It Takes Courage To Tell The Truth

Teeka Rohana is a transpersonal counsellor, student of Indigenous Knowledge, frontline activist and artist. Infusing themes of social injustice and ancestral connection into her theatre, music and poetry. Teeka’s work accentuates the need for pleasure and ritual as embodied forms of dismantling systems of oppression. She is inspired and informed by her matriarchal Indonesian roots as well as the works of Adrienne Maree Brown, The Nap Ministry and Bayo Akomolafe. Teeka currently resides on Bundjalung country working in mental health and disability support work. Teeka recently came back from the Adani coal Mine site after being arrested and abused by the police force while she was chained up to the welding machinery they were using to extract the minerals and resources from our beloved earth. Teeka tells her story of frontline activism, how we can support and why we need more bodies on the frontline.

Alice Forrest is a marine biologist, wildlife guide & scientific communicator currently based in Byron Bay. She spends her days eye-gazing with humpback whales, hanging out with penguins on the Antarctic ice, or freediving with turtles in the east coast sea. Alice joins us from her tiny home in the northern river, the audio is one of an off grid home. Please be aware that wifi is not as strong but the knowledge and stories shared in this conversation are incredibly rich and inspiring. In this conversation we talk about showing up for the planet, getting rid of guilt, how to be a change maker, the reality of plastic pollution and climate change, and the inspiring life that Alice is living in order to inspire and create positive change.

Carla joins us on the show today to discuss her story from 2020. When Carla lost her job from COVID 19, she decided to move to slow down and start real healing with time and space on her side. She tells of her long journey with Topical Steroid Cream, how the western medical system failed her, how she found treatment and healing in community and how she invited in a slowing way of healing to really get to the root cause of her dis-ease. Carla comes on the show today to share her truths, to connect with other who may be experiencing this and to help create a community outside of the western medical system which denies that TSW is a side affect of the prescribed cream they give to people with skin conditions. A important and intimate story to be shared, about grief, healing and perseverance. Instagram @leskec

“Sustainability is knowing your place in the world” - Nidala Barker Nidala Barker is a woman who was birthed into culture, lore and custom. She is a musician and has a masters in sustainability. Nidala's ancestral roots are deeply embedded on this continent known as Australia. Her mother is a Polish/French academic and her father a Djugan Man from the Kimberley in Western Australia. In this episode, Nidala speaks being an Indigenous woman who is pioneering a sustainable future, she isn't afraid to have challenging conversations and walks through the world with courage and deep knowing of her place within it. We speak about the importance of truth telling, getting out of the echo chamber and our own personal responsibility for the planet. Nidala shares about her first time discovering "Survival Day" and how she sees the future of Australia as we embrace our black history as a collective. "But don’t you want that to be on a day where you can acknowledge you were more than the massacres you did" This is such a great podcast for those wanting to deepen their understanding of these issues. Share, like and love Nidala's work. Please contact Nidala here Spotify: Nidala Barker Instagram: @nini.barker

Samantha Neal is a menstrual educator and activist. Her education programs have been taught throughout Australia and the United States to girls and women of all ages. Her work is in dismantling attitudes of silence and shame around menstruation and providing a comprehensive and holistic approach to cycle education. Born in Venice, California and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii, she now calls Byron Bay, Australia her home. In this discussion Sam reminds us of our power within, about understanding our menstral cycle in order to understand ourselves. The untapped potential of tracking and the ripple effect it can have on planning and organising week to week life. We also discuss the power of rest and resisting the male dominated society by saying no, taking time to self care and looking after yourself. Sam approaches her work with a subtle balance of soft and strong. Her passion pours through her voice as she speaks her truth and shares truths to us in the intimacy of a conversation between friends. This is such a great podcast for those wanting to deepen their relationship with self and understand that shame about our periods is just a way to keep us from harnessing our power. Please contact Sam to find out more about her work Website: https://www.yourwisdomwithin.com/ Instagram: wisdomwithin_

Arakai is passionate about embodiment, an experienced martial artist (+20 years), an inspiring Astrologer, sound healer, detox facilitator, a RYT 500-certified yoga teacher and a highly skillful body worker with 10 years of experience and several thousand hours of training. Arakai has been devoted to the healing arts all her life. Psychic from a very young age she used her vision, voice and hands to offer healing to people. After several near death experiences that provided her with the potent training grounds to heal herself she was led to devote herself to the modalities of herbalism, Bodywork and Astrology. Astrology has given a filter to the psychic and unseen realms that Arakai had been communing with her whole life. She realized after working intensively with the plants in the jungle for many years that there was connection to the planetary energies and her clients natal charts that she could see inside of the body. In this discussion we talk about Astrology, the age of Aquarius and how to look to the planets for guidance. We discuss how astrology Is language of nature. Understanding the rhythms and how to dance with the patterns of the planets. How to co-create our reality and free ourselves from the smoke and mirrors of oppression. Astrology gives us a map of our psyche to learn to work with these patterns and codes within us to discover the true essence of who we really are. Arakai Moon @star_siren_astrology arakaimoon@gmail.com

Madeleine Keller is a folk herbalist, writer/zinester, and witch. She use's her work with plants and ceremonial practices as vehicles for work around unsettling and whiteness. She takes a critical perspective to her herbalism work, and strives to teach workshops that include Indigenous histories and question the colonial roots of western herbalism. We discuss working with plants as a white settler and bringing an unsettling lens to that work. Also how to explore and cultivate your own story through your ancestry and remembering that all women are witches. The importance of rest and deconstructing the notion of "real work" in community organising, and Madeleines personal experience with this stigma. Dealing with and healing from organiser burnout and how plant medicine can assist the affected. How the call to defund police opens the way for care workers and healers in our world. Check out the resources below and connect with Madeleine: Madeleine Keller madeleinelkeller.com madeleinelkeller@gmail.com Resources Protect Juristac Campaign led by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band http://www.protectjuristac.org/ The Nap Ministry project by Tricia Hersey https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/ My Links Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/madeleinelkeller Softest Sniff: Free Workshop on Hydrosols and Aromatherapy for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Care: https://mailchi.mp/06f6927b988c/signup-for-softest-sniff-hydrosols-aromatherapy-workshop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underfullmoons/ Website: https://madeleinelkeller.com/

How can we find our power as women? How can we connect to our pussys’? Why sacred is sexy and journeying to meet our soul through sensual pray is an essential part of reclaiming our space in this world. In todays conversation I talk with Leela Kalyani about her profession as a feminine healer. Did you know the Sanskrit word ‘Leela’ translates to divine cosmic play. In this chat, you can feel how Leela embodies her name. How to get out of your head and into your heart in the bedroom, how to walk in the world with integrity We talk about her story as a mix raced Indian / Australian woman. She explores how she grew up with Hindu statues and discussions of Shakti and Shiva and now as an adult is exploring the worlds of sacred sexuality, polyamory and conscious relating. Leela talks about her work with women in the sexuality space, healing as a female and how she carries herself in the world. So excited to share this conversation with you. Connect with Leela Website: https://padminiyoni.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/padmini_yoni/ Link in bio 2h

How can we change the system? Today I talk with Bronwyn Bate. She set up a social enterprise called Mettle Women Inc (Mettle). Mettle Women Inc. is an ethical gift delivery social enterprise employing women who are experiencing homelessness due to domestic and family violence. Bronwyn witnesses how the system failed women post crisis. She saw an opportunity to support women to gain their financial freedom through a program that supports, encourages and up skills. Mettle gives 100% of the profits of the business directly to the women who make the gift boxes. Bronwyn's transparency and integrity being a CEO of this business is something to aspire too. She gives tips on how to be a strong female business leader and setting up social enterprises. Domestic and family violence is the single largest driver of homelessness for women in Australia. The lack of safe and accessible employment and opportunities to establish financial independence can make it extremely difficult & dangerous to leave abusive environments. Head to the website today to grab a gift for someone and support a powerful business model, for women, by women. Website: https://www.mettlegifts.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/mettle_org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mettleorg

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Released as a big FUCK YOU to THE COMMONWEALTH On the Queens Birthday. Aimee Aroha is a Transpersonal Mentor, Transpersonal Birth Mentor & Birth Companion. She is also a Mother of two, a lover, a believer in and advocate for radical self responsibility, body autonomy, expansive conscious relating (with self and others). She believes wholeheartedly in the power of pleasure and the importance of conscious relationships, birthing and parenting for the future of health of humanity and the planet.  As a Transpersonal Mentor, Aimee has seen how the wellness world has been created through the colonisers lens and she is using her work to help decolonise healing and self care trend. In this conversation we discuss Aimee’s journey to decolonise her mind, body and soul as a mixed heritage woman with Maori blood (First Nations people to New Zealand). Aimee is passionate about birth sovereignty and reclaiming the birth space for women and birthing people. She herself has traversed the Rite of Passage that is birth, the transition from Maiden to Mother and we talk about the complex, wild, intuitive, ceremonial, at times traumatic, often joyful and always expansive birth experience. We discuss helpful ways to ritualise your birth and Aimee’s own incredible unassisted home birth in 2019. Aimee is a huge believer in radical self care and is a rebel at heart and this conversation is so needed right here, right now. Decolonise To Thrive. Connect with Aimee Website https://www.thestonedchrysalis.com/about 
Instagram: @ripsnorter

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Mikaela MacPhail is the Mushroom Alchemist. In this conversation Mikaela will discuss the historical and traditional uses of medicinal mushrooms worldwide including Reishi, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, and Lion’s Mane. She also shines light on the edible mushrooms used for cooking, how to forage wild mushrooms and and ways in which to grow your own. We also dive deep into the truth behind psilocybin. Mikaela is a wealth of knowledge around the mushroom kingdom and talks about how the human body can benefit from ingesting mushrooms and the ecological purpose of mushrooms in the ecosystem. A passionate and creative fungi enthusiast, Mikaela seeks to understand the truth behind mushrooms. It is so refreshing to hear about the fifth kingdom from a woman. Mikaela is currently working on growing a range of medicinal and gourmet mushroom species. It’s through observing mushroom’s growth that she aspires to harness natures potential for potent medicines. Mikaela has previously been involved in the creation of Life Cykel mushroom duel extract range and used to grow and sell mushrooms at the local Byron market. Connect with Mikaela Email: Alchemistic.fungi@gmail.com Instagram: @alchemistic.fungi

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Rinat has a bachelor in marketing and social science, and spent her career putting disruptive services and technologies in the hands of millions. Now as an ex-telco marketer, she is doing the opposite. She is now a mother of one living with her husband in the northern rivers, NSW, Australia. She has spent the past year, volunteering in stopping 5G in the Byron Shire and to work with the community on strategies to envisage a future with safe technology. Her 5G story is called WeAreNotSAM and you can find her on Instagram revealing telco insider info. Researcher Brené Brown said it best, because stories are data with a soul. That’s the key ingredient for successful marketing strategies, for activism and for creating positive change through marketing campaigns and initiatives. In this conversation we talk about the implication of 5G, Safe technology for the future and the right to be heard in this democratic society. Rinat believes in people power and the right we have to demand safe technology not just for us but for the generations to come. For anyone who wants to gain more insight in 5G and the effects. A must listen. Connect with Rinat Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stop5gnorthernriversnsw/ Instagram: @wearenotsam

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Vanessa Muradian is a yoga teacher, sexologist and the founder of Mia Muse. Mia Muse is a place online where you can read about sexuality, explore videos, find erotic and buy sex toys. Vanessa also works in 1-1 therapy and couples therapy. In this chat we talk about erotism, the effects of stress on your sex, how to get out of your head and get into your bed and acknowledging your pussay. In this episode, we have a casual conversation about being two sexually liberated women. We talk about Vanessas newest project “Muse Journal” and her insights into orgasmic sex. Listen, to gain knowledge. Connect or a book sessions with Vanessa Muradian Website: https://www.miamuse.com/ Instagram: @miamuse.intimacy

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Hannah Forrester - Homegrown Herbalism, Alchemy with Plants & Planets and Springtime Hannah has always had a love of gardening. She runs a small business in the Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia called Alchemy of Plant & Sol which she calls her homegrown herbal apothecary. Hannah handcrafts small-batch, slow-brewed herbal concoctions, lotions and potions that bring health, vitality and awareness to spirit, mind and body. She grows her herbs, wildcrafts some from Nature and sometimes sourced from other carefully tended gardens, never needing the use of chemicals. Hannah talks of the importance of cultivating strong relationships with the environment and the effects it has on our health. In this episode we learn about spring time remedies, Calendula and all its many uses and edible weeds. Hannah also talks about the importance of growing plants with the planets and the moon and the process of harvesting and creating. We recorded this episode last year, but it is still full of vital information. A must listen. Connect with Hannah Website: https://www.alchemyofplantandsol.com.au/ Instagram: @plantandsol Email: plantandsol@gmail.com

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Orly Miller, Psychologist BPsych (Hons) Orly is a registered psychologist with experience working with individuals and couples across a range of issues to support healing and enhance wellbeing. She is an experienced facilitator of mindfulness-based group therapies and workshops. She is dedicated to creating a safe space to explore, nurture and heal. In this episode we fill our tool belt with ways to get through this hard time of isolation. Orly addresses mental health, effective communication and domestic violence during COVID-19. Orly talks about the importance of addressing emotions, what to do if fear and stress arises and ways we can stay connected to one another. Listen, to gain knowledge. Connect or a book sessions with Orly Miller Website: www.orlymillerpsychology.com Instagram: @orly.miller.psychology Or if you live in and around the Byron Bay Area, you can book a session with her at Mullumbimby Psychology. Orly is running an online Mindfulness of Emotions workshops on June 7 2020. Details and bookings through her website.

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Mei Lai Swan - Understanding Trauma Informed Yoga & Humankindness Mei Lai Swan is a yoga teacher, musician, and the creator of Yoga for Humankind. I undertook her Trauma informed yoga teacher training in 2019. Yoga for Humankind is a Social Enterprise dedicated to bringing the modern informed trainings to teaching yoga. Mei Lai is a powerhouse of inspiration. She lives and breathes her work. She is giving people back their power to connect to themselves and really learn to trust themselves again. She stands aside her students. In this episode we learn about Mei Lai's background, her work in Indigenous communities, her dedication to mediation and how she discovered trauma informed yoga. My dream is that Mei Lai and this work makes it way into all schooling systems in this country. Listen, to gain knowledge. This woman's words are profound, inspiring and poetic. Connect with Mei Lai Swan Yoga for Humankind: https://yogaforhumankind.org/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaforhumankind/ Mei Lai on Instagram: http://instagram.com/meilaiswanyoga

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Mistress Cleo Kali - Inside the Sex Industry, Politics & Feminism Mistress Cleo Kali grew up on the rural coastal areas of the East coast of Australia. She is a professional kink witch, sadistic creatrix, futurist FemDom and is Fighting for Risk Aware Consensual Policy in steel toe thigh highs. "The more work that I do, the more people that I see, the more clients I see, the more clear it is that all that our fetishes are, is just a reflection of our societies we are living in" - Mistress Cleo Kali She has been a professional Dominatrix for six years and in this chat we explore inside the world of the sex industry. Mistress Cleo Kali is fiercely intelligent and interweaves the psychological and political structural lense as a way of interpreting the societies fetishes. In this episode, we talk about life inside the sex industry and Mistress Cleo's dominatrix life and the practical, spiritual and sexual aspects of that. We delve into the insights of human sexuality, feminism and politics. Listen, to gain knowledge. This woman's words are juicy, entertaining and enlightening. Connect with Mistress Cleo Kali Instagram: @cleo.kali

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Kate Nelson- Quitting plastics, big picture activism and being a mermaid in a modern world. Kate Nelson has been disposable plastic free for 10 years. Also known as Plastic Free Mermaid, Kate is an amazing advocate for the sea and her knowledge is vast and expansive. In this episode we learn about mirco plastics, discuss Kates journey and how she got to where she is, and the revolution Kate is starting and helpful tips on how to get on board. Incredibly insightful information, A must listen too This is Kate’s story. Connect with Kate Website: iquitplastics.com Instagram: @plasticfreemermaid Facebook: /plasticfreemermaid

A podcast by Ella Noah Bancroft Zenith Virago is an educator, facilitator, consultant, speaker, author, marriage celebrant, and Deathwalker. In this episode, we discuss the truths around death, dying and gay marriage. Zenith brings back contemporary, natural, holistic awareness to death, ceremony and loss. We also talk about the Vagina Conversations, an annual event that Zenith has been running in Byron Bay for the last four years. The event is a fundraiser for the Mullum Womens escape fund, highlighting domestic violence in our country. It was an honour to talk with Zenith, she is a role model for me and I admire her, her words and her work. Connect with Zenith: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zenith.virago Website: https://www.zenithvirago.com/