Writer & EMT Isaac Grijalva on 6½ Days in the City, Bisexual Identity & Self-Publishing Secrets

What does it mean to tell your story when you're still becoming, when the shape of who you are hasn't fully settled, but the need to write it down refuses to wait?

In this episode of Embracing All of Me, Ross sits down with Isaac Grijalva, writer, EMT, and author of 6½ Days in the City, to explore identity, self-discovery, and the unglamorous realities of self-publishing as a bi+ non-binary Latinx author. Isaac shares how writing began as a form of therapy during a turbulent childhood, and how those experiences shaped his debut novel, a story that refuses to soften the edges around family, generational trauma, hookup culture, and the search for meaningful connection when you don't yet know what "meaningful" looks like for you.

We get into:

• ​What it feels like to be unseen by the people closest to you, and how that invisibility shapes the stories you need to tell

• ​The tension between family loyalty and becoming yourself, especially when those two things don't align

• ​How bisexual and non-binary identity shapes storytelling, not just as subject matter, but as narrative structure and voice

• ​The truth about hookup culture and emotional intimacy, what we're actually looking for when we say we're "just having fun"

• ​Self-publishing tips, scams to avoid, and hard-won lessons for new authors navigating an industry designed to exploit desperation and talent

• ​Why "AI can write, but it doesn't have a voice" — and what that means for anyone trying to create something that matters

Whether you're a writer working up the courage to publish, a creative navigating your own identity, or someone still figuring out how to tell your story without apologizing for it, this conversation is a reminder that your story matters — and you're not alone in figuring it out.

About Isaac Grijalva:Isaac Grijalva is a writer and EMT whose debut novel, 6½ Days in the City, explores family, identity, and the search for connection through the lens of bisexual and non-binary experience. Writing as therapy turned into storytelling as resistance, and now, as craft.

Connect with Isaac:Website: isaacgrijalvabooks.com

Learn More:Embracing All of Me is a storytelling and advocacy platform for the multi, complex, and in-between, uplifting the voices of Bi+ people of color, our kin and friends.Website: https://embracingallofme.orgEmail: stories@embracingallofme.orgInstagram: @embracingallofmee

Take Action:

• ​Contribute a written piece to Embracing All of Me
• ​Book a Creative Consult with Ross Victory

Topics: Isaac Grijalva, 6½ Days in the City, bisexual author, non-binary author, Latinx authors, Queer Latinx writers, self-publishing, LGBTQ+ fiction, bi+ storytelling, generational trauma, hookup culture, emotional intimacy, family dynamics, writing as healing, creative storytelling, self-publishing tips, indie publishing, bisexual identity, non-binary identity, queer literature

https://www.millionpodcasts.com/bisexual-podcasts/

What does it mean to truly embrace a fluid identity in a world that demands certainty? And why does bisexual visibility so often arrive without the protection it promises?

In this episode, Aurelio Castro, bi+ activist, researcher, and co-organizer of Italy's first bi+ Pride, joins Embracing All of Me to unpack the lived realities of bisexuality: not just as attraction, but as a cultural lens and political resistance to systems built on binaries.

Together, we explore two provocations that reframe bi+ identity work:

1. Visibility without protection can become a burden — representation alone doesn't keep us safe

2. Bisexual identity challenges societal systems, not just who we're attracted to — fluidity dismantles the binary at a structural level

Aurelio shares their journey from rejection in early queer spaces to building transnational bi+ organizing infrastructure, bridging academia and activism along the way. This is a conversation about embodying identity, not proving it — a reminder that self-embrace isn't about certainty, but about refusing to collapse yourself into someone else's framework.

In This Episode:

• Why bisexual visibility politics often fail bi+ people (and what actually creates safety)
• How Aurelio went from navigating biphobia to organizing Italy's first bisexual Pride
• The role of academic research in bi+ activism — and why lived experience can't be separated from theory
• What it means to resist erasure by refusing the binary, not by arguing for inclusion within it
• How to trust fluid identity in a culture obsessed with fixed categories

This conversation is for anyone navigating fluid identity, questioning the limits of visibility politics, or seeking a deeper understanding of what it means to resist erasure, not by fitting in, but by refusing the binary altogether.

Connect with Aurelio Castro:
https://www.bisexualresearch.com/

Take Action:

• Contribute a written piece to Embracing All of Me
• Book a Creative Consult with Ross Victory

Learn more: https://embracingallofme.org
Instagram: https://instagram.com/embracingallofmee
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@embracingallofme

Contact us: stories@embracingallofme.org

Keywords: bisexual identity, bi+ activism, bisexuality, fluid identity, biphobia, homophobia, Italy bi Pride, LGBT Italty bisexual visibility, bisexual organizing, queer activism, Aurelio Castro, Italian researchers, binary resistance, bi erasure, LGBTQ+ identity politics

Polyamory. Ethical non-monogamy (ENM). Open relationships. The language is everywhere, but what do these terms actually mean, and how do you know which one fits?

In this episode, Kelvin Pace, AASECT-certified sex therapist and owner of Selva Sexual Wellness, breaks down the difference between polyamory, ENM, swinging, and open relationships. More than definitions, Kelvin reframes the conversation around relationship orientation vs. relationship practice, and why autonomy, not compromise, is the foundation of healthy connections.

What You'll Learn:

• What is polyamory? How it differs from ethical non-monogamy (ENM), open relationships, and swinging

• Bisexuality and non-monogamy myths — Why being bi doesn't mean you're wired for polyamory

• Sexual communication skills — The missing piece in most relationships (monogamous or not)

• How to navigate jealousy — Why jealousy is an emotion, not a moral failing

• Relationship autonomy — How to build connections without sacrificing who you are

• Kink, shame, and BIPOC communities — How religion and generational trauma shape our relationship scripts

• Questions to ask before exploring polyamory — Including relationship agreements, boundaries vs. rules, and time management

Resources Mentioned:

• Polysecure by Jessica Fern
• Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel

Connect with Kelvin Pace:

• K Pace Counseling: kpacecounseling.net
• Instagram: @kpace37
• Selva Sexual Wellness (Colorado Springs)

This episode is for anyone questioning monogamy, exploring consensual non-monogamy, or navigating identity and desire outside the default script , especially bi+ folks and BIPOC communities.

Learn more: https://embracingallofme.org
Instagram: https://instagram.com/embracingallofmee
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@embracingallofme

Contact us: stories@embracingallofme.org

Keywords: polyamory, ethical non-monogamy, ENM, open relationships, consensual non-monogamy, what is polyamory, polyamory vs open relationship, sex therapy, AASECT, Kelvin Pace, kink, sexual communication, relationship autonomy, bi+ identity, bisexual and polyamory, BIPOC relationships, queer relationships, Jessica Fern Polysecure, Esther Perel

Contribute a written piece to Embracing All of Me

Book a Creative Consult

Season 3 of Embracing All of Me launches May 5 with a deeper exploration of identity, truth, and what it means to live (and potentially thrive) beyond rigid labels.

This season, host Ross Victory sits down with Bi+ and queer artists, dancers, writers, and creatives to unpack the layered realities of self-expression, relationships, and belonging.

From polyamory and expansive relationship models to creative identity, cultural expectations, and emotional healing, these conversations move beyond surface-level visibility into something more grounded: embodiment.

What does it mean to be seen… and still not feel whole?
What does it take to live in alignment with who you are, fully?

Season 3 invites you into honest, nuanced conversations that challenge binaries and make space for contradiction, growth, and self-recognition.

✨ This season also marks the launch of Creative Consults, one-on-one sessions designed to help you clarify your voice, shape your ideas, and move from inspiration to intention.

✨ Plus, Embracing All of Me is now accepting community submissions, short-form written pieces exploring identity, complexity, and the stories that exist between the lines. Learn more at EmbracingAllofMe.org.

If you’re navigating identity, creativity, or connection in a world that prefers simplicity, this season is for you.

🎧 Follow Embracing All of Me on Spotify and Apple Podcasts to stay updated on new weekly episodes.

Keywords (SEO): bisexual podcast, bi+ identity, queer podcast, LGBTQ+ stories, polyamory podcast, identity and self-discovery, creative expression, emotional healing, embodiment, queer relationships, storytelling podcast

BINARY BASHERS is moving to it's own page! Check out the new bonus episode "The Grandpa You Wish You Had - ABilly S. Jones-Hennin." Follow Binary Bashers directly for more.

In this episode, Ross opens with a moment that stopped him mid-commute, two women yelling "you gay" from a passing car and unpacks why four seconds in traffic sent him back thirty years. What starts as a story becomes an honest, unhurried conversation about what it actually takes to embrace a queer identity: the language we inherit, the language we reclaim, and everything we have to do to untangle our understanding.

This one is for anyone who heard words used as a weapon before they ever had a chance to use it as a home. For anyone navigating a need for bisexuality support without a clear roadmap. For the non-monosexual experience that doesn't fit neatly into either/or. For the people whose relationships quietly shifted the moment they started living more honestly — and who are still trying to figure out what that means.

The real work of embracing who you are isn't a moment. It's a lifelong negotiation, with language, with identity, with time, and with the people around you.

In this reflective episode of Embracing All of Me, we step back from the Binary Bashers series to talk about why it was created in the first place...for that person searching at 2:17 AM. This conversation explores what it means to grow up searching for proof that people like you exist, and how storytelling can become a form of bisexuality support, community building, and healing.

Centering the experiences of bi, non-monosexual, and queer people of color, this episode reflects on visibility, lineage, and the quiet journey of embracing queer identity in a world that often asks people to pick a lane or shrink themselves.

If you’ve ever questioned where you belong, struggled with embracing identity, or looked for stories that reflect your full humanity, don't worry, you aren't the only one and this episode was made with you in mind.

In the ruins of post–Civil War Memphis, Frances Thompson lived her womanhood in public despite escalating danger. A formerly enslaved Black trans woman, she survived the white supremacist violence of the 1866 Memphis Riots and testified before Congress, placing her voice into the national archive at a time when Black women were rarely heard.

Later arrested under laws policing gender nonconformity, Thompson’s life reveals how race, gender, and state power intertwined during Reconstruction, and why her testimony still matters as debates over bodily autonomy and public identity continue 150 years later.

Music: “Hard in America” by Gabriel Kelley, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

This episode was made with care. It's based on established scholarship and publicly available information from credible sources. If we've made an error, please let us know at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://embracingallofme.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Embracing All of Me is a storytelling and advocacy platform for the multi, complex, and in-between, uplifting the voices of Bi+ people of color, our kin and friends. ⁠⁠⁠Visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠FAQs⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sources page⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about how this episode was developed.

Born Donald Weems, Kuwasi Balagoon forged himself in the crucible of rebellion. A veteran of the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberation Army, Balagoon’s life traced the fault lines of 1970s America, state violence, political imprisonment, and the unfinished work of liberation. He survived the uprising at Attica Correctional Facility, endured years in solitary confinement, and wrote fiercely about autonomy, queerness, and revolutionary love.

Balagoon rejected binaries: nationalist and anarchist, soldier and poet, gay man within movements that often erased queerness. His essays and letters reveal a thinker wrestling with strategy and selfhood, insisting that freedom must include the fullness of identity as a bisexual black man and revolutionary.

This episode was made with care. It's based on established scholarship and publicly available information from credible sources. If we've made an error, please let us know at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://embracingallofme.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Embracing All of Me is a storytelling and advocacy platform for the multi, complex, and in-between, uplifting the voices of Bi+ people of color, our kin and friends. ⁠⁠⁠Visit our ⁠⁠⁠⁠FAQs⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Sources page⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more about how this episode was developed.