SoCal Voices
SoCal Voices is an award-winning podcast that shares authentic stories and local wisdom to help Southern Californians navigate the region’s challenges and thrive in the place we call home.
Beyond the stunning coastline, golden sunsets, and endless calendar of world-class events and experiences… lies a different story.
Sky-high living costs. Soul-crushing commutes. The quiet ache for connection and purpose in the middle of all this sprawl.
SoCal Voices Podcast is your companion through it all. We hold space for both the beauty and the burnout — offering real talk, local insight, and honest inspiration to help you navigate life in this one-of-a-kind place.
Because Southern California isn’t just a dream. It’s a real place — and you deserve to feel grounded in it.
SoCal Voices. Real talk in the land of dreams.
Want to be a guest on SoCal Voices? Send Angela Ross a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/socalvoices.
Episodes
136 episodes
Faith, Identity & Resistance
Dr. Lauren Guerra is a dedicated lecturer in Chicana/Chicano & Central American Studies at UCLA and the heart behind Gold Hoops & God, a podcast that uplifts and empowers Millennial Latinas to embrace their purpose with confide...
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26:59
Pitching Unity: Moreno Valley Mayor Ulises Cabrera & the Negro League Community Softball Game
The rich legacy of Negro League Baseball was front and center at Moreno Valley's Woodland Park on May 31 during the Community Softball Game organized by James Harris, founder of the African American History presentation series, Un...
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8:20
Breaking the stigma of homelessness: Operation Helping Hands SoCal
As a teenager, Kim Valentine found herself without a home. Today, she’s the founder and president of Operation Helping Hands SoCal, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the unhoused rebuild their lives. In this episode of SoCal Voic...
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32:16
LA Fires Aftermath-Part 2-Ashes to Films
For many Southern Californians, the January wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena are like distant memories, but for those directly impacted, the devastation remains a daily reality. Recovery can be difficult and painfully slow. ...
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25:50
Getting Published in SoCal
Southern California is bursting with creative energy — and for many, there’s a book inside just waiting to be written. But getting it published can be a huge challenge. Redlands author Tracy Wise experienced this as she worked to find a publish...
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27:04
Thinking of Leaving Corporate? This Entrepreneur’s Journey May Inspire Your Next Move
Have you thought about leaving corporate life to pursue your passion? In this episode of SoCal Voices you’ll meet a woman who experienced a major life-changing moment that led her to pivot from a corporate career to entrepreneurship, and she ne...
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23:18
Honoring Negro League Baseball: Moreno Valley Community Softball Game
A community softball game commemorating the iconic legacy of Negro League Baseball is happening Saturday, May 31, 1pm - 4pm, at Woodland Park in Moreno Valley. The game is being organized by returning SoCal Voices Podcast guest James Harris, kn...
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21:29
Championing Women’s Leadership & STEM in SoCal
As Founder of the California Society of Extraordinary Women, Shirley Coates is the powerhouse behind this Riverside-based nonprofit that’s changing girls’ lives and helping them thrive. Her
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35:49
L.A. County Foster Adoption - A Family, Maybe
Foster adoption in Los Angeles County is, in a word, unpredictable. The process goes smoothly for some but for others it can be difficult, presenting political, legal and personal challenges that test patience and resolve. In his memoir A F...
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29:06
LA Fires Aftermath
In January, the Palisades and Eaton fires killed at least 29 people and destroyed or damaged 18,000 structures valued at nearly $300 billion dollars. In the weeks since the fires, people who lost homes have been navigating displacement, insuran...
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29:04
Why You Need An Estate Plan
Okay SoCal Fam. We’re going to estate planning class today. If you have avoided or delayed getting an estate plan, you’re not alone. Most of us don’t like thinking about the end of our lives or what’s going to happen with our property after we ...
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38:07
Annie Korzen: Actor, Author & Social Media Sensation
Annie Korzen is an 86-year-old actor and comedian who had a recurring role playing the obnoxious Doris Klompus on the hit TV sitcom Seinfeld. Today, Korzen is a social media sensation, sharing pearls of wisdom with nearly half-a-million followe...
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25:33
Plus Size in SoCal
In her book, Plus Size: A Memoir of Pop Culture, Fatphobia, and Social Change, Los Angeles author and activist Mekdela Ejigu chronicles the body positivity movement through a collection of essays reflecting her journey as a target of fat...
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30:32
The Inland Empire “News Mirage”
Is SoCal’s Inland Empire the land of the local news mirage? While news outlets cover the region, media observers say some elements of the IE’s local news coverage are a mirage, giving residents the illusion of vigorous local journalism when in ...
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33:18
Feeding the Hungry in Inland SoCal
Southern California’s vibrance and abundance bely the fact that a number of our neighbors don’t have enough food to eat. Led by CEO Carolyn Fajardo, Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino, the region’s largest food bank, works daily to meet...
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19:50
Black Maternal Health in SoCal
Alarming statistics reveal that Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Dana Sherrod, co-founder and executive director of the California Coa...
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32:16
Election 2024: The Young Vote, Part III
Forty-million adults under 30 are eligible to vote in the November election. About eight million of them are first-time voters and they’re registering to vote in record numbers. While many young people between 18 - 30 say they intend to vote, s...
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20:27
Election 2024: The Young Vote, Part II
People under 30 are registering to vote in record numbers. The uptick is attributed in part to “the switch” when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination. Endorsements fr...
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19:26
Election 2024: The Young Vote, Part I
The 2024 Presidential Election is underway and since President Joe Biden left the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic party’s nominee, young voters have responded to her candidacy with record breaking voter regis...
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25:43
Community Development in SoCal
Community development is essential to how all the elements of where we live fit together and impact how we experience our communities. Eric Nelson is a 20-year community development expert who has impacted the lives of thousands of Southern Cal...
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28:41
Leading Homeboy Industries: A Radical Approach to Business and Life
For more than 30 years, Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles has been helping former prisoners and ex-gang members redirect their lives to become productive, contributing members of the community. A human services agency offering legal, mental hea...
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26:49
Beyond Her Diagnosis: Jennifer Gasner’s Unexpected Life
When she was 17 years old, San Diego author Jennifer Gasner was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia or FA, a rare progressive neuromuscular disease. The impact of FA varies from person to person, but generally causes difficulty walking, a loss o...
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29:39
Embracing Change: A Conversation on Thriving in SoCal
Born in China and raised in Los Angeles, certified life coach, podcaster, speaker and author Lucy Liu is a self-described ex-overachiever and recovering perfectionist who is thriving in Irvine. On this episode of SoCal Voices, she shares how sh...
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25:17
How SoCal’s “The Mighty 690” inspired a novel
Long before podcasting and FM radio, AM radio ruled. And in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the biggest dog on the porch was THE MIGHTY 690. The 50,000-watt station was heard throughout SoCal. And its top-40 format was popular with teenagers an...
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14:02
How the Arts Teach Life Skills: Dancing with Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer
Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer is having a strong impact on young people from SoCal and beyond as she helps youth develop critical life skills through exposure to the arts. She has developed some of Hollywood’s most sought-after young dancers, inc...
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31:24