In this episode, we dispel the myths that have been spread about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). This is an important episode. One that sets the record straight.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of taking a principled stance. Just a few years ago, individuals and corporations alike proclaimed racism a public health issue. What's the difference between then and now? The society hasn't changed. The policies haven't changed for the better? In fact, millions of people are wanting to see us step back in time. So many people are more comfortable with policies that reflect the "power" of whiteness than policies that reflect our shared humanity. Dr. King talked about this very thing in his Letter From A Birmingham Jail, written in 1963. The words are still hauntingly relevant some 61 years later. This moment requires a principled stance, especially from the people who are most proximate to whiteness. That's what this conversation is all about. Check it out. Like. Share. Subscribe.

Releasing Whiteness is back! In this episode, we explore the ways whiteness is really a product of fear, particularly for those who experience whiteness as a place of belonging. We talk candidly about the ways othering can be used to keep individuals and groups in check (too afraid to rock the boat, too afraid to speak their truth, too afraid to stand for our shared humanity). Othering has been used as tool to keep whiteness in place for far too long. For that reason, we decided to have this conversation as an avenue to embrace another possibility. What if we opened ourselves to seeing our shared humanity (i.e., the idea that each of us is fully human and deserves to be seen that way in policy and practice).

We're exploring accountability. Individual accountability and collective accountability. In this episode, I get real. I share two stories of harm I'm responsible for and introduce Mia Mingus' work on accountability. I share a bit about how I work toward accountability in my own life AND THEN I connect the conversation to our collective experiences. Specifically, I talk about the ways the United States of America needs to work on accountability (for real, for real)) - accountability for a series of harms that begin with Native Americans, continue with enslaved Africans, and are showing up right now as white backlash. I'm also uploading two short self-reflective practice videos that accompany this episode. Watch the episode. Leave a comment. Like. Share. Subscribe.

I've created a new podcast. This is all about collective healing and liberation. Episode 1 is an introduction.

I share the reason I started the podcast, I delve into the ways trauma and oppression have presented challenges and. material barriers to collective liberation, I call in spiritual teachers and all the practitioners of "Love and Light" who are silent as we live through these most violent times, and I offer humanizing ideas and tangible ways we can put these ideas into practice. I close with a short somatic practice adapted from Resmaa Menakem.

Throughout the podcast I mention the teachers and thought-leaders who continue to inspire my work. Teachers like Howard Thurman, Katie Geneva Cannon, Audre Lorde, Natalie Gutierrez, Prentis Hemphill and many others. I name very specific bell hooks and her idea: A Love Ethic. Subscribe. Listen. Share.

Thank you!

In this Soul-Centered Conversation, I am talking with decolonial scholar and Bay Area DJ and entrepreneur, Jose Arias, about healing Black and Brown relationships. Jose was born in San Francisco to a Salvadorian father and white-identified mother from the Mid-West. He identifies as a son of El Salvador and the Bay Area. This mix of backgrounds, as a decolonial scholar and as someone of Latin American and American descent, made him the perfect person for this conversation. Too often, we have experienced rifts between these two groups. There's a legacy of anti-Blackness that comes with being colonized people - that comes along with white supremacy culture. There's a legacy of anti-Blackness woven into the fabric of America and sometimes that shows up as marginalized people targeting one another. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, so I'm including a breakdown of what I'm calling chapters (so you can get it where you fit in, as a friend of mine would say):

• Intro: About Jose, 00:23-4:54

In this conversation, with musician, musical soul, Sambadá member, and co-conspirator, Annie Stafford, we explore white responsibility in ending racism. As a "Black-bodied" person, I have come to see that the labor associated with ending racism has largely been placed on "bodies of culture" (bodies of culture is a term to describe Black, Indigenous, People of Color coined by Resmaa Menakem). I also believe, ending racism requires the labor of white bodied people. Racism and oppression hurts all people - including white bodied people. To that end, conversations like this one feel necessary. Thank you, Annie, for being willing to have this Soul-Centered Conversation.

As I begin to prep for my film on truth, reconciliation, and reparations I will be having conversations with friends, community members, and wisdom keepers about ending racism and oppression.