We Outside

Join us ‘outside’ in this episode as Ain sits down with guest Elissa Sloan Perry to dive into the abundant wisdom of nature. They discuss the trials and tribulations that come with navigating the complexity of life and the importance of listening to nature to guide us through. Elissa imparts the significance and power that curiosity has in fostering growth and the ability to listen to our instincts and find ways to thrive through challenging times. They speak about the sacred responsibility we have to ourselves, to the earth, and to community as we work towards joy - having faith in and standing firm in our virtuosity as well as in the ensemble. 

In this episode, we explore:

• Nature as a Source of Wisdom
• Navigating Disconnection and Finding Joy
• Embracing Complexity in Our Lives
• The Call to Sacred Responsibility
• Practices for Thriving in Difficult Times
• The Power of Curiosity and Emotion
• Faith in Sacred Possibility

Sacred Shoutout Links:

Elissa: “undrowned,” by Alexis Pauline Gumbs 

“The Healing Tree: Botanicals, Remedies, and Rituals from African Folk Traditions,” by Stephanie Rose Bird

Ain: the Northwest Pacific Ocean + Highway One (Sonoma and Mendocino county coastlines)

Elissa Bio: Elissa Sloan Perry (any pronouns) is of African and Mississippi Choctaw descent, hails from Missouri (Osage homelands), and is a 35-year resident of California (Miwok and Tongva homelands). She supports people with a vision for an interdependently thriving planet to be better in what they do. Director, Prefiguring Futures, at Change Elemental—Elissa supports and accompanies Change Elemental clients with liberatory leadership development deepening in “be-how” and know-how for advancing change in chaos and complexity. In addition to her work with Change Elemental, Elissa teaches in the MA in Leadership Program at Saint Mary’s College where she facilitates diverse, cross-sector learning communities in developing a holistic leadership practice. You can also find Elissa writing, tap dancing, exploring other art forms, and spending time with trees. Learn more about Elissa Sloan Perry at changeelemental.org 

New Seneca Village is a restorative residency experience that invites leaders and healers to access expansive resources (time, space, access to nature, restorative practices, intentional community and higher consciousness) for the sake of nourishing and sustaining their collective visioning for a just future.

We Outside is hosted and produced by Ain Bailey and produced and edited by Aisha Jordan.

Get in touch with We Outside at [email protected].

Join us for an intimate conversation about the nature of spirit and its influence on life and work, including the importance of intimacy with spirit and the challenges of navigating personal and collective healing.

In this conversation host Ain B. speaks with villager and human rights activist Tina Lopes to uncover the profound connections between spirit, community, and personal growth. They discuss the nature of spirit as an immense mystery that influences their lives and work, emphasizing the importance of intimacy with spirit and the challenges of navigating personal and collective healing.

The dialogue also touches on the ruthlessness of spirit in prompting transformation and the significance of community in fostering resilience. Through shared experiences and reflections, they invite listeners to consider their own relationships with spirit and the abundance that awaits them.

S1 E1 Episode Transcript

In this episode:

• Spirit as an eternal mystery and guiding force
• Abundance is available when we open ourselves to it
• Transformation and resilience 
• The role of spirit in community and activism

Sacred Shoutout Links

Tina: 

 “undrowned,” by Alexis Pauline Gumbs 

Ahmed Abu Amsha - Songs from the Rubble

Ain: 

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) August 20, 2025 

Tina Bio: For thirty-four years Tina Lopes has leaned into human rights, justice and liberation work professionally inside organizations, and personally in extended and chosen families and collectives. She’s attempted both system change in large public spheres as well as in communities stretched thin trying to shelter people thrown away by those systems. More recently Lopes has been devoted to learning how to do this same work from a radical place: rooting in self-worth, relying on the natural flow of wisdom that comes from trusting ones body voice, our collective knowing, mutual healing and innate brilliance when we reclaim abundance as our birthright. Learn more about Tina Lopes at www.tinalopes.com

New Seneca Village is a restorative residency experience that invites leaders and healers to access expansive resources (time, space, access to nature, restorative practices, intentional community and higher consciousness) for the sake of nourishing and sustaining their collective visioning for a just future.

We Outside is hosted and produced by Ain Bailey and produced and edited by Aisha Jordan.

Get in touch with We Outside at [email protected].

Introducing the We Outside podcast by New Seneca Village. Featuring host Ain Bailey alongside brilliant progressive change leaders and healers. In each We Outside episode, we engage in generative conversations with guests who are redefining what it means to live and work outside of dominant imagination, authentically and with purpose. Join us as we move beyond the confines of conventional thinking and into other realms of possibility.

Episodes are available every second and fourth Wednesday.