Season 1, Episode 15: Jefte Sanchez shares his immigration to the US, LA Culture, Kobe Bryant and what the grieving process looks like for him.

Twenty-Four Seconds of Silence has been intentionally left to honor Kobe Bryant.

Jefte shares his story—Born in Costa Rica. His father felt called to “reverse missions” becoming a missionary to the United States. His family moved to California when he was 6 years old; growing up in the LA area in the 1990s with gang violence, drive-bys,  living in a fear-based environment, not feeling like he understood what was going on since he was only beginning to learn English. It was a shock.

Jefte became connected to the culture of Los Angeles, a diverse and multi-ethnic community where different languages, food, and people were welcomed and celebrated. To Jefte, it was actually unnerving to be in a place where there was only ethnicity.  Being from Los Angeles you take the the good and the bad. It was a culture shock moving to the Pacific Northwest—the people were “nice” and it was not what he was used to from LA, more relaxed, but there was a lack of diversity, not just Latinos but of all people of color. It’s a slower pace of life than in LA.

Morning and grieving Kobe Bryant here in the Northwest felt lonely. He had a flood of memories from his childhood of Kobe Bryant’s career and his life, his work-ethic and study of the details, but he felt alone in processing Kobe’s death since there weren’t many Lakers fans up here.

The grieving process was hard, he was continuously crying. “We’re all going to remember where we were when we found out Kobe died.” He needed people to talk to about it, to process. He wanted to a part of the community that was grieving , because the whole world was in shock when it happened. “I didn’t want this to be true.”

Jefte tells a story about an NBA player in China who got in taxi, and the taxi driver asked the NBA player if he knew Kobe, which he did. The taxi driver pulls over and starts crying; He was impacted by meeting someone who knows Kobe, not even meeting Kobe himself. That’s the kind of global impact he had as a player and as a person. Kobe had created a world-wide community. We can find comfort when we grieve together.

Kobe’s story had so many layers, he was an example of what it means to be a human; the good and the bad. That’s what made him so “reachable” and relatable. He embodied humanity and he embodied specifically LA. Kobe’s death gave men permission to cry. Jefte didn’t hold back, he cried in front of his own children. Kobe’s death became an invitation to see grieving unclose. And as a parent to let our kids witness it so they can see our humanity, even if they don’t fully understand it.

#girldad Kobe’s daughter was going to be his legacy, and which is not the cultural norm. But Kobe wanted his kids to choose for themselves what they wanted to do.

The silence, and dead air space, is to honor this man.

Memorial for Kobe: Monday 24th.

Maggie thought about the unimaginable grief that Kobe’s wife felt losing her husband and daughter in one day.

Jefte takes from Kobe: Family first. He brought his kids with him every where. Allowing curiosity lead you to your passions, and your passions keep you curious. Ultimately our lives are to inspire others.

Jefte is reading: Prayer Book, how to pray.

Jefte is listening to: The Bill Simmon’s Podcast

Jefte is inspired by: Soaking in what other people are doing and witnessing their passions.

You can connect with Jefte at www.jeftesanchez.com

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Jefte Sanchez : Creator / Musician / Entrepreneur / Father

Jefte Sanchez is a creative visionary with a passion for storytelling through art, music, design, film & photography. He has worked with brands and clients from Google & Under Armour to smaller local businesses looking to launch or revamp their story.

He has also created a name for himself by launching two successful Instagram channels tallying over a quarter million followers. Jefte has been published in the Huffington Post and has seen his photography displayed around the world.

Business aside, Jefte is a husband and father of three children (all under 4). His most important job is to inspire his kids and help them along the way as they discover their passion. Friends would describe him as a connector of people and an enthusiast of life's experiences and all of the opportunities it brings.

Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.