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Iā€™ve lived most of my young adulthood with a sense of purpose guiding me through my work. During my high school acting years, I was drawn to storytelling due to my need and hunger to fill the void I noticed in Latino representation in the media. I rarely saw anyone like me, HECK, I didn't even know who I was. So I claimed Aladdin, skinny Hercules from Act 1 of Disney's animated classic, and of course the Red Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (A Tejano/Mexican-American). The more I look, the more clear I am on the images and stories I've craved and am meant to share: this is my mission...


to explore and challenge the messages and stories that we have accepted as normal and humanize those who have been left out, pushed out, & killed.


This might be difficult for some, but many of us are hungry for a dialogue that can begin to heal the wounds of our nation; not in the past but in the present. I simply recognize that I need to grief the lives lost, the children buried and erased in unmarked graves; or I risk killing a part of me that has been numbed for generations.


The simple fact of life is that weā€™re all connected. For too long, weā€™ve turned the other way and yet I see now, how I as a Mestizo (mixed Native and European blood) who was raised Catholic, I am the desired outcome of these violent projects that separated families and robbed many peoples of their culture and spirit; a project that continues today. As a college-educated, Mexican-American Chicanx, I see clearly the position Iā€™m in ā€“ I take my privilege in one hand and the xenophobia Iā€™ve received in the other hand ā€“ and I breathe.


IN LAK'ECH : tu eres mi otro yo : you are my other me.


May we come to accept what is and what is not and walk a path to our own liberation in hopes that it leads to the liberation of others. For those unfamiliar with Pedagogy of the Oppressed; we recognize the binary of oppressed and oppressor ā€“ not so we can hate the other but so we can learn to free ourselves from the need to associate with either one. So that we can learn to see how dehumanization is killing all of us; and we have to start by humanizing ourselves and our pain. The planetā€™s clock is ticking and I donā€™t want to wait for permission.


It is time to build a relationship with the land and I hope that others see how crucial our relationship with indigenous communities and their knowledge will be for us to rebuild a better world. I donā€™t pretend to have the answers or the perfect conversation guide but Iā€™m ready to create bridges between my Latinx community and the Indigenous ways we have been kept from. Everyone is welcome on this journey, we all have our own journey HšŸŒ€ME.


I am not here to hate Catholics or hate myself for having been raised so, I'm simply here to acknowledge the historical barriers and hold the church accountable so we can flow beyond.

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Getting ready for my first Roadtrip since I drove to LA (2018) is naturally anxiety inducing on its own. Add COVID. Now add the fact that I'm literally following my dream and saying hello to the possibility of failure and trusting that I am one with the way. To feel fear and move forth any way has always easier said than done. b r e a t h e , todo va a salir bien.


One recent trick I learned from my therapist, is to breathe mindfully and check in with my stomach (where I personally carry and numb my emotional world). The trick is to breathe with it and bring your attention to your POWER ā€“Ā yes, your feelings are your power. They have a big sway over what we do and don't do; so instead of allowing them to overwhelm me, I can interpret that (sometimes scary) fire in my body as power.



I take off from LA, to Arizona the weekend of July 22: I'm excited and scared of what I will get to experience and won't have the time to try. But if I've learned anything about life, I that we create and manifest what we make time for, plan, and seek.

But I'm still learning to plan.


To help me navigate my emotional sphere, I'm taking a break from Marijuana: the anxiety of withdrawal following my last joint often feels never-ending. And while some of you could never see yourself smoking weed, I know you have your own vice that you return to in order to ease discomfort: to be honest, screens/movies/TV shows are my greatest go to when I want to focus my attention on anything but my feelings.

These emotionally trying times remind me of the need to "come home" to myself, NOW. breathe IN (home, grounding myself and my body in now) and breathe OUT (release anxiety, stress, fear, and waht does not serve you): repeat 2-3 times or as many times as you can and allow yourself to feel the difference in your body.


I know the journey's in motion,

I feel the moon's phases like waves in the ocean;

chugga chug chug onā€“ like a sustainable locomotion.


Grateful for all we've given and all we continue to declare.

To be quite honest, I can't afford to care

Our God keeps flooding me with truths

and I can't postpone the share.


Thank you creator for all that you've done

thank you for the convos, that we lost & won.


I win or learn ā€“ choose not to loose

and it is all possible

if we breathe while we bruise.


Thank you for sharing your time, I promise to make these more engaging but for now, I gotta get back to packing my bags and get ready for my media literacy/beyond the culture war presentation TOMORROW (07/17). Thank you always for your love and support<3






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I've written this message before but i'll keep it simple here.


We all want a better tomorrow, whether it's our health, our creativity, or relationship with others and the real world. I don't believe life is about getting to that point but if you do, I wish you the best of luck. Rather than always being in pursuit of something, why not allow yourselves the gift of being #ontheway to your better self.


OTWay.Media is a community of folks having a cultural conversation about mindful media. What, how, and why do we consume what we put in our mouths and our minds? How do we digest and release everything that comes in? And finally, how can we make sure our messages and social interactions spread love and not fear.


Most importantly, OTWay.Media is a space to share collected resources and tools so we can help the young people in our lives navigate their digital life with a bit more intention. No one is asking us to be perfect, we will make mistakes but this is not the time to get shy and give into social anxiety. There are people we love and people that love us, that are experiencing swings to their mental health due to nonstop changes to our environments and the way we live our lives. But there's hope.


Iā€“ JosuĆ© MuƱoz ā€“find hope in my siblings, teachers, and friends, many family and community members who have invested so much into my well-being, why not return the favor. You decide how much you invest in your contributions of tools and resources to the digital community but we provide you with enough to start your own conversation with people you love.


For the latest ontheway resources and conversations, "Like" OTWay Media on Facebook or @ontheway.media on Instagram.


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