S3E09 with Matthew Conrado - Authenticity Doesn't Ask Permission

S3E09 with Matthew Conrado - Authenticity Doesn't Ask Permission

As we kick off Pride Month on JUST DO YOU., I'm excited to welcome a guest who isn't afraid to challenge assumptions, spark important conversations, and speak his truth with conviction. Matthew Conrado is the Founder and CEO of Alphabet Mafia Consultancy, a groundbreaking LGBTQ+ marketing and brand strategy firm dedicated to helping organizations authentically connect with queer audiences and communities. Recognized by Adweek as a Pride Star, Matthew has built a reputation for challenging the status quo and speaking openly about the issues many people would rather avoid. In this episode, we explore the intersection of business, branding, representation, and identity, while also diving into the realities facing LGBTQ+ communities today. Matthew shares insights from his journey as an entrepreneur and advocate, offering a candid perspective on visibility, inclusion, and the responsibility brands, leaders, and individuals have in shaping culture. One thing is certain: Matthew doesn't mince words. He says what he believes, stands firmly in his convictions, and invites us to think more deeply about the world we're creating together. As we begin a month dedicated to celebrating authenticity, resilience, and Pride, this conversation serves as a powerful reminder that progress has never come from silence—it comes from people willing to show up, speak out, and live their truth. To learn more about Matthew and his amazing work, visit https://www.alphabetmafiaconsult.com/ [https://www.alphabetmafiaconsult.com/] To listen in on Matthews Podcast, Thanks For Swiping Left, visit https://open.spotify.com/show/3E0SYklQqjKvAhpOpwtYA6?si=f55431a9449b4c1b [https://open.spotify.com/show/3E0SYklQqjKvAhpOpwtYA6?si=f55431a9449b4c1b] To follow Matthew on Instagram, visit https://www.instagram.com/mattconrado/ [https://www.instagram.com/mattconrado/] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2293648/fan_mail/new] Thank you for joining us and we can't wait to welcome you back again next week! New episodes drop every Thursday and can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts!   Remember to like, rate, share and subscribe to the JUST DO YOU. podcast in order to receive our weekly episode updates!  If you like what you hear, please leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! To follow us on Instagram, visit: https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/ [https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/] Want to learn more about our host, Eric Nicoll?  Visit:  https://ericnicoll.com [https://ericnicoll.com]

S3E08 with Nikki K. Lopez - Soft Heart. Strong Soul.

There are moments in life when the hardest question is not what we do… but who we truly are beneath the expectations, fear, labels, survival, and the roles we’ve spent years playing for everyone else. This week on JUST DO YOU., I’m joined by Northern California entrepreneur, caregiver advocate, author, and LGBTQIA+ voice Nicola Lopez for a deeply honest and heartfelt conversation about identity, healing, purpose, and the courage it takes to live authentically. Inspired by her book Lesbian, Who Are You?, Nikki shares her journey of navigating truth, visibility, belonging, and what it means to stop hiding pieces of yourself just to feel accepted. But her story goes even deeper than that. Rooted in the love and lessons passed down through her family — especially the powerful influence of her grandmother in Jamaica — Nikki transformed personal caregiving experiences into a mission-driven life dedicated to helping others. Through her organizations, Caring Haven and Caregiver OneCall, she now supports families navigating aging, dementia, caregiving, and the emotional realities that come with caring for the people we love most. This conversation is about identity. It is about compassion. It is about resilience. And it is about the deeply human journey of finally allowing yourself to be seen fully and unapologetically. Because JUST DO(ing) YOU. is not about becoming someone else. It is about finding the courage to come home to who you’ve been all along. To find Nikki's books, visit https://www.amazon.com/Lesbian-Who-Are-You-Belonging-ebook/dp/B0DXRLBLV3?utm_source=chatgpt.com [https://www.amazon.com/Lesbian-Who-Are-You-Belonging-ebook/dp/B0DXRLBLV3?utm_source=chatgpt.com] and https://www.amazon.com/When-Strong-Get-Tired-Caregiving/dp/196792760X?utm_source=chatgpt.com [https://www.amazon.com/When-Strong-Get-Tired-Caregiving/dp/196792760X?utm_source=chatgpt.com] To find out more about Nikki's amazing caregiving work, visit https://caringhavenhomecare.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com [https://caringhavenhomecare.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] and  https://caregiveronecall.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com [https://caregiveronecall.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2293648/fan_mail/new] Thank you for joining us and we can't wait to welcome you back again next week! New episodes drop every Thursday and can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts!   Remember to like, rate, share and subscribe to the JUST DO YOU. podcast in order to receive our weekly episode updates!  If you like what you hear, please leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! To follow us on Instagram, visit: https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/ [https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/] Want to learn more about our host, Eric Nicoll?  Visit:  https://ericnicoll.com [https://ericnicoll.com]

CELEBRATORY REPLAY S3E06 - with Matthew Collin Marrero - Holding On To Love Through The Unthinkable - UPDATE!

Some stories don’t end when the episode does …they keep unfolding in real time. And today, this one brings the news we’ve been hoping for ... Allan is FINALLY HOME! After ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DAYS of detention, uncertainty, and being moved multiple times across the country, Allan is finally back where he belongs — with his husband, Matthew. And while there is deep relief … and overwhelming gratitude … there’s also something else. Because for Allan, coming home didn’t mean forgetting about his experience ...  It meant carrying with him the stories, the faces, and the voices of the men,  women and children he left behind — people he now calls his brothers and sisters … still desperately trying to navigate a system that tested all of them in ways most of us will never fully understand. That’s who Allan is. Even in his own freedom, his heart is still with them. So today, we’re revisiting our conversation with Matthew — not just as a story of what happened … but as a reminder of what’s still happening ... every single day ... across the US.  We love you Allan and are so happy you are home where you belong!   This is a true story of love, resilience, community and a fight that, for so many, is far from over. Take a listen.   Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2293648/fan_mail/new] Thank you for joining us and we can't wait to welcome you back again next week! New episodes drop every Thursday and can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts!   Remember to like, rate, share and subscribe to the JUST DO YOU. podcast in order to receive our weekly episode updates!  If you like what you hear, please leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! To follow us on Instagram, visit: https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/ [https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/] Want to learn more about our host, Eric Nicoll?  Visit:  https://ericnicoll.com [https://ericnicoll.com]

S3E07 with Charlie Chapman - The Practice That Changed Everything

In the midst of all the chaos, how do we heal, reconnect, and come home?  This has been a question that has consumed my daily thoughts of late so today’s conversation feels especially timely.   In a world that can feel overwhelming where uncertainty, stress, and constant noise can take a real toll on our nervous systems it’s easy to find ourselves drifting into anxiety, disconnection, or even isolation. In those moments, self-care isn’t a luxury… it’s essential. It’s how we find our way back to ourselves. That’s why I’m so honored to introduce today’s guest, Charlie Chapman. Based in San Diego, Charlie is a wellness practitioner offering a deeply intentional approach to embodied and contemplative yoga that is deeply rooted in presence, nervous system care, and relational integrity. What makes his work so impactful is that it was born from lived experience. After a chapter that tested and transformed him, Charlie found his practice and it didn’t just steady him, it changed everything. Now, he’s paying that forward. Through in-person group classes, private sessions, workshops, retreats, and collaborations, Charlie has created more than just offerings he’s built a community. A space where people can slow down, reconnect, regulate, and feel supported in navigating life’s challenges. Because in times like these, having tools and a community to support your mental, emotional, and physical well-being can be everything. This conversation is an invitation to explore what it means to care for yourself on a deeper level, to tend to your nervous system, and to remember that even in difficult chapters, transformation is possible and you don’t have to go through it alone. So take a deep breath, settle in, and let’s get into a conversation that left me changed … for good.   To follow Charlie on Instagram, visit https://www.instagram.com/charchap.embodied [https://www.instagram.com/charchap.embodied] Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2293648/fan_mail/new] Thank you for joining us and we can't wait to welcome you back again next week! New episodes drop every Thursday and can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts!   Remember to like, rate, share and subscribe to the JUST DO YOU. podcast in order to receive our weekly episode updates!  If you like what you hear, please leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! To follow us on Instagram, visit: https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/ [https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/] Want to learn more about our host, Eric Nicoll?  Visit:  https://ericnicoll.com [https://ericnicoll.com]

S3E06 with Matthew Collin Marrero - Holding On To Love Through The Unthinkable

Matthew Collin Marrero is a New York City–based singer, songwriter, and published poet ... an artist whose work lives at the intersection of identity, advocacy, and truth. Through his voice, he’s spent years telling stories of resilience and self-expression. But nothing could prepare him for the story he’s now living. What began as a routine immigration interview with his husband Allan quickly turned into something unthinkable. After arriving with what Matthew described as “a three-inch binder of their entire life”... photos, letters, proof of love ... the interview took a sudden and chilling turn. Within minutes, the tone shifted. They were separated, questioned harshly, and then ... without warning ... Allan was taken away in restraints by ICE officers. That moment would begin a devastating, months-long ordeal that is still unresolved.   Allan was moved through a maze of detention centers across the country, New Jersey, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and beyond, often in the middle of the night, with little explanation and no sense of stability. At one point, he was held in overcrowded conditions in the Everglades, describing cages, overflowing toilets, and the constant fear of being forgotten. Meanwhile, Matthew was left on the outside trying to track his husband across state lines, navigating a system that felt, in his words, like psychological warfare. Through it all, their love was tested in ways most of us can’t imagine. This is not just a conversation about immigration. It’s a story about love under pressure … about resilience in the face of injustice … and about what happens when the system meant to legally process people on their pathway to citizenship, instead begins to break them. I know both Matthew & Allan would welcome your prayers and to hold the space for Allan, and the countless others detained, to return home to their loved ones.   To follow Matthew & Allan's remarkable love story, you can find Matthew at https://www.instagram.com/collinmarrero/ [https://www.instagram.com/collinmarrero/] and Allan at https://www.instagram.com/i_am_raylandon/ [https://www.instagram.com/i_am_raylandon/] Michael & Allan's community has set up a GoFundMe page to help them put a dent in the costly legal fees incurred during their diligent fight to get Allan home.  https://gofund.me/989abf3b7 [https://gofund.me/989abf3b7] Every little bit helps!  Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2293648/fan_mail/new] Thank you for joining us and we can't wait to welcome you back again next week! New episodes drop every Thursday and can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts!   Remember to like, rate, share and subscribe to the JUST DO YOU. podcast in order to receive our weekly episode updates!  If you like what you hear, please leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! To follow us on Instagram, visit: https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/ [https://www.instagram.com/justdoyoupod/] Want to learn more about our host, Eric Nicoll?  Visit:  https://ericnicoll.com [https://ericnicoll.com]