From Homeless to Hope

In this powerful episode of Parenting With Passion, host Cecilia Holguin sits down with Roy Juarez Jr., an internationally recognized speaker and advocate, to share his journey from childhood homelessness to hope, healing, and purpose. Roy opens up about resilience, the impact of trauma, and the life‑changing role of education, community, and never giving up. This heartfelt conversation offers parents encouragement, perspective, and practical inspiration on how love, connection, and support can break cycles of trauma and help families—and communities—heal and grow.

Music by DayFox from Pixabay -  Salangseuleoun

Transcript

From Homeless to Hope

Intro music

[00:00:00]  Cecilia: Hello and welcome back to Parenting With Passion, the podcast where we embrace the journey of raising children with heart, hope, and a whole lot of love. I'm your host, Cecilia Holguin, and I'm so glad you're joining me today. We have an extraordinary guest joining us today, Mr. Roy Juarez, Jr. Roy is an internationally recognized speaker and advocate whose journey from homelessness to hope has inspired countless individuals across the country.

His story is one of resilience, determination, and really the true power of education and community support. Today we're gonna dive into Roy's incredible life story, the lessons he's learned along the way, and how he's using his experience to empower others. If you've ever wondered what it takes to overcome adversity and true [00:01:00] challenges into opportunities, then this is the conversation for you.

So let's get started. Roy, welcome to our podcast. 

[00:01:08] Roy: Thank you so much. That is probably the most beautiful introduction I've ever had. 

[00:01:12]  Cecilia: Ah, I love it. 

[00:01:13] Roy: Thank you. Thank you. It's such an honor to be here. 

[00:01:16]  Cecilia: Thank you for joining us. We are so happy to have you. Um, I'd like to start with, can you share a little bit about your childhood and what led to your experience of homelessness?

[00:01:28] Roy: Absolutely. So I grew up in what I would consider a typical home. Uh, my parents, I have at that time two other siblings, and in our home, while there were very, there were moments, there were a lot of happiness, a lot of great times.

[00:01:42]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:01:42] Roy: It was very confusing as a kid, because then there was the opposite. There was a lot of violence in, a lot of yelling and a lot of arguing. Today I consider it a cycle, you know, there would be the violence, then the apology, the making up, and then the violence, the apology, the making up. And after 20 years of marriage, my mom finally said, you know what? I can't do this anymore.

I, I, I want [00:02:00] out, I want a divorce. And my father said, no, you, you're not gonna have a divorce because if I can't have you, no one's gonna have you.

[00:02:05]  Cecilia: Oh.

[00:02:06] Roy: And because of that, as a family, we had to go into hiding. And as we were in hiding, as we were moving from house to house, and every time he would find us, we would lose a little more of, of our things of who we were, of our hope.

[00:02:18]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm. 

[00:02:19] Roy: And eventually he found us. And my mom ended up leaving with her boyfriend. And my two older sisters said, we're out. We want nothing to do with this. They took off with their boyfriends and that left me in a predicament because I was standing there with my little brother and my little sister, and I had to figure out what was I gonna do, and I decided that I was gonna try to take care of them as best as I could.

My little sister was nine and my baby brother was two. 

[00:02:43]  Cecilia: Wow. And how old were you? 

[00:02:45] Roy: I first became homeless at 14. Wow. And then eventually my, my younger siblings. 

[00:02:49]  Cecilia: Wow. 

[00:02:50] Roy: Yeah, it was not easy. 

[00:02:53]  Cecilia: Uh, no, I can only imagine that's.

[00:02:55] Roy: But what's sad is that my story is not unique. You know, there's so [00:03:00] many homeless kids and I think a lot of times people don't realize that homelessness has many different levels There, you have the street kid.

[00:03:06]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:03:06] Roy: You have the kid that's doubled up. You have the families that are living in hotels. Um, so there's many levels of homelessness and it's a hidden minority. One because of shame part partially. Partly because I didn't want anyone to know that I was homeless, right?

[00:03:21]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:03:22] Roy: For many reasons. One, I was embarrassed for my friends, right? But two, I didn't want my parents to get in trouble because regardless of what they did, they were my parents. I loved them, and I just wanted them to love me. 

[00:03:33]  Cecilia: Wow. And how long were you experiencing homelessness? 

[00:03:36] Roy: I was on the street for two and a half years. I was a couch surfer on a and a street kid for two and a half years. I lived out of a bag. 

[00:03:43]  Cecilia: And taking care of two siblings too. Oh my goodness.

[00:03:45] Roy: Well, I was able to find a, a home for my, my baby sister, which was my grandmother. She was, she said, I can take Danielle, but I can't take baby Ray or you. And so I said, that's fine, grandma, just take, uh, Nana, which is what I would call her.

Just take Nana and, and I'll figure it out. Um, [00:04:00] my best friend's aunt, a woman I didn't even know. I just, I just knew that she was my best friend's aunt, but she told my best friend. Tell Roy I'll take his little brother. Oh, but I don't have room for him. And I was like, that's fine. As long as he has a place to sleep, as long as he has a place to eat, I'll figure it out.

So she took my baby brother and I ended up living out of a bag. 

[00:04:18]  Cecilia: Oh my goodness.

[00:04:18] Roy: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was hard. 

[00:04:21]  Cecilia: Wow. I bet. Yeah. Well, what was your most challenging part of that situation of, of being homelessness at such a young age? 

[00:04:27] Roy: You know, I don't think it was even the homelessness itself, that was the hardest part. Um, but I think. The hardest part for me was mentally because it was like, what's wrong with me? Why doesn't anybody want me? Like, what did I do that's so bad? Because when I thought about it, I was like, my grandma doesn't want me. My grandpa doesn't want me. My aunt and uncles don't want me. My mom doesn't want me, my dad, nobody wants me, and the only common denominator with all these people is me.

So I must be really bad. That was the hardest part. 

[00:04:59]  Cecilia: That is so [00:05:00] heartbreaking.

[00:05:00] Roy: Yeah. I know. I still get choked up thinking about it. 

[00:05:03]  Cecilia: Right. That's a lot to overcome at such a young age.

[00:05:07] Roy: Right?

[00:05:07]  Cecilia: Right. So what kept you going during those moments when giving up could have seemed so much easier? 

[00:05:14] Roy: I know that our audience as parents, so I'm gonna share a quick little story with you that, that I might not typically share if, if it's in an audience of youth, but I remember that I was ready to check out.

No one wants me. I'm a burden to everyone, so why even be here? And the house that I was living in had just asked me to leave. So I had my backpack and I'm walking and um, I come over a bridge and I'm standing there, I'm crying. It's the middle of the night. I have nowhere to go. I'm crying and I'm leaning over the bridge and my tears are just falling.

And there's a voice in me that says, jump. Just jump Roy. Nobody wants you anyway. Your mom doesn't want you, your dad, no one wants you. You're a burden to everyone jump. And I just started [00:06:00] crying and crying and crying because I thought, what if I jump? Who's gonna fight for Danielle and Baby Ray? Who's gonna fight for them?

I can't jump because I have to fight for them because no one's fighting for them. And I, I truly believe that my baby brother and my baby sister, without even knowing it saved my life. 

[00:06:17]  Cecilia: Oh, your love for them.

[00:06:18] Roy: My love for them.

[00:06:19]  Cecilia: That is so powerful.

[00:06:20] Roy: Yeah.

[00:06:20]  Cecilia: Well, I am glad you're still here with us today.

[00:06:22] Roy: Thank you. I appreciate it. And so for any parent that may be listening, they may feel that they're not loved, they're not wanted, or though that they may have felt their kids so bad through their kids does don't want them. That's not true. Your kids have such a deep love for you. Just get up, dust yourself off and keep going.

But you can't give up. You have to keep going. Yes. And the beautiful thing about life is that you don't have to do it alone. I mean, just the fact that you're listening to this podcast is seeking help. And that is amazing. And if you, and if you're at a place that, that you're not thinking about that, but someone comes to mind, share this podcast with them to encourage 'em.

Don't give up. Life gets better. But you do have to put in the work. 

[00:06:59]  Cecilia: Yes. [00:07:00] Just show up.

[00:07:01] Roy: That's right.

[00:07:01]  Cecilia: Show up. What are any specific people or resources or really churning points that helped you survive and move forward? 

[00:07:11] Roy: Two things that come to my mind instantly is adopting a life model. Uh, so for me, even as a homeless kid, I didn't realize that this is what it was.

But I remember, a man had hired me to dig a ditch for him and I needed money. I'm a, I'm a, I'm a teenager, I'm a homeless teenager. So I'm digging this ditch in Texas. It's hot. And what he was doing was he was creating this beautiful backyard with a, um, like a racetrack for this. His kids had a go-kart because he was dying.

[00:07:42]  Cecilia: Oh.

[00:07:42] Roy: He was terminal. And so he was trying to create this backyard to leave for his children. And as I'm out there with him digging this ditch, creating this beautiful backyard, I look through the window of the house and I see his kids sitting inside playing video games. That was just a huge aha moment for me because I was like, [00:08:00] his time is limited and I'm building this with him and they're in there playing video games.

[00:08:08]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:08:08] Roy: Right. Which was so interesting to me. So I, I learned to take moments. Not to take them lightly. Every moment I have, this might be my last one. And so I try my best to, to to use that moment. So I developed this model when I was a kid saying one more day. Because when I wanted to give our life got really hard.

I would just say, Roy, one more day, because tomorrow it's gonna probably be better. I have to be here to see it. Just one more day, Roy. Just one more day. Just one more day. And so literally my email at the time was, uh, roy_OneMoreDay@yahoo.com.

[00:08:39]  Cecilia: Oh wow.

[00:08:40] Roy: Back in the day. Um.

[00:08:43]  Cecilia: You lived it.

[00:08:44] Roy: Yeah.

[00:08:44]  Cecilia: Absolutely.

[00:08:45] Roy: The second one was, when you find the good people in your life, don't push 'em away and allow those walls to come down. Because we built these walls without realizing it to protect our heart so that we don't wanna hurt again. Um. But when you find the [00:09:00] good people, does that mean they're gonna be perfect?

Absolutely not. No one's perfect. But if you find people who are willing to help you and not expect anything from you, don't push those people away. Allow them to help you. We all need each other in this life. 

[00:09:14]  Cecilia: Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. What role did education, mentorship, or even your community play in your journey?

[00:09:23] Roy: Oh, that is such a good question. And it's a, it's a big question.

[00:09:26]  Cecilia: It is.

[00:09:26] Roy: I'm gonna start with, um, education. You know, I had dropped outta high school, right? 'cause I, I never knew what side of town I was gonna live in. I don't even know if I was gonna be in the same town. So, I loved going to school because it gave me a place to be for a long time, and it gave me food to eat.

So I loved being at school. I did not like being at school when my clothes weren't clean because I didn't wanna be made fun of. 

[00:09:47]  Cecilia: Yeah. 

[00:09:47] Roy: So, but when I finally made it through high school and I'm in college, the first thing I do is I start taking a bunch of psychology classes. Not because I wanted to study psychology, but because I wanted to figure out what the heck happened to my [00:10:00] family, what happened to them, what's wrong with me because I'm the bad one, you know?

And then how can I fix this? And I wasn't even really thinking about how can I help others yet, but. I think what happened was my education taught me to separate the illness from the person or the people. And when it comes to my mom, I love my mom. I can separate her trauma, her brokenness from my mom. I love my mom.

I was gonna try to do the best and become the best I could so that my mom can have a better life. And I truly believe that education gave me my family back.

[00:10:33]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm. 

[00:10:34] Roy: And if it wasn't for.

[00:10:34]  Cecilia: That's beautiful.

[00:10:35] Roy: Education, I don't think it would've led to. 'cause I think that when you get educated and when you learn about the people you love and who they are and where they come from, that then then leads to compassion because you have understanding of where they've been.

[00:10:47]  Cecilia: Yes.

[00:10:47] Roy: And that understanding can then lead to. Forgiveness with boundaries. 

Yeah, I love that. Forgiveness with boundaries. I love that. [00:11:00] I love that. I'm gonna put that on a mug. 

Let's make t-shirts. 

[00:11:03]  Cecilia: Yes. 

[00:11:05] Roy: To support the podcast. Get your t-shirt here today. 

[00:11:09]  Cecilia: I love it. So what advice would you give to parents or caregivers who want to support youth facing similar struggles today?

[00:11:18] Roy: You know, supporting youth is definitely not for the faint of heart, because many of our youth that need the support, that need the, the, the love and the hope and the surrounding of, of good individuals, they already have walls up and they carry lots of trauma. Yeah. You know, I, I think about, I mean, I was in Chicago working and I was working with the gentleman who worked with victims of incest.

And that's a heavy topic. That's why I, for a second, I paused. I was like, do I bring this up or not? But it needs to be discussed. He says, Roy, do you know what the statistics are? I said, no. He goes, one in four.

[00:11:57]  Cecilia: Oh my goodness.

[00:11:57] Roy: So then we were sitting in a restaurant in Chicago and [00:12:00] he looked around and he goes, 1, 2, 3, 4. And he started pointing at people, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 to bring it to life. To bring it to light. And you know, and that's a conversation that it happens in a lot of our communities that we don't discuss. So you're telling me that 25% of society already has a major trauma?

[00:12:21]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:12:21] Roy: And then we think about even divorce, we're more than 50% in, and that they have children that is more trauma. So our society is hurting, they're hurting. And so if we, and especially if we don't know how to communicate, then. We're not gonna help our kids deal with that trauma. So our, our children who now carry this trauma will carry it on to their children and to their children.

[00:12:46]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:12:47] Roy: And to their children. And the only way that this can stop is if we reinvest in our communities and they invest in themselves by going to parent programs such as the ones that you have.

[00:12:57]  Cecilia: Yes.

[00:12:57] Roy: That, that type of situation. This is how [00:13:00] we heal our communities and we have to be intentional with healing our communities. 

[00:13:04]  Cecilia: Yes, we have to break the chain of trauma.

[00:13:06] Roy: We have to. We have to. 

[00:13:07]  Cecilia: Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, there's, there's so many resources and supports out there.

[00:13:13] Roy: Absolutely.

[00:13:14]  Cecilia: You know, parents, I encourage you get on our, our Family Empowerment website. Um, look at the workshops that we have available. A lot of them are Zoom or they're hybrid. So, um, you know, there, there are ways to connect to supports in our community. 

[00:13:28] Roy: And I know in a lot of our communities we're taught, you know, what happens at home stays at home. Which can be very tough because what that truly teaches a child is it teaches them to be silent and how not to use their voice.

And that eventually affects them in every aspect of their, of their life, from their relationships to their career. Because now they don't know how to use their voice. So when they're in a bad relationship, they're not gonna speak up. If they're in a, in a place of employment and they want a raise, but they're not gonna ask for it, they're not gonna speak up.

[00:13:56]  Cecilia: Right?

[00:13:56] Roy: Right. And it all starts at home. However, [00:14:00] if you still have that mindset. You don't want to go get help somewhere by going to a workshop, doing a webinar or anything to that nature. That's fine. Go to a bookstore and get a book. Go online. Just Google it. But you could start to get help today. And it's a journey.

It's not an overnight fix.

[00:14:17]  Cecilia: Absolutely.

[00:14:17] Roy: Life is a journey. 

[00:14:19]  Cecilia: Yes. We're always learning. Right. What does never giving up mean to you now compared to when you were homeless? 

[00:14:26] Roy: Well, if I'm gonna be honest, there are many times I really want to give up. Let's be real.

[00:14:31]  Cecilia: I think everybody has those moments we're just like, I'm done.

[00:14:33] Roy: But the, the secret, I guess here's a life hack here. The secret is how do you put into motion preventative ways to keep you from giving up? What I think about when I did my homeless by choice, where my very first activist work when I graduated college was I was gonna live outta my car circle. The nations spoke to over a hundred thousand kids to inspire them to not give up.

[00:14:53]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:14:53] Roy: So. But it was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. It was even harder being homeless as a kid, because at least as a kid I was [00:15:00] cute.

I digress. Here we go. But when I was on that tour, I literally put into a group, a group text message, friends, and I said, look, your only job as my friend is don't let me give up. That's it. Don't let me give up. And so I had the one friend that would be like, Roy, don't give up. The kids need you. Look at what you're doing.

And then I had the other one was like, suck it up buttercup. Like, what? What's your problem? Right? And I needed both.

[00:15:31]  Cecilia: Right?

[00:15:31] Roy: I needed the raw and I needed the emotional support. But I think that as an adult, even now that I run two companies and I travel the nation or the world, um, I have to put in motion preventative measures that keep me from giving up.

[00:15:47]  Cecilia: Right.

[00:15:47] Roy: So I know that if I tell my story over and over and over and over, I start to get depressed. But being an educated man, now I know that I'm gonna change my style of music. I'm gonna reach out to my friends. I'm gonna open up [00:16:00] my shades to get as much sunlight in as possible so I can get that vitamin D to lift my spirits.

You know, I'm, you know, I'm going to read books. I'm gonna, like I said, change my music because I need to create preventative measures from keeping me, keeping me down. 

[00:16:13]  Cecilia: Right.

[00:16:13] Roy: You know? And sometimes. The preventative measures can even be changing your friends, because tell me who you're hanging out with and I'm gonna tell you what your future looks like.

[00:16:21]  Cecilia: Yes.

[00:16:21] Roy: That's an old, you know, saying that we had growing up, but as an adult it is so true. It is so true. 

[00:16:28]  Cecilia: It is. It really, really is. Looking back, what accomplishments are you most proud of now? 'cause there are many. 

[00:16:36] Roy: I appreciate that. Uh, um. There are many things to be proud of. I'm not gonna lie, I'm, I'm about to release my sixth book. It happens to be a children's book. Um, when I look back to my life from where I started to where I am now, there are many accomplishments. However, my greatest accomplishment would be having my family back. You know, today my mother and I, my biological mother, [00:17:00] um, we're very, very, very close.

[00:17:02]  Cecilia: I love that.

[00:17:02] Roy: Very close. She married, um. The police officer who answered one of our disturbance calls. Yes.

[00:17:08]  Cecilia: Wow.

[00:17:08] Roy: So if you're single, forget match.com. Call 9 1 1. 

[00:17:11]  Cecilia: Oh my gosh.

[00:17:14] Roy: Okay. Don't call 9 1 1 because then we'll get in trouble. You only use that number for emergencies. 

[00:17:19]  Cecilia: Yes, please. But it worked out for your mom, so we're happy about that. 

[00:17:25] Roy: And he's my stepdad. Um, and I love the man. I love the man. You know, I, I think one time he tried to apologize to me. And we were, he said, you know, Roy, when I said to your mom, I didn't want kids, he said, I meant I didn't want any more kids 'cause he has children.

And I could have been bitter and I could have said, really? Then why was I gone for two and a half years on the street? Right? And, um, but in life. We can't be bitter. We have to get better.

[00:17:55]  Cecilia: Yes.

[00:17:55] Roy: Being bitter gets us nowhere. It, it's not gonna do. It has no benefit for our [00:18:00] family, for our future, for our community. We have to be better. 

[00:18:03]  Cecilia: Right? 

[00:18:03] Roy: Um, so I think that my greatest gift would be my education because it gave me my family back. As I mentioned earlier, when I wrote my book, Homeless By Choice, I stood there in front of everyone at my book launch and I said, you know, we're all chasers. We're all chasing something.

Some people are chasing a bigger house. Someone want a faster car, someone a nicer title, someone more zeros on their paycheck. Um, my chase has always been to get my family back and I said, and they're here today. So I'm gonna ask 'em if they're willing. Will my siblings join me on stage and stand in birth order Amy to my left baby Ray on my right.

So my siblings came up, they sit in birth order. I said, if they're willing, will my mom and my stepdad join us and stand to my left? And so they came up and stood, I said, and if he's willing, will my biological dad join us and stand to my right. Right. I still kept them apart. Right. Just in case. Right. But he came up and for the first time [00:19:00] in over 20 something years, I have a picture of my entire family.

And immediately after that picture, my stepdad walked over to my biological dad, put out his hand.

[00:19:09]  Cecilia: Oh, wow.

[00:19:10] Roy: And my dad shook his hand and my siblings and I were like, what just happened?

[00:19:15]  Cecilia: Wow.

[00:19:15] Roy: I have fought so hard for that moment.

[00:19:19]  Cecilia: Yeah. And it could have gone a different way. Didn't give him a warning.

[00:19:22] Roy: It could have gone a different way. But the thing is, he is this. Every time I learned from my mentors, every time I learned something new at, at school, I would rush home to my siblings. And when, when we were together and I'd say, okay, sit at the table. Everyone sit down at the table, and my siblings would sit at the table. I said, let me teach you what I just learned.

No joke. I would literally share with them what I'm learning. I say, okay, now what we're gonna do is we're gonna go around in a circle and I want us to share one thing that we think we're good at and one thing that we need to work on. 

[00:19:50]  Cecilia: I love that. 

[00:19:50] Roy: And so my siblings would be like, okay, Amy, you're really good at this, Amy, but you really gotta work on this.

And they're like, Tammy, you're really good at this, but your attitude, you gotta fix it. Like so like. We would [00:20:00] go around because we wanted to be better people.

[00:20:02]  Cecilia: Yeah.

[00:20:02] Roy: We, we, and we wanted each other. I think too many times we, we let bitterness sit in our heart that that bitterness turns to anger and then turns to hatred and we don't even talk anymore.

And sometimes we don't even know why. We don't talk anymore. We just don't like each other. But it was because that hate was rooted somewhere and we let it grow.

[00:20:19]  Cecilia: Right.

[00:20:19] Roy: We have to be better and never bitter. 

[00:20:22]  Cecilia: I love that. I love that. And in, in a family, when you grow up and there's a lot of anger, right? It almost becomes like a habit.

[00:20:28] Roy: Yes.

[00:20:29]  Cecilia: Right. You don't know anything else.

[00:20:30] Roy: Absolutely.

[00:20:31]  Cecilia: And it is so hard to break that. But you successfully did that for your family and I hope you recognize that you, you did that, you know, yes, you got your family back, but Im sure the positive support that you showed your family has changed them individually as well. So.

[00:20:46] Roy: I appreciate that.

[00:20:47]  Cecilia: I commend you for that.

[00:20:48] Roy: I thank you for that.

[00:20:49]  Cecilia: Yes. 

[00:20:49] Roy: And I will honor them. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink it.

[00:20:54]  Cecilia: Absolutely.

[00:20:55] Roy: However, I learned something called a salt lick. Where, where, where you get [00:21:00] that horse of salt and he gets thirsty and he wants to drink the water.

[00:21:03]  Cecilia: I love that.

[00:21:04] Roy: So sometimes you just need to give your family a salt lick. 

[00:21:07]  Cecilia: I love it. We're gonna have a whole array of shirts with these phrases that you're throwing out. I love it. So share with us some of the exciting projects or initiatives that you're currently working on. So our listeners should know, you know, what's coming out from you.

[00:21:23] Roy: Thank you. I appreciate it. You know, it's, it's crazy because when I was on the road, I would always hear all kinds of things from kids. And one time I was asked Ro, what are you doing to sustain what these kids are listening to after they hear my story.

[00:21:33]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:21:33] Roy: My message. And so I brought together a, a good team. I was actually on a Univision radio when they asked me this. I said, Renzo, I, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just trying to help. This was early in my career.

[00:21:43]  Cecilia: Mm-hmm.

[00:21:44] Roy: So I brought a bunch of, of smart people, uh, together. Teachers, parents, community leaders, and we created a program called Impact. So we've been doing impact across the nation now for many years.

[00:21:56]  Cecilia: Right? 

[00:21:56] Roy: But we just started one called Impact Next Level. So [00:22:00] our kids who now get to travel virtually all around the world, so they visit 10 different countries and they meet leaders from those countries, uh, community leaders. And those leaders get to tell them what it was like for them as a teenager growing up in their country to help give our kids perspective.

[00:22:15]  Cecilia: Wow.

[00:22:16] Roy: From different parts of the country. So we just visited Egypt. We were in Cairo. The young, the, the teacher there was telling the students. Yeah. So during our revolution, we would take turns protecting the, the community and the kid was like, wait, wait. The kids were like, what do you mean, like, protecting your community?

Yeah. So we would stand outside the, our, our community with our guns and, and so that the community can sleep and the kid's like, what are you talking about? He goes. We would stand outside with our guns so that the people can sleep. And then the next day someone else took guard of the community and so.

[00:22:45]  Cecilia: Wow.

[00:22:45] Roy: Their kids were just like, what do you mean? It's just a whole different world that we may not know of.

[00:22:50]  Cecilia: Yeah.

[00:22:51] Roy: But it helps expand our kids' minds.

[00:22:53]  Cecilia: Yes.

[00:22:53] Roy: And, and, and, and travel and see different cultures and understand that we are more alike than we are different.[00:23:00] 

[00:23:00]  Cecilia: Yes.

[00:23:00] Roy: And we need to join together. To help create and make this world a much better place. The other thing that, that we are working on is, um, or we've been doing. It's our program called Literature to Life. And I read in a, I read an article one time that said Latino, African American and other make up less than 7% of new children's book authors every year. And I thought, Hmm, I can change that statistic.

And so since that we, I created Literature to Life. Um, I own a publishing company and, um, we have helped over 300 youth become published authors, co-authors.

[00:23:34]  Cecilia: I love it.

[00:23:34] Roy: And so, uh, we're currently working on 11 books right now. For, for children that are co-authors. Well, so we're gonna induct probably another 150 kids into that.

Um, and then the, the last thing that I'm currently working on is on Thanksgiving, my new book, which, which is my sixth book. Uh, it's a children's book this time called Roy, the Homeless Boy. And so I, this one has been on my mind for like eight years. I remember saying, I [00:24:00] wanna write a book called Roy the Homeless Boy.

But I, I couldn't figure out how to write it because I did not want the homelessness to be the main part. And or I did not want to like scare kids.

[00:24:10]  Cecilia: Right? Yeah. Balance.

[00:24:13] Roy: I, I figured out a way to finally put it together. And so it's, I Roy, the Homeless Boy at the State Fair. It's this, this kid named Roy, right, who carries a backpack just like me.

He has a magic notepad and pen. I had a notepad and pen that I would journal and I was homeless and every night he, he finds a safe place to sleep. He journals about a place he wants to visit. He falls asleep and he wakes up there and then he goes through something. He meets friends along the way because what people don't, what I don't talk about in the book, the children's book, is he's really looking for his family.

But along the way, he meets family. So it's just kind of a reflection of me as a kid.

[00:24:47]  Cecilia: Your journey.

[00:24:48] Roy: My journey. 

[00:24:49]  Cecilia: I love that. 

[00:24:50] Roy: So that comes out on Thanksgiving.

[00:24:51]  Cecilia: I can't wait to read it. I cannot wait to read it. And for our listeners out there, I will have all of this linked on our family empowerment website so you can get your copy.[00:25:00] 

So Roy, thank you so much for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. Your perspective is truly inspiring and gives us so much to think about as we continue working to really strengthen family and community empowerment. So thanks again for listening. And remember parents, you are doing amazing.

You are amazing, and you are raising amazing humans. So take a breath, enjoy the little moments, and we'll see you next time.

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