E329: Rodney Eric Lopez - Cultural Fluency, When you don't speak the language, but you still belong!

https://www.rodneyericlopez.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-eric-lopez/

https://www.instagram.com/rodneyericlopez/

🗽 [02:06] Rodney’s origin story: Born and raised in the Bronx, Puerto Rican roots

💃 [05:27] The pivot: Meeting a professional salsa dancer and discovering a missing piece

👪 [07:13] "So He Won't Understand": Spanish used as a barrier, not an invitation

📖 [08:30] Salsa as cultural fluency: A different kind of language

👨‍👧 [12:08] Becoming a parent: Finding empathy for his parents' choices

📡 [16:05] Transmitting culture and language to another generation.

⚾ [20:24] The World Baseball Classic: Italian-Americans playing for Italy, Venezuelan pride

🤝 [25:52] What dance teaches: Confidence, connection, empathy, and humanity

🕺 [29:04] The life skill: Dance as something that stays with you forever

💰 [32:47] Letting go of money shame through giving

📚 [36:50] Sparking dinner table conversations about language, culture, and belonging

🧠 [38:50] What makes Rodney tick: Learning something new every day

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