In Part I of Flowers for the Fire: A Conversation on Trans Joy, Alia Stevenson and ananda parnaiba are joined by three Wisconsin-based trans leaders, artists, advocates, and community builders: Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, Orion Wells, and Mo Overby.

Together, they explore trans joy not as denial, performance, or forced positivity, but as something sacred, practical, embodied, and collective. The conversation moves through LGBTQIA2S+ community care, chosen family, trans youth, creative expression, political and cultural backlash, and the practices that help trans people stay connected to themselves and each other.

In a time when trans people are being targeted in public and organized ways, this episode centers joy as survival, truth-telling, protection, self-definition, and life. What Blooms in the Fire asks what becomes possible when trans joy is honored not as something fragile, but as something rooted, resistant, and alive.

This episode features three Wisconsin-based trans leaders, artists, advocates, and community builders.

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford is a longtime comedian, poet, myth creator, advocate, and political leader whose work is rooted in collectivism, radical belonging, ritual, and care.

Orion Wells is an advocate, youth worker, and self-described “mistake artist” who brings wisdom from his own transition, his work with trans youth, and his embrace of trans elderhood.

Mo Overby works in LGBTQIA2S+ health in Wisconsin and brings the perspective of an organizer, community member, fiber artist, and steady worker bee committed to care, creativity, and collective survival.

In this episode, Deepa Iyer joins Alia and ananda of the nINA Collective for a conversation on joy, grief, trust, and rebuilding solidarity across difference. Grounded in nINA’s Joy Doctrine, this episode explores how communities can resist scarcity, deepen relationships, take meaningful risks, and experiment toward the world they want to build.

This episode is for justice-oriented listeners who want social change work that is not only strategic, but sustaining and deeply human.

In this episode, Deepa Iyer joins Alia and ananda of the nINA Collective to unpack the Social Change Ecosystem and what it means to find your role in times of crisis, backlash, and burnout. Together, they explore how role clarity, interdependence, and fluid leadership can help us move beyond guilt, shame, and overextension toward more sustainable social change.

This episode is for anyone working for justice who has ever wondered: Am I doing enough, and what is actually mine to do?

When trust is fractured, rebuilding rarely starts with a grand plan. In Part II, Ananda and Alia of the nINA Collective continue their conversation with Cornelius Minor, reflecting on joy as fuel, ancestral wisdom as guide, and the everyday practices that help us restore connection, reimagine culture, and rebuild together. (Bonus Track)

When trust is fractured, rebuilding rarely starts with a grand plan. In this episode, ananda and Alia of the nINA Collective join Cornelius Minor for a powerful conversation on how presence, listening, repair, and joy help restore connection and rebuild community one small practice at a time.

Takeaways

• Rebuilding through everyday practice
• Listening as a three-step process

Chapters

• 00:00 Rebuilding through Everyday Practice
• 05:56 The Art of Listening and Responding
• 13:58 Three-Dimensional Listening
• 22:02 Restoring Connections and Centering Joy

In a world set ablaze by injustice, how do we forge new paths rooted in joy, resilience, and collective liberation? This episode uncovers the transformative power of the Joy Doctrine, a groundbreaking approach that treats joy not as escapism, but as essential infrastructure for justice and healing. Through deeply insightful conversations, you'll discover how embracing joy as a vital act of resistance helps movements stay resilient and individuals stay human under pressure.

Produced by the Nina Collective, creators of the Joy Doctrine. Whether you're leading an organization, activist movement, or simply seeking personal resilience in turbulent times, this episode reveals how joy in struggle can be your most powerful tool for transformation.

Co-hosts: Alia & ananda