Sage Against the Machine

Deidra Johnson works to bring justice, equity, diversity and inclusion imperatives to businesses and brands. She’s been busy since the fall as Project 2025, this administration and anti-woke activists like Robby Starbuck, have implemented a massive effort to drive culture change across every dimension of our society. 

We talk about why DEIJ really means and why it matters, a broad sense of what DEIJ work really entails, and when it emerged as a force in shaping public and private policy. We also discuss how language is so critical to how people view and respond to policy and movements, and how the right has flipped the script on the words Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

There’s a narrative that DEI programs are “discriminatory” or “lower standards.” Deidra shares how she responds to those critiques, and explains what people get wrong about the purpose and intended outcomes of DEI efforts and policies.

Ultimately, we have a LOT of power as people and consumers in the United States. It’s crucial that we take an active role, and keep the momentum for positive change (and hope) alive!

In today’s episode, we cover:

• What DEI actually means + key differences between equity & equality
• Uncomfortable truths surrounding the origins of DEI
• The ‘racial reckoning’ and corporate responses that came from the 2020 pandemic
• The power of self-reflection + how this can help move our organizations and society forward
• Finding courage to lead through fear in order to sustain organizations & businesses 
• Why we need to be aware of identity erasure patterns with the current administration
• Tools that will allow us to push back and continue to show up for our beliefs
• Early retirement trends & work-life shifts with younger generations
• Getting informed and taking action as consumers

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Irene and Sandy are joined by visionary architect and design activist Mark Lakeman, founder and longtime spark for the infamous City Repair Project, and the creative director of Communitecture, Architecture & Planning. As a design activist, Mark fuses urban design and architecture with permaculture and revolutionary policy. As the actual Incredible Hulk of community place making, Mark coaches communities everywhere to never take no for an answer. 

Mark shares his journey from traditional architecture into the world of community placemaking, offering an inspiring perspective on how our built environments shape, and too often limit, our sense of belonging and human connection. 

Together, they dive deep into the systems shaping our collective well-being and health of our planet. They also explore why many Western cities feel inhospitable and isolating, uncovering the historical roots of our urban design and the erasure of true communal spaces, what “revillaging” our lives one small act at a time looks like, and more.

If you’re hungry for wisdom on how to spark REAL change, restore the commons, and rediscover the joy of community (even in the face of today’s daunting challenges), this episode is a powerful reminder that transformation starts right outside your door. 

Get ready to be inspired and step into your own “Hulk moment” of local creative action!

In today’s episode, we cover:

• What ‘revillaging’ means + Mark’s first tiny library & what this led to
• Colonialism's Blueprint: Land Mandates
• Why it’s “easy” (and common) to live isolated in our neighborhoods & communities
• Contributing to the world by truly becoming yourself
• Grassroots community for system change
• The increase in historic repression and public resistance
• Choosing your community over self-interest
• The power that comes from building connection through listening

Links/Resources mentioned in episode:

• Check out Mark’s website
• [email protected]
• [email protected]
• www.cityrepair.org 
• communitecture.net

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Irene and Sandy explore the current reality facing women with the overturning of Roe V Wade as well as the medical and legal risks surrounding women’s bodily autonomy. 

Guests Diane Lamotte RPh (Retired Pharmacist) and Kate Flewelling, Associate General Counsel at the University of Michigan, share their work on the American College Health Association Reproductive Rights Advocacy Task Force. They walk us through what’s happening, what’s coming, and how we can work together to restore and protect our reproductive health and rights.

We discuss the basics of birth control and different medications used to prevent and terminate a pregnancy as well as save lives, and the legal ramifications following the Dobbs decision and recent state laws.

Together, we can help and inform our sisters in other parts of the country. Knowledge is power. Don’t give up hope! Join us on this powerful mission.

In today’s episode, we cover:

• Diane and Kate’s journeys and what led them to the joint task force they’re a part of
• Current forms of contraception for both males & females
• Emergency contraception vs. the abortion pill
• Types of abortions
• How to get into GOOD trouble and avoid BAD trouble in regards to abortion rights

Links/Resources mentioned in episode:

• Plan C Pills  — Facts, access to Medication Abortion; abortion pills by mail to every state
• PlannedParenthood — Healthcare, Facts, Medication Abortion, surgical abortions
• Center for Reproductive Rights — Legal information
• Guttmacher Institute — Policy Institute focused on reproductive health, stats, legal information, state regs
• Hey Jane — Information, Medication Abortion & Surgical Abortion locations
• Ineedana.com — Where and how to access an abortion
• Bedsider.org — Contraception Options information
• abortionfunds.org — Funds to help with travel and other expenses

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It’s a special joy and privilege to welcome today’s guest, Lara Love Hardin, to the podcast!

Lara Love Hardin is a woman of many talents – she is a literary agent and president of her own agency, True Literary. She has a Masters Degree in Creative writing and is a NYT’s best selling author. Her personal memoir The Many Lives of Mama Love, A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing and Healing was selected by Oprah to share with her audience. Our conversation centers on forgiveness and Lara’s challenge to forgive herself as an act of freedom.

We follow her journey from writer to addict to felon to best selling author and her new role as a prison reform activist. Lara is funny, self-effacing, smart, and a clear voice for all of us in our journey to being our truest selves. Take a listen - you’re going to love this one!

In today’s episode about the depths of forgiveness, we cover:

• Lara’s story of going from a supermom of 4 boys, to a convicted felon, and eventually, a best selling author and prison reform activist
• The act of self-forgiveness + the power that comes from getting yourself out of a ‘dark’ moment
• How loneliness and neglect can be pathways to addiction + Lara’s personal experience of isolation and feeling embarrassment regarding her emotions growing up
• Learning to embracing it ALL, and owning your ‘stuff’ as a coping mechanism (rather than turning to substances)
• The way we view forgiveness and show treatment towards incarcerated people in the U.S.
• The staggering statistic of mothers in prison + how they cope with not being with their children
• How the judicial system is designed to keep putting people back ‘in’, instead of allowing people the option to get ‘out’ for good
• How we can actually support women who are incarcerated + the importance of second-chance hiring for women and mothers
• The typical mindset people have of ‘once a felon, always a felon’ + why many convicted individuals tend to feel safer in jail
• The 10 week program, The Gemma Project, Lara created to support women while they’re in prison with a vast array of basic skills + vital community component
• The surreal, beautiful experiences Lara has been a part of + the underlying, deep-rooted fear and rejection she has still struggled with along the way 

Connect with Lara Love Hardin more by visiting her website

Order your copy of Lara’s book, The Many Lives of Mama Love

Learn about and consider supporting The Gemma Project

Watch/listen to Lara’s interview with Oprah on the Super Soul Sunday Show HERE

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Our guest on the podcast today is a true expert and changemaker for regenerative agriculture, and climate change as a whole! 

Fin Makepeace is a soil health advocate and Kiss the Ground cofounder. Fin went from passionate regenerative agriculture evangelist to building an educational non-profit that’s trained hundreds of citizen soil advocates. He’s also a lead policy advocate and was in the room where it happened - it being the shaping of the federal farm bill. He is also an accomplished musician, award winning documentary film producer, husband and father of two! Our conversation ranges from exploring the power of regeneration to embracing an insight that can change your life trajectory…for the better.

This work is incredibly daunting, but we do have the solution to dramatically transform our future world. Regenerative agriculture is common ground, and it equals HOPE for climate change. Ultimately, you can be a champion without being an expert - it all starts with choosing a regenerative life! 

Learn more about Kiss the Ground’s resources and advocacy, and consider signing the petition for regenerative agriculture HERE

Watch Kiss the Ground Film

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You’re going to have so many “ahas!” when you listen to Dr. Kyra Bobinet on the podcast today!

Dr. Kyra Bobinet is an expert in healthcare innovation, and has passionately pursued the science of behavior change. In fact, she is a self-described behavior designer.  She has a Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard, and her work is focused on technology-enabled behavior change, behavioral neuroscience, and health disparities. She is also the CEO and founder of Fresh Tri, a science-based wellness and mindset training app. Her new book, Unstoppable Brain: The New Neuroscience that Frees Us from Failure, Eases Our Stress, and Creates Lasting Change, delves into the power of “iteration” in overcoming “failure disease”  and maintaining motivation.

In today’s episode, we discuss the neuroscience of behavior change, and the new, ground-breaking research regarding the brain and dopamine addiction. We also delve into the fascinating anatomical structure that is the habenula, why it’s like the central ‘hub’ for our behavior (especially when it comes to failure), the extraordinary concept of iteration and its connection to mindfulness and happiness, the collective disempowerment we’re facing as a result from our device addictions, and more. 

Kyra is a passionate advocate for healing the world of failure; she leads with her entire identity by encompassing authenticity, and choosing love over fear. The information shared in this conversation should not leave us feeling like it’s the end of the story. Instead, it’s essential knowledge we ALL must understand in order to move forward, and create lasting change.

In today’s episode about the neuroscience of change, we cover:

• Kyra’s journey in the medical field and neuroscience space + the fascinating research surrounding the brain and dopamine addiction 
• What the habenula is + how it tremendously impacts us in our day to day lives
• The relationship between the habenula and prefrontal cortex
• Kyra’s research on ‘iteration’, and how it affects people
• The beautiful concept of iteration + how it’s connected to happiness, mindfulness, and cognitive flexibility
• How empathy affects failure disease, and specifically, the idea of ‘pre-failing’
• The collective habenula + its monumental role in recovering from burnout and moving toward a brighter, purposeful future
• Our collective disempowerment that has resulted from our susceptibility to ‘distraction addictions’ (likes our devices) + what we can do to ‘reset’ and move forward
• Kyra’s personal experience as an indigenous person in our country + what she’s doing to reduce suffering and create more opportunities for her people 

Connect with Kyra Bobinet at drkyrabobinet.com and freshtri.com

Grab your copy of Kyra’s new book: Unstoppable Brain

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It’s an absolute honor to welcome our first guest on the podcast, Dr. Riane Eisler!

When we began to produce this show, we both instantly knew we wanted our first guest to be Dr. Eisler. Her work has profoundly impacted and shaped our lives,  personally and professionally, and the work she is continuing to do really points us toward the more compassionate and regenerative future we know is possible. Dr. Eisler’s passion for her work dates back to her experience as a child when her parents fled Germany and sought refuge from the Holocaust. For decades now, she has continued to question the  seeming contradictory capacities of humanity for such kindness and sensitivity, but also for such unthinkable cruelty and violence. She frames this duality as domination and partnership systems.

In today’s episode, we discuss the false story we’ve been taught regarding humanity being innately ‘bad’, and the extremely rigid gender stereotypes that are a true hallmark of domination systems. We discuss the emergence of the women’s movement, the men’s movement and the non-binary movement as partnership trends. Dr. Eisler talks about practical steps we can all take to accelerate the shift to a more kind, partnership world.

She often calls herself  an optimistic realist. Admittedly fangirling out, we call her a beacon of hope. And the fact that, at 95 years old, she is continuing to research the latest neuroscience that supports her theory of change is so inspiring. Dr. Eisler warns us to take heed; while things may get worse before they get better, we must persevere, and continue moving toward a hopeful, peaceful and regenerative future.

Connect with Dr. Riane Eisler at rianneeisler.com and centerforpartnership.org

Learn more about Dr. Eisler’s online course: Changing Our Stories, Changing Our Lives

Dr. Eisler’s Interview in Scientific American: How Family Trauma Perpetuates Authoritarian Societies

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Irene Tsouprake and Sandy Skees take us on their journey as friends, collaborators, sages and change makers. The story of how they met reveals a gob smacking synchronicity and alignment that forged an instantaneous bond. For almost two decades they have been in conversation with each other and a far flung network of thinkers, artists, activists and leaders looking to make sense of the world and activate a shift to more – more equity, more happiness, awareness, and joy.

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Welcome to Sage Against the Machine!

We’re your hosts, Irene Tsouprake and Sandy Skees, and as women of a certain age, we’re embracing wisdom as our currency. We’re on a mission to reclaim our collective hope for a better future, and provide opportunities to activate change.

This is a conversation for people looking for a roadmap to a more equitable society and regenerative future. Our aim with this podcast is to amplify stories and highlight systems that increase the health and wellbeing of humanity and the natural world. We want to activate and accelerate solutions to today’s polycrisis.

We’re building a community of people who won't be distracted by divisiveness, who believe in the commons and the common good, and embody and value leadership qualities like communication, cooperation, collaboration, and compassion.

You can expect to hear from enlightened guests (like the remarkable Dr. Riane Eisler who shares her own insights in this trailer), who will explore new thinking and alternative paradigms, both modern and ancient, across cultural, biological, economic and political systems, and will include artists, scientists, tacticians, thinkers and advocates.

Make sure to follow Sage Against the Machine on your favorite listening platform so you never miss a new episode (releasing every other Tuesday). 

Thank you for listening, and we’re excited to be on this journey with you!

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