080: Yvonne Castaneda, Mental Health Professional & Boston College Faculty Member

Boston Speaks Up

Yvonne Castaneda is a licensed mental health professional and part-time faculty member at Boston College School of Social Work where she teaches courses such as Basic Skills in Clinical Social Work and Social Welfare Systems. Born in Los Angeles, Castaneda spent much of her childhood in Miami. Her parents were immigrants to the United States – her father from Cuba and her mother from Mexico. Her parents never had formal schooling, but they emphasized the importance of education and work ethic. Castaneda has never shied away from the challenge of a new job. Throughout her life, she has worked as a waitress, bartender, schoolteacher, operations manager, personal trainer, fitness center manager, linguist and translator for the Department of Justice and DHS (DEA, USCIS and FBI), social worker, yoga teacher, and life coach. In 2005, Castaneda began her career in fitness with Equinox Fitness in Miami Beach and within a few years, Castaneda was promoted to Personal Training Manager. In 2010, she took a leadership role with The Sports Club/LA, which ultimately brought her to New England to be the General Manager of the SCLA in Boston, one of the more high-end gyms in the city. She has also worked as a General Manager for Healthworks Fitness. Castaneda dealt with mental challenges throughout her young adult life, and thought often about how to embrace her vulnerabilities to help others. She describes her challenges as “severe mental health issues, addiction and an eating disorder for roughly twenty years,” all of which ultimately became the driving force that brought her to the field of mental health. In addition to her role at Boston College, Castaneda is a licensed clinician (LICSW), and the author of the book, Pork Belly Tacos with a Side of Anxiety, which chronicles the struggles she had throughout her life. She wrote this book for young adults, specifically children of immigrants who struggle with the identity conflict found at the intersection of cultural norms and white American societal expectations. In this episode, Castaneda dives headfirst into her story, inspiration for writing her book, the many lessons she’s learned across her wide range of experiences throughout her life, and so much more. Her willingness to open up and embrace vulnerability was jaw-dropping and we are so honored to have her on the show.