SoCal Voices

Angela Ross
  • 5.0 (21)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

SoCal Voices is an award-winning podcast about navigating life in Southern California. Beyond the stunning coastline, great weather, and endless calendar of world-class events and experiences, other realities exist: High cost of living. Soul-crushing commutes. The pressure of hustle culture. The quiet ache for connection and purpose in the middle of all this sprawl. SoCal Voices is your companion through it all. Creator and host Angela Ross explores insightful conversations with guests offering real talk, local wisdom, and honest inspiration to help you navigate life in this one-of-a-kind place. Because Southern California isn’t just a dream. It’s a real place, and you deserve to feel grounded in it. SoCal Voices. Real talk in the land of dreams.

  1. APR 2

    Inland Empire Community News: Filling the Local News Gap

    Corporate buyouts and downsizing have reduced budgets and staff in newsrooms across SoCal, leaving community issues underreported and community members less informed. But some independent journalists are stepping up to fill the void, including Manny Sandoval, owner, editor, and publisher of Inland Empire Community News. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Sandoval talks about IECN's community impact, his approach to covering news in a changing media landscape, the personal circumstances that led him to journalism, the role of individual citizens in ensuring community issues receive coverage, and his long-term goals for Inland Empire Community News.  Resources Inland Empire Community News Enjoy this episode? Leave SoCal Voices a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts or socalvoices.com. Join the SoCal Voices Email List. Stay up-to-date on all things SoCal Voices! Sign up for our email list. To thank you for signing up, we’ll send you our free audio mini-series Five Ways to Live Well in SoCal Without Losing Your Mind. Quick tips sent straight to your inbox to help you stretch your budget, manage your commute, and find belonging in SoCal. Follow SoCal Voices on Instagram @socalvoices Support SoCal Voices. Thank you for listening. Support SoCal Voices Podcast. Your contributions help us continue bringing you quality content about navigating life in Southern California. It’s easy! Just click the link below: Support the show

    27 min

  2. MAR 19

    Get Your Money Right in SoCal

    If you feel like you're doing everything right and it still isn't enough to get ahead financially in Southern California, what you're about to hear may help. In this episode of SoCal Voices, host Angela Ross sits down with personal finance expert Lissa Lumutenga, who has built a reputation for helping people think differently about money, wealth, and survival in systems that weren't designed with the middle class in mind. We're talking real strategies for thriving in one of the most expensive regions of the country, and what it actually takes to build financial stability in SoCal.  Resources Visit Lissa Lumutenga's website. Enjoy this episode? Leave SoCal Voices a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts or socalvoices.com. Join the SoCal Voices Email List. Thank you for listening! Support SoCal Voices Podcast. Your contributions help us continue to bring you quality content about navigating life in Southern California. It’s easy! Just click the Support link below: Support the show

    27 min

  3. MAR 5

    Can We Build Affordable Housing in SoCal?

    Southern California is famous for sunshine, beaches, and opportunity but it's also known for a harsh reality. For far too many people, housing here feels out of reach. In this episode of SoCal Voices, host Angela Ross sits down with Emily Ramirez of the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing. Ramirez breaks down why it's so expensive to build affordable housing in SoCal, where well-intended policy goes wrong, and what has to change so that Southern California is a place where people of modest means can afford to live.  Resources: Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing Leave a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts or socalvoices.com. Join the SoCal Voices Email List Thank you for listening! Support SoCal Voices Podcast. Your contributions help us continue to bring you quality content about navigating life in Southern California. It’s easy! Just click this link: Support the show

    29 min

  4. FEB 19

    Race, Gender, Class & the History of the Movie Awards

    SoCal is the epicenter of the entertainment industry and award season is in full swing. While many focus on the glamor and festivities, film and media historian Monica Sandler  views the movie awards industry through a different lens. In her forthcoming book, The Oscar Industry: Creative Labor, Cultural Production, and the Awards System in Media Industry, Sandler looks at how the Academy Awards have built and sustained Hollywood's class, gender and racial hierarchies. As award season takes shape, Sandler's insight into the history and development of movie awards season will broaden your perspective about this Hollywood tradition and what comes next. Visit Monica Sandler's website Leave a 5-Star Review on our website or on Apple Podcasts. Keep up with all things SoCal Voices! Join the SoCal Voices Email List. Thank you for listening! Support SoCal Voices Podcast. Your contributions help us continue to bring you quality content about navigating life in Southern California. It’s easy! Just click this link: Support the show

    32 min

  5. FEB 5

    Why the Health of Native Bees Matters in SoCal

    Krystle Hickman is a community scientist, photographer, National Geographic Explorer and one of the few Black women working in the conservation space. In her book The ABC’s of California’s Native Bees, she’s helping the non-scientists among us develop a greater appreciation for the important role native bees play in keeping our food systems strong, our landscapes more resilient and our own health as humans in SoCal more secure. In this episode of SoCal Voices, Hickman shares insights about her journey into conservation, the sometimes challenging experience of writing her book, and improvements she'd like to see in environmental policy to help us all co-exist more harmoniously with nature. Leave a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts or socalvoices.com. Join the SoCal Voices Email List Thank you for listening! Support SoCal Voices Podcast. Your contributions help us continue to bring you quality content about navigating life in Southern California. It’s easy! Just click this link: Support the show

    25 min

  6. JAN 22

    Ashes to Films - A Year After the LA Fires

    A year ago, Shiloh Strong launched Ashes to Films, a nonprofit organization to help members of the creative community impacted by the Eaton and Palisades fires rebuild their lives. I sat down with him and filmmaker Eric Dyson, whose heartening documentary, Altadena: The Heart, The Art. The Soul, was showcased at the recent Ashes to Films festival. They share how, in just one year, Ashes to Films has gone from idea to impact, proving recovery is about more than rebuilding structures. It’s also about rebuilding the spirit. In this episode of SoCal Voices, you’ll hear what they’ve accomplished, who they’ve lifted up, and why their work matters now more than ever. Shiloh Strong and Ashes to Films. Eric Dyson. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-Star Review for SoCal Voices on Apple Podcasts or socalvoices.com. Stay up-to-date on all things SoCal Voices: Join the SoCal Voices Email List. Thanks for listening. We'd also appreciate your support. Your contributions help us continue to bring you quality content about navigating life in Southern California. It’s easy! Just click the link below: Support the show

    31 min

  7. 12/04/2025

    Dr. Disneyland, Walt's Wisdom & the Power of Belief

    Southern Californians know a thing or two about chasing sunshine and big dreams, and there’s no better example of that spirit than the man who created the happiest place on earth.  In this episode of SoCal Voices, you’ll hear from Dr. Disneyland, also known as Jeff Barnes, the author, speaker, and founder of The Wisdom of Walt. He shares how exploring Walt Disney’s life reshaped his own journey. He unpacks what it really means to build your own reality and why those “wild” ideas you’re afraid to say out loud might be exactly what puts your world on a whole new path. Resources thewisdomofwalt.com  Enjoy the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts or socalvoices.com. Join the SoCal Voices email list and receive our free mini-audio series, 5 Ways to Live Well in SoCal (without losing your mind). Follow SoCal Voices on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn @socalvoices. Follow Host Angela Ross on LinkedIn. Thank you for listening! Support SoCal Voices Podcast. Your contributions help us continue to bring you quality content about navigating life in Southern California. It’s easy! Just click this link: Support the show

    22 min

  8. 11/20/2025

    Beating Burnout in SoCal Hustle Culture

    Southern California is filled with overachievers. Without some balance and healthy practices, the relentless drive to accomplish more can leave us feeling like we're running on fumes. Licensed marriage and family therapist Laurel van der Toorn of Los Angeles specializes in helping high achieving professionals overcome burnout and improve their mental well-being. In this episode of SoCal Voices, she shares how burnout sneaks into the bodies and minds of high performers and what it really takes to heal. From simple mindset shifts to redefining success beyond achievement, this conversation might help you find the balance you need to thrive without losing your edge. Resources Laurel Therapy Collective  Enjoy the Show? Join our community! Leave a 5-Star Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or socalvoices.com.Join the SoCal Voices email list and receive our free mini-audio series, 5 Ways to Live Well in SoCal (without losing your mind).Shop SoCal Voices BookshelfFollow SoCal Voices on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn @socalvoices.Follow Host Angela Ross on LinkedIn.Support SoCal Voices Your financial support ensures we can keep producing content that helps you thrive in Southern California. Thanks for helping us keep the mic on! Support the show

    27 min
See All (154)

5
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

SoCal Voices is an award-winning podcast about navigating life in Southern California. Beyond the stunning coastline, great weather, and endless calendar of world-class events and experiences, other realities exist: High cost of living. Soul-crushing commutes. The pressure of hustle culture. The quiet ache for connection and purpose in the middle of all this sprawl. SoCal Voices is your companion through it all. Creator and host Angela Ross explores insightful conversations with guests offering real talk, local wisdom, and honest inspiration to help you navigate life in this one-of-a-kind place. Because Southern California isn’t just a dream. It’s a real place, and you deserve to feel grounded in it. SoCal Voices. Real talk in the land of dreams.

Information

  • Creator
    Angela Ross
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    154
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SoCal Voices
  • Show Website
    SoCal Voices