March 3, 2025 • 48 mins
Subtítulos en español disponibles en YouTube!
Mental health matters, but for many in our community, it’s still a tough conversation. Maria Alfaro, founder of One Paso, is changing that. Inspired by her own journey as a first-gen Salvadoran-American, she created a non-profit dedicated to destigmatizing mental health through culture, education, and healing spaces.
Help us keep making content! By supporting us on Patreon you help keep the show going and you help us support Salvadoran musicians and artists - https://www.patreon.com/SalvisUnidos
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Help us keep making content! By supporting us on Patreon you help keep the show going and you help us support Salvadoran musicians and artists.
¡Ayúdanos a seguir creando contenido! Al apoyarnos en Patreon, nos ayudas a mantener el programa y a apoyar a músicos y artistas salvadoreños.
https://www.patreon.com/SalvisUnidos
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00:00:00 Cold Open
00:00:20 Intro
00:01:16 Interview Start
00:01:58 What is OnePaso?
00:03:14 Making Sense of a unstable life
00:05:59 Liberated to help others
00:08:34 Paso a Paso to One Paso
00:11:17 Starting community events
00:13:29 Formalizing OnePaso
00:15:06 Envisioning a new safe space
00:16:17 Westchester Country declares OnePaso Day
00:16:53 Culturally Relevant Mental Health Education
00:23:41 Lowering cultural barriers to mental health
00:25:50 Social Determinants of Mental Health
00:28:09 Clarifying mental health language for our communities
00:30:26 Overcoming the older generation's stigma
00:35:56 Bringing mental health to Yonkers Public Schools
00:39:55 Insights from OnePaso's Growth
00:43:11 Staying mentally healthy as a leader
00:45:50 How to engage with OnePaso
Links y Enlaces:
Music:
“Anormal” - Héctor Rico
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
the reason why mental health is so taboois because we when we think about mental
(00:05):
health, we're really thinkingabout mental illness,
You know, like psych wards and,you know, like straitjackets and the.
Movie version of, like, a padded roomstraitjacket.
Yeah. Therapy. Like a psychiatrist.
You're crazy.
It's all in your head.
(00:39):
This is Salvis Unidos podcastconnecting Salvadorans
to each other and the worldwith your host, Carlos Guadrón.
Mental health matters.
But for many in our community,it's still a tough conversation.
Maria Alfaro, founder of OnePaso,is changing that.
Inspired by her own journeyas a first gen, Salvi-American,
(01:01):
she created a nonprofitdedicated to destigmatizing mental health
through culture, educationand healing spaces.
Hello, everyone.
I am Carlos,your host of Salvis Unidos Podcast.
Don't forget that if you're listeningto the audio version of this podcast,
(01:23):
we also have a video versionavailable on YouTube.
So check that out. Like, subscribe.You know the deal.
Also, thank you to the Patreon supportersthat make this possible.
Don't forget to check out the Patreonexclusive After hours podcast where we ask
controversial questionsfor all our guests.
So if you're not already, please considerfollowing us and supporting us on Patreon
today! I'm really excitedto have Maria Alfaro on the show!
(01:44):
Thank you Maria for being here.
And here we are in beautiful OnePasoheadquarters down in Yonkers
just outside the parque de losviejitos, so welcome. Yeah.
Thank you for having me.
Absolutely.
so I guess just to hit the groundrunning.
Maria, can you tell us what is OnePasoand what services that you offer?
Yeah.
So OnePaso is a 501 C3 mental health
(02:07):
nonprofit organization, founded in 2020.
And we are a mental health movement
on a mission to destigmatize mental healthby educating
and empowering our community throughhealing, conversations and culture.
And so some of our services,
we offer weekly support groupsin both English and Spanish.
(02:30):
We have, weekly youth groups
where we, carry out a programthat's all about storytelling
and educating our youthon emotional regulation.
And we have like a cool podcastequipment
that our youth are ableto use to carry out that storytelling.
and then we have our, favorite program,
(02:51):
according to our community is called salsaa salud.
where we make the connectionbetween the mind and the body
in an effortto destigmatize mental health.
And that's through salsa dancing.
And so that's led through, our salsa
instructor, dance instructor,but he's also a social worker.
Oh, wow.
Awesome. Great. synergy there.
(03:12):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
so I've read that, you went througha pretty difficult time growing up.
Can you tell me a little bitabout that experience
and how it led you to decidingyou want to start something?
Like OnePaso.Yeah. So that,
tying it back to our founding story,
(03:32):
so my childhoodgrowing up here in Yonkers,
super unstable. Right.
And so I'm, first genSalvadoran American, born here.
my parents,both, born in El Salvador.
And so growing up here,you know, I growing up
(03:53):
would see my momgo in and out of the hospital
and, you know, my grandmother or
my dad would say,que mami estaba enferma.
And so
physically,I didn't see anything wrong with her.
and so that's sort of what
sparked me becoming curious on like,
(04:14):
okay, you guys are telling me she's sick,but like, what's going on here?
So it was when I was about 15,16 in high school.
and I was able to selecta topic of choice
through a program that I was a part of,which was a scientific research program.
And over the last three years,I was able to study this topic of choice,
(04:37):
and decipher through college levelresearch articles
that the teacher helped me,you know, decipher through,
and so my topic of choice
ended up being psychology,mental health, the brain
and specifically around themy mom's bipolar disorder.
so it was through the,learning about mental health, really,
(05:02):
just like the basicsof what my mom's condition was through
these research articles that allowed meto see my mom in a different light.
so it allowed me to see that
these behaviors that I saw growing up,
were a part of her condition
and that a lot of thiswas out of her control.
(05:24):
So it really allowed me, to releasea lot of resentment, this education.
Right. Like just becoming aware of that.
This is the thingthat she's been experiencing.
You know, this was not all in her head.
She's not crazy.
my childhood wasn't stable,and she had to go to the hospital,
(05:45):
because of this
This is what, you know,
me, learning about mental health.
at that age
this is what inspired me to createwhat is today OnePaso.
awesome.
so in a way, liberating.
Like,it gives you that knowledge to understand
what was going on and kind of allowedyou to let go of the resentment.
(06:07):
And furthermore,
it seems like it inspired youto help other people get there as well.
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
Because, once I was ableto, you know, go through those last
three years of high schooland like I learned, and it was senior
year, I remember trying to figure out,you know, like, okay, so
my passion for mental healthwas clearly born there,
(06:28):
you know, through that knowledge,through that sort of realization on like,
oh my gosh, you know,this is what's been happening.
so I was like, what direction doI want to take it in?
So I want to go the clinical routeand like social work psychology.
At one point, I wanted to becomea psychologist and I was like,
you know, do I want to do that?
(06:49):
and I thought about itand I said, you know,
I didn't want to right? but, I did knowI wanted to continue learning more.
And so my bachelors is inbehavioral sciences.
So psychology, sociology.
and then I continuedmy education and I pursued a master's
in organizational leadershipbecause for me, I feel like, leadership
(07:14):
is so important and representationin leadership is so important.
one, as a person of color, right?
As a female, as a Latina, as a Salvadoran,
all of these things are so important.
and so it is often that,
at the top in those leadershiproles, right?
(07:37):
The, the important decisions
that impact and trickle down toour community are made.
so navigating the mental health systemwith my mom,
with her condition.
Right.
going to the psychiatrist,with her social worker.
Therapist, her hospitalizations
and seeing the systemand the change that needed to be,
(08:00):
or that continues, you know,that, improvements that need to be made,
you know, really made me follow that path
to becoming a communityleader, the leader of an organization,
because I wanted to be able to,
give my insight, give my perspective.
you know, through the lived experiencethat I have, and be able to impact,
(08:26):
the services
that our community utilizeand that are there for our community,
which is what we do today. Yeah.Well that's awesome.
so let's quicklygo through, let's briefly go through
the steps, the pasosthat you took to get to OnePaso.
So and from what I've heard,you started out with
just a blog, just wanting to talk aboutmental health issues.
(08:47):
Can you tell us, like how step by stepthat led to what OnePaso is today?
Yeah, yeah.
So that's interesting journeybecause for me at the time.
So this is 2019.
I was not ready
or I had not embarked on my ownhealing journey.
(09:08):
I hadn't gone to therapy,you know, to, like, deal with
and unpack everything that I had gonethrough as a result of my mom's condition.
And just growing up, you know, so I
felt at the time
that I wanted to share the experiencesI had gone through.
And then after having graduated collegeand I wanted to share
(09:31):
and I felt likeit could help other people.
and so I did what
I knew how to do best at the time,which was write.
So, like I said,because I hadn't embarked on that
healing journey,heading on to therapy yet,
I didn't know how to fully express itin words what I had gone through.
(09:52):
so it was through writingthat I was able to do that.
And so I did it througha blog called QuePaso Latina.
So this is 2019, and,
I started this and I launchedthe blog, had a website, and,
I, soon, you know would
Just day to day living life,go out with friends,
(10:13):
hang out and communityand people would approach me
and like in conversation,we'd start talking about the blog post
that I shared on the different topicsand experiences that I would write about.
And so here I am, you know, writing,because that's what I knew how to do.
And that's what I felt comfortabledoing at the time.
And then here are peoplewanting to have conversations with me
(10:34):
about what I was writing.
And so- this was like just friends or like strangers, like,
Friends, you know, friends of friendswho like, sort of like, would.
Follow your blog. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
And then even online to, you know,
because it online, you know,folks would reach out but in person.
So, you know, they would sort of wantto have conversations with me about it.
(10:55):
And I'm like.
Oh, okay, I'm not ready.
Yeah. So I was like, okay, let's do this.
So it was coolbecause it naturally forced me
to start to unpack into and put into wordswhat I felt that I couldn't.
So I love that it was like communitywho pushed me to do that, you know,
and beautiful.
So that was May.
(11:16):
June July hits.
And I said, I want to host an eventbecause I want to bring
all the people togetherwho I'm having these conversations with,
like, let's talk about it in community,not just one on one.
So put out the event.
You know, I promoted iton like Eventbrite, on Instagram.
And this was for July, which is Bipoc,minority.
(11:40):
Well, it was formerlyminority mental health Month.
Bipoc Mental Health Month.
we did a picnic at a park here in Yonkers.
Beautiful.
Had a great turnoutand held that safe space.
to just open up the conversation.
And so I was like, okay, there'ssomething here, there's something here.
Fast forward to October of 2019.
(12:03):
October 10th is World Mental Health Day.
Okay.
And I said I wanted to host another event.
And so between then,I was still, launching my
and posting,you know, writing my, my blog post,
and so on World Mental Health Day,I had the City of Yonkers
light the clock towernear City Hall Green,
(12:23):
which is the mental healthawareness color. Nice.
And so we held a candle lighting ceremony.
I encourage everyone,like wear green to be seen.
So it was at night. Cool.
Beautiful event.
very powerful, very moving.
So this is October 2019.
And so I said, okay,there's something here.
There's something here.
(12:44):
It's growing. It's happening.
Yeah, yeah.
And community, you know,like people were willing to come out
and they wanted to be presentand be a part of that safe
space that I was starting to cultivateand have these conversations.
and so by then it was likepeople were already associating me like,
all right, Maria.
Mental health. Maria Mental Health.Okay. What are we doing?
(13:04):
Like, okay.
What am I going to do. Yeah.
So end of year I, you know, betweenOctober and end of 2019 I said, all right,
how am I going to move forward with this.
Like I can't do I can't continueto keep up with writing the blog.
And then also what I loved,which was organizing and planning
and hosting these eventsand bringing community together.
(13:26):
What am I going to do?
So I top of 2020, I said,
all right, I'm going to formalizebecause it was a lot.
And I knew that one,I couldn't do it alone.
just a lot of workand also my full time job.
and then two, I can't fund this alone,
(13:48):
you know, because hosting the eventsand buying food and this and that and all.
Of that adds. Up. Yeah.
So I was. Like, okay,what am I going to do?
So that's when I said, I'mgoing to turn this into a nonprofit.
And so between January and March of 2020,
it was research informing myself,
educating myself on like,how do I start a nonprofit?
(14:09):
Like, I have no clue what I was doingwhen I started.
Yeah.
But I knew that I wanted to do this.
I knew that, it was going to be beautifuland that it was going to, you know,
have, so much impact on my community,on our people.
And so I'm the type of personthat when I set out to do something
(14:29):
and like, I feel it within meand I'm passionate about it,
I'm going to do whateverI have to do to accomplish that.
So that's what I set out to do.
So this was, you know, between Januaryand March doing this research and,
filed the paperwork around March,like right before the pandemic.
I remember mailing it off and,
(14:50):
between March and May of 2020,going back and forth,
May 2020, we were officially incorporatedas a nonprofit in New York State.
Cool. Wow. Awesome.
Right in the middle of.
Everyone's at home, right? Yes.
So at that time, when you filefor the nonprofit and you got that
or squared away, did you knowyou were going to be have like the
(15:12):
this venue, like you want to try to havean official like office space?
so yeah, yeah, yeah.
I didn't know how it was going to happen.
Yeah. Had no cluehow it was going to happen.
But from the very beginning,I did know that
I wanted to continue hosting events.
I wanted to, bring community together.
(15:32):
I knew thatI wanted to just have this different
kind of safe spacethat did not exist in our community.
And I was going to find a wayto make it happen.
And, and, you know, here we are.
And so, like, I think about it. Right?
So we just celebrated the one yearanniversary of having our center here.
Yeah. And
(15:55):
October 10th, 2019, we had that,
first candle lighting in honor of WorldMental Health Day.
Fast forward to October10th, 2024 or 2023
We we opened our centerOctober 10th, 2023,
and then October 10th, 2024,we celebrated the one year.
(16:17):
And in Westchester County,on the anniversary
of our one year of the center,which is also World Mental Health Day.
Awesome.
the WestchesterCounty Board of Legislators,
have proclaimed it "One Paso Day"throughout Westchester County.
So we actually we have thethe proclamation on our wall.
(16:38):
We'll get a shot of it afterwards.That's awesome. Wow.
So so beautiful to see. Yeah.
How like it just came together.
The everyone's supporting you.
Legislatorssupporting you is becoming a reality.
What you envisioned back in what, 2019.
Yeah.
Yeah. So, I see that you
you talk a lot about culturally relevantmental health education.
Did I say that right? You did.
(17:00):
Okay. Perfect. I'm learningI could work here.
So tell me what that means to you
because, you know, does that meanculturally relevant for salvadorians.
Does it mean for Guatemalans?
Mexican, like, what does that mean?
How do you how do you bridgeall these cultures together?
Like, what do you find a common groundfor, for the education that you do here.
(17:21):
So I think that, okay, when we think
about culturally relevant,it's very personal.
So it's about what rings true to you.
You know, because that can that can meandifferent things for different people.
so I'll for example with myself. Right.
Salvadoran. Yeah. Right.
Both my parents from well bornin El Salvador, first gen, but something
(17:45):
and, and a lot of people don't knowthis about me, but so my grandmother,
she married, when she came to the States,
she married, a Puerto Rican man.
who, my mother, she never met her father.
And, so when she got here,my mom, my grandmother, she met,
(18:07):
my step grandfather, who was Puerto Rican.
and so he ended up being,you know, the only father my mother knew.
and so a lot of,the only the grandfather
that I was raised with,you know, my grandfather on my dad's side
lived in El Salvador,so he would come and visit, but,
my grandfather'spresence was always there.
(18:28):
And so culturally.
Right.
My grandmother growing upwhile she did cook Salvadoran.
but also Puerto Rican.Right.
And the music and those cultural things.
So I think it's very differentfor different people.
Yeah.
with what we're doing here
(18:50):
and when we think about the United States
and we think about Latino America, like,
It's as a collective, as people of color.
it's the music, the art and dance.
Okay.
So when we think about it like thatand then also the shared language,
(19:11):
the shared language.
So, you know, we speak Spanishand though there's, a lot of controversy
that can get very layered,you know, on, but
when we think about here, we think of,and culturally relevant services.
It's prioritizing Spanishspeaking services
to our communities of color, and makingsure that culture is at the core.
(19:35):
And while, like I said, it's very,it rings true to who
you are, depending on, you know, soI'm Salvadoran.
Yeah. Right.
But then also, I do resonatewith some of the Puerto Rican stuff
because of growing up. Right?
So and a lot of us are mixed, you know,
so that's where it varies.
But at the core of it is,
(19:57):
the music, the dance, the art
and how that resonates with each of us.
So, one of our programs,it's, our, one of our most,
popular programs is one calledSalsa a Salud.
Okay.
So this is, a programwhere, as I mentioned, right,
(20:18):
we combine,dance and mental health education.
And so typically, you know, mental health,it's a taboo topic, right?
Absolutely.
And, within our community, it'swhat I've learned in the past
four and a half years is that it's reallytough to have these conversations.
And I know firsthand growing up,
(20:41):
and so
how can we meet our communitywhere they are?
And, through this shared language?
and it's through culture.
It's it's in this case is through dance.
So we invite our communityto come every Thursday,
and we have our salsa programwhere we're just being present.
(21:02):
We're making the connection betweenthe mind and the body we're releasing.
We're like (moving our skeleton) right?
And just like letting it all out,
not thinking about any stressorsin that moment,
and making the connection between, like,okay,
you just went through an hour,you learned five new salsa steps,
and did you want to think aboutall of the problems
(21:24):
that you went through this week?I don't think, you know,
and most no because you're focused,you're being present.
And so we make that connection.
And so that is mental health.
that is mental healththat is culturally relevant mental health
because we're incorporating those,those things that those norms.
Right. Those like fun parts of.
The stuff we all love to do.
(21:45):
Yeah.
we go out dancing and not even just salsa.
but there is-all of what I do here going back
to like, my roots on like the scienceresearch is based on data.
So there's datathat, talks about the impact of salsa
dancing and Latin dance on mental health.
(22:06):
but think about itlike when we go out dancing
or like we're at family partiesor whatever.
you know, you're dancing, you'rehaving fun, you're making that connection.
You're in the moment, right? Yes.
You know, making that connection.
Right. So like, definitely in the moment.
Right. Present.
So dancing overall. Right.
But so like what we do here is thatwe invite our community to the dancing.
(22:28):
but then we sprinkle in the bitsand pieces of mental
health, knowledge, awareness,to help normalize it.
But yeah,
it's likewhen my mom used to give me a medicine
when I was a kid, and she had to give meliterally a spoonful of sugar.
Oh my gosh.
crushed up pill
Because I didn't want to take it.
Exactly. That's that's.
I love, like,
the connection that, you talked aboutbetween, how mental health
(22:51):
and physical health are connectedbecause I feel like
our community prioritizeswe understand physical health, right?
We understand what that meanswhen it comes to mental health.
It's like there's a lot of stigma, butthere's a lot of, like, misunderstanding.
Like,this is podcast that I had listened to,
and I'm hoping to interviewthe people that wrote the podcast.
But there's one scene where this womanhas lost her son, and the government,
tells us to her and offersher three sessions with a therapist.
(23:15):
And the womanobviously is very distraught.
And she says, I don't need a therapistbecause nothing's wrong with my brain.
Something is like, is my heartthat's hurting
And it was just so heartbreaking to hearsomeone say that because you, you know,
they don't understand the connectionbetween all those three things like mind,
emotion and physical body. Like therapyand just how our community thinks of it.
(23:38):
is for crazy people, right.
how do you approach,I mean, salsa is one of the ways
how I see your approach bridging that gap,that teaching people that mental health
isn't just like crazy people as as someput it.
Yeah. So.
Well, one, it's, really just
emphasizing the importanceof movement on mental health.
(24:01):
so there's that's one piece of it,
but also going back to thatshared language that I mentioned.
And so in the past year
or so, we've been, trying to move away
from like specifically saying while like,everyone will always tell us to like
we are a mental health organization,but it's more than that.
So like thinkingabout the word mental health
(24:24):
and how just that alonecan be a barrier to like,
I don't want to go into that centerbecause that's for crazy people.
I don't want people to see me thereor like even at a community event,
if we're tabling and Idon't want to be seen at the mental health
table, you know, like, so,
what we talk aboutnow is like managing stress.
(24:47):
We are a anti stress center,you know, because that's all it is.
And that is so interconnectedwith our mental health.
Stress is so tied to our physical health.
They're all one in the same.
So we often talk abouthow can we help you manage your stress,
what are your pain points.
And so, with doing that,
(25:07):
that, helps destigmatize, right?
Because we all are stressed,we all deal with things.
And so that's just like sort of eveningthe playing field
and helping educate our community on like
mental health is physical health.
you kind of tie in it to
It's not just like for crazy peopleor you just going to go through a
(25:29):
therapist is like the day to daystress that you're facing.
No only can One Paso help with that.
But you can also teach themthat like like managing stress.
Stressis going to help your mental health.
Yes, yes.
And then going a little furtherinto that. Right.
when we bring that upand we're addressing those pain
(25:49):
points, then that leads us intohaving conversations around
what are those pain points.
And so often those pain pointsare those social determinants of health.
And so what are what are those. Right.
Those are that's food insecurity.
That's, you know, access to,I mean, transportation, right.
(26:10):
access to health care.
different, different things like this.
Right. That, often
we are
so consumed in trying to figure out
and is what causes the stress.
So it's like I think about it.
And from experience, growing up.
(26:31):
My dad was super busy working,trying to figure out
how are we going to keepfood on the table, pay rent, you know,
do you think he was ever going to stopand say like, okay,
I'm stressed right now, right?
Let me go to One Paso and,
dance some salsa.No! So it's like
(26:52):
you know, knowing that and like,having lived through that and knowing
that many in our community go through thatand that that is very stressful.
how can we help alleviate that stressor?
Because that is mental health, right?
You know,and so all of these things are tied to it.
That is mental health, right?
So we help our community become awarethis is all part of your mental wellness.
(27:16):
Because if you're stressed about this
then how can you, you know,be healthy overall, right?
How can you take care of yourself?
Yeah, and I love thatyou guys have that connection.
I think for like younger, younger folksthat grew up here and have a better
understanding of mental health, we,I think, make the folly
of like associating mental healthmeans therapy.
Like if you feel mental health issues,then you go straight to therapy.
(27:37):
And I'm not saying there's nothing
anything wrong with that,but I think we often forget like,
recent immigrants, like older, older folksare facing these very real stressors.
They're not going to have timeor the money to go to a therapist
because they're dealing with stuff
like food insecurity, like transportationinsecurity, job insecurity.
and I think, it's greatthat you guys are approaching
(27:57):
mental health not just from connectingpeople with therapists,
but also helping them deal with these
very real life stressors that take upyour whole, like, mental attention.
Yeah, yeah.
And I think, another part of that is alsoso like going back to like the language
that we use and, helpinginform our community on like how we can
(28:18):
look at certain words or,
or languagethat we've used to describe mental health.
is making the clear
distinctionbetween mental health and mental illness.
because what we're doing,mental health, right.
What we dohere is more on the preventive side.
(28:38):
Yeah.
So like,how can we remain mentally healthy?
We can remain mentally healthyby managing stress.
Right.
but when we allow that stress to carry on
and consumer us and then ends upaffecting our physical health, right.
Whether that can get extreme,you know, like heart attacks and,
you know, losing your hairand physically it manifests. Yes.
(29:02):
So, part of that is like,how can we help prevent that?
So mental illness, I feel is,
is where the diagnosis come in. Right.
And, you know, medicationand which is also very real.
And also I do want to, you know, makeclear that also, it can be hereditary.
(29:23):
Right. It's environmental.
It can be many different things.
but I think that often as a society,
the reason why mental health is so taboo
is because wewhen we think about mental health,
we're reallythinking about mental illness, right?
Right.
You know, like psych wards and,you know, like straitjackets and
(29:45):
the movie version of, like, a padded roomstraitjacket.
Yeah. Therapy. Like a psychiatrist.
You're crazy. It's all in your head.That's I.
And I think this isa whole other conversation,
but I think that a lot of, like,
like, media journalism movieshas a lot to do with that painting.
That picture.
Yeah.
So, but I think that that's often
(30:07):
what is thought ofwhen we think about mental health.
And so trying to peel back right.
Like, yeah.
Bring it back.
Yes. And like,hey, this is mental wellness.
Like this is how you manage stress.
This is mental health.
Like we want to stay in that healthy-Right
Speaking of that, you know, he spoke aboutone side of the spectrum, younger folks
(30:29):
being more into more and more like,just ready to jump into therapy.
Right.
on the other hand, older folks, older
generations are more like,no, like never like I'm not crazy.
Like, I'm not going to touchthat with a ten foot pole.
do you
find you have to employ different,what is the experience in dealing with,
like, older generations,like our parents generations,
(30:51):
our grandparents generations?
is it more difficult to reach out to themand get them to,
buy into the mental healthaspect of what you do?
Yeah.
Yes.
Definitely.
I think that, So,
I'll start with
(31:12):
what's personal to me, because that'swhat's fueled all of my work, right?
Is my experiences with my dad.
So, you know, right now he's he's
retired as of, like, 4 or 5 years ago.
And so what I will say is that,
while growing up,
you know, there there was that stigma,even until recently,
(31:34):
that stigma around mental wellnessand mental health and what it is,
I, I feel that it has shifted.
and so while yes,the mindset did exist and like,
I feel like when I first startedon this journey, it was very difficult
for him to grasp until, like, you'rereally trying to embark on this journey
(31:59):
that is going to try to educate peopleon, like, this craziness and like.
You're not going to be a lawyer.
Yeah.
Like, you're not going to be a doctor?
So, yeah.
Oh, goodness, that's traumatic.
Oh, yeah. We have to(you have to be a lawer)
but, thinking about that.
(32:20):
Right.
like,you're going to try to help people like
and, like,think about everything we went through
growing up with your mom, and, like,this is what was really where you want to.
Go, right?
So he was like, saying, like,you already went through this.
Now you're going to have to go throughwith this with everyone else.
That was his his perspective on it.
Yeah. Yeah. So he was just like,all right.
(32:40):
Like and then,you know, the other side of it too,
when like, I was ableto leave my full time job to embark
on this full time, it was like,wait m'hija you're, you're, okay
You're really, like . . .Quitting your job.
That's like the worst thing you can do.
Yeah, like a Latino parent. Yeah, yeah.
And so like, and then him not fullyunderstanding just yet what I was doing.
(33:00):
but fully supporting with his whole heartbecause, like,
as my father, that's justwhat he's always going to do, right?
but along the way,I would say that I have seen
his mindset evolve,
as a result ofjust being present here at the center.
So, like, I call him,like my co-CEO, like everyone says, he's
(33:21):
the office manager.
He's retired, so he's always here.
Yeah.
And like, this center would not bewhat it is without him.
But the beauty in all of that is that.
And I often don't see it because I'mso in the day to day, and living it.
But I reflect on this, like with my team,who see the beautiful dynamic
(33:42):
that we share and they see just overthe years the intergenerational healing.
So while at one pointit was intergenerational trauma,
right, that have been passed down,that's the reality of it.
Yeah.
but seeing the other side of it,that intergenerational healing, right
by him being presentlike at the beginning,
(34:04):
not fully understanding,but now it's like,
okay, m'hijalike I see what you're doing gets it.
Yeah. And I see that.
And like,so with that and his presence alone.
I will say has allowed, you know,
because he's with me, whether it beat the community events, at the tables,
lugging stuff from the storage or canopyor the center, like I said, he's there.
(34:28):
And so, others.
Right. Like,I would see other Latino men, for example.
Let's go there seeing him
fully supporting and backingwhat I do and like,
sort of being like a representative,an act, an advocate,
you know, like for what we're doingat these events because, you know,
like, men will come up and like whetherthey're a father with their kids or
(34:51):
and he'll have just like sideconversation.
That's awesome.
So it's like seeing that.
Yeah.
but also I think it's just been in,
the work that we do is truly for us.
By us. Yeah.
You know, as I mentioned, right.
I'm, I'm from this very community.
so I think that regardless of the age,
(35:13):
you know, whether it be for our youth,
but especially more so with the adultsbecause, you
know, adults, you know, set in their waysand, you know, like, I'm not going to.
Trust just anybody.
And like, it's been important.
It's been crucial to the work,
my lived experiences,those of my father who's there with me,
(35:34):
playing a huge role in being
able to carry out, the work that we dospanning the generations.
Yeah, yeah.
So he, like, becomes almost likerepresentative for older folks.
Like,not only it seems like an older person
involved in this space, he'salso a man involved in this space.
And he kind of adds
that connection to that population,which sorely needs it as well.
Yes. That's incredible.That's awesome. Yes.
(35:55):
speaking of for us, by us and communityengagement, I know that you're working
to get into or you're working with YonkersPublic Schools.
Can you tell me,
like how you're working with them,what your goal is, what that looks like?
Yeah, definitely.
So, the goal from the very beginningwith,
OnePaso, being is that for me
I started to come to the realizationof all the things,
(36:21):
a young age, as a teen, I always set out,
I want to be able to create
mental health educationprograms for our youth.
And I want this to go to the schoolslike this needs to be a part
of, like, what is taught in curriculum,you know, at a young age.
Because at that age, we're still learningour minds are still developing.
(36:42):
So I feel that is very importantat a young age to be able
to educate our youth on that.
And so,
startingfrom back then, it was always like,
I want to provide to our youthwhat I didn't have back
then, what I needed back then,and I couldn't find right.
(37:04):
and so with the YonkersPublic Schools today
and other schools as well,
we go inand we do, different presentations.
Right?
We go with our team,our social workers, mental health coaches.
we also partner directlywith, various high schools and,
so two of our current interns,we have a graphic design intern,
(37:26):
a social media intern,who are at our center,
you know, week to week, and,you know, we do all the things
mental health related.
it's all fun.
and, so, so beautiful.
Full circle moment.
Yeah.
last year, 2024, we were selectedas, Business partner of the year
(37:51):
for Yonkers Public Schools
on behalf of Lincoln High School,which is the high school I graduated from.
Nice. I went to Saunders.
Oh, did you? Go Blue Devils!Okay, one of our interns is from there.
No way. Yeah.Who was a Lincoln High School mascot?
is it like a knight or something?the Lancers? Lancers yeah
Yeah, yeah. Go Lancers too. Yeah.
(38:11):
So, So, yeah.
So we we were selectedas business partner of the year,
so we're Lincoln High School. Yeah.
Full circle moment, because,
at the ceremony,which happened at Saunders.
Okay. Cool
It happened at Saunders
my former teacher
of the Academy of Finance,he was a teacher at the time.
Now he's a director of the program.
(38:33):
he was also being recognized that night.
so he was selected as teacher of the yearfor Lincoln High School.
We were selectedas business partner of the year.
so that's one part of the circle.
Yeah.
The second part, to fully close it is,
my principal, my former.
He was the assistantprincipal at the time.
Now he's the principal of Lincoln.
(38:54):
He was the one presenting the award.
So for him also right on all ends,full circle moment to have,
you know, handing me the award.
The former student.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
And just being a partof the community and.
Yeah, completely full circle. Absolutely.
You know, with with the schools,with the community.
I feel like a huge part of,like I said, what
(39:18):
we're doing hereis, it's truly just the for us by us.
I love thatI love that and like you get to go back
and see the people that started it alland like this huge honor
like business partner of the yearfor Yonkers
Public schools as like nothing to be takenlightly because you're affecting
the youth there like like as likeyou said at a stage
(39:39):
where like they're very impressionableand you can kind of like,
guide them into, like,what's going to be the next thing.
That's how you got here, right?
You were able to get into this programand through a guide yourself,
and now you're creating this incredible,huge organization.
so it seems like you got you
like OnePaso has grownincredibly over the past like five years.
You started with a blog, some communityevents, nonprofit, the space,
(40:02):
and being named Yonkers Public SchoolsBusiness Partner of the year.
What have you learned?Is there like a key takeaway?
Is there a key lessonthat maybe might help other people
trying to do similar movementsor similar projects out in the world?
What what insight can you give usand how can we get
How could we be as successful as Maria?
goodness.
I would say for me, first and foremost,it's always been,
(40:26):
trusting myself and,
you know, like not being afraidof the unknown because it's very scary.
And like, like I said, starting out,I know nothing.
But I did trust in myself.
And I knew that, okay, you're going toput in the work like you have it in you.
And if you want to make this happen,you have to do it.
(40:48):
You're going to do it.
So it was really trusting myself
and then standing firm on your vision.
because for me,I like, truly believe that,
standing firm on your vision,
but being flexible with, like,the pasos that you take to get there.
So that vision and like not being afraidto pivot and like, pause and reflect.
(41:11):
Right.
in those moments where, like, maybe we
make a mistake,I don't like to call them mistakes.
I feel like we learn from everything.
where's the lesson in that? Right?
How can I do better for the next time?
And truly failing forward
So like those mistakes,those like "failures"
it's a matter of changingthe perspective, you know, like,
(41:34):
how can I just flip thatand make it better?
Right. And so use that as fuel.
So like it's not like a stopping point.
It's just the next step.
Like this is a failure.
But what can I learn and how can I pivotto the next steps from there.
Yes, yes.
And I and then also just like closingthat off really
in trusting yourself,I would say don't be afraid to tap into
(41:57):
what you already have withinyou based on your life experiences.
I often tell this to the youthand like mentees that I have
because that's literally what I did.
You know,like everything that I went through
growing up, I have a younger sisterwho's two years younger,
and we will always question like, oh mygosh, like, why are we going through this?
Like, this is so painful,this is traumatic.
(42:17):
This is all the things.
But I would always say, like,I don't know why
we're going through this right now,but there has to be a reason.
I likeI didn't know what the reason was then,
but now I truly believe like One Pasowas that reason, you know?
And so what I will sayis that use your life
experiences, tapinto what you have already gained.
(42:40):
Right?
whether it be a negative experience,you may think it was
a negative experience,but like as we see in my case,
I was able to turn that painand use that as fuel to like,
turn that pain into a powerand now into my life's purpose.
And what an incredible life purpose.
Like you really making a differencein not only our community, but like,
(43:02):
the kids live-in children's lives.
and I think it's a huge accomplishment.
having said that.
Yeah, I love it.
how,how do you keep yourself mentally healthy?
Like, this is a lot of work.Like you're doing a lot
like we just talkedabout a huge level of responsibility.
And I'm sure you feel it like,I'm sure you see, day to day
people that are really hurting, kidsthat might be hurting.
(43:22):
and I'm sure you feel a lot of pressureto keep this up.
Keep this going.
but you're still a human being.
Like, how do you balance
your passion or your responsibilitieswith your own mental health?
Yeah, that's such a great question,because as a leader, I feel that
that's so important because we often,
(43:43):
I and I say we
and I think about like those that I workwith, those who are part of my team.
And just like in the mental health space,I feel like it's a,
it's a space that is like,
people often burn out, right?
Because we have this pressure,we have this huge responsibility
to serve our community.
(44:05):
And be there. Right.
for everyone else.
and so I always say, you know, like,we can't pour from an empty cup, right?
So we always have to remain full.
And so for me, the way I keep my cup full
is by, movement.
For me, movement is my thing.
So even before like our salsa program,which I am there every week.
(44:30):
Because I need toI need. To get these salsa moves right.
and especially now, thanks to
bad Bunny like salsa revolution.
everyone wants to learn now.
Yeah, but,so for me, it's it's always been movement.
You know, we all have that thing, beforeit was writing and actually, this was,
before I was writing, but actually,now it's
(44:52):
turning back into writing and movement.Yeah.
So that's like a whole other thing,like, but,
more recentlyI've turned to running. Okay.
So like the past 6 or 7 months.
Yeah. I always like, ran.
So like 2019, I started to, like,get into running, but like
past six months,I like I committed, I committed.
(45:12):
So like I signed up for my first 5Kin last September.
Okay, I did my first 10K in November.
And then I just signed upfor my first half marathon.
Exciting.
Yeah, yeah.
So it's been running.
It's been keeping my body in motion.
I truly believe that,my medicine is movement.
(45:34):
and, you know, like,I feel like we all have the power
to, like, really identifywhat that medicine is for us.
You know, like,so for me, it's been it's been that.
Okay. Well, keep it moving.
Yes. Literally.
Literally one paso at a time. Yes.
so ifpeople want to engage with OnePaso
like where I knowyou're located in Yonkers, where,
(45:57):
outside of the Parque de los Viejitos,which is an intersection of South
Broadway McLean.Yeah, more or less a general area.
so let's put it the question two ways.
How can people in Yonkersfind you, engage with you, and
and how can people outside of Yonkers findcan they find a way to engage with you?
Yeah. So answer to your first question.
(46:17):
So in Yonkers, you know,we're located at 2 Post Street.
we're here, you know, during the week,we have,
our office hours, you know, onyou can find on our website,
and we're open to community.
We have our programingthroughout the week.
And then, you know, we also take walk insand like, we're here to serve.
We're here to help. And,
(46:38):
people outsideof Yonkers, definitely in the same way.
So our website is www.onepaso.org
And then acrossall social medias at OnePaso
Okay.
And so,you know, even outside of Yonkers,
you know, we do because we're, we'renot too far from the Bronx.
So we do often evenlike throughout our programing,
(46:58):
we have people who come from the Bronx,even from other areas of the city.
You can walk to the Bronx from here.It's not too far.
Yeah. No, not at all.
So, Yeah,we're always looking for volunteers.
You know, if you ever want toget involved, you can go to our website.
So find ways to do that.
and then even,you know, through social media.
So. Excellent.
Awesome. All right.
(47:19):
Well, it'sbeen great having you on the show.
Thank you so much.Thank you for the work you're doing.
I'm so excited that we have a Salvadorian,female leader in the space
because we really need more of that.Absolutely.
but again, thanks for coming on the show,sharing your experience,
and I hope you keep, One Paso going forfor many, many pasos
Thank you for having me and for me.
I don't take it lightly,being a, Salvadorian leader,
(47:43):
because we need more of that.
And especially within the mental health
space, like,I always wear it on my sleeve.
Salvadoreña!
I love it, I love it. Excellent.
music for this episode, courtesy of HectorRico, a Salvadoran singer songwriter
(48:05):
Thank you for listening to the show.
Salvis Unidos is producedand edited by Carlos Guadron.
Visit SalvisUnidos.com for show notes.Like the show?
Join our Patreon and help us continuemaking content for Salvadoreños como vos!
the reason why mental health is so taboois because we when we think about mental
(00:05):
health, we're really thinkingabout mental illness,
You know, like psych wards and,you know, like straitjackets and the.
Movie version of, like, a padded roomstraitjacket.
Yeah. Therapy. Like a psychiatrist.
You're crazy.
It's all in your head.
(00:39):
This is Salvis Unidos podcastconnecting Salvadorans
to each other and the worldwith your host, Carlos Guadrón.
Mental health matters.
But for many in our community,it's still a tough conversation.
Maria Alfaro, founder of OnePaso,is changing that.
Inspired by her own journeyas a first gen, Salvi-American,
(01:01):
she created a nonprofitdedicated to destigmatizing mental health
through culture, educationand healing spaces.
Hello, everyone.
I am Carlos,your host of Salvis Unidos Podcast.
Don't forget that if you're listeningto the audio version of this podcast,
(01:23):
we also have a video versionavailable on YouTube.
So check that out. Like, subscribe.You know the deal.
Also, thank you to the Patreon supportersthat make this possible.
Don't forget to check out the Patreonexclusive After hours podcast where we ask
controversial questionsfor all our guests.
So if you're not already, please considerfollowing us and supporting us on Patreon
today! I'm really excitedto have Maria Alfaro on the show!
(01:44):
Thank you Maria for being here.
And here we are in beautiful OnePasoheadquarters down in Yonkers
just outside the parque de losviejitos, so welcome. Yeah.
Thank you for having me.
Absolutely.
so I guess just to hit the groundrunning.
Maria, can you tell us what is OnePasoand what services that you offer?
Yeah.
So OnePaso is a 501 C3 mental health
(02:07):
nonprofit organization, founded in 2020.
And we are a mental health movement
on a mission to destigmatize mental healthby educating
and empowering our community throughhealing, conversations and culture.
And so some of our services,
we offer weekly support groupsin both English and Spanish.
(02:30):
We have, weekly youth groups
where we, carry out a programthat's all about storytelling
and educating our youthon emotional regulation.
And we have like a cool podcastequipment
that our youth are ableto use to carry out that storytelling.
and then we have our, favorite program,
(02:51):
according to our community is called salsaa salud.
where we make the connectionbetween the mind and the body
in an effortto destigmatize mental health.
And that's through salsa dancing.
And so that's led through, our salsa
instructor, dance instructor,but he's also a social worker.
Oh, wow.
Awesome. Great. synergy there.
(03:12):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
so I've read that, you went througha pretty difficult time growing up.
Can you tell me a little bitabout that experience
and how it led you to decidingyou want to start something?
Like OnePaso.Yeah. So that,
tying it back to our founding story,
(03:32):
so my childhoodgrowing up here in Yonkers,
super unstable. Right.
And so I'm, first genSalvadoran American, born here.
my parents,both, born in El Salvador.
And so growing up here,you know, I growing up
(03:53):
would see my momgo in and out of the hospital
and, you know, my grandmother or
my dad would say,que mami estaba enferma.
And so
physically,I didn't see anything wrong with her.
and so that's sort of what
sparked me becoming curious on like,
(04:14):
okay, you guys are telling me she's sick,but like, what's going on here?
So it was when I was about 15,16 in high school.
and I was able to selecta topic of choice
through a program that I was a part of,which was a scientific research program.
And over the last three years,I was able to study this topic of choice,
(04:37):
and decipher through college levelresearch articles
that the teacher helped me,you know, decipher through,
and so my topic of choice
ended up being psychology,mental health, the brain
and specifically around themy mom's bipolar disorder.
so it was through the,learning about mental health, really,
(05:02):
just like the basicsof what my mom's condition was through
these research articles that allowed meto see my mom in a different light.
so it allowed me to see that
these behaviors that I saw growing up,
were a part of her condition
and that a lot of thiswas out of her control.
(05:24):
So it really allowed me, to releasea lot of resentment, this education.
Right. Like just becoming aware of that.
This is the thingthat she's been experiencing.
You know, this was not all in her head.
She's not crazy.
my childhood wasn't stable,and she had to go to the hospital,
(05:45):
because of this
This is what, you know,
me, learning about mental health.
at that age
this is what inspired me to createwhat is today OnePaso.
awesome.
so in a way, liberating.
Like,it gives you that knowledge to understand
what was going on and kind of allowedyou to let go of the resentment.
(06:07):
And furthermore,
it seems like it inspired youto help other people get there as well.
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
Because, once I was ableto, you know, go through those last
three years of high schooland like I learned, and it was senior
year, I remember trying to figure out,you know, like, okay, so
my passion for mental healthwas clearly born there,
(06:28):
you know, through that knowledge,through that sort of realization on like,
oh my gosh, you know,this is what's been happening.
so I was like, what direction doI want to take it in?
So I want to go the clinical routeand like social work psychology.
At one point, I wanted to becomea psychologist and I was like,
you know, do I want to do that?
(06:49):
and I thought about itand I said, you know,
I didn't want to right? but, I did knowI wanted to continue learning more.
And so my bachelors is inbehavioral sciences.
So psychology, sociology.
and then I continuedmy education and I pursued a master's
in organizational leadershipbecause for me, I feel like, leadership
(07:14):
is so important and representationin leadership is so important.
one, as a person of color, right?
As a female, as a Latina, as a Salvadoran,
all of these things are so important.
and so it is often that,
at the top in those leadershiproles, right?
(07:37):
The, the important decisions
that impact and trickle down toour community are made.
so navigating the mental health systemwith my mom,
with her condition.
Right.
going to the psychiatrist,with her social worker.
Therapist, her hospitalizations
and seeing the systemand the change that needed to be,
(08:00):
or that continues, you know,that, improvements that need to be made,
you know, really made me follow that path
to becoming a communityleader, the leader of an organization,
because I wanted to be able to,
give my insight, give my perspective.
you know, through the lived experiencethat I have, and be able to impact,
(08:26):
the services
that our community utilizeand that are there for our community,
which is what we do today. Yeah.Well that's awesome.
so let's quicklygo through, let's briefly go through
the steps, the pasosthat you took to get to OnePaso.
So and from what I've heard,you started out with
just a blog, just wanting to talk aboutmental health issues.
(08:47):
Can you tell us, like how step by stepthat led to what OnePaso is today?
Yeah, yeah.
So that's interesting journeybecause for me at the time.
So this is 2019.
I was not ready
or I had not embarked on my ownhealing journey.
(09:08):
I hadn't gone to therapy,you know, to, like, deal with
and unpack everything that I had gonethrough as a result of my mom's condition.
And just growing up, you know, so I
felt at the time
that I wanted to share the experiencesI had gone through.
And then after having graduated collegeand I wanted to share
(09:31):
and I felt likeit could help other people.
and so I did what
I knew how to do best at the time,which was write.
So, like I said,because I hadn't embarked on that
healing journey,heading on to therapy yet,
I didn't know how to fully express itin words what I had gone through.
(09:52):
so it was through writingthat I was able to do that.
And so I did it througha blog called QuePaso Latina.
So this is 2019, and,
I started this and I launchedthe blog, had a website, and,
I, soon, you know would
Just day to day living life,go out with friends,
(10:13):
hang out and communityand people would approach me
and like in conversation,we'd start talking about the blog post
that I shared on the different topicsand experiences that I would write about.
And so here I am, you know, writing,because that's what I knew how to do.
And that's what I felt comfortabledoing at the time.
And then here are peoplewanting to have conversations with me
(10:34):
about what I was writing.
And so- this was like just friends or like strangers, like,
Friends, you know, friends of friendswho like, sort of like, would.
Follow your blog. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
And then even online to, you know,
because it online, you know,folks would reach out but in person.
So, you know, they would sort of wantto have conversations with me about it.
(10:55):
And I'm like.
Oh, okay, I'm not ready.
Yeah. So I was like, okay, let's do this.
So it was coolbecause it naturally forced me
to start to unpack into and put into wordswhat I felt that I couldn't.
So I love that it was like communitywho pushed me to do that, you know,
and beautiful.
So that was May.
(11:16):
June July hits.
And I said, I want to host an eventbecause I want to bring
all the people togetherwho I'm having these conversations with,
like, let's talk about it in community,not just one on one.
So put out the event.
You know, I promoted iton like Eventbrite, on Instagram.
And this was for July, which is Bipoc,minority.
(11:40):
Well, it was formerlyminority mental health Month.
Bipoc Mental Health Month.
we did a picnic at a park here in Yonkers.
Beautiful.
Had a great turnoutand held that safe space.
to just open up the conversation.
And so I was like, okay, there'ssomething here, there's something here.
Fast forward to October of 2019.
(12:03):
October 10th is World Mental Health Day.
Okay.
And I said I wanted to host another event.
And so between then,I was still, launching my
and posting,you know, writing my, my blog post,
and so on World Mental Health Day,I had the City of Yonkers
light the clock towernear City Hall Green,
(12:23):
which is the mental healthawareness color. Nice.
And so we held a candle lighting ceremony.
I encourage everyone,like wear green to be seen.
So it was at night. Cool.
Beautiful event.
very powerful, very moving.
So this is October 2019.
And so I said, okay,there's something here.
There's something here.
(12:44):
It's growing. It's happening.
Yeah, yeah.
And community, you know,like people were willing to come out
and they wanted to be presentand be a part of that safe
space that I was starting to cultivateand have these conversations.
and so by then it was likepeople were already associating me like,
all right, Maria.
Mental health. Maria Mental Health.Okay. What are we doing?
(13:04):
Like, okay.
What am I going to do. Yeah.
So end of year I, you know, betweenOctober and end of 2019 I said, all right,
how am I going to move forward with this.
Like I can't do I can't continueto keep up with writing the blog.
And then also what I loved,which was organizing and planning
and hosting these eventsand bringing community together.
(13:26):
What am I going to do?
So I top of 2020, I said,
all right, I'm going to formalizebecause it was a lot.
And I knew that one,I couldn't do it alone.
just a lot of workand also my full time job.
and then two, I can't fund this alone,
(13:48):
you know, because hosting the eventsand buying food and this and that and all.
Of that adds. Up. Yeah.
So I was. Like, okay,what am I going to do?
So that's when I said, I'mgoing to turn this into a nonprofit.
And so between January and March of 2020,
it was research informing myself,
educating myself on like,how do I start a nonprofit?
(14:09):
Like, I have no clue what I was doingwhen I started.
Yeah.
But I knew that I wanted to do this.
I knew that, it was going to be beautifuland that it was going to, you know,
have, so much impact on my community,on our people.
And so I'm the type of personthat when I set out to do something
(14:29):
and like, I feel it within meand I'm passionate about it,
I'm going to do whateverI have to do to accomplish that.
So that's what I set out to do.
So this was, you know, between Januaryand March doing this research and,
filed the paperwork around March,like right before the pandemic.
I remember mailing it off and,
(14:50):
between March and May of 2020,going back and forth,
May 2020, we were officially incorporatedas a nonprofit in New York State.
Cool. Wow. Awesome.
Right in the middle of.
Everyone's at home, right? Yes.
So at that time, when you filefor the nonprofit and you got that
or squared away, did you knowyou were going to be have like the
(15:12):
this venue, like you want to try to havean official like office space?
so yeah, yeah, yeah.
I didn't know how it was going to happen.
Yeah. Had no cluehow it was going to happen.
But from the very beginning,I did know that
I wanted to continue hosting events.
I wanted to, bring community together.
(15:32):
I knew thatI wanted to just have this different
kind of safe spacethat did not exist in our community.
And I was going to find a wayto make it happen.
And, and, you know, here we are.
And so, like, I think about it. Right?
So we just celebrated the one yearanniversary of having our center here.
Yeah. And
(15:55):
October 10th, 2019, we had that,
first candle lighting in honor of WorldMental Health Day.
Fast forward to October10th, 2024 or 2023
We we opened our centerOctober 10th, 2023,
and then October 10th, 2024,we celebrated the one year.
(16:17):
And in Westchester County,on the anniversary
of our one year of the center,which is also World Mental Health Day.
Awesome.
the WestchesterCounty Board of Legislators,
have proclaimed it "One Paso Day"throughout Westchester County.
So we actually we have thethe proclamation on our wall.
(16:38):
We'll get a shot of it afterwards.That's awesome. Wow.
So so beautiful to see. Yeah.
How like it just came together.
The everyone's supporting you.
Legislatorssupporting you is becoming a reality.
What you envisioned back in what, 2019.
Yeah.
Yeah. So, I see that you
you talk a lot about culturally relevantmental health education.
Did I say that right? You did.
(17:00):
Okay. Perfect. I'm learningI could work here.
So tell me what that means to you
because, you know, does that meanculturally relevant for salvadorians.
Does it mean for Guatemalans?
Mexican, like, what does that mean?
How do you how do you bridgeall these cultures together?
Like, what do you find a common groundfor, for the education that you do here.
(17:21):
So I think that, okay, when we think
about culturally relevant,it's very personal.
So it's about what rings true to you.
You know, because that can that can meandifferent things for different people.
so I'll for example with myself. Right.
Salvadoran. Yeah. Right.
Both my parents from well bornin El Salvador, first gen, but something
(17:45):
and, and a lot of people don't knowthis about me, but so my grandmother,
she married, when she came to the States,
she married, a Puerto Rican man.
who, my mother, she never met her father.
And, so when she got here,my mom, my grandmother, she met,
(18:07):
my step grandfather, who was Puerto Rican.
and so he ended up being,you know, the only father my mother knew.
and so a lot of,the only the grandfather
that I was raised with,you know, my grandfather on my dad's side
lived in El Salvador,so he would come and visit, but,
my grandfather'spresence was always there.
(18:28):
And so culturally.
Right.
My grandmother growing upwhile she did cook Salvadoran.
but also Puerto Rican.Right.
And the music and those cultural things.
So I think it's very differentfor different people.
Yeah.
with what we're doing here
(18:50):
and when we think about the United States
and we think about Latino America, like,
It's as a collective, as people of color.
it's the music, the art and dance.
Okay.
So when we think about it like thatand then also the shared language,
(19:11):
the shared language.
So, you know, we speak Spanishand though there's, a lot of controversy
that can get very layered,you know, on, but
when we think about here, we think of,and culturally relevant services.
It's prioritizing Spanishspeaking services
to our communities of color, and makingsure that culture is at the core.
(19:35):
And while, like I said, it's very,it rings true to who
you are, depending on, you know, soI'm Salvadoran.
Yeah. Right.
But then also, I do resonatewith some of the Puerto Rican stuff
because of growing up. Right?
So and a lot of us are mixed, you know,
so that's where it varies.
But at the core of it is,
(19:57):
the music, the dance, the art
and how that resonates with each of us.
So, one of our programs,it's, our, one of our most,
popular programs is one calledSalsa a Salud.
Okay.
So this is, a programwhere, as I mentioned, right,
(20:18):
we combine,dance and mental health education.
And so typically, you know, mental health,it's a taboo topic, right?
Absolutely.
And, within our community, it'swhat I've learned in the past
four and a half years is that it's reallytough to have these conversations.
And I know firsthand growing up,
(20:41):
and so
how can we meet our communitywhere they are?
And, through this shared language?
and it's through culture.
It's it's in this case is through dance.
So we invite our communityto come every Thursday,
and we have our salsa programwhere we're just being present.
(21:02):
We're making the connection betweenthe mind and the body we're releasing.
We're like (moving our skeleton) right?
And just like letting it all out,
not thinking about any stressorsin that moment,
and making the connection between, like,okay,
you just went through an hour,you learned five new salsa steps,
and did you want to think aboutall of the problems
(21:24):
that you went through this week?I don't think, you know,
and most no because you're focused,you're being present.
And so we make that connection.
And so that is mental health.
that is mental healththat is culturally relevant mental health
because we're incorporating those,those things that those norms.
Right. Those like fun parts of.
The stuff we all love to do.
(21:45):
Yeah.
we go out dancing and not even just salsa.
but there is-all of what I do here going back
to like, my roots on like the scienceresearch is based on data.
So there's datathat, talks about the impact of salsa
dancing and Latin dance on mental health.
(22:06):
but think about itlike when we go out dancing
or like we're at family partiesor whatever.
you know, you're dancing, you'rehaving fun, you're making that connection.
You're in the moment, right? Yes.
You know, making that connection.
Right. So like, definitely in the moment.
Right. Present.
So dancing overall. Right.
But so like what we do here is thatwe invite our community to the dancing.
(22:28):
but then we sprinkle in the bitsand pieces of mental
health, knowledge, awareness,to help normalize it.
But yeah,
it's likewhen my mom used to give me a medicine
when I was a kid, and she had to give meliterally a spoonful of sugar.
Oh my gosh.
crushed up pill
Because I didn't want to take it.
Exactly. That's that's.
I love, like,
the connection that, you talked aboutbetween, how mental health
(22:51):
and physical health are connectedbecause I feel like
our community prioritizeswe understand physical health, right?
We understand what that meanswhen it comes to mental health.
It's like there's a lot of stigma, butthere's a lot of, like, misunderstanding.
Like,this is podcast that I had listened to,
and I'm hoping to interviewthe people that wrote the podcast.
But there's one scene where this womanhas lost her son, and the government,
tells us to her and offersher three sessions with a therapist.
(23:15):
And the womanobviously is very distraught.
And she says, I don't need a therapistbecause nothing's wrong with my brain.
Something is like, is my heartthat's hurting
And it was just so heartbreaking to hearsomeone say that because you, you know,
they don't understand the connectionbetween all those three things like mind,
emotion and physical body. Like therapyand just how our community thinks of it.
(23:38):
is for crazy people, right.
how do you approach,I mean, salsa is one of the ways
how I see your approach bridging that gap,that teaching people that mental health
isn't just like crazy people as as someput it.
Yeah. So.
Well, one, it's, really just
emphasizing the importanceof movement on mental health.
(24:01):
so there's that's one piece of it,
but also going back to thatshared language that I mentioned.
And so in the past year
or so, we've been, trying to move away
from like specifically saying while like,everyone will always tell us to like
we are a mental health organization,but it's more than that.
So like thinkingabout the word mental health
(24:24):
and how just that alonecan be a barrier to like,
I don't want to go into that centerbecause that's for crazy people.
I don't want people to see me thereor like even at a community event,
if we're tabling and Idon't want to be seen at the mental health
table, you know, like, so,
what we talk aboutnow is like managing stress.
(24:47):
We are a anti stress center,you know, because that's all it is.
And that is so interconnectedwith our mental health.
Stress is so tied to our physical health.
They're all one in the same.
So we often talk abouthow can we help you manage your stress,
what are your pain points.
And so, with doing that,
(25:07):
that, helps destigmatize, right?
Because we all are stressed,we all deal with things.
And so that's just like sort of eveningthe playing field
and helping educate our community on like
mental health is physical health.
you kind of tie in it to
It's not just like for crazy peopleor you just going to go through a
(25:29):
therapist is like the day to daystress that you're facing.
No only can One Paso help with that.
But you can also teach themthat like like managing stress.
Stressis going to help your mental health.
Yes, yes.
And then going a little furtherinto that. Right.
when we bring that upand we're addressing those pain
(25:49):
points, then that leads us intohaving conversations around
what are those pain points.
And so often those pain pointsare those social determinants of health.
And so what are what are those. Right.
Those are that's food insecurity.
That's, you know, access to,I mean, transportation, right.
(26:10):
access to health care.
different, different things like this.
Right. That, often
we are
so consumed in trying to figure out
and is what causes the stress.
So it's like I think about it.
And from experience, growing up.
(26:31):
My dad was super busy working,trying to figure out
how are we going to keepfood on the table, pay rent, you know,
do you think he was ever going to stopand say like, okay,
I'm stressed right now, right?
Let me go to One Paso and,
dance some salsa.No! So it's like
(26:52):
you know, knowing that and like,having lived through that and knowing
that many in our community go through thatand that that is very stressful.
how can we help alleviate that stressor?
Because that is mental health, right?
You know,and so all of these things are tied to it.
That is mental health, right?
So we help our community become awarethis is all part of your mental wellness.
(27:16):
Because if you're stressed about this
then how can you, you know,be healthy overall, right?
How can you take care of yourself?
Yeah, and I love thatyou guys have that connection.
I think for like younger, younger folksthat grew up here and have a better
understanding of mental health, we,I think, make the folly
of like associating mental healthmeans therapy.
Like if you feel mental health issues,then you go straight to therapy.
(27:37):
And I'm not saying there's nothing
anything wrong with that,but I think we often forget like,
recent immigrants, like older, older folksare facing these very real stressors.
They're not going to have timeor the money to go to a therapist
because they're dealing with stuff
like food insecurity, like transportationinsecurity, job insecurity.
and I think, it's greatthat you guys are approaching
(27:57):
mental health not just from connectingpeople with therapists,
but also helping them deal with these
very real life stressors that take upyour whole, like, mental attention.
Yeah, yeah.
And I think, another part of that is alsoso like going back to like the language
that we use and, helpinginform our community on like how we can
(28:18):
look at certain words or,
or languagethat we've used to describe mental health.
is making the clear
distinctionbetween mental health and mental illness.
because what we're doing,mental health, right.
What we dohere is more on the preventive side.
(28:38):
Yeah.
So like,how can we remain mentally healthy?
We can remain mentally healthyby managing stress.
Right.
but when we allow that stress to carry on
and consumer us and then ends upaffecting our physical health, right.
Whether that can get extreme,you know, like heart attacks and,
you know, losing your hairand physically it manifests. Yes.
(29:02):
So, part of that is like,how can we help prevent that?
So mental illness, I feel is,
is where the diagnosis come in. Right.
And, you know, medicationand which is also very real.
And also I do want to, you know, makeclear that also, it can be hereditary.
(29:23):
Right. It's environmental.
It can be many different things.
but I think that often as a society,
the reason why mental health is so taboo
is because wewhen we think about mental health,
we're reallythinking about mental illness, right?
Right.
You know, like psych wards and,you know, like straitjackets and
(29:45):
the movie version of, like, a padded roomstraitjacket.
Yeah. Therapy. Like a psychiatrist.
You're crazy. It's all in your head.That's I.
And I think this isa whole other conversation,
but I think that a lot of, like,
like, media journalism movieshas a lot to do with that painting.
That picture.
Yeah.
So, but I think that that's often
(30:07):
what is thought ofwhen we think about mental health.
And so trying to peel back right.
Like, yeah.
Bring it back.
Yes. And like,hey, this is mental wellness.
Like this is how you manage stress.
This is mental health.
Like we want to stay in that healthy-Right
Speaking of that, you know, he spoke aboutone side of the spectrum, younger folks
(30:29):
being more into more and more like,just ready to jump into therapy.
Right.
on the other hand, older folks, older
generations are more like,no, like never like I'm not crazy.
Like, I'm not going to touchthat with a ten foot pole.
do you
find you have to employ different,what is the experience in dealing with,
like, older generations,like our parents generations,
(30:51):
our grandparents generations?
is it more difficult to reach out to themand get them to,
buy into the mental healthaspect of what you do?
Yeah.
Yes.
Definitely.
I think that, So,
I'll start with
(31:12):
what's personal to me, because that'swhat's fueled all of my work, right?
Is my experiences with my dad.
So, you know, right now he's he's
retired as of, like, 4 or 5 years ago.
And so what I will say is that,
while growing up,
you know, there there was that stigma,even until recently,
(31:34):
that stigma around mental wellnessand mental health and what it is,
I, I feel that it has shifted.
and so while yes,the mindset did exist and like,
I feel like when I first startedon this journey, it was very difficult
for him to grasp until, like, you'rereally trying to embark on this journey
(31:59):
that is going to try to educate peopleon, like, this craziness and like.
You're not going to be a lawyer.
Yeah.
Like, you're not going to be a doctor?
So, yeah.
Oh, goodness, that's traumatic.
Oh, yeah. We have to(you have to be a lawer)
but, thinking about that.
(32:20):
Right.
like,you're going to try to help people like
and, like,think about everything we went through
growing up with your mom, and, like,this is what was really where you want to.
Go, right?
So he was like, saying, like,you already went through this.
Now you're going to have to go throughwith this with everyone else.
That was his his perspective on it.
Yeah. Yeah. So he was just like,all right.
(32:40):
Like and then,you know, the other side of it too,
when like, I was ableto leave my full time job to embark
on this full time, it was like,wait m'hija you're, you're, okay
You're really, like . . .Quitting your job.
That's like the worst thing you can do.
Yeah, like a Latino parent. Yeah, yeah.
And so like, and then him not fullyunderstanding just yet what I was doing.
(33:00):
but fully supporting with his whole heartbecause, like,
as my father, that's justwhat he's always going to do, right?
but along the way,I would say that I have seen
his mindset evolve,
as a result ofjust being present here at the center.
So, like, I call him,like my co-CEO, like everyone says, he's
(33:21):
the office manager.
He's retired, so he's always here.
Yeah.
And like, this center would not bewhat it is without him.
But the beauty in all of that is that.
And I often don't see it because I'mso in the day to day, and living it.
But I reflect on this, like with my team,who see the beautiful dynamic
(33:42):
that we share and they see just overthe years the intergenerational healing.
So while at one pointit was intergenerational trauma,
right, that have been passed down,that's the reality of it.
Yeah.
but seeing the other side of it,that intergenerational healing, right
by him being presentlike at the beginning,
(34:04):
not fully understanding,but now it's like,
okay, m'hijalike I see what you're doing gets it.
Yeah. And I see that.
And like,so with that and his presence alone.
I will say has allowed, you know,
because he's with me, whether it beat the community events, at the tables,
lugging stuff from the storage or canopyor the center, like I said, he's there.
(34:28):
And so, others.
Right. Like,I would see other Latino men, for example.
Let's go there seeing him
fully supporting and backingwhat I do and like,
sort of being like a representative,an act, an advocate,
you know, like for what we're doingat these events because, you know,
like, men will come up and like whetherthey're a father with their kids or
(34:51):
and he'll have just like sideconversation.
That's awesome.
So it's like seeing that.
Yeah.
but also I think it's just been in,
the work that we do is truly for us.
By us. Yeah.
You know, as I mentioned, right.
I'm, I'm from this very community.
so I think that regardless of the age,
(35:13):
you know, whether it be for our youth,
but especially more so with the adultsbecause, you
know, adults, you know, set in their waysand, you know, like, I'm not going to.
Trust just anybody.
And like, it's been important.
It's been crucial to the work,
my lived experiences,those of my father who's there with me,
(35:34):
playing a huge role in being
able to carry out, the work that we dospanning the generations.
Yeah, yeah.
So he, like, becomes almost likerepresentative for older folks.
Like,not only it seems like an older person
involved in this space, he'salso a man involved in this space.
And he kind of adds
that connection to that population,which sorely needs it as well.
Yes. That's incredible.That's awesome. Yes.
(35:55):
speaking of for us, by us and communityengagement, I know that you're working
to get into or you're working with YonkersPublic Schools.
Can you tell me,
like how you're working with them,what your goal is, what that looks like?
Yeah, definitely.
So, the goal from the very beginningwith,
OnePaso, being is that for me
I started to come to the realizationof all the things,
(36:21):
a young age, as a teen, I always set out,
I want to be able to create
mental health educationprograms for our youth.
And I want this to go to the schoolslike this needs to be a part
of, like, what is taught in curriculum,you know, at a young age.
Because at that age, we're still learningour minds are still developing.
(36:42):
So I feel that is very importantat a young age to be able
to educate our youth on that.
And so,
startingfrom back then, it was always like,
I want to provide to our youthwhat I didn't have back
then, what I needed back then,and I couldn't find right.
(37:04):
and so with the YonkersPublic Schools today
and other schools as well,
we go inand we do, different presentations.
Right?
We go with our team,our social workers, mental health coaches.
we also partner directlywith, various high schools and,
so two of our current interns,we have a graphic design intern,
(37:26):
a social media intern,who are at our center,
you know, week to week, and,you know, we do all the things
mental health related.
it's all fun.
and, so, so beautiful.
Full circle moment.
Yeah.
last year, 2024, we were selectedas, Business partner of the year
(37:51):
for Yonkers Public Schools
on behalf of Lincoln High School,which is the high school I graduated from.
Nice. I went to Saunders.
Oh, did you? Go Blue Devils!Okay, one of our interns is from there.
No way. Yeah.Who was a Lincoln High School mascot?
is it like a knight or something?the Lancers? Lancers yeah
Yeah, yeah. Go Lancers too. Yeah.
(38:11):
So, So, yeah.
So we we were selectedas business partner of the year,
so we're Lincoln High School. Yeah.
Full circle moment, because,
at the ceremony,which happened at Saunders.
Okay. Cool
It happened at Saunders
my former teacher
of the Academy of Finance,he was a teacher at the time.
Now he's a director of the program.
(38:33):
he was also being recognized that night.
so he was selected as teacher of the yearfor Lincoln High School.
We were selectedas business partner of the year.
so that's one part of the circle.
Yeah.
The second part, to fully close it is,
my principal, my former.
He was the assistantprincipal at the time.
Now he's the principal of Lincoln.
(38:54):
He was the one presenting the award.
So for him also right on all ends,full circle moment to have,
you know, handing me the award.
The former student.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
And just being a partof the community and.
Yeah, completely full circle. Absolutely.
You know, with with the schools,with the community.
I feel like a huge part of,like I said, what
(39:18):
we're doing hereis, it's truly just the for us by us.
I love thatI love that and like you get to go back
and see the people that started it alland like this huge honor
like business partner of the yearfor Yonkers
Public schools as like nothing to be takenlightly because you're affecting
the youth there like like as likeyou said at a stage
(39:39):
where like they're very impressionableand you can kind of like,
guide them into, like,what's going to be the next thing.
That's how you got here, right?
You were able to get into this programand through a guide yourself,
and now you're creating this incredible,huge organization.
so it seems like you got you
like OnePaso has grownincredibly over the past like five years.
You started with a blog, some communityevents, nonprofit, the space,
(40:02):
and being named Yonkers Public SchoolsBusiness Partner of the year.
What have you learned?Is there like a key takeaway?
Is there a key lessonthat maybe might help other people
trying to do similar movementsor similar projects out in the world?
What what insight can you give usand how can we get
How could we be as successful as Maria?
goodness.
I would say for me, first and foremost,it's always been,
(40:26):
trusting myself and,
you know, like not being afraidof the unknown because it's very scary.
And like, like I said, starting out,I know nothing.
But I did trust in myself.
And I knew that, okay, you're going toput in the work like you have it in you.
And if you want to make this happen,you have to do it.
(40:48):
You're going to do it.
So it was really trusting myself
and then standing firm on your vision.
because for me,I like, truly believe that,
standing firm on your vision,
but being flexible with, like,the pasos that you take to get there.
So that vision and like not being afraidto pivot and like, pause and reflect.
(41:11):
Right.
in those moments where, like, maybe we
make a mistake,I don't like to call them mistakes.
I feel like we learn from everything.
where's the lesson in that? Right?
How can I do better for the next time?
And truly failing forward
So like those mistakes,those like "failures"
it's a matter of changingthe perspective, you know, like,
(41:34):
how can I just flip thatand make it better?
Right. And so use that as fuel.
So like it's not like a stopping point.
It's just the next step.
Like this is a failure.
But what can I learn and how can I pivotto the next steps from there.
Yes, yes.
And I and then also just like closingthat off really
in trusting yourself,I would say don't be afraid to tap into
(41:57):
what you already have withinyou based on your life experiences.
I often tell this to the youthand like mentees that I have
because that's literally what I did.
You know,like everything that I went through
growing up, I have a younger sisterwho's two years younger,
and we will always question like, oh mygosh, like, why are we going through this?
Like, this is so painful,this is traumatic.
(42:17):
This is all the things.
But I would always say, like,I don't know why
we're going through this right now,but there has to be a reason.
I likeI didn't know what the reason was then,
but now I truly believe like One Pasowas that reason, you know?
And so what I will sayis that use your life
experiences, tapinto what you have already gained.
(42:40):
Right?
whether it be a negative experience,you may think it was
a negative experience,but like as we see in my case,
I was able to turn that painand use that as fuel to like,
turn that pain into a powerand now into my life's purpose.
And what an incredible life purpose.
Like you really making a differencein not only our community, but like,
(43:02):
the kids live-in children's lives.
and I think it's a huge accomplishment.
having said that.
Yeah, I love it.
how,how do you keep yourself mentally healthy?
Like, this is a lot of work.Like you're doing a lot
like we just talkedabout a huge level of responsibility.
And I'm sure you feel it like,I'm sure you see, day to day
people that are really hurting, kidsthat might be hurting.
(43:22):
and I'm sure you feel a lot of pressureto keep this up.
Keep this going.
but you're still a human being.
Like, how do you balance
your passion or your responsibilitieswith your own mental health?
Yeah, that's such a great question,because as a leader, I feel that
that's so important because we often,
(43:43):
I and I say we
and I think about like those that I workwith, those who are part of my team.
And just like in the mental health space,I feel like it's a,
it's a space that is like,
people often burn out, right?
Because we have this pressure,we have this huge responsibility
to serve our community.
(44:05):
And be there. Right.
for everyone else.
and so I always say, you know, like,we can't pour from an empty cup, right?
So we always have to remain full.
And so for me, the way I keep my cup full
is by, movement.
For me, movement is my thing.
So even before like our salsa program,which I am there every week.
(44:30):
Because I need toI need. To get these salsa moves right.
and especially now, thanks to
bad Bunny like salsa revolution.
everyone wants to learn now.
Yeah, but,so for me, it's it's always been movement.
You know, we all have that thing, beforeit was writing and actually, this was,
before I was writing, but actually,now it's
(44:52):
turning back into writing and movement.Yeah.
So that's like a whole other thing,like, but,
more recentlyI've turned to running. Okay.
So like the past 6 or 7 months.
Yeah. I always like, ran.
So like 2019, I started to, like,get into running, but like
past six months,I like I committed, I committed.
(45:12):
So like I signed up for my first 5Kin last September.
Okay, I did my first 10K in November.
And then I just signed upfor my first half marathon.
Exciting.
Yeah, yeah.
So it's been running.
It's been keeping my body in motion.
I truly believe that,my medicine is movement.
(45:34):
and, you know, like,I feel like we all have the power
to, like, really identifywhat that medicine is for us.
You know, like,so for me, it's been it's been that.
Okay. Well, keep it moving.
Yes. Literally.
Literally one paso at a time. Yes.
so ifpeople want to engage with OnePaso
like where I knowyou're located in Yonkers, where,
(45:57):
outside of the Parque de los Viejitos,which is an intersection of South
Broadway McLean.Yeah, more or less a general area.
so let's put it the question two ways.
How can people in Yonkersfind you, engage with you, and
and how can people outside of Yonkers findcan they find a way to engage with you?
Yeah. So answer to your first question.
(46:17):
So in Yonkers, you know,we're located at 2 Post Street.
we're here, you know, during the week,we have,
our office hours, you know, onyou can find on our website,
and we're open to community.
We have our programingthroughout the week.
And then, you know, we also take walk insand like, we're here to serve.
We're here to help. And,
(46:38):
people outsideof Yonkers, definitely in the same way.
So our website is www.onepaso.org
And then acrossall social medias at OnePaso
Okay.
And so,you know, even outside of Yonkers,
you know, we do because we're, we'renot too far from the Bronx.
So we do often evenlike throughout our programing,
(46:58):
we have people who come from the Bronx,even from other areas of the city.
You can walk to the Bronx from here.It's not too far.
Yeah. No, not at all.
So, Yeah,we're always looking for volunteers.
You know, if you ever want toget involved, you can go to our website.
So find ways to do that.
and then even,you know, through social media.
So. Excellent.
Awesome. All right.
(47:19):
Well, it'sbeen great having you on the show.
Thank you so much.Thank you for the work you're doing.
I'm so excited that we have a Salvadorian,female leader in the space
because we really need more of that.Absolutely.
but again, thanks for coming on the show,sharing your experience,
and I hope you keep, One Paso going forfor many, many pasos
Thank you for having me and for me.
I don't take it lightly,being a, Salvadorian leader,
(47:43):
because we need more of that.
And especially within the mental health
space, like,I always wear it on my sleeve.
Salvadoreña!
I love it, I love it. Excellent.
music for this episode, courtesy of HectorRico, a Salvadoran singer songwriter
(48:05):
Thank you for listening to the show.
Salvis Unidos is producedand edited by Carlos Guadron.
Visit SalvisUnidos.com for show notes.Like the show?
Join our Patreon and help us continuemaking content for Salvadoreños como vos!
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