Episode 16 – Rediscovering Culture, Family, and Identity Through Grief w/ Jean Carlo Martinez

In this episode, Dana Daugherty invites her guest Jean Carlo Martinez to explore how loss and grief opened up deep exploration of himself, his family, and his Latino identity. For Jean, he found that grief was a way to learn about his family dynamics and history and to reclaim his Guatemalan roots and culture. The loss of his father sparked different grief reactions in his family, which unearthed hard truths and realities that were always there. In this conversation, we talk about the influence of narratives he grew up with around masculinity and Latino identity in processing grief and how his process reconnected him with his Guatemalan roots and the land. has set him on a path of connecting his rediscovery and reconnecting with Latino identity, specifically as a second-generation Guatemalan immigrant.

Jean Carlo Martinez is a second-generation Guatemalan immigrant, the youngest of five brothers, and a son of Queens, New York. A theopoet shaped by faith, migration, and memory, he writes about belonging and the sacred stories carried in city streets and family histories. Rooted in contemplative and monastic rhythms, he seeks a life ordered by prayer, presence, and justice. He works in immigration law with undocumented children, advocating for dignity and protection at the fragile intersections of policy and hope. He is also the proud owner of a dog named Franklin.

You can find Jean on Instagram @Jeancito__19, on Substack at jeancarlo19.substack.com, or send him an email at Jeanm973@gmail.com.