Native As I Can Be: Between Two Cultures

Geno Ray
  • 4.6 (10)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Native As I Can Be is about identity, story, and survival. I grew up mixed Native and white, and this podcast is where I sit down with people — from wrestlers to artists to healers — who are carving out space for themselves and their communities. Raw, real conversations about finding our place in the void between cultures.

  1. Episode 22: David Velarde Returns, Part Two!

    FEB 8

    Episode 22: David Velarde Returns, Part Two!

    Back once again is my very special guest, David Velarde. David is an actor, screenwriter, and life enthusiast. He’s an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and strives to bring tribal authenticity to his acting roles and screenplays.  We spent our time discussing Natives roles in media, ICE and whatever else popped into our heads. Check it out! YouTube: @davevelarde8261 Instagram: @david.a.velarde.3 Facebook: David Anthony Velarde Geno Ray on the internet: Instagram @thunderlips_pdx @n8ive_as_i_can_be YouTube @ThunderlipsPDX TikTok @thunderlips_pdx Facebook Geno Ray - personal Geno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    46 min
  2. Episode 21: David Velarde Returns! Part One

    FEB 1

    Episode 21: David Velarde Returns! Part One

    Back once again is my very special guest, David Velarde. David is an actor, screenwriter, and life enthusiast. He’s an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and strives to bring tribal authenticity to his acting roles and screenplays.  We spent our time discussing Natives roles in media, ICE and whatever else popped into our heads. Check it out! YouTube: @davevelarde8261 Instagram: @david.a.velarde.3 Facebook: David Anthony Velarde Geno Ray on the internet: Instagram @thunderlips_pdx @n8ive_as_i_can_be YouTube @ThunderlipsPDX TikTok @thunderlips_pdx Facebook Geno Ray - personal Geno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    54 min
  3. Episode 20: Becca Flat, Part Two

    JAN 25

    Episode 20: Becca Flat, Part Two

    Yo! Part two of my interview with Becca Flat is here! Becca Flatt is a Mixed Race, Black and white, closed, domestic infant, interracial adoptee. Becca recently lost her Dad, her birthfather, and her birth sister in the span of 3 months and is currently walking through a massive amount of grief and loss. Her Dad was a major pillar in her life and she is learning to navigate the physical loss of him but not the spiritual loss. We talked about the intersections of race and identity and she reflected on her experiences as an adoptee raised in a mixed-race family, grappling with societal expectations and her own sense of belonging.  Becca on IG:@mending_the_adopted_heart G's particulars:Instagram@thunderlips_pdx@n8ive_as_i_can_beYouTube@ThunderlipsPDXTikTok@thunderlips_pdxFacebookGeno Ray - personalGeno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    50 min
  4. Episode 19: Becca Flat, Part One

    JAN 18

    Episode 19: Becca Flat, Part One

    Yo! Part one of my interview with Becca Flat is here! Becca Flatt is a Mixed Race, Black and white, closed, domestic infant, interracial adoptee. Becca recently lost her Dad, her birthfather, and her birth sister in the span of 3 months and is currently walking through a massive amount of grief and loss. Her Dad was a major pillar in her life and she is learning to navigate the physical loss of him but not the spiritual loss. We talked about the intersections of race and identity and she reflected on her experiences as an adoptee raised in a mixed-race family, grappling with societal expectations and her own sense of belonging.  Becca on IG: @mending_the_adopted_heart G's particulars: Instagram @thunderlips_pdx @n8ive_as_i_can_be YouTube @ThunderlipsPDX TikTok @thunderlips_pdx Facebook Geno Ray - personal Geno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    49 min
  5. Episode 18: Claire Sterling, Part Two

    JAN 11

    Episode 18: Claire Sterling, Part Two

    Episode 18 is here with my very special guest, ClaireSterling. Claire is an Air Force veteran (military police!) and trans woman. We discuss her upbringing surrounded by Satanic panic and religious indoctrination. We touch on her time in the military, gender dysmorphia, secret marriages and the hazards of living inauthentically. Claire Sterling: Instagram @a.rogue.goddess Geno Ray on the internet: Instagram @thunderlips_pdx @n8ive_as_i_can_be YouTube @ThunderlipsPDX TikTok @thunderlips_pdx Facebook Geno Ray - personal Geno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    58 min
  6. Episode 17: Claire Sterling, Part One

    JAN 4

    Episode 17: Claire Sterling, Part One

    Happy New Year! Episode 17 is here with my very special guest, Claire Sterling. Claire is a Air Force veteran (military police!) and trans woman. We discuss her upbringing surrounded by Satanic panic and religious indoctrination. We touch on her time in the military, gender dysmorphia, secret marriages and the hazards of living inauthentically. Geno Ray on the internet: Instagram @thunderlips_pdx @n8ive_as_i_can_be YouTube @ThunderlipsPDX TikTok @thunderlips_pdx Facebook Geno Ray - personal Geno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    1h 2m

  7. 12/28/2025

    Episode 16: Uncle Bill Ray, Part Two

    Here we are, back for part two of my interview with my Uncle Bill! He’s an enrolled member of The Klamath Tribes who grew up on a historic 160-acre homestead in Estacada, Oregon. He spent time in Germany serving his country in the US Army, has a degree in art education and is a 2x cancer survivor. Uncle Bill was also part of a tribal committee who worked to restore federal recognition to the Klamath tribe. I did something a little different for this episode. We recorded our original interview in November, and then he came by Hungry Bear Studios about a month later to show me some of the various beadwork and other things he has created over the years. I was having as helluva time editing this into the existing footage, so you will notice a lack of captions, the audio is up and down, etc. I am going to be working with a new editing program for the next episode to see if it helps. I was hella frustrated by then end of the process, basically gave up and published it as is. Geno Ray on the internet:Instagram@thunderlips_pdx@n8ive_as_i_can_beYouTube@ThunderlipsPDXTikTok@thunderlips_pdxFacebookGeno Ray - personalGeno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    47 min
  8. Episode 15: Uncle Bill Ray, Part One

    12/21/2025

    Episode 15: Uncle Bill Ray, Part One

    In this episode, I sit down with my uncle Bill Ray and record an oral history — a life lived across a lot of different worlds. He’s an enrolled member of The Klamath Tribes who grew up on a historic 160-acre homestead in Estacada, Oregon. He spent time in Germany serving his country in the US Army, has a degree in art education and is a 2x cancer survivor. Uncle Bill was also part of a tribal committee who worked to restore federal recognition to the Klamath tribe. We talk about land, identity, service, education, relationships, and what it’s like to move through all these spaces while staying grounded in who you are. Geno Ray on the internet: Instagram @thunderlips_pdx @n8ive_as_i_can_be YouTube @ThunderlipsPDX TikTok @thunderlips_pdx Facebook Geno Ray - personal Geno Ray Nativeasicanbe - show page

    44 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Native As I Can Be is about identity, story, and survival. I grew up mixed Native and white, and this podcast is where I sit down with people — from wrestlers to artists to healers — who are carving out space for themselves and their communities. Raw, real conversations about finding our place in the void between cultures.

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