NextGen Native

Whitney Sawney is graduating from the University of Arkansas. She shares a powerful story about overcoming adversity, seeking help, and moving forwrd for the better. It is a great story, and one that needs to happen more in Indian Country. We cannot be afraid to seek help.

Jason Croxton is Navajo. Currently he serves as an in-house attorney for the Wild Horse Pass Development Authority. The authority is an enterprise of the Gila River Indian Community. He has a great job, but it has not come without hard work and dedication.

In this episode, we talk not only about his personal story, but about what it really means when things “align” for someone. Alignment does not happen on its own. Some magical energy in the universe does not magically clear the path for you. You do. It takes hard work, focus, dedication. It means overcoming challenges, learning from mistakes, and growing as a person. And rarely do things “align” without some help and/or luck along the way. The key for things to align is to be prepared. Jason made a great point in the interview when he said that opportunity favors preparation.

Jason started his bachelors degree the University of Arizona. While working through college to help pay his tuition, he ended up focusing more on work and ended up taking some time off from school. He spent more than two years in the restaurant industry. Eventually he worked his way up to head bartender. Ultimately, he re-enrolled at Arizona State University, focusing on Housing and Community Development. Eventually, he earned his law degree from Arizona State University.

Jason has a great story, and the conversation includes great insight into planning a career. We go deep in this episode, and it is worth it.

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Other Links

Passive cooling/heating

NAHASDA (Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act)

National American Indian Housing Council

LSAT

University of New Mexico School of Law

University of Arizona School of Law

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

Pre-Law Summer Institute

Council on Legal Education Opportunity

Bill Cornelius Episode

WINS

Sheraton Wildhorse Pass

WhirlWind Golf

Jessica Metcalfe (Twitter, Instagram) is Turtle Mountain Chippewa. She is the owner of Beyond Buckskin Boutique and also runs the Beyond Buckskin blog. Beyond Buckskin is all about Native fashion. The boutique sells products and merchandise designed by some of the leading Native American fashion designers in the country.

Before starting Beyond Buckskin, Jessica attended Dartmouth College and then received a Master's and Ph.D at the University of Arizona. Her dissertation focused on Native American fashion designers since the 1950s.

Jessica's academic research prompted the creation of her blog and ultimately the Beyond Buckskin Boutique.

If you are going to be in ABQ for Gathering of Nations this week, check out the event Creative Frequencies that Jessica is co-hosting Rezonate Art.

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Turtle Mountain Community College

Arizona State University

Navajo Nation lawsuit against Urban Outfitters.

Paul Frank apology and the ensuing collaboration with Native designers.

OXDX Clothing (Jared Yazzie)

Native Americans Discovered Columbus

Sunrose Ironshell

Randy Barton

Nathalie Waldman

Yatika Fields

Alano Edzerdza

Beyond Buckskin Youtube Page

#Nativeambition is a new hashtag. It builds upon the efforts of #dearnativeyouth and the Gen-I movement. The goal is to hear from Native youth (and others!) about their goals.

Native youth need to hear the messages from others that were shared under the #dearnativeyouth hashtag. That is important because for so long, many may not have heard those thoughts and feelings.

#Nativeambition is the equally important way for us to listen to Native youth about their goals. Ambition often has a negative connotation, but like fire, it depends on how it is used. it is neither good nor bad on its own. Dicitonary.com defines ambition as "an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth,and the willingness to strive for its attainment." The key phrase is at the end, in that ambition compels people to "strive for its attainment."

Even though this is a follow up specifically targeted at young Natives, #nativeambition is for everyone. Ultimately, it is about showing the positive energy and ambition in Indian Country, and also creating support for each other.

A current #nativeambition for me is to learn my Native language. I had been learning a few years ago but slowly it stopped. Since I live so far away from my tribe, this is a good way for me to stay connected.

What is your #nativeambition? Share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even the comments!

Warren Montoya is the co-founder of Rezonate Art. Warren is from the Santa Ana and Santa Clara pueblos in New Mexico.

Eric Manolito is an employee at Rezonate Art. Eric is Navajo (Dine).

The company helps contemporary Native artists build and audience and sell their works through the Rezonate website. We discuss how an interest in art led Warren to start Rezonate, and where they see it growing both in the short term and in 3-5 years.

Rezonate is co-hosting an event called Creative Frequencies next month in ABQ during Gathering of Nations. The event will feature Native hip hop, a fashion show featuring Native designers, and live art done by Native artists. The event sounds awesome and if you are making the trek to GON you should check out this event, which is also co-hosted by Beyond Buckskin Boutique. For more information, see the links below.

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Rezonate Art

Rock Balancing

HR Giger

Salvador Dali

Capoeira

Lord of the Rings Mythology Explained

Zapatista Movement

Anna Tsouhlarakis

Navajo Sheep

Creative Frequencies event with Beyond Buckskin Boutique

Beyond Buckskin Boutique

Gathering of Nations

Randy L Barton

Yatika Fields

DJ Element

Def-I (featured in Navajo Times)

Jonesy Comic

Haven Harris is Inupiaq Eskimo from Nome, Alaska. Haven works in government contracting as a means for economic development for Alaska Natives. We have a great conversation that spans attending the University of Michigan site unseen, his incidental foray into politics, and how he got into the world of business for Alaska Natives.

This is a great episode with lots of good information. Haven is a friend and I was not disappointed with the interview. One of the things I am noticing about the NextGen Natives that I interview is that they all have certain things in common. In particular, several have discussed the importance of asking good questions. They also stress the importance of exercise in their personal and professional lives. It is great to hear these consistencies and others come up because although each story is unique, my hope is that listeners can take away general themes from the guests.

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Nome, Alaska

University of Michigan

University of Alaska Anchorage

Senator Donny Olson

Norton Sound Health Corporation

Bering Straits Native Corporation

Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association (APICDA)

Iditarod Race

Vice News, Antarctica episode

Fab 5

Western Undergraduate Exchange program

Willie Hensley

RES

Hope Floats

Think Fast Think Slow

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****

Bryan Newland Interview

Shon Quannie is Pueblo of Acoma, Hopi and New Mexican. He owns 4X studio based in Phoenix, Arizona. On this episode of the NextGen Native podcast, we discuss his work at 4X Studio and design generally.

I have to give Shon Quannie a shout out because he helped design the NextGen Native logo. We discuss its meaning in the episode, so if you are curious about how it came to be, check it out!

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Pueblo of Acoma

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Arizona State University

Aeronautical Engineering

Industrial Design

Durango Mountain Resort (aka Purgatory)

4Xstudio

4X buttons

Revised Google logo

Fast Company

Design

Create

Lab

Kickstarter

Grand Budapest hotel

Gary Hutswit movies

- Urbanized trailer

- Objectified

- Helvetica

Healthy Active Natives Facebook page

Arizona Indian Chamber of Commerce

Kelly Lendsay is the President & CEO of the Aboriginal Human Resources Council. He also leads its sister organization, Kocihta. In this episode of the podcast, we discuss the work of the council and Kochihta. The council helps create demand from companies to hire Native employees. Kocihta helps create the supply of these workers.

Kelly Lendsay, courtesy of the Aboriginal Human Resource Council

Kelly’s work goes beyond Canada. We discuss his efforts to build relationships in the U.S., Australia and beyond. He expects Kocihta’s impact to be global in the next five years. The council’s work along with Kocihta’s work is exciting. Can the U.S. adopt a similar model?

We also discuss mentorships. These relationships are so important. This topic warrants its own post. But Kelly offers great advice about surrounding oneself with mentors.

It was awesome to interview Kelly Lendsay. My interview with Ambassador Harperwas technically international. He spoke from his post in Geneva Switzerland. But the Ambassador is a U.S. citizen. Kelly Lendsay hails from Canada. I am excited to connect with a brother from the North to share ideas on the podcast.

Overall, this episode continues to confirm why I started the podcast. There are NextGen Natives taking action everywhere. The more we can connect people, share ideas and incite action the better!

To get the latest episodes of the podcast delivered to your phone or tablet, follow the links below or subscribe directly from your phone to iTunes, Stitcher or the RSS.

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Kelly Lendsay

Aboriginal Human Resource Council

Report on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People

NCAIED

Oka Crisis

University of Saskatchewan

Kocihta (Cree: To reach out to someone or something)

Native Edge

Emerging Native Leaders Program

Inclusion Works

Corporate Social Responsibility

Kite Boarding

Monica is a Spokane tribal member. She attended the University of Washington. She almost left school before graduating but was able to stick with it. After graduate, Monica worked for a tribal casino. But Monica got the itch of an entrepreneur.

Monica is now CEO of Sister Sky. The company makes all natural products such as soap, shampoo, conditioners, etc. on her tribe's reservation. The company's formulas are rooted in traditional tribal ingredients.

Monica Simeon's began Sister Sky as a "hobby business." But Monica and her sister decided to grow it into a full fledged business. The company now operates a production plant on her reservation. Sister Sky also employs tribal youth to help fill orders. Monica is proud to provide jobs for young people that work for her during summers.

Monica Simeon, image courtesy of Monica Simeon

Monica's success attracts advice seekers. And she is happy to share. Monica Simeon and her sister realized this was another business opportunity. And they decided to go for it. Recently, they launched Sister Sky Enterprises, Inc. Monica is the VP of this new company.

Monica Simeon has created two businesses. One makes products. The other provides services. Both are rooted in her tribal culture. Monica shares advice with us. This includes: do not be afraid to ask questions. There are many resources for people to utilize, you just have to ask. I strongly believe in this principle. Asking questions is not a weakness. Questions provide knowledge. Asking questions is powerful. Asking good questions is even more powerful. This goes beyond business. This can apply to culture, language, etc.

Hear more of Monica Simeon by listening to the episode! For more information about her businesses, she the links in the show notes.

Get the latest episodes directly to your phone/feed. Please rate the podcast, leave a review, or both!

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Spokane Tribe

Sister Sky

Sister Sky Enterprises

University of Washington

Burt’s Buzz

Miccosukee Resort

Distribution network

Value of Asking Good Questions

Indianpreneurship by ONABEN

Elevator Pitch

SBA 8(a) program and certification

Sister Sky on Facebook

Megan Redshirt-Shaw is an enrolled member of Oglala Sioux Tribe. She is the founder and editor of Natives in America. Megan’s parents were both academic and so growing up she moved across the country. When looking at college, she chose to attend Penn because it was a campus where she had not lived with her parents.

In this episode, we discuss why 2015 is going to be the year of the Native. The power and relatively cheap cost of the Internet makes it easier than ever for Natives to get our voices out into the world. This medium also makes it easier for Natives to be proactive instead of reactive. It helps to react quickly, widely and easily to things that may occur in the media, but the power lies in being proactive and shaping the conversation.

We also discuss Megan’s “full time hobbies” including the recently launched website Natives in America. This is in addition to her work with Etki and Urban Native Era. Her website provides a venue for long-form writing for young Natives to express their voices.

The year of the Native and the projects Megan is associated with have something in common that we discuss. And that is: our action helps us break stereotypes and build positivity in our communities.

Do you like to write? Submit your piece to Natives in America. Listen to the episode to find out how!

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Links

Megan Redshirt Shaw on Twitter

University of Pennsylvannia

All Ivy Native Council

Frank Waln

Tall Paul

Stanford Native House

Daily Writing Rituals

Huffington Post

Racialicious

Think Progress

Op-Ed Project

Questbridge

Santa Clara University

Etki

Urban Native Era

Natives in America

Our Kids Should be Allowed to Go Anywhere

Last Real Indians

Jose Antonio Vargas takes a trip to Rapid City, SD

If you say things of consequence, there may be consequences, the alternative is to be inconsequential.