LA PLATICA – Episode Summary

Podcast: LA PLATICA
Hosts: Sebastian Robles & Josh Leyva
Episode: "Josh Responds! How to Feel ALIVE & More!"
Date: February 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this listener-focused episode, Sebas and Josh dive into vulnerability, personal growth, and living life fully — all through their signature brand of playful honest conversation. This week, they answer fan comments, explore what it means to truly feel alive, and Josh directly addresses feedback on seeming off in a prior episode. The hosts also riff on cultural experiences, discuss the mental game of risk-takers like Alex Honnold, and celebrate tight-knit community with their listeners.
Tone: Candid, humorous, and emotionally present.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Engagement & Community

• Tapping Into the Audience

  • The hosts acknowledge and celebrate their highly engaged audience, reading several comments live, including congratulations for a listener giving birth while tuning in ([35:23]-[36:12]).
  • Jessica, their recurring “comment reader/therapist,” helps facilitate the listener interaction, keeping things personal and supportive.

• Quote:

  • "It feels like you guys know me. That’s the beautiful part about this podcast. You're vulnerable and you're honest, and you're having conversations for three years in a row, weekly. People get to see inside your heart."
    – Host 2 (Sebas), [56:13]

2. Josh Responds: Addressing Emotional Presence

• Direct Response to Listener Concerns

  • Several listeners noticed Josh seemed “dissociative” or “off” in a previous episode.
  • Josh’s Response: He clarifies that sometimes he steps back to let Sebas take the lead, especially on weightier topics, and admits there are moments where he’s simply processing or choosing not to share every thought ([56:27]–[57:28]).

• Quote:

  • "I think maybe in that episode, I was just allowing Sebas to speak freely and not feel like I need to interrupt or give him my two cents all the time... Sometimes we're just listening, taking it in."
    – Josh Leyva, [56:27]

• Memorable Moment:

  • The exchange is warm and reflective, with Sebas expressing gratitude for their audience's care and Josh getting playfully teased for being “a quiet little…” ([57:33]-[57:46]).

3. Travel & Cultural Experiences

• Josh’s Orlando Adventure

  • Josh shares his recent trip to Orlando for a friend’s baby shower, catching up on the local Latino scene, and hitting Epcot for the first time at age 36 ([06:32]-[11:46]).
  • Vivid stories ensue about cultural representation at Epcot, love for the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, and the uniqueness of “American” vacation vibes.

• Sebas on Snowboarding

  • Sebas recounts his unique upbringing: his Guatemalan stepdad introduced him to diverse foods and skiing as a Mexican kid, something he now treasures ([13:41]-[16:28]).
  • Real talk about how rare such exposure is for Latino youth, and gratitude for expanded horizons.

• Quote:

  • "As a Mexican, skiing at 7 years old — a lot of people don't even see snow. Like, dude, they don't understand that when you're Mexican, the top tier snow you do is you go to Big Bear, go slow, down on a sled with the yanta."
    – Sebas, [14:55]

4. Feeling ALIVE: The Psychology of Extreme Risk

• Alex Honnold's Live Climb

  • The hosts are in awe of climber Alex Honnold’s live, rope-free ascent of Taipei 101, marvelling at the mental and physical fortitude required, the danger involved, and what it means to “feel alive” ([18:40]-[32:10]).
  • They reflect on the difference between adrenaline rushes from extreme sports versus ordinary life, and how pushing the comfort zone is key to feeling truly alive.

• Quote:

  • "How alive do you feel, knowing that everything you do right now matters and every single breath that you take might be your last, but at the same time your next move might be your last... But you feel so alive."
    – Josh Leyva, [25:20]

• Memorable Exchange:

  • The pair discuss phobias, conquering childhood fears, and confess their own (Josh: heights; Sebas: snakes), relating these fears to pushing personal boundaries ([32:13]-[34:36]).

5. Relationships, Double Standards & Intuition

• Navigating Friendship and Trust Dynamics

  • The hosts tackle a comment about potential double standards in relationships (e.g., when a partner's intuition suffices versus when receipts are needed to confront toxic friendships). Both agree it should go both ways; intuition from men and women deserves to be respected ([47:03]-[51:23]).

• Quote:

  • "There's no double standard here. Whoever has the hunch, well, they got the hunch, dude. Women's intuition is on another level... They got real gut feelings, bro."
    – Sebas & Josh, [48:01]

6. Friends With Benefits — Does It Last?

• Listener’s Love Story

  • They read a listener’s story of transitioning from long-term friends-with-benefits to marriage and kids, sparking debate about whether such relationships can remain platonic or inevitably deepen ([51:33]-[55:10]).

• Hosts Discuss Purity of Friendship

  • They acknowledge the emotional complexities when a homegirl becomes a friends-with-benefits, agreeing the dynamic inevitably changes ([54:16]-[55:10]).

7. Modern Medicine, Wellness & The Future

• Cultural Curiosity: Childbirth & Epidurals

  • The group gets curious and a bit squeamish discussing epidurals, medical costs, and the pain of childbirth, celebrating women as “superhuman” ([37:35]-[39:47]).

• Longevity & Biohacking

  • Sebas brings up Brian Johnson, the “don’t die” tech billionaire aiming for immortality, and discusses how advances like peptides and possible neural chips may transform health by 2039 ([41:09]-[44:18]).

• Quote:

  • "Imagine the way that you live your life knowing and wanting to be immortal. Like, how do you live your life and walk around knowing that I'm gonna be immortal?"
    – Josh, [44:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Community & Vulnerability:
  "Just knowing that you guys care, are in tune with us says a lot. So thank you, guys. I love you. That I really do. You guys have a huge place in my heart."
  — Josh Leyva, [59:08]

• On Risk and Feeling Alive:
  "When do you ever do that? You’re thinking you’re so far from death. For him, it's his life."
  — Sebas, [31:17]

• On Wellness Trends:
  "Every year, wellness and health becomes so much more popularized. Everything is about wellness now... That’s cool, that humans are going in that track."
  — Josh, [45:06]

• On Fear:
  "My phobia is snakes... Even just thinking about it right now. Oh, my God."
  — Sebas, [33:43]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Josh addresses emotional feedback:
  [56:27] – [57:28]
• Josh’s Orlando/Epcot experience:
  [06:32] – [11:46]
• Sebas’s cultural childhood:
  [13:41] – [16:28]
• Alex Honnold/risk & feeling alive:
  [18:40] – [32:10]
• Relationship double standards/intuition:
  [47:03] – [51:23]
• Friends-with-benefits discussion:
  [51:33] – [55:10]
• Childbirth, epidurals, and women’s strength:
  [37:35] – [39:47]
• Brian Johnson/immortality/future wellness:
  [41:09] – [45:06]

Final Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in balance — lighthearted but reflective, open yet fun, and always community-first. Sebas and Josh show their skill at blending culture, vulnerability, and humor, while maintaining a safe, inspiring, and real space for their fans. Whether riffing about pop culture legends, dissecting relationship norms, or marveling at the advances in health and medicine, the hosts remain genuinely connected to each other and their listeners.

Recommended for:
Anyone seeking authenticity, cultural insight, or fresh perspectives on self-growth and feeling more "alive" in the everyday grind.

“Thank you. Oh, imagine, bro. How alive do you feel, dog? Honestly?”
— Josh, [61:07]