Gabrielle Piceno

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Welcome to a new series from What’s Good in the Neighborhood—Soul Care and Leadership. In this opening episode, we set the stage for a timely and necessary conversation about what it means to lead from a healthy soul. We’ll explore the rhythms that sustain emotionally healthy leadership, how to navigate conflict without burning out, and why recovery, spiritual practices, and deep friendships aren’t luxuries—they’re lifelines. Whether you’re leading in a church, a nonprofit, or just trying to be a steady presence in your community, this series invites you to go deeper, get honest, and rediscover the “good” in the neighborhoods we serve and in the souls we lead from.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Today Andrew and Grace get to chat with local advocate and activist, Ariana Martinez-Lott who spent over ten years in advocacy work and real time relationships with undocumented folks here in Fresno County. Ariana brings real world insight and authentic experience to the conversation. Ariana talks about staying positive, seeing the current situation as an opportunity, and staying curious.

Serving as a consultant and engaged community member for local initiatives, Ariana Martinez Lott leverages her cross-sector relationships to strengthen resident-led transformation in Fresno. In her previous role as Community Relations Director for City of Fresno District 3, Ariana led policy analysis, managed district projects, and proudly helped residents navigate complex issues. An avid thrifter, she spends her spare time smothering her two children with kisses, or trying (relentlessly) to convince her husband to let her bring home more plantitas.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Andrew hangs out today with Mark Bowers of World Relief on the podcast. Mark describes how his own personal journey led him to a life on the margins with refugees and immigrants. Mark and Andrew discuss the Church’s role and responsibility to the immigrant, how World Relief is addressing and responding to the recent policy changes, and how you can learn and get involved with refugees in your own neighborhood.

J. Mark Bowers serves as Sr. Training Advisor for World Relief where his team builds tools for refugee and immigrant ministry in The Workshop. When the screens are powered down, Mark runs a housing business for immigrant families in East Lake—an under-resourced neighborhood where his own family lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Andrew sits down with Mariana Diaz, of Mennonite Central Committee West Coast, to talk about not only her personal story of immigration, but local immigration policies, ways to navigate and learn the system, and how to be a better neighbor to our local undocumented community.

Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!

Considering our current cultural moment, Andrew and Grace process the current administration’s philosophy on immigration in light of ENP values and point of view.

The two discuss how their personal faith is intersecting with the issue of immigration, and frame up for listeners why we’re taking a pause to learn from experts who have dedicated their lives or careers to people who live in the shadows of citizenship.