Local Voices Collective is a podcast made up of coffee shop conversations. Each episode, is a sit down with a guest — no scripts, no spotlight — just honest stories from everyday lives. If you believe that ordinary voices carry extraordinary meaning, you’ll feel at home here. Come listen in.
In this episode, I sit down with Sauntymía, co-founder of Artistry Soul Collective, to explore what it means to build something that brings people together.
What started as a simple desire for better music and community in Fort Worth turned into a space where artists can be seen, supported, and connected.
We talk about the hidden gap between talent and opportunity, the power of simply recognizing someone’s work, and how one platform can change the trajectory of someone who was ready to give up.
More than anything, this conversation is about showing up—for your city, for others, and for the quiet voices that just need a place to be heard.
22 Jan 2026
S2E016-Mariah
In this episode of Local Voices Collective, Rafael sits down with Mariah, co-owner of Cherokee Lake Farms, a small regenerative farm in Texas run alongside her husband Peyton and their young daughter.
What begins as a conversation about growing food becomes a reflection on stewardship, sacrifice, and community. Mariah shares how she has learned to work with the land—adapting seeds to the Texas climate, protecting soil through cover crops, and building systems rooted in patience rather than control. She also speaks candidly about the realities behind small-scale farming: the long hours, financial pressure, off-farm jobs, and family compromises required to keep the farm alive.
At its core, this is a story about choosing meaning over money and seeing food not as a product, but as a connection—between people, land, and purpose.
24 Dec 2025
S1E015- Emily A.
In this episode of the Local Voices Collective, we sit with Emily, a coffee professional whose relationship with coffee has grown far beyond the bar.
We talk about her path from barista to roaster, how curiosity led her into the science and craft of coffee, and what it means to keep learning even after years in the industry. Emily shares how visiting coffee farms in El Salvador changed the way she understands the drink—connecting flavor to labor, land, and the people behind every cup.
This conversation isn’t just about coffee. It’s about attention, care, and the environments we choose to spend our time in. About slowing down, asking questions, and building trust—whether that’s with producers, coworkers, or the people who walk through the door each morning.
One cup. One conversation. One story at a time.
16 Dec 2025
S1E014-Shannon
This week’s conversation is with Shannon, owner of The Roadside Stand, a Texas roadside produce stand built on relationships with local farms.
We talk about what it means to keep food affordable without losing integrity, why transparency creates trust, and how food carries memory, culture, and connection. From pick dates to Pecos cantaloupes, this episode is about choosing experience over convenience.
4 Dec 2025
S1E013-Bencjones
Bencjones is a Fort Worth musician and producer known for blending rock, soul, R&B, and Americana into a unique, genre-bending sound. He’s a songwriter, collaborator, and creative voice shaping the city’s evolving music scene through authenticity, presence, and community.
26 Nov 2025
S1E012-Julia D.
Episode 012 — Julia D.: The Resurgence of Western Culture, Storytelling, and the Soul of Fort Worth
In this episode, I sit down with Julia D., a lifelong storyteller and voice of the Western industry. We talk about Fort Worth’s evolving identity, the romantic Americana woven through the city, and why Western culture is experiencing a powerful resurgence on the national stage.
Julia shares her journey from growing up riding horses in Nevada to becoming a writer who preserves and uplifts the stories of the Western world. Together, we explore the values at the heart of the industry — family, community, authenticity, and a deep respect for the land.
We also dive into what it means to be a steward of culture, how traditions survive in a fast-changing world, and why rodeo continues to bring people together from all backgrounds.
A conversation about heritage, storytelling, and the timeless pull of the open West.
19 Nov 2025
S1011-Holden
This week, I sat down with Holden, an endurance cyclist who’s biked 1,000 miles across Texas on his own. We talk about the Race Across Texas, the grit it takes to ride for days, and the meaning he’s found in solitude, wide-open roads, and pushing past his limits.
This episode goes beyond cycling — into history, land, friendship, and the kind of freedom you only discover miles from anywhere.
13 Nov 2025
S1E010- Alexa J.
Alexa and I sat down for coffee this week and talked about what it really means to start over. She opened up about moving states, facing herself in a new place, and the quiet growth that comes from being on your own.
We explored belonging, independence, and finding home through courage and reflection.
This episode is about change, resilience, and learning who you are when everything around you shifts.
6 Nov 2025
S1E009-Diana
Diana and I sat down for coffee this week. We talked about resilience, boundaries, and what it means to keep moving forward when life gets heavy. She shared how her mother’s strength shaped her outlook, how therapy helps her process what she can’t control, and the importance of letting herself feel before moving on.
As a flight attendant, Diana opened up about life in the air — the routines, the constant flow of faces, and the challenge of staying kind through exhaustion. We talked about finding novelty in the familiar, celebrating small wins, and remembering that even in motion, it’s okay to pause.
30 Oct 2025
S1E008-Glenn
Glenn and I sat down for coffee this week.
We talked about faith, gratitude, and the quiet power of showing up — how small acts of consistency can become a kind of love, and how tradition and service still have a place in modern life.
He opened up about his upbringing, how faith shaped his perspective on family and purpose, and how he’s learned to lead with patience, empathy, and integrity. We also explored how culture, technology, and timelines have changed the way people date, build families, and find community — and why kindness and faith still matter.
22 Oct 2025
S1E007-Jessica
Jessica and I sat down for coffee this week.
We talked about the quiet power of gentleness — how strength can live in softness, and how love and discipline can coexist in parenting and in life.
She opened up about breaking family cycles, raising a trans son, and learning that real change begins with awareness, acceptance, and action.
This isn’t just a story about motherhood — it’s about healing, courage, and the kind of growth that comes from choosing empathy, again and again, even when it’s hard.
15 Oct 2025
S1E006-Juan
Juan and I sat down for coffee this week.
We talked about the fine line between ambition and contentment — how easy it is to get caught chasing what’s next, and how that pursuit can sometimes pull you away from the joy of where you already are.
He opened up about what it means to define manhood in today’s world — about curiosity, growth, and the power of leading through example rather than ego.
This isn’t just a story about success — it’s about expansion. The kind that comes from slowing down, giving more than you take, and realizing that real growth isn’t about doing more — it’s about becoming more.
8 Oct 2025
S1E005-Bianca
Bianca and I sat down for coffee this week.
We talked about the quiet danger of isolation — how easy it is to fall into a loop of work, gym, and sleep, and how that routine can make you forget what being present even feels like.
She opened up about learning to recognize when she’s slipping into that space, and how faith became her way back to balance — the reminder that she doesn’t have to carry everything alone.
This isn’t just a story about faith — it’s about finding your footing again when life starts to blur. The kind that reminds you to slow down, look around, and realize that maybe what you’ve been chasing has already been given to you.
1 Oct 2025
S1E004-Sofia
Sofia and I sat down for coffee, and almost right away the conversation turned honest and real.
We talked about what it’s like to be 23 and feel both older and younger than your age all at once. She shared the story of marrying young, moving states, and finding herself through divorce—how it forced her to grow up fast, but also gave her the clarity to start over.
We sat with questions about intimacy, about oversharing, and about the pressure of timelines: Am I behind? Do I have it figured out? What does it mean to start fresh? Sofia opened up about learning to say no without apology, trusting herself, and finding agency in the idea that “no one is coming to save you.”
This isn’t just a story about endings—it’s about beginnings. The kind that remind you how much courage it takes to take charge of your own life, and how much can be shared between two people over coffee
24 Sept 2025
S1E003- Allen
Allen and I met when he asked what book I was reading—and that small moment turned into a meaningful and unexpected conversation over coffee.
What started as a simple exchange between strangers slowly unraveled into something deeper: a reflection on belonging, on loneliness in a connected world, and on the kind of curiosity that doesn’t just chase answers—but searches for meaning.
We talked about the quiet pressure to matter, how curiosity turns into purpose, and how research and reflection shaped the way he sees the world.
This isn’t a loud episode. It’s a slow one. The kind that reminds you how much can unfold when you stop and ask a question back.
17 Sept 2025
S1E002- Alexis
Alexis and I met for coffee, and before long, we were in one of those conversations you don’t expect—but don’t want to end either.
We talked about what it feels like to be 25 and not have it all figured out. The quiet pressure of asking yourself: Am I behind? Should I go back to school? Do I even want kids? She opened up about how epilepsy shaped the way she thinks about motherhood, how faith gives her something steady to lean on, and how even small run-ins with strangers—whether out walking or browsing through a store—can leave a lasting impact.
This isn’t a loud episode. It’s a slow one. The kind you sit with. The kind that reminds you just how much can be shared between two people over coffee.
10 Sept 2025
S1E001 – Jane Doe
On today’s coffee chat:
I sat down with someone I’ll call Jane Doe. We talked about growing up in a house where mental health wasn’t always named, but always present. From her sister’s diagnosis to the quiet encouragement of her mom, Jane reflects on identity, healing, and finding her way back to the version of herself she was never meant to lose.
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