Finding Refuge

Aimée Cartier is a professional psychic who has been doing readings for those who are at a crossroads or want direction on what choices serve their highest good since 2007. She is known for her clear accurate insight, her attention to practical details, and her compassionate guidance. With her practical, down to earth, story-telling style, she's been guiding others through speaking and teaching events to pay attention to their own intuition and recognize all the ethereal support that is always available to them since 2010. She's the author of the book, “Getting Answers: Using Your Intuition to Discover Your Best Life." She founded her Intuitive University in 2015 and teaches intuition and empath programs for those who are ready to leave doubt behind and thrive with the help of their own innate inner knowing. She is also the host of the Own Your Intuition podcast where she tells true stories and gives tools to inspire others to honor the wisdom they've got inside. In this special episode, we discuss:Understanding psychic abilitiesIntuitive guidanceConnecting with your Highest SelfListeningMetamorphosisReturning to SelfNatureThe natural orderCollaboration and connectionConnect with Aimée on her website or on Facebook or Instagram @aimeecartier.Download two free offerings from Aimée:A Simple Tool for Determining Your Best ChoiceHow to Tell If It Is Your Intuition SpeakingPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Yetta Myrick is the mother of a young adult son diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability. She is the Founder and President of DC Autism Parents (DCAP), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the District of Columbia. Ms. Myrick has served as the CDC's Act Early Ambassador to the District of Columbia since 2016, led the DC COVID-19 Response Team from 2020-2022, and is currently leading the DC Act Early Team. In 2022, she co-authored and self-published, "Mr. Marshall's Block Party". Ms. Myrick leads the DC Autism Collaborative's Developmental Monitoring, Screening, and Evaluation Subgroup, co-leads the Family Advisory Group, Outreach and Education Subgroup, and the Community Resources and Support Subgroup. She serves as the Parent Educator/Advocate on the ECHO Autism HUB Team at Children's National Hospital. Ms. Myrick co-leads the “Family Voices United to End Racism Against CYSHCN and Families” Project and served as the Co-Investigator for the “Building Capacity in the African American ASD Community for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research” Project funded through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award. In 2021, she was appointed to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, J.D. Additionally, Ms. Myrick is a member of the DC Developmental Disabilities Council and was awarded the 2024 Advocate in Equity Award by the DC Developmental Disability Awareness Month Planning Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from The Catholic University of America.In this special episode, we discuss:PracticeTaking care of yourself to know yourselfBenefits of restResting practicesYoga off the matSelf-studyBoth/AndPurposeSystems of marginalizationNormalizing disabilityConnect with Yetta on her nonprofit's website and download the Rest to Create Change Toolkit.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Donna is an Author, International Yoga Teacher and Educator, Speaker, Facilitator, and Wellbeing Coach. She is also the Founder of Curvesomeyoga. Donna is passionate about making the yoga and wellbeing spaces more inclusive and diverse so that everybody can experience the transformational benefits of yoga. She has written for and featured in countless digital and print publications such as Red Magazine, HuffPost, Yoga Journal, OmYoga & Lifestyle Magazine, Elephant Journal, Thrive Global and Stylist Magazine. She has also been on BBC Radio London and Channel Four TV. Her debut book ‘Teaching Body Positive Yoga' was published by Singing Dragon in August 2022. In this special episode, we discuss:Listening to intuitionDeeping connection to intuitionDiversity in yogaAccessibility in yogaYoga as changeCommunityWritingThe “why” of yogaYoga in everything Connect with Donna on her website or on Instagram @donnanobleyoga.You can purchase Donna's book, Teaching Body Positive Yoga, at a discount using the code DNPOD10. This code is valid from May 3rd, 2024 to May 6th, 2024.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

The enigmatic Mache Chache, is an Houngan Asogwe (Haitian Vodou High Priest), Shaman, and Conjurer, whose spiritual prowess and ancestral lineage have captivated the hearts and minds of seekers worldwide. With an innate connection to the ethereal realms, Mache has emerged as a guiding light in the realm of spirituality. From a tender age, Mache's extraordinary gifts were evident, drawing attention from those who recognized the depth of his spiritual insight. Embracing his destiny, he embarked on a journey of self-discovery, honing his skills under the tutelage of esteemed mentors and teachers. Through years of dedicated study and practice, Mache Chache is rising to become a revered spiritual figure in this generation. As the owner of Kindred Spirits, one of North Carolina's oldest & most esteemed spiritual and metaphysical establishments, Mache Chache offers a sanctuary for those seeking solace, guidance, and transformation. Through spiritual tools & services, including divinations/readings, consultations, and ritual work—they empower individuals to tap into their inner wisdom and navigate the intricate tapestry of life. Mache Chache's path as a priest and spiritual guide has been one of profound significance, marked by moments of enlightenment, challenges, and incredible enrichment. Rooted in the rich traditions of occult mysticism, Southern Conjure, Indigenous Shamanism & Haitian Vodou, he has cultivated a deep reverence for the spirits and an unwavering belief in the interconnectedness of all beings. His impact extends far beyond the confines of his personal spiritual practice. Through his teachings, mentorship, writings, and public speaking engagements, Mache Chache has become a beacon of inspiration, illuminating the path for countless individuals seeking purpose, healing, and spiritual awakening. With an unwavering commitment to authenticity and integrity, he invites us to embark on a transformative journey, where the boundaries between the physical and spiritual realms blur, and the true essence of our being is revealed. Mache's wisdom and guidance serve as a reminder of the boundless potential that resides within each of us. He stands as a testament to the power of connection, the resilience of the human spirit, and the transformative magic that lies within our grasp.In this special episode, we discuss:LiminalityBalancingAscensionBringing medicine backCompassionEmbodying our humanness Spiritual HygienePatterns of energyRitual cleaningThe power of awarenessConnect with Mache on his website on Instagram @mache.chache77Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Karine Bell, MSC, SEP, is the founder and co-dreamer for the Rooted Global Village. She's a bi-cultural Black woman, a speaker, somatics educator, practitioner, somatic abolitionist, and scholar-activist in training focused on deepening an understanding of the impacts of trauma and oppression on our lives, and liberatory and decolonial frameworks and traditional/indigenous approaches to trauma healing and community building. The most important thing you could know about her today is that she feels most authentic, most joyful, when living from the heart. She embraces curiosity and wonder as compass points and embraces research as an act of reverence for, and curiosity about, life. Her love and dedication to her children fuel a fire for this orientation. She believes in the healing made possible at the personal and collective level by the work we do through transforming experience in our bodies today. She combines continued practice and study in somatics with studies in decolonial depth psychology with a focus on community, liberation, indigenous and eco-psychologies at Pacifica Graduate Institute.In this special episode, we discuss:ParentingCreation and destructionBirthingSurrenderDeep earth activismCommunities of careTrustListening to the bodyDiscernmentPausingMeditationPerimenopauseConnect with Karine on her website or on Instagram @tending.the.rootsPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Naomi Ortiz (they/she) explores the cultivation of care and connection within states of stress. Reimagining our relationship with land and challenging who is an environmentalist in the Arizona U.S./Mexico borderlands, is investigated in their new poetry/essay collection, Rituals for Climate Change: A Crip Struggle for Ecojustice. Their non-fiction book, Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice, provides informative tools and insightful strategies for diverse communities on addressing burnout. Nominated and selected as a 2022 Disability Futures Fellow and a 2021-2023 Reclaiming the US/Mexico Border Narrative Grant Awardee, they emphasize interdependence and spiritual growth through their poetry, writing, facilitation, and visual art. In this special episode, we discuss:Slowing downWhat makes a good lifeCare workStorytellingDissonanceRelationship with the landAcknowledging and honoring capacityRefuge and synchronicityConnect with Naomi on their website or on Instagram @naomiortizwriterartistLearn more about Naomi's books, Sustaining Spirit: Self Care for Social Justice and Rituals for Climate Change: A Crip Struggle for EcojusticePodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

LaUra Schmidt is the founder of the Good Grief Network and the brain behind the “10-Steps to Resilience & Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate” program and the FLOW Facilitation Training modality. She is a lifelong student, curator, and practitioner of personal and collective resilience strategies. LaUra holds a BS in Environmental Studies, Biology, and Religious Studies and an MS is in Environmental Humanities. LaUra has earned certificates in “Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy” and “Climate Psychology.”LaUra's new book on eco-distress, How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our Planet, is available through Shambhala Publications. Aimee Lewis Reau is the cofounder of the Good Grief Network and the heart behind the “10-Steps to Resilience & Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate” program and the FLOW Facilitation Training. She was born and raised in Adrian, Michigan. Aimee is an edgy & reverent contemplative, healer and yoga/intuitive movement instructor. She also DJs under the name eXis10shAL. Aimee received her Bachelor's degree in English, Poetry, and Religion from Central Michigan University before obtaining her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Georgia College & State University. Aimee's new book on eco-distress, How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our Planet, is available through Shambhala Publications.In this special episode, we discuss:Seeking beauty and gratitudeThe birth of Good Grief NetworkThe universality of griefEmbodimentPracticeUncertaintyLiminalityDeconstructionGrief as a portalDreamsConnect with LaUra and Aimee on their website or on Instagram @goodgriefnetworkOrder LaUra and Aimee's book, How to Live in a Chaotic Climate: 10 Steps to Reconnect with Ourselves, Our Communities, and Our PlanetPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Mara Branscombe is a mother, writer, yogi, artist, teacher, mindfulness leader, ceremonialist, and spiritual coach. She is passionate about weaving the art of mindfulness, self-care, creativity, mind–body practices, and earth-based rituals into her life and work, and she has been leading community ceremony since 2000. Mara runs international retreats, corporate leadership programs, and online coaching and personal development courses. Mara has taught yoga, meditation, and mindfulness for over 20 years. She is the published author of “Ritual As Remedy: Embodied Practices for Soul Care”, and “Sage, Huntress, Lover, Queen: Access Your Power and Creativity through Sacred Female Archetypes.” An adventurous spirit, Mara has sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, trekked across the Himalayas, studied yoga in India, planted trees in Canada's north, lived off the grid in a remote cabin in the woods, worked as a Waldorf (Steiner School) teacher, and then found her passion for dance and choreography where she co-founded the professional performance company “The Tomorrow Collective”. All the while yoga, meditation, mysticism, and ritual have been at the heart of Mara's journey. Her trainings in the Incan Shaman lineage, Yogic studies, Pagan tradition, and Buddhist wisdom teachings have greatly inspired her life's work of earth-based, ceremonial, intentional, and heart-centered living and loving.In this special episode, we discuss:NatureHonoring the darknessGriefWritingEmbodimentTurning towards shadowWitnessingSupport teamsDreamworkThe SageConnect with Mara on her website or on Instagram @marabranscombe.Learn more and purchase Mara's books, Ritual as Remedy and Sage, Huntress, Lover, Queen.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Rashid Hughes seeks to bridge the worlds of contemplative practice and collective care. He is a proud graduate of the Howard University Department of Music and the Howard University School of Divinity. Rashid is a certified Mindfulness Teacher, a certified Yoga Instructor, a Restorative Justice Facilitator, and currently in training to become a Fire Pujari. All of Rashid's perspectives flow from the two wisdom traditions of contemplative and restorative practices. In 2019, Rashid co-founded the Heart Refuge Mindfulness Community, a community in Washington, DC that inspires Black, Indigneous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to live with love and courage in the face of systemic inequities and ongoing racial-violence. Out of his unwavering love for community care and healing, Rashid facilitates weekly mindfulness sessions to support BIPOC in living with joy, while also understanding and resolving the impact of trauma on their bodies and lives. Due to his interest in challenging the ideas and systems that uphold a culture of patriarchy today, he also facilitates mindfulness sessions for BIPOC masculine & male identifying people who are particularly committed to addressing issues of masculinity and the culture of patriarchy. As a Restorative Justice Facilitator, Rashid holds the title of Restorative Justice Program Specialist at the non-profit SchoolTalk Inc. in Washington, DC. In that role, he collaborates with DC schools to create restorative spaces for youth to envision healing-centered approaches to school discipline, accountability and community building. When school classrooms went virtual in 2020, Rashid launched SchoolTalk's Our School Our Voice initiative, a citywide collaboration between SchoolTalk and four schools in the District of Columbia. Our School Our Voice is student-designed, student-led, and rooted in Rashid's vision of creating peer groups for students to engage with other students from different communities and elevate their voices. In 2020, during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rashid created a contemplative practice, R.E.S.T.-A Practice for the Tired & Weary, to provide practical means for people to find clarity and confidence in the midst of such devastating and uncertain times. In 2021, Rashid expanded the R.E.S.T. practice into a 5-Week Online Course & Practice Group. In collaboration with the Garrison Institute's Fellowship Forum, Rashid joined Dr. Angel Acosta in conversation around the intersections of the R.E.S.T. practice, liberation and contemplative practice with a particular focus on how this practice is an antidote to the systems of capitalism and white supremacy. Rashid's writings have been published by Mindful Magazine, Lion's Roar Magazine, and his first peer reviewed essay on R.E.S.T. was featured in the Journal for Contemplative Inquiry's volume, Transcendent Wisdom and Transformative Action: Reflections from Black Contemplatives, a “special edition focusing on the insights and wisdom of Black contemplative practitioners, researchers, scholars, educators and artists. Today, Rashid is devoting his time to a new interest, exploring the role of ceremony and contemplative practice in creating the conditions for a more just and caring world.In this special episode, we discuss:Freedom and liberationFear as a path to clarityPurposeSpiritual practiceAuthenticityReclamationShared realityConsuming chaosR.E.S.TA modern wisdom goddess Connect with Rashid on his website or on Instagram @justbeandbreathe.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Shawn J. Moore is a Mindfulness Educator and Coach, Stillness Architect, and Buddhist Dharma practitioner. Residing at the intersection of leadership and mindfulness, Shawn creates sacred spaces for stillness and self-inquiry to help change-makers align their strengths, intention, and impact. Through his integrative approach, he holds transformative containers for self-renewal, personal discovery, and capacity-building that ease clients on their journey towards peace, clarity, and freedom. The path to collective growth is rooted firmly in our personal growth. As we work towards collective freedom, Shawn asks: How can you begin to support yourself to be able to support others?Are you pouring into others from the excess of your full cup?Shawn has an intuitive way of weaving all that he has learned on his path to help those on the inner journey of discovery to reflect on those questions – including meditation, sound healing, yoga nidra, and coaching. Shawn has worked in higher education and student affairs for over 10 years, specializing in leadership development, training/program design, and workshop facilitation – with a particular focus on diverse populations. Reckoning with his own contemplation of burnout, purpose, and alignment, Shawn transitioned out of his role as Associate Dean of Student Life & Leadership at Morehouse College in the fall of 2021 to focus more on mindfulness and stillness-based training programs and workshops. While leadership resonates with him deeply, it is his personal and spiritual practices that allows him to continue to show up for himself and others. He is a yoga teacher (E-RYT® 200, RYT® 500, YACEP®), sound and reiki practitioner, meditation teacher, Yoga Nidra facilitator, and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, all focused through a Buddhist lens and 17 years of personal practice. In addition to holding community space through classes, he provides training in leadership and strengths-based development, and workshops in mindfulness, meditation and sound healing. He has contributed workshops, practices, and educational opportunities for celebrities, like Questlove and Dyllón Burnside, as well as various yoga studios and colleges, Yoga International, Omstars, Melanin Moves Project, the Human Rights Campaign, Spotify and Lululemon.In this special episode, we discuss:Self-InquiryFrictionLiminal spaceSlowing downResistance to stillnessBreaking cyclesStillness as a path to transformational changeResourcing ourselvesCommunityCompassionGentleness with ourselvesConnect with Shawn on his website and on Instagram @shawnj_mooreYou can purchase Shawn's Sadhana Decks here.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Jamilah Pitts is an author, educator, social entrepreneur, and wellness educator whose work centers the liberation, healing and holistic development of communities of the Global majority. Jamilah has worked and served in various roles and spaces to promote racial justice and healing. Jamilah has served as a teacher, coach, dean, and as an Assistant principal. She has worked in domestic and international educational spaces, including Massachusetts, New York, the Dominican Republic, China and in India. As the Founder and CEO of Jamilah Pitts Consulting, Jamilah partners with schools, communities, universities and organizations to advance the work of racial, social and intersectional justice through training, coaching, strategic planning and curriculum design. Jamilah is also the Founder of She, Imprints, an organization serving at the intersection of wellness and justice for women and girls of the Global Majority. Jamilah's written work has appeared in the Huffington Post, Learning for Justice, and Edweek. She has presented to audiences of thousands of educators both within the United States and internationally. Jamilah threads her passion for human rights and social justice into her teaching, writing, scholarship and other artistic pursuits. She sees education and healing as her life's work and calling, and truly believes that education should be an avenue through which empathy, healing and justice are promoted. Jamilah is certified as a Yoga Teacher, Reiki Practitioner, Omnoire Retreat Facilitator, and is certified as a Trauma - Conscious Yoga guide. Jamilah is a proud alumna of Spelman College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. Jamilah also pursued graduate studies at Boston College and Teachers College, Columbia University. Jamilah's first book Toward Liberation: Educational Practices Rooted in activism, healing and love will be published November 2023.Jamilah is an avid traveler, serious foodie and dancer. In this special episode, we discuss:The support of stillness and “just being”Non-linear healingChanging through the seasonsDreamsSpeaking life into our pathsChoosing work aligned with our soulAnti-racism and anti-bias work within schoolsTruth-tellingLiberationLoving BlacknessLove as a verbOur interconnectednessYou can connect with Jamilah on her website or on Instagram @msjamilahpitts.Purchase Jamilah's book, Toward Liberation: Educational Practices Rooted in Activism, Healing, and Love.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

This show is very special to me. I wasn't sure how to end Season 3, but last month on a Saturday evening, my grandmother, Dorothy, sent me on a journey. She sent me to find an interview from 2008. I interviewed her for the National Day of Listening and was called to find the interview and listen to her voice. I heeded her call to locate the interview because when Dorothy asks me to do something, I do it. After searching multiple hard drives, I found her interview. I listened, and it was so lovely to hear her voice. A few days later, I told my mother I wanted to release the interview with Dorothy as my final episode of Season 3. So, here you have it, an interview with Dorothy. The interview is, of course, different than other interviews I've done on this podcast. My grandmother and I talked about where and how she grew up, her children, President Obama, the depression, and how she met my grandfather, Fred. This interview may not offer lessons to you because it's simple; it's a conversation with my grandmother about her way of life. Even so, I thought you might want to hear her voice. I thought you might want to listen to her. So many of you have heard me call her into spaces repeatedly. Many of you have read about her in my books. Now you can listen to her come to life in a different way. Enjoy the episode.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Ayanna Freedom is an Author, Podcast Host, Yoga Teacher, LICSW, and the Founder of B FREE Wellness. B FREE is a nonprofit organization designed to transform people's lives by providing free and affordable mental health, movement and mindfulness services to those whose lives are affected by trauma, addiction and oppression. She has led multiple trauma sensitive and equity and belonging programs. She is a lover of breath and lives on Cape Cod, MA with her daughter and dog, Sawyer. In this special episode, we discuss:The Process of Getting LiberatedBreaking the Cycle of TraumaAddictionThe Family SystemHow Hurt People Can Stop Hurting OthersIntergenerational TraumaHealing and RecoveryVulnerabilityThe Writing ProcessDisrupting UrgencyWhat it Feels Like to Run a Non-ProfitCommunity SupportCollective CarePurposeIntuitionBeing Unapologetic Connect with Ayanna on her website or on Instagram @ayannanfreedom.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

This epsiode of Finding Refuge is pure fire! I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Cara Page and Erica Woodland, co-editors of Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation. Read more below about the themes we weaved together during the interview and about Cara and Erica. Cara Page is a Black Queer Feminist cultural memory worker & organizer. For the past 30+ years, she has organized with LGBTQI+/Black, Indigenous & People of Color liberation movements in the US & Global South at the intersections of racial, gender & economic justice, healing justice and transformative justice. She is founder of Changing Frequencies, an abolitionist organizing project that designs cultural memory work to disrupt harms and violence from the Medical Industrial Complex (MIC). She is also co-founder of the Healing Histories Project; a network of abolitionist healers/health practitioners, community organizers, researchers/historians & cultural workers building solidarity to interrupt the medical industrial complex and harmful systems of care. We generate change through research, action and building collaborative strategies & stories with BIPOC-led communities, institutions and movements organizing for dignified collective care.As one of the architects of the healing justice political strategy, envisioned by many in the South and deeply rooted in Black Feminist traditions and Southern Black Radical Traditions, she is co-founder and core leadership team member of the Kindred Southern Healing Justice Collective. She was the Executive Director of the Audre Lorde Project in New York City and is a former recipient of the OSF Soros Equality Fellowship (2019-2020) and ‘Activist in Residence' at the Barnard Center for Research on Women. She was also chosen as Yerba Buena Cultural Center's ‘YBCA100'in 2020. Cara has organized and co-created with many political and cultural institutions & organizations nationally & internationally including Center for Documentary Studies, Third World Newsreel, Sins Invalid, Southerners on New Ground (SONG), Project South, INCITE! Women & Trans People of Color Against Violence, Bettys Daughter Arts Collaborative, and most recently the EqualHealth Campaign Against Racism, the National Queer & Trans Therapist of Color Network, Disability Project of Transgender Law Center, Astraea Lesbians for Justice Foundation and the Anti-Eugenics Project; toward building & resourcing racial, gender & healing justice strategies for our liberation, collective care & safety. Her forthcoming book, co-edited by Erica Woodland, entitled “Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care & Safety” (North Atlantic Books) will be out in February 2023.Erica Woodland, LCSW is a Black queer, trans masculine/genderqueer facilitator, consultant, psychotherapist and healing justice practitioner who was born, raised, and is currently based in Baltimore, MD. He has worked at the intersections of movements for racial, gender, economic, trans and queer justice and liberation for more than 20 years. He has extensive experience working with young people, Black, Indigenous and People of Color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities across the country, from Baltimore to the San Francisco Bay Area. Erica is the Founding Director of the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN), a healing justice organization that actively works to transform mental health for Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Under his leadership, NQTTCN has trained and mobilized hundreds of mental health practitioners committed to intervening on the legacy of harm and violence of the medical industrial complex while building liberatory models of care rooted in abolition. Erica came into liberation and healing work in the early 2000s by way of harm reduction and abolitionist organizing with survivors of state, community and interpersonal violence. Working at the nexus of collective care and political liberation has been central to his practice as a clinician, facilitator, and healer. Erica has done extensive work in carceral environments including prisons, jails, and psychiatric detention centers as well as in grassroots community based organizations, giving him a wide range of experience to draw from in his liberation work. From 2012-2016, Erica served as the Field Building Director for the Brown Boi Project, a national gender justice organization, where he lead movement building work to transform masculinity and confront sexism, misogyny, and queer/transphobia.Erica is co-editor of Healing Justice Lineages: Dreaming at the Crossroads of Liberation, Collective Care and Safety, with Cara Page (North Atlantic Books, 2023). In 2017, he was awarded the Ford Public Voices Fellowship and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders Fellowship. Erica's op-eds have been featured in Role Reboot, Yoga International and Truthout and his healing justice work has also been highlighted in Time magazine, CNN, Healthline, Complex, and the New York Times. He is also a principal author of Freeing Ourselves: A Guide to Health and Self Love for Brown Bois (Brown Boi Project, 2011).In this episode, we discuss:The Need for Healing Back, Now and Into the FutureThe Ecosystem of Healing Justice Work and PracticeAccountabilityWhat we Need to Listen to NowAncestorsHonoring Our LineagesRelationship to PlaceDestinyHarriet TubmanCollective CareMovement Work The Disorienting Nature of This TimeThe Process of Being Led to Write a BookCollective LiberationDreamingA Collective Dream for Our Future And More!You can connect with Cara on her website and Erica on his website.Purchase their book, Healing Justice Lineages, here.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Ariella Daly is a natural beekeeper, dream weaver, and teacher living in Northern California. Devoted to the bee in both the physical world and the spirit world, she synthesizes natural beekeeping, animism, dreamwork, and earth activism through writing, workshops, and teaching. Her work with the bee came through a lifelong interest in human connection with the non-human world.She is trained a European animistic folk tradition with the bee and the serpent as its central motifs. Within this tradition, she is versed in the healing and seership modality known as the Pollen Method. Her work is a fusion of her love for the natural world and embodied, womb-centric practices. Ariella seeks to foster a deeper relationship between humans and the natural world through honey bees and sees the bee as a bridge species between our domestic lives and the wild, both within and around us. She is a lover of wild places, liminal spaces, and the song of the land. In this special episode, we discuss:The Liminal SpaceThe Loss of a ParentGriefAnimismThe HoneybeesHealing One's Spirit with NatureAncestorsThe Crooked PathDeathBirthRebirthA Love Affair with the Natural World What It Means to be in Relationship with EverythingDaring to LoveDreaming Our Way Into a New Way of BeingDreaming for the collective Stretching the Imagination Love Connect with Ariella here on her website or Instagram @beekeepinginskirtsPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Phyllis "Sweet Potato" Jeffers-Coly aka Ta Ta Phyllis is the co-founder and co-owner of DIASPORIC SOUL, which she and her husband, Eddy "Professor Onion Sauce" Coly, established in 2016. DIASPORIC SOUL offers heritage and healing experiences that integrate both culture (SOUL) and contemplative practices. DIASPORIC SOUL Heritage & Healing Experiences hold space for Black people to deepen their capacity to practice self-care and for healing and restoration, resilience and resistance. Phyllis is the author of We Got Soul; We Can Heal: Overcoming Racial Trauma Through Leadership, Community and Resilience. She is also the author of “When Grandma Comes to Visit: Exploring How Communion with Our Ancestors & Nature Deepens Our Capacity for Healing, Restoration, Resilience, and Resistance” that was recently published in Transcendent Wisdom and Transformative Action: Reflections from Black Contemplatives Journal of Contemplative Inquiry (19 April 2022). Phyllis is also co-author of "They Are Coming to Get Something”: A Qualitative Study of African American Male Community College Students' Education Abroad Experience in Senegal, West Africa" in Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad (August 2022).As celebrated in Chapter XI|#LoveHeals of We Got Soul; We Can Heal, she is a proud North Carolina native and graduate of North Carolina Central University where she majored in English Language & Literature and served as the Shut Em Down SGA President and Editor of Ex Umbra literary magazine. Jeffers-Coly's love for HBCUs is reflected in her six year tenure as Dean of Enrollment Management at Central State University where she held space for primarily first-generation, Pell-eligible Black students who lovingly referred to her as Ma Dean She completed her M.A. in English Language & Literature at the University of Maryland.Phyllis is a certified yoga instructor (600-hour) and continues to explore ways that culture (SOUL) and contemplative practices can allow us to experience healing and restoration. In this special episode, we discuss:Collective CareShowing Up For Each OtherAncestorsPrayerGriefVisioningDreamingCreating a Space For BelongingWho Do You Belong to?We Belong To Each OtherAffirming Black PeopleThe Resonance of Slavery and Liberation Held Within GeographyFalling Apart and Piecing Oneself Back TogetherThe Importance of a Practice You can connect with Phyllis Jeffers-Coly on her website or on Instagram @diasporicsoulPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Omisade Burney-Scott (she/her) is a 7th generation Black Southern feminist, creative and social justice advocate. Over the past 25 years, her “work” has been grounded in social justice movement spaces focused on the liberation of marginalized people, beginning with her own community. This commitment to liberation has manifested through advocacy work, philanthropy, community organizing, and culture work. She is the creator/curator of The Black Girls' Guide to Surviving Menopause, a multimedia project that curates the stories of Black women, women identified, and gender-expansive people who are perimenopausal, menopausal, or post-menopausal. This project is a direct result of Omisade finding herself and her peers living at the intersection of social justice movement work, creative healer identities, and aging. She has chosen to use the medium of storytelling to disrupt the erasure of Black women's voices as they age through sharing their first-person narratives and lived experiences. Omisade is a member of the 1999-2001 class of the William C. Friday Fellows for Human Relations, a 2003 Southeastern Council on Foundation's Hull Fellow, and founding member of NGAAP, the Next Generation of African American Philanthropy. She has served on various nonprofit boards, including the Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom, Fund for Southern Communities, Spirithouse NC, Village of Wisdom, Working Films, and The Beautiful Project. She is a 1989 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and the proud mom of two sons, Che and Taj. She resides in Durham, North Carolina. In this amazing episode, we discuss:MenopauseBlacknessBlack womenThe Power of StorytellingRewriting Our StorySystemic OppressionTruth-TellingDifferent Stages of LifeMotheringImposter SyndromeSpiritual PracticeDestinyFaith…and more!You can connect with Omisade on her website, Instagrams @blackgirlsguidetomenopause @omisadeburneyscott, Twitter, and FacebookPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher, non-profit founder, speaker, and author. She is the founder of Peace in Schools, a nonprofit that created the nation's first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools. Caverly is also the founder of Presence Collective, a community of cross-cultural contemplatives committed to personal and collective transformation. She is the author of A Kids Book About Mindfulness as well as The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together.Caverly blends the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual approach. Her practice began in 1995 and has included eight years of training in a silent Zen monastery. She has been teaching contemplative practice since 2001 and leads meditation retreats, workshops and online classes internationally. More at caverlymorgan.org.In this episode, we discuss:The Heart of Who We AreSpirit ForwardSpiritual PracticeReconciling Spiritual Warriorship And The Need to SoftenSpiritual BypassingPresenceDevotionPracticeWhere We Place Our AttentionA Book as an OfferingCollective TraumaCollective ResilienceConnect with Caverly on her website or on Instagram @caverlymorganPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

An accomplished speaker and teacher, Nikki is an MBA, E-RYT500, Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Addictions Recovery Specialist, and Ayurvedic Specialist. Born from her personal struggles with addiction, deep study, and work with countless students, Nikki is the founder of Y12SR: Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Based on its theme ‘the issues live in the tissues', Y12SR is a relapse prevention program that weaves yoga, neuroscience and trauma healing with the practical tools of 12-step programs.Y12SR meetings are available internationally and the curriculum has rapidly becoming a feature of addiction recovery treatment centers. Nikki's work has been featured in the New York Times, Black Enterprise, The Huffington Post, Origin Magazine, CBSnews.com and countless podcasts. She is honored to be a co-founder of the annual Yoga, Meditation and Recovery Conferences at Esalen Institute and Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Nikki has been featured as a speaker at the International Association of Yoga Therapist (IAYT) conference, International Conference on Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the 2022 Clinton Global Initiative. She was named a Yoga Journal Game Changer and is an honored recipient of the esteemed NUVO Cultural Visionary Award.In this episode, we discuss:DharmaAddictionEgoAspects of the Personality Relief vs. Resolve HealingRecovery The Good Next Right ThingThe Bhagavad GitaThe Path of YogaLegacyLineageRefuge and Sustenance Vibration ChantingConnect with Nikki on her website, Instagram @y12sr, and Facebook.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Erin Trent Johnson is a Black Mama Body, embodied coach and liberation guide, storyteller, facilitator. Erin lives by the words of the Combahee River Collective Statement, “If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.”Erin is the Creator of Black.Mama.Body. Experience an embodied communal healing and creative refuge and abundant homeplace for Black, Indigenous and women and femme bodies of culture. In community, Erin holds spaces that ignite spiritual rebellion and remembrance within systems of extraction and exploitation. Through story, art, ritual, testimony and witness, Black Mama Body is the womb of creation. Erin is also the founder of Community Equity Partners, a coaching and consulting practice focused on reimagining systems and institutions that produce Black health and wholeness–Whealth.As a certified professional coach, trained facilitator of group dynamics, somatics, racial justice, political activism, and community organizing, Erin knows how institutions, systems, and politics function and reproduce harm specifically for Black women, femme, queer, poor and disabled and neuroexpansive bodies. Erin's purpose and lineage has called on her to hold sacred communal space for Black nourishment, imagination, and the healing of intergenerational, structural, and everyday institutional and personal trauma.Erin is a journeywoman who practices ritual and deep nerding out and liberatory play.Erin has coached and facilitated liberated learning and leadership development experiences for people and institutions around the world, trained and mentored coaches and therapists, and continues her practice and study of Somatics, Abolition, and Spiritual with Black, Indigenous, and Bodies of culture around the world.Erin is a 5th generation Philadelphian, descendant of the laborers, the healers, the domestic workers, farmers, and wisdom keepers. She lives with her partner in life, Ajamu and daughter Maya. Erin loves to dance, swim, wander, garden and play with her daughter, Maya.In this episode, we discuss:Body Wisdom and HealthSoulbatticalWhite SupremacyAnti-Racism PracticeAbolitionismRest as Resistance Rest as RefugeMotheringA Practice of Surrendering Living The Life of The LivingBlack Mama Body ExperienceJoy and Grief CommunityThe Power of Healing in Communal Spaces Connect with Erin Trent-Johnson on her website and on Instagram @black.mama.body.experiencePodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Rebby Kern (they/them) is a wandering spirit shining light into the lives of others. Rebby's personal mission is to operate from connection, seeking justice and empowering voices. Rebby generates space for connection, empowerment and self-discovery through their 10+ years in LGBTQ policy and activism drawing connections to yoga asana and philosophy while uplifting experiences of marginalized identities. Their experience drives their passion to include diverse identities around race, gender identity, sexual orientation, body, disability and more. Rebby is an awarded national facilitator on race equity, gender justice and queer liberation within Rebby Kern Yoga, HRC Welcoming Schools and All Children All Families, as well as a consultant to educators, wellness leaders and professionals.Rebby serves as the Director of Education Policy at Equality NC, advocating for and investing in young change-makers, supporting policy reform and implementing LGBTQ-inclusive training and professional development across North Carolina. Rebby also serves as a board member of Youth OUTright, empowering LGBTQIA youth.In 2019 Rebby was selected as one of the first lululemon Ambassadors for the newest Charlotte store, Atherton Mill. As a lululemon Ambassador, Rebby is able to lead in power in the Charlotte community and beyond. Rebby is the first non-binary person of color to represent lululemon in the region and continues to uplift voices of LGBTQ and BIPOC people who often don't find themselves represented within the lululemon brand.As a person in recovery for 10 years, Rebby is a facilitator for Yoga 12-Step Recovery grounding their own practice in an addiction recovery model which connects yoga, neuroscience, and the practical tools of 12-step programs. In this episode, we discuss:Self-TrustCommunity CareFamily of OriginAdoption Chosen FamilyAddictionSpiritual PracticeAdvocacy WorkCommunication With Our Younger SelvesRefuge The Seat of The Student Inner Wisdom Being of Service AgencySovereignty Love and RageYou can learn more and book Rebby at their website and follow @rebbykern on Instagram. Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Kerri is the founder of CTZNWELL, a movement that is democratizing wellbeing for all. A descendant of generations of firemen and first responders, Kerri has dedicated her life to kicking down doors and fighting for justice. She's been teaching yoga for over 20 years and is known for making waves in the wellness industry by challenging norms, disrupting systems and mobilizing people to act. A community organizer, wellness activist and author of the forthcoming book American Detox: The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal, Kerri is recognized across communities for her inspired work to bridge transformational practice with social justice. She's been instrumental in translating the practices of wellbeing into social and political action, working in collaboration with community organizers, spiritual leaders and policy makers to transform our systems from the inside out. Her leadership has inspired a movement that is actively organizing around issues of racial and economic justice, healthcare as a human right, civic engagement and more.Kerri is a student of abolition, anti-racism, ableism and decolonization. She works diligently to dismantle oppression within herself and the systems and culture she is a part of. She works in support and solidarity with BIPOC leaders and organizations to explore how to work across lines of difference to advance equity and build community resilience. Her partnership with Michelle C Johnson, Race & Resilience, aims to provoke transformative change in community and institutional spaces that moves us from a culture of separation, supremacy and scarcity to one of connection, cooperation and care. In this episode, we discuss:Collective WellnessWell-beingInterconnectednessThe Personal as PoliticalFinding Refuge in the MundaneThe Story of a HeroDetoxing From Systems That Prevent Us From Being Well The Birthing of American DetoxThe Writing ProcessDiscovery of OneselfRest as RefugePerfectionismJusticeEquityConnect with Kerri on her website, ctznwell, or on Instagram @kkellyyoga and @ctznwell.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Mado Hesselink (she/they) helps yoga teachers integrate their heart-centered mission with practical teaching strategies so that they can integrate the benefits of yoga into their lives and share those benefits with their community.A student of yoga for over 20 years in the Krishnamacharya lineage, Mado is white & able bodied, queer, neurodivergent, an immigrant, and lives on unceded Cherokee land. Her life has been profoundly influenced by the experience of growing up in Hawaii as a third culture individual, by becoming a mother at the age of 24, and by the death of her own mother in 2012. Parenthood and partnership continue to be her greatest yoga teachers while asana and meditation support her aim to show up skillfully and compassionately in every area of life.On her podcast “The Yoga Teacher Resource”, Mado draws from nearly two decades of teaching experience to share relevant stories, practical tips, and down-to-earth advice specifically geared towards yoga teachers. Her membership community the Impact Club supports yoga teachers to stay consistent with their personal practice, find their voice, and move past psychological barriers to show up fully in service to the world. Community, accountability, and mentorship are often missing in the lives of independent yoga teacher and the Impact Club exists to fill that gap. Mado is also co-founder of the Anatomy Bites membership community and has created several online courses for yoga teachers. She loves gardening, preparing food, walking by the river, and learning about... well almost anything.In this episode, we discuss:The Path of YogaMultiple TruthsThings That Seem to be in Opposition The Opposite Sides of the Same CoinStructure and SurrenderDeveloping the Capacity for Not Knowing or Having All of the AnswersSkillful ActionPractices to Bring us Back Into a Place of Skillful ActionThe lower self and Higher SelfIntegrity and UnionThe Garden as a MetaphorBirth, Death, Decay, CompostingParentingGrief Connect with Mado on their website or on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resourceThe Impact Club: https://www.helloyogateacher.com/impactPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Sherene Cauley (she/her) is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, the founder of The Nurtured Life, the Associate Director of The Whole Health Center in Bar Harbor, Maine, and a Phd student working towards her Doctor of Ministry with a focus on social transformation from United Theological Seminary, Twin Cities. Sherene lives with her husband, mother, and children on the coast of Maine. Sherene founded The Nurtured Life in 2003, a Maryland-based wellness service to build mindful life practices into everyday living. As a mother and connected community member with an academic background in education, she recognized the need for holistic early childhood education and designed The Nurtured Life to offer guidance to families in communication, physiological awareness, natural world connection, and whole foods sustenance. In 2008, Sherene completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training with Diane Finlayson and, in 2009, a certificate in pregnancy yoga to integrate yoga practices into family care. The role of The Nurtured Life naturally broadened to become a nexus for practical and emotional family support with the launch of a whole foods purchasing cooperative, a network of peer support, and coaching services for parents and families.As someone who has struggled throughout her life with dyslexia, she began to recognize how her neurodivergent sensitivities help her to tune into her internal and external environments, which not only allow her to experience her spirituality more fully but also to guide others in healing practices that are responsive to mind and body. In 2018, Sherene completed a Master of Arts in Health and Wellness Coaching from Maryland University of Integrative Health and formally became a wellness coach.The Nurtured Life has evolved as a wellness coaching service for clients across the country and includes workshops on attuning to our inner and outer realities to build supportive, sustainable lifestyles.Sherene's academic research has examined the effects of hegemonic white patriarchy on spirituality and human development. As an American and woman of Iranian heritage, she recognizes both socially and personally the harm caused by systems of oppression and the need to actively cultivate a culture of well-being. She continues to combine her knowledge in health coaching, peace studies, and wisdom traditions to offer coaching around barriers to peace, equity, and social justice. In this episode, we dove into the following topics:GriefJoyConnectionWhat calls us to our work and to practice Pain as a catalyst for truth and transformationChildren and how they don't want to transcend this human experience or realityEvolution and our understanding of history The cosmic unfolding The nature of healingThe process by which people healSpiritual practiceCommunity as a congregationWhat results from us believing we are separate from one another and all thingsEmbodimentRepatterning Ritual Showing up authenticallyConnect with Sherene on her website or on Instagram @thenurturedlife_sherene.Support Sherene's access fund for coaching and to support her clients and practice of not turning anyone away.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

During her childhood, her family traveled throughout India, devoted to a colorful yogic life. Rohini got to experience an upbringing that was centered around a love for their community. Her days were filled with meditation, chanting, yoga, and cleansing the body in an effort to grow as a spiritual being. As she traveled throughout India, staying in different temples and volunteering at community events, Rohini got to see and experience the most sacred places in India where most people were not allowed. Today, Rohini is internationally recognized as a teacher of the Akasha and spiritual explorer. Through her revolutionary approach to empowering spiritually curious individuals, Rohini guides her community through a wondrous journey inward so they can experience the awe of a limitless reality. Through the MI Community, her podcast, and her educational opportunities, Rohini makes the wisdom of the Akasha accessible to everyone. During this episode, we discuss:Akashic RecordsSharing the Akasha and How to Read Records in an Accessible WayAncestral Lineage and LegacyGrief and Loss of a Child The VedasVedic AstrologyKarma Spiritual Bypassing Cultural AppropriationThe Soul's PathThe Spiritual and Physical BodySpiritual and Physical Alignment HarmonyLiving and Leading from the HeartOur Individual and Collective Work to Make the World a Better Place What it Feels Like to be Alive at This Time Laughter and JoyConnect with Rohini on her website or on Instagram @magicinclined.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Tina Strawn (she/they) is a joy and liberation advocate, activist, author of "Are We Free Yet? The Black, Queer Guide to Divorcing America" (Row House Publishing, January 2023). Tina is the owner and host of the Speaking of Racism podcast. The heart of her work is founding and leading Legacy Trips, immersive antiracism experiences where participants visit historical locations such as Montgomery and Selma, AL, and utilize spiritual practices as tools to affect personal and collective change. Tina has three adult children, an ex-husband, an ex-wife, and an ex-country. She has been a full-time minimalist nomad since February 2020 and currently lives in Costa Rica. Tina travels the globe speaking, writing, teaching, and exploring where on the planet she can feel safe and free in her queer, Black, woman-identifying body.In this very special episode, we discuss:The Blaxit Social MovementThe Experience of Being a Black American and Choosing to Leave AmericaHow Black People Can Never Truly Leave the Experience of Being Black Isolation Versus Finding and Creating SolitudeRacial Trauma The Experience of Being a Black Ex-Pat NomadTina's Writing ProcessGriefLiberationSystems of Oppression and How We Find Freedom In Spite of Them White SupremacyBlack JoySovereigntyPleasureCommitting to Peace and Joy Dreaming and Visioning Connect with Tina on her website and Instagram @tina_strawn_lifePurchase Are We Free Yet: The Black Queer Guide to Divorcing AmericaPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

This is the final episode of Season 2. It features me talking about the reason why I decided to take a sabbatical and make space for REST. I recorded this prior to the supreme court's further attack on our civil rights and the planet, so there is no mention of the most recent traumas and horrors happening in our country and world. This episode focuses on rest as a practice and the reality that not everyone has the space to rest. In this episode, I discuss:My decision to take a sabbaticalThe importance of restThe privilege of being able to restHow we all deserve to rest White-bodied folks and reparations for Black peopleFinding Refuge, the bookHoneybeesGardeningSpiritual practice I do not include my bio here because, well, you know me; instead, I include a request for you to continue to support my work and Finding Refuge. Finding Refuge: Heart Work for Healing Collective Grief has a birthday on July 31st. It has been out in the world for a year now, and what a year it has been. Thank you for purchasing, sharing, and posting on social media about Finding Refuge. Thank you for showing up in Finding Refuge retreats and making space for yourself to grieve and heal. Thanks for hosting book clubs and using the book club guide as well as the guide for how to wade through the holidays that I created in November of 2021. So many of you have been touched by Finding Refuge, and I have a request. If you haven't written a review on Amazon and Goodreads, please do. You do not have to have purchased the book on Amazon to write a review there, but if you do write a review on Amazon, it improves the visibility of the book. This past month has shown us that what I offer in Finding Refuge is timeless. There is so much grief to move through and so much healing for us to do. Please write a review and tell your friends about the book. The practices in it are meant to heal our hearts, and I want us all to be able to heal our hearts. In addition to writing a review for Finding Refuge, the book, you can write a review and rate The Finding Refuge Podcast on iTunes. Season 3 is going to be amazing, and I cannot wait to bring more interviews and healing balm your way. One more thing, I have several opportunities for online and in-person practice centered around Finding Refuge coming up. Visit my website and subscribe to my newsletter to stay apprised of my upcoming offerings.I did mention that I would link to a few here:Finding Refuge Celebration and Ritual Level 1 Leadership CohortDetox and RefugeFinding Refuge Retreat Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Tristan Katz (they/them) is a writer, digital strategist, and equity-inclusion facilitator based on the ancestral land of the Cowlitz and Clackamas peoples and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Siletz Indians, now known as Portland, OR. Tristan offers justice-focused marketing programs for yoga and wellness professionals, along with workshops and trainings centered around queer identity and transgender awareness with an anti-oppression and intersectional lens. Their podcast, ALL THE F*CK IN: Showing up for social justice in your work, is a collaboration with Lauren Roberts, featuring conversations about all things business and entrepreneurship—from a radical perspective that says we don't have to choose between social justice values and being successful.Tristan was named one of Yoga Journal's 2021 Game Changers and they were awarded the Reclamation Ventures grant in Spring 2021 to expand their offerings and dedicate time to writing their first book, title forthcoming.They are proud to sit on the Board of Directors at Accessible Yoga—a non-profit working, through education and advocacy, to share the teachings and benefits of yoga with those who have been marginalized, and to identify and remove barriers to access, build strong networks, and advocate for an accessible, equitable, and dynamic yoga culture.In this powerful episode we discuss:Grief and LossOngoing griefCultural expectations about how one should grieveRemembering those we have lostGrief RitualsRituals of RemembranceHow to be our authentic selves amid traversing griefHolding space with othersAllowing ourselves to be held, seen, and witnessedThe expansive nature of ancestorsCommunication from the ancestral realmAltarsHeartbreakSpiritual practiceYou can connect with Tristan on their website and on Instagram @tristankatzcreativeFollow their podcast with Lauren Roberts: @alltfinpodcast Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Jenée Johnson, Program Innovation Leader, Mindfulness, Trauma and Racial Healing, pioneered and leads the unique effort to bring mindfulness into public health practices and programs though the Trauma Informed Systems of Care Initiative in the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Her goal is to improve the organization's ability to manage change, stay resilient, inspire growth, and become a mindful culture that leads and serves with compassion.Her work has been featured in various publications, including Mindful Magazine as the cover story in the October 2019, in the Fall 2020 issue as a leader in the mindfulness movement, and in 2021 Mindful Special Edition - The Gratitude Journal.Jenée is the Founder and Curator of The Right Within Experience, a mindfulness immersion program that reclaims humanity, joy, and wellbeing for people of African ancestry through mindfulness practices. These are the human rights and exalted emotions that are eroded in Black lives through the consistent exposure to the trauma of racism. The Right Within Experience expands the scope of mindful practice to acknowledge its ancient African lineage and increase access and relevance to people of African ancestry. The program promotes healing and sovereignty for Black people and is curated for those on the front line of community service, social justice missions, and Black business leaders. For 15 years, Jenée served as the Director of the San Francisco Black Infant Health Program, a program which provides direct service to Black pregnant women and new mothers to address the health disparities in infant and maternal mortality. Jenée is a professional co-active coach and certified trainer and practitioner in mindfulness and emotional intelligence based on the latest neuroscience. She is a HeartMath certified trainer, Emotional Emancipation Circles Facilitator (Association of Black Psychologists) and certified to teach Femme! A meditative movement and wellness modality for women. She is a keynote speaker, work shop curator, coach, and consultant with Sankofa Holistic Counseling Services in Oakland, and on the advisory board of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. Jenée is a native New Yorker with Caribbean and Southern roots. She resides in Oakland with her husband and young adult son.In this interview we discuss:LiberationFlourishingJoy as a BirthrightBlacknessBlack cultureThe Myth of RaceMindfulnessEmotional IntelligenceAncestorsThe Human ExperienceFinding RefugeGriefResilienceA Stake in LoveLoveConnect with Jenée on her website or on Instagram @jeneegjohnsonPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Tanisha Hubbard-Hood, or Tan (they/them/she), is a caregiver, solo-parent, movement instructor, Yoga student and aspiring activist. While the physical practice of yoga is what drew them to the mat, it was the calling of something deeper that led to the decision to complete a YTT. The introduction of the 8-limbed path during training was the starting point of their curiosity of the intersection of yoga and social justice. Forever a student of the practice, Tan is always eagerly seeking out spaces where crucial conversations around accessible wellness and movement are being held. This includes completing workshops/programs for Yoga For 12-Step Recovery, Accessible Yoga, and Skill in Action. Their deep practice of self-study is heavily inspired/influenced by other community members and teachers and in the ways that they bravely show up and share their stories. The current question(s) on Tan's mind: How can I acknowledge/heal all the trauma and dysfunction that I have inherited and in turn transform my lineage? Or, another way to frame that question - how do I alleviate my own suffering so the ones who come after me don't take that on as well? Given my current situation/social location, what is my role?In this discussion we talk about:AncestorsHealing Our BloodlineParentingRaising Liberated BeingsHarm and RepairHolding SpaceWhat it Means to be a Caregiver BoundariesSpiritual PracticeSelf-careHumanityTruth Telling Community DreamsConnect with Tan here or on Instagram @tantheyogiPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Madison Page was the founder of Core to Coeur, a curated marketplace and community for taking and teaching movement, wellness, and fitness classes over live video. Birthed from a virtual Pilates business built on Squarespace in 2017, C2C grew into a larger movement to democratize wellness for all people. Madison's expertise is in building impact-driven businesses, community building, content marketing, and marketing strategy. She is also the co-host of Stretched! a podcast about inclusive wellness powered by Core to Coeur with Liz Getman. She is a fully certified Pilates instructor, specializing in rehabilitation, functional movement, and post-partum exercise. Currently, she is creating a body of daily poetry writings called Ditties.In a previous life, Madison worked as a choreographer and performance artist and has made/performed in work for The Hammer Museum (Los Angeles), Film Center at Lincoln Center (New York), and in 2017 as an artist in residence at New Expressive Works (Portland) where she performed an autobiographical duet she made for her and her mom.In this conversation we discuss:Dissolving a BusinessGriefTransitionWhat it means to end something in an honorable wayAstrology-Aquarius and LeoLaboringBirthingEntrepreneurshipRecuperatingRestRemembering Old PracticesThe Nervous system unwinding TechnologyReframing how we think of failureReorientatingCelebrating what we create Connect with Madison Page on her website and on Instagram @madisonpagemovesPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Octavia Raheem has received national attention for her work training yoga teachers and diversifying the yoga and wellness industry. Trained and mentored by exemplary teachers, Dr.Gail Parker, Tracee Stanley, Chanti Tacoronte- Perez, Octavia's work as a yoga professional focuses on practical tools to teach individuals how to manage stress, anxiety, and fatigue through restorative yoga, Yoga Nidra, and meditation in a way that is accessible to all levels/abilities, and restorative to the nervous system. Her work has been featured on Yoga Journal, Mantra Magazine, Well+ Good CNN, WXIA, and Atlanta Magazine.Octavia is a yoga teacher with 14 years of experience and nearly 10,000 hours of leading yoga classes, immersions, and trainings in various settings and online. In September 2019, she was named one of four Yoga and Wellness luminaries who have transformed yoga in Atlanta by Natural Awakening Magazine. A legacy lululemon ambassador and current KiraGrace Warrior, she has led life-changing restorative yoga experiences at national and local festivals: Wanderlust, Love. Play. Shine (formally Asheville Yoga), Essence Wellness House {Atlanta}, and Dirty South.She has an academic background in English Literature and creative writing, 10+ years of professional experience teaching writing and language arts in K-12 settings, and developing curricula for innovative learning. Additionally, she spent two years working in the nonprofit sector designing and implementing college preparatory programming.With 10+ years of teaching in the public and nonprofit sector and 14+ years teaching yoga Octavia brings unparalleled professionalism, mindfulness, and depth to the study and practice of yoga whether she is leading classes, retreats, or training teachers.In this special interview we discuss:Pause, Rest, Be: Stillness Practices for Courage During Times of Change, Octavia's new book The gift of reclamationThe beauty of restingEndings, the Liminal Space, and BeginningsComing back to our humanness Simple rest practicesHow pausing and resting can help us healGriefClaiming roles such as author, writer, lover, etc. How grind culture buries parts of who we areThe practice of rememberingWhat we can remember when we restHumanityWholenessYou can connect with Octavia visit her website or on Instagram @octaviaraheem.Purchase the audiobook or print version of Pause, Rest, Be: Stillness Practices for Courage During Times of Change. You can also purchase Octavia's first book, Gather.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah. He leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a yoga teacher with 20 years of experience, he leads workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, teaches at conferences, and runs the Resonance mentorship program for certified yoga teachers to find their niche and calling. In 2008, Jacoby co-founded Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn, to work at the nexus of healing and social justice. Since 2006, Jacoby has taught Queer and Trans Yoga, a space for queer folks to unfurl and cultivate resilience and received Yoga Journal's Game Changer Award in 2014 and Good Karma Award in 2016. Jacoby has taught in schools, hospitals, non-profit and business offices, a maximum-security prison, a recovery center, a cancer center, LGBT centers, gyms, a veteran's center, and yoga studios. He lives with his three best teachers, his partner, his toddler, and his wily dog. Jacoby just released his first book, A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation. In this special interview we discuss:A Queer DharmaThe Four Brahma ViharasLoving-kindness Compassion Equanimity JoyAngerDischarging angerAcceptanceWhat it means to be trans at this time.DharmaDevotionBlack FeminismAccountabilityCombatting white supremacy and the right role for white folks Anti-racismTransphobiaLiberationGraceEngaging in a practice for the long haulYou can connect with Jacoby on his website or Instagram @jacobyballardOrder Jacoby's book here: A Queer DharmaPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Reggie's yoga and meditation journey was born of curiosity; forged in adversity and has become a lesson in surrender to the miracles that exist in commitment to personal peace and wellbeing. Adopting yogic discipline has saved his life and he is committed to sharing these practices far and wide to help others - regardless of their race, identity, orientation or economic status. He has studied extensively with many amazing teachers along the way - ever mindful that the best teacher is the eternal student. Reggie is a 500 hour certified yoga teacher and the founder/Chief Serving Officer of Active Peace Yoga. Through Active Peace Yoga, he offers asana and meditation classes to help others nurture peace of mind, creativity, equanimity in spirit and physical health - helping people nurture well-being as foundational, rather than an afterthought. His practice combines mindfulness, yogic philosophy, somatic awareness, refined concentration and discipline to help his students approach life with more ease and balance. As part of his studies, he has authored a thesis entitled, "Yoga and Spiritual Activism: Serving Humanity from a Sense of Devotion and Love and has also been a featured speaker on new consciousness, racial justice and civic engagement for leading wellness publications, podcasts and platforms (CTZNWell, Wanderlust, the Be Here Now Network, the Hanuman Academy, Yoga Alliance, Upaya Zen Center among others). In this very special episode we talk about: Personal Peace and Well-beingActivism White Supremacist NormsSpeaking Truth to PowerThe Power of PracticeDharmaThe Political LandscapeTruth-tellingFinding Refuge Through the Practice of YogaGrief and LossUplifting the Things People Would Rather Keep Hidden SanghaThe Times are Asking us to be EngagedTransformationResonanceAncestors Dancing with SwordsPeaceDisciplineDevotion The journey into Teaching the DharmaYou can connect with Reggie on his website or on Instagram @oreggieglobalPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Wambui Njuguna-Räisänen is a Kenyan-American based in Finland, passionate about making wellness through yoga and meditation seamlessly engaged in equity and justice so that more people of the global majority can live well and thrive. Wambui is deeply inspired by spiritual teachers and communities that seek ways to apply the insights from our various practices and teachings to situations of social, racial, political, environmental and economic suffering and injustice. She would like to see wellness spaces engage more in social justice + collective change and activist spaces learn to breathe deeply and practice sustainable self-care in the midst of dismantling systemic oppression. This is her definition of community care.In this interview we discuss:Dedication to a Yoga PracticeAncestorsListening to the AncestorsMedicineTending the HeartHow Spiritual Practice Changes Over TimeBlack and Brown Solidarity in the Wellness CommunityHealing the Past Present and FutureLetting go of the Need to be ProductiveSlowing DownRestingHealing TraumaResilienceCollective HealingCollective CareTo learn more about Wambui and her offerings, visit her website, Patreon and Instagram @wellnesswithwambui.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a Queer Black Troublemaker and Black Feminist Love Evangelist and an aspirational cousin to all sentient beings. Her work in this lifetime is to facilitate infinite, unstoppable ancestral love in practice. Her poetic work in response to the needs of her cherished communities has held space for multitudes in mourning and movement. Alexis's co-edited volume Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines (PM Press, 2016) has shifted the conversation on mothering, parenting and queer transformation. Alexis has transformed the scope of intellectual, creative and oracular writing with her triptych of experimental works published by Duke University Press (Spill: Scenes of Black Feminist Fugitivity in 2016, M Archive: After the End of the World in 2018 and Dub: Finding Ceremony, 2020.) Unlike most academic texts, Alexis's work has inspired artists across form to create dance works, installation work, paintings, processionals, divination practices, operas, quilts and more.Alexis is the founder of Brilliance Remastered, an online network and series of retreats and online intensives serving community accountable intellectuals and artists in the legacies of Audre Lorde's profound statement in “The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House” that the preceding statement is “only threatening to those…who still think of the master's house as their only source of support.” Through retreats on ancestor accountable intellectual practice, and online courses on topics from anger as a resource to transnational intellectual solidarity Alexis and her Brilliance Remastered collaborators have nurtured a community of thinkers and artists grounded in the resources that normative institutions ignore. All of Alexis's work is grounded in a community building ethic and would not be possible without her communities of accountability in Durham, NC the broader US Southeast and the global south. As a co-founder member of UBUNTU A Women of Color Survivor-Led Coalition to End Gendered Violence, Warrior Healers Organizing Trust and Earthseed Land Collective in Durham, NC, a member of the first visioning council of Kindred Southern Healing Justice Network and a participant in Southerners on New Ground, Allied Media Projects, Black Women's Blueprint and the International Black Youth Summit for more than a decade she brings a passion for the issues that impact oppressed communities and an intimate knowledge of the resilience of movements led by Black, indigenous, working class women and queer people of color. Her writings in key movement periodicals such as Make/Shift, Left Turn, The Abolitionist, Ms. Magazine, and the collections Abolition Now, The Revolution Starts at Home, Dear Sister and the Transformative Justice Reader have offered clarity and inspiration to generations of activists.Alexis work with her primary collaborator Sangodare has shown the world a Queer Black Feminist Love Ethic in practice. Over the past 11 years they have nurtured the Mobile Homecoming Project, an experiential archive amplifying generations of Black LGBTQ Brilliance which has consisted of listening tour of the United States (in a 1988 Winnebago!) 7 intergenerational retreats and pilgrimages in the Southeast US, a media and audio archive of many Black Feminist LGBTQ elders and is now in the land stewardship phase of building a living library and archive that serves as an all ages independent and assisted living community of intergenerational learning and love. Sangodare and Alexis are also the co-founders of Black Feminist Film School, an initiative to screen, study and produce films with a Black feminist ethic. Sangodare and Alexis have also collaborated on the exhibition Breathing Back at the Carrack Gallery in Durham, NC and more than 50 visits to campuses, organizations and conferences in the United States. Alexis was honored by the Anguilla Literary Festival as “The Pride of Anguilla,” a small country where her grandparents Jeremiah and Lydia Gumbs played key roles in the 1967 revolution. She identifies proudly as a queer Caribbean author and scholar in the tradition of Audre Lorde, June Jordan, M. Jacqui Alexander, Dionne Brand and many more. She was the first scholar to research in the papers of Audre Lorde at Spelman College, June Jordan, M. Jacqui Alexander, Dionne Brand and many more. She was the first scholar to research in the papers of Audre Lorde at Spelman College, June Jordan at Harvard University and Lucille Clifton at Emory University during her research for her PhD in English, African and African American Studies and Women and Gender Studies from Duke University. She is published in dozens of edited collections and academic journals on topics ranging from black coding practices to queer caribbean poetics, to mothering in hip hop culture. She speaks as a Black feminist expert in a number of films including Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth by Pratibha Parmar.Alexis's poetry and fiction appears in many creative journals and has been honored with inclusion in Best American Experimental Writing, a Pushcart Prize nomination, and honors from the Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize and the Firefly Ridge Women of Color Award. She has been poet-in-residence at Make/Shift Magazine and is currently Creative Writing Editor at Feminist Studies. Alexis's work as a media maker and her curricula for participatory digital education have been activated in 143 countries. Her digital distribution initiative BrokenBeautiful Press, her work as co-founder of Quirky Black Girls and her loving participation in the Women of Color Bloggers Network in the early 2000's established her as one of the forerunners of the social media life of feminist critical and creative practice. Alexis has been honored with many awards from her communities of practice including being lifted up on lists such as UTNE Readers 50 Visionaries Transforming the World, The Advocate's 40 under 40, Go Magazines 100 Women We Love, the Bitch 50 List, ColorLines 10 LGBTQ Leaders Transforming the South, Reproductive Justice Reality Check's Sheroes and more. She is a proud recipient of the Too Sexy for 501C-3 trophy, a Black Women's Blueprint Visionary Award and the Barnard College Outstanding Young Alumna Award. From 2017-2019, Alexis served as visiting Winton Chair at University of Minnesota where she collaborated with Black feminist artists in the legacy of Laurie Carlos to create collaborative performances based on her books Spill and M Archive. During that time she served as dramaturg for the award winning world premiere of Sharon Bridgforth's Dat Black Mermaid Man Lady directed by Ebony Noelle Golden. Alexis is currently in residence as a National Humanities Center Fellow, funded by the Founders Award. During her residency she is writing The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde: Biography as Ceremony (forthcoming from Farrar, Straus and Giroux).Her book Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals is a series of from Marine Mammals is a series of meditations based on the increasingly relevant lessons of marine mammals in a world with a rising ocean levels and part of adrienne maree brown's Emergent Strategy Series at AK Press.In this interview we discuss:Collective CareLoveInterconnectednessAudre LordeMarine MammalsThe BreathLessons we are Learning about LoveDistance and LoveIntergenerational MedicineLove and Care Across DistanceAncestorsMiracles RitualPracticeDevotionReverenceConnect with Alexis Pauline Gumbs on her website or on Instagram @alexispaulinePodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Meryl Arnett is a mama, meditation teacher, the creator of The Mindful Minute podcast, and the head of meditation for Shoreline meditation app. Her passion is introducing mindfulness in ways that are accessible to all of us.Meryl's meditation classes have been featured on CNN Headline News, WXIA-TV and Atlanta Magazine, and her podcast has been named a Top 10 meditation podcast. She has been teaching corporate, private & group meditation classes since 2010, and she co-created Sacred Chill {West}, the first meditation + yoga studio in Atlanta to offer regular, independent meditation classes. Meryl continues to study, practice, and find great inspiration from her teachers, Tracee Stanley and Chanti Tacoronte-Perez. She delights in combining the magical and the mundane - using nature, art, literature, and dream interpretation alongside the endless laundry, dishes and bills of real life to inspire and inform her teaching. Her classes are a mash-up of creative inspirations, ancient teachings, and her own experiences on the meditation cushion. You'll often hear Meryl reference her favorite podcasts, alongside countless books, poems and works of art. Her goal as a teacher is to use meditation practices to infuse our real, everyday lives with the magic of an awakened heart. Off the cushion, Meryl is the mom to two amazing children (Asa & Maple), partners with her high school crush and the oldest of four kids. She graduated from the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communications (Go Dawgs!), and there is nothing she loves more than spending time in the mountains with her family camping, hiking and marshmallow roasting.In this special episode we discuss:NatureThe Healing Power of NatureAncestral ConnectionsAncestral Concerns and ResilienceAncestral PracticesElemental EnergyThe Macro and MicroRememberingMeditation in NatureSpiritual PracticeMagic To learn more about Meryl, you can connect with her on her website or on Instagram.Download the Shoreline meditation app.Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, and authorized Lama (Buddhist Teacher) in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Rod is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice and study community. Lama Rod is visiting teacher with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), a visiting teacher with Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Brooklyn Zen Center. Lama Rod has been a faculty member for the Harvard Graduate School of Education's professional education program in mindfulness for educators and has served as a guest faculty member for the school's course Mindfulness for Educators.He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School where he focused on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. He is a co-author of Radical Dharma, Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, which explores race in the context of American Buddhist communities. Lama Rod is a founding teacher for the Awaken meditation app that offers meditations and contemplations focused on social change. He has been published and featured in several publications including Buddhadharma, Lion's Roar, Tricycle, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Spirit Magazine. He has offered talks, retreats, and workshops in over 7 countries for many organizations including Gaia House Retreat Center, Goldsmiths University, London Insight, and Tibet House Barcelona. He has offered talks at several major universities including Yale University, Harvard University, Brown University, Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, New York University, Tufts University, University of Vermont, and Boston College. He has presented at several important conferences including the American Academy of Religion, Summitt, the Harvard Divinity School Black Religions Conference, the Harvard Divinity School Buddhism and Race Conference, and Netroots. Lama Rod facilitates undoing patriarchy workshops for male-identified practitioners in Brooklyn and Boston. Lama Rod's book, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, was released in 2020, and he is currently working on his next book.In this powerful episode we discussed:BoundariesSelf-CareMartyrdomBecoming an ElderChangeGod is ChangeLoveAnger as RevolutionaryRageMovement BuildingHow we Cannot Drag People Toward Freedom Agency and FreedomHow we are Always Held AncestorsThe AfterlifeConnect with Lama Rod Owens on his website or on Instagram @lamarodofficialPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Anjuli is a Pakistani American licensed marriage and family therapist, specializing in trauma, recovery, resilience, building and cultivating joy. She has 15 years of practice working with immigrant south Asian, middle Eastern Muslim, and LGBTQ plus populations. Sherin received her B.A. in sociology and anthropology from Mary Washington University and her M.A. from CIIS. She has trained and mentored with leading figures in trauma recovery and energy psychology, including Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Staci Haines and Vianna Stibal. In addition to awards for academic excellence and community service, Sharon received the 2007 emerging leader award from the E-Women network and has been featured in O magazine as a finalist for the magazine white house leadership project. Her new book is Joyous Resilience, A Path to Individual Healing and Collective Thriving in an Inequitable World.In this special episode we discussed:How our Identities inform how we are Experiencing These Uncertain TimesIndividual and Collective HealingHow we Process TraumaGriefResilienceReconnecting to JoyInner Child Healing WorkRememberingTonglen MeditationSufferingLiberationHow Meeting our Grief Allows us to Find our Resilience Spiritual PracticeConnect with Anjuli on her website or on Instagram @anjulisherinmftAnjuli would love to share nine free meditations with you. You can find them here: https://www.anjulisherinmft.com/meditations.htmlPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Adriana Adelé, she/they, is a yoga facilitator and an advocate for collective well-being who studies and shares yoga as a practice of liberation. Through yoga, Adriana holds space for intentional movement, deep rest, Black holistic well-being, disruption of toxic dominant narratives, discernment in action, learning/unlearning, embodiment and affirmation of our eternal divine wholeness as individuals & in service of collective liberation. Her work helps adults and kids effectively integrate the practices and benefits of yoga including movement, meditation, deep rest, and breath techniques to their busy, messy, very real daily lives. Adriana is a RYT-500, E-RYT-200, a yoga teacher trainer, holds a bachelor's of neuroscience from Oberlin College, and is the yoga + mindfulness teacher and strategic collaborator for Get Fresh Daily well-being programs.In this amazing interview we discuss:DevotionAstrologyThe tenacity of CapricornsThe watery nature of PiscesAncestorsBeing heldDeep rest YogaConsistent PracticeReleasing dominant frameworks ContradictionsPast, Present, and FutureReconfiguring how we practiceTarotHow to be in community with othersConnect with Adriana on her website, or find her on Instagram @adrianaadelePodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Ashley Williams, MS, C-IAYT is a Yoga Therapist and Mindfulness Educator with 12 years experience in the fields of education, behavioral and mental health and community programming in Richmond, VA. As a builder and weaver, she bridges mindfulness, diversity, wellness and inclusion on micro and macro-levels to achieve equitable, socially stable and conscious spaces for individual and collective care.She is the Founder of BareSOUL Yoga & Wellness, a community-based organization initially created to offer accessible yoga offerings, and Mindful on Life, a curriculum-based program dedicated to transforming community through the practice of mindfulness education. As an advocate for diverse representation, accessible self care and overall well-being, she has strategically built community-centered yoga and mindfulness programs in schools, health systems, government agencies, faith-based organizations and businesses. Ashley continues to create spaces that offer mindful-based living practices to encourage self exploration, awareness, authenticity and build community for the collective good. The next venture is the Well Collective, A community space for conscious well-being that centers intergenerational healing modalities, wellness workshops, yoga and local, black-sourced apothecary.In this interview we discuss:SynchronicityHealing HolisticallyResisting our CallBecoming a Clear VesselFalling in Love with Oneself SpiritAncestryAwareness of our Shared HistoryThe Well Collective FaithThe Power of Embracing our Unique MagicNumerologyOwning our Lives Black Community CareConnect with Ashley at BareSOUL Yoga, through her website, or on Instagram @ashleyj_williamsPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Shakira practices a natural dance called Rhythmic Bloom to recreate what it means to flow through her life's journey. During her undergraduate studies, she awakened to the systemic rules of wellness, boosting her interest in alternative healing methods that support the whole person. The catalyst to her embodiment of wellness sparked during her training to become a Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist in 2011. Her bodywork practice focuses on moving through the deep, underwater currents of growth to extend the practice of music for musicians and artists. Shakira continues the rhythmic journey of interweaving social justice and wellness practices as she explores her presence in mixed-race wellness spaces. She and other passionate change-makers are building a Worker Cooperative that supports shared values of whole-body healing, uplifting the voices of their community, and to recreate the meaning of wellness through an anti-oppression and anti-racism lens. An evolving, passion project of hers invites singles to welcome a spirit-partnered relationship and live on purpose, which is counter to stigmatizing, dominant culture. Her e-guide, written under the pen name Coko Bonique, "You Know You're Dope, Right? Foundational Practices to Living Single," liberates individuals to tap into their natural rhythm and authentic essence to deepen the relationship to self and live with confidence and intention.In her free time, she loves the magic of fireside chats, spending time with loved ones, uplifting dance music and aerial dance as they all bring liberation and freedom to the mundane. Shakira earned her B.A. in psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill and trained with the Skill in Action program, completing her 500HR Yoga Teacher Training. Her yoga classes are deeply rooted to support inner well-being and create communities that value trust and compassion to work together to create a new system that rebels dominant culture. In this interview we discuss:Being a Yoga MessengerAbundanceShakira's Journal - You Know You're Dope, Right?Conscious Singledom Caretaking Changing Thought PatternsEmbodimentHealing OurselvesSocial JusticeDeathSharing our Grief with OthersGrief and LossEmbracing our UniquenessSelf-Care/Collective Care Purchase Shakira's workbook You Know You're Dope, Right?Connect with Shakira via her website or on Instagram @uplyftyoursoulPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Jivana Heyman, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. He's the author of the book, Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body (Shambhala Publications 2019), as well as the forthcoming book, Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion (Shambhala Publications, Nov. 2021). Jivana has specialized in teaching yoga to people with disabilities with an emphasis on community building and social engagement. Out of this work, the nonprofit Accessible Yoga Association was created to support education, training, and advocacy with the mission of shifting the public perception of yoga. In addition to offering Conferences and Community Conversations, Accessible Yoga offers a popular Ambassador program. Jivana coined the phrase, “Accessible Yoga,” over ten years ago, and it has now become the standard appellation for a large cross section of the immense yoga world. He brought the Accessible Yoga community together for the first time in 2015 for the Accessible Yoga Conference, which has gone on to become a focal point for this movement. Jivana is also the creator of the Accessible Yoga Training and the co-founder of the online Accessible Yoga Training School with Amber Karnes, which is a platform for continued education for yoga teachers in the field of equity and accessibility. They also created the Accessible Yoga Podcast in 2020. Over the past 25 years, Jivana has led countless yoga teacher training programs around the world, and dedicates his time to supporting yoga teachers who are working to serve communities that are under-represented in traditional yoga spaces. For more information head to Jivana's website or follow him on Instagram @jivanaheymanIn this very special interview we discuss:Activism and YogaSpiritual PracticeLoveDeathThe Mind's Capacity to Comprehend Love and DeathAIDS activismCovid-19 Being of ServiceYoga as a Revolutionary Practice AncestorsThe Bhagavad GitaGrief The EgoSocial Location The Process of Writing a BookEnjoy this episode!Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Named one of the “35 Under 35 in Wellness to Watch” by Wanderlust, Shannon Algeo is a celebrated speaker, writer, life coach, Yoga Nidra and meditation teacher. His popular podcast SoulFeed features interviews with iconic cultural and spiritual leaders like Deepak Chopra, Caroline Myss, Marianne Williamson, Danielle LaPorte, and many more. In his coaching practice, Algeo works with clients to heal old patterns of trauma so they can show up in the world with power, presence, and purpose.Shannon is known around the world for his gift of processing his own life experience into words that can be heard or read in service of greater learning, deeper resonance, and profound healing. In this interview we discuss:Trusting One's IntuitionBlocks to Listening to One's IntuitionThermodynamicsEnergy TransferWhat we are Willing to Let GoAllowing for the Unkown to UnfoldDeath as a DoorwayThe Chakra SystemThe Preciousness of LifeWorking with White-Bodied Individuals EmbodimentTrue NorthSelf-Care/Collective Care You can purchase Shannon's book, Trust Your Truth, and connect with him on his website or on Instagram @shannon.algeoPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

Oneika Mays (LMT, E-RYT) transitioned to yoga and meditation from a 20 year career in corporate retail leadership over 10 years ago. Oneika used that experience to support social justice non-profits and teach meditation and yoga inside jails. Today, she is the first Mindfulness Coach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility. At Rikers she works one-on-one with community members in a therapeutic/medical setting. She believes that our justice system needs to focus on transformation and restoration rather than punishment. This idea of liberation and compassion is woven into her work whether it's in a jail or teaching meditation in a corporate environment. She believes that meditation, movement and mindfulness practices can forge a path to freedom. Power for the people.

What an amazing first season of Finding Refuge!! Thank you to all who listened, reached out, shared episodes, and went into their hearts to create a pathway for healing. This episode is quite late. I wasn't quite sure how to end Season 1. My friend and comrade, Tristan Katz, agreed to have a conversation with me about what's been on my mind lately. This is a juicy conversation, and I hope you gain something from listening to it. I hope it stirs something in your heart and soul. I hope it resonates deeply with you.

What an amazing first season of Finding Refuge!!Thank you to all who listened, reached out, shared episodes, and went into their hearts to create a pathway for healing. This episode is quite late. I wasn't quite sure how to end Season 1. My friend and comrade, Tristan Katz, agreed to have a conversation with me about what's been on my mind lately. This is a juicy conversation, and I hope you gain something from listening to it. I hope it stirs something in your heart and soul. I hope it resonates deeply with you. We talk about all the things but mainly about:- Finding Refuge: Heart Work for Healing Collective Grief, my new book! My new offerings! - Tune in for more information about how you can share space with me and practice being a point of refuge for yourself and others. - Collective Grief- Collective Healing- The aftermath of Covid-19, when we are still in Covid-19- Avoidance of the truth at the expense of what needs to heal- Abolitionism - My love of medical dramas and how they always, always make me tear up and ugly cry- What I see in the future. Cassandra knows some things. - My beautiful chickens- My most magical beesSee you soon for Season 2. I'll be back in August with some amazing guests! In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other. I hope to see you over zoom as we heal and one day in-person again! The upcoming offerings I mention in the episode include:Wild Lotus June 9th, 6:00-8:00pm CDTFinding Refuge Workshop: Heart Work To Heal Collective Grief8 Limbs Yoga June 4th, 1:00-4:00pm PSTSkill in Action: Responding to Unsettling and Uncertain TimesJune 5th, 9:00-11:30am & 1:00-4:00pm PSTFinding Refuge: Teachings from the Bhagavad GitaJune 6th, 1:00-4:00pm PSTFinding Refuge: Heart Work to Heal Collective Grief To pre-order Finding Refuge and gain access to preorder bonuses which include a 40-day self-paced sadhana and three meditation and asana practices, visit finding-refuge.comPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

This episode is an interview with Kiesha Battles, a full-time yoga teacher and trainer who has a respected and well-deserved reputation in the national yoga community.

Kiesha, a full-time yoga teacher and trainer, has a respected and well-deserved reputation in the national yoga community. She is Co-Director of the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color™ and a member of the board of directors for Amplify and Activate, a nonprofit community that focuses on yoga as a form of self-care and social justice. In addition to teaching through her own I Am Yoga organization, Kiesha has been Yoga Director at Charlotte Family Yoga Center and has taught for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. She is a Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher trainer, and has conducted numerous impactful workshops. She has been featured in the book Yes Yoga Has Curves and other publications. With a graduate degree in Asian studies, Kiesha brings knowledge of Asian philosophy, religion, and language, as well as Eastern philosophy including Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. In addition to being a teacher, she is a wife and mother. When Kiesha does sit down, she is reading, meditating and breathing. The yoga experience with Kiesha: Kiesha teaches with a confidence that comes from strong training and rich experience. Her instruction is careful and crystal clear; she gives options and variations that make her classes accessible for students at any level. Kiesha specializes in Yin Yoga, which allows for deep stretches and in-depth exploration of each pose. She also has training in prenatal yoga, Curvy Yoga, restorative, and Grounded Kids as well as Chinese medicine. Current mood: Waiting for things to be revealed. Favorite movie: Under the Cherry Moon (1986) Musical/RomanceIn this episode Kiesha offers teachings about:The meaning of the practice of yogaYoga philosophy Death as a teacherBalanceThe need to keep movingThe need to grieveThe practice of grievingThe practice of rememberingHow to bring playfulness in during a time of great lossThe importance of communityHow to live your yogaThe Bhagavad Gita There are many different pathsTeachers/AncestorsBlack Yoga Teachers AllianceRenewal Connect with Kiesha on her website and on Instagram @iamyogacltPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

This episode is a magical interview with my friend Seán Johnson. Seán is a musician, storyteller, teacher-trainer, and sacred space-holder who has been teaching Yoga for the last 24 years.

This episode is a magical interview with my friend Seán Johnson. Seán is a musician, storyteller, teacher-trainer, and sacred space-holder who has been teaching Yoga for the last 24 years. He is the founder of Wild Lotus Yoga in his native New Orleans, and Soul School, an online interdisciplinary spiritual immersion and Yoga teacher training program that focuses on teaching Yoga with skill and imagination, that he guides with Mitchel Bleier. In all these roles, he relishes creating a playful, tender, brave space for people to open their hearts and voices, sing, and embrace their innate creativity. Seán has a master’s degree in Creation Spirituality from The Naropa Institute-Oakland, with focus on teaching chant as spiritual practice, apprenticing there with south Indian musician and teacher Russill Paul, author of The Yoga Of Sound. In 2002 he founded Wild Lotus Yoga in his beloved hometown and dubbed it "New Orleans' Home for Heart-Centered Yoga and Down-To-Earth Spirituality." In 2005, in the harrowing days right after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Seán founded The Wild Lotus Band, initially as a philanthropic music project, touring and raising funds across the country for relief from the devastation of the storm. Now 16 years later, the band continues to record and tour--- sharing ancient mantras from the traditions of yoga, global chants, conscious lyrics, roots, rock, gospel, and world grooves with listeners worldwide. They are the first mantra music based band to ever play The New Orleans Jazz Festival. Seán is also the co-curator of Putumayo World Music's 'Music For Yoga' series, featuring artists from around the globe. Seán's first significant initiations into a more conscious spirituality came through the exuberance of falling in love for the first time and then through the pain and grief of heartbreak. A journey to heal his heart led him to the path of Bhakti Yoga which deeply honors vulnerability, creative expression, and art as forms of prayer and spiritual practice. The theme of searching for grace and inspiration amidst challenge, destruction, and grief permeates his music and teaching, deepened further by the death of his brother Jeremy, who passed away in a drowning accident in 2013. Seán is passionate about his Irish roots and ancestry, a pillar of his spirituality. He co-leads online Celtic Spirituality gatherings and retreats in Ireland each year with his friend, Ireland native Mary Meighan, founder of Celtic Journeys. Seán lives in New Orleans with his wife Farah and son Finn. This episode explores:- Voice and vulnerability- Creativity - Reconnecting with the heart- Grief as a teacher- The mystery of life- Faith- Reimagining community- Covid 19 as a teacher- How to heal wounds and shift narratives- Ancestors- Opening to possibility - Tenderness Connect with Seán on the Wild Lotus Yoga website, his band website, and on Instagram @seanwildlotusband and @wildlotusyoga Podcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript