Erick Juarez: Stop waiting for permission

This episode starts messy, stays honest, and lands somewhere unexpectedly grounding.

Ilse sits down with Erick Juarez, a Guatemala-born, Chicago-raised filmmaker who studied at NIU, trained at the Moscow Art Theatre, spent years in LA, and came back with one clear realization: stop asking for permission and start making the work.

They talk about acting vulnerability, learning how to warm down after heavy roles, reggaeton as a nervous system reset, and why everyday life does not need to live at performance-level stakes. Erick breaks down building Deep Focus Entertainment, his rule of always keeping something in pre, something filming, and something in post, and how momentum beats waiting every time.

Also covered: the Do Not Disturb moon, Richie Rich, lucid dreaming, astral projection, and why making the thing now matters more than doing it perfectly later.

Follow Erick @erickjuarez7 and his projects through Deep Focus Entertainment.

Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias

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Thank you to our sponsor, Mezcla Media Collective. Please follow them on Instagram @mezclamediacollective and join the community at mezclamediacollective.org