Eayikes

In this episode we sat down, connected, learned from Kenneth and Jane, 2 Angelenos who serve their communities and fellow neighbors on the daily, fully committed to that work and mission. Kenneth was a congressional candidate in 2018, served with the LA Tenant's Union, and is running to be the LA City Controller in the 2022 election. Jane is a co-founder of Ktown For All, a volunteer-led organization that serves our unhoused neighbors in Ktown, and is Kenneth's campaign manager. It's dope to see the energy, the compassion, and the knowledge that they share and continue to embody in their service of community. As they educate Angelenos on how decisions are being made and make the finances of the city transparent, it's powerful to see the process of people becoming empowered and gaining a deeper understanding of the systems at play, and how each of us individually can create impact and change. They also go about their work with a joy, enjoying 5$ gourmet pizza, dance parties, and got into their childlike wonder with us. Much love to each of you humans behind the work of making sure we're taking care of each other! 

This episode of Soulversations was a powerful one to partake in, to learn from, and to be witness to. We sit with 2 people in the community who are lights of joy, energy, and love, Mary and Jenny! They bring the courage in sharing their personal journeys of coming out in their 30s. It's an absolute beautiful listen of vulnerability and reflection on life, while at the same time discovering who we are, and who we continue to evolve into. It's a true conversation on loving yourself as a human being in progress and process. Much love to Mary and Jenny for their light! 

In this episode we had the great honor of being present, spending time, and feeling the laughs and energy of Mike, Addy, and Odin! We've shared the journey of life alongside Mr. Mike Song since our UCI days and the SPOP program - and to continue to connect in pure childlike wonder and reflection 15 years later is really a blessing of life. Along his journey he and Addy found each other, and the world has been better for it ever since. They are soulmates in the purest sense and it emanates when spending time with them, and their most precious good boy, Odin! Being fully present in the moment - we had a few things to flow with, as the podcast stopped recording during the deepest and most reflective part for 30 minutes, and we noticed right as we had gotten through that part. I guess it was meant for it to be lived and experienced, and not recorded! Also, Yooney's mic wasn't working as we noticed in the playback, so it all lead us to one conclusion: A part 2 with Mike, Addy, and Odin! But enjoy a truly soul rejuvenating time with these two. 

In this episode we catch up with the operations team of Home-y Made Meals - a Covid-19 first-responder mutual aid project started by Polo's Pantry & Eayikes that's served over 47,000 homemade meals to people experiencing houselessness in Los Angeles. We get to know the humans behind this project and a peak into how they're able to sustain joy through such a challenging year.

In this episode we had the honor, the pleasure, and the experience of being able to sit down, listen, and learn from two warriors of the people Melissa Acedera and Silvia Hernandez. These dedicate their lives to the service of others. Whether it be: access to food, housing, social issues, community building, these two are in the thick of it - Leading with love and fighting for justice and for the full dignity of all people. From Nor Cal, to Oxnard, to LA, to Coachella Valley, to farm workers, to unhoused neighbors, to our immigrant populations, to fellow Angelenos, they show up ready to serve, armed with joy and full hearts! Thank you for blessing us with your life force, perspective, and an example of how our work can nourish us so deeply!

In this space and conversation we sit down with someone who we follow, admire, and are inspired by - Our friend and sister, Melissa Acedera. She's known to the world as a fierce food justice advocate, a protector of human dignity, a community leader, an ambassador of her Filipina culture and someone who is tireless in the pursuit to feed and care for anyone in need. To connect with her on the layers of her faith, her personal journey, her real time reflections, and her love for music was a profound experience for us. She spoke, we listened, we learned, and most of all we got down on the levels of the souuuuuuuul! 

In this episode we're sitting down with the homie Jordan, who is a filmmaker, business boss, creative, visionary, vegan, burner, Bay native, witch, app creator, meditator, and mother of Harley. We had Lance on this episode as well. In the time that Lance has been living with us, he's been soaking up so much and running the pantry for Homeymade Meals. He's also been seeking to start some new ventures for himself, so the opportunity to chop it up with Jordan and learn from her was a must! Check out our conversation in its raw form - and hear about Jordan's journey, creative process, and her sharing game and wisdom with Lance! 

In this episode we're connecting in a 3 way podcast in Denver with Omar and Gabriel. Omar, a dentist met Gabriel during an appointment, and they instantly connected, chatting for a couple hours. Gabriel, is a veteran and budding chef, with a fascinating life story. It was a powerful opportunity to learn about Gabriel's life and experiences, and listen to him reflect on all of their chapters and season. During the session it was clear that Gabriel was feeling the flow, and was speaking from his soul. Check out our conversation!

Hi all. I was working on the newest episode that had an interview, and in the process of working on it, I had to acknowledge I just didn't have the capacity in me for it. I usually put out the episodes every Thursday, and in the moment - I wanted to honor where I was at, take a break, reflect, and re-collect myself. I've been in a bit of a rut for the past couple weeks. An over thinker with nothing but time at home to ponder, the loop of repetitive days and the prospect of uncertain futures had begun to wear me down. I had gotten away from the habits of self care that kept me balanced, and everything felt just a bit dampened in life. So, in the way that heals and refreshes me the most I wanted to take this episode to exhibit some courage, compassion, and wonder for myself, and just express. Thanks for taking the time to listen and holding space for me as I work through :) 

In this Soulversations we connect with an old friend and influence Chewy! We met 15 years ago at UC Irvine and he's been a big part of my life journey throughout. He's gone through life with a heart of resilience and pushing through, taking on the biggest challenges in his life, whether it was being a head coach for the first time to now taking on a role as an athletic director. We talk about the thoughts around getting older, the realities of our mortality, and the decisions that come along with that as well. I'm proud of this man's journey, and thankful that he's a lifelong friend. 

This is a real special and meaningful episode to me. It was recorded on January 18th, the anniversary of Dad's passing, and a day before my birthday. My siblings and I played a game of Soulversations for the first time ever, and also for the first time, sitting down and making the space to connect and reflect with each other about life. It means more to me than you know, and it was healing, affirming, and profound :)

In this episode, it's a Selfversation! I just turned 38 on the 19th and every new year becomes more of a blessing and a time for reflection. On the 18th is my Dad's anniversary of passing, so it's always a powerful inflection point of catching up with myself and examining how I'm doing and how I'm living. I think it's a powerful practice for each person to do and it doesn't just have to be on your birthday, it can be now as we're entering a new year. Some of the questions I ponder are: What does my birthday represent, What are my biggest learnings of the past 10 years, What is my connection to my dog Earl and his significance, Do I have any regrets or lessons, What do I want for myself this year, and what am I manifesting and predicting! I would highly recommend doing this with yourself - Turn on the voice recorder on your phone, have this conversation and then check back in 6 months or a year. It'll be a powerful tool or at the very least, a time capsule! 

In this episode I get the chance to connect with my better half, my partner, my significant other, Jen! We've had a relationship full of learnings, growing, trials, resistance, and evolution. In its current form, it  the most compassionate, most honest, and most open that its ever been between us. In this conversation we examine the influences that shaped us as people, how Jen is a foundational force in her family, how Earl (our dog) and Jen weren't feeling it each other at first, and Jen gets to honor Tita, her grandma, who continues to have an immense influence on her life today. 

In this episode we're connecting with the brotherman Rodney! We met Rodney earlier this year through our zoom discussions during the movements, and have stayed connected since. Whenever we get together it's already guaranteed to be a thought provoking, analytical, scientific, and spiritual conversation examining the concepts and threads of life. Here we chat about - the medium of communication and its power, living instinctually in life, moving out to California from Georgia, learning about carne asada for the first time, and his mom's role in their family tribe as a matriarchal healing shaman. And we finish off the interview with some Soulversations questions! 

In this episode we chat with someone who we consider a mentor and elder in the Eayikes community, Lee! He's someone who lives with such a truth  to himself and his understanding of the world, and through that liberate everyone else in his orbit to do the same! He shares about his first thoughts on turning 44, wanting a change in his life, tactical shooting, living a stripped down life, and we play some speed Soulversations! Happy New Year All, Peace out 2020! 

In this episode we're chatting with Gelareh Darabi, aka our homey G! G is an uber talented and heart centered: journalist, filmmaker, storyteller, and correspondent! She centers her journalism and work around Mother Earth, and advocates for cultivating and tending to our relationships with her. G shares about her influences growing up, to the formative years from high school until she found journalism, and we discuss the importance of conscious communication, trust, and the collective trauma we all are experiencing in this time. Much love to G for her time and this experience, as her gift for understanding how to connect in her questions helped me come to some important realizations in this conversations. Enjoy y'all! You can follow G's insta below, and google her name for all her wonderful work :)   @gelarehdarabi

In this episode - we're reflecting back on some golden nuggets of human experience of past podcasts. To share in the moment of being present and listening as someone is going through their life experiences is such a connecting experience.  It's that human thread in living and experiencing that we all share. From my mom's losing her father at a young age, to Esther fasting for 3 days at a time when there was no food, to Kani feeling the love and healing of his city, Compton, it's all provided me with a new take on my own life and where can I be better. These types of experiences reflect not only a new perspective on our own lives, but also a space to see ourselves in other people's lives.

In this episode we did our first virtual podcast recording with Jenny and Lucas aka Blucas. With their powers combined - they are an artistic force that helped create Soulversations, that has pushed Eayikes creatively and have created many of our design elements! We discussed what it's like to build a life together and be married as two very strong visioned creatives, our process in working on Soulversations all together, how Bart Simpson's soul is in Soulversations, and their new upcoming project, Creative Significant Other. You can check out their website and youtube below! You can also check out our new connection bundle pack for those who are looking to build more intention in their connections with their families and friends. Links are below :)   Creative Significant Other Blue's Youtube Channel: Skybluejenny Soulversations and Our Holiday Bundle

We're chatting with someone we look up to, someone who's example we follow as how a life of care for community and service looks like, Danny Park! Danny runs Skid Row People's Market and helped create Skid Row Coffee. He's a straight beacon of love and light for the community and he shows up day in and day out. The power that I appreciated in this episode is Danny's utterly raw vulnerability, his processing, and the his truth that he lives in fully, with every word, pause, silence, and thought. We dive into intergenerational trauma/violence, family trees, and what community transformation looks like, and what he loves about Jess! It was an honor to be present with Danny and be witness to his thought process each step of the way. 

In this episode we get to sit down with Alex Yoon aka Yooney, co-founder of Eayikes, and someone I've come to know and grow with over the years. In the past 3 and a half years living together, we lived a pretty embedded experience: working on Eayikes together, living together, working our day jobs together (in the same department and same position), playing on the same basketball together, and sharing many of the same beautiful, wonderful friends. Being that intertwined, you can forget to slow down and just check in with each other and chat as human beings. That's what we did here. We talked about being in the middle of a cleanse together, leadership styles, learnings, and what the future of Eayikes might look like. Enjoy! 

In this episode we're connecting with the unicorn, Silvia! Silvia is people power, love, joy, and life force in its purest form. We met her when volunteering at LACAN, and the joy with which she serves the community is infectious. Silvia dedicates her life to service and making sure people have what their basic needs met. She's an artist, a mother, a hair stylist, a dancer, and lover of breakfast at anytime. If your soul needs a pick me up, please give Silvia a listen!   

In this episode, we connect with the homie Mr. Ralph Hsiao of Rice Guys, a day after they had finished cleaning out their kitchen as they look towards new life ventures. We talk about the journey of grinding for your craft, what it's like to have free time after 15 months of hustling, and the process of doing the inner work and healing. The self reflection and vulnerability Ralph brought was next level, and made the conversation a powerful moment to capture and to be a part of! 

In this episode we're chatting with Phil and Karlene aka Philene Cuisine! They were married this past weekend in a small intimate ceremony at Zion National Park, and this is our late night decompression of the weekend in the parking lot of a Victorville Panda Express parking lot inside of Esther's RAV 4. It was a beautiful weekend built around the idea of an intimate group, a people powered wedding, and the powerful convergence of loved ones! 

In this episode we're chatting with a one of a kind personality and special human, Lance! He's an original Eayikes camper, and at only 21, has lived a tough road, but he takes it all in as part of his journey, and he keeps his hope at the forefront. He's got a fascinating personal story with a heart that understands that he's made for greatness, and is willing to commit to the journey and the hard work of it all. 

In this episode we're eating Texas style burritos in Compton with Kani and discussing community. Kani is an organizer, and the founder of Peace of Mind Compton, a community hub and space. His love for the city and his perspective on the duality of pain and joy, and how community comes from that was straight wisdom. He's got a powerful vision and a deep love, and he's putting in the time for his community. 

In this episode of Soulversations we sit down with Esther, a hallowed member of Eayikes! She is compassion, unconditional love, and wisdom all personified in a wonderful and gentle soul. She shares about her family escaping the dictatorship of Idi Amin, learning to fast when food was low, and how she loves harder when people bring hate to the table. 

Soulversations is our podcast focused on creating deeper and more meaningful connections in our relationships. Originally a booth at a party to help people meet, it turned into a connection building card game, and now it's also our podcast to show how asking questions, taking the time to listen, and holding space for each other can transform our relationships and self. In this episode, Ray connects with his mom after her visiting home for her 72nd birthday. She drops knowledge and insight as they discuss over their morning breakfast tradition whenever Ray leaves for Socal after a trip to The Bay. 

Yooney & Kyle kick-off 2020 with a new episode of Eayikes In Your Pocket, a conversation centered around community service and personal experiences with giving back. Here at Eayikes, one of our goals has always been to help people discover and develop hearts of service, so we had a great conversation with our good friend Stratton Constantinides about how he's grown to become more service-oriented as he navigates adulthood. We also dive in with Stratton about social anxiety, something he's only beginning to experience later in life. A lawyer by day, surfer by morning, musician by night, Stratton is an all-around true gentleman who definitely loves to dance to Lukas Graham! Shoutout to Ava Nguyen for linking Stratton and Eayikes up with the Border Angels organization during the 2019 holidays, and our friend Araceli of Speaking From The Heart, whose tireless work and collaboration with Eayikes continues to nurture more and more interest in helping our neighbors across our southern border! Find out more about Border Angels at borderangels.org Eayikes In Your Pocket is our podcast covering all things Eayikes, in our quest to infuse more Courage, Compassion and Wonder in the world. You can listen to this episode and all past episodes on Spotify, iTunes, and Podbean! 

It's our final episode for 2019! We wanted to reflect on the year and connect with one of our most treasured peeps in the community, Sonia! Sonia is the company director for Culture Shock LA, a non-profit hip hop dance organization. Outside of that Sonia also works at a non-profit serving families and is an all-around life force of positive energy and motherly nurture. In our conversation we discuss Culture Shock LA, our 2019s, hear some killer voice overs from Kyle, flow states, and play a round of guess the ASMR chip eater. It's our longest podcast yet, as it was such a valuable, reflective, rejuvenating, and affirming conversation to share with each of us together. So kick back and chill with us on this one, it's good times! 

Hellllooo! It's been awhile, as we've been regrouping and strategizing for 2020. A lot of life has happened, and we've been flowing and working on our self care. Today we talked with Dakarai who will be leading our Wonderfull Wednesday with his collaging, as well as spinning a vinyl set at our HallowEayikes party next weekend. Naturally, taking such a long break, I set up the mic but managed to record us through my computer mic. Pardon our audio, but this content is golden! 

We've had a couple weeks to process on the wonder that was Eayikes Campout. We headed to Angeles National Forest to unplug, connect, take in nature, and learn from each other. Without any cell service, running water, and 123 of the flyest people you could meet, it was one for the books. It truly was a breakthrough and profound experience for us. The 3 of us wanted to take an hour together to process and see what it all means for the future of Eayikes. 

Got word earlier this morning that a student I used to work with in Long Beach, Anthony, was murdered. After sitting with it throughout the day, and going through the book we made together as a class during 2014-2015, thoughts and questions began to swirl in my mind and are still going. From the idea that all lives are not valued the same, to just plain why? It's something that's fully not processed, but I hope that in some way speaking about the experience with him can raise folks' mindfulness about their own lives, and let Anthony leave an imprint on folks lives of who he's never met. Peace.

In this episode we sit down with our friend, Professor Ava Nguyen to talk about feminism today and the divided nature of discourse in America. She drops knowledge on us and shares perspectives from her own experience and research that hit us, and have already got us examining our own biases and places for us to improve upon. It's packed full of wisdom nuggets and points that will have you checking yourself. Check it out! 

In this episode we sit down with our good friends Kunal and Lawrence, whose acting journeys we've enjoyed for many years now. We asked some life questions and chatted about their relationships with acting. It was dope to hear about their internal processes for being in an industry that is such a grind, and the humanity they maintain. Most of all, it was it just felt good to catch up with two old friends that you're really damn proud of and inspired to be able to watch them grow in their work and life. "It's reminding people of their humanity...as minorities in acting it's about changing perceptions, we only get to play characters who are the idea of who we are." 

This episode was all recorded at the end of our event Toast and Jams. It was a feel good Sunday where we broke bread, discussed our connections with music, had staring contests, danced to Daddy Yankee, and had a grand ole jam session. We chatted with Matt about concepting the idea, Esther about her connection with music and experience as a refugee, had a live performance from Moody Slough, and a convo with one of our youngest Eayikers, Kimiya! 

This episode is with two of our closest friends and Eayikes OGs, Omar and Hannah. We hear about their journey into parenthood, their wishes for Aleia, and a 3 minute interview together. We also have Tommy and Matty call good friends randomly and drop some love bombs on them, the outcomes are pretty tight. And a recognition of us as flawed human beings just trying our best. 

We're talking this episode about the direction and vision of Eayikes for 2019, as it marks a new level up for us, and a new place of learning. We also play an interview from Paris with our friend Leslie aka Lela Boom, who couchsurfed with us 3 years ago in Long Beach while on a world trip. We catch up and see what she's learned in the time since. Then, get to hear a 2 minute interview from our very own Sonia, who is our motherly heart and ambassador of child like wonder! 

We recently went on a trip to visit Paris and Amsterdam to soak up the culture and take some time to reflect on the end of the year. One of those days was a workshop we were part of at Lycee Autogere de Paris High School, that really expanded our idea of what is possible with Eayikes. It was all thanks to our old friend Flo, who we met at Shaktifest, a yoga festival a few years ago. It was beautiful day of connecting and gaining more insight into Paris, and our world's overall.

In this episode we're talking about our game night for Skid Row Coffee, and the beautiful outcomes and learnings from it. Then you get some Yoon on Yoons with a 2 minute interview from Yooney, then a compliment off with his sister Jennie. We also caught up at the game night with the incomparable man of passion and wisdom Mike Song, asking him about dance and how he keeps his wonder!   Check out and learn more about all the super homies doing work on IG!  Skid Row Coffee - @skidrowcoffee rctngl - @rctngl Mike Song - @mikeosong

It's our first episode of Eayikes In Your Pocket. It's our digital hangout about the community of Eayikes, and the building up of courage, compassion, and wonder. We'll introduce ourselves, chat for 2 minutes with Kyle, and share about our trip to the orphanage in Mexico with Speaking From The Heart. Ch Ch Check it out!