Gibrán's Podcast

“Happiness Lies Within” This is the most important truth that my spiritual master bestowed upon me. Years later, Elizabeth Gilbert (stop! I can hear some of your eyerolls!) expounded on the same teaching by reminding us that we tend to treat happiness like the weather. Like something that comes and goes. Not like something we get to nurture and cultivate. Like a luminescent truth that radiates out from our core. If you've been with me long enough you know that I am a very positive guy who does not believe in toxic positivity. We are here to live life on life's terms. And life's terms include devastating loss. I aim to live face forward without flinching before life and all that it brings. But I still get to experience a source of happiness that lies deep within me. That is my very nature. That allows me the capacity to get through the hard parts. When I am doing healing work with others, I am prone to remind them that they are “self-luminous.” YOU are Self-Luminous. Self-Luminous Like the Sun The sun is its own source of light. There is nothing else lighting it up. This is just like the happiness that lies within each of us. Not the fleeting happiness of the good times. The high. The high I've been chasing most of my adult life. No. Not the happiness of moments. But the happiness of knowing and of being your truest Self. THIS happiness is a lighthouse. It is the light of our fullest expression. And it lights the path for others. No matter what you do from here. Please take a moment to contemplate these twin truths. That happiness lies within That you are self-luminous like the sun The Luminosity Intensive: This note is about Tuesday's upcoming Luminosity Intensive, a transformative 12-week online journey designed specifically for women who are ready to embrace their true essence and illuminate the world with their light. For new readers, Tuesday Rivera is my wife, my love and my light. Here you have a video of my most recent podcast episode. We devote the first ten minutes to the specifics of the Luminosity Intensive. But the rest is a rich conversation on what it takes to find this light. And to dare to share it. Interested women can find more text about the Luminosity Intensive below, or better yet, click here for more detail: https://www.findtheoutside.com/luminosity-intensive Tuesday is an experienced process designer on a profound personal journey of enlightenment. The Luminosity Intensive offers a unique blend of introspection, communal support, and practical strategies to nurture your inner brilliance and express it outwardly. The Luminosity Intensive is not just a program; it's an initiation into a deeper understanding of yourself and your capabilities. Through a carefully structured series of modules that include intuitive coaching, sacred feminine practices, and communal sharing, participants are invited to explore their divine nature, confront and integrate their shadows, and boldly step into a fuller expression of themselves. This program is for women who feel a deep call to uncover and harness their unique gifts, to connect with like-minded souls, and to contribute meaningfully to the world. Whether you're seeking to deepen your spiritual practice, to find clarity and direction in your personal or professional life, or to join a sisterhood of luminous beings, the Luminosity Intensive offers the tools, guidance, and community to support your journey. With limited spots available, this intensive experience promises not just transformation but a profound reconnection with the sacred, both within and around us. It's an invitation to become part of a movement of women who are lighting up the world by first igniting their own inner flame. Are you ready to step into your light and make an impact? Join us in the Luminosity Intensive and let's illuminate the path together.

How do we build the world we are longing for in the here and now? This is the question that orients the work of my friend, Sól Gonzalez. Sol is an intuitive coach who understands their work with others as the act of holding and mirroring. Their bio is included here at the end. But right now I want to tell you that I have learned and grown a lot through my relationship with Sól. While our friendship is fun, loving and personal. They also hold an archetypal energy. A way of being and sensing in the world that can feel quite different than how I go about the same effort. There is something rich and revelatory when I meet Sól at this juncture. You will appreciate this conversation. We cover lots of grounds. Some of Sól's story. Their approach to coaching. Their commitment to justice and how they contend with the intensity of living in a world that includes horrors such as what is happening in Gaza. While remaining connected to the good, the true and the beautiful. Definitely let me know what you take from this conversation. More About Sól: Sól (they/them), of solstice healing, is a white and indigenous Venezuelan-American intuitive process holder, space facilitator, and energy worker. They are a Certified Healing, Justice and Liberation life coach, culture worker, anti-oppression organizational consultant, and lifelong grief and love apprentice. They believe it is imperative to be building the world we are longing for in the here and now, in our relationships, “for our survival's sake”. That the differing collective crises we are living through, if midwived with intention, have the capacity to bring us towards the liberatory futures our descendents deserve. Sól is an aspiring abolitionist, a steadfast lover of possibility, and a student of the land. They relate to life, grief, love and justice with reverence, creativity and devotion. Their approach and gifts are best suited for those ready for personal and/or collective change. Sól is a descendant of the Carib/Karinha Indians of the Northeast region of Venezuela, a descendant of people from the Levant region as well as from Southern Spain. They have their own practice under solstice healing as well as are a co-founding member of the worker cooperative, Facilitate Change. Links: https://www.solstice-healing.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/solgonzalezjatar/ https://facilitatechange.org/

What can we do to surface the origins of our inequality? What can we do to dismantle the narratives and the policies that keep us divided? Is there a way for us to push for reparations so that we can actually heal our relationships and our democracy? These are important questions. And many of us have been grappling and experimenting to find an answer. It is not hard to see that we are headed in the opposite direction. Democracy is shaking. Separation and supremacist thought are on the rise. I recently reconnected with Nicole Carty. It was in the context of an effort to leverage arts and culture in ways that impact public policy. I was impressed by the rigor of Nicole's thought. She holds a commitment to a theory of change that is well articulated. Grounded in the lessons that have made for successful movements in our past. Today she helps to lead an organization called Project Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations. And what I find impressive is the project's commitment to build mass movement. It seeks to engage and raise consciousness across an intersection of people. People who are directly impacted by our current conditions. Many of us are interested in what a mass movement can look like. But it doesn't seem like we have been able to build something that can sustain itself over time. We are not impacting politics and power in ways that last. Reactionary forces seem to keep gaining ground. We have been blessed to experience movements that raise consciousness. From Occupy Wall Street, to #MeToo to #BlackLivesMatter. But we are still coming up against the limits of sustaining our most important demands. And so I get hopeful when I hear of projects, like the one that Nicole Carty is helping to lead. When we spoke about her approach, I felt more grounded in something that feels real. Something that has rigor to it. An effort held together by a deep analysis. Something that demands coming together. And a commitment to real engagement with the centers of power. An effort anchored by the understanding that mass movements are the key to lasting change. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of my conversation with Nicole. I am very excited to introduce her to those of you that don't know her yet. Enjoy the podcast and let me know what you think.

One of the drawbacks of my work is that my mom doesn't know how to talk about it. She doesn't get to brag about what her kid does. And she wants to! That's because it's not easy to talk about facilitation. How do you explain what facilitators do? Different facilitators do different things. You have to experience it. And when the stakes are high, you really have to trust someone's reputation. This is why I'm so excited to share this beautiful conversation with my friend Alia Lahlou, who is a magnificent, well-respected facilitator. She is also a mediator, and does excellent work with organizations. She definitely has the gift for what we do. And she knows what it takes to do it. To do this work and do it well you must commit to working deeply on yourself. This will become evident as you listen to the conversation. I'm inviting you to listen to two facilitators talk shop. I'm calling this episode Love & Facilitation because facilitation is an act of love. But also because we spend the first part of the podcast talking about love. The love of partnership and relationship. Alia is an immigrant from Morocco. She's also queer. Queerness is not an easy thing to negotiate in many traditional cultures. We talk about how she found her way to live in truth and stay a part of her family. And we talk about the beautiful love between her and Alixa. Something that I can relate to, having found Tuesday (yes, that's her name), true love in this lifetime, myself. You will feel how it all weaves through, how these things are not separate from each other. And hopefully you'll end the episode inspired to live even more deeply into your own truth.

I am two years away from 50. I find this to be a great thing. There is nothing quite as beautiful as the process of learning to live. It also means that I am subject to the same marvel and challenge that every generation must face. The young will come, and they will want something different and new. A tension arises that demands we stay in it. There is a wisdom that comes with experience, invaluable things that must be preserved, and there is a wisdom in letting go, and allowing what's new to emerge. I have not always handled that tension well. And I often have to ask myself: am I taking a stand for what is true and what is good? Or am I that curmudgeon middle-aged man in resistance to the new? This is why I make it a point to make sure to interview some younger people on the podcast. And I am inevitably blown away. This conversation with Kate Morales moved me to the core. I can honestly tell you I grew from it. That I'm still integrating lessons learned from this beautiful talk between kindred souls. Kate is a Somatic Scribe. And when I first heard it, a small part of me was like “do we really have to change the term for ‘graphic recorder,' the person that uses images to capture what is going on in a group. Then I learned what Kate meant. And part of me shook with realization. Kate stands in a lineage, in a way that precedes conferences rooms, retreat centers and even writing. Kate's body is sensing in the way of the ancients. They are channeling what cannot be spoken but can only be seen. Kate lives a courageous life, experimenting with ways of being that aim to unlock from the consensus trance that defines our culture and our day. They are a young person whose very presence is a “yes” to life and to what is good. You will learn from Kate. And you will want more of them in your life. Enjoy!

Earlier this year, I invited you to join me in a set of dialogue sessions to help deepen my understanding of John Verveake's work on ritual. Cecily Engelhart was one of the people that responded to the call. Our spots were already full, but something about Cecily's email caught my attention. She was talking about grief and the way ritual was an essential part of her own dealings with loss. I knew I had to talk to her. The more healing work I do with others, the more clear it is to me that life will break each of our human hearts. We all experience loss, too many of us experience horror. Trauma grips our young heart, often at very young and tender ages. And we lack access to the language and, most importantly, to the tools and rituals to help us process grief and turn it into wisdom. Our capacity to heal, to experience post-traumatic growth, to become strong, wise and whole every time life breaks our heart, that too is an essential part of being human. It is the very process that makes us full grown humans. Cecily is Native American, she is a member of the Lakota nation. She is blessed by an unbroken lineage of people who refused to forget the role of ritual. And in this interview, she shares her experience with us. I met Cecily through her work at HOPE Nation, where she partnered with my friend, Stephanie Gutierrez, also interviewed on the podcast. And right now she is lit with a fire to live her vocation as coach and creator of Dream Life Strategic Planning (https://www.cecilyrose.co/). A process designed to help you bring ALL of your life's experience to the fulfillment of your dream life. Enjoy our conversation, and please share it with a friend if it is something that moves you. Friend to Friend. That's the way the good stuff spreads.

I've known Giovanna Negretti for at least two decades. She is one of those Puerto Rican women possessed with passion, focus, commitment, perseverance and a charisma for leadership that makes her unstoppable. I have witnessed her growth through many leadership roles. And I was thrilled to interview her as she stewards the Online Progressive Engagement Network, a community of organizations wielding digital campaigns for progressive change all over the world. I think of her work as an essential counter-weight to the global rise of authoritarianism. OPEN is an important container where rich country democracies and the democracies of the post-colonial world can exchange ideas and strategies for bringing people together in service of progressive change. About a decade ago, I had the privilege of facilitating the gathering that gave birth to OPEN. And now, my friend Giovanna serves as its Executive Director. Giovanna has also held a commitment to the cause of Puerto Rican Independence for as long as I have known her. A topic we also cover in this wide ranging conversation. You'll be inspired by Giovanna. And you will find something meaningful here, as two old friends in the work of social movement each keep finding our way to the wisdom of kindness, care and compassion that should always be at the center of any effort to make our world better. Enjoy!

Would you rather have an ally or a friend? I've been taken by this paradigm shift of a question from the moment I heard Rinku talking about it. She says that an “ally” is too low of a bar, like taking something off the shelf and putting it back if you don't like it. So what happens when we talk about friendship instead? What happens when we are in authentic relationships with the people we are building movements with? In my mind, EVERYTHING changes. We are playing an entirely different game. And it includes being more human, together. I am blessed to call Rinku a friend. I know you will appreciate this episode. I feel it is very much aligned with the work Tuesday and I have been doing to re-imagine the racial justice conversation. She is an Indian-American author, activist and political strategist. She was born in Kolkata and moved to New York when she was 5 years old. I met her 20 years ago when we both served on the Board of the Schott Foundation for Public Education. Today she serves as the executive director of Narrative Initiative. She is also the co-president of the Women's March Board of Directors, former president, and executive director of Race Forward as well as publisher of ColorLines.com and Mother Jones magazine. Enjoy, and… Make FRIENDS! Gibrán

You can find remarkable people in every corner of this planet. Many of these people have something in common. There is a spirituality about them. They seem to be motivated by the call of something greater. They seem to live their lives in the context of a bigger story. A story that precedes them, and will go on after them. They are on a path of awakening to wisdom. I met Khadra Ali in 2014. I've always been struck by the light that radiates from her face. I have also been intrigued by how she keeps traditional, religious, ways of Islam and remains so open to so much that fits outside of her tradition. I have to brag and say that Khadra was part of the original, FIRST, cohort of the Evolutionary Leadership Workshop. It is an honor and a blessing to count her among our accomplished alumni. Khadra is doing amazing things. She works with the Youth and Innovation Team at the United Nations Population Fund, and she is based in Mogadishu. She is also dreaming up an organization called “Toos,” which means: Wake Up! Khadra is part of the passionate generation of migrants, who came West as children and returned to their homelands as adults. They share the privileges they've been afforded just by living in the rich world. Khadra shares the story of leaving her motherland, and of the advice her grandmother gave her: stay true to your religion. It is a powerful charge from one's elder. And Khadra has stayed true to her grandmother's direction. While also finding ways to dive beneath what is traditional. Her authentic relationship with God keeps her tracking for the pathways to awakening. Religions of each and every ilk have managed to corrupt themselves into systems of myopia, self-righteousness, and oppression. But they still come from wisdom traditions. You can find wisdom in ancient stories. You can find healing in time-tested practices. In prayer, contemplation, meditation, acts of collective worship, and adoration. These are patterns that we find through traditions that have stood the test of time. Getting wise is not an option. It is a necessity. It is how we become good ancestors. It is how we learn to contend with life itself. It feels to me that this is what Khadra is aiming for.  Get to know her. She is a soul worth knowing. Get a sense of her light.

We are among the richest, safest, most privileged humans to have ever walked the earth. We are also the loneliest and the most anxious. We are the most medicated and most depressed. We are also the only humans managing to steal from our descendants (that means our children, our grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren) at such a scale and such a pace that our species could die away. Are we doomed, or, is there a way to have an economy of abundance that nurtures well-being? This is where my friend Stephanie Gutierrez comes in. She is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. And one of the founders of Seven Fires [LINK]. “Guided by the matriarchal belief that healing our relationships with ourselves and each other will restore much needed balance and reclaim our sovereignty as Indigenous peoples.” This is work that centers Indigenous people, but it is work that has the potential of helping to decolonize our collective imagination. It means shifting the notion of “economy” to reflect the fact that We Are The Economy. It means living in the practice and understanding that every single one of us has a role and responsibility to be good stewards of Mother Earth. Now is the time to support the solutions our Indigenous communities have been lifting up since time immemorial. I met Stephanie when I was co-facilitating a two-year fellowship that she was a part of. We have been in relationship since. I have always been struck by the open-hearted humility with which she holds her genius. Her creative gifts and the power of her smile are nothing short of medicine for those who are lucky to know her. This interview takes a little bit of time to pick up steam. We start our conversation with too much “organizational” talk. But it does not take too long for it to pick up steam. Stay with us to get a real sense of Stephanie's magic. It is always helpful to learn what human beings are able to overcome. The ways voices of spirit, moon and ancestors are always speaking to us. This is wisdom that we all need. Enjoy! And let me know what you think. Your feedback and encouragement are always invaluable.

Jihan Gearon is an artist who is pouring her spirit into the sort of art that can change your life. She is a friend. We met when I used to facilitate the fellowship that developed the Young Climate Leaders Network. I think of her as a recovering activist. But that's not exactly true. She can't stop being an activist. She is just another one among the ranks of us who are looking for a better, kinder, and more sustainable way to make the world whole again. I titled this episode “Life Giver,” because that is who Jihan is, and what she does. She breathes life into the world. She reminds us that we can create anything. Here you'll learn about how: at the age of thirty-five, Jihan was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. As part of her journey of healing, she turned to painting, creating bold, powerful works that featured the animals, people, and other beings that protected, motivated, and transformed her during her recovery. Her paintings bring her passions in life together, showcasing feminine energy, connections with the natural world, and the future of a healthy planet. Not one of us will be spared the tragedies of human existence. It behooves each of us to learn from those who come through these as even bigger and brighter souls than they were before grief happened. Jihan describes herself as “an Indigenous feminist, painter, writer, organizer, and leader in Indigenous environmental justice.” She is a Diné and Nahiłii (Black) member of the Navajo Nation. And she is also a graduate of Stanford University. Jihan doesn't just make art, she is also a consultant and a teacher helping leaders and organizations to apply the best of indigenous wisdom to the work we do in the world. I know you'll love this conversation. Enjoy! Hear all our podcasts at https://www.gibranrivera.com/podcast

If you grew up in 90's you probably know what it meant to be “sweatin” somebody. It's something like liking someone, and doing all sorts of things to make sure they know you like them. You are after them. And you might do a little too much to make sure they notice you. What if you were just as committed, just as passionate, willing to go just as far, when it comes to sweatin' your truth? I imagine your body would move in all sorts of ways. I figure you would get in tune with others around you. I know you would not hide. You would let us see what you are finding, because you would know that we would find ourselves in it too. Here I'm sharing a beautiful interview with Maria Bauman, Artistic Director of MBDance. Her bio starts with the words: “Muscles. Beads of sweat. Exertion. Inversion. Carving out selfhood.” She is “a woman dancer, a person of color, a southern not-quite-belle who grew up poor, and a queer person.” Her “choreography for MBDance is based on physical and emotional power, desire for equity, and fascination with intimacy” She asserts that “the popular notion of a ‘neutral body,' often described in contemporary dance classes, does not exist in her experience.” Instead she creates “from storied bodies, mythological bodies, bodies-in-creation, and bodies-as-manifestos.” In the previous episode of the podcast I invited you into a conversation with the great Jawole Zollar, founder of Urban Bush Women. Here I am inviting you into a conversation with one of her mentees. I met Maria while working with UBW and I have not met too many other people who are such kindred spirits. We go about our work in very different ways. But there is spiritual alignment, a commitment to the body, a passion for culture and a promise to community that makes me feel like Maria and I are here serving the same force, aiming to fulfill a similar purpose. I encourage you to listen with care and to let yourself be inspired. I invite you to get after your truth with all of your spirit and to dance in such a way that the truth sweats out of you. Enjoy!

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is the founder of the legendary ensemble Urban Bush Women. She is also a winner of the MacArthur Genius Award. I met Jawole at a Creative Change Retreat, an intersection of artists and activists that used to be held at the Sundance Resort, in Provo, Utah. One of my favorite gatherings to facilitate. I was immediately moved by Jawole's presence, and I could sense how she was tuning into a deeper energy in my facilitation. We started to get to know each other and quickly learned that not only do we share values and aspirations for a more embodied and generative approach to change. But we also share a powerful spiritual alignment. This allowed Jawole to trust me to do organizational development work with Urban Bush Women. An honor and an experience that I continue to relish. “Jawole is a choreographer and dance entrepreneur who has forged a style of dance-making and artistic leadership that tethers dance to cultural identity, civic engagement, community organizing, and imperatives of social justice… she has created a sustainable movement and organization that centers the perspectives of Black women.” I was thrilled that Jawole accepted my invitation to the podcast. Our conversation ranges from her early life, the cultural influences that define her work, her ongoing spiritual commitments and some of the latest work that is moving through her genius. Enjoy our conversation.

I was born in Puerto Rico. One of the last “official” colonies on earth. I know something about the taste and smell of empire. Today all of humanity is still contending with the reverberations of 500 hundreds years of European imperialism. The indigenous people of the world have a lot to teach us about the genocidal impacts of colonization and about what it will take to decolonize ourselves. Because most of us, indigenous our not, remain colonized by a spell. A spell that tells us that to be human is to stand alone, to extract, consume and accumulate, to be afraid of each other and to confuse economic growth with the developmental growth of our very souls. Here is a conversation with Kassier Heartendorp. One among the Maori people that are successfully participating in the decolonization of New Zealand. Kassie is the Director of Action Station, an independent, crowdfunded, community campaigning organization in her native land. They speak of their mission as: “To tautoko (support) and whakamana (uplift) everyday New Zealanders to act together in powerful and coordinated ways to create what we cannot achieve on our own: a society, economy and democracy that serves all of us - everyday people and Papatūānuku, the planet we love.” Kassie has an audacious intellect and a generous heart. Every time we speak it feels like we sync into a deep, authentic, generative space that must be what happens when we live life with intention. You will find this an inspiring and relevant conversation. Decolonization is not only possible. It is actually happening. It leaves me with a sense of hope and possibility. Kassie holds something that is essential for more of us to learn and remember. I encourage you to listen.

Last Fall (in 2022), my friend Jesse Hassinger, who works for The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts, reached out to me with an exciting request. He asked if I would interview adrienne maree brown on the release of her new book, Fables and Spells: Collected and New Short Fiction and Poetry. Of course, I said yes! adrienne describes herself as someone who grows healing ideas in public through her writing, her music, and her podcasts. I think of her as one of those prophetic voices that are able to speak in an ancient mythopoetic language. The tongue that helps our souls find meaning as we return home to ourselves. We decided to launch Season 3 of the Podcast with an audio of this interview I did for The Odyssey Bookshop. It is a potent conversation that is not short on magic. I invite you to listen with an openness to be touched. Allow yourself to be brought into an ongoing decentralized conversation that wants to remember what we've lost. While moving forward here, in this evolution of consciousness and culture.

On this podcast I interview my dear friend Pamela Standing. Pamela is a fountain of wisdom. She is a source of that sort of heartfelt joy and laughter that is embodied by people who hold a deep understanding of what it means to walk well upon this earth. Pamela is a citizen of Cherokee Nation. I met her when I was facilitating a Rural Economy Fellowship of what was then called the “Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.” She is a grassroots organizer who has immersed herself in rural tribal community wealth building. She endeavors to close the disparity gap through cooperative work and collaboration. Her work is about forming partnerships and alliances that ultimately result in the sharing of resources. Pamela serves as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Indigenuos Business Alliance (MNIBA). In this episode we talk about forgiveness and healing. About our ancestors, and about wealth vs. prosperity. Give a listen and let me know what you think. Saludos, Gibrán

How do you make art for our time? How do you engage your creative life force to meet this moment? A time in which systems are collapsing and a new world wants to be born. The life of Favianna Rodriguez is an answer to these questions. She is a renowned interdisciplinary artist, a cultural organizer and a social justice activist. But most importantly, she is one of my dearest friends. It is hard to wrap your head around the breadth and depth of her work. She leads the Center for Cultural Power. And she describes her art as a visual manifestation of her lived experience, and the inspiring journey of her healing. We cover some ground in this episode. We talk about her creative process. And of what it means for her to be shifting mediums for her art. We talk about abortion, healing, pychedelics and ancestral practice.

We live in a punitive culture. The United States incarcerates more of its people than any country in the world. Turn to twitter at any point of the day and you see cancel culture in full display. What makes us think we can throw people away? We are wired for connection. We need structures of belonging. This is how we signal a culture of safety and well being. Punitive culture makes us anxious. It makes us afraid. It makes us feel alone. What happens when you take a stand for restorative justice? What if we take back our architecture, our institutional space, to foster love and forgiveness instead? Meet my friend Deanna Van Buren. The founder and executive director of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces. She is an artist running an architecture and real estate development firm that works to end mass incarceration. Can you imagine? This is a conversation full of heart and insight. Deanna is not just an architect and an artist. She is a committed spiritual adept with a passionate commitment to the power of women of color. Get a feeling for her wisdom. Her TED Talk has been viewed more than a million times (https://www.ted.com/talks/deanna_van_buren_what_a_world_without_prisons_could_look_like?language=en). And she was just featured in the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/arts/design/prison-architecture.html). I am thrilled to know the world is paying attention to her work.

There is so much exciting talk about emergence these days! How do you apply this thinking to something like the Church? How can you make room for the new when a tradition is 2000 years old? Rev. Mariama White-Hammond is finding out. She is a founder of New Roots AME Church, an Emergent Church in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. Where I live! Reverend Mariama says that Emergent Churches believe God is doing something new in this moment. And that it is our job to move with spirit and make ourselves available for God to emerge. In this podcast episode we dive into spirituality and emergence. We talk about accountability. And about what we can do to heal the deep divide in our Country. Rev. Mariama is and has been a passionate advocate for ecological & social justice. For youth engagement and Spirit based organizing. She is engaging the faith community, and particularly the Black church on climate change and ecological justice issues. Mariama is also becoming a farmer. For more details, check out the full post on my website: https://www.gibranrivera.com/the-evolutionary-leadership-podcast/new-roots

How do you influence popular culture in ways that elevate Black humanity? How do you build the skill, power and wealth of Black creatives? The podcast is baaack!!!! And here I’m introducing you to my friend and colleague Melinda Weekes, founder and CEO of Beautiful Ventures. She is a minister, facilitator, consultant and visionary social change architect. This is a joyful conversation ranging from theology to the business of culture. You will be moved by Melinda’s heart and brilliance. Find out more about Melinda and our other podcasts on the website www.gibranrivera.com

How do you make art for the temple? How do you make art for a temple that is itself a work of art, in a city that is defined by the awe that is its art? A temple that will hold hope and will hold grief. A temple at the heart of a place where people seek to wake up and get free. A place of pilgrimage. That you know is doomed to burn. I met JWo about 5 years ago. We worked together during my long partnership with BALLE (the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies), now Common Future. Our relationship has only deepened over the years. And this year we saw each other at Burning Man. But JWo was not just another participant in the impossible experiment that is life in Black Rock City. She was there as part of the Temple Crew. And the art that she had made was the very centerpiece of this year’s temple. I jumped at the opportunity to interview her, and give you a chance to get to know her. Take a listen! Find out more about J-Wo and our other podcasts on the website www.gibranrivera.com

I am coming into contact with people who hold light, wisdom and hope. Powerful humans who embody the possibility of something new. Jamila Reddy is one such human. She is a Brooklyn-based, North-Carolina raised, Black queer, Buddhist writer, healer, thinker, doer, and dreamer. I am quite intentional about having conversations across generations. And I am learning so much from this millennial person who is obsessed with teaching others how to get out of their own way so they can see a path forward towards the life of their dreams. In this wide ranging conversation we talk about being black and young when Michael Brown was murdered by police. We talk about the transformative medicine of grief. About what it takes to let go of your limiting beliefs. Getting out of your own way. Burning Man. And radical self expression. I have no doubt that you will be moved by this podcast. Take the time and listen closely.

Lawrence and Austin high-jacked the podcast this month! They wanted you to hear more about my vision. And how I think about my work. We talked about my life-shaping moments. About what it means to be an Alchemist (and NOT a Guru). Along with everything that’s been on my mind these days, from Tony Robbins to the evolution of consciousness to burning man and movement fundamentalism. Take a listen. Let me know what you think.

Sage Crump is the New Chief Architect of Emergent Strategy at the Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute. The adoption of the Emergent Strategy Framework articulated by adrienne maree brown, the rapid spread of Emergent Strategy Trainings and the birth of the Ideation Institute are among the most exciting things happening in movement space right now. It is the adoption of a whole new way of thinking about how we do the work of changing everything. We are lucky to have her in this role. Sage is a wisdom holder, she is a facilitator, an artists with the Complex Movements Artist Collective and a brilliant theory head. Our conversation was as stimulating as it was healing. There is something for you here. Enjoy!

Meet Keya Chatterjee, executive director of US Climate Action Network. I met Keya when I facilitated the Young Climate Leaders Network. A beautiful fellowship program. Here we talk about the power of networks and the importance of taking time to cultivate relationship in our movement spaces. Keya knows that we must relinquish the idea of powerlessness. It is our only hope to end the climate crisis. This is no easy task, but her work with USCAN seeks to do just that.

I have been blessed to work with Deepa at Solidarity Summit for the past five years. She is a gifted facilitator, writer, activist and lawyer. In this podcast she speaks of the building blocks for real solidarity work. And how important it is to be grounded in your truth while understanding that there are many different perspectives. This is not an easy task. It takes a lot of self-reflection that we fail to build into our organizations or movements.

Everyone wants to feel like they belong. We can’t “other” people and then ask them to join us. We need spaces of belonging. Meet my friend Anasa Troutman. CEO of Culture Shift Creative. A strategist and storyteller who is wise beyond her years. She radiates a deeply cultivated love. And she wields creativity as a path of transformation. For more information, check out her website: http://www.anasatroutman.com/

Meet Quanita Robertson, master facilitator, circle holder, author and all around wise woman.  She brings a refreshing perspective on race, reconciliation and stages of human development. Quanita looks at the world with an eye to initiation. She concerns herself with the archetypal realms. Quanita and Tenneson Woolf are about to launch the Fire & Water Leadership Rites of Passage Cohort. Additional Links: Coaching and Organizational Development (www.nzuzu.com) Fire & Water Leadership/Rites of Passage Cohort(www.fireandwaterleadership.weebly.com) Fire & Water Podcast(www.fireandwater.podbean.com) Quanita’s Books:Soul Growing: Wisdom for 13 year old boys from men around the world Soul Growing: Wisdom for 13 year old girls from men around the world

Meet Isoke Femi. Imaginal practitioner, master facilitator and founder of Soul Matters. An elder of the movement with more than 30 years of experience in the work of transformation. She is co-founder of the Todos Alliance Building Institute and co-author of No Boundaries: A Manual for Unlearning Oppression and Building Multicultural Alliances. Isoke is a fountain of wisdom. She has devoted her life to the work of unlearning oppression. Illuminating power at the intersection of spirit and culture. https://www.soulmatters.center/intro

Meet Jay-Marie Hill. Evolutionary Leadership Cohort of 2018. Activist, musician, and educator who lives a life designed to help our world ascend beyond gendered and racialized norms. Tune in. Experience the way Jay-Marie brings us into the fullness of their heart while moving us with their piercing intellect. Listen, learn and feel. And please support the Black Trans & GNC Bike Ride. Let’s honor the truth held in these bodies. Jay-Marie Hill is a musician and Founder of Music Freedom Dreams. They are currently organizing and fundraising for The Black Trans Bike Experience, which is a 5 day 160 mile bike ride for black trans and gender non-conforming riders. The ride will conclude in DC on September 28, just in time for the first Trans March on DC. This bike ride aims to deepen rider’s connection to body, mind, and spirit. Trans and GNC folks deserve more than just the ability to survive, they deserve joy and freedom. DONATE HERE: https://www.blacktrans.bike/support

Meet Colette Pichon-Battle, culture holder, bayou woman, community healer, fierce advocate. Listen to this voice of moral clarity coming from the front lines of climate change. Colette’s sense of urgency is matched by a deep wisdom of the heart. By her trust in the power of community, and by her belief that we can heal and rise together. Colette Pichon Battle is the Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy (GCCLP), working on issues of global migration, community economic development, climate justice and equitable disaster recovery. She has prioritized working with local communities, national funders and elected officials around equity in the post-Katrina/post-BP disaster Gulf Coast. She was a lead coordinator for Gulf South Rising 2015, a regional initiative around climate justice and just transition in the South, and in 2014 Colette was selected for the Young Climate Justice National Fellowship based on her work with coastal communities of color.

Next on the Evolutionary Leadership Podcast is this interview with Malia Lazu. Principal at the UrbanLabs, culture creator and brilliant strategist. She is also one of my best friends. Here you get a peep into 20 years of co-evolution through friendship. Friendship between people who have devoted our lives to the work of liberation. I find it amazing that we have evolved along such similar trajectories. You’ll learn about activating the power of cultural competency. We talk about how the work of diversity, equity and inclusion should be joyful. Not painful. Because it should feel great to be different together. You’ll learn about experimentation. About the work of spirit and how it is expressed through audience participation. Next on the Evolutionary Leadership Podcast is this interview with Malia Lazu. Principal at the UrbanLabs, culture creator and brilliant strategist. She is also one of my best friends. Here you get a peep into 20 years of co-evolution through friendship. Friendship between people who have devoted our lives to the work of liberation. I find it amazing that we have evolved along such similar trajectories. You’ll learn about activating the power of cultural competency. We talk about how the work of diversity, equity and inclusion should be joyful. Not painful. Because it should feel great to be different together. You’ll learn about experimentation. About the work of spirit and how it is expressed through audience participation. I think you’ll enjoy this podcast. Remember - your feedback is invaluable!

In this next episode of the Evolutionary Leadership Podcast we take a deep dive into facilitation. We talk about big change, about trauma, about embodiment, radical responsibility and the need for brave spaces. It is an interview with my friend and colleague, Tuesday Ryan-Hart of Find the Outside. This episode comes with an invitation. I’m curious to see who will take us up. It is not always easy to talk about the work that I do. There is so much of it that just needs to be experienced. I cherish the opportunity to talk with a woman that holds space with me. Because together we can shed more light into why and how we do this thing we do. Enjoy! And please tell us what you think.

In our third episode I interview Nashira Baril. Nashira attended the Evolutionary Leadership Workshop in 2015. She came to work on her dream of building Boston’s first birth center. Nearly four years later that dream is seeded and well on it’s way to bloom. Check out the birth center’s website at https://neighborhoodbirthcenter.org/ and listen in to learn more about this project, the meaningful implications of this work and how you can get involved.

In our second episode Kendra Hicks teaches us about The Estuary Projects and how the future is birthed by the apocalypse. Remembering is the first part, the second part is experimentation. How can we be as deeply connected to an unseen future?

We are thrilled to introduce the first ever Evolutionary Leadership Podcast! I invite you into conversation with remarkable people who have devoted their lives to the evolution of consciousness and culture. (This is our first, your feedback will be helpful!) In this episode I interview author Cyndi Suarez, who has just released The Power Manual, a book on how to master complex power dynamics. Cyndi is one of my dearest friends. And she has written a book for our time. The social movements of our day have a conflicted relationship with power, endlessly deconstructing its evils while actively yearning for it. We forget that in any conflict the tendency is to become the mirror image of your opponent. There is great confusion between the struggle for power and the quest of liberation. Cyndi has written a comprehensive operations manual for living into the tension of these distinctions and quite literally enacting our way to freedom. I had a blast talking to her, teasing out her ideas and learning more about her personal story. I’m sure we’ll be talking again. Go ahead and listen in. Enjoy!