Christian Martinez “Poeta Galctico”

Christian Martinez, also known as “Poeta Galactico,” is an educator, artist, and innovator. He is also the founder of The Swim Good Brand and the cofounder of Latitude High School. He is from the deep East Oakland area of California.

Christian paints his story for us of what it was like growing up in deep east Oakland, yearning for a sense of belonging but never quite feeling like he fit in. He knew he thrived as a creator and enjoyed dancing; however, his dreams were cut short when he was shot in middle school. Working through one setback after another, Christian found success and fulfillment. Today Christian uses his lifes experience to connect with others who, as he likes to say, “come from the mud," and know about the hustle and struggle.

In this episode, Christians delves into his relentless journey of giving back to his community by becoming an educator and teaching outside of the bounds of a traditional education experience. Christian also shares with us his take on the art of being a cofounder and tapping into his creative process.

“No matter where you are in this ocean called life, you are going to be okay if you swim well. Never give up on yourself."

The music for this episode was composed by Humans Win, and the podcast editing was done by Bill Fires.