Meet Daniel G Garza | Health Advocate and Spiritual Life Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel G Garza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel G, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?

One of the things my parents taught me when I was young was my love for work. To do what I really wanted to do, put my heart into it, and the tough parts would seem easier. Little did I know that it was a seed for me to become a workaholic. I had 3 jobs at one time and still managed a social life. On September 26, 2000, I was in the hospital and diagnosed with AIDS. At the time I was about 110 lbs, too frail to work, and homebound. The following January I was put on disability and I had to stop working. That was one of the hardest decisions that I didn’t make.
I was on disability for about 19 years and in October 2019 I received my final disability check. I was officially back in the workforce. It was such a scary time, although I had some warning, I didn’t know what I was going to do for money. I sat and cried for about two hours then I got on the phone and called anyone I could think of that would have a job for me to do.
On May 5, 2015, I was diagnosed with anal cancer and although treatment was rough on my body I still found time to do public speaking presentations and card readings over the phone, I had to keep working. I also had an emergency and at the hospital had to be brought back to life. I almost died and that gave me the stamina to work even harder.

Then, as we all know, on March 19, 2020, working changed for all of us. Where some folks took the time to step back I went on full force and took any workshop available, jumped on every webinar I could, and got my life coaching certificate. I also wrote a meditation book for children called “Grumpy Bunny and the Colors Game” with the help of Mr. Kevin Moyers, my former publisher who passed in 2021.

Then I created my own coaching program. I launched a production company with my boyfriend and produced three live-stream shows. Hosted card reading parties online, and took any opportunity to work. I was determined to not let an international pandemic stop me from working. AIDS did not stop, death did not stop me, and COVID wasn’t going to stop me either.

The question is how do I balance it all, as you can see I do not have a good answer for you. I am horrible at it. I want to take over the world and a syndicated talk show, be a world-renowned spiritual life coach, and be an A-List actor but all that takes hard work.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Since I mentioned Mr. Kevin Moyers and my book “Grumpy Bunny and the Colors Game” allow me to talk about it. This is the first book I have published but not the first time I write about a bunny. I first wrote a story about Peter Cottontail when I was in the 3rd grade. The book came from… I bet you are expecting a very inspiring story but it actually came from watching TV. I was watching “The Good Witch” and in a scene, a little girl was crying because she wanted the white dipping sauce for her chicken. Her dad didn’t understand what she was asking for so the main character played by Catherine Bell kneels down and asked her to take a breath and tell her what she wanted and she got it for her. AHA!!!
I thought, there should be a book for children that teaches them to align their energy and stay grounded and centered. I could not find something I liked so like my coaching program I created my own. I wanted parents to have something to read to their kids instead of brushing them off or yelling at them.
Bunny and his Momma play a game that helps children align their chakras in an interactive game of colors and actions. What feels like a game is actually a guided meditation that helps balance their energy. It is written for children but it also works for adults that want to learn to meditate.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you are reading this and you are on your way to visit me here is the itinerary so you pack accordingly. You will be starting your trip in Laguna Beach, probably on a Saturday, so bring your walking shoes. We are going to start by going to the farmer’s market and getting fresh fruits.
Next, we’ll go to Rasta Taco for lunch, it is near downtown so I’ll be taking you to the downtown shops. We have some of the best locally-owned shops with handcrafted items. Then we’ll walk down to the beach and walk the boardwalk all the way up to Heisler Park and have some of the fruit we purchased. There is a sitting area called “Meditation Stone”. We can sit there and enjoy nature.
On Sunday, we will take the trolly to the most southern beach, 1000 Steps Beach, and do a tour up to the most northern beach, Diver’s Cove. We’ll be having an Italian dinner at Romeo Cucina which has the best one of the best Italian dipping sauces. Then we can walk over to Gelato Paradiso for some delicious gelato or sorbetto.
On Monday I will take you on a drive to Dana Point and visit the pier. There are several nice eateries that we can go to for lunch, take a walk along the park, and people-watch. The Spectrum is a great outside mall in Irvine with a fabulous Giant Wheel to ride and plan our shopping day!
On Tuesday I’ll take you north into Los Angeles and head to Griffith Park and visit the observatory and visit the zoo. The zoo is 133 acres so we can spend a good part of the day there. Los Feliz has some great places to stop and eat and there are some vintage and resale shops to look around. Lots of unique people to look at.
On Wednesday we will have to go to The Getty Center. It overlooks Los Angeles and we are bound to spend plenty of time admiring the architecture, the gardens are amazing, and the exhibits will live in your memory for years to come. We have to make a reservation so we’ll plan for food after. We can grab a snack there.
On Thursday we do Hollywood! If you come to SoCal as a tourist you have to do the Hollywood City Tours. It is seven hours of sightseeing, driving by celebrity homes, and historical markers. As long as we are on Hollywood Blvd we can walk through Madame Tussauds Hollywood and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! We can walk through Ovation Hollywood (Hollywood & Highland) a huge mall with lots to shop and eat and start following the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Friday we’ll do Long Beach, there are cute stores to shop at, yummy coffee shops, and historical markers to visit. Since we are there we’ll visit The Queen Mary. I hope you like ghost hunting because we most likely will do a haunted tour. With 975 feet of the ship, we’ll spend a good time of the evening there.
It’s Saturday morning and before you leave we’ll make a quick stop at the Laguna Beach Farmers Market for some tamales from Tamales Laguna Beach and Empanadas from Sergio’s Empanadas. We can eat on a bench and enjoy the awesome Laguna Beach weather.
I really appreciate you visiting and hope you’ll come again. Please remember to send me the photos we took.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
If I did a shoutout to every person and group that has helped me in my 52 years of life it would sound like a stadium ready for a concert. It took many folks, and many years to get me where I am today. The saying goes, “It takes a village” in my case it surely did. If you allow me I’ll make it quick but I have two to give a shoutout to. Let me say first that my boyfriend, Christian, has been an amazing partner, he encourages me and supports any adventure I want to go on. But that’s his job. (wink). Besides him, there have been folks recently that have encouraged me to keep going.
Let’s start with a person, Mr. Kevin Moyers. I met Mr. Moyers in 2012 when I launched my podcast. He was my producer for 8 years until we went from podcast to live-streaming. Then he became my publisher and helped me with my children’s book. Until he passed on October 17, 2021.
When I had doubts that anyone was listening to my podcast he would assure me they were and that I needed to do it for myself. When I was writing +Grumpy Bunny and the Colors Game” and walked me through the anxiety of the process. When he died I broke down, I miss him tremendously, and I am still broken.
The group that has helped me achieve a new level of confidence in my advocacy has been Radiant Health Center. This organization has been my go-to for HIV services for the last 13 years. When I first moved to Laguna Beach I reached out to them and they have been there for me ever since.
I went from being a client to a member of the board of directors and chair of the Client Advisory Committee. They gave me a place to work out my advocate muscles, teach what I have learned at conferences, and help other clients grow as clients and advocates.
There are many more like “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. My agent Jennifer Sims with RPM Talent Agency. The folks at HealtheVoices conference have given me a stage to grow my advocacy. The folks at NMAC (National Minority AIDS Council) taught me how to teach better and travel the country. I could go on so I will say a huge THANK YOU!!!

Website: https://www.lilmesicanproductions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdanielggarza/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielggarza/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilMesican

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielGenovevoGarza

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-card-divo-laguna-beach

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LilMesican

Image Credits
The last photo is Mr. Kevin Moyers with me.