Meet Rochelle Sugawa | Generational Medium, Spirit Educator, Psychic Counsel

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rochelle Sugawa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rochelle, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
The most important decision I have made in Brown Bruha is to anchor everything I do in authenticity. As a solo business owner, there really is no separation between my business’s “brand” or “persona” and who I am.

That is deliberate. One of the messages I hope to deliver through Brown Bruha is that you do not need to be anyone except yourself to have a loving, supportive relationship with Spirit and your spirit team. You don’t have to be a cookie cutter version of what a “spiritual person” looks like–in fact, it’s better if you are not, and are instead authentically you.

I know this because even though I am now a professional medium and witch (and am descended from traditional spirit workers), I was not always a full-time bruha.

After so many years away from spirituality, I resumed intentionally developing my relationship with the spirit realm when I was in law school. I also became involved in political organizing around the same time. I thought I would always be a public interest lawyer, but my ancestors had other plans.

My spiritual and political beliefs are equally important to me. Unlike many practitioners in the mainstream spiritual industry, it is a core part of my spiritual practice to work towards improving material conditions and liberation for the oppressed, especially working-class women, femmes, and queer people of color. I am not all love and light, but that does not diminish the work that I do in the spirit realm.

Speaking openly about my belief that we can’t just manifest our way to liberation has brought me the most amazing clients. I work with a lot of organizers, activists, teachers, nurses, social workers, midwives, lawyers—people sharing their gifts on the mundane and magical planes—and I get to support them as they work towards a better future for our communities!

I share all this to show that I’ve come a very long way in my relationship with Spirit, and that even when it shouldn’t have made sense, it all has come together in the best way. I hope that by prioritizing authenticity, folks see that it’s more than okay for them to be their full selves and access their innate connection to the Divine.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At the core of all my offerings is my belief that a loving, nurturing relationship with Spirit is everyone’s birthright.

You don’t need to belong to a religion or commit years of study to a complicated divination system in order to have a supportive, genuine relationship with Spirit. It is possible for you to receive the spiritual support you need, even if colonization has suppressed your ancestral ways. The key is to develop your relationship with your benevolent ancestors, deceased loved ones, and guides, and to get comfortable exercising your innate intuitive abilities.

I also believe, like my ancestors did, that the spiritual realm is interwoven with the material realm; it is not as separate as capitalism might lead us to believe. Because of this, my offerings are designed to help you reclaim your spirituality without cultural misappropriation or spiritual bypassing–so that you can work your magic for personal transformation and collective liberation.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite place to eat in Los Angeles is Broken Mouth in DTLA. The owner, Tim, is serving up the kind of food that we grow up eating in “Hawai‘i”–much closer to the food that we actually eat back home than anything you’ll find at one of the chain “Hawaiian” restaurants. He is also super personable and hooks it up every time. Highly recommend.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So much credit for what I have been able to bring to the world through Brown Bruha goes to my spirit team of my ancestors and guides, who support and protect me, and from whom I get my gifts; my community for trusting me to support them through their big life transitions and decisions; and my family, especially my sisters, husband, and cousins for encouraging me to keep going.

Website: www.brownbruha.com

Instagram: @brown.bruha

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brownbruha

Youtube: @brownbruha

Other: TikTok @brownbruha