Stars and Stars with Isa

Vanessa Benavente: Sagittarius Sun, Leo Moon, Aries Rising Oct 29, 2024

Vanessa Benavente currently plays none other than Mary, the mother of Jesus herself, on Netflix’s The Chosen. Vanessa describes the years that led up to this role as “the typical overnight success that takes 15 years.” Working on the show has been more than a career highlight, it’s expanded her views on spirituality. Isa Nakazawa sits down with Vanessa to talk about how her Sagittarius sun has allowed her the flexibility to take bold risks, while her Aries moon propels her to action and passion.

Danez Smith: Leo Sun, Libra Moon, Sagittarius Rising Oct 22, 2024

As an award-winning poet, writer, and performer, Danez Smith’s words are always right on time. This year they released their latest poetry collection BLUFF, calling out the dualities and contradictions alive in all of us, including themself. As one reviewer wrote, they demonstrate that we all contain “protest and police, cowardice and commitment, money and kindness, looting and food drives.” Isa Nakazawa sits down with Danez to talk about how their Leo Sun keeps them grounded in childlike wonder of the world, while their Sagittarius rising drives their endless curiosity.

Jahi Sundance: Capricorn Sun, Virgo Moon, Cancer Rising Oct 15, 2024

DJ, producer, and musician Jahi Sundance’s Cancer Rising allows him to build sonic and emotional worlds for his listeners. His Cancer’s sensitivity balances his more angular earth placements in the house of Gemini, which Isa Nakazawa says could make the birth chart of a “con artist.” But Jahi is anything but as his star map also provides equilibrium. Isa catches up with Jahi at the Blue Note Jazz Festival, and together they discuss how his Capricorn Sun and Virgo Moon have steered him through the business of being a working artist – helping him to build stability where none exists.

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio: Cancer Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Libra Rising Oct 08, 2024

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is the award-winning author of two books: her nonfiction debut, The Undocumented Americans, and her latest, a novel called Catalina. Catalina follows a Latine senior at Harvard who feels stuck between the opportunities an Ivy League diploma offers and the limiting realities of being undocumented in America. Though Catalina may be loosely autofiction, Karla deftly gives her readers what they think they want, while, as she says, ‘making them regret it.’ Isa Nakazawa sits down with Karla to discuss how her Cancer sun shines through in her ability to write storylines that reflect a more honest and messy set of realities.

Prentis Hemphill: Sagittarius Sun, Scorpio Moon, Aquarius Rising Oct 01, 2024

A writer, therapist, and political organizer, Prentis Hemphill moves through the world with the intensity, depth and the tenderness of their Scorpio moon. Host Isa Nakazawa spoke with Prentis shortly after the publication of their deeply moving book “What It Takes to Heal.” The book is full of the learnings from their time as Healing Justice Director at Black Lives Matter Global Network and from their own life-- from childhood to parenthood. With a questing, playful Sagittarius sun and a rhizomatic rebellious Aquarius Rising, Prentis lives out their star map in all of its generative abundance.

Raveena Aurora: Libra Sun, Aries Moon, Cancer Rising Sep 24, 2024

From making history as the first Indian woman to perform at Coachella to revitalizing the Desi-futurist genre across three studio albums, Raveena Aurora blends the intensity and devotion she pours into her career with an intuitive softness only an Aries moon and Cancer rising can stir together. Raveena’s music is deeply connected to her past and future memories, which she nurtures through ancestral channeling, meditation, and a strong bond with her family. The love Raveena Aurora offers her community is characteristic of a Libra sun, ruled by Venus, the planet of love and value. She joins host Isa Nakazawa to discuss visions of her future child, reinventing the pop genre, and the intergenerational wisdom offered by heartaches.

Maria Hinojosa: Cancer Sun, Pisces Moon, Virgo Rising & Special Isa Interview Sep 17, 2024

For our six-month anniversary, we’re bringing you a special edition of Stars and Stars with Isa! The one and only award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa interviews our host, Isa Nakazawa, on her lineage of Aquarians, how she developed her gift for astrology and the risks of astrology. Isa shows us how we are in charge of our own lives and destinies and how we can use astrology to enhance and understand ourselves in a changing world. Isa also reads Maria Hinojosa’s chart. Together they see how Maria’s Virgo Rising and Cancer Sun inform her ability to tell the stories that really matter.

Peyton Dix: Taurus Sun, Libra Moon, Virgo Rising Sep 10, 2024

For the writer, podcaster and social strategist Peyton Dix, diving into the messy corners of the internet feels like second nature. Her work centers on Black and queer stories with, as she says, “the occasional sprinkle of internet mess.” As co-host of the podcast “Lemme Say This” with best-friend Hunter Harris, she takes the pulse of today’s cultural zeitgeist. With a double-dose of earth energy in her Taurus sun and Virgo rising, Peyton opens up to host Isa Nakazawa about her struggle to receive rather than provide for others, and how this showed up in her childhood. Isa also reveals how Peyton’s flirtiness (she has a running joke of being “for the streets”) and almost Leo-like energy is characteristic of her Libra moon.

Nella Rojas: Scorpio Sun, Capricorn Moon, Scorpio Rising Sep 03, 2024

Nella Rojas is a Latin Grammy winning singer and songwriter whose music is a fusion of folk sounds from her home country of Venezuela, with flamenco, jazz, and pop. Her powerful voice mesmerizes listeners with its fierce energy. Her latest album, “En Otra Vida,” honors the sounds of Latin American musical giants across ten covers and guides listeners on a journey to the origins of her inspirations and rediscovering the reasons she chose to become a singer. With Mars in Libra, Nella exudes the sociability and charm of an air sign in her personal life. The influence of Aries, from her Scorpio Sun and Rising signs, infuses her stage presence adding to the many dualities informing who she is. Isa Nakazawa sits down with Nella to discuss how her chart guides her with determination and also strives for security, love, and desire.

Jes Tom: Sagittarius Sun, Capricorn Moon, Aries Rising Aug 27, 2024

Comedian, writer and actor Jes Tom has worked on HBO’s Our Flag Means Death and voice acted on Adult Swim’s Tuca & Bertie. Their solo show, Less Lonely, was featured in the Netflix comedy special Gender Agenda, hosted by Hannah Gadsby. Jes’ work plays with their movement through queer worlds since coming out at 13. With seven placements in Capricorn, Jes tells host Isa Nakazawa about their struggle to differentiate between how their audience sees them and their own internal sense of self. Jes also talks about their romantic life and how listening to their body is bringing new flexibility and vulnerability into their relationships.

Daymé Arocena: Aquarius Sun, Aquarius Moon, Cancer Rising Aug 20, 2024

Born in ‘90s Havana, Cuba, Daymé Arocena has been surrounded by music her whole life. The singer, composer and arranger is deeply influenced by the voices of the legendary women in her family. As a Cancer Rising, her music moves fluidly from jazz to latin pop. She defies the exclusion of Black women from the music originated by global Black cultures. Isa Nakazawa sits down with Daymé to discuss her Aquarius sun and moon and how her most recent album Alkemi reflects a season of profound personal transformation including an awakening to her own sensual power and a reclamation of her identity as an Afro-Caribbean woman.

Bay Davis: Aquarius Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Libra Rising Aug 13, 2024

For Bay Davis, a community organizer, poet, and model from South Central L.A., beauty and justice are deeply intertwined. Her advocacy for those silenced by mass incarceration, addiction, and violence is informed by her own identity as a Black trans woman — who resists the politicization of her being. Her Libra rising and Aquarius Sun balance outward charm with introspective depth, while her Venus in Capricorn reflects the independence and responsibility she felt at an early age. With a moon in Sagittarius, she fulfills her inclination to spiritual exploration through her practice crown priest and the connection she nurtures with her ancestors, erasing the boundaries of what is past and what is to come.

Stephen Satterfield: Aries Sun, Aries Moon, Cancer Rising Aug 06, 2024

Stephen Satterfield is an award-winning food writer and sommelier, and you may know him as host of the Netflix docu-series “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.” A self-proclaimed origin forager, Stephen starts his journeys with food from a place of pleasure and quickly goes deeper, seeking to understand a cuisine’s cultural roots. This Aries stellium joins host Isa Nakazawa to talk about his relationship to risk and his passion for transmitting stories of reclamation.

Mireya Ramos: Capricorn Sun, Aquarius Moon, Aries Rising Jul 30, 2024

Musician Mireya Ramos is a Latin Grammy winning singer, composer, and founder of Flor de Toloache, an all-female mariachi band. Flor de Toloache went from busking on the New York City subways to reaching a global audience. As an Afro-latina in mariachi, Mireya knows what it means to be a trailblazer in a narrow industry. She talks with host Isa Nakazawa about the work ethic and enduring spirit of her Capricorn Sun and how her Aquarius Moon honors her family’s Mariachi roots while adding her own unique twist.

Kathy Iandoli: Pisces Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Pisces Rising Jul 23, 2024

In her nearly 25 years in the music industry Kathy Iandoli has become known for showing the humanity of musicians behind the sheen of fame. She’s written some of the most intimate biographies of Black women in hip hop, from Lil’ Kim and Eve to Aaliyah. Kathy’s connection to the spiritual world runs deep and she envisions her work as an offering to the music she’s long admired. In true Pisces fashion, Kathy doesn’t see herself as a critic but a cultural memory keeper. She joins host Isa Nakazawa to discuss her relationship to spirituality and the tender rigor she shows in her music writing.

Benjamin Earl Turner: Scorpio Sun, Scorpio Moon, Pisces Rising Jul 16, 2024

Benjamin Earl Turner is a recording artist, actor, writer, educator and multi-hyphenate on shows like Blindspotting, Rap Sh!t and Snowfall. Ben captivates in any medium he chooses as an insatiably curious soul, guided by an exquisite ethics of love. Isa Nakazawa sits down with Ben to discuss how as a Scorpio Sun, Scorpio Moon, and Pisces Rising, he is always seeking ways to subvert stereotypes – whether it’s in his art or his relationships. Isa and Ben reflect on the different forms of water his chart holds and what it means to heal through “maintaining the ugly.”

Jessica Dore: Aries Sun, Aquarius Moon, Aquarius Rising Jul 09, 2024

Jessica Dore's skepticism of fate is the culmination of her roles as a writer, tarot reader, and licensed social worker blending the secular with the spiritual. In her book Tarot for Change, featured in The New York Times, The Cut, and Vogue, she radically converts tarot from prophecy into a foundation for growth and movement. Host Isa Nakazawa sits down with Jessica to explore how the constant evolution of herself and her life’s work is informed and complicated by the fixed signs dominating her chart as an Aries Sun, Aquarius Moon, and Aquarius Rising, and how these paradoxes are a fundamental part of both tarot and astrology.

Gaby Moreno: Sagittarius Sun, Virgo Moon, Virgo Rising Jul 02, 2024

Gaby Moreno is a Grammy-award-winning Guatemalan singer-songwriter and guitarist whose bilingual lyrics take listeners on vivid journeys. She was awarded the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album in 2023 for X Mi (Vol. 1). Her decades-spanning career is defined by a tenderness for her home of Guatemala, as told through folklore in her songwriting. Her ninth studio LP, Dusk, released earlier this year, is a testament to her evolution and transition, from light to dark and dawn to dusk. The desire for change and exploration found in Gaby’s Sagittarius sun is rounded by its placement in the Fourth House, associated with family and tradition — manifesting in both her attachment to memory and her constant refinement of archiving the ache and triumph of her ancestors through her music. Gaby joins host Isa Nakazawa to discuss how the presence of each element in her chart conjures balance.

Bayo Akomolafe: Virgo Sun, Aquarius Moon, Pisces Rising Jun 25, 2024

Dr. Bayo Akomolafe is a widely celebrated international speaker, teacher, author, and self-described "recovering psychologist.” As a Virgo Sun, Aquarius Moon and Pisces Rising his chart is full of beautiful contradictions—dealing in the details and seeing the big picture, searching for meaning and knowing there is no singular answer, and often existing most comfortably in the liminal. Bayo joins Isa to talk about how grief has traveled alongside him since the death of his father when he was a teenager. This traveling led him away from the Christianity that his Yoruba parents raised him in, and toward other frameworks to think about healing and grief. Bayo’s Pisces rising poetics refuse neat binaries of good/bad light/dark and instead speak in the tongue of the trickster, winking at modernity’s logic and surfacing conversations about neurodivergence, identity and faith.

Roxane Gay: Libra Sun, Libra Moon, Libra Rising Jun 18, 2024

Roxane Gay’s writing explores sexuality, race, feminism, and body image, often through her own personal experiences. From reality TV to that prestige series, to politics, Roxane’s cultural commentary crystallizes so poignantly what these pieces of culture tell us about ourselves and our society. Isa Nakazawa sits down with the New York Times bestselling author and editor to discuss her Libra stellium and how her cosmic blueprint informs the way she embraces the messiness and inherent contradictions of humanity, while she strives to be accountable, committed and transparent in her work and her life.

Yesika Salgado: Cancer Sun, Taurus Moon, Sagittarius Rising Jun 11, 2024

Poet and writer Yesika Salgado is a two-time National Poetry Slam finalist and the recipient of the 2020 International Latino Book Award in Poetry. Informed by her Salvadoran roots and her love for Los Angeles, Yesika explores yearning: a longing for lovers, home, big dreams. She is the author of the best-sellers Corazón, Tesoro, and Hermosa, and her works have been featured in the New York Times, LA Times, Teen Vogue, HBO and many more. Isa Nakazawa sits down with Yesika as they discuss how her Cancer stellium shows up in her radical honesty, a rare mix of self-compassion and realness towards the many versions of herself she has shed and transformed.

Rico Nasty: Taurus Sun, Taurus Moon, Aquarius Rising Jun 04, 2024

Rico Nasty began releasing mixtapes online, self-teaching and innovating when she was in high school, leading to collaborations with rapper Lil Yachty, two studio albums, and her latest EP, Hardcore Dreamz. Rico’s journey into motherhood and her rap career developed hand-in-hand, and her story is one of personal resilience and creative shape shifting. Rico liberates herself and her fans from the shackles of normativity. Isa sits down with Rico to discuss how her Taurus sun and moon and Aquarius rising allow her to reinvent herself constantly, but remain grounded in who she is.

Fariha Róisín: Capricorn Sun, Cancer Moon, Cancer Rising May 28, 2024

Multidisciplinary artist, poet, and writer Fariha Róisín is a Capricorn Sun and Cancer Moon and Rising. Host Isa Nakazawa sits down with Fariha to unpack how her chart illuminates the trajectory of her writing career, from a critical examination of wellness culture to her own healing from childhood abuse. Fariha shares details of her journey to mending her body and spirit through liberation. Isa also guides Fariha through her Saturn and Pluto placements, planetary aspects that are slow to arrive — but when they do arrive, they arrive with force.

Saeed Jones: Sagittarius Sun, Taurus Moon, Libra Rising May 21, 2024

Poet, writer, and podcast host Saeed Jones is a Sagittarius Sun, Taurus Moon, and Libra Rising. Our host, Isa Nakazawa, leads Saeed to reflect on how his seemingly opposing appetite for life and tendency to turn inward harmoniously meet in his Sagittarius, or what Saeed calls the “party hermit.” Also, Saeed’s Venus in Scorpio has influenced his pursuit of intense experiences, sometimes confusing dangerous passion for depth. Finally, Saeed satiates his Moon in Taurus through his home, where he’s created a sanctuary for life, work, and play in Columbus, Ohio.

Maya Murillo: Aries Sun, Aries Moon, Pisces Rising May 14, 2024

Maya Murillo came up in the early days of social media, when she started making humorous videos on Vine and YouTube at 16. The internet sweetheart and co-host of the Super Secret Bestie Club podcast with creator and bestie Curly Velasquez joined Buzzfeed Latine video vertical Pero Like in 2016, making videos about identity and Latinidad and pop-culture. Today, she’s on Instagram and TikTok as @Mayainthemoment, where she makes content as varied, bubbly, and exuberant as her personality. She gets real about her dating life and the importance of self-care and self-love, while still delivering her funny snippets of observational comedy. Maya and Isa look at how Maya balances her double Aries with her Pisces Rising, and how she learns boundaries through her friends.

Zach Stafford: Pisces Sun, Pisces Moon, Leo Rising May 07, 2024

Zach Stafford is a journalist, podcast host and producer whose wide-ranging work explores pop culture, queer joy and loss, and police brutality among other issues. Today, Zach is co-creator and co-host of Vibe Check, an original podcast in our Stitcher family, which he leads with fellow journalist Sam Sanders and writer Saeed Jones. Zach has also recently earned a Tony for his co-production of the Broadway musical A Strange Loop, which also won a Pulitzer Prize in drama. Isa Nakazawa discusses Zach’s Pisces sun, Pisces moon, and Leo rising, and how together, they allow him to ride the in-between spaces and identities that can’t be contained nor easily defined.

JC Carter: Pisces Sun, Cancer Moon, Taurus Rising Apr 30, 2024

Jahad Chris Carter also known as JC, created The Hopeless Romantic Society, an interview series about love’s adventures and misadventures with millions of viewers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. In their videos, JC inspires strangers to spill the tea, revealing stories about the wildest thing they ever did for love. Rather than hide behind the microphone, JC exposes themself with equal honesty and humor. Isa Nakazawa sits down with JC to discuss how their Pisces sun, Cancer moon, and Taurus rising create the perfect balance for their work while also revealing what makes them happy, and when to ask for help.

Ana Fabrega: Leo Sun, Scorpio Moon, Gemini Rising Apr 23, 2024

Writer, comedian, and actor, Ana Fabrega is a Leo Sun, Scorpio Moon, and Gemini Rising. Our host, Isa Nakazawa, teases out how Ana’s multiple Virgo placements show up in several aspects of her life, including career, love, and daily rituals like meditative running. Her Virgo stands out in her detail-oriented approach to every project, including her hit Spanish language series, Los Espookys. Ana’s Scorpio moon also informs her critical lens of the status quo and the systems that govern modern life.

Bethany Cosentino: Scorpio Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Cancer Rising Apr 16, 2024

Singer-songwriter Bethany Cosentino has reinvented herself over and over again and in the process helped define the indie sound of the aughts. Bethany first appeared on the charts with the group Best Coast in 2009. The band’s album ‘Crazy for You’ charted on Billboard to significant buzz and continued to stake their place in the lo-fi pop music scene of the 2010s. Yet, after over a decade of recording and touring, Best Coast went on hiatus in 2023, and Bethany launched her solo career with her album ‘Natural Disaster.” Isa Nakazawa sits down with Bethany to discuss how her chart is perfectly suited to aid her as she adapts. Her Scorpio Sun is there to help her ask the right questions and her Cancer Rising allows her to intuit the best path. But whatever life throws at her, Bethany’s Sagittarius Moon allows her to spring to her next adventure

Jia Tolentino: Scorpio Sun, Aries Moon, Leo Rising Apr 09, 2024

New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino has lived what she describes as a “conventional life.” And yet, she’s always questioning everything—taking notes about life’s dark corners in order to write about them in her signature, incisive style. Isa sits down with Jia, a Scorpio sun, Aries moon, and Leo rising, to unpack how Jia’s subterranean inclinations reveal themselves in her life and work. Jia also reflects on her lifelong pursuit of ecstatic experiences, which in her youth came from drugs and religion; but now, come from motherhood. While she settles into this more domestic phase of her life, Jia also resists the expectation that care should be reserved only for her small family and instead chooses to also invest in her wider community.

UMI: Aquarius Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Cancer Rising Apr 02, 2024

Singer, songwriter, multidimensional healer and artist Umi is on a journey of transcendence and she wants to take you there with her. Astrologer host Isa Nakazawa explains how Umi’s big 3 – Aquarius Sun, Sagittarius Moon, and Cancer Rising – affect how she approaches relationships, creativity, and self acceptance. Umi’s ability to tap into her own unique flow has allowed her to live up to her namesake, sharing this flow with her audiences through music and meditative exercises. Her combination of Aquarius and Sagittarius energy leads her to defy convention, experimenting in love, life, and art.

W. Kamau Bell: Aquarius Sun, Scorpio Moon, Taurus Rising Mar 26, 2024

W. Kamau Bell is an Oakland-based standup comedian, host, director, and producer. He is best known for hosting the CNN docuseries United Shades of America, where he connects with communities across the country and across differences. Host Isa Nakazawa discusses his Aquarius Sun, Scorpio Moon, and Taurus Rising. Together they look at how his big three are the perfect synergy to fuel his ability to ask the right questions of people as he explores race and contemporary issues in American society with political incisiveness and biting nuance.

aja monet: leo sun, cancer moon, virgo rising Mar 19, 2024

Surrealist blues poet, aja monet, is a Virgo rising, Leo sun, and Cancer moon. Astrologer and host Isa Nakazawa sits down with aja to explore how her chart has informed her career, love, loss, and more.

aja opens up about the importance of her Cuban-Jamaican-Brooklyn roots, cultivating self-awareness, how she defines success, and the difficulty of being “fluent in the language of loss.” Leaving no stone unturned, they also delve into the significance of aja’s Leo sun in the 12th house, the house of the subconscious, dreams, compassion, solitude, loss, and endings.

Introducing: Stars and Stars with Isa Mar 04, 2024

This is a show where we look to the stars above with the stars below. Each week our host and astrologer, Isa Nakazawa, sits with the most talented artists and thinkers of our time to read them their birth chart and discuss their life’s purpose and why they love, create, and walk the world the way they do. Coming March 19.

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