EP 135: Coming Home to Yourself — Identity, Rest & Reclaiming Your Voice with Delia Saenz Skinner

In this episode of Thriving in Intersectionality, Dr. Lola Adeyemo sits down with educator, researcher, and founder of Working with Delia, Delia Saenz Skinner, for a deeply personal conversation about identity, belonging, education, and what it means to come home to yourself after years of learning to survive.The conversation begins where every episode of Thriving in Intersectionality begins—with identity.Delia reflects on the intersecting experiences that have shaped her life as a woman, daughter, teen mother, formerly undocumented immigrant, educator, and community leader. She shares how those identities influenced not only the opportunities available to her, but also how she learned to see herself and navigate systems that often required her to hide parts of who she was.From arriving in the United States without speaking English to spending nine years completing community college while raising her daughter, Delia's story is one of persistence, purpose, and profound transformation.Today, through her consulting practice Working with Delia, she helps educators, leaders, and mission-driven organizations reconnect with themselves through rest-centered leadership, embodied practices, and sustainable ways of serving others.This conversation isn't simply about overcoming adversity.It's about remembering who you were before the world told you who you needed to become.In This Episode, We Discuss Growing up between cultures and identities  Navigating education as a formerly undocumented student  Becoming a mother while pursuing higher education  The hidden cost of constantly proving yourself  Why belonging sometimes requires unlearning  Rest-centered leadership and sustainable impact  Working with educators, youth, and mission-driven organizations  The difference between surviving systems and reclaiming yourself  Why rest is not quitting—it is regeneration  Creating workplaces and communities where people can thrive About the GuestDelia Saenz Skinner is an educator, researcher, program strategist, and founder of Working with Delia, a rest-centered facilitation and consulting practice supporting educators, innovators, and community-based leaders engaged in high-impact, mission-driven work.Drawing from more than a decade of experience across K–12 education, higher education, community organizations, research, and leadership, Delia designs restorative professional learning experiences that help individuals and organizations reconnect with their wisdom, sustainability, and purpose. She currently serves as a Program Manager, Teacher, and Community Education Manager at UC San Diego Extended Studies while continuing to build Working with Delia. Learn more:🌐 www.workingwithdelia.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deliasanezskinner/Reflection QuestionWhat part of yourself have you had to hide in order to belong—and what would it look like to reclaim it?Send us Fan MailSupport the showThank you for listening to Thriving in Intersectionality with Dr. Lola Adeyemo.This podcast explores how identity, lived experience, and leadership intersect in today's workplace and beyond. Through conversations with leaders, founders, educators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, we uncover stories and insights that help people thrive across the many intersections of their lives.💬 Have a thought about this episode? Send a Fan Mail message directly through Buzzsprout. I'd love to hear what resonated with you.❤️ If you find value in these conversations, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Your support helps us continue amplifying diverse voices, meaningful stories, and leadership insights from across industries and experiences.⭐ Follow, share, rate, and review the podcast to help others discover these conversations.📬 Continue the conversation - read the companion reflections on Substack🌍 Immigrants and first-generation professionals can join our free community at:www.immigrantsincorporate.orgConnect with Host Dr. Lola Adeyemo on LinkedIn.Keep thriving in your intersections. Your story matters.