Java with Jamie: 'Unfolding' with Arielle Estoria
Jamie Yuccas sits down with model, actress and author Arielle Estoria to talk about her new book, where she is "unfolding," and she wants you to join her.
Arielle Estoria knows her way around Highlight Coffee in Pasadena. She recommends the orange vanilla latte. Each flavor reveals itself, which is what Estoria does in her new book.
We got her to read a few excerpts from her latest creation, "The Unfolding: An Invitation to Come Home to Yourself."
The Pasadena resident started sharing her art while she attended Azusa Pacific University. She became a voice for self-love, empowerment and spiritual self-discovery for creatives in the San Gabriel Valley.
She gained 100,000 followers on social media because of her impactful words and poetry on Instagram and TikTok.
"I say there's definitely an untethering that happens when you're writing. For the most part, for me, the writing is healing for me," said Estoria. "But there's a lot of tears during this process. It's probably one of the most raw and vulnerable pieces I've written."
Estoria's realness also became a pivotal voice as the Black Lives Matter protests organized around the U.S. following George Floyd's death.
From Estoria's spoken word to her writings, she sees each as part of her journey to get comfortable in her own skin.
"I'm a Black woman in this world. I'm a Black woman artist in this world," said Estoria. "Finding space to deal with the nuances of who we are, and the complexities of who we are as human is where I think we get the most limited. So being able to tap into, 'I don't fit into this box, I'm not made to actually fit into this box' is really important."
Her art is honest and powerful, and it's also beautiful. She's started modeling for brands who fit who she is, and she knows her audience is women searching for deeper meaning in their lives.
Arielle Estoria says she is not an overnight success. A transplant from the Bay Area, she found herself teaching, nannying, even instructing prisoners how to write poetry from their jail cells, before gaining national attention for her work in 2020.
"I think as long as we are alive and breathing and human, we will continue to shift and change. And I talk about how our cells change almost every 30 seconds, and so we right now are already not the people we were when we walked in this room," said Estoria.
And she points out, we shouldn't want to be.
"It's OK to grow and evolve, it's OK to look different, than what you've been raised with and with what you've been conditioned to believe," said Estoria.
Like a flower, what could be better than growing and blossoming into our true authentic selves?
Best-selling author Glennon Doyle calls Estoria's work "both a galvanizing wake-up call and a tender lullaby."
