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EP. 5 - Finding Home in Ancestral Heritage
3 Plays16 days ago
For many, understanding your heritage and finding your way back to the core of your being can feel daunting. Figuring out where to start and if you will feel some sense of connection can feel like a big undertaking. What happens if you don’t feel like you belong? How do you fill a gap in belonging when you don’t know where to begin? The answer - use your curiosity and make it easy.
In this episode, I talk with Jessica De Anda about her journey to digging into her Ecuadorian and Mexican heritage to understand her past, ground in her present, and light the path for her future, all while using what she uncovers along the way to find community and help others.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Theme
00:00:02
Marjorie Anderson
Hello, and welcome back to the Connecting Across the Diaspora podcast. I have to say that I have had such rich conversations over the course of the last few months, and they've really filled my cup in unimaginable ways. And what it helped me realize is that when you tap into the stories of others, there's really something amazing and special that happens, especially when that connection is genuine, that really helps you lean into and be soft with not just your own humanity, but the humanity of those around you.
00:00:35
Marjorie Anderson
And so it feels like in this time, especially this time that we're in, where everything feels so crazy and there's such division, that's a really important element of maintaining connection with one another.
Guest Introduction: Jessica DeAnda
00:00:46
Marjorie Anderson
And so I'm excited to bring those stories to you in the near future, starting with our guest today, Jessica DeAnda. Jessica DeAnda is first-gen Latina executive coach, career strategist, and advocate for underrepresented professionals in corporate America.
00:01:04
Marjorie Anderson
Growing up food and housing insecure and once silenced by language barriers, she knows firsthand the isolation of navigating spaces where few share your story.
00:01:15
Marjorie Anderson
But today, she empowers others to reclaim their narratives unapologetically. With over 12 years in leadership development, Jessica now serves as Director of MBA Career Programming at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, preparing thousands of professionals for success.
00:01:33
Marjorie Anderson
She's also a sought-after speaker and coach who merges executive strategy with Curandismo, going mess this up, Curandismo, the Indigenous Healing Practices of Mexico to help leaders bridge personal resilience and professional power, whether she's Coaching executives, designing inclusive programs, or speaking on stages, her mission is clear.
00:01:56
Marjorie Anderson
Your story matters, and the world needs to hear it. Welcome, Jessica. Thank you so much for being on the show.
00:02:03
Jessica De Anda
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
00:02:05
Marjorie Anderson
Of course, of course. I i knew I practice. I practice that word. for a good 20 minutes right before we hopped on. I was like, I got it. And then I get on and my brain's like, what is that? That's a new word. We've never said that before.
00:02:21
Jessica De Anda
No worries.
00:02:22
Marjorie Anderson
yeah So we will will double back to that um during our conversation here. But i'm I'm so glad that you're here. I saw a LinkedIn post from you and I was immediately like, man, i gotta have further conversation with with her. And I'm so glad that you agreed to my cold email. Like, hey, you've never heard of me, but would love to have you on the show. um So ah really looking forward to our conversation today.
00:02:46
Jessica De Anda
And I love that. I think it's the power of community, right? Where you're open to it. And i think you really lead that way. so I really appreciate your outreach.
00:02:55
Marjorie Anderson
Of course, of course, my pleasure.
Background and Leadership Style
00:02:57
Marjorie Anderson
so So that folks can get to know you a little bit, tell us a little bit about your background.
00:03:03
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, I'm a proud daughter of immigrant parents. So my mother's from Mexico and my father is from Ecuador, which means I'm amazing.
00:03:12
Marjorie Anderson
of course
00:03:14
Jessica De Anda
ah No, but I think that really informs my leadership style and the way that I approach life, um knowing and understanding the responsibilities that come with being a child of immigrants and just the rough.
00:03:27
Jessica De Anda
It's rough for immigrants and just figuring things out and how confusing things, as simple as me being able to speak.
00:03:29
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:03:34
Jessica De Anda
Right. And for people to understand me. Wow. So a lot of their story informs the way that I lead and the way that I approach people, just understanding if I need to change the way I speak or in any way help people feel more comfortable, i adapt. um Those are two core core identities that I hold and that I lead with very intentionally because it it helps people understand, okay, where am I coming from?
00:03:59
Jessica De Anda
And then what do I prioritize really helping people feel seen and heard? um A little bit, you already said that I'm the director of MBA career programming. I get to do that in my day job. My fun part of my job is I'm an executive coach. So it's really helping empower people, whether it's on larger scale or one-on-one is really pivotal to my mission.
00:04:20
Jessica De Anda
And in particular, i work a lot with Latinx folks, because like you were mentioning earlier, with this environment, this political environment, it becomes even more critical to support these marginalized communities that are It could be really rough out there unless you have that kind of support that helps hold and really support the support them in their career.
00:04:40
Jessica De Anda
That's a little bit about me.
00:04:42
Marjorie Anderson
Oh, excellent. Yeah, for sure. And I think it's i think it's also, mean i don't know how many times we can say in these unprecedented times, but in these unprecedented times, I think it's also so important to stay connected to um your roots and where you come from and and understand the importance of some of some
Connecting to Roots and Community
00:05:05
Marjorie Anderson
of what that is. So can you talk to us a little bit about the challenges you've experienced while navigating your connection to your roots and how that's really shaped how you show up in the world, if at all.
00:05:17
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, so I think region ah regional differences are important here. Oftentimes when I connect with people that grew up within the United States, I'm always like, yeah, but where are you from in terms of East Coast, West Coast?
00:05:32
Jessica De Anda
Because the access to people is very different.
00:05:32
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:05:35
Jessica De Anda
especially if you're talking about Latinx folks. So as as in the West Coast, and I mean, half of the United States used to be part of Mexico. And so obviously, if you're on the West Coast, you're most likely going to be meeting with the Mexican.
00:05:50
Jessica De Anda
Lucky you. And what that what that you know what what that was like growing up was, it was exciting because I'm also Mexican, but it was also deeply isolating because I'm also Ecuadorian.
00:05:51
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:06:03
Jessica De Anda
And so, and mind you, um statistics show that oftentimes if Ecuadorians are to settle anywhere in the United States, that's in New Jersey on the East Coast. So jealous. Anyways, this means that there's region regional differences in terms of access to your community.
00:06:21
Jessica De Anda
And so I did not have access to my Ecuadorian community. I often joke with people that um i up until my late 20s, I hadn't met an Ecuadorian I wasn't related to.
00:06:34
Jessica De Anda
Sad but true. And so it's quite lovely to know but what regional differences it in community access. But the lovely part of the internet is now it's so open. I've met so many wonderful people on LinkedIn.
00:06:45
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:06:47
Jessica De Anda
um And I've lost track of your question. What was the question?
00:06:52
Marjorie Anderson
No worries. Just what challenges have you experienced while navigating your connection to your roots and how has that shaped how you show up in the world?
00:06:59
Jessica De Anda
perfect, which is including this piece of regionality. And so because I had this, this lack of access, the way that I led was very, i mean, I speak Mexican Spanish.
00:07:03
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:07:09
Jessica De Anda
Most of my friends were Mexican. So I didn't really, obviously my father's Ecuadorian. So I had access to the culture, the music, right? Certain aspects of my culture, but to fully understand it, I had to fly home and I didn't get to fly in quote unquote home back to the Ecuadorian homeland until two years ago.
00:07:29
Jessica De Anda
And so there's a there's a there's a distinction here, or I had a friend that grew up in Mexico where she was very clear with me. was like 10 years ago before I went to Mexico for the first time.
00:07:41
Jessica De Anda
Actually, I went when I was really little. I meant when I went to for the first time as an adult. My friend very clearly told me, Jessica, you're going around saying you're Mexican, but you don't even know what that means unless you go to Mexico.
00:07:55
Jessica De Anda
And I was like, yeah, yeah, whatever.
00:07:57
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:07:57
Jessica De Anda
But it she was right.
00:07:57
Marjorie Anderson
Hmm.
00:07:59
Jessica De Anda
Right. Like there's a really it's so beautiful to live within the confines of the United States, so much privilege. But to actively see your kin within the homeland is so different.
00:08:11
Jessica De Anda
It's just so different. And it's lovely to have those experiences. Right. I'm privileged enough that I have access. Right. There's some Latinos that for political reasons, for you know lots of different reasons, can't go to the homeland.
00:08:25
Jessica De Anda
what a privilege it is to be able to do that. um And that's only through those experiences that I actually fully understand. What does it actually mean to be part of the Mexican community? What does actually mean to be part of the Ecuadorian community?
00:08:39
Jessica De Anda
It's very, very different versus you just having the idea of what you think that means within the confines of the United States. Very different lived experiences that we have, but we all are truly part of the community.
00:08:53
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, for sure. And I i can only imagine like what you felt in your person when you visited both Mexico and Ecuador. Can you kind of articulate how that felt for you, just a step foot on land that you come from and that runs through your veins?
Visiting Ancestral Lands
00:09:15
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, I think I'll share this, this funny moment. So i i did remember, so so my father died when I was 17, left when I was 12, died when I was 17.
00:09:24
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:09:26
Jessica De Anda
So I have some memories and a lot of those memories were me trying to communicate with him. And he would say words that I didn't understand, which I was like, wait, aren't we both speaking Spanish?
00:09:37
Marjorie Anderson
right
00:09:38
Jessica De Anda
what's happening here. And it wasn't until I went to Ecuador that I understood what happened there. um And I'll share this with the, with the story. um When I was little, I think I was like five years old.
00:09:50
Jessica De Anda
My father was like, Hey, go get the cabecera, which to me as a Mexican meant go get the headboard. Right. Go get me the headboard.
00:09:58
Marjorie Anderson
And you're like, what?
00:09:59
Jessica De Anda
And I was like, no, like, and then, and then he, he like told me like two more times.
00:10:02
Marjorie Anderson
but
00:10:06
Jessica De Anda
And I was like, I'm not doing that. And like I got frustrated because I just kept saying no. And I went to go talk to my mom. Like, look, he's trying to get me to go get the cabecera and I can't. I'm too little.
00:10:19
Jessica De Anda
And then so she goes over there to talk to him. Like, what are you talking about? He's like, oh, my God, are you serious? So he had to get up and go get it himself. And he brought back a pillow.
00:10:30
Marjorie Anderson
You're like, that's not the word I know.
00:10:30
Jessica De Anda
That's not. That's not the word. I didn't know that, right? Because again, I speak Mexican Spanish. And so that's just a small example of the just just distinct language differences.
00:10:41
Jessica De Anda
But it goes even deeper than that. There was a lot of words that I had never heard of in my life that he would use.
00:10:48
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:10:50
Jessica De Anda
And in Ecuador, I realized Quechua is the language. It's the indigenous language, the predominant indigenous language that's spoken there. And it's so intertwined in their Spanish. they They just use it like Anybody, everybody, like the community.
00:11:04
Jessica De Anda
So I'm like, oh, my God, those are the words. so Those are the words I didn't understand.
00:11:08
Marjorie Anderson
ah
00:11:11
Jessica De Anda
And those are the the beautiful kind of, you know, moments of clarity that people can get when they go to the homeland. Because it's only through those moments that you're able to reflect, oh that's what that was as a child. That's why I experienced that.
00:11:28
Jessica De Anda
Whether it be food or in this case language, there will be those moments of like, oh my God, that's what that's the culture. that i didn't like You can't really name it until you're you're fully seeing it i don't know how to explain it other than in that example.
00:11:44
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, it's fascinating to be able to experience that.
00:11:48
Marjorie Anderson
That's really beautiful. And I think that there's just something, you know, you articulated so well how there's something that comes alive in you and something that happens when you're able to get access to your ancestral heritage. You know, and that the title of this episode is Finding Home and and in Your Ancestral Heritage. And so i can only imagine how much of that you continue to carry with you through your day to day and through your life in general, as a means of connecting to who you are and being strong and standing firm in who you are. And not only in that, but then also showing up for others who may not have that strength or may not be able to find a sense of home or community in other ways
Technology and Generational Communication
00:12:34
Marjorie Anderson
through your work. So um i can only i can only imagine the impact that you have on people.
00:12:40
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, that's very sweet. and There's also this aspect of generational differences and access to technology.
00:12:47
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:48
Jessica De Anda
So i didn't I didn't realize this until I was talking to my my my father's youngest brother, who was mentioning that he didn't get a chance to really interact with my father because when my father migrated to the United States, this is before the internet, right?
00:13:03
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:13:04
Jessica De Anda
right before cell phones, oh my God, shocking. um And so that meant that communication was actually really quite stunted. My father couldn't really communicate it he communicate home. Like he couldn't call.
00:13:18
Jessica De Anda
And if he did, he have to beat he he he would have to tell them, okay, this date, a month from now, I'm going to call at this time. You have to pick up. And that meant that my uncle didn't really get to talk to him. my like I'll explain it to you this way. When I left after meeting my family, Ecuadorian family for the first time in Ecuador, I burst into tears on the plane home because I felt just ah like a so like a little piece of sand of the pain that my father must have felt.
00:13:49
Jessica De Anda
Like, My God, being disconnected from these wonderful, beautiful people. The difference being that i actually have access to internet, right? I have access to LinkedIn. I have access to email.
00:14:03
Jessica De Anda
letters, like everything is so much faster. And so community, I'll just tell you this too. It's a very popular amongst anybody really outside the United States, but WhatsApp has been a way that I'm able to still communicate with my family because WhatsApp is used by so many people.
00:14:18
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:14:20
Jessica De Anda
Like we have a group chat for the entire family. It's crazy. um But I get to keep that community, that sense of community online. So I think there's There's power, yes, in going in person, because there's nothing like a human to human connection, but there's also such power in that digital connection too.
00:14:39
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. And I can only imagine that that probably helps with like the ache of longing to be close. um I can only imagine what you're what your father felt when that wasn't a thing.
00:14:52
Marjorie Anderson
So that that has to help in some way, shape or form.
00:14:53
Jessica De Anda
Yeah.
00:14:56
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, and I'll share this funny story too. My father and my mother, before I was born, years before my mother what before I was born, he actually wanted to move to New Jersey specifically because his community was there, right?
00:15:10
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:15:12
Jessica De Anda
yeah So he and my mother actually moved to New Jersey, but my mother absolutely hated it. It was too cold and she was like, I want to go home. i want to be around, obviously, Mexicans in California because she's Mexican.
00:15:24
Jessica De Anda
And so she actually left. and
00:15:27
Marjorie Anderson
She was like, I'm out. Bye-bye.
00:15:29
Jessica De Anda
yeah exactly he stayed ah in ah New Jersey but then eventually he went back to California luckily for me then I was born but um all that to say he he ah he obviously was missing that connection like it's it's it's just different it's it's lovely to be able to be around people that know what foods you like what yeah it's he did get um more welcomed by the Mexican community right I mean it's it's It's fine, but there's nothing like that. Like if you have an ethnic enclave, you have a group of people from your community.
00:16:04
Jessica De Anda
It's just such a beautiful thing to, I mean, I as Mexican felt that with other Mexicans, but as an Ecuadorian, I felt deeply isolated. Yeah.
00:16:13
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. Yeah. I, you know, and like I, I have never, I can't say that I've experienced on that level, experienced that on that level, but even i think from a neighborhood aspect, like my, my neighborhood had a very specific feel and ah very specific um way of how we took care of each other and and what that looked like. And sometimes when you're not in that element, it feels very,
00:16:39
Marjorie Anderson
you feel displaced and there's always a feeling of wanting to get back to that.
00:16:40
Jessica De Anda
boom
00:16:44
Marjorie Anderson
But again, seeing that you have found and due to technological advances, um you've you've got a way to make sure that you stay connected to that. So that's really lovely.
00:16:56
Jessica De Anda
and I do, I do really appreciate it. Yeah.
00:16:58
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. um So it's rare talking about this. And I mentioned earlier in the intro that um the first time that I came across you was through a LinkedIn post that someone else in my network had liked of yours.
Identity and Indigeneity
00:17:14
Marjorie Anderson
And I read it fully and I was like, my goodness,
00:17:18
Marjorie Anderson
What a powerful thing. And so in that LinkedIn post, um you mentioned that someone asked if you were Native and your answer was, i am detribalized. And I just thought that that was such a powerful thing to say and also needed more discussion. So can you talk to us a little bit about what that means for you and how it may or may not affect your ability to feel connected?
00:17:47
Jessica De Anda
Absolutely. there's um There's oftentimes reluctance, I think, in the, in the especially the Mexican community, probably this goes across other diasporas, to claim their indigeneity for many, many reasons.
00:18:02
Jessica De Anda
And um one of the So one of the privileges of having study Chicanx studies is, which is the history of Mexicans within the United States, is to understand, mean, I got educated. had to read tons and tons of books about this, which is unfortunate because I wish our community just had access to this, you know, through 12. It would be so amazing to learn about yourself.
00:18:24
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:18:24
Jessica De Anda
um I just want to name that. and And part of that means I had access to a lot of the history that's not taught. And this history told me that actually half the United States used to be part of Mexico.
00:18:38
Jessica De Anda
And beyond that, it's really understanding when Spain colonized Mexico, they set up a system of, of, you know, the hierarchy, racial hierarchy.
00:18:51
Jessica De Anda
And at the bottom were these indigenous groups and it, and they used to, they did heinous, heinous human rights violations. Obviously we all know this.
00:19:01
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:19:01
Jessica De Anda
Um, Some of these things included hiring white prostitutes to come over and you know cleanse the Mexican blood, and right? um and And so they implemented a hierarchy of race.
00:19:16
Jessica De Anda
And what that meant was you would actually be barred from getting a lot of access to things if you ask ever even claimed your indigeneity. So what happened then, many generations couldn't name it.
00:19:30
Jessica De Anda
And then what Spain did in Mexico was they created, they actually put it all to paper, right? Because oftentimes in Mexico and lots of other Latin American countries, we don't necessarily, we have oral histories that are shared.
00:19:42
Jessica De Anda
We don't necessarily write it down on a piece of paper, right?
00:19:43
Marjorie Anderson
Oh,
00:19:45
Jessica De Anda
And so what Spain did was they they archived this. They were like, okay, you're indigenous, you're not indigenous, blah, blah, blah, right? Like they had, they tried to file it down. Of course, understanding though, that a lot of people had to hide it.
00:20:00
Jessica De Anda
because I guess, again, there were punishments for being indigenous. And then what happened when we fought for our independence in Mexico, they burned a lot of these documents.
00:20:09
Marjorie Anderson
oh wow
00:20:09
Jessica De Anda
And so even the trace of just the possibility of being able to to name your indigeneity was lost by many of us. And so that when I say we'reter i am detribalized, I wholeheartedly understand what that means.
00:20:25
Jessica De Anda
It means that because of colonization, I have no means of tracing my lineage, no means of doing it. And even though stories have been lost through oral history because people weren't even safe to say it to their family members because of what that impact could mean for their future.
00:20:46
Jessica De Anda
And so it's, it's a reclamation of my indigeneity, right? I am de-tribalized knowing fully and understanding the history of what that means. right?
00:20:57
Jessica De Anda
With full respect for the indigenous communities that are thriving within Mexico, like, my God, there's so many beautiful communities um with deep respect, right? But understanding that I too am indigenous is so empowering.
00:21:13
Jessica De Anda
Yeah.
00:21:14
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. Does that, does that at any time in your reflection create a sort of absence for you or do you you know that because of the history, but would it not, had it not been for the history of Mexico and how it was colonized, that is one more wonderful facet of yourself that you would have knowledge of. um So like, does it,
00:21:44
Marjorie Anderson
Does it leave a hole for you or are you does it feel still good to know that that history is there somewhere? It's deep in the soil of Mexico, but um and there's an acceptance that that's something that you'll just never be able to connect to.
00:22:00
Jessica De Anda
I think there's there's still pain. I mean, and umm I'm going to name it. um I'll share this one thing with you.
00:22:04
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:22:05
Jessica De Anda
And oh I forget who her name is. It's a wonderful, amazing environmental activist in Ecuador. She was born in the Amazon. And I forget her name.
00:22:18
Jessica De Anda
um Anyways, she really writes beautifully that she, when she was like six or 12, I forgot the age group here. She finally ah heard the word Ecuadorian.
00:22:30
Jessica De Anda
But to her, that's not that wasn't her identity. She grew up in the Ecuadorian Amazon. She understood her identity through the the the indigenous name that they use, right? She's and she's part of the indigenous community.
00:22:43
Jessica De Anda
and And so that's what I want to name here too, the the term Mexico, right? A lot of indigenous groups don't name themselves by the nationality. They don't go around saying, I'm Mexican, right?
00:22:57
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:22:57
Jessica De Anda
They say their actual indigenous group, the community that they're a part of. And so that is what I, that's the pain I'm i'm trying to name here. That even though I'm Mexican, I can't claim a certain community, a certain indigenous community.
00:23:13
Jessica De Anda
So that is painful, right? um And one thing though, for a lot of people, there is, I don't think there is any way to kind of like fix that because a lot of the, again, these documents were burned.
00:23:29
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:23:30
Jessica De Anda
so And so, and one of the things about growing up as a Mexican and understanding that my family, you know, we grew up in poverty, and a lot of them died.
00:23:41
Jessica De Anda
i don't have elders. I didn't grow up with elders. They all died long before I was born. And so I think that is part of the problem too, where the health concerns and the health system really fails our community.
00:23:57
Jessica De Anda
And so what ends up happening again is I don't have access to these stories. I never had a grandmother that I could say, hey, grandma, tell me about this. i i didn't I don't have that. And so I think that's the power of community, though, in terms of if you have access to to elders, go and ask them questions.
00:24:15
Jessica De Anda
It's so powerful.
Researching Ancestral History
00:24:17
Jessica De Anda
um There's also this piece of if you're curious about the time period of your ancestors and don't have access, start exploring what What happened during their childhood? What was going on around them?
00:24:29
Jessica De Anda
Learn the history of the state, the city, the country that they lived in, that in that period of time that they grew up in. Then you'll start to understand um some of the the trauma or whatever you want to point. Happiness is not just trauma.
00:24:44
Jessica De Anda
What kind of things did they grow up with, if you're deeply curious about that. um But yeah, there there is pain in not being able to name the actual triumph.
00:24:53
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, yeah. And I think it's something really important that you just mentioned about getting curious and doing research. I feel like sometimes people feel like, okay, well, because that piece was lost and there's no documentation of it, it's going to be impossible for me to find any anything about who who i am who my family is what my lineage is.
00:25:19
Marjorie Anderson
um and they get overwhelmed by thinking about what that would even look like. And so starting with where people grew up and the history of that and where they came from and the customs and traditions, I think is an easy start. it's relatively It's a relatively easy start. And i I just want to name that. I think that that's an incredibly important thing that you mentioned there, because it doesn't necessarily have to be that you go down to the local library and try to scour the archives and figure out birth
00:25:53
Marjorie Anderson
records and all of that stuff, especially when you don't really have access to that information. um But there is somewhere that you can start that might lead you into deeper waters if you're willing to take that journey.
00:26:07
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, absolutely. i think there's a lot ah that a lot of people don't really know about themselves even. Like get curious, get curious about yourself, whether it be like I remember I was i was listening to a book.
00:26:22
Jessica De Anda
Lord, I wish I remembered titles. hum But it was it was a book where um it was mentioning the history of Mexico.
00:26:26
Marjorie Anderson
It's okay.
00:26:32
Jessica De Anda
And it was as simple as understanding the food that was available to two you know early humans in Mexico. So I understood that. We actually have a connection to Turkey, you can believe it or not.
00:26:44
Marjorie Anderson
Wow.
00:26:44
Jessica De Anda
ah So turkeys have are... indigenous to Mexico. And so that was a lot of the food that we had access to turkeys. And obviously we also ate insects. um But i I never knew that. So I have a deeper appreciation for things like turkey.
00:27:00
Jessica De Anda
So it's something simple like that. It doesn't have to be like this super profound thing, right? It could be getting more curious about your humanity. And mind you, there's so many, there's so much beauty and connection that you can have, not not just regionally, right?
00:27:14
Jessica De Anda
Like in terms of the Mexico, it could be as a woman, right?
00:27:14
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, yeah
00:27:18
Jessica De Anda
It could be as, you know, someone I mean, there's so many identities, I can't even, and a sister, right? Like, what does it mean to be a sister?
00:27:29
Jessica De Anda
What are my values? Like people just need to get a little bit more deeper, get a little bit more curious about themselves.
00:27:35
Marjorie Anderson
for sure. um I know that you mentioned that WhatsApp and things like LinkedIn help you stay connected to your community Are there other ways that you have found to just ensure that you stay connected and immersed in such an important part of who you are?
00:27:54
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, so it's also finding um white friends or groups. So there's this, is her name is Patricia Juarez. She's an amazing, I would call her an activist. She's indigenous from Mexico.
00:28:09
Jessica De Anda
I forgot the group that she's a part of, but um she has a dancing troupe. So she teaches Aztec dancing. And so I think there's something so beautiful to be able to find her fine a community member like that, that's able to create a group of people that you could join and you know be in community with. I think that's quite powerful.
00:28:30
Jessica De Anda
I also think it's quite powerful to find folks that understand the term community, whether or not they meet you like their fellow Mexicans or fellow Ecuadorians, like they don't have to be, right?
00:28:35
Marjorie Anderson
Thank you.
00:28:40
Jessica De Anda
It's just who understands that meaning of community and who could sit with you and deeply just listen and hear you and you can deeply listen and hear their story.
00:28:53
Jessica De Anda
They can be part of your community too. i think that that is, I think the most critical thing to remember because I, when I coach people drives me nuts because I get it. It's called homophily, right? It's the human tendency to find people that are just like you.
00:29:08
Jessica De Anda
I get it.
00:29:08
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:29:09
Jessica De Anda
I get it. But like for me, cause I grew up food and housing insecure, right? Like, I didn't have access to a lot of privileges. So I had to ask for, I asked, had to connect with people outside of my community, my community being folks that also grew up food and housing insecure, right?
00:29:28
Jessica De Anda
um And I had to connect with people that were like zero like me, right? Because of the nature of me being able to navigate the world, you have to do that.
00:29:39
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:29:39
Jessica De Anda
But it's also, why wouldn't you? That's my question too. So it does drive me crazy when my clients, my coaching clients, I like look through their network and I'm like, why are they all Latino?
00:29:52
Jessica De Anda
Oh my God, you can't do that.
00:29:52
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:29:55
Jessica De Anda
You can't do that. Like, it's just, it's not healthy. It's not healthy for so many different reasons, but it's its deeply isolating actually.
00:30:00
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:30:05
Jessica De Anda
If you if you only label Latinos as your community,
00:30:11
Jessica De Anda
you're You're in it deep. So yes, I mentioned Patricias Juarez's dance troupe, which is amazing.
00:30:13
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, yeah
00:30:18
Jessica De Anda
But there's also other spaces where I find community. Like I love ceramics. So I take ceramics classes and I find community there. So it's really, literally naming it. What what are your interests? What do you value?
00:30:31
Jessica De Anda
And finding folks that share that value, share that interest. And then they could become part of your community.
00:30:39
Marjorie Anderson
for sure. I, am
00:30:43
Marjorie Anderson
ah put a post up on LinkedIn today that kind of talked a little bit about that, about the fact that, you know, people think about organic community.
00:30:51
Jessica De Anda
Mm-hmm.
00:30:51
Marjorie Anderson
i always put that in quotes because, i mean, organic community is like people who are like, you like the thing that I like, let's, let's be friends. Right. And then there's the real intentionality and thoughtfulness that goes into actually building out your community.
00:31:08
Marjorie Anderson
And I think that it's really important to, for the latter to be at the center of how we think about building not only our own communities, but then building communities around us, because it's important for people to feel like they are seen, heard, and like they matter.
00:31:26
Marjorie Anderson
And if we're forgetting that piece of it, then are we really building community are we really just gathering people? There's a distinct difference in my mind.
00:31:34
Jessica De Anda
yeah
00:31:36
Marjorie Anderson
And I also think that if you, if you, build your community of people that have the same mindset who look exactly like you. I think there's a, there's a, there's a, there's merit in that, but like by and large, if you don't expand what that looks like, you end up in an echo chamber. You end up not really expanding your outlook and horizons are out, but what things look and feel like in the world, you miss the opportunity to not only
00:32:07
Marjorie Anderson
receive genuine care from other folks, but to then give it in ways that ah where you connect in a different way that's outside of how you identify.
00:32:12
Jessica De Anda
Yeah.
00:32:18
Marjorie Anderson
And so I think it's really important what you said about like, get yes, okay, but like also expand your horizons here. you Your community needs to look a little bit different.
00:32:30
Marjorie Anderson
um And I think it's important for people to understand why that's important, especially um When we're experiencing experiencing an epidemic of loneliness um in this day and age, it can, like you said, be isolating and start to feel like no one really no one else really understands me when that couldn't be further from the truth.
00:32:54
Jessica De Anda
I love that you mentioned that because it sparked a memory. um i remember that there was this one time there was this amazing professor.
00:33:04
Jessica De Anda
he taught design thinking for all MBA students and he invited every every student. So, um, what you call it, GSIs. So they help organize the class and help them teach the class.
00:33:17
Jessica De Anda
So he invited those GSIs and then staff over to his house. And it was like this $3 million dollars house really near campus. And I was like, should I go? ah Because in my head, right, i had I had in my head, oh, I'm first gen, I grew up, you know, food and housing insecure.
00:33:34
Jessica De Anda
What am I doing going into this freaking $3 million dollars house? And i mind you I'm just guessing the cost here might be even more.
00:33:37
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:33:40
Marjorie Anderson
right
00:33:40
Jessica De Anda
And and i was like, again, in my own head, like, I'm the only first gen person. the only Latina. Oh my God, should I even be there? and I show up, right? He's this white man, amazing human being.
00:33:53
Jessica De Anda
But again, this narrative was stuck in my head. and And so, you know, he kind enough to open his house to us. He had food. So when people were talking, i was like, right, let me just quickly grab some food, sit down and get the hell out of here.
00:34:06
Jessica De Anda
Eat really quickly and get the hell out.
00:34:06
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:34:09
Jessica De Anda
And I sat down and he actually just sat next to me, right? And he just started talking to me and he goes, you know, Jessica, I'm also first gen. And it was like one of the most powerful, yeah, surprise, hello.
00:34:19
Marjorie Anderson
Surprise, surprise. but
00:34:23
Jessica De Anda
um And, he you know, we just started chatting and he actually became one of my mentors. And so it's it's funny how your internal narrative can really limit what you think you're capable of or what, like, you could just live in that that discomfort of I don't belong. You know, no one wants to connect with me. I'm so different.
00:34:43
Jessica De Anda
Right. It's so it could be so negative. And it doesn't allow you for these like serendipitous moments if you don't put yourself in those situations, right? If you don't say, yes, open, I'm open to that invitation.
00:34:55
Jessica De Anda
Or if you don't extend the branch and extend the invitation to other people, you'll never have these moments of like, oh, shit, that's so cool that we're like, we have a lot in common, whether or not we're the same class, it doesn't have to be that way.
00:35:08
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:35:08
Jessica De Anda
It was just a, I just remember that moment where I was like, dang, all right.
00:35:13
Marjorie Anderson
Right. You're like, okay, maybe I was wrong.
00:35:16
Jessica De Anda
Yeah. Oh my God. Shocking. Me wrong? Never.
00:35:20
Marjorie Anderson
and I know I say I'm wrong at least 12 times out of 10. So if there's that. um
00:35:25
Jessica De Anda
it is. There it is.
00:35:27
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. um So and our initial conversation, i want to kind of bring this a little back to um your your
Curanderismo in Coaching
00:35:37
Marjorie Anderson
heritage. In our initial conversation, you mentioned that your mother was a curandera.
00:35:43
Jessica De Anda
Mm-hmm.
00:35:43
Marjorie Anderson
um
00:35:43
Jessica De Anda
Mm-hmm.
00:35:43
Marjorie Anderson
Talk to us about what that is and how you are continuing to explore that as part of your connection to your heritage, how it's showing up in your work, because you mentioned that you use that practice, um you mix that practice with your with your work, and but what other customs and traditions you're continuing to immerse yourself in that surprise you every day?
00:36:05
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, I love that. So a curanderas. So that is a term that curanderas probably themselves don't use. yeah oh A lot of people around the world would call them shamans, right?
00:36:17
Marjorie Anderson
Mm-hmm.
00:36:18
Jessica De Anda
So it's rough translation would be like a healer. um And my mother was obviously, we come from a long line of curanderas in Mexico. So that means she was trained by her mother. Her mother was trained by her mother, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
00:36:33
Jessica De Anda
So it's through my maternal line. um And what that means is back in the ye olden days, before colonization, curanderos were able to do so much more. So it was, they understood how to, they're called sobadoras, like give massages.
00:36:50
Jessica De Anda
They understood herbalism. They understood like, you know, astronomy. They understood so many different aspects, but because of colonization, Curanderas started, you know, really honing one skill or honing two skills. or So my mother honed one skill, which is she's a consejera, which in English would be kind of like, it's a rough translation for that.
00:37:16
Jessica De Anda
Consejera means like someone that gives advice, someone that, yeah, I think that's the best translation.
00:37:22
Marjorie Anderson
Okay. Hmm.
00:37:24
Jessica De Anda
um But she's able to do it in a way that doesn't separate your mind, your body, and your spirit. and So what therapy and therapists don't tell you is that their methodology, that's ancient.
00:37:36
Jessica De Anda
shamans been Shamans have been doing that for centuries, but they never separated your mind from your body and your spirit. there you know Therapy now talks about somatic work and I'm like, girl, okay, like we haven't been doing that for centuries.
00:37:51
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:37:52
Jessica De Anda
So curanderismo, so my mother wouldn't just talk to you and listen, and right? And like, She doesn't just do that. She's able to provide energetic cleansings, right? So limpias.
00:38:05
Jessica De Anda
She's able to really help people connect more to their bodies in different methods. um and the thing about curanderismo really fascinating, too, because it has a lot of African um traditions that are embedded into it, as well as other indigenous practices embedded into it.
00:38:24
Jessica De Anda
And it's it's fascinating in the way that that she kind of blends all of this together. There are some Catholic undertones. I mean, we could talk about Catholicism. It's its own beast.
00:38:35
Marjorie Anderson
That's a whole other conversation.
00:38:37
Jessica De Anda
it's It's its own beast. but But that's the the the like really the powerful piece about curanderismo. um She's been doing it for so long. so It's really interesting to grow up with a curandera.
00:38:54
Jessica De Anda
like to have someone, so she is like a really a center to her community. I remember one time that I, in my early 20s, act like I'm old, I'm very young.
00:39:07
Jessica De Anda
But in my early 20s, exactly.
00:39:07
Marjorie Anderson
like When I was 21.
00:39:11
Jessica De Anda
Back in my early 20s, I remember I had a lot of clothes that I wanted to donate. And I was like, hey, mom, you know, think when I go visit you, I think I'm just going to drop it off at the, you know, the clothes area. Like there's like these bins you could just drop off your clothes in.
00:39:26
Jessica De Anda
But she goes, what are you talking about? Bring them here so that I can give it to, you know, as let's call her. Maria, I'm give to Maria so that she can give it to the network that she has in Mexico because these people need clothes. And I was like, oh, okay.
00:39:43
Jessica De Anda
And so my mother is not just, you know, someone that gives these, you know, this really deeply important work. Like it's this service to the community. She's actually a real big connector.
00:39:55
Jessica De Anda
So like even in high school, and I didn't have access to a computer, she would just tell her friends like, hey, can you bring a laptop when you come and visit me? Because my daughter needs to do her homework. So it's, yeah, it's really interesting to to grow up with someone that is a real deep connector, like a really understands community and what that means, like reciprocity.
00:40:14
Marjorie Anderson
You
00:40:14
Jessica De Anda
Like she deeply, deeply understood it and understands it to this day. And so I model a lot of what I do based off of her. um And it's always funny too, because I'm like, out of all her kids, cause she had seven out of all her kids.
00:40:29
Jessica De Anda
I'm the one that I think has been doing a lot of the similar similar work, I think for years, whether you call me a career advisor to an executive coach, whatever you want to call me. I've been doing a lot of the same, like deep listening, um,
00:40:44
Jessica De Anda
But i will say I do separate the things.
00:40:47
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:48
Jessica De Anda
As an executive coach, I don't um provide that service unless we come to an agreement that that is something that they're looking for. Because I will tell you this, as someone that works with Latinx folks, I have encountered where they face things at work that do cause a lot of issues, right? A lot of like sense of unworthiness, um anxiety, like but basically ah they internalize racism.
00:41:13
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:41:18
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:41:19
Jessica De Anda
I don't, I can't heal that and I can't touch it as, as an executive coach. I mean, I could help work through some of that. I could help create a strategy, right? Like there's ways to live and to make decisions for your career that really feel empowering.
00:41:33
Jessica De Anda
There's ways to do that as an executive coach, but as a curandera, I can, I can help in a different way. And it's so powerful to be able to do that. And it and it it's like a mutually like, oh, it feels good. and like
00:41:47
Marjorie Anderson
yeah
00:41:47
Jessica De Anda
I'm able to finally address these issues that have been persistent in people's lives, but I could only do that through that work.
00:41:55
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:41:56
Jessica De Anda
and And I'm very clear about those that separation.
00:41:56
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:42:00
Marjorie Anderson
How do people discover that that's something that they would want or need as part of their interaction with you?
00:42:07
Jessica De Anda
So typically, i to get to this pipeline of Guadalajara, it's people that I'm already coaching. And when i I'm like, oh, maybe they might be interested, I mention it.
00:42:18
Jessica De Anda
If not, cool. We won't do it. Great. We'll move on. But that's how I let them know. Like, hey, by the way, I do this also. If it's of interest, great. If you think you need it, great. If not, no pressure.
00:42:31
Jessica De Anda
Yeah.
00:42:33
Marjorie Anderson
My goodness. Let me tell you, if I had access to something like that, i would be like, yes, please, let's dive in.
00:42:42
Marjorie Anderson
let's Let's do that.
00:42:42
Jessica De Anda
you
00:42:42
Marjorie Anderson
when When can we start? Can we do it now? Can we do that right now? um I can only imagine how cathartic that is and how helpful that is for people. um In addition to the coaching that you provide, I can imagine that feels like a full service experience and for lack of a better i dont want to cheapen I don't want to cheapen what you do with that word, but it really feels like like a holistic experience for people.
00:43:11
Jessica De Anda
and i And I hope it does, because that's the thing. like I think colonization has ripped so much from us, including our community at times, right? Our identities, our languages, our sense of just feeling okay, right?
00:43:27
Jessica De Anda
Or feeling like you're enough. That is like goes around a lot, right? Enough for what?
00:43:30
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:43:32
Jessica De Anda
Capitalism? Like what?
00:43:33
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:43:34
Jessica De Anda
White supremacy?
00:43:34
Marjorie Anderson
Right. Fascism.
00:43:35
Jessica De Anda
Enough for what?
00:43:35
Marjorie Anderson
What do you mean? Right.
00:43:37
Jessica De Anda
yeah Patriarchy?
00:43:37
Marjorie Anderson
Right.
00:43:38
Jessica De Anda
i
00:43:38
Marjorie Anderson
right
00:43:39
Jessica De Anda
Enough for what, right?
00:43:40
Marjorie Anderson
right
00:43:41
Jessica De Anda
And so it's always important to like get to the root of like understanding some of these concepts. So I'm going to tell you this too. So because I'm Ecuadorian and i'm Mexican, it's been fascinating to discover the medicines of my my my roots, right?
00:43:57
Jessica De Anda
So Guraneres might have that within my Mexican space where I get to really understand what does that mean? What are those healing modalities, right? What kind of access do Mexicans have to herbs? versus what kind of access do Ecuadorians have to these herbs?
00:44:12
Jessica De Anda
I'll give you this example. I once went, and mind you, Ecuador is a lot more open with their indigeneity, right?
00:44:20
Marjorie Anderson
Mm-hmm.
00:44:20
Jessica De Anda
They protect a lot of the indigenous languages. They're a little bit better. I'm not saying they're the best, but they're better in my eyes than Mexico is with protecting the indigenous community and the traditions.
00:44:33
Jessica De Anda
Part of that you'll see in just the local market that that when um when I went to visit my family in Quito, Ecuador, which is the capital, I went to the market. On the bottom floor, there's a ton of curanderas, ton of them.
00:44:47
Jessica De Anda
So you could go anytime you want, right? and And they will do olympia a limpia, a cleanse, right? And I remember went to do one and oh my God, again, I'm not accustomed to these herbs that they use.
00:45:01
Marjorie Anderson
Right?
00:45:02
Jessica De Anda
They use an herb that actually makes you get hives. Like it makes you so itchy. i had no idea, right?
00:45:10
Marjorie Anderson
Wow.
00:45:11
Jessica De Anda
It's part of the experience. And I was like, oh Lord, I did not plan to go home to just take a shower, but Lord, do I need to like, wow, what just happened?
00:45:19
Marjorie Anderson
Right?
00:45:22
Jessica De Anda
Yeah.
00:45:23
Jessica De Anda
so
00:45:23
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:45:24
Marjorie Anderson
They're like, it's cleansing.
00:45:24
Jessica De Anda
and Exactly.
00:45:25
Marjorie Anderson
ah ah but
00:45:28
Jessica De Anda
um But that's what I mean. Like oh when we're talking about community or, you know, a a sense of, of knowing who you are, it's also knowing these aspects, these, these plantas, these, these herbs, these, um,
00:45:43
Jessica De Anda
Maybe people take for granted that those that know this information, right? They take for granted like, oh yeah, duh, that's indigenous to Mexico or oh, duh, that's indigenous to Ecuador or wherever you may be from.
00:45:55
Jessica De Anda
um They take that for granted, but for those of us that are finally being able to name, oh, that plant or that fruit or you know that particular item comes from us or like Panama hats, they come from Ecuador.
00:46:08
Jessica De Anda
then Don't know why they're called Panama hats. um But certain things like that, it just becomes, it's so beautiful to be able to see it, but to recognize community also includes plants, animals, things like that.
00:46:21
Jessica De Anda
Yeah.
00:46:23
Marjorie Anderson
Wow, that's so beautiful. It's the amount of wonder that just comes with learning more about other cultures. it' just it I'm in awe every time that I have these conversations. and so I'm probably going to dig into that a little bit more.
00:46:39
Marjorie Anderson
And I might reach out to you with questions. So just be prepared for that.
00:46:41
Jessica De Anda
yeah And I think that's that's what's needed, right? That curiosity, that deep curiosity about each other.
00:46:46
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:46:48
Jessica De Anda
But I think that's also what helps build that community, whether it's to find more aspects of your identity or someone else's, like your naming, right?
00:46:56
Jessica De Anda
What can it look like if you hear a friend say something and you're like, whoa, I've never heard of that terminology or I've never heard of that, whatever it is that they're mentioning. And you get curious, what a beautiful way to connect.
00:46:56
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:47:08
Jessica De Anda
grow ah to strengthen that community, that sense of connection, right? It's a beautiful invitation to others. If you're curious, do some research, get to know someone better.
00:47:18
Marjorie Anderson
Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, we've got a little bit more time left and I've got two more questions for you. um
00:47:24
Jessica De Anda
Mm-hmm.
00:47:25
Marjorie Anderson
So the first question that I have for you is how important, in your opinion, is it to feel like we belong to one another? Not necessarily in a possessive way, but um in a way that allows for mutual stewardship for each other's well-being.
00:47:43
Jessica De Anda
Yeah, I'll give you an example that just happened yesterday. So um i i thought I was all cool, right? I've been taking a strength training class. I thought I'm like super strong, no problem. Like I could hang.
00:47:58
Jessica De Anda
um ah had a coach. So I work out at UC Berkeley. he's ah He's a coach. He's been there, i guess, for like 20 plus years. His name is Al. And um he was so good. I kept signing up for the class because it's like it's an introduction class to strength training.
00:48:15
Jessica De Anda
And I've taken it like five times now. oh But. but
00:48:19
Marjorie Anderson
It's like you're no longer a beginner.
00:48:20
Jessica De Anda
Exactly.
00:48:21
Marjorie Anderson
Right?
00:48:22
Jessica De Anda
i mean, you would think you would think. um But I had like a small gap over the summer between taking the classes, a small gap being like a month and a half. And my class got canceled.
00:48:35
Jessica De Anda
And so I had to sign up for the 50 and over class. So it's intended for people that are 50 and over, right? and i i And I was all cocky. I went to class like, I got this. I'm a year in right? I'm so good. And we had a new instructor. It wasn't the same person.
00:48:53
Jessica De Anda
So Al has gotten a different role. So he's no longer available to teach. So we have a different person teaching. And it's a whole new group of people that I don't know, right?
00:49:05
Jessica De Anda
And it was amazing because first moment that I entered, someone was like, oh you know, tried to talk to me, like introducing themselves to me, trying to help me feel included.
00:49:16
Jessica De Anda
And then I went to go warm up. And then even when I started using the first machine, you know, I looked a little confused, but I knew what I was doing. But um on what yeah someone walked up to me and was like, do you need help?
00:49:24
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, like I got it.
00:49:27
Jessica De Anda
I was like, oh, no, I'm good. You know, and then as I started chatting with them, I realized these people, they're not only stronger than me, but they've been doing this for 15, 20 years.
00:49:39
Jessica De Anda
They've been in that class. Al has been their teacher for decades, for some people decades. I was like, oh my God.
00:49:50
Jessica De Anda
But for me, that's what community is, right? It's not just, oh, we know each other, but being so welcoming to people that are also new. Right? Extending that like that friendship, that that sense of community. And so that was so beautiful to feel like I belonged immediately just because of the the the atmosphere that I wholeheartedly think that Al created.
00:50:13
Jessica De Anda
Because I think you need that kind of energy to to really draw people in. like ah he He was at the center of being able to obviously attract people that have this sense of just community. Like they really understood it.
00:50:13
Marjorie Anderson
Mm-hmm.
00:50:26
Jessica De Anda
They lived it. Right. And they continue to do it. Like by the end, I was saying goodbye to them. Like, and they knew my name. i was like, oh, they're so, they're so sweet, strong, strong, sweet people.
00:50:41
Jessica De Anda
Yeah. Yeah.
00:50:41
Marjorie Anderson
It's always good to have strong friends. That's for sure.
00:50:44
Jessica De Anda
Exactly. Oh my God. It was funny because then when I was working out too, they were like, oh yeah, no, you have to like, you know, really suck in your stomach.
00:50:46
Marjorie Anderson
ah
00:50:51
Jessica De Anda
And I was like, oh man, okay, thanks. I love to learn. so So I'm open to all the corrections.
00:50:55
Marjorie Anderson
ah
00:50:56
Jessica De Anda
Thank you
00:50:57
Marjorie Anderson
ah ah They're like, your form's wrong. That's not how you do a squat. You're like, oh, okay.
00:51:01
Jessica De Anda
<unk> Exactly. and And I'll share this other this other piece um because it was like, well, really interesting. It happened also yesterday.
00:51:12
Jessica De Anda
Wow. It's because I like talking to people. but But um I was walking with one of my colleagues over to the staff lounge. Mind you, I've been part of UC Berkeley now for six years, a lifetime for a millennial.
00:51:26
Jessica De Anda
um and And so i went to the staff lounge and was saying hello to everybody, right? And as I was walking out with one of my colleagues,
00:51:37
Jessica De Anda
I was telling her, oh yeah, she you know, everybody's like that here. Everybody just knows everybody and like talks to everybody. And a friend heard me and that she was just walking by. She's like, that's not true.
00:51:48
Jessica De Anda
That's something that's special to you. and I was like, what do you mean? She's like, yeah, you talk to everybody. it's It's you. ah was like, oh, you mean not everybody talks to everybody?
00:52:02
Jessica De Anda
Like, i I'll explain it to you.
00:52:03
Marjorie Anderson
That's weird. Right.
00:52:05
Jessica De Anda
I was like, what do you mean? Doesn't everybody say hello to everybody when they walk by? Like, I don't understand what you're talking about.
00:52:10
Marjorie Anderson
right
00:52:13
Jessica De Anda
But I think I realized what she was mentioning. i think I was modeling what I deeply, deeply appreciate about other people and the the respect I have for other people lies in how they behave when no one's watching.
00:52:25
Jessica De Anda
And so I like to tell my boss this, but it's the truth. Like I took on the role. Yes, we get to do lovely, beautiful work. right, for generations of people and thousands of people. Yes, beautiful.
00:52:38
Jessica De Anda
But the reason why I took the job was because I wanted to work with him because he was a leader I admired.
00:52:41
Marjorie Anderson
Mm-hmm.
00:52:43
Jessica De Anda
And I'll tell you this, um when no one was watching, right, nobody's watching him. He's doing his thing. I've seen him talk to like the houseless people we have on campus.
00:52:54
Jessica De Anda
Again, no one's watching him. He's just being the kind of leader that I admire, right? The kind of person that truly understands what community is, lives it, breathes it, right?
00:53:05
Jessica De Anda
He talks to anybody and he helps people feel welcome. He really understands their lived experiences through these conversations. And when that when my friend mentioned, what are you talking about? you You're the one that talks to everybody. I was like, oh.
00:53:19
Jessica De Anda
So it's not just something I admire in other people. I tried to live by that too. i didn't realize it until then. and just ah just did it because that's kind of what my mom did, right? That's the kind of just openness that she had.
00:53:34
Jessica De Anda
my boss does it until I guess I just live by it without really, I guess I am intentional with surrounding myself with people that are like that. And through that, it helps me also really deeply understand what community means, right?
00:53:46
Jessica De Anda
And live, live, lives that way.
00:53:47
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:53:48
Jessica De Anda
I live that way.
00:53:50
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, your friend's like, everyone says hello to you because you say hello to everyone. But like proactively, they're not just walking around saying hi to everyone. um But I feel that because I remember when i when I was younger, I moved to New York for two years. I was on Long Island. So it wasn't New York City, but it was Long Island. And I walk into work every morning. and i just say hello to everyone. I remember someone said to me, said,
00:54:15
Marjorie Anderson
You say hello a lot. I'm like, and I shouldn't because. Like, i why shouldn't I say hello? I think that's the right thing to do is say hello to me. They're like, yeah, but that feels like a very Southern thing. I'm like, I'm not though. Like, it just feels like, why would I walk past someone and not say hello?
00:54:32
Marjorie Anderson
So, but I feel that, right? like People, I think, again, it goes back to people. I think we inherently want to feel seen, heard, and like we matter. And the simplest way to do that is to look someone in the eye and say hello.
00:54:45
Jessica De Anda
Yeah. And you can start a conversation. so like, I know a lot of people because I deeply want to know their stories. and get excited.
00:54:52
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:54:53
Jessica De Anda
Oh yeah. That's one things I love meeting new people. You know this about me. Oh my God.
00:54:57
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:54:57
Jessica De Anda
I love it. It's one of my favorite things.
00:55:02
Marjorie Anderson
and I can tell. I can tell it's all over you.
00:55:04
Jessica De Anda
ah You can tell us.
00:55:04
Marjorie Anderson
It's great. I love it. All right. Well, as we round out our conversation, i have one last question for you.
00:55:15
Marjorie Anderson
What concerns or excites you about the future of connection and belonging, either across diasporas or in general?
The Role of Technology in Building Community
00:55:24
Jessica De Anda
What excites me is what we kind of previously have talked about here, technology. It's so beautiful to be able to connect to people all over the world and to really, you know, recognize our humanity, our shared struggle, our shared triumphs or stories. it's That's what really excites me, the possibility, because it's not limited by who's your neighbor, right?
00:55:49
Jessica De Anda
And I'll share this one fun fact. um Oftentimes in the past, people were, you know, they they found their partner through is it it's typically through their friends or, you know, relatives, blind dates, whatever. That's how people typically found their partners.
00:56:08
Jessica De Anda
But now the most common way to find your partner is actually online.
00:56:13
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:56:13
Jessica De Anda
And so that's a, it mind you, you could swap out partner for community. You could swap out partner for whatever, a friend, right? Like, If we're seeing these trends happen across you know different aspects of your life, take advantage of what that can actually do for you.
00:56:30
Jessica De Anda
right What can it look like to actually take advantage of these platforms and magnify your reach, but do it intentionally with a deep understanding that you're actually trying to build community, not just, oh, I have five billion connections. like What does that do for you? like it's not That doesn't feel good.
00:56:47
Marjorie Anderson
Right. like Congratulations, I guess.
00:56:50
Jessica De Anda
Yes, yes. That doesn't it doesn't mean anything unless you're actually having these conversations, unless you're actually getting to know people. And so that that's actually what excites me. because i whether I know there's crazy chaos going on in the world, but if you take these moments to feel connected and actually chat with somebody, get to know their stories, get curious.
00:57:11
Jessica De Anda
Yeah. My God, it feels good. That's also why I like i love meeting new people, right?
00:57:14
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah.
00:57:16
Jessica De Anda
It's not just, ah it's a thrill. Like, wow, beautiful stories that people tell. Like, there's nothing like it. Like, meeting a new person, just a new soul, a new person to feel a deeper connection with. It just feels good.
00:57:33
Marjorie Anderson
Yeah, it does. i would I would agree with that 100%. All right.
00:57:37
Jessica De Anda
Mm-hmm.
00:57:39
Marjorie Anderson
And with that, Jessica at the has the last word. Jessica, it has been such an honor to sit in conversation with you today. I have learned so much and gotten really curious about a lot over the course of our time. And so thank you for that gift.
00:57:53
Marjorie Anderson
And I'm sure that we could probably sit and talk all day, but we got to get about the business of taking care of ourselves and one another. thank ah Tell people where they can best and how they can best connect with you.
00:58:06
Jessica De Anda
On LinkedIn. Go ahead and connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm open.
00:58:10
Marjorie Anderson
Excellent. And we'll make sure that the link to her LinkedIn profile is in the show notes. So don't you worry about that, folks. Once again, thank you for your time and your wisdom. i hope we can do this again in the not so distant future.
00:58:25
Jessica De Anda
Thank you.
00:58:26
Marjorie Anderson
Of course. All right, everyone, thank you for joining us for Connecting Across the Diaspora. I am your show host, Marjorie Anderson. You can listen to future episodes of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at catdpodcast.com.
00:58:40
Marjorie Anderson
If you have questions about the show, you can email us at catdpodcast at gmail.com. And we will see you next time.