The Hectic Podcast

"Curiosity always" with Cynthia Pesantez

Darryl Kelly / Cynthia Pesantez / Michelle Lee Season 4 Episode 408

It might take a while to learn who this week’s guest is and what she does, but it won’t take long to see the passion she has for her life’s mission. Cynthia Pesantez strives every day to use compassion and accountability to work toward justice. She is challenging the dominant culture and societal hierarchies from the ground up, focusing on community relationships first to achieve lasting change.

We hit the ground running in this powerful conversation. Cynthia shows us how everyone’s contribution is needed for change, from being a leading voice for justice to supporting others through childcare and growing food to intentionally engaging curiosity about race. By putting your humanity and vulnerability first, you can make a difference for those around you and everyone who comes after you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  1. How George Floyd’s death sparked a turning point in her life and approach to racial justice work.
  2. Why she focuses on building real human connections first to create sustainable, lasting change in our communities and the world.
  3. That it took all kinds to build an oppressive system and it will take the same to break it down and create new ones.
  4. Tips for talking about race every day in a way that promotes curiosity instead of judgment.
  5. To honor where limited survival tactics like judgment come from and use compassion to make them something expansive.
  6. How to be curious about everyone and everything so you can learn to critically imagine how the world could be.
  7. The importance of lived experiences and vulnerability in both work and life, plus how they defeat the exclusivity of credentialism.
  8. That systems of oppression take something from all of us, even those in supposed power.
  9. How society forces you to deny your humanity and compassion toward others to survive.
  10. About Comadre Speakers, Cynthia’s newly birthed speaker’s bureau that is bringing her values into the world.

Find Cynthia on her website, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
The 21 Day Equity Challenge can be found here.