Love, Loss, and Legacy: A Family Conversation

“Today, on Curtis’s birthday, we honor the man whose love helped us navigate the intersections of culture, identity, and family—and whose spirit continues to bring healing and hope to our lives.”

In this special and deeply personal episode of Moving Forward, the microphones turn toward Linda Anderson as her three adult children—Lindsay (38), Sr. Program Manager & Chief of Staff at Logitech; Kyle (37), Store Director at Target; and Eric (37), Senior On-Figure Photographer at GAP—interview her about their father, Curtis, and the life, love, and resilience that shaped their family.

Together, they revisit how Linda and Curtis first met, the joy and promise of their early years, and the strength Curtis carried while living with sickle cell disease. Their questions open a heartfelt dialogue about caregiving, parenting through hardship, and the quiet sacrifices that often go unseen. Linda reflects on the moments that tested her, the acts of love that sustained her, the lessons she learned, and the legacy Curtis left—one that continues through their children and grandchildren.

This episode is tender, honest, and healing. It is a celebration of a love story lived fully, even in the face of profound challenges.

Some Conversation Highlights

• How Linda and Curtis first met and the memories that shaped their early years
  

• The qualities Curtis embodied as he lived with sickle cell
  

• The emotional and practical realities of caregiving while raising three children
  

• What Linda hoped her children understood about their family’s journey
  

• Moments of overwhelm—and what helped her keep going
  

• The greatest acts of love given and received during Curtis’s illness
  

• The final weeks: his hopes, his worries, and the moments Linda holds closest
  

• How Curtis’s legacy continues to guide their family today

Follow us on:

Instagram: @lluande1

Facebook: @Linda Unrath-Anderson

LinkedIn: @Linda Anderson

Music by Maksym_Dudchyk from Pixabay

Podcast produced by Ury Gonzalez

In this episode of Moving Forward: Conversations on Culture, Identity, Healing, and Hope, Linda Anderson sits down with Dr. Tracie Tagamolila-Noriega — a proud second-generation Filipino-American, former teen mom, and one of the few Filipino-Americans serving at the cabinet level in California public education.

With nearly 30 years as a teacher, principal, district leader, Assistant Superintendent, and now ACSA’s Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Professional Learning, Tracie has dedicated her career to building equitable and culturally responsive systems for students, families, and communities. She also leads the Filipino American Educators Association of California and co-hosts the Critically Conscious Classroom show.

Together, we explore how identity shapes leadership, why representation matters, and how healing-centered practices can transform teams and systems. Tracie shares how she broke generational and systemic patterns, how Ethnic Studies influenced her leadership, and what leaders in any field can do to create culturally affirming spaces where people feel seen, valued, and able to thrive.

Key themes in this conversation include:

• Identity as a source of strength
  

• Representation and visibility in leadership
  

• Healing-centered and critically conscious leadership
  

• Creating culturally affirming environments
  

• Staying rooted in purpose during challenging seasons
  

• Lifting others and opening doors as you lead
  

Tracie’s journey is a powerful reminder that healing is real, identity is transformative, and purpose can guide us through even the most difficult chapters.

Follow us on:

Instagram: @lluande1

Facebook: @Linda Unrath-Anderson

LinkedIn: @Linda Anderson

Music by Maksym_Dudchyk from Pixabay

Podcast produced by Ury Gonzalez

In this powerful episode of Moving Forward: Conversations on Culture, Identity, Healing, and Hope, Linda Anderson sits down with James Gonzales, CEO of Pathway Services, whose life journey—from trauma, addiction, incarceration, and homelessness to healing, faith, and leadership—reveals what true transformation looks like. With honesty and compassion, James shares how he broke painful cycles, rebuilt his life from the inside out, and turned his lived experience into a calling to serve others navigating homelessness and instability.

This conversation offers hope for anyone who has ever felt stuck, ashamed, or overwhelmed by their past.

James reminds us: healing is possible, change is possible, and there is always a pathway forward. James talks about resilience, self-judgment, surrender, and what it looks like to keep going on days when moving forward simply means not going backward.

Some quotes from the podcast:

“My story wasn’t a straight line. It was survival first—healing came later.”

“I had to unlearn the lies I believed about myself before I could step into the truth.”

“Change didn’t start with perfection. It started with surrender.”

A Message from Linda:

James’ story is a testament to resilience, faith, and the sacred power of reclaiming your narrative. His insights will stay with you long after the episode ends.

Pathways to Services Development is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in California’s Tri-Cities, dedicated to empowering underserved individuals and families by fostering healing, stability, and purpose. Rooted in lived experience, peer support, and faith-driven care, Pathways builds safe, compassionate environments where people can reclaim their lives and move toward long-term transformation. Their holistic, trauma-informed approach emphasizes connection before correction, stable housing as a foundation for growth, and turning stories of struggle into leadership and service. Through crisis intervention, life skills development, mentorship, supportive housing initiatives, and community partnerships, Pathways works to dismantle barriers, strengthen resilience, and cultivate lasting change for those navigating recovery and life transitions.

Follow us on:

Instagram: @lluande1

Facebook: @Linda Unrath-Anderson

LinkedIn: @Linda Anderson

Music by Maksym_Dudchyk from Pixabay

Podcast produced by Ury Gonzalez