Getting Free Together

In this latest episode, Stas and Leander sit down with Niloufar Khonsari, the author of “The Future is Collective.” Join the conversation about what nonprofits can learn from cooperatives, the wisdom of saying no, applying transformative justice principles in the workplace, and her learnings as a founder of Pangea Legal Services. 

You can get 10% off “The Future is Collective” with the code: COLLECTIVE! You can also learn more about Nilou’s services as a coach and facilitator here.

Song credits:

“Brilliant Mycelium” Written by Alexandra Love Performed by Beautiful Chorus

Books mentioned in last segment:

• The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Learn more about us & our work:

• ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about the Spring Up Collective⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn about our Getting Free Together organizational consulting services ⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Patreon to support this podcast and get access to low cost coaching and discounts on our webinars⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more & register for our webinars, retreats, and course at bluelight academy⁠

In this latest episode, we sit down with Spring Up member owner Mara. Mara is the lead of our Mediation program along with being a queer artist, therapist, DJ and community organizer, raised by the mangroves of Miami and living between Los Angeles and London. They share about their grief sabbatical last year, what it takes to pause movement work, relationship with plantcestors and curanderismo that became everyday practices of liberation to get through, and movements like cuerpo territorio and speculative fiction that are currently inspiring them.

Access the full episode transcript here.

• Check out Mara's radio show Discoteca 3ala Mars
• Get 1:1 coaching with Mara or request 1:1 or group mediation support

Song credits & licensing:

“Brilliant Mycelium” Written by Alexandra Love Performed by Beautiful Chorus

Learn more about us & our work:

• ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about the Spring Up Collective⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn about our Getting Free Together organizational consulting services
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Patreon to support this podcast and get access to low cost coaching and discounts on our webinars⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more & register for our webinars, retreats, and course at bluelight academy⁠

In this episode, Stas and Leander sit down with iconic abolitionist, author, and podcast host Shannon Perez-Darby. Join the conversation as they dive into why nonprofits are not the ideal structure for liberatory organizations, risk management and harm reduction around mandatory reporting, and hot takes on the show Pluribus!

Access the full episode transcript here.

• Learn more about the Mandated Reporting Harm Reduction:
  Balancing Risk Assessment Tool (BRAT)
• Listen & subscribe to Shannon's podcast "Popaganda"
• Learn more about the Accountable Communities Consortium
• Read "How to End Family Policing: From Outrage to Action"

Song credits:

“Brilliant Mycelium” Written by Alexandra Love Performed by Beautiful Chorus

Learn more about us & our work:

• ⁠⁠Learn more about the Spring Up Collective⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Learn about our Getting Free Together organizational consulting services and 6-month cohort program⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Join our Patreon to support this podcast and get access to low cost coaching and discounts on our webinars⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Learn more & register for our webinars, retreats, and course at bluelight academy⁠

Stas and Leander sit down with friend and mentor Mia Mingus who has taught us all so much about transformative justice, pod mapping, and disability justice. In this conversation, they speak about composting, conflict, and K-pop Demon Hunters.

Access the full episode transcript here

• Learn more about Transformative Justice with the video series by the Barnard Center for Research on Women featuring Mia, Leander, Stas alongside other peer TJ practioners.
• Learn more about SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project
• Learn more about the Ahimsa Collective

Song credits:

“Brilliant Mycelium”Written by Alexandra LovePerformed by Beautiful Chorus

Learn more about us & our work:

• ⁠Learn more about the Spring Up Collective⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Learn about our Getting Free Together organizational consulting services and 6-month cohort program⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join our Patreon to support this podcast and get access to low cost coaching and discounts on our webinars⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Learn more & register for our webinars, retreats, and course at bluelight academy⁠

Stas and Leander had the chance to sit down with consulting client and Getting Free Together program alumni Bre Dovez of Joy as Resistance, a Colorado-based queer mental health nonprofit to talk about succession planning within collective governance. Bre (any pronouns) founded JAR in 2020, and the organization has always practiced shared power in some format. They spent the last 18 months beginning to implement sociocracy and preparing to hand the reins to new co-Executive Directors Rafa and Janei! In this episode hear about their journey, the queer art of emergent co-design, embracing the identities of artist and magician.

**Access the full transcript here**⁠

Learn more about Joy As Resistance

Song credits:

“Brilliant Mycelium”

Written by Alexandra Love

Performed by Beautiful Chorus

Learn more about us & our work:

• Learn more about Spring Up⁠

• ⁠Learn about our Getting Free Together cohort program⁠

• ⁠Join our Patreon to support this podcast and get access to low cost coaching and discounts on our webinars⁠

• ⁠Learn more & register for our webinars, retreats, and course at bluelight academy

  
  

In this episode, we are in conversation with our new co-owner Brianna. Together we explore our embodiment practices, how we navigate risk individually and collectively, what those practices looked like in the Palestinian solidarity encampments on campus, what the role of therapy alongside other community support systems, and how unions and worker ownership show up not only in universities but in reality TV.

**Access the full episode transcript here**

Read Brianna's article: Care Work is Necessary for Anti-Imperialist Struggle

Song credits:

“Brilliant Mycelium”

Written by Alexandra Love

Performed by Beautiful Chorus

Learn more about us & our work:

• Learn more about Spring Up
• Learn about our Getting Free Together cohort program
• Join our Patreon to support this podcast and get access to low cost coaching and discounts on our webinars
• Learn more & register for our webinars, retreats, and course at bluelight academy

In the first episode, hosts Stas and Leander speak with our co-founder and Alchemist, shaïna. We talk about how Spring Up emerged and has evolved over the last decade, and the role it has played in sustaining creative community work in our lives. We also talk about how getting back into video games as adults has created space for imagination, play, and exploring other worlds.

⁠**Access the full episode transcript here**⁠

Song credits:

“Brilliant Mycelium”

Written by Alexandra Love

Performed by Beautiful Chorus

The purpose of this podcast is to come together in conversation with collaborators, collective members, and mentors to explore how we get free together by:

• Co-creating visions of the world we want to live in

• Building our capacity to collaborate and hold conflict
• Sharing the movies, games, and tv shows that are inspiring us and getting us through!

Learn more about us & our work:

• Learn more about Spring Up⁠

• ⁠Learn about our Getting Free Together cohort program⁠

• ⁠Join our Patreon to support this podcast and get access to low cost coaching and discounts on our webinars⁠

• ⁠Learn more & register for our webinars, retreats, and course at bluelight academy