Francesca Maximé: WiseGirl

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/81795?sov_referrer=theme&theme_id=5133&effective_date=2020-08-28 https://www.moma.org/calendar/galleries/5133? Constantin Brâncuși Fish Paris 1930 On view MoMA, Floor 5, 500 This sculpture is the last of the seven Fish Brancusi created, and the largest. It attests to the artist's deep interest in movement; not only does its heavy body, made of flecked blue-gray marble, evoke aquatic motion, it rests on a pivot that once allowed the work to spin. Even when still, the work changes as one moves around it. Broad and horizontal, the marble transforms into an attenuated sliver from particular points of view.

https://www.moma.org/calendar/galleries/5133?installation_image_index=1 Constantin Brâncuși Fish Paris 1930 On view MoMA, Floor 5, 500 This sculpture is the last of the seven Fish Brancusi created, and the largest. It attests to the artist's deep interest in movement; not only does its heavy body, made of flecked blue-gray marble, evoke aquatic motion, it rests on a pivot that once allowed the work to spin. Even when still, the work changes as one moves around it. Broad and horizontal, the marble transforms into an attenuated sliver from particular points of view.

Sandor Iron Rope is the President of the Native American Church of South Dakota, and also a board member of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative. Learn more about and donate to the IPCI at ipci.life. Sacred Plant Medicine Francesca asks Sandor how we can avoid further exploitation of sacred plant medicine, such as peyote, during the psychedelic decriminalization movement. Sandor talks about the need to have awareness and mindfulness around using these powerful medicines. He shares how his people have struggled to protect this medicine, and how the decriminalization effort has lost the sense of respect it needs in an attempt to move too quickly. “It's been a battle since day one to protect our medicine, and grandmas and grandpas have been jailed for utilizing this medicine, peyote. They have been jailed for even practicing our way of life. Now, when you come and understand that history, you can understand a little bit of why we don't want our peyote in this decriminalization movement, because it's bio-cultural.” – Sandor Iron Rope Ram Dass talks about understanding the risks and rewards of using psychedelics on Here and Now Ep. 183 Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative (20:15) Sandor explains how his organization, the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative, has allowed reconnection, regeneration, and conservation of the sacred peyote medicine. They are also teaching their children about the spiritual harvest of the medicine, ensuring the knowledge is passed on. Francesca talks about the short-term thinking of Western culture. “Everything is about the transfer of energy. Energy is moving, energy exists in all things. Positive and negative energy exists. And when we generate this prayer through positive energy, we are creating this aura, this spiritual aura of energy. And we are projecting the energy upon our medicine, and we are asking it something to help us with. That has been missing.” – Sandor Iron Rope

Roxy Manning PhD and Sarah Peyton join Francesca for a conversation on how we can effectively respond to racism with truth, compassion, and an antiracist heart. Roxy Manning, PhD is a clinical psychologist and NVC facilitator who loves to guide groups from discord toward values-driven solutions that work for everyone. Her own inner work, coupled with her professional experience, has grown her capacity to meet people with varying levels of education, disparate life experiences, and the most intense feelings in ways that help them feel heard, respected, supported and loved. She has worked globally with individuals and groups committed to social justice and has consulted with businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations around the U.S., wanting to move towards equitable and diverse hiring practices and workplace cultures. Find more at www.RoxanneManning.com Sarah Peyton, international constellations facilitator, Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and neuroscience educator, integrates constellations, brain science and the use of resonant language to heal personal and collective trauma. Sarah teaches and lectures internationally and is the author of three books: Your Resonant Self: Guided Meditations and Exercises to Engage Your Brain's Capacity for Healing, it's companion – Your Resonant Self Workbook: From Self-sabotage to Self-care, and Affirmations for Turbulent Times: Resonant Words to Soothe Body and Mind. Discover more at SarahPeyton.com Please support Roxy & Sarah's Kickstarter Project: Two Books: Antiracist Conversations & The Antiracist Heart Antiracist Conversations // The Antiracist Heart Welcoming Roxy Manning PhD and Sarah Peyton to ReRooted, Francesca invites this dynamic duo of social justice reform, antiracism, neuroscience, education, and trauma healing, to share the powerful inspiration behind their transformational new two books: Antiracist Conversations & The Antiracist Heart. To start, Roxy shares contemplations around how we address and respond to racism, while Sarah offers grounded self-regulation for overcoming implicit biases and facing racism. “The more self-regulated we are, the less we are at the mercy of our implicit biases, so the more capacity we have to name what's happening in our own bodies and be resonate with ourselves, the more we have some ground to stand on to begin to address the structural racism that is terrifyingly comprehensive in our North American world.” – Sarah Peyton Sarah Peyton & Francesca discuss the effects of white supremacy on neurobiology, on Ep. 41 of ReRooted History, Grief, & Nonviolent Communication (15:15) Prompted by Francesca to relay the importance of diving into the history of racism, Roxy shares how doing so is actually learning to move through the stages of grief. Through this lens, she explains how we can use mindful awareness within stages of grief to acknowledge our mourning without collapsing into it. From here the conversation flows into the subtle nuances of nonviolent communication. “Learning this history is learning to move through the stages of grief. There's an innocence we have as children where we think we're gonna be fully accepted and seen for exactly who we are at the capacities we bring, and that moment of realizing over and over again that that's not the case, we have to go through the anger, denial, all the stages, and whenever we don't do that, whenever we stop, we actually can get into this really frozen place.” – Roxy Manning, PhD

In this episode of the ReRooted Podcast, Dr. Colin Ross joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation about working with trauma survivors, including combat veterans. Dr. Colin Ross is an internationally renowned clinician, researcher, author and lecturer in the field of dissociation and trauma-related disorders. He is the founder and President of The Colin A. Ross Institute for Psychological Trauma. Dr. Ross has been running a hospital-based Trauma Program in Dallas, Texas since 1991. He has authored more than 30 books and 250 professional papers. Learn more about Dr. Ross and his work at rossinst.com. Dissociation and Flashbacks Francesca welcomes Dr. Ross and they chat about his background in the field of trauma-related disorders. Dr. Ross explains how he defines dissociation, and talks about flashbacks caused by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Francesca brings up how hard it is for people to let go of trauma, and they touch on how the mental health field can cause mental health problems. “I always say that a flashback flashes back. If it doesn't have the quality of flashing back, it's just with you, it doesn't intrude. So, in order to have the quality of a flashback, it has to be dissociated, disconnected, stuffed inside somewhere.” – Dr. Colin Ross The Locus-of-Control Shift (24:40) Francesca asks Dr. Ross about how he sees shame versus guilt. Dr. Ross brings in his concept of the locus-of-control shift, and gives examples from his work with combat veterans who have shifted the blame about loss of life onto themselves as a way to retain some form of control. He talks about why it might be better to label PTSD as Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder. “So the locus-of-control shift is the self-blame, which can lead to both guilt and shame, self-hatred, [and] self-punishment.” – Dr. Colin Ross A Memorial to Trauma (48:55) Dr. Ross explores a case where he was treating a woman who was traumatized by sexual abuse. He and Francesca discuss the power of memorials such as the one in Auschwitz, but lament that most trauma survivors don't have a place like that to put their sorrow and grief. They talk about how addiction manifests as a memorial to trauma, and touch on the ugly history of the mental health field. “This is what's missing… Slowing down the empathy, the compassion, holding space, honoring, grieving, having collective ceremony, recognizing one another's common humanity, that life is precious, that different things are not within our control.” – Francesca Maximé Get more wisdom and resources from Francesca Maximé at maximeclarity.com.

Physicist, musician, & author, Dr. Stephon Alexander, joins Francesca in a conversation bridging physics, jazz music, race, inspirational teachers, and why it's important to think outside the box. Dr. Stephon Alexander is a theoretical physicist, musician and author whose work is at the interface between cosmology, particle physics and quantum gravity. He works on the connection between the smallest and largest entities in the universe, pushing Einstein's theory of curved space-time to extremes, beyond the big bang with subatomic phenomena. Alexander is a professor of physics at Brown University and the president of the National Society of Black Physicists. In his critically acclaimed book The Jazz of Physics, Alexander revisits the ancient interconnection between music and the evolution of astrophysics and the laws of motion. In his new book Fear of a Black Universe, he invites the field of physics to embrace the unknown. More info: StephonAlexander.com Ram Dass, Science & Seeking Introducing another multifaceted being of ‘complex intersectionality,' Francesca welcomes physicist, musician, and author, Dr. Stephon Alexander, to ReRooted to explore the macro and micro of all things theoretical physics, jazz music, Ram Dass, science, spirituality, race, the universe, and embracing the unknown. To begin, speaking to his upbringing, Dr. Alexander shares how his multicultural background informs his work in science as well as his musical inclinations. “[Ram Dass] inspired me because he showed those of us who are on an academic path, who prioritize the discursive mind, the intellect, and end up at places like Harvard and Brown—like the Buddha he said, ‘I reached that level, but there's still more questions that could not be answered in those constructs.' He is an inspiration for those of us – a seeker, a great scientist. The greatest scientists were like Ram Dass in that way. That idea of being a seeker and being a true scientist are parallel to each other.” – Dr. Stephon Alexander Ram Dass & physicist Amit Goswami connect science & spirituality, on Ep. 160 of Here & Now Physics & The Power of a Good Teacher // BIPOC Teacher Empowerment (12:08) Prompted by Francesca to recount the moving story behind his Ted Talk, Dr. Alexander shares about the inspiring physics teacher and professional jazz musician who changed his life by recognizing and nurturing his innate talent from a young age – propelling and motivating Dr. Alexander on his current paradigm-shifting multidisciplinary trajectory and path. From here, they discuss how having BIPOC in teaching positions empowers us all.

https://complexintegrationmbs.com/ Beatriz & Terry Sheldon MD join Francesca to explore Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems, their new innovative psychotherapy paradigm. Beatriz Sheldon M.Ed, Psych, has practiced psychotherapy for forty years in four languages. She has received specialized post-graduate training in short-term dynamic psychotherapy at McGill University in Montreal, and is director of a psychotherapy training program for advanced clinicians in Vancouver. She and Albert have researched and taught psychotherapy together for 20 years. Albert Sheldon, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington, Seattle, has specialized in the research, practice, and training of psychotherapy for 35 years. Dr. Sheldon received a Bush Medical Fellowship to study psychotherapeutic processes from a psychophysiological perspective. The development of the CIMBS paradigm is a result of the Sheldon's research and teaching experiential psychotherapy to clinicians throughout North America and Europe. More info: ComplexIntegrationmbs.com Emotional Brain Systems // Care, Connection, Safeness Welcoming husband and wife psychotherapy duo—Beatriz Sheldon M.Ed, Psych, and Terry Sheldon, MD—to the ReRooted podcast, Francesca invites them to begin with the groundwork of illuminating the various emotional brain systems which make up our present moment human experience. Through this lens, they explore how emotional brain systems like care, connection, and safeness relate to therapy and healing. “It's important to get to know what these emotional systems are so that we can have more clarity about our own experiences inside of ourselves, and as a therapist, to get to know the deeper levels of functioning and capacity and resources that we're all born with.” – Terry Sheldon, MD Francesca and Dr. Bruce Perry talk trauma, resilience, and healing, on Ep. 55 of ReRooted Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems (12:42) With groundwork laid, Francesca invites Beatriz and Terry to further unpack the Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems, their new innovative psychotherapy paradigm, which aims to heal by “going the other way” – going beneath the fear, by recognizing and allowing our deeper systems' ability to abide in love in the moment. The Sheldons explain this as a physiological recognition that fear is in the past, while care and trust are in the present. “There is a physiological change into standing up inside of themselves. When I see that there is this change inside, I immediately ask, ‘What's happening right now? What are the sensations that are happening right now?' – Beatriz Sheldon “Trauma is the puppeteer of the present.” – Francesca Maximé Learn about embodied change and neurosculpting with Sharon Salzberg and Dr. Rick Hanson, on Ep. 123 of the Metta Hour Neuroplasticity // Trust, Presence, Unconditional Love (37:37) Speaking to neuroplasticity, Dr. Sheldon relays the power of following up your therapy session with a walk, physical movement, or meditation—as well as reactivating the same neural pathways when drifting to sleep—to help create lasting traits. From here, the group engages in discourse around very dear themes to Ram Dass and the Be Here Now Network: trust, presence, and unconditional love. “Trusting what-is on a deeper level, you may not feel like you have access to it, but it's still there. Not trying to make something happen, but just keep orienting to that neurobiological truth that you are unconditionally worthy, you are unconditionally lovable.” – Terry Sheldon, MD Dr. Dan Siegel joins Francesca to share the practice of presence, on Ep. 27 of the BHNN Guest Podcast

https://justinvonbujdoss.com/ Francesca Maximé – ReRooted – Ep. 56 – Modern Tantric Buddhism with Lama Justin von Bujdoss September 22, 2021 | No Comments Cover Image ReRooted with Francesca Maximé Ep. 56 – Modern Tantric Buddhism with Lama Justin von Bujdoss SHARE SUBSCRIBE Apple Podcasts CastBox Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Pocket Casts Stitcher RSS DOWNLOAD DESCRIPTION 00:00 / 47:51 Lama Justin von Bujdoss joins Francesca to share an authentic and embodied conversation around Tantric Buddhism for our Dharma practice in the modern age. Justin von Bujdoss is an American Buddhist teacher and chaplain ordained as a repa in the Karma Kamstang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism by His Eminence Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche. Justin is passionate about the preservation of the heart-essence of the tantric Buddhist tradition in a way that meets the needs of, and simultaneously challenges, the modern western way of life. Justin has served as the resident-lama and executive director of New York Tsurphu Goshir Dharma Center and is Staff Chaplain and Executive Director of the Division of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for NYC Department of Correction. Justin has also worked as a full-time home hospice chaplain and teaches dharma in a variety of settings from monasteries, retreat centers and dharma centers, to hospital didactics, CPE groups and at conferences and museums. More info: JustinvonBujdoss.com Modern Tantric Buddhism: Engaging in Practice Welcoming Lama Justin von Bujdoss to the ReRooted podcast, Francesca invites him to share the core themes encased within his new book brimming with ancient wisdom translated for our spiritual practice in the contemporary age: Modern Tantric Buddhism: Embodiment and Authenticity in Dharma Practice. “The book and a lot of the work that I do is rooted at this intersection of Tantric Buddhist practice and chaplaincy, and also a lot of the natural critique, which I think is a healthy thing for practitioners to engage in exploring: how is it that I interact with the tradition that I am practicing?” – Lama Justin von Bujdoss Learn to embody Tantric Devotion with Ram Dev (Dale Borglum), on Ep. 63 of Healing at the Edge Embodied Tantric Buddhist Practice: Authentic Wisdom Born of Experience (11:28) Francesca and Lama Justin von Bujdoss speak to the importance of visualization practices, working with relationships, facing difficulties and apprehensions head-on, and how truly authentic wisdom is born of direct felt experience. “Authentic wisdom born of experience—I can't stress the importance of that enough. That is the thing that becomes this fuel that allows us to reinvest in our meditation, double down, and go a little bit deeper.” – Lama Justin von Bujdoss Take the journey to authenticity with Buddhist writer, speaker, and broadcaster, Kelly Carlin on Ep. 71 of the BHNN Guest Podcast Breaking Relationship to Habit Mind // Social Justice & Equity Work (30:00) Sharing on the powerful Tibetan Buddhist practices of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, Lama Justin and Francesca dig deep into the power encased in breaking/disrupting our momentum-driven relationship with our habit-mind through short, but frequent meditation sessions. From here, they dive into how to apply Tantric Buddhist practices to social justice and equity work in the real world. “There's a long thread of practice style around a meditation called Mahamudra, which is very similar to Dzogchen, advising people to sit for short periods, like 12 minutes, where it's really about breaking up the habit, rather than one long grueling session where your mind goes numb and you find yourself suffering. Sometimes there's more power in breaking up our relationship to habit-mind in these shorter sessions.” – Lama Justin von Bujdoss

Dr. Bruce Perry rejoins Francesca to share on trauma, resilience, and healing, power dynamics and the collective, as well as the stress response and shutting down. Dr. Bruce Perry is the Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy a Community of Practice based in Houston, TX, and Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. He recently authored, along with Oprah Winfrey, the new book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician, and researcher in children's mental health and neuroscience. You can find more information at www.bdperry.com https://www.childtrauma.org/ https://www.neurosequential.com/nmt “Awareness is part of the primary process that will lead to change.” – Dr. Bruce Perry What Happened to You? Welcoming back Dr. Bruce Perry to the ReRooted podcast for the first-half of a riveting two-part conversation, a delighted Francesca invites him to share on core themes of the new book he just wrote alongside Oprah Winfrey, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. Marking the foundations of trauma work created through the diligence of Sandy Bloom, Dr. Perry shares the history and evolution of trauma, resilience, and healing, in regards to race, misogyny, and education systems. “If every few generations we make tiny little tweaks, you haven't really changed education. All you've done is maintained the existing power structure; you just redecorated it. You have the same house; it's just got different furniture. When people talk about systemic racism or misogyny – both exist in our public education system. If you get so defensive that you don't see that clearly, you'll end up missing a tremendous opportunity to make meaningful change in your systems.” – Dr. Bruce Perry Learn to get in touch with your nervous system and start to heal through resilience, on, Ep. 106 of the Indie Spiritualist Power Dynamics & The Collective (11:08) How do we begin to transform the culture? How can we start to transform ourselves from the inside out? How do we recognize power dynamics at play throughout history and change them now? Inviting in the micro, macro, and mezzo perspectives, Francesca asks Dr. Perry to illuminate historical power dynamics through the lens of U.S. colonization, oppression, and marginalization. “Oppression flows down. It's an unfortunate characteristic of the human species, that we tend to cluster and create an ‘us & them.' And so, in the consolidation of power for yourself, it's always in your interest to have an external marginalized people to basically coalesce your power. That model of gaining power is marginalizing others.” – Dr. Bruce Perry Stress Response & Shutting Down (17:42) Speaking to the notion that many humans will naturally exhibit a stress response in the brain when confronted with other people with unfamiliar attributes, Dr. Perry explains how this shutting down of the neocortex makes individuals less open to change and connectivity; and more susceptible to fall into concrete thinking and accepting oversimplified explanations. “Historically, the major predator of human beings has always been other humans. So when you meet people who are not like you, or have unfamiliar attributes, the default response is to shut down—activate the stress response which will shut down part of your cortex. So instead of becoming more abstract, inclusive, and thoughtful, you become more concrete, categorial, and vulnerable to simple, linear explanations.” – Dr. Bruce Perry “All biological systems that develop, they develop all kinds of mechanisms to maintain themselves. If people actually had moments where they were fully reflective, they wouldn't live the way they live. Which means the whole system would unravel, capitalism would unravel, materialism would unravel.” – Dr. Bruce Perry

www.thelotusinstitute.org Larry Ward Ph.D. joins Francesca to uncover ‘America's Racial Karma,' exploring the healing intersection of Buddhism and race in America. Larry Ward Ph.D. is a senior teacher in Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition. He brings twenty-five years of international experience in organizational change and local community renewal to his work as director of the Lotus Institute and as an advisor to the Executive Mind Leadership Institute at the Drucker School of Management. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation, and recently released a new book, America's Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal. Larry is a knowledgeable, charismatic and inspirational teacher, offering insights with personal stories and resounding clarity that express his dharma name, “True Great Sound.” Buddhism & Race in America Welcoming Buddhist teacher and author Larry Ward to the Rerooted podcast, Francesca invites him to share how the vantage point of learning and teaching Buddhism under Thich Nhat Hanh helped inform his timely new book, America's Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal. Francesca and Larry take a close look at how our identities are constructed narratives, but still hold a strong reality in our daily lives; before diving into the historical roots of white supremacy. “I wanted to apply what I had learned through my practice in Buddhism, as well as my scholarly work in Buddhism, to my lived experience of race in America. I wanted to invite people into a deeper look at the human psychology and nervous system interactions that create and sustain white supremacy.” – Larry Ward PhD Explore anti-racism as a spiritual practice in this podcast focused on the spirituality of racial equality, on Ep. 21 of Sufi Heart Colonialism & Seperation / God & Interconnection (13:18) Speaking to the ‘othering' inherent in colonialism, Larry explains how the idea of being a fixed separate self creates materialism, commodification, and hierarchy – seeing the world as matter, rather than one interconnected god. Uncovering the Buddhist notion of non-self—the interconnection that is the baseline love of reality—Francesca and Larry illuminate how, through spiritual practice, society can begin to heal at its root: the individual human nervous system. “I'm hoping to contribute to understanding our nervous system well enough to understand how it's been conditioned by white supremacy, by our own lives, by our families, by our school systems, by our work ethic, by our cultural context, so that we can have enough distance from that to look at it and decide: What do we keep of this? What do we throw away? What do we modify?” – Larry Ward PhD For more Francesca in conversation on healing racial trauma in the mind and body, tune into, Ep. 43 of ReRooted Poetry, Pain, & Sensitivity (37:20) Invited by Francesca to read a deeply moving poem from his book, Larry harkens a powerful bhav (spiritual essence) in exploring the themes of race, racism, identity, impermanence, equanimity, George Floyd, love, and infinity. From this vantage, Larry and Francesca share how to hold pain when dealing with such an immense weight of suffering, by learning how to become more sensitive in your own body and within the spirit. “Find the ground of no coming and no going. Embrace yourself. Love yourself. Lift yourself up so you can lift all the rest of us to higher ground.” – Larry Ward PhD

Adam Gust https://www.youtube.com/user/3DdrummingDVD joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation about trauma, healing, and how incorporating the tools of somatic experiencing can help pave a new path in life. Adam Gust is a Los Angeles based drummer, producer, and educator. Head to his YouTube channel to learn more about Adam and check out his work as a drummer and a teacher. Trauma and Healing Francesca welcomes Adam to ReRooted, and they discuss the traumatic incident that changed the course of Adam's life and career as a drummer. Adam takes us through the process of healing from his trauma, and how discovering somatic experiencing gave him hope and a new path in life. “I went from feeling like my whole life was just about to happen, to being in bed with both my hands in casts for a few months.” – Adam Gust Incorporating the Tools of Somatic Experiencing (16:04) Francesca and Adam explore the work of Bell Hooks and Terry Real, and how they gave Adam a new perspective on patriarchy and hierarchy. Adam talks about how incorporating the tools of somatic experiencing into playing the drums allows him to perform better than ever before. Francesca plays the soundtrack Adam created to accompany her podcast with Dr. Shelly Harrell. “I can't believe drummers aren't talking about embodiment and somatic experiencing, like, of all people!” – Adam Gust Listen to the full conversation between Francesca Maximé and Dr. Shelly Harrell on ReRooted Ep. 11 Befriending Your Practice (32:20) Francesca and Adam discuss what inspired him to create that soundtrack. They talk about having compassion for the person you were before your trauma, structural hierarchy in the music business, and Adam's continuing work with bringing somatic experiencing into the drumming community. Adam shares an exercise from his teaching series, Befriending Your Practice. “I've been really practicing to break these patterns, these tension and movement patterns, and ground the feet.” – Adam Gust https://www.youtube.com/user/3DdrummingDVD

Shirley Turcotte, RCC, joins Francesca to discuss how Indigenous Focusing-Orientation Therapy techniques are medicine for remembering our collectivity. Shirley Turcotte, RCC, is founder of the Indigenous Focusing-Orientation Therapy (IFOT), a Métis knowledge keeper and registered clinical counselor, working internationally with survivors of childhood abuses, torture, and complex traumas, including Residential School Syndrome. A pioneering activist in the areas of complex trauma therapeutic treatment and program development for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, she has received awards, including British Columbia’s Woman of Distinction Award in Health and Education. She is the lead instructor and clinical supervisor of two Aboriginal Programs with the Centre for Counseling and Community Safety at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. For more info please visit: Focusing Initiatives’ IFOT page All My Relations: Pandemic & Indigenous Community Welcoming her friend and teacher, Shirley Turcotte, RCC, to ReRooted, Francesca invites her to share about the effect of the pandemic on both herself in her work and daily life, and the Indigenous community as a whole. Sharing the trying history of genocide amongst Indigenous populations, Shirley relays the importance of recognizing the collective, communal, and intergenerational experience of pandemic (and trauma in general), recognizing our connection to all life and land, the interconnected web of life. “‘All my relations’ means to be connected and interconnected to all of life and land. So what you in your own body is experiencing does not belong to you. It’s something that’s held collectively. So when I’m experiencing pandemic anxiety, it’s not just my lived experience, I’m holding my community there too.” – Shirley Turcotte For more Francesca exploring the intersection of Indigenous perspectives and mindfulness, check out Ep. 40 of ReRooted Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (10:58) Shirley shares how her ‘all my relations’ collective perspective connects with her Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) which, ‘heals trauma and has been especially well-received because it honors core values of each community and respects local traditions. It is rooted in a humanistic, person-centered approach to healing and is offered in situations of violence, intergenerational trauma, and collective cultural and economic genocide, bringing healing to individuals, families, schools and communities.’ “The remembering is the healing. Because once you get that, you come out of suffering. The remembering of ‘all my relations’ is the healing peace in Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy. It’s the remembering of ‘all my relations’ that pulls everyone out to be able to be present.” – Shirley Turcotte Learn how to heal by giving yourself permission to be fully present with your trauma, on Ep. 78 of the BHNN Guest Podcast “A Felt Sense’ Guided Meditation (16:40) Shirley leads a guided meditation experience for experiencing ‘all my relations’ ancestral interconnection led by ‘a felt sense.’ Tracking ‘A Felt Sense’ (30:03) Sharing in conversation on the medicine inherent within the connection of life and land, Francesca and Shirley discuss the healing encased within finding balance. Sharing techniques like ‘tracking through time’ and going into old traumas to reframe and heal them, Shirley and Francesca offer a doorway into the past, present, and future, from the boundless, timeless perspective of the indigenous world. “When you’re tracking a felt sense, you’re very much present for observing – observation of the self, where you are in time, and whatever moments are coming forward. You are not dissociated; you are tracking through time. Time is always here in the Indigenous world. Past, present, and future is always here. It’s not linear.” – Shirley Turcotte

OTLIGHT AWAKENED HEART BLOG ABOUT CALENDAR SUPPORT Search... Francesca Maximé – ReRooted – Ep. 50 – Music from the Heart with Emmet Cohen May 7, 2021 | No Comments Cover Image ReRooted with Francesca Maximé Ep. 50 – Music from the Heart with Emmet Cohen SHARE SUBSCRIBE Apple Podcasts CastBox Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Pocket Casts Stitcher RSS DOWNLOAD DESCRIPTION 00:00 / 46:33 Francesca Maximé welcomes jazz pianist Emmet Cohen to ReRooted for a conversation about how music truly comes from the heart, the importance of practice, and much more. Leader of the “Emmet Cohen Trio” and creator of the “Masters Legacy Series,” Emmet Cohen is an internationally acclaimed jazz pianist and dedicated music educator. He has performed, recorded, or collaborated with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, Houston Person, Christian McBride, Kurt Elling, Billy Hart, Herlin Riley, Lea DeLaria, and Bill T. Jones. Learn more about Emmet and sign up for his newsletter at emmetcohen.com. Music from the Heart Francesca welcomes Emmet to ReRooted, and asks about how he became the pianist he is today. Emmet talks about how important improvisation is to jazz music, and how music truly comes from the heart. He reflects on the appreciation and great respect he has for the jazz artists who came before him, and the great joy he brings to his music. “Anything I can do for the music, I think, is more important than anything I can do for myself.” – Emmet Cohen John Forté discusses the spirit of music on Mindrolling Ep. 386 Practice Routines (13:23) Francesca brings up the importance of practice, and Emmet shares how his routine has evolved over the years. They play some of Emmet’s music, and he talks about how he uses the music to communicate with his bandmates as they play. Francesca explores how Emmet’s presence in his music can really bring people into the present moment. “Your presence and focus and attention to detail, I think gives people a certain degree of permission to really just sink in to observing the experience.” – Francesca Maximé Watch Emmet Cohen and Vanisha Gould perform “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” during a recent edition of Live From Emmet’s Place Breath is an Anchor (32:25) Francesca asks Emmet about his yoga practice; Emmet talks about how the breath is an anchor in both yoga and his music. They discuss Emmet’s new album, Future Stride, and whether he’ll continue the “Live From Emmet’s Place” live stream in the future. Whatever’s next, Emmet will bring along his sense of goodness, joy, and respect. “As I was learning [yoga], I’d learn how the breath integrated into all of this, and it really kind of reminded me of the way that I always thought about my breath when I played music.” – Emmet Cohen

On today's episode, I talk with Francesca Maxime', an IFS informed powerhouse! Her passion is contagious and my hope is that you will take one of the MANY resources and challenges she gives to 'accept your assignment' while giving ALL of your parts (including your racist parts) compassion and care. One of my favorite quotes: "We are all breathing carbon monoxide which is racism and think we are breathing oxygen... it does sicken over time." Check out her website here: https://www.maximeclarity.com/ Check out her podcast here: https://beherenownetwork.com/category/francesca-maxime/ Check out her upcoming talk on Active Mourning: Active Mourning: Transforming Grief, Loss, Longing, and Resentment | InsightLA Meditation To register for the Heirloom Summit on Feb 24-26 and get a special discount as a listener of the podcast: http://bit.ly/theoneinside I'd love to connect with you at ifstammy on Instagram and Twitter and on The One Inside Facebook page. Enjoy!

Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz joins Francesca Maximé to talk about her work as a scholar and activist, the history of settler colonialism, and the cult of the Constitution. Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz has been active in the international Indigenous movement for more than four decades and is known for her lifelong commitment to national and international social justice issues. Her 1977 book, The Great Sioux Nation, was the fundamental document at the first international conference on Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz is the author or editor of seven other books, including An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States. Learn more at reddirtsite.com. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States Francesca welcomes Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz to ReRooted, and asks what prompted her to write the book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States. Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz talks about her study of the indigenous people of New Mexico, and how she was called as a witness at the trial of the Lakota people involved in the Wounded Knee Occupation. “I think this book is in many ways a culmination of all the work I’ve done in the last 50 years – the scholarly work and the activist work.” – Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Settler Colonialism (18:27) Francesca and Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz discuss the concept of settler colonialism, what it means, and its lasting repercussions. Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz talks about the indigenous peoples’ relationship with the land and how it differed from that of the settlers, and explores the consequences of the Northwest Ordinance of 1887. “Really, the United States was founded as a corporation, as a capitalist state. And land was the capital, land sales was the capital.” – Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Jacqueline Battalora joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation about the foundation of America’s institutionalized racism on ReRooted Ep. 39 The Cult of the Constitution (41:47) Francesca and Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz talk about the parallels between chattel slavery and settler colonialism, and the traumas of slavery and colonialism that continue to affect the people of the United States to this day. Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz ends by exploring how America’s revered ‘Founding Fathers’ were far from perfect, and how we have a cult of the Constitution. “We have to deprogram our cultish connection to the Constitution and to the so-called founders who designed this horrible system that we have propagated.” – Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxanne_Dunbar-Ortiz

Francesca Maximé – ReRooted – Ep. 48 – Playful Progressions with Miki Yamanaka March 27, 2021 | No Comments Cover Image ReRooted with Francesca Maximé Ep. 48 – Playful Progressions with Miki Yamanaka SHARE SUBSCRIBE Apple Podcasts CastBox Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Pocket Casts Stitcher RSS DOWNLOAD DESCRIPTION 00:00 / 48:39 Jazz pianist, Miki Yamanaka, joins Francesca to share about her musical upbringing, food as spirituality, Asian allyship, and how play makes perfect. Jazz pianist, Miki Yamanaka, joins Francesca to share about her musical upbringing, food as spirituality, Asian allyship, and how play makes perfect. Miki Yamanaka is a New York-based pianist from Kobe, Japan. She moved to New York City in 2012 and has studied Piano with Jason Lindner, Jeb Patton, and Fred Hersch, and Organ with Sam Yahel and Larry Goldings. In 2015 she was one of three pianists selected to participate in “Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead”, an intensive composition residency at the Kennedy Center. She earned her Master of Music degree from Queens College, receiving the Sir Roland Hanna Award. She holds residencies at Smalls and Mezzrow Jazz Clubs in NYC, and is the current pianist in the Philip Harper Quintet, the Roxy Coss Quintet, and the Antonio Hart Group. One of her newest compositions is a 5-part suite entitled “Human Dust Suite.” For more information, please visit MikiYamanaka.com Natural Progression: Music & Practice Continuing tapping her deep well of joyful, mindful, creatives on the ReRooted podcast, Francesca welcomes extraordinary jazz pianist, Miki Yamanaka. Invited to share her story, Miki describes her upbringing in Japan, her musical training, the natural progression to playing for money, and then her giant leap across the pond to New York in 2012, where her career as a musician would fully blossom. For a sampling of her improvisational prowess which sparked the interview, check out this Miki Yamanaka Trio livestream. “There is spiritual practice, musical practice, athletic practice, mind, body, soul, spirit. The freedom comes to do all these fun things [like playing music], when you’re grounded in a certain degree of discipline, which from at least my understanding, is part of what happens when we’re able to establish one-pointed concentration and be in a more centered space of focusing our attention.” – Francesca Maximé Dig another Jazz based interview with Francesca, as she dives into the musical healing of Warren Wolf, on Ep. 46 of ReRooted Food & Gratitude as Spiritual Practice (7:35) When asked by Francesca if she has a spiritual practice, Miki shares that her daily practice is actually something very close to all of our hearts: food and cooking. Taking a page from Konda Mason’s Brown Rice Hour Podcast, Miki and Francesca dive into the spiritual goodness and holistic importance of a grounded, well-balanced diet. Through this lens, Miki explores her relationship to preparing and consuming food, outlining the deep gratitude and spiritual awareness inherent to all parts of the process. “I like to cook and I like to eat. Eating healthy and eating well is very important to human beings, more than people think. It’s really important eating well and grounded. I eat everything, but with a healthy balance, and I thank every bit of things I cook and eat—I really thank them.” – Miki Yamanaka Join Ram Dass, along with Francesca’s teacher, Jack Kornfield, explore eating food as meditation, on Ep. 104 of Here & Now Asian Allyship (18:50) Speaking to the uprise of Asian hate crimes coming to a horrific head with the eight murders in Georgia this past week, Miki discusses the harsh realities of anti-Asian racism, and the dire need for true outspoken allyship across the board.

Judy Ryde PhD joins Francesca for a conversation around diversity, whiteness, mindfulness of racial thoughts, and overcoming blocks of guilt and shame with compassion and commitment. https://www.judyryde.com/about Judy Ryde Phd, a psychotherapist for 40+ years and one of the Founders of the Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counseling, for much of her professional life has been very concerned about the lack of diversity in psychotherapy, leading to her doctoral research into whiteness within a racialized society, as well as her books: Being White in the Helping Professions and White Privilege Unmasked: How to Be Part of the Solution. Judy is founder and director of Trauma Foundation South West, which provides counseling and psychotherapy for refugees and asylum seekers, as well as training and supervision for those working with traumatized refugees and asylum seekers in other agencies. For more info, please visit JudyRyde.com

http://www.warrenwolfmusic.com/ Multi-instrumental musician, Warren Wolf, joins Francesca to celebrate the transformative nature of joy, music, authenticity, discipline, and the creative spirit. Warren Wolf is a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, MD. From the young age of three years old, Warren has been trained on vibraphone/marimba, drums/percussion, and piano/keyboard. Under the guidance of his father Warren Wolf Sr., Warren has a deep background in all genres of music. He is a faculty member at Peabody Institute and teaches part-time at the San Fransisco Conservatory of Music. For more information on Warren, among music and other offerings, visit WarrenWolfMusic.com Pandemic & Music: From Live Shows to Livestreams Speaking to the difficulties inherent in the pandemic pertaining to the music industry, and group gatherings in general, Francesca shares that some respite for not being able to go out and see music in a live setting, has been the livestream events put on by talented performers like Warren. Marking Warren’s Livestream with the Emmet Cohen Trio as a cathartic, healing warmth to her winter, Francesca invites Warren to share how he has flowed with the intense change over the past year. “It’s been an honor to continue to play music during this pandemic. It’s very important for me to continue to play to give people some type of normalcy, just to keep the music going.” – Warren Wolf Explore the healing power of music for helping one fall into navigable flow with our intuitive processes, on Ep. 359 of Mindrolling Positive Attitude: Gratitude, Joy, & Appreciation (10:18) Highlighting Warren’s natural positivity; namely his intrinsic ability to radiate gratitude, joy, and appreciation–not just through his music, but through his being–Francesca asks him the secret to exuding such a blissful quality of attitude. Warren, a father of five, explains that his interactive family life and focus on healthy lifestyle plays a major role, as well as spreading the love forward, putting out as much positive, hope-infused content online to help uplift people, like his Francesca-approved release Gang Gang. “I try to keep music going and keep people happy, because I’ve talked to so many people that are down and bored. I try to uplift people. I try to get on social media and post videos, ‘Hey, guys check this out!’ See if this brings you some type of positivity, some type of hope.” – Warren Wolf Transform your life by transforming your mental attitude. Explore merging positive exuberance with music prowess, on Ep. 80 of The Indie Spiritualist Practice Makes Perfect: Musical Healer (21:52) Invited by Francesca to share about his music-steeped childhood, Warren recalls long, intense music practice sessions with his father, starting from a very young age, and ranging many instruments and styles. While, at the time, he yearned to play with toys, he recognizes the skillset and discipline he was gifted through this focused, determined practice and training. Sharing his family background and upbringing, Warren highlights his path of love, before they dive into racial justice talk, and share more music. “People, when they get home from work, they want to release from the day. Our jobs as musicians is to entertain them, take their minds away from that. My message to anybody that comes to see my show, or purchases my music, is for you to get a sense of release or comfort from hearing what I have to say to you. Yes, I know I’m a musician, but I’m more of a healer. I just want to make people feel good.” – Warren Wolf For more Francesca diving into the sonic stylings of improvisational jazz and the balance music can instill in our lives, tune to Ep. 12 of ReRooted

On this episode of ReRooted, Buddhist meditation teacher Scott Tusa joins Francesca Maximé to talk about toxic masculinity, spiritual bypassing, and getting real about fake woke bros. Scott Tusa is a Buddhist meditation teacher based in the United States. Ordained by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, he spent nine years as a Buddhist monk, with much of that time engaged in solitary meditation retreat and study in the United States, India, and Nepal. He teaches meditation and Buddhist psychology internationally in group and one-to-one settings, and supports Tsoknyi Rinpoche’s Pundarika Sangha as a practice advisor. Learn more about Scott at https://scotttusa.com/ Buddhist Tantra Francesca welcomes Scott, who talks about the large feminine wisdom principle within his tradition of Buddhism. They discuss race versus ethnicity, and the importance of developing an ancestor practice. Scott explores how Buddhist Tantra differs from the Westernized form of Tantra, which tends to focus on sexual energy. “Definitely in Buddhist Tantra, of course, we use our sexual energy within the path, we’re not denying that, but it’s not really centered as the main thing. The main thing is understanding how the mind creates suffering, and how to unwind that suffering within the mind.” – Scott Tusa Ram Dass talks about Devotional Tantra on Here and Now Ep. 153 Getting Real About Fake Woke Bros (16:35) Francesca and Scott touch on bringing more feminine energy into the world, wisdom versus skillful means, and how late stage capitalism fuels toxic masculinity. Francesca explores the concept of spiritual bypassing, and how bro culture has hit the spiritual scene. Scott talks about how men can help other men become real allies for women. “We need to find ways to re-humanize, and it’s really hard because when there’s heavy competitiveness, this is, to me, such a distortion of masculinity.” – Scott Tusa Absolute Versus Relative (32:17) Francesca and Scott discuss shifting resistance to the feminine. They talk about the idea of transcendence when it comes to race, absolute truth versus relative truth, and how self-compassion allows us to show up for others. The idea is waking up from the inside out, and we can all do this work of stepping on the path. “Transcendence doesn’t mean transcending the whole thing, it means waking up through seeing clearly how reality is existing.” – Scott Tusa Check out Francesca’s anti-racism and mindfulness resources at maximeclarity.com

Francesca welcomes, friend and teacher, Jack Kornfield to illuminate the mindful path of embodied anti-racism through the lens of the Buddha, the dharma, & mindfulness. Jack has compiled an ongoing catalogue of crucial Anti-Racism Resources, as well as a list of helpful Pandemic Resources on his website, www.JackKornfield.com Anti-Racism & Buddhism Francesca opens the session by asking Jack to elucidate how anti-racism connects with the life and teachings of the Buddha. Inviting us all to settle in with a breath, Jack recalls asking his great meditation master, “What is the dharma?” His teacher responded, “The dharma is the heart; how we tend it, how we connect with the heart of others.” Through this lens, Francesca and Jack begin to interweave and apply ancient Buddhist solutions for modern issues of social justice. “As we enter this fraught and painful terrain of racism and racial justice, know that this is something, that if you enter it honorably, that you will be forced in some way, to enter it not just with your mind, but with your own heart and your own spirit.” – Jack Kornfield For Jack Kornfield elucidating the history of racism versus the ideals of freedom & independence, tune into Ep. 112 of Heart Wisdom The Dharma of Liberation (7:16) Jack shares that the dharma of liberation speaks to both inner-liberation and outer-liberation as one: a liberation from greed, hate, fear, prejudice, ignorance, and separation; along with the recognition of the Buddha Nature of every living being. To exemplify this, Jack speaks to the Buddha’s prescription for the inherently racist caste system in India. To diffuse this system of judgment and separation within his sangha, the Buddha taught even the highest caste Brahmins to bow down to the untouchable castes as equals. “What the Buddha did was to invite in the lowest caste people, and as he did, they became elders. The high caste Brahmins who came after, all had to get down on their knees and bow to them. He did it deliberately to inspire people to see the fundamental dignity and nobility of every human being.” – Jack Kornfield For anti-racism from the Indigenous perspective, and to find out how to heal the collective through dance, check out Ep. 40 of ReRooted The Glance of Mercy: Trust & Love (28:08) Sharing from the perspective of therapy, Francesca and Jack discuss how really good therapy isn’t so much about strict mind and methodology, but truly about love and trust. The trust is in the organism’s capacity to heal and change, marked by a recognition that it’s never too late to change. Sharing a story of his dear friend Ram Dass, Jack describes ‘the glance of mercy’ – when somebody sees your beauty in a way nobody ever has, opening you to unconditional love and true healing. “I think the most profound healing comes when we see one another with the eyes of love, when we see the secret beauty of that person in front of us, and they recognize that they’ve been seen.” – Jack Kornfield To dive into the ocean of love and experience Ram Dass’ glance of mercy through Jack Kornfield’s eyes, on Ep. 371 of Mindrolling

http://publish.uwo.ca/~rlanius/ Francesca Maximé welcomes Dr. Ruth Lanius for a conversation about how racialized trauma lives in the body and can ultimately lead to a lesser sense of self. Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, is the director of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research unit at the University of Western Ontario. She established the Traumatic Stress Service and the Traumatic Stress Service Workplace Program, services that specialize in the treatment and research of PTSD and related comorbid disorders. She has written more than 100 published papers and chapters in the field of traumatic stress and is an author of the book, Healing the Traumatized Self. Racialized Trauma in the Body Francesca and Ruth begin with a conversation around how racialized trauma lives in the body, and how the inescapable stress can basically shut down a traumatized person’s system. They talk about the effects of trauma from an intergenerational viewpoint, and how chronic trauma ultimately can lead to a lesser sense of self. “I think we see this large intergenerational transmission of trauma, and we really need to think about the mechanisms and how we can intervene at an individual and at a community level.” – Ruth Lanius Raghu Markus and James Gordon, MD, talk about transforming trauma on Mindrolling Ep. 336 Community Healing (17:00) The conversation turns to how the system of white supremacy and racialized trauma affects white people. Francesca asks Ruth how she addresses issues of racialized trauma with her patients. Ruth explains some of the basic brain function around PTSD, how it affects the sense of self, and the importance of community as a place of healing. “Being in a community gives you a feeling of a sense of belonging, which is so critical. If you don’t feel like you belong, that’s an incredible, painful, intense feeling.” – Ruth Lanius Mindfulness and Trauma (35:10) Francesca and Ruth discuss what a reparative multiracial community might look like, and how we can do healing work within a system that is set up for division. They talk about the impact of mindfulness practice on trauma, and how there can be a rebirth of the sense of self. “I think that hope is so critical for change. There’s nothing worse than going to see somebody and them telling you, ‘Well, you’re a hopeless case, you’ll never get better.’ That’s a really toxic place to start from. But to have hope and to know that the brain is very malleable and that it can change through good treatment, I think is really important.” – Ruth Lanius http://publish.uwo.ca/~rlanius/ https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/psychiatry/divisions_programs/general_psychiatry/Faculty%20Biographies/ruth_lanius_md_phd_frcpc.html https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/psychiatry/divisions_programs/general_psychiatry/Faculty%20Biographies/ruth_lanius_md_phd_frcpc.html http://publish.uwo.ca/~rlanius/

Recorded 12.12.20 The Mental and Spiritual Health Roundtable will be an opportunity to hear from therapists, social workers, hospital chaplains and trauma specialists about processing grief and trauma. While other programs during THE CITY’s MISSING THEM Memorial Event https://projects.thecity.nyc/covid-19-deaths/?_ga=2.211279826.651030181.1605418392-738150238.1551726605 are centered around processing grief through storytelling, the Mental and Spiritual Health Roundtable will be an opportunity to hear from therapists, social workers, hospital chaplains and trauma specialists about their experiences and expertise around processing grief and trauma. While one roundtable cannot reverse the effects of this pandemic, our hope is to connect people to practical advice and the chance to have their questions or concerns listened to and answered. If you would like to talk more about what you’ve been feeling and hear from fellow New Yorkers about how they've been coping with the pandemic, you can sign up for the Connect & Reflect small group conversations (taking place right after the roundtable) here. https://letsreimagine.org/74712/connect-reflect-living-and-grieving-through-the-pandemic TYPE: HEALTH/WELLNESSLECTURE/PANEL/CONVERSATIONSPIRITUALITYGRIEF SUPPORT https://letsreimagine.org/74712/mental-and-spiritual-health-roundtable-on-grief-and-trauma

Ian Haney López joins Francesca to discuss how dog whistle politics and media perpetuate the socially constructed, hierarchical story of racial identity. Ian Haney López is a law professor who specializes in race and racism. The Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Public Law at the UC, Berkeley, Ian’s focus has been on the use of racism in electoral politics. From writing, to public polling and message testing, to accessible videos, Ian develops and promotes a race-class praxis. His books White By Law: The Legal Construction of Race and Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class showcase how powerful elites exploit social divisions, imploring that no matter our race, color, or ethnicity, our best future requires building cross-racial solidarity. Discover more at https://ianhaneylopez.com/ Race is Not Destiny Prompted by Francesca, Ian shares about his upbringing in Hawaii, being raised by a mixed race couple. Growing up with this unique vantage point from the cultural melting pot of the Island, sparked an inquiry into race relations inside of Ian, a query that would deepen as he traveled to college in St. Louis, Missouri, one of the most starkly segregated areas in the States. Sharing stories of realizing both the overt and implicit racism in society, Francesca and Ian elucidate race as a social construct, rather than a fixed trait. “Race isn’t something that’s fixed in us. Race is a social practice. It’s a set of understandings. It’s something that circulates in the culture, but it’s something that is interpreted and imposed by different actors, at different times, in different ways.” – Ian Haney López The Powerful Story of Race (8:12) Diving into themes within Ian’s book, White By Law: The Legal Construction of Race, Francesca and Ian explore how race was created as a social construct, and is being upheld by our prevailing systems. Highlighting that race is not real as a biology, but is undeniably real as a set of social practices, they elucidate the complex nuances of social hierarchy, showcasing how race was created as a story so we could swallow the harsh truths of slavery, exploitation, and genocide. “Race was always an attempt as a set of ideas–as an ideology–to displace responsibility from what we ourselves were doing. Race was a story to explain why genocide and dispossession of Native Americans was inevitable and natural, and that we weren’t responsible for it…” – Ian Haney López “The powerful elite exercise so much power in our society, not through direct violence, not through direct force, but instead through stories about how they deserve to be rich, they deserve to be powerful, and we don’t” – Ian Haney López Dog Whistle Politics, Dog Whistle Media (22:02) Using the example of the Obama administration’s issues of further bolstering racially biased mass incarceration and deportation targeting Latinos, Francesca and Ian examine how politics has became a way in which racism is being expressed and mobilized within our society. This epiphany led Ian to look back through history and uncover the coded language of racism used by politicians to uphold the story of the hierarchal social power structure of racism – a veiled technique still used today by both major parties. “It’s not white racism in general. It’s Donald Trump, it’s Richard Nixon, it’s Ronald Reagan, it’s Bill and Hillary Clinton in their time telling stories about threatening people of color and then encouraging police departments to treat Brown and Black People as fundamentally lawless and violent.” – Ian Haney López

https://empathybrain.com/ Sarah Peyton joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation about the effect of white supremacy on people’s neurobiology, and how we need to let go of the unconscious contracts we make with ourselves. Sarah Peyton, an international speaker and facilitator, has a passion for weaving together neuroscience knowledge and experiences of healing that unify people with their brains and bodies. Sarah offers healing experiences of hearing ourselves and others deeply, and body-centered explorations of families over generations. She is the author of Your Resonant Self and the Your Resonant Self Workbook. Learn more about Sarah and check out her free offerings at empathybrain.com. The Bridge of Understanding Francesca welcomes Sarah to ReRooted and asks about the larger cultural influences of white supremacy that affect people’s neurobiology. Sarah talks about the different ways white supremacy burdens the immune system, and how the bridge of understanding helps create resilience in the body. “That bridge of understanding creates a little resilience, it balances the nervous system. It allows us to be restored to a sense of mattering and belonging. And mattering and belonging are the most important things for human bodies.” – Sarah Peyton Don’t miss Francesca’s free anti-racism resources at maximeclarity.com Unconscious Contracts (15:25) Francesca and Sarah discuss the shame that comes up for many white people around white supremacy. Sarah talks about the unconscious contracts we make with ourselves to always be right and how that eventually feeds into a cycle of shame and rage. They explore how acknowledging the pain caused by white supremacy is imperative to healing. “Shame casts our eyes down, and many people have a rage response to their own shame.” – Sarah Peyton Dr. Janet E. Helms joins Francesca to discuss whiteness and systemic racism on ReRooted Ep. 32 Claiming Accountability (32:25) Sarah talks about seeing the ways systemic racism are reflected within ourselves. She and Francesca discuss the uprising taking place in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and how white people can start claim accountability by letting go of their unconscious contracts. “The more we understand about the nervous system and about shame, and about that rage response to try to come out of shame, the more we become equanimous to the slings and arrows of fortune and we start to claim our accountability, and claim our self-care and care of others.” – Sarah Peyton

If you're so inclined.. Please sign up for my new Embodied Antiracism Class starting Oct. 21st 2p ET https://therapywisdom.com/embodied-anti-racism/ This is the live webinar replay we recorded October 14th! In this webinar we discussed... How to avoid getting lost in the 'shame spiral' Using our nervous systems as a tool to bring ourselves into balance as we lean into doing anti-racism work Implementing our anti-racism work from a grounded place that allows us to be fully present The intersection of this work and Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory Identifying and welcoming out parts Recognizing the role parts play in our capacity to feel more balanced and connected If you like this webinar, please consider signing up to my 5-week embodied antiracism course beginning Wednesday Oct 21 at 2pm ET with special guests Drs. Jack Kornfield, Dick Schwartz, Shelley Harrell, Natasha Stovall, & Susan Cousins https://therapywisdom.com/embodied-anti-racism/ or email me at www.maximeclarity.com with any questions!

Dr. Diane Goodman joins Francesca to talk about why it is important to distinguish our different experiences, especially among and between Black and Jewish folks. Trainer, consultant, professor, speaker, author, and activist, Diane Goodman has been addressing issues of diversity and social justice for over 30 years. As a trainer and consultant, Diane and her associates have worked with a wide range of organizations, community groups, and educational institutions to build their capacity around diversity and social justice issues. Using a participatory approach, she helps people increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills to foster equity and inclusion. Programs address how cultural differences and issues of power and privilege affect individuals, interpersonal relationships, and organizational culture and practices. She offers practical strategies and skills to enable people to create more positive intergroup relations, and institutional and societal change.As a regular presenter at national and international conferences, Diane has offered institutes and sessions at NCORE (National Conference on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Higher Education), Teachers College Roundtable on Multicultural Psychology and Education, The White Privilege Conference, The Diversity Challenge, AAC&U (Association of American Colleges and Universities), Association of Contemplative Mind in Higher Education (ACMHE), Creating Change, NAME (National Association for Multicultural Education), ACPA, NASPA, among others. She also gives talks and keynote speeches. Diane earned a B.A. from Tufts University in Psychology and Child Development and an M.Ed. and Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a focus on social justice education, group and organizational development, and counseling. Her humor, openness, insight, and compassion make her sessions engaging and meaningful. Learn more about at dianegoodman.com Not Equal Francesca and Dr. Goodman explore the complications that arise when we equate our own trauma and suffering to others. “There is a very real reality of anti-Semitism and that is different than the very real reality of racism and anti-blackness.” – Dr. Diane Goodman The Privilege of a Lighter Pallete (22:55) Dr. Goodman talks about the ways that Jews who look like her can sometimes benefit from being identified as white by others. “I think that it is really important, and this is what I try to do when I work with white Jews – is to both recognize the reality of anti-Semitism and the reality of white privilege, and that Jews have been able to assimilate with whiteness.” – Dr. Diane Goodman Francesca Maximé explores roots deeper than whiteness on ReRooted Ep. 14 https://dianegoodman.com/

Francesca Maximé welcomes Jacqueline Battalora for a conversation around how the invention of the idea of “white people” became the foundation of America’s institutionalized racism. Jacqueline Battalora is the author of Birth of a White Nation: The Invention of White People and Its Relevance Today. While she is currently a lawyer and professor of sociology and criminal justice at Saint Xavier University, she is also a former Chicago Police officer. She holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and has been engaged in anti-racist training since the mid-1990s. Learn more about Jacqueline here. Dr. Jacqueline Battalora https://jbattalora.com/ This fall, (ReRooted podcast host) Francesca Maximé is offering a 5-week embodied antiracism online course through the Academy of Therapy Wisdom launching in October. Please sign up for 90 minutes of FREE antiracism teaching videos offered by Francesca in late September. You’re also invited to sign up for the course launching with a FREE 60 minute LIVE antiracism webinar conversation with Francesca October 14th, with the course beginning October 21st. Sign up for your free 3 embodied antiracism video teachings from Francesca at: Therapy Wisdom The Invention of White People Francesca welcomes Jacqueline to ReRooted, and the two discuss how non-white people in America are most adversely affected by two institutions that are very visible in our current times: law enforcement and health care. Jacqueline talks about what white supremacy really means, and how the term “white people” didn’t even exist until after Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676. “It’s institutionalized white supremacy, and it’s nobody’s fault. It was here before we all arrived… it is a baked-in feature of this country… every law and policy that has been birthed out of this country is built upon a foundation of white supremacy.” – Jacqueline Battalora Race relations expert Daryl Davis talks about bringing down the walls of hatred on Mindrolling Ep. 360 The Pervasiveness of Whiteness (23:13) Francesca and Jacqueline cover a series of laws enacted after Bacon’s Rebellion as a divide and conquer campaign by the ruling elite to ensure no further rebellions. These laws were all cruel and dehumanizing, and meant to ensure white people a position of power and cultural pervasiveness that has lasted throughout the history of America. “Being born into a culture that enacts whiteness, every moment of every day through literally every institution, how that lands upon and shapes white people is such that it diminishes our humanity.” – Jacqueline Battalora The Empathy Gap (41:23) Jacqueline shares the story of the moment she realized she had more empathy for white lives than those of people of color, and how that changed her life. She talks about her work as a police officer in Chicago during the tail end of the crack epidemic, and how that influenced her work today. Francesca and Jacqueline end the show with a discussion of how significant this legal policy of whiteness has been throughout this nation’s history. “Even though now those racially unequal policies and laws have been removed, the consequences of those laws continue to promote economic inequality today.” – Jacqueline Battalora https://jbattalora.com/

Dr. Bruce Perry and Francesca explore how the physiology of belonging heals the colonized traumas of cultural fragmentation and implicit bias. Dr. Perry is the Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy a Community of Practice based in Houston, TX, and Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. He is the author of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered, and BRIEF: Reflections on Childhood, Trauma and Society. Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and neuroscience. You can find more information at https://www.bdperry.com/ and https://www.childtrauma.org/ and https://www.neurosequential.com/ This fall, Francesca is offering a 5-week embodied antiracism online course through the Academy of Therapy Wisdom launching in October. Please sign up for 90 minutes of FREE antiracism teaching videos offered by Francesca in late September. You’re also invited to sign up for the course launching with a FREE 60 minute LIVE antiracism webinar conversation with Francesca October 14th, with the course beginning October 21st. Sign up for your free 3 embodied antiracism video teachings from Francesca at: https://therapywisdom.pages.ontraport.net/fm-courageous-heart and learn more about Francesca’s embodied antiracism offerings at www.maximeclarity.com/resources The Physiology of Belonging and Disconnection Exploring his time with the Māori people, Dr. Perry elucidates the nature of our physiology in relation to belonging. A sense of belonging quiets your physiology and sparks neuroendocrine processes that make your organs more flexible, adaptive, and functional. When you don’t feel as if you belong, when you’re getting signals that you’re not seen or heard, it literally makes your physiology different, you become more distressed and increase the risk for disconnection. “The conceptualization of disease is disconnection. It’s disconnection from community or disconnection from being out of sync with nature. All of the healing processes involve reconnecting with the rhythms of nature, reconnecting with the people that you belong with.” – Dr. Bruce Perry Open yourself to Indigenous wisdom, learn to begin to heal cultural wounds, decolonize your mind, and transform through listening on Ep.355 of Mindrolling Colonization, Cultural Fragmentation, Resilience, & Trauma (22:28) When colonization and slavery destroyed and stripped away Indigenous communities, there was a powerful fragmentation of the cultural and community anchors that helped individuals feel like they belonged and kept them healthy. Dr. Perry shares that if you look at any First Nations or Indigenous community across the planet that has been colonized and has this cultural fragmentation, there are two things present: Resilience and Trauma. “To survive literally decades and generations of intentional genocide and cultural genocide; that’s pretty resilient. The second thing is, because of this fragmentation of physiological meaningful anchors of family and culture, there are higher rates of trauma-related, or stress related, health-issues.” – Dr. Bruce Perry

Evangeline Weiss and Kari Points join Francesca to discuss finding freedom and taking on racism, patriarchy, and white supremacy as white women. Evangeline Weiss and Kari Points are the founders and facilitators of Finding Freedom: White Women Taking On Our Own White Supremacy. Evangeline is the founder of Beyond Conflict Inc, a social justice consulting firm, and the Leadership Programs Director at the National LGBTQ Task Force. Kari is a member of the Leadership Team of Showing Up for Racial Justice and the Poor and Working Class Crew of Triangle SURJ. Together, they are working to undo the entrenched legacy of white supremacy to help cultivate collective liberation. White Women Finding Freedom Sparked by the racist, misogynistic truths uncovered through the 2016 election, Evangeline and Kari were inspired to start doing work within their community surrounding white women and racism. They felt it was important to start speaking to what it means to live at the intersection of being a white women in today’s society, and what it looks like to undo white supremacy from the inside out. “We wanted a deeper vision for white women, of who we can be in a racial justice movement, who we can be in the world, and how we can see into our future selves and recognize that we get to make choices about who we are, and we can actively create a collective identity for white women that counters the narratives.” – Evangeline Weiss Learn to decondition yourself from the imprints of the cultural operating system, and find a sense of belonging on Ep.129 of the Metta Hour Ancestors, Elders, Pillars (4:55) Growing up, most white people didn’t have white elders to show us how to be anti-racist, or talk about racism or whiteness. Often, the recognition comes to us belatedly as adults that there may be a history of white people who resisted racism and patriarchy in the past. Kari explores the powerful stories of Anne Braden and Jane Elliot as examples that there is an inherent ancestral lineage of white elders who have paved the way in fighting for racial justice. “It’s powerful for white people to realize that we are not the first ones or the only ones who are fighting for racial justice. We are part of a legacy. We have ancestors who have been doing this for a long time, and it is part of who we are and who we can be in the world. We can rely on and lean on our ancestors to show us the way.” – Kari Points Uproot historical systemic oppression and decolonize your mind, all while honoring the ancestors with a South African shaman on Ep.355 of Mindrolling The Comfort of Not Questioning Evangeline and Kari explore the manufactured creation of Blackness and Whiteness as a result of the U.S. colonies and slavery, and how through this recognition we can begin to uproot these already deeply entrenched systems. “It’s helpful to understand that these aren’t things that existed since the beginning of time. They are not natural, or normal, or required, or something that develops out of the ground. We created it. Humans created it, which means human can undo it.” – Kari Points “Do we need the police to look this way to feel safe in a community? What makes a community unsafe? Asking those questions in a way that takes race into consideration is a way of pushing back on this white supremacist history and inheritance that most of us have lived with and accepted the comfort of not questioning.” –Evangeline Weiss

Dr. Manuel X. Zamarripa joins Francesca to discuss destigmatizing mental health, healing intergenerational trauma, and decolonizing language. Dr. Manuel X. Zamarripa, LPC-S is the director and co-founder of the Institute of Chicana/o Psychology based in Austin, TX where he works with educators and mental health professionals on issues related to Chicanx/Latinx wellness, cultural identity, and mental health from a cultural strengths framework. He is also the Associate Dean of Counseling at Austin Community College District where he coordinates the delivery of mental health services to the student population, assists with the Behavioral Intervention Team, and leads the district’s suicide prevention and crisis response efforts. http://razapsychology.org/ Destigmatizing and Decolonizing Therapy While typical Western modern-day therapy is taught through the lens of Europeans and Freud, when we look historically throughout many cultural backgrounds, there is deep intuitive wisdom that Black, Brown, and Indigenous People have always known there is healing through talk. Dr. Zamarripa looks to destigmatize and decolonize therapy from being primarily a white person service and field, allowing people from multicultural backgrounds to reclaim this legacy. “While we need to destigmatize, we also need to decolonize the field. The destigmatization part is for people who are aware and talking to their community. The decolonization part is changing the field, holding the field accountable. You can’t have one without the other.”– Dr. Manuel X. Zamarripa For a discussion on identity and oppression, ranging from Freud to liberation psychology, tune into Ep. 28 of ReRooted Intergenerational Trauma (18:28) Francesca and Dr. Zamarripa explore the reality of healing intergenerational trauma through the long view of the seven generations lens. While we can do a lot of healing in our lifetime, we also have to be patient and gentle with ourselves and our communities. For full healing to occur, it may take multiple generations due to centuries of accumulated trauma. We are invited to remember that wounds take time to heal, and each heals in its own unique way. “Intergenerational trauma means multigenerational healing.” – Dr. Manuel X. Zamarripa For a conversation around healing multigenerational racial trauma and finding your inner truth, open yourself to Ep. 11 of ReRooted Decolonizing Language (35:10) How is our language complicit in perpetuating hierarchal, dominator paradigms? Dr. Zamarripa shares examples of how this happens implicitly and consistently in our everyday speech, explaining this as a product of colonization because it involves imposing ways of being and experiencing that may not fit for everyone. Decolonizing is looking at who is sharing that language, who is sharing the framework, and understanding why it’s invisible much of the time, and the importance of making it visible. “Language creates reality. What we say isn’t representational of reality. We don’t make words necessarily, or solely, to represent an experience accurately. When we create words and language and we put it out there, we are creating a reality. And so, our language matters.” – Dr. Manuel X. Zamarripa Wat​ch the latest Ram Dass Documentary film on Becoming Nobody on Gaia.com. The Gaia.com library supports you with transformational content. See it for yourself and go to Gaia.com/BeHereNow and check out the Be Here Now Playlist curated just for you. Visit Gaia.com/BeHereNow to start your free trial today.

In this episode I talk about Race, Anti-Racism and Somatic Therapy with my freshman year roommate, Francesca Marguerite Maximé, now a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, life coach and well-being guide in New York City. https://www.tcafterdarkpodcast.com/episodes/on-race-and-anti-racisim-francesca-maxime/

Francesca Maximé welcomes Dante King for a conversation around the history of systemic racism and white supremacy that leaves Black people with no exit from oppression. Dante King is a Workforce, Learning & Organizational Development professional, specializing in the implementation of equity, diversity, inclusion, social justice, and implicit/unconscious bias educational training, with more than 15 years of experience. Throughout his career he has gained expertise in designing, developing, and delivering a combination of retreats, classes, and seminars. Learn more about Dante and his work at www.danteking.com. No Exit Francesca introduces Dante and his workshops which help people come into realization about the systems of oppression at work in America. Dante talks about how law-making and capitalism are tools of racism, and what it’s like to have no exit from oppression. “I attempt to bring people to a point of understanding the uniqueness around anti-blackness and anti-black racism.” – Dante King Francesca Maximé and Dr. Janet E. Helms explore the historical roots of whiteness and systemic racism on ReRooted Ep. 32 A Psychopathic Law (14:37) Dante covers specific examples of laws enacted in the 1600s which set the foundation for systemic racism and white supremacy. This includes a psychopathic law known as the Casual Killing Act, which essentially made murdering Black people legal. Francesca and Dante trace the effects of these laws into the present day, and how they contributed to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. “It’s a right of passage, the right of passage to inflict pain and violence and murder onto Black bodies, and not feel anything. It’s for sport, if you will.” – Dante King Understanding Privilege and Power (48:15) Francesca asks Dante for details about the workshops he runs and his strategy for working with people to help them better understand privilege and power. Dante talks about the societal changes he’d like to see happen. “The systems have to be dismantled and rearranged in order to provide people with the opportunity to see each other and recognize each other’s humanity.” – Dante King https://www.danteking.com/

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird is a Professor of Sociology and the Director of Indigenous Tribal Studies at North Dakota State University. He is a citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes, (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara) and joined North Dakota State University faculty in the fall of 2014. In our talk for International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, he talks about the ways Indigenous and collectivist cultures have healed from within for millennia, non-separation and belonging, and more. https://www.indigenousmindfulness.com/ https://news.umanitoba.ca/meet-the-dean-michael-yellow-bird/ https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/social_work/staff/forms/525.html

Dr. Janet E. Helms joins Francesca to explore the historical roots of whiteness and systemic racism, and offer perspective on privilege and racial identity. Francesca is joined by Dr. Janet E. Helms to explore the concept of whiteness. White is whiteness? What is white-bodied supremacy? Where did this come from in terms of the history of this country? How does it live in people’s psyches, movements, behaviors, and actions? What kind of research supports different ways of being? These questions are explored among others concerning race relations, gender, patriarchy, autonomy, and freedom. Dr. Janet E. Helms is the Augustus Long Professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology and Director of the Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture at Boston College. Learn more about Dr. Helms: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/faculty-research/faculty-directory/janet-helms.html https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/sites/isprc.html She is past president of the Society of Counseling Psychology. Dr. Helms is an APA Fellow in Counseling Psychology, Ethnic Diversity, and Psychology of Women. In addition, she is a member of the Association of Black Psychologists, the American Psychological Society, and the American Educational Research Association. She has written extensively about race, for laypeople as well as for clinicians. Whiteness, Systemic Racism, & The Constitution Dr. Helms and Francesca share on how the concept of whiteness perpetuates racism in this society, and is rooted even in The US Constitution, which actually protects white male heterosexual privilege. Systemic racism has to do with the protection of that privilege, where all the rules, policies, and social practices are essentially designed to protect white male heterosexual privilege. This is rarely in the common vernacular because its recognition poses a threat to the people who have privilege from birth. “Whenever we change a rule about systemic racism in this society, we threaten someone who’s white, and so I think it’s really important for us to begin to think about what is the threat, because if we can understand why white people feel threatened then we can maybe help them understand how they can change themselves in ways so that they’re not always afraid of losing something.” – Dr. Janet E. Helms Unacknowledged Privilege (5:02) Highlighting issues surrounding privilege, Dr. Helms shares that if you are a white person who begins to recognize that you have been treated differently because of your skin color, there becomes a recognition of some responsibility for change, both in yourself and the current societal paradigm. That might not feel so comfortable to give up some of your own privilege, some of your own safety. “There are different privileges and each white person has to begin to ask themselves, ‘What is the privilege in my life, and how do I have to change myself in order to share privilege?” – Dr. Janet E. Helms Dr. Helms shares that this action is not just reflecting on oneself, but also learning how to change the context in which you exist. Learning to see things from an interconnected, holistic, ecological perspective acts as good medicine. “It’s good medicine for everyone, but I think it would be unwise of me not to warn people that people don’t always like to take their medicine. So, as one begins to awaken and try new things, one needs to be aware that other white people might not accept you because you’re challenging social norms. I think; though, that what will happen eventually is that if enough white people begin to challenge those social normals, then this challenging will become the norm, rather than the colorblindness that now seems to exist.” – Dr. Janet E. Helms

Dr. Amer F. Ahmed joins Francesca to discuss the roots of institutionalized racism under capitalism, and how individualization leads to forced assimilation to white culture, sharing his deep wisdom and rich experience working hands-on with the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. Their conversation ranges from the very essential topic of institutionalized and anti-Black racism, to the implicit biases we may carry, and all the ways which that may play out structurally within our society, institutions, and families. Francesca and Dr. Ahmed peer into the nuanced layers and intersections surrounding these topics and the effects that they have on different ethnic, identity, and racial groups. Pertaining to these issues, through this conversation we learn how to have necessary conversations from the inside out, while also being able to hold vantage from the outside in. Dr. Ahmed is an organizational strategist who helps institutions and leaders address diversity and inclusion, equity, and intercultural development through consulting, coaching, group facilitation, and keynote speeches. A frequently requested speaker nationwide, Dr. Ahmed’s approach is grounded in a commitment to Inclusive Excellence in organizations and communities. He brings his identity as the son of Indian Muslim immigrants and extensive years as an intercultural and diversity consultant as the sources of a pivotal understanding of the depth of diversity and inclusion work. Throughout his career, Dr. Ahmed has worked with large organizations, higher education institutions, non-profit agencies, schools and community groups to create understanding and change among key constituents and institutional leaders. Dr. Ahmed’s new show, The Eclectic Inclusion Podcast launches July 6th at www.amerfahmed.com Capitalism, Forced Assimilation, & the Void of Whiteness Why does cultural appropriation run so rampant amongst white society? Dr. Ahmed shares that this is due to white people feeling emptiness within their cultural heritage. He brings up the history of the creation of the concept of race, with “whiteness” being an artificial construct made up in recent history to create an economic and social hierarchal structure within the system of capitalism when immigrants began settling in United States. At first groups like Italians and the Irish weren’t considered white, and suffered racism due to that, so they were left with the choice of either dropping their heritage and ‘becoming white,’ or continuing to suffer because of it. Due to this many white people are left in this void, reaching and searching for heritage and meaning. Since their culture was traded for capitalism, to fill that emptiness white people have grabbed onto cultural appropriation, sticking a price tag on a Buddha statue or peddling yoga in attempt to fill that cultural void, which, in turn, creates a loss of meaning, and ends up devaluing that which is commodified, so that void is never filled. That is why our cultural is stuck in the repetitive and destructive cycle of, “More, more more.” “A lot of it is about capitalism. A lot of it is the replacement of identity…There was a choice especially for the marginalized ethnic Europeans of, ‘You either hold on to what you came from and suffer for that…or you assimilate.’ You give up the thing that is sacred to you, which is true for any human being; the values, the things you come from passed down generation after generation; you give that up for economic opportunity and access. Literally to become a manager in the industrialized United States, you needed to assimilate into this version of ‘white’ and you had to live in certain neighborhoods that were deemed white neighborhoods.” – Dr. Ahmed

Francesca Maximé shares her thoughts about the Black Lives Matter protests and explores how American culture was founded around the concept of white body supremacy. White Body Supremacy In this special edition of ReRooted, Francesca begins by talking about her journey of awakening to the concept of white body supremacy, and how she misunderstood the Black Lives Matter movement at first. But if nirvana is seeing clearly, we all need to commit to the path of seeing racism and white body supremacy clearly. “There’s a certain idea of disassociating, like if we don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist… But there isn’t really this coming out to say, racism is a thing, white body supremacy is a thing. It’s not just for the KKK. It’s for us to understand how, as the Buddha would teach us, ‘not clear seeing’ is the root of the problem.” – Francesca Maximé Francesca speaks with Resmaa Menakem about white body supremacy on ReRooted Ep. 13 A History of Racism (12:40) Francesca shares some of her personal experiences with racism, and how she was finally able to start working through the suffering and grief it has caused. She talks about learning the true history of racism in America, and offers some great online courses and resources to help people on their own learning journeys. “What is our commitment to our path of liberation? Where does that live? Can we commit to being anti-racist? Being non-racist isn’t working.” – Francesca Maximé Resources from this episode: White Awake | Dr. Joy DeGruy | Tara Brach | Maximé Clarity ARREAA (24:38) Francesca reads a poem she wrote during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic in New York City, and a poem shared by a listener who was wrongfully imprisoned. She talks about a new initiative she’s working on called ARREAA: Anti-Racism Response, Embodiment, Accountability, and Action. Sign up for that here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/107661352002 “It’s an invitation to name whiteness as the real thing that needs to be interrogated, and to really look at white body supremacy as the elephant in the room, the carbon monoxide that’s killing us all.” – Francesca Maximé

Richard Schwartz, PhD, is the founding developer of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic model that synthesizes systems thinking and the multiplicity of the mind, suggesting alternative ways of understanding psychic functioning and healing. Dr. Schwartz co-authored, with Michael Nichols, Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods, the most widely used family therapy text in the United States. He joins Francesca for a timely chat on how the Internal Family Systems Model is evolving to include cultural and collective trauma and legacy burdens. To keep up with Dr. Schwartz ongoing work, visit www.ifs-institute.com Legacy Burden We take in, often unconsciously, what are called legacy burdens, which come into us through events that happened to our ancestors, ethnic groups, or culture. The parts of us that have been demonized in our culture carry these burdens in terms of extreme beliefs and emotions which came from traumas, but the burdens are not to be confused with the parts or the true nature of these parts. That’s a big mistake that many systems have made, to assume the burden is actually the part. So, the rage isn’t a bundle of rage. It’s a part that tried to stand up to your abuser, and as a result, took on the abuser’s energy to protect you, and now carries all this rage, but that’s not the true nature of the part at all. “How you relate to these parts will play out in terms of how you relate to people who resemble those parts. So, if you can have compassion for your rage, then when somebody is raging, you’re going to see that pain that is driving the person, and have compassion for them. If you can be with your exiles, your vulnerable hurting parts, in a loving way, then when somebody is in their exiles you can be there with them too.” For a deep dive into identity, oppression, and restorative justice, open yourself to Ep. 28 of ReRooted Implicit Racism & Unburdening (9:55) Dr. Schwartz discusses how the anti-racism movement has done a lot of good in terms of raising people’s consciousness and bringing issues to the surface, but it has also taught individuals to be very ashamed of their racist parts. There’s nobody in our culture who hasn’t absorbed some racist belief system, so we all have that attached to some part of us. When you are so ashamed of that part that you wind up locking it away and pretending you don’t have it, then it becomes implicit racism, where it has an underground effect on your thoughts and actions, which makes it even more sinister because you aren’t even aware of how it is steering your ship. “I would encourage you to go to your racist part, and get all the parts that hate it and fear it to separate to the point that you can be in Self, and be at least curious. You start to talk to that part of yourself about the racist burden it carries, where it got it, and what it’s afraid would happen if it didn’t carry this for you. At some point it decides, often spontaneously, that it doesn’t want to carry this anymore, and then you help ship it out of your system. We have a process we call ‘unburdening’ for doing that, for actually sending these burdens out of the system, at which point the part will transform…It’s my belief that it’s possible to unburden large groups of people simultaneously.”

Dr. David Grand joins the ReRooted Podcast to talk about the Brainspotting approach to therapy. https://brainspotting.com/ Dr. Grand is a psychotherapist, writer, lecturer, performance coach and humanitarian famous for the discovery and development of the internationally acclaimed Brainspotting method, which brings about life-changing breakthroughs. Brain-based therapy is the fastest-growing area in the field of psychological health, because it has proven it can immediately address issues that talk therapy can take years to heal. Now, Dr. David Grand presents the next leap forward in psychological care, combining the strengths of brain-based and talk therapies into a powerful technique he calls “Brainspotting.” Committed to the use of Brainspotting as a tool to ease human suffering, Dr. Grand has become widely known for his humanitarian contributions through sharing his wisdom and insights into healing trauma with the world. He was the clinical director of the Faithful Response program, which treated 9/11 survivors and returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about the Brainspotting approach to therapy here at brainspotting.com. The New Wave of Therapy Francesca and David explore the difference between conventional talk therapy and somatic brain-based therapies like Brainspotting. “Brainspotting, as brain-body mindfulness-based technical therapy, is all based superimposed on the relationship and on the process behind two people.” – Dr. David Grand Brainspotting (15:00) Dr. Grand examines the physiological explanation for the way that we respond to the world. Explore the relational approach to therapy with Dr. Terry Real on Ep.19 of the ReRooted Podcast Holding Spaces (37:00) Francesca and David talk about trauma and different approaches available for specifically treating trauma. “Brainspotting is not a trauma therapy, it is a human thereapy” – Dr. David Grand

Daniel Gaztambide, PsyD joins Francesca to discuss identity, oppression, and A People’s History of Psychoanalysis: From Freud to Liberation Psychology. Daniel Gaztambide PsyD is a clinical psychologist who helps professionals feel confident and fulfilled at work and their relationships. He teaches psychotherapy, cultural competency, and critical theory as assistant professor of clinical psychology at the New School for Social Research, where he is the director of the Culture and Mental Health Lab. He is the author of the book A People’s History of Psychoanalysis: From Freud to Liberation Psychology. Learn more about him at www.drgpsychotherapy.com Identity Projection Daniel shares that identity has to do with a kind of wounding. We are not born having a sense of who or what we are. We discover who or what we are as it is mirrored or reflected in ‘the other.’ Sometimes this is a cracked mirror, reflecting a broken nature within ourselves. What happens when identity is a function of this kind of wounding? What happens when these wounds become weaponized against ourselves and others? “Identity is constructed out of different ruptures that occur both interpersonally and intimately, certainly in our family of origin, but also more broadly in terms of signifiers of race, class, sexuality, and gender. The construction of these identities serves a political purpose to maintain systems of control and domination.” -Daniel Gaztambide PsyD Within the dynamic of exploitation, an identification with the offender can take place, creating a system of cascading oppression and disparity. As we are classified into our identities, we are exploited for our differences and identifications. Much of this exploitation is overlooked; though, because each specific identity group is riding the exploitation of the one beneath, or next to them. This is the game being played by the current system. “We get stuck within the language of oppression itself; winners and losers, oppressors and oppressed. This blinds us to seeing the bigger game being played, which winds up screwing some more than others, but ultimately and dialectically it is screwing everybody.” -Daniel Gaztambide PsyD An Everybody-Loses Patriarchy (35:55) When we think about gender, we are in an incommensurate battle between men and women. Under the patriarchy, women are paid less for work and devalued, which creates anxiety, depression and ptsd. The same patriarchy reproduces itself by turning men into something called “masculine.” The more that men force themselves to accord with these toxic views of what it means to be a man, the more likely they are to get depression, abuse substances, and commit suicide. Even though the patriarchy may seem skewed, all sides are suffering immensely. “What we lose sight of is that both the suffering that women experience and the suffering that men experience, even with all of their privileges, are a function of the same system.” -Daniel Gaztambide PsyD For more tools on undoing patriarchy, check out Ep. 18 of the ReRooted Restorative Justice & Vulnerability (44:18) Social justice is a transformation of an internal wound, and a disidentification with the one who has hurt us, in favor of a loving affectionate tie with an ‘other.’ There is this belief that through humanizing the ‘other’ you can restore your own humanity. In discourses around oppression and liberation, we can sometimes get caught up in a more traditional model of justice, as opposed to restorative justice which restores a sense of wholeness, not just to the individual, but to the community. “Across all of these different dimensions there is both wounding and then the privileges afforded to try to cover up that wound. So, it’s about being able to enter that place of recapturing vulnerability. In the same way that you can’t screw me without screwing yourself, your vulnerability is intimately wrapped up with mine.” -Daniel Gaztambide PsyD

James Doty, MD, joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation around compassionate action, building healthy self-esteem, and making the shift from fear mode to love mode. James Doty, MD, is a clinical professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University and Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), of which the Dalai Lama is the founding benefactor. He is the author of the book Into the Magic Shop. Learn more about James here. Compassionate Action Amidst Social Distancing Francesca welcomes James Doty, MD, to the show and asks about getting rerooted to our true, compassionate nature. They discuss the reality of suffering and trauma, and the false narrative of rugged individualism in our culture. James reminds us all about the power of compassionate action, even in this new age of social distancing. “An important thing is to try to pause and not let fear overtake you, and be more realistic and thoughtful and objective.” – James Doty, MD Ethan Nichtern explores practicing in the world as it is right now amidst the COVID-19 pandemic on The Road Home Ep. 36 Healthy Self-Esteem and Inner Dialogue (18:11) Why is it so important to have a healthy inner dialogue? Francesca and James talk about how to build up healthy self-esteem. James discusses some of the evolved beings he has spent time with, including the Dalai Lama, and shares a heart-opening story about judgment and compassion. “When you get to the point when you see the other as yourself, then you truly have evolved and you see the true nature of reality.” – James Doty, MD From Fear Mode to Love Mode (31:38) Francesca and James tackle the concept of superiority and why it’s such a problem in our society, including the spiritual community. They talk about how to not get lost in the head, and instead sit with the heart. James explores how when we practice compassion with intention, we shift from the fear mode of existence to the love mode. “When I changed how I saw the world, the world changed how it saw me.” – James Doty, MD

http://www.euroamerican.org/About/Who-We-Are.asp Robin Mallison Alpern of the Center for the Study of White American Culture joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation about the work involved in decentering whiteness. Robin Mallison Alpern is the Director of Training at the Center for the Study of White American Culture (CSWAC). She has had a lifelong concern for racial justice and equity, and her anti-racist activism has taken a variety of forms. Learn more about Robin and CSWAC at euroamerican.org, and be sure to check out their online workshop on Decentering Whiteness and Building Multiracial Community. Decentering Whiteness Francesca welcomes Robin to ReRooted and asks about her work with CSWAC, which is an organization that studies what it means to have a cultural identity as a white person. They talk about CSWAC’s latest offering, a course on decentering white culture, and how so many white people have lost touch with their cultural roots. “You might make the mistake of thinking whiteness only goes where white people are, but because of the culture, everybody has been conditioned in it.” – Robin Mallison Alpern Francesca Maximé explores roots deeper than whiteness on ReRooted Ep. 14 A System of Oppression (27:10) Robin explores the definition of racism, and how it is truly a system of oppression. It’s not about the individual, it’s about the system as a whole. She and Francesca touch on the concepts of intersectionality and cultural appropriation, and how this work should not be about getting caught up in guilt for white people. “Racism is the system of oppression of people of color by white people, that’s what racism is.” – Robin Mallison Alpern Racial Affinity Groups (53:05) Francesca and Robin talk more about the messy process of decentering whiteness, and the beautiful results it can produce. They touch on the concept of limbic hijacking, and the power of racial affinity groups. Robin ends with a personal story of how her work with decentering whiteness has led to deeper connections with people of color. “You cannot go up against a system like racism by yourself. And yet, white people have been trained in that rugged individualism.” – Robin Mallison Alpern Would you like to be part of the next generation of mindfulness meditation instructors? If so, we invite you to take a unique opportunity to study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and become a certified instructor to guide others in their practice – The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program: A Two-Year Training Program for Teaching Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices

Francesca Maximé offers a reflection on the opportunity for healing and repair that is available when we bring awareness to destructive systemic patterns, our attachment to our small sense of self and the traumas that inhibit us: https://beherenownetwork.com/francesca-maxime-rerooted-ep-25-an-opportunity-for-repair/ @francescamaxime #BHNN

Dharma instructor Lama Rod Owens joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation around the importance of showing up to difficult experiences and holding our love and trauma in balance. Considered one of the leaders of the next generation of Dharma teachers, Lama Rod Owens has a blend of formal Buddhist training in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and life experience that gives him a unique ability to understand, relate and engage in a way that’s spacious and sincere. He invites you into the cross-sections of his life as a Black, queer male, born and raised in the South and heavily influenced by the church and its community. Learn more about Lama Rod’s offerings and upcoming teaching events at www.lamarod.com. The Dharma of Homecoming Lama Rod shares the work he has been doing sharing contemplative practices of healing that focus on the wounds caused by racism, marginalization, and patriarchy. He offers insight around how the act of creating a home can be a radically healing act. “I think it is a radical act – a revolutionary act – to make a home in the world; particularly if you have felt that the world has not ever been home for you. I love offering these teachings for people of color and for people who experience marginalization.” – Lama Rod Owens Find freedom at the edge of where fear and courage meet on Ep. 229 of the Mindrolling Podcast Love, Trauma & The Art of Showing Up (12:25) How can we balance the complex entanglement of love and woundedness in our hearts? Lama Rod and Francesca speak about finding that balance by facing our pain, hardship, and fear. They look at the unique traumas that emerge among different communities; exploring how we can find love for the pain of both the colonized and the colonizer – regardless of which side of the wounding we find ourselves on. “For me, it is about being OK. When I am OK, I am in balance. Balance doesn’t necessarily mean that I am comfortable or that I am loving the world or even enjoying anything. It means that I am in a position where I am able to hold the space for myself. All of course coming from a place of mindfulness where we are just trying to show up for what we are experiencing – we don’t have to like what we are showing up to but we have to have at least an aspiration to show up to it.” – Lama Rod Owens Love & Rage (30:35) Lama Rod talks about his upcoming book – Love and Rage – an exploration of how anger can be redirected as a constructive tool on the path to inner liberation.

This time on the ReRooted podcast, Francesca is joined by Héctor Sánchez-Flores for a discussion around cultivating a deeper connection with our community. Héctor Sánchez-Flores is the executive director of the National Compadres Network (NCN). He leads the NCN’s work to promote methods that build upon the cultural and personal assets of people and communities, especially for young men of color, to intervene and prevent violence, truancy, teen pregnancy and other life-limiting outcomes for children, teens, and their families. NCN currently operates in numerous program areas, with the support of federal, state or private grants. Prior to joining NCN, Héctor served for 12 years as a senior research associate with the Institute for Healthy Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. He also oversaw the development of innovative prevention programs that engaged diverse segments of the community and stakeholders in Santa Barbara County. Hector is author/co-author of the brown paper “Lifting Latinos Up By Their ‘Rootstraps:’ Moving Beyond Trauma Through A Healing-Informed Framework for Latino Boys and Men.“ Learn about the work done by the National Compadres Network and how you can get involved at https://www.nationalcompadresnetwork.org/people/hector-sanchez-flores/ Remembering Where We Come From Héctor shares his personal story and how he discovered the importance of the connection between ourselves, our family and our community at an early age. Francesca and Héctor talk about how we can get disconnected from our who we are as we grow in the world. How can we wake up to this loss of self and reconnect to ourselves? “I went into the Western education system and they began to teach me a lot of things that I utilize in my professional realm right now. But what happened was that I had to rediscover the parts of me that were not being taught in school.” – Héctor Sánchez-Flores Reconnecting – Roots and All (15:25) How can we work through the layers of separation that we develop from one another? Héctor and Francesca explore ways that we can break down the invisible walls that divide us. They speak about the work that Héctor and the National Compadres Network do to teach young people to connect with their roots and give them the skills they need to connect with others and build community. “If you can live that way, with integrity, then you will make mistakes – but when you do there will be a pathway to correct, because you have relationships with people and accountability.” – Héctor Sánchez-Flores Family, Community, and Vision (37:10) To flourish in our communities we need to adopt a clear perspective about the true potential that lies within ourselves and our community. Francesca and Héctor look at how a negative view of ourselves or a pessimistic outlook on our community can erode away our ability to take responsibility and deal with life’s struggles. Explore the things that make us whole with Konda Mason and Raghu Markus on Ep.329 of the Mindrolling Podcast

Psychotherapist Janina Fisher joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation around defining trauma, working with mindfulness in therapy, and encouraging curiosity. Janina Fisher, PhD is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Instructor at the Trauma Center, an outpatient clinic and research center founded by Bessel van der Kolk. Known for her expertise as both a therapist and consultant, she is also a past president of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, an EMDR International Association Credit Provider, a faculty member of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, and a former Instructor, Harvard Medical School. Learn more about her at www.janinafisher.com. Defining Trauma Francesca welcomes Janina to the show, and asks for her to help define what trauma means. They talk about Janina’s different therapeutic practices and how she combines approaches as needed for the patient. “Trauma is an event so big that it overwhelms the individual’s capacity to cope, and evokes a sense of life or death threat.” – Janina Fisher, PhD Francesca speaks with Dr. Diane Poole Heller about trauma as a portal to spirituality on ReRooted Ep. 3 Mindfulness in Therapy (17:02) Francesca asks Janina about her work with patients who have dissociative identity disorder as they discuss how everyone can get trapped in their own little bubble. They discuss how there are many ways to work with mindfulness in therapy, and how developing awareness can lead to behavioral changes. “Trauma related emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, images, tend to be supercharged. They tend to be overwhelming. So they can be hard to sit with, without some support.” – Janina Fisher, PhD Encouraging Curiosity (36:50) How can we explore trauma on a systemic scale? Francesca and Janina discuss how to find the language to teach mindfulness to different communities. For some cultures, it’s easier to encourage the concept of curiosity, rather than mindfulness. “I was thinking earlier that the whole concept of mindfulness would be perceived by people of color as a white privilege idea.” – Janina Fisher, PhD

Author and sex educator Emily Nagoski joins Francesca Maximé for a conversation around bringing balance to the structural systems of oppression and patriarchy that harm women. A gifted and engaging speaker, Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., is an expert on women’s sexual wellbeing, healthy relationships, and the prevention of sexual violence and harassment. Emily is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller, Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life. Her new book, Burnout, explains why women experience burnout differently than men. Learn more about Emily and her offerings at http://www.emilynagoski.com video: https://youtu.be/xoyQJK3eMJc https://beherenownetwork.com/francesca-maxime-rerooted-ep-20-human-giver-syndrome-with-emily-nagoski/ Human Giver Syndrome Francesca and Emily explore how personality types in relationships often boil down to the roles of givers and takers. They discuss how the role of a giver can easily become a source of oppression and self-destruction for women. “If you have ‘human giver syndrome’ you believe that it is a woman’s moral obligation to be pretty, happy, calm, generous and attentive to the needs of others.” – Emily Nagoski Unlocking The Stress Cycle (10:05) What are the measurable side-effects of an imbalanced relationship on the only giver in a relationship? Emily examines how the cycle of stress that is established in imbalanced relationships can erode a person’s wellbeing; offering strategies for breaking the cycle of stress and finding refuge in our relationships. Living More Relationally (43:20) Francesca and Emily look at ways that we can live with one another that create relationally intimacy and support the needs of the individual. “You open yourself up to the possibility of being wounded when you are living relationally and fully. Yet, if you are able to keep coming back, you can drop into a different kind of place of being and live more fully.” – Francesca Maximé Explore how to live more relationally with Terry Real on Ep. 19 of the ReRooted Podcast

Family therapist Terry Real joins Francesca Maximé for an exploration of how we relate to ourselves and others. Terry Real is an author, speaker and psychotherapist who focuses on men’s issues and couples therapy. In this episode of the ReRooted podcast, Terry shares lessons he has learned about showing up in life, confronting trauma and becoming more relational with himself and others. Learn more about Terry and his unique method of relational therapy at www.terryreal.com. Unpacking Trauma How can we begin to free ourselves from childhood trauma? Terry shares the legacy of violence in his family that he had to work to overcome by meeting his trauma with understanding and an open heart. “In some ways, my whole life has been a zen koan on power, particularly male power. I grew up with a horrible, distorted and grotesque, version of masculine power. It is only in the last few decades that I have come into right relationship with it.” – Terry Real Explore innovative methods for healing trauma with psychotherapist Diana Fosha on Ep. 4 of the ReRooted Podcast Diamond Heart (11:20) Terry speaks about how the components of spirituality and meditative practice have factored into his journey of healing and learning to help others. “Like a lot of spiritual people, my universe was not a very friendly place growing up. It only became a friendly place through my spiritual practice.” – Terry Real How We Relate (20:10) Francesca and Terry talk about Relational Life Therapy, Terry’s method of therapy that asks clients to take a hard and honest look at the root of their trauma and how it affects the way they relate to the world. “Relational life therapy is very confrontational. It is lovingly confrontational but it is in your face about what you are doing.” – Terry Real

Francesca welcomes Greg Snyder and Jozen Tamori Gibson for a conversation around undoing the construct of patriarchy, its impact on our lives and communities, and how to unveil the sacred masculine. Greg Snyder is a dharma teacher and priest at Brooklyn Zen Center, and a professor of Buddhism at Union Theological Seminary. Jozen Gibson is a senior Zen student at Brooklyn Zen Center, and is a dharma teacher trainee at the @Insight Meditation Society. Together, they run the “Undoing Patriarchy and Unveiling the Sacred Masculine” program at Brooklyn Zen Center. The Construct of Patriarchy Francesca, Greg, and Jozen begin their discussion by deconstructing patriarchy, which involves the painful trade of humanity for power. Greg addresses patriarchy and trauma, while Jozen talks about the language of the sacred masculine and the deeper understanding we all hold within our bodies. “Until we’re liberated from [patriarchy], we’re all carrying around traumatized children, to greater or lesser degrees.” – Greg Snyder Explore why patriarchy persists on ReRooted Ep. 2 Healing the Inner Child (28:34) The group further discusses the healing work around the trauma of patriarchy, especially undoing the damage inflicted at a young age. Jozen and Greg share the touching story of how they met. “That inner child that is coming forward is reminding us, we have survived this.” – Jozen Tamori Gibson Being Present for Healing (42:09) Francesca asks Greg and Jozen how men can show up relationally with women, especially in the era of the #MeToo Movement. Greg talks about supporting women in a world where they’re constantly dehumanized and being present for the healing. Jozen explores how you can’t force your enlightenment on anyone, and ultimately the work is for us to be in community with one another. “The one thing that has been important for me to understand is not to expect someone to allow me in when I want them to allow me in.” – Jozen Tamori Gibson https://brooklynzen.org https://brooklynzen.org/programs/undoing-patriarchy-and-unveiling-the-sacred-masculine/ https://utsnyc.edu/faculty/greg-snyder/ https://www.dharma.org/teacher/jozen-tamori-gibson/

In this episode of the ReRooted Podcast, Francesca Maximé shares a conversation with Dr. Michael Yellow Bird about decolonizing from the inside out. Michael Yellow Bird, Ph.D., is a Professor of Sociology and the Director of Indigenous Tribal Studies at North Dakota State University. Dr. Yellow Bird uses neuroscience research to examine how mindfulness approaches and traditional Indigenous contemplative practices can train the mind and positively change the structure and function of the brain. Learn more about Dr. Michael Yellow Bird and his work at www.indigenousmindfulness.com. Being Too Big Fails At what point do our communities become too big and complex to be sustainable? Francesca and Dr. Yellow Bird look at the history of indigenous cultures as an example of how we can change our relationship to nature and to one another. They discuss the key role that colonization has played in the way that societies evolve. “When you look at most indigenous cultures around the world, you find very clear similarities around their belief systems and their connection to the world around them. Many of them having learned, in different ways, how to be with the earth.” – Dr. Michael Yellow Bird Beyond Evidence-Based Medicine (19:00) How can serving the unique needs of particular populations result in a better quality of life for everyone? Dr. Yellow Bird speaks about how cultures differ at the genetic level, and how scientific and medical communities can better address these differences. ‘What works for certain populations does not work for others.” – Dr. Michael Yellow Bird Decolonizing From The Inside Out (28:00) Francesca and Dr. Yellow Bird talk about how we can address trauma by decolonizing from the inside out. They look at different ways that mindfulness practices can help in the process of inner decolonization. “Your sleep has been colonized and your diet has been colonized. The brain and its thinking have been colonized. Your movement has been colonized, sitting at a desk all day. These are all things that begin to effect other systems in the body.” – Dr. Michael Yellow Bird

Natasha Stovall PhD, joins Francesca on the Rerooted Podcast for conversation around “whiteness” and addressing the spectrum of racial identity in therapy. Dr. Natasha Stovall is an adult, adolescent and child psychologist with a wide range of experience helping people work through life’s difficulties. A core part of her work is helping people strengthen their capacities for healthy self-reflection and coping. Teaching skills that lead to a diminishing of problematic patterns and a blossoming of creative growth. Read Natasha’s insightful article on racial identity and psychology: Whiteness on the Couch Whiteness on the Couch How does racial identity factor into our psychology and mental health? Natasha speaks about how individual psychology is affected by the social groups they are raised in. She and Francesca discuss the state of clinical research around the effects of social groups. “There is a whole field of whiteness studies, which has really been going for almost thirty years now, but it really is easy to go through your training as a psychologist and other psychotherapy modalities and never encounter it.” – Natasha Stovall Unearthing Constructs (9:20) Whiteness has become the neutral central position that other racial identities are contrasted against. As a result, in the West, whiteness has been left relatively unexamined as a whole. Natasha and Francesca talk about examining whiteness and understanding social constructs. Looking at how social constructs manifest in a person’s personal identity and how they factor into issues that are treated on the therapist’s couch. “There are many people who have talked about whiteness as a social construct, a racial construct, or a psychological construct, but very rarely in psychology and almost never among psychotherapists.” – Natasha Stovall Raising Awareness (33:55) Francesca and Natasha talk about bringing awareness to the privileges and responsibilities that come along with whiteness. They examine the different levels that people need to be reached at in order for them to bring greater awareness to the complex dynamics of their racial identity. For more: https://selfworksgroup.com/nyc/therapy/natasha-stovall-phd/ Whiteness on the Couch article https://longreads.com/2019/08/12/whiteness-on-the-couch/

Francesca speaks with cultural somatics practitioner Tada Hozumi about gender identity, the confluence of trauma and white privilege, and the concept of insecure cultural attachment. Tada Hozumi is a practitioner of a practice known as cultural somatics. The work of cultural somatics is facilitating change by supporting the co-healing of individual and cultural bodies. Tada offers coaching and consulting work, as well as workshops. You can learn more about Tada at selfishactivist.com. Supermarket Pronouns Francesca and Tada begin their conversation by touching on gender identity and the use of pronouns, and how it’s always good to have a space that affirms your existence. They talk about how the root of mindfulness is in being curious and learning, and not making assumptions. “So much of our learning process is baked in with the trauma response.” – Tada Hozumi Getting Messy (10:03) The conversation gets a little messy, which is exactly what Francesca and Tada want! They talk about the intersection of trauma and white privilege. What happens when generations of trauma are stored in the body, and how does that manifest in spaces of healing? “Even when we were talking about the messiness of life, a lot of the times things like racism and transphobia weren’t included in that messiness for a very long time in healing spaces.” – Tada Hozumi Learn more about Tada's work here: https://selfishactivist.com https://beherenownetwork.com/francesca-maxime-rerooted-ep-15-tada-hozumi-pt-1/