Sacred Lessons with Mike de la Rocha

Sacred Lessons in Violence Prevention with Cuco Rodriguez

In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Refujio “Cuco” Rodriguez from the Hope and Heal Fund for a powerful conversation about gun violence, masculinity, and the stories boys are taught about power and protection. Moving beyond policy and headlines, Cuco explores how trauma, silence, and harmful ideas about manhood shape violence in our homes and communities, and why healing must be at the center of prevention. Together, Mike and Cuco reflect on firearms, domestic violence, accountability, and what it means to build a culture where men are taught that strength is rooted not in control, but in care, vulnerability, and connection. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Sacred Lessons in Perception with Tonatiuh

In this episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Tonatiuh for a powerful conversation about gender, identity, and the cost of living inside expectations that were never ours to begin with. From his acclaimed performances in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Vida, and Promised Land, Tonatiuh reflects on how masculinity is often shaped by perception, performance, and power, and how the world responded to him based on how closely he aligned with traditional ideas of masculinity. Together, Mike and Tonatiuh explore gender as a social construct, the pressure to conform, and the freedom that comes from embracing a more expansive understanding of identity and self-expression.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Sacred Lessons in Radical Love with Father Gregory Boyle.

In this deeply moving episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha sits with Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries and a father figure to thousands, for an intimate conversation about love, belonging, and the fathers we find along the way. Together, they explore what happens when men grow up without the guidance, tenderness, or affirmation they needed and how healing becomes possible when we are received with compassion instead of judgment. Drawing from decades of walking alongside formerly incarcerated individuals, Father Greg reflects on chosen family, unconditional love, and the radical belief that no one is outside the circle of belonging. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Sacred Lessons in Accountability Part II: Power, Gender & the Work of Repair.

In this live episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha continues a powerful series on gender violence with Damariz Vasquez and Ozzy Cruz, two practitioners working on the frontlines of healing at the East L.A. Women’s Center. Moving from awareness to action, this conversation centers the day-to-day realities of supporting survivors, working with men, and creating pathways for true accountability and transformation. Together, they explore how shame, silence, and harmful beliefs about power and gender prevent healing and what it truly takes to break those cycles. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Sacred Lessons in Accountability Part I: Power, Gender & the Work of Repair.

In this powerful live episode of Sacred Lessons, host Mike de la Rocha convenes a critical conversation at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center with Barbara Kappos and Jerry Tello on sexual violence and the urgent need for accountability, healing, and community transformation. As the first in a series confronting violence against women and children, this episode moves beyond awareness to examine the difficult truth that much of this harm happens within families and is sustained by silence and shame. Drawing from decades of frontline experience, Barbara and Jerry explore how we support survivors, challenge harmful patterns of masculinity, and create pathways toward repair.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.