Who's Controlling the Narrative | Community Advocate Jessica Sanchez - ListenUp Podcast

Send us Fan MailDemocracy feels abstract until it shows up in your therapy office, your workplace, or your child’s school. We sit down with Jessica Sanchez, an author, advocate, and founder of Daughters Of Both Suns, to talk about what it really takes to support Black and Latina women with culturally responsive therapy, resource navigation, and community-based healing. Jessica explains why “mental health is health care” only becomes true when people can actually access care that fits their language, culture, and lived experience, especially in rural areas where hospitals close, providers are scarce, and internet access can decide whether telehealth is even possible. From there, we trace how fear and instability spread through communities. Jessica shares what she’s seeing around immigration enforcement, ICE raids, and family separation, including the economic fallout when workers stay home and the psychological toll when a spouse is detained or deported. We also talk about domestic violence dynamics, why victims often hesitate to speak, and what trauma-informed support should look like when safety and trust have been broken. We widen the lens to the post-2024 election environment, where misinformation, repetition, and propaganda fuel division and “vote for me” thinking. We discuss protest energy, the needs of veterans facing long wait times and funding cuts, and why pluralism depends on education, civic engagement, and rejecting white Christian nationalism while respecting freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. If you care about mental health equity, democracy, and real community support, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.Support the showDo us a favor and like, comment, share, and subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. To see the full video on YouTube go to Listen Up with Host Al NeelyReach out to us on our socials and hit us up with any questions!Email: [email protected]:  ListenUp4UFacebook: Let's Talk About It - Listen Up Twitter: ListenUp@Listenup4UWebsite: listenup.bizYouTube: Listen Up with Host Al Neely