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Embracing All of Me

Embracing All of Me

By: Ross Victory
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Summary

 For people who live between labels and refuse to disappear there. Embracing All of Me is a podcast rooted in bi+ and bisexual experience and shaped by storytelling from global communities of color, a container for intimate stories of identity, desire, and becoming. Each conversation traces the quiet metamorphoses that unfold when people exist “in between,” forming a landmark for our communities and a broad invitation to those navigating complexity and nuance. Through embodied voices, artistic expression, and honest dialogue, EAoM explores what it takes to resist erasure, bash binaries, and expand our sense of belonging. Hosted by Ross Victory, an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, author, poet, musician, and creative entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, CA.Ross Victory Social Sciences
Episodes
  • S3.E36: Shane Lamba on Being Brown, Bisexual, and a Public Health Leader

    S3.E36: Shane Lamba on Being Brown, Bisexual, and a Public Health Leader
    May 19 2026
    Health Equity Researcher Shane Lamba on Bisexual South Asian Identity, the DL, & Living in the In-BetweenWhat does it mean to exist in the in-between, culturally, sexually, professionally, and still choose to show up fully, refusing to collapse yourself into someone else's framework?In this episode of Embracing All of Me, Ross sits down with Shane Lamba, health equity researcher, program evaluator, and host of Chai Me a River, for a conversation that moves between humor, identity, and data-backed truth. Shane unpacks what it's been like navigating life as a South Asian, Indian, bisexual man in spaces that often expect you to choose one version of yourself — and why he refuses to.From growing up in California to working at the intersections of sexuality, gender, disability, and healthcare access, Shane explores the layered realities behind both his research and his lived experience: the emotional weight behind the data, the hidden barriers in LGBTQ+ healthcare, and the difference between being closeted, "DL," discreet, or fully seen, and how those narratives shape stigma around bisexual men.We get into:What it means to not feel "enough" — culturally or queerly — and how that shapes identity formation for South Asian bi+ peopleThe hidden barriers in healthcare for LGBTQ+ and disabled communities — and why access isn't just about policies, it's about being seenThe difference between being closeted, "DL," discreet, and fully visible — and how those labels impact stigma, mental health, and relationship dynamics for bisexual menHow humor can be a tool for processing identity and challenging norms without softening the critiqueWhy representation — especially for bisexual and South Asian voices — still matters, even when it feels like we've "moved past" that conversationThe real-life impact of health inequities and what it takes to create spaces where people feel safe, seen, and supportedAnd yes, we get into it: "You don't want a DL man, you want a fantasy!"But beyond the soundbite, this episode is about learning to embrace every part of who you are, the researcher, the podcaster, the bisexual South Asian man, even when the world tries to simplify you personally and professionally.About Shane Lamba:Shane Lamba is a health equity researcher whose work focuses on sexuality, gender, disability, and access to care. His research has been published in JAMA, American Journal of Public Health, and LGBT Health. He is also the host of Chai Me a River, where he explores his brown and bisexual identity with humor, honesty, and unfiltered perspective.Connect with Shane:Podcast: Chai Me a RiverInstagram: @chaimeriverpod | @shanelamba21Learn More:Embracing All of Me is a storytelling and advocacy platform for the multi, complex, and in-between, uplifting the voices of Bi+ people of color, our kin and friends.Website: https://embracingallofme.orgEmail: stories@embracingallofme.orgInstagram: @embracingallofmeeTake Action:Contribute a written piece to Embracing All of MeBook a Creative Consult with Ross VictoryTopics: Shane Lamba, Chai Me a River, bisexual South Asian identity, health equity, LGBTQ+ healthcare, Indian bisexual men, disability and healthcare access, DL men, down low, closeted vs discreet, bisexual stigma, South Asian representation, queer South Asian voices, BIPOC health disparities, sexuality and gender research, bisexual mental health
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    46 mins
  • S3.E35: Self-Publishing Secrets, Identity, and the Stories We Carry with Isaac Grijalva

    S3.E35: Self-Publishing Secrets, Identity, and the Stories We Carry with Isaac Grijalva
    May 12 2026

    Writer & EMT Isaac Grijalva on 6½ Days in the City, Bisexual Identity & Self-Publishing Secrets

    What does it mean to tell your story when you're still becoming, when the shape of who you are hasn't fully settled, but the need to write it down refuses to wait?


    In this episode of Embracing All of Me, Ross sits down with Isaac Grijalva, writer, EMT, and author of 6½ Days in the City, to explore identity, self-discovery, and the unglamorous realities of self-publishing as a bi+ non-binary Latinx author. Isaac shares how writing began as a form of therapy during a turbulent childhood, and how those experiences shaped his debut novel, a story that refuses to soften the edges around family, generational trauma, hookup culture, and the search for meaningful connection when you don't yet know what "meaningful" looks like for you.


    We get into:

    • ​What it feels like to be unseen by the people closest to you, and how that invisibility shapes the stories you need to tell


    • ​The tension between family loyalty and becoming yourself, especially when those two things don't align


    • ​How bisexual and non-binary identity shapes storytelling, not just as subject matter, but as narrative structure and voice


    • ​The truth about hookup culture and emotional intimacy, what we're actually looking for when we say we're "just having fun"


    • ​Self-publishing tips, scams to avoid, and hard-won lessons for new authors navigating an industry designed to exploit desperation and talent


    • ​Why "AI can write, but it doesn't have a voice" — and what that means for anyone trying to create something that matters


    Whether you're a writer working up the courage to publish, a creative navigating your own identity, or someone still figuring out how to tell your story without apologizing for it, this conversation is a reminder that your story matters — and you're not alone in figuring it out.


    About Isaac Grijalva:Isaac Grijalva is a writer and EMT whose debut novel, 6½ Days in the City, explores family, identity, and the search for connection through the lens of bisexual and non-binary experience. Writing as therapy turned into storytelling as resistance, and now, as craft.


    Connect with Isaac:Website: isaacgrijalvabooks.com


    Learn More:Embracing All of Me is a storytelling and advocacy platform for the multi, complex, and in-between, uplifting the voices of Bi+ people of color, our kin and friends.Website: https://embracingallofme.orgEmail: stories@embracingallofme.orgInstagram: @embracingallofmee


    Take Action:

    • ​Contribute a written piece to Embracing All of Me
    • ​Book a Creative Consult with Ross Victory


    Topics: Isaac Grijalva, 6½ Days in the City, bisexual author, non-binary author, Latinx authors, Queer Latinx writers, self-publishing, LGBTQ+ fiction, bi+ storytelling, generational trauma, hookup culture, emotional intimacy, family dynamics, writing as healing, creative storytelling, self-publishing tips, indie publishing, bisexual identity, non-binary identity, queer literature


    https://www.millionpodcasts.com/bisexual-podcasts/
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    30 mins
  • S3.E34: From Fan Fiction to Frontlines: Bi+ Identity and Activism in Italy with Aurelio Castro

    S3.E34: From Fan Fiction to Frontlines: Bi+ Identity and Activism in Italy with Aurelio Castro
    May 5 2026

    What does it mean to truly embrace a fluid identity in a world that demands certainty? And why does bisexual visibility so often arrive without the protection it promises?

    In this episode, Aurelio Castro, bi+ activist, researcher, and co-organizer of Italy's first bi+ Pride, joins Embracing All of Me to unpack the lived realities of bisexuality: not just as attraction, but as a cultural lens and political resistance to systems built on binaries.


    Together, we explore two provocations that reframe bi+ identity work:


    1. Visibility without protection can become a burden — representation alone doesn't keep us safe


    2. Bisexual identity challenges societal systems, not just who we're attracted to — fluidity dismantles the binary at a structural level


    Aurelio shares their journey from rejection in early queer spaces to building transnational bi+ organizing infrastructure, bridging academia and activism along the way. This is a conversation about embodying identity, not proving it — a reminder that self-embrace isn't about certainty, but about refusing to collapse yourself into someone else's framework.


    In This Episode:


    • Why bisexual visibility politics often fail bi+ people (and what actually creates safety)
    • How Aurelio went from navigating biphobia to organizing Italy's first bisexual Pride
    • The role of academic research in bi+ activism — and why lived experience can't be separated from theory
    • What it means to resist erasure by refusing the binary, not by arguing for inclusion within it
    • How to trust fluid identity in a culture obsessed with fixed categories


    This conversation is for anyone navigating fluid identity, questioning the limits of visibility politics, or seeking a deeper understanding of what it means to resist erasure, not by fitting in, but by refusing the binary altogether.


    Connect with Aurelio Castro:
    https://www.bisexualresearch.com/


    Take Action:

    • Contribute a written piece to Embracing All of Me
    • Book a Creative Consult with Ross Victory


    Learn more: https://embracingallofme.org
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/embracingallofmee
    YouTube: https://youtube.com/@embracingallofme

    Contact us: stories@embracingallofme.org


    Keywords: bisexual identity, bi+ activism, bisexuality, fluid identity, biphobia, homophobia, Italy bi Pride, LGBT Italty bisexual visibility, bisexual organizing, queer activism, Aurelio Castro, Italian researchers, binary resistance, bi erasure, LGBTQ+ identity politics
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    46 mins
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