Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hey y'all! This week, we talk to "witch with Wi-F", Lauren Gochè, about housing, privilege, and building intentionally for a future outside of capitalism. Lauren shares her journey into housing advocacy, the systemic challenges of housing insecurity, and how community and systemic change can create a more equitable future. We explore the ripple effects of housing instability, the importance of trust and community, and practical steps for building a better world. Watch today's preview on YouTube or PeerTube.

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In the Episode

• Housing and Belonging
• The Ripple Effects of Housing Insecurity
• Navigating the Real Estate Landscape
• Business Model and Community Focus
• Navigating Privilege and Community Support
• The Wealth Gap & Capitalism's Individualism
• Voting Accessibility and Community Engagement
• Community: the Challenges & Benefits of Togetherness
• Building Authentic Community Connections

References / Resources

1. 🌱 Learn more about Lauren Goché Real Estate
2. 🗞️ Join Lauren's Newsletter
3. 🌱 Taking Ownership PDX
4. 🗞️ A Brief History of Voting by Mail in Oregon
5. 🌱 Hey Doc! 

About Lauren Goché (she/her)

Lauren Goché sells houses, renovates old ones, and moonlights as a professional chaos wrangler. She’s been described as part therapist, part hype squad, and part witch with Wi-Fi—helping people navigate big transitions with humor, heart, and the occasional snack. At the center of it all, she believes housing isn’t just about walls and roofs, it’s about equity, belonging, and making sure everyone gets a seat at the block party (preferably with better lighting and fewer weird uncles)

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Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 This week, I am so happy to chat with Ashley Williams from Mind the Movement. She shares her journey of founding a mental health organization for grassroots organizers, the importance of community support, and practical strategies for maintaining mental well-being in social change work. At a moment when organizations are being defunded and activists are in crisis, mental health is a key issue to uplift across our organizations and movement. Watch today's preview on PeerTube.

Become a member: www.rootschangemedia.com/private-podcast/#/portal/account/plans

In the Episode

• Prioritizing Mental Health in Movements & Politics
• Starting Mind the Movement
• The Front Lines of Social Change & It's Impacts
• Mental Health as a Social Issue
• Affinity Groups to Build Resilience
• Practicing Liberatory Change in Our Small Circles
• How Leadership & Managers Can Respond
• Unmute Yourself About Mental Health
• Supporting Our Loved Ones in a Mental Health Crisis
• Creating Care for New Organizers
• The Joys of Being Vegan

References / Resources

1. 🌱 About Mind the Movement
2. 🎶 Noah Kahan
3. 🧰 Unmute Yourself Toolkits
4. 🌱 Share Your Story 
5. 🧰 QPR Institute

About Ashley Williams (she/her)

For the past 8 years, Ashley has built and led national democracy and political programs. She’s the creator of the largest political organizing training of all time where she trained 60,000 people in 4 weeks during the height of the pandemic.

Ashley is a long-time vegan, adoptee and the only person in her family to graduate from college. She’s also experienced mental health struggles since childhood and is committed to supporting others without a safety net in getting the support they need. She runs a consulting firm The Most Good (and two other small businesses). In her “spare time” she figure skates and is learning to crochet.

• Learn More About Mind the Movement
• More About Ashley

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A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We continue on our Road Trippin' for Change to reflect on the ties between the United States' founding and Trump's America. In Arizona, we discuss indigenous voting and the long history of white supremacist violence in elections. I share more about my experience canvassing for the 2024 election in Arizona. We end with some joy on a dirt road and another Radical Reads recommendation. Watch today's episode on PeerTube.

*Content Note: In the episode, I refer to the Bosnian genocide, however, I meant the Armenian genocide, which took place during World War I. I also speak to colonizers as "deeply impoverished" I was referring to European settlers who came on the heels of the colonizers who were financed by monarchs or wealthy elites.

Become a member for the full experience: www.rootschangemedia.com/private-podcast/#/portal/account/plans

In the Episode

• From the U.S. Founding to the 2024 election
• Arizona's history of settler colonialism
• Mapping the Southwest & it's history
• World War II Aftermath and Israel
• Indigenous history & White Settler Colonialism
• 2024 Election Violence
• Book Recommendation: HItchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Driving on a Dirt Road

References / Resources

1. 🎬 Marfa, TX: Giant, Masculinity, & Queerness
2. ✊🏽 The Bloated Billionaire Bill
3. 📚 By the Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle
4. 🎙️ [Preview] Trump's America: Poverty & Ancestral Trauma in the U.S.
5. 🌱 Building Resilience Against Fascism
6. 🌱 Democrat's Won't Save Us, We Will
7. 📚 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

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Seedling Episode Preview | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We connect with our regular techs-pert Joe Cardillo (they/them) about growing off of Big Tech and for profit social media that only steals our data, manipulates our emotions, and harms our connection to each other. We discuss the fediverse as an alternative that hearkens back to the early Internet of social networking & community. For organizations looking to de-Big Tech their communications, we have advice on how to setup and build on the fediverse. Plus, get the 📋 Mastodon for Social Change Follow List to expand your fediverse follows! Watch today's preview on PeerTube.

Become a member: www.rootschangemedia.com/private-podcast/#/portal/account/plans

In the Episode

• What is the Fediverse?
• Why Transition Away from Big Tech?
• Walled Gardens vs. the Meadow
• Capitalization of the Internet
• Why Creators & Non-Profits Should Join Mastodon
• Tips for Migrating Audiences
• Using Independent Social Media for Deeper Audience Connections
• Liberatory Communications Off Big Tech

References / Resources

1. 📲 Get Started on Mastodon (Privacy Guides)
2. 📋 Mastodon for Social Change Follow List
3. ✊🏽 Gaza Verified
4. 🎬 Follow Us on Mastodon / PeerTube
5. 📲 Follow Sam on Mastodon
6. 📲 Follow Joe on Mastodon
7. 📚 Toying with Our Emotions: The Social Media Algorithm
8. 📚 Why Even Post? Can Social Media Work for Social Change?
9. 📚 Anti-Gaslighting Guide to Social Media

Grow with Healthy Media:

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• Become a Seedling Member
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If you enjoyed today's episode, consider supporting our work or joining our memberships for more rooted media & resources! Root into our private podcast discussions, resources for organizers & communicators, our healthy cooking show, and more. Join today starting at $2/month. Explore our Assist an Activist program for community-supported memberships.

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hey y'all! 👋🏽 This year is a midterm election year and another opportunity to push back against the fascist agenda. We jump back to October 2024 and what it was like on the road talking to voters to stop Trump's 2nd term. Bear and I are going back out on the road to reflect on how we got to Trump's America in 2026 and how the roots of our history are holding us back. Watch today's preview on PeerTube.

Become a member: www.rootschangemedia.com/private-podcast/#/portal/account/plans

In the Episode

• 2024 Election and Trump's 2nd Rise
• What themes does media & tech intentionally miss?
• Talking with voters and understanding the cracks of the U.S.
• Trump vs. Kamala's Future America
• Reflecting on the stakes of 2024 election
• More about Bear the corgi!

References / Resources

1. 🎬 Southwest Swing State Roadtrip Video Series 
2. 🌱 Flexing Native Voting Power Against a GOP-Controlled Arizona
3. 🌱 Subverting U.S. Progressive Power: The Democratic Way
4. 🌱 How the Court was Corrupted: A Brief History of the Federalist Society
5. 🌱 Combatting Resistance to Biden's Diverse Cabinet
6. 🌱 Yes We Kahn! AI Climate & Regulation
7. 🧠 Art & Science of Changing Minds Zine Library
8. 📚 Build Your Voter Outreach Strategy | Guides & Templates

Grow with Healthy Media:

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• Become a Seedling Member
• Follow us on Mastodon, PeerTube, & BlueSky
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Thank you for being a listener of the roots of change agency! To access our podcast, media, & memberships, visit our website at rootschangemedia.com

Want to share & support our work? Gift a membership to a heart-first activist in your life. 

If you enjoyed today's episode, consider supporting our work or joining our memberships for more rooted media & resources! Root into our private podcast discussions, resources for organizers & communicators, our healthy cooking show, and more. Join today starting at $2/month. Explore our Assist an Activist program for community-supported memberships.

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We are back from our month-long hiatus to dig into the major news we missed and root into the long game of organizing against our polycrisis to build the future we deserve. While elites, Big Tech, and white supremacy are throwing everything they can at us, the truth is they are all the same root. Watch today's preview on PeerTube.

Become a member: www.rootschangemedia.com/private-podcast/#/portal/account/plans

In the Episode

• Elites & Big Tech work to control & hoard 
• Building news and media literacy
• Organizing through an escalating polycrisis
• How we navigate the ragging waters collectively
• Our theory of change and finding your role in social change
• Corgi booty as community cared

References / Resources

1. 🗞️ The Pope Calls Out AI
2. 🗞️ Peter Thiel Preaching Anti-Christ at Vatican's Door
3. 🗞️ Malaysia Suing Israel Over Torture of Gaza Flotilla Activists
4. 🗞️ Trump's DOJ Gifts Him $1.8 Billion Slush Fund for Allies
5. 🗞️ The Supreme Court Ends Multiracial Democracy as We Know It 
6. 🗞️ Tennessee GOP Moves to Decimate Black Voting Power After SCOTUS Blessing of Jim Crow
7. 🗞️ More US Americans Buying Beans to Offset Costs
8. 🗞️ Billionaires, Dark Money Unprecedented Spending for 2026 Midterms
9. 🗞️ Big Tech & Elite's Stealing Water, Energy, & Resources
10. 🌱 Our Theory of Change: Storytelling for Social Change
11. ✊🏽 Explore Our Refreshed Resource Hub

Grow with Healthy Media:

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If you enjoyed today's episode, consider supporting our work or joining our memberships for more rooted media & resources! Root into our private podcast discussions, resources for organizers & communicators, our healthy cooking show, and more. Join today starting at $2/month. Explore our Assist an Activist program for community-supported memberships.

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hey y’all, 👋🏽 May the 4th Be with You! Star Wars Day also happens to be my birthday. To celebrate, we're re-releasing our Live panel discussion with Get Free about Andor and Star Wars as a place for organizing lessons.

Sam Chavez (she/they/he) chats with Natalie (she/her) and Anthony Torres (he/him) from Get Free about their new program to get Star Wars fans involved in organizing called Project Fulcrum. In the hour-long conversation, we discussed:

• How Star Wars fandom can inform our activism on Earth today
• Mon Mothma’s unique role in The Resistance as someone with privilege within The Empire
• Nemik’s Manifesto and what lessons we can take about movement building
• Get Free’s Project Fulcrum as an opportunity for Star Wars fans to get involved
• Why we need The Force and joy for long-term movement building

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About Get Free

Join Project Fulcrum

Follow Get Free

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Amplify Grounded Activism

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About Natalie Green (she/her)

Natalie Green is a leader on Project Fulcrum, a Get Free initiative that mobilizes Star Wars and Andor fans across races, backgrounds, and generations to rebel against real-world authoritarianism. A lifelong Star Wars fend, she blends pop culture with politics to inspire action and build community. Natalie is a progressive communications strategist with over a decade of experience advancing the rights of women, survivors, and communities of color. She currently works in the reproductive rights movement and has previously served on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s digital team and as Communications Manager at UltraViolet, where her campaigns reached tens of millions. Originally from New Jersey, she now lives in Washington, D.C.

About Anthony Torres (he/him)

Anthony Vidal Torres is the Communications Director for Get Free. Anthony is a messaging specialist, political strategist, and organizer originally from Long Island, New York. He’s supported winning campaigns across the country and most recently served as the Director of Collaboration at ASO Communications and has been a key steward and trainer of the Race Class Narrative. Prior to this, he led communication efforts for the national grassroots campaign to impeach Trump in 2019, and held a variety of leadership roles in the climate movement.

Get updates when new podcasts & resources are out:

Explore the roots of change agency

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• Follow us on YouTube, Bluesky & Mastodon
• Healthy Tech & Communications Resources
• Access Our Private Chats
• Become a Seedling Member

Sam Chavez (she/they/he) chats with Natalie (she/her) and Anthony Torres (he/him) from Get Free about their new program to get Star Wars fans involved in organizing called Project Fulcrum. In the hour-long conversation, we discussed:

• How Star Wars fandom can inform our activism on Earth in 2025
• Mon Mothma’s unique role in The Resistance as someone with privilege within The Empire
• Nemik’s Manifesto and what lessons we can take about movement building
• Get Free’s Project Fulcrum as an opportunity for Star Wars fans to get involved
• Why we need The Force and joy for long-term movement building

If you enjoyed today's episode, consider supporting our work or joining our memberships for more rooted media & resources! Root into our private podcast discussions, resources for organizers & communicators, our healthy cooking show, and more. Join today starting at $2/month. Explore our Assist an Activist program for community-supported memberships.

A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 The pope and the president are fighting and no that's not a punchline for a dad joke. We celebrate Easter the way the radical organizer, Jesus, would want, by talking about community and radical love! I sit down with two of my pastors from Middle Church, Rev. Natalie Perkins and Jillian Langford, to discuss Jesus, the rise of Christian Nationalism, and how Middle Church is building a community that's moving for change. This was originally recorded on August 19, 2025 as part of our ongoing Road Trippin' for Change series. Watch today's episode.

In the Episode

• Jesus Teachings vs. Christian Nationalism
• How a church fire transformed Middle Church
• Church as love and community
• The complexity of Christianity in the U.S.
• The spiritual work of becoming human beings, not human doings
• Church as movement organizing
• The intersection of history and religion
• Using religion and spirituality to move through the rise of Christian Nationalism
• Octavia Butler's God is Change

Media, Resources, & News

• Middle Church
• Fierce Love by Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis
• 🎙️ New York Organizing for Our Future Today with Chris Torres
• Ubunutu & Other Lessons from Black Liberation
• The Will to Change by bell hooks
• Freedom Rising Conference
• Nazis & Hegseth: Christian Nationalism Rhythms

🌱 Become a Seedling Member Today! Get more behind-the-scenes action from our trip and go deeper with activists & organizers at just $2/month.

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A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 this week, we stay in Southwest Texas to talk about the rise of christian nationalism, Republican Messaging strategies, and the complex web of the early history of the U.S. Bear hits the streets of Marfa, TX to reflect on small town, rural life and how we can empower the people politically and socially. Watch today's preview on YouTube or PeerTube.

In the Episode

1. Christian Nationalism and settler colonialism
2. Jesus' teachings vs. MAGA
3. Being two spirit and beyond gender
4. Inside Elon Musks's Election Strategy
5. Breaking down Republican voters
6. Democrat's Messaging Failures in 2024

 🌱 Become a Seedling Member Today! Get more behind-the-scenes action from our trip and go deeper with activists & organizers at just $2/month.

References / Resources

1. 📚 Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe
2. 🎬 Dazed and Confused (1993)
3. 🌱 Reawakening to Indigenous Queer Wisdom
4. 🎬 Giant (1956)
5. ✊🏽 Stop the Bloated Billionaire Bill with People Power
6. 📚 The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks
7. 🌍 MAGA Morphing of the Grand Old Party (GOP)

Grow with Healthy Media:

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Amplify Grounded Activism

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• Join our secure Signal broadcast channel
• Access Private Podcast Feed

If you enjoyed today's Road Trippin' for Change episode, consider joining our memberships for the full experience! Root into our private podcast discussions, resources for organizers & communicators, our healthy cooking show, and more. Join today starting at $2/month.

A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 this week, we are in Marfa, TX talking about cowboys, masculinity, and queerness. Women's History Month 2026 has been one of reckonings. The mask of patriarchy, as flimsy as it was, is being ripped off across our society. Growing up in Texas, toxic patriarchy and Christian Nationalism are nothing new for me. I reflect on Texas culture and its threads to growing fascism today.

Watch today's episode.

1. Giant (1956) & Queerness in Hollywood
2. Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, & James Dean as mirrors of our society
3. Texas culture & toxic patriarchy
4. Country music and masculinity
5. Reality of borders and migration

 🌱 Become a Seedling Member Today! Get more behind-the-scenes action from our trip and go deeper with activists & organizers at just $2/month.

References / Resources

1. Giant (1956)

Grow with Healthy Media:

• Explore healthy media & tech
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Amplify Grounded Activism

• 🎬 Watch on YouTube or PeerTube
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• Join our secure Signal broadcast channel
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If you enjoyed today's Road Trippin' for Change episode, consider joining our memberships for the full experience! Root into our private podcast discussions, resources for organizers & communicators, our healthy cooking show, and more. Join today starting at $2/month.