In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kola Shippentower. Her tribal name is Tumhiya, and she is from Nixyaawii country, in Eastern Oregon as an enrolled tribal member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. She is a two-time professional athlete, and a passionate advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIW). She shares her deeply personal journey into advocacy—a role she never sought but felt compelled to take on as violence against Indigenous women continues to impact her community. Kola reflects on the weight of this work, the pain of losing loved ones, and the responsibility she carries to fight for justice, not just for her family but for future generations.

Through raw and heartfelt storytelling, she challenges misconceptions about Indigenous identity, the erasure of Native voices, and the way non-Native audiences often consume these tragedies without taking meaningful action. She emphasizes the urgent need for funding, systemic change, and allyship that goes beyond passive sympathy. Guided by her father’s wisdom, Kola has shifted her approach—moving beyond sorrowful storytelling to empowering and mobilizing her people to reclaim their strength, resilience, and rightful place in the fight for justice. This conversation is a wake-up call to all who listen: real change requires more than awareness—it demands action.