This week Lawson and Don sit down with a friend of six-plus years — Rocío Guenther — a journalist, public servant, and consultant whose career has bridged Guadalajara, San Antonio, Spain, and Germany.

Originally from Guadalajara, Rocío started as a bilingual reporter at the San Antonio Report covering U.S.–Mexico relations and immigration. She later joined the City of San Antonio's Global Engagement Office (coordinating the King and Queen of Spain's Tricentennial visit), served as Director of Community Engagement and Constituent Services for Mayor Ron Nirenberg — including a stretch working remotely from Spain — and spent 2023–2024 as a German Chancellor Fellow in Darmstadt studying migration policy. Most recently she was a campaign aide to Beto Altamirano in the 2025 San Antonio mayoral race, and today she runs her firm Guerita Consulting.

This one is longer-form and substantive. We get into what community engagement actually looks like on the ground, what the Mayor's office taught her about funding and consensus, her view of the Altamirano campaign, San Antonio's Sister Cities, why global engagement matters for a mid-size American city, and what it's like to build a career across two countries, two languages, and two cultures.

If you care about how local government works — or what it looks like to build a career that doesn't fit one lane — this is your episode. ☕

🌐 gueritaconsulting.com 📸 Instagram: @chioguenther

00:35 — Rocío Guenther: A Journey of Identity

04:56 — San Antonio: A Community of Warmth

06:38 — Navigating Local Politics

12:14 — Transplants in San Antonio's Growth

15:15 — Political Identity and Community Engagement

17:10 — COVID and Community Engagement

19:13 — Career Transitions

21:29 — Political Landscapes and Aspirations

22:43 — Spanish Citizenship and Migration Studies

24:25 — Balancing New Roles and Future Goals

25:11 — Local Governance: Mayor and Council

37:09 — Competency in Governance

39:35 — Local Leadership Dynamics

41:58 — Cultural Perceptions of San Antonio

48:07 — International Connections and Sister Cities

53:08 — The Importance of Global Engagement

Be a guest: listen@twotexasteas.com

Sponsor: ads@twotexasteas.com

Merch: shop.twotexasteas.com

🎙️ biosites.com/twotexasteas

📸 instagram.com/twotexasteas

🎬 tiktok.com/@twotexasteas

🐦 x.com/twotexasteas

▶️ youtube.com/@twotexasteas

✍️ substack.com/@twotexasteas

Real talk. Texas brewed. ☕