“I drink my horchata warm because f*ck ICE” - my favorite sign at the march in San Jose, CA on February 1, 2025. #hechoinaztlan, #chingatumaga, #protectourpeople
The Soundtrack of Self workshop hosted by San Jose’s 2026 Creative Ambassador, Tricia Creason-Valencia, accompanied by Dulce Fernandez was truly the epitome of the power of women collaborating and empowering other women! 💯 The energy in the room was unmatched! Laughter, joy, happiness, and even tears were shared! A safe space was created at Noble Gallery at the Reels & Records exhibition! Hope that’s is just the beginning of these type of self-expressive workshops to be hosted and shared with the community!
It’s my birthday week! I’m leaning in to reclaiming joy in the upcoming year (and forevermore). This episode of the burn out breakroom shines light on how I intentionally seek out support and recognize my markers of joy, even in the face of really hard times. Hosts @lyndielaramore and @creative.caitlan of the @burnout.breakroom.podcast asked smart, insightful questions and guided us through an emotionally complex, truth-telling conversation. We deep dived into examining our own experiences of depression and, in my case, caregiver burnout. This is one of the best podcast episodes I’ve ever guested on! 🔗 to podcast episode in bio. ♥️
Fashion! Friends! Frivolity! My face hurt from smiling so much at the @contentmag pick up party & @westvalleycollege Cilker School of Art & Design fashion show last night. I was deeply impressed by the student designers’ work. Super fun to check out @j.duh ’s pop up mobile art gallery and to celebrate my fellow Creative Ambassadors. Overall, a fantastic night alongside so many movers and shakers in the South Bay Arts & Culture scene. #creativeambassador
EPIC snapshot moments in the making…and the power of showing up! ✨
There are days when you’re not sure you should show up. When life is heavy and you wonder if you have anything left to give or receive. The images here are from one of those days.
Last December, my friend and collaborator Tricia Creason-Valencia and I were scheduled to record a podcast episode. I was moving through something challenging in my parenting journey. Tricia was holding one of the hardest things a daughter can hold… the expected loss of her mother, who passed away just five days after we recorded together.
We weren’t sure we had anything coherent to offer. But we decided to show up anyway. We came to PowerHouse, and the Unmuted Studio that Tricia co-founded with @farrantabrizi , and we sat across from each other and talked.
And something happened that surprised us both. We connected and found joy alongside the grief. Words and wisdom came that neither of us expected to have that day. And what we thought might feel impossible turned into something even more full and meaningful.
I recorded this message earlier in the year… but as we close out this school year, it feels just as true now as it did then. I hope you smile as you see listen and see the images. Then, come find the full Mother’s Quest episode at the link in my bio or on your favorite podcast app. You’ll also hear the beautiful dedication from @lightbeamers .
I also have an invitation for you…If there’s somewhere you’ve been questioning whether you have anything left to give or receive right now… show up anyway with an open heart and see what’s possible.
Does this bring up anything for you? I’d love to hear. 💗
🎶🥪 Introducing Lunchbox Sessions at PowerHouse 🥪🎶
May 27, noon! We’re kicking off something new at PowerHouse and you’re invited to be part of the very first one.
Lunchbox Sessions is our version of the ultimate midday reset: step away from your desk, grab lunch from local women owned food vendor Fox Tale Fermentation Project, and catch an intimate live set from a touring band passing through the Bay.
For our debut session, we’re hosting Daisy Chain as they roll through on their West Coast tour. Fresh off the release of their debut album All In A Name, produced by Sylvia Massy (Tool, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers), their sound blends sultry vocals, gritty garage rock energy, dreamy harmonies, and unexpected textures that hit differently in an intimate setting.
This isn’t just a show. It’s a moment.
We’ll also be filming each Lunchbox Session with high quality audio + video as part of our mission to amplify artists and help their work live beyond the room.
Come for the lunch.
Stay for the music.
Leave feeling like you actually took a break. ✨
#powerhousesj #dtsj #lunchboxsessions #livemusicsanjose
SNEAK PEEK! Detail from “Rising Together”, mural created by Melissa Marzan, @thelettermermaid .
She writes: “I chose a woven pattern, to represent women’s ability to connect with others and build community. Through history, women in tribes have been known to weave baskets, the knowledge of which is passed down from generation to generation.”
On May 30th, @powerhouse_sj , in collaboration with the @sanjosesharks and @localcolorsj , will unveil a powerful new mural by local artist @thelettermermaid to be housed permanently at PowerHouse San Jose in downtown San Jose. The mural is sponsored by the San Jose Sharks "Women of Teal" project. All are welcome to celebrate with us on May 30, 2-5 PM, with a special invitation for women+ and girl athletes!
@sithappy_productions : free photographic portraits
@thehannahbowers : Live music
@marmaym : ‘zine Making workshop
@flacafilms : “I Am/We Are: Our Stories Connect Us” Creative Ambassador project
@comidacomicsycafe & @craftastic613 : Little Free Art Box & ‘zine Stand Grand Opening
First Mother’s Day without my mama, Barbara. Making sure to do things that make me happy. I’m sending ♥️ to all my mama friends whose journeys are full of joy and pain, all at once.
For me:
Hammock time ✅
Faerie book ✅
Flower crown ✅
Swimming ✅
Listening to the beautiful “Mothering” playlist that many of you helped me crowd source last year.
What are you all doing to take care of yourselves today?
I inherited fierce love from my mama.
When the @mothersquestpod asked me to reflect on how my mama has shaped me, I shared that her fierce love is her greatest strength and she passed it on to me.
We recorded this episode 5 days before my mama died. On my first Mother’s Day without her, I’m reminded that her powerful mama bear love lives on in me. I’m learning to navigate the world without her as I mother my own kids. 💜
#mothersday, #mothering, #mothersquest
A common piece of advice for speakers is "don't speak from the wound, speak from the scar". But if I waited until I was completely healed to share the hard-fought wisdom I’ve gained as a mother and daughter, I’d probably never speak at all.
When we recorded this episode of the @mothersquestpod , my mama was in hospice care. We considered cancelling the session, but decided together to show up anyway. I was raw, vulnerable, and grieving in real time. My mama died five days later.
Julie Lieberman Neale @themysticandthemaven , podcast host and my dear friend, navigated those tricky waters with grace and empathy, reminding me that I was free to speak about my mama (or not). That complex and liberating conversation became this episode: "Fierce Love, Grief, and Showing Up Anyway." I hope it resonates with anyone learning how to practice radical acceptance while loving fiercely at the same time. I'm grateful to my friend and mentor, April Adams Pertuis of @lightbeamers for her beautiful introduction at the beginning of the show.
Available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts. Link in bio to listen. 💜
Hello, May! So much 🌸 growth 🌸 at PowerHouse this month; members @marissateachablemoments will host a reading of her children’s book “Free the Curls” and @rachelkairos will teach a flash fiction workshop. With new events every single week, YOU choose how to join in our delightful, growth-filled community of women+ creatives. #powerhouse #womensupportingwomen
Get ready for a special Mother’s Day episode with my friend and collaborator @flacafilms Tricia Creason-Valencia… a conversation about fierce love, navigating grief, and showing up anyway. 💕
Coming this Thursday to the Mother’s Quest Podcast!
Link in bio to subscribe and get the episode downloaded as soon as it’s live! Or visit /podcast for links. 🔗🎧
