R and R with Danah and Stacy

When you build your life around being seen, what happens when the spotlight fades? Hosts Dana and Stacy Gutierrez sit down with Lex Ledesma — entrepreneur, professor, and doctor of psychology — for an unfiltered conversation about ego, identity, and the illusion of connection in the digital age. Lex shares his personal journey through existential searching, success, and surrender — from thriving in business and academia to realizing that fulfillment doesn't come from status or screens, but from submission to something greater. Together, they unpack: * The spiritual cost of fame and validation * Why social media is designed to hurt, not heal * How to set digital boundaries and protect your soul * The danger of self-harm as social contagion * Why your quiet time might save your mental health “If I am forgotten, my source is remembered. If I am remembered, my source is forgotten.” — Lex Ledesma This is one of the deepest Raw and Real episodes yet — confronting the unseen damage of the algorithm and reminding us to find meaning beyond the noise.

Heartbreak lit the fuse, discipline did the rest — 70 pounds down, workouts, carnivore, the “revenge body,” the likes, the DMs. Then the crash: body dysmorphia, dopamine habits, weight regain, shame, and the pressure to stay “on brand.” The twins unpack what before/after photos never show — using your body for validation, calling it “power,” and finally choosing sustainability, boundaries, and grace.  Not for the algorithm. For God, for health, for peace.

We're not a poor country. We're just being robbed — by greed, by corruption, and by a system that rewards excess over integrity. From floods to fake projects, from nepo babies to luxury flaunting, this is the uncomfortable truth about how the Philippines got here — and why contentment and conscience may be our only way out.

They built a brand around confidence. But behind the smiles and speeches was a secret eating them alive. The world called it brave — they called it denial. This is their reckoning: the unfiltered truth about body image, fame, self-love, and the lies we tell to survive. This isn't about weight. It's about what happens when the applause gets louder than the pain. Raw. Honest. Heartbreaking. This is Raw and Real.

Updates from our recent Vietnam trip, our thoughts on biological males insisting to be called women, and what we love about being a woman. (Recorded on March 15, 2024)

Here's the backstory of the love scam that Lou experienced! How did it even get to scamming? What did we miss? This is one insightful videocast with our bestie, Lou Batac! (Recorded February 24, 2024)

From love bombing to love scamming? Yep, this happened. Lou, our bestie, shares her insights and personal stories after experiencing being conned by a former boyfriend. Ingat, mga swissyyy!!! It's a dangerous dating world out there! (Recorded February 16, 2024)

Hello, we're back!!!! Muni-muni muna tayo about the past year! (Recorded on Feb. 9, 2024)

A follow-up episode to our previous discussion on Pride Month, with our special guest, Sass Roganda Sasot. (Recorded June 19, 2023)

Our hot take and unpopular opinion about the Pride Movement. (Recorded June 16, 2023) Note: We see this episode being edited and posted out of context with our strong opinions over the Pride Movement that's taken way out of context. Our views are stated because of what we see in the US media, which our country is heavily influenced by. We are against female erasure and child corruption--an agenda that's being pushed in Western Society. There's a strong divide among the LGBTQ movement clearly because of this. This is were we're coming from, and we understand that this is a dividing issue no matter how careful and vulnerable we are in discussing. But before jumping to conclusions and deeming this hateful, we want to reiterate that disagreement is not hate nor "phobic."

We talk about propaganda and how feelings are not facts. (Recorded June 9, 2023)

Gave our two cents on a hot topic surrounding a famous couple's public separation, as well as our own thoughts on marriage. (Recorded June 4, 2023)

Discussions on what toxic femininity is with lots of extra chikahans on the side. (Recorded May 19, 2023)

We discuss the process of choosing the future self you've always aspired to become. (Recorded May 10, 2023)

We discuss the dangers of making the ideologies you believe in your core identity. (Recorded April 28, 2023)

We talk about the refreshing concept of seeing and treating men as brothers, instead of always seeing them as "prospects." (Recorded April 19, 2023)

We made our mark as body positive advocates, but even our perspective about bodies and body image evolve and change. We talk about it in this episode! (Recorded April 13, 2023)

Ok ok we're back... Again. Sorna!

We get raw and real about getting anxious despite being in a good season in our lives. (Recorded on September 23, 2022)

Fresh from recording! Sorry for not publishing an episode last week! In this episode, we hash out why it's so hard to change, and how to start. (Recorded on September 16, 2022)

We talk about the times we were part of shallow cliques and the unspoken—and sometimes weird—dynamics in different girl groups. We also talk about what cultivating real and meaningful friendships means to us today. (Recorded on September 1, 2022)

We give different reasons why our 20-year-old selves would be shookt to meet us now, at 31 years old. (Recorded on August 20, 2022)

Stacy shares some of the major signs that tell she's in a healthy relationship with her new beau. May iyakan pang naganap sa huli!!! (Recorded on August 14, 2022)

We've been gone for a looooong 11 months. What changed since the last episode?! (Recorded August 9, 2022)

G na g kami sa episode na 'to! We talk about the BS that so-called "nice guys" (READ: FAKE) try to pull with girls, and how to spot it from a mile away! Of course, based on our own experiences. (Recorded live on September 26, 2021 via @thedanahsoars Kumu account)

People like to label the sameness and differences of twins most of the time, so in this episode, we do that ourselves. (Recorded on September 20, 2021 live on @thedanahsoars' Kumu account.)

Our special guest in this episode is famous actor, Baron Geisler! He gets raw and real on his life journey, from hitting rock bottom to being redeemed. (Recorded on September 16, 2021 live on @thedanahsoars' Kumu account.)

The title says it all. ;) Recorded live on Kumu, September 13, 2021. If you wanna watch our live podcast recording, follow @thedanahsoars on Kumu! We go live every Mondays and Thursdays, and start around 7-8 PM.

The first guesting with our mom got so much good feedback, we decided to do a part 2! (Recorded live on Kumu, September 10, 2021. Catch our live podcast recording every Mondays and Thursdays, on @thedanahsoars' Kumu account! We start any time between 7-8PM!)

Much-requested and much-awaited! We have our momma bear on the show and she shares everything about being a teen-age mom back in the '90s! (Recorded September 6, 2021)

We candidly talk about what a "coercive abusive relationship" is, the red flags that tell if a person might be abusive, and Stacy's personal experience with a similar toxic relationship. (Recorded August 31, 2021)

We received a long message from a follower asking for advice in her current relationship. "Dear Danah & Stacy, I just want us to talk often. Is it too much too ask?" (Recorded August 23, 2021)

We rarely have male guests over our show, but when we do, they're quality men (but of course).

We give our personal insights on these 3 concepts. (Recorded August 16, 2021 LIVE on KUMU. If you wanna watch our live broadcast of the podcast recording, follow @thedanahsoars on KUMU. We go live every Mondays and Thursdays, 7PM.)

We discuss the lessons we're learning in our new season of being thirty that just wouldn't make sense to us in our twenties. (Recorded August 14, 2021)

First episode after 3 months of hiatus! A little catch up about where we are now, living independently, and some vague stuff! (Recorded August 10, 2021)

Evaluating how our '30s is going so far... It's lit. (Recorded May 21, 2021)

In this episode, we talk about how to deal with all the emotions of kilig and attraction... THE WISE WAY. Mature mature din tayo mga swissss! (Recorded May 17, 2021)

If you find yourself losing your identity in relationships or changing your personality to be liked by everyone else except yourself... This episode is for you! With our favorite guests, life coaches and power couple, RR and Carelle Herrera! (Recorded May 10, 2021)

We have special guests for this meaty episode that's all about patterns! Let us introduce Racquel (aka Carell) and RR Herrera, our favorite power couple and neuro-linguistic practitioners! (Recorded April 22, 2021)

Danah moved to Boracay and Stacy's living alone! (Recorded April 13, 2021)

The title says it all. (Recorded March 4, 2021)

We asked you to send us questions for us to answer, from the most mundane to the the most scandalous you can think of! We answer ALL of them in this episode! (Recorded February 23, 2021)

We talk about unprofessional ways of working and our personal pet peeves when it comes to work! (Recorded February 12, 2020)

The title says it all, friends! We take a trip down memory lane on all the mistakes, kagagahan, and karupukan we've made in our twenties, as well as all the lessons we've learned the hard way. With our special guest and friend, Aleli Espiritu. (Recorded January 31, 2020)

We recorded this episode on Valentine's Day, which we prefer to call Galentine's Day, and we talk about the myths we used to believe about singlehood. (Recorded February 14, 2020)

Welcome to Season 4! If you made it this far with us, THANK YOU! It's our birthday and we talk about making February 13 our personal new year! Why not, right? (Recorded February 9, 2020)

Yep, maybe we all have that *one* annoying tita or tito who loves to comment about everything you're not.

Impromptu recording with our guest, Miakka Lim! We hash out the importance of "spark" in relationships, the art of decluttering, and the value of grooming. (Recorded December 18, 2020)

This year has been tough, but there's always a silver lining if you look hard enough. We reflect about our own personal highlights for this insane year and our realizations on each one. (Recorded December 12, 2020)

We hash out the importance of family culture and dynamics in our adulthood. (Recorded December 12, 2020)