Gregory Cendana on Reclaiming Joy through Dance & Pandemic Self-Care Artwork

Thrive Spice

Thrive Spice is a podcast centered on the Asian American mental health experience while navigating career, family, identity and social empowerment. Join host Vanessa Tsang Shiliwala as she invites diverse business and political leaders, entrepreneurs, activists, and creators to share their real stories and practical advice on how they found their "Thrive Spice" - the joy that comes from finally owning our identity, power, and worth. Our mission is to promote a more inclusive world that centers intersectional communities, including women of color, AAPI, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Join us as we unpack some feelings and spill the tea: from sharing what real self-care and boundaries look like for us as we create social, political, and economic change; how we're healing from hate crimes, intergenerational trauma, and racism; and what we're doing to break glass ceilings, reclaim our stories and redefine what true happiness and success look like - for ourselves, and for the next generation.

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Gregory Cendana on Reclaiming Joy through Dance & Pandemic Self-Care

September 08, 2021 • Vanessa Tsang Shiliwala • Season 1 • Episode 11

Can leaning into something you were previously ashamed of actually become your superpower? We find out when Vanessa talks to Gregory Cendana, a dancer, political strategist and entrepreneur who has been named one of Washington DC's most influential 40 under 40, about dancing for social justice. Gregory reflects upon his upbringing in a conservative Catholic Filipino family and his own coming-out journey, and why his life mission is to help others bring their full, true selves to any space they are in to engender cultural, social and political change. We discuss why prioritizing mental health creates more sustainable communities, and how the idea of collective self-care for Asian-Americans and BIPOC communities gives us the power to heal and reclaim our stories. Plus, we extol the wonders of the adult power nap. Rest is resistance.

Watch the video or read the full interview at www.thrivespicemedia.com

About Gregory:
Dancer, Strategist and Entrepreneur Gregory Cendana is President and co-founder of Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting, Chief Creative Officer of Greg Dances and co-founder of The People’s Collective for Justice and Liberation. He was the first openly gay and youngest-ever Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership & Advancement. Gregory was also first openly gay Chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, co-founder of the diversity initiative Inclusv, and serves on the board of directors for United We Dream as Treasurer and 18 Million Rising as Chair. Gregory was President of the United States Student Association (USSA), where he played an integral role in the passage of the Student Aid & Fiscal Responsibility Act and Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act. He has been named one of Washington DC's most influential 40-and-under young leaders, one of the 30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30, 40 Influential Asian Americans in Washington, DC’s Inaugural Power 30 Under 30™ Award Recipients and the "Future of DC Politics". In his spare time, Gregory enjoys singing karaoke, choreographing dances and trying new recipes. You can find him on TikTok: @gregdances and on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter at @gregorycendana @cswsconsulting.

Mental Health and Social Justice Resources:

-Asian Mental Health Collective:
https://www.asianmhc.org/

-Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting:
https://www.cswsconsulting.com

-Collective Solidarity and Aboliti

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