacement, past memories, and the culture of creating. You can connect with Abena Motaboli on Instagram @abenaartand check out her website at www.abenaart.com/Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. As the deaths and hospitalizations continue to decline, NY Governor, Andrew Cuomo has said we are finally on the otherside of "the mountain" so I wanted to focus my monologue on the ugly truths of society this pandemic has revealed to us. Domestic violence reports are up, alcohol sales are up, counties are encouraging snitching on your neighbors and clout chasers are running amok. Now that we are on the otherside of the mountain, what have we learned about ourselves in our time of struggle and desperation?  Citation:U.S. Alcohol Sales Increase 55 Percent in One Week Amid Coronavirus PandemicAmerica's Shopping List: Here's What We're Buying The MostSTRESS DRINKING: ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION INCREASES DURING COVID-19https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/what-are-major-federal-excise-taxes-and-how-much-money-do-they-raiseAfter ‘neighbor snitching' complaints, Frisco removes coronavirus compliance feature from app'BBQ Becky,' White Woman Who Called Cops on Black BBQCoronavirus: How the pandemic is relaxing US drinking laws Thank you to everyone who supports the show and has shared the show with a friend or a loved one. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Harriet Robinson, a journalist, presenter and the host of Wannabe Greener, a podcast that focuses on sustainability and other eco-topics. Harriet meets inspirational people whose actions are making big changes in terms of sustainability. Their interactive discussions break down myths and offer advice and tips and answer questions from listeners. As you can tell from the clip at the beginning, I wanted to speak with Harriet about her eco journey and wanted to get some advice for people who want to reduce their own environmental footprint, but don't know where to start or think it's too expensive to do so. You can connect with Harriet Robinson on Instagram @wannabe.greener and listen at Wannabe Greener Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Youtube Remember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Soraya Sheppard, the founder and president of Color Me Africa Fine Arts, a majority woman owned and run non profit organization centered on creating awareness of African visual artists in the U.S and Canada. Soraya immigrated to the United States during the uprising in South Africa in 1987 where many of her friends and family were being arrested for resisting the apartheid regime.In 2011 Sheppard, a single mother of four adult children returned to her birth country to explore new possibilities and opportunities. What she discovered was a sense of despair, resignation, hopelessness and frustration at the government for failing to deliver on its mandate. This is Soraya's story and what drove her to create Color Me Africa Fine Arts.If you enjoy this interview and believe in what Soraya and Color Me Africa Fine Arts is doing make sure to connect with her at the link below. As I said in last weeks monologue, there are many ways to participate in #GivingTuesdayNow and non-profit organizations would greatly benefit from any sort of contribution you can give right now so make sure to go check them out and connect with Soraya.You can connect with Color Me Africa Fine Arts on Instagram @colormeafricafineartsand learn more at www.colormeafricafinearts.com Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I wanted to focus my weekly monologue on an industry that I truly hope does not get forgotten about amidst all of the chaos and confusion of Covid-19 and that is the non-profit industry. Non-profit organizations are essential to our society, they raise awareness, fight for social causes and educate and improve the lives of the public. Donations are the lifelines of non-profit organizations and without them many smaller less well known organizations will no longer be able to fund research, their staff or any of their programs and services. Giving Tuesday is a day of giving and unity that takes place all over the world. Its usually held right around the beginning of the holiday season however this year it will be organized much earlier in an effort to focus on boosting fundraising and support for the nonprofit community. Now if you are strapped for money and face financial uncertainty because of this pandemic, I don't blame you for not being able to chip in. The well being and security of you and your family understandably comes first. So listen and visit now.givingtuesday.org to a few other ways you can support without giving financiallyCitation:  https://now.givingtuesday.org/ideashttps://www.thenonprofittimes.com/report/npt-top100-an-in-depth-study-of-americas-largest-nonprofits/https://www.samaritas.org/About-Samaritas/News-Updates/artmid/582/articleid/1380https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/sites/default/files/documents/letter-to-congress-include-nonprofits-in-coronavirus-package-3-11-2020.pdfhttps://www.classy.org/blog/stimulus-package-for-nonprofits/Thank you to everyone who supports the show and has shared the show with a friend or a loved one. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Rima Nashashibi, the founder and president of Global Hope 365, a non profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, by advocating for their safety, education and empowerment with a focus on ending child marriage, human trafficking and menstrual restrictions. Human trafficking is a crime that forcefully exploits women, men, and children. According to the United Nations, human trafficking affects every country in the world, but it's not talked about enough. I'm very proud to offer this platform to Rima to discuss these important topics and to raise awareness.You can connect with Global Hope 365 on Instagram @Globalhope365and learn more at www.globalhope365.orgHere are a few ways you can get involved in the fight against child marriage, human trafficking and menstrual restrictions:Donate: https://www.globalhope365.org/donateCA Coalition to End Child Marriage https://cacoalitiontoendchildmarriage.org/The Digital Advocacy Campaign: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/end-child-marriage-in-the-state-of-california/Add Partners to the CA Coalition to end Child Marriage: Organizations, Elected officials, community leaders, and youth Ambassadors: https://cacoalitiontoendchildmarriage.org/join-us/To invite Rima Nashashibi to speak: contact Kristin@GlobalHope365.org.To volunteer: Ali@GlobalHope365.org Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I wanted to focus my monologue on the protests occurring all over the United States and around the world. While there are definitely more than plenty of bad actors and selfish people latching themselves onto these protests, my goal was not to rant about why they shouldn't be protesting in the first place, but instead tell them that they are focusing their energy towards the wrong goals. With no arrests happening, (where would you even put people right now) and the advice of the medical community not deterring them, the protesters should instead start to protest actual injustices in our system. Keep that same energy when it comes to our greedy for profit healthcare system. If you're going to protest, at least make it something worth protesting over. I also discuss how societies mindset that welfare is "government handouts" and is "un-american" has lead to unnecessary complaining and astroturf protesting. Let me know what you think about the protests over on social media @aprettynormalpodcast.Citation:Coronavirus: The US resistance to a continued lockdown‘We cannot keep going this way.' SLO County residents protest shelter-at-homeIt is time to cancel student debt and make higher education free Feds order Alex Jones to stop selling phony coronavirus curesThe coronavirus's unpredictable impact on next year's health insurance rates, explained  Thank you to everyone who supports the show and has shared the show with a friend or a loved one. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about.  This week I had the opportunity of interviewing Luis Martin also known as The art engineer. Luis is a collage artist, podcaster and new age capitalist. He creates with the “hustler's” essence of his home base, New York City and keeps tuned in and inspired with his native California soul. All of his channels of creation offer an abundance of possibility and empowerment. I had the pleasure of meeting Luis back in December before this global pandemic at a podcasters meet up in Manhattan. It was really awesome to meet a fellow podcaster who is also a collage artist and although I had hopes of this interview being in person so we could do some collaging together and share our processes, Luis has been doing some amazing work during this quarantine and I couldn't let his beautiful pieces of art keep coming up on my news feed without extending an invitation to come on the show. I had a blast with this interview and hope that this is the first, but not the last time I get to interview the art engineer. You can connect with Luis Martin on Instagram @artengineerand check out his art at www.collagedream.comSubscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity to talk with two fellow New Yorkers about the current state of the United States economy, whether the media has caused unnecessary panic and fear, Bill Gates and his sway in the World Health Organization and more. Enjoy this off the cuff conversation and let us know on Instagram or Twitter what your opinion is! Do you think the media has overblown the coronavirus situation or are we underrating how dangerous this can get? Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I wanted to focus my attention on the mystery behind the origin of the worldwide unofficial stoner holiday known as 4/20. I also dive into the the economic and medicinal benefits of marijuana legalization. Being that this entire month of April is technically 4/20, what better day than 4.20.20 to talk about the history of 4/20 and where the cannabis plant stands in a few countries.Citation:What Are the Benefits of Marijuana?Harvard Health Blog - Medical MarijuanaThe Potential Benefits of Medical Marijuana | Dr. Alan Shackelford | TEDxCincinnatiAndrew Yang Speech These states now have legal weed, and which states could follow suit in 2020“Good people don't smoke marijuana” -Senator Jeff Sessions Two-thirds of Americans support marijuana legalization4/20: Five Myths and One Truth About the Unofficial Holiday420 Meaning: The True Story Of How April 20 Became ‘Weed Day'Mexico's legalization of hemp, marijuana could be ‘quite significant' for US marketsCanada Defends Marijuana Legalization In Response To International SkepticismReefer Madness ClipThank you to everyone who supports the show and has shared the show with a friend or a loved one. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that reimagines what society considers normal. Each week I  interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity to interview J.R Harber,  an environmentalist, founder of a nonprofit animal rescue, and author of the timely, new post-pandemic fiction novel The Future Was Now.As an advocate for stronger environmental and watershed protection, among other things, Harber pens a cautionary and timely tale that explores contemporary events such as a global pandemic, environmental pollution, artificial intelligence, universal income, and privacy protection all while challenging us to consider what we would sacrifice to give all a safer world.The Future Was Now wrestles with different approaches to how people live and consume resources after a global pandemic destroys the world that we know today. The new society that rises from the ashes is forced to make tough decisions in order to ensure a sustainable world for future generations. This post-apocalyptic novel examines responses to current themes in distinct potential societies that we could become tomorrow.You can get the book at www.beyondhorizonseries.comSubscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I wanted to focus my monologue on something I believe deserves a lot of attention and discussion. China continues to build a virtual, cyber wall between their citizens and critics in the outside world. The Chinese Communist Party is taking its online censorship to a new extreme by blocking its people from playing Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Many players have taken to Animal Crossing to continue the Hong Kong protests. The communist regime has noticed an authority vacuum in online multiplayer games, which enables people to freely socialize without monitoring. So new laws are being made.One-player online games will also be subject to surveillance, as a new real-name mechanism is going to be implemented in China. Also, the new law will not allow for zombies and plagues, map editing, roleplaying, as well as organizing a union in gamesListen to my weekly monologue and let me know what you think about China and the cyber wall they are creating. Monologue Research Links:China to ban online gaming, chatting with foreigners outside Great FirewallChina bans sale of Animal Crossing: New Horizons after it becomes a haven for Hong Kong protestersWhy Hong Kong is protesting: Their five demands listedInside Chinese camps thought to be detaining a million Muslim UighursThe Wuhan coronavirus has hit Xinjiang, where China has imprisoned at least 1 million Uighur Muslims. Its filthy detention camps will make inmates sitting ducks.A million Muslims are held in detention camps that China now portrays as 'humane'GENEVA / CHINA HUMAN RIGHTSThank you to everyone who supports the show and has shared the show with a friend or a loved one. Subscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support

Hello everyone and welcome to A Pretty Normal Podcast, a show that re-imagines what society considers normal. Each week I interview different guests about the topics they're most passionate about. This week I had the opportunity to interview Laura Martin, a Bangkok based Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant and founder of Healing to Happy – an online holistic, nutrition-focused program that helps women suffering from anxiety and depression to heal using food.We spoke about why she decided to move to Bangkok, nutrition, the brain gut connection, her previous toxic relationship and more.You can connect with Laura at www.healingtohappy.comor on Instagram @lauramartin_h2hSubscribe to the show and follow us on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // YoutubeRemember to leave us a rating and review if you enjoy the content brought to you every week. Message us if you would like to come on the show or know anyone who you would like to see come on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aprettynormal/support