My move is just beginning to wind down. I had some thoughts today about trauma, perfectionism, self-sabotage and the creative process.

Thank you for listening!

Hi everyone,

I've been exploring different avenues for creativity: art, writing, poetry, music and combinations of them, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts on how the vulnerability we expose through our creative arts affects us, and how our choices define us. In many ways, we have the ability to choose who we are going to become, and how we are going to develop. Take a listen, recommend my podcast to your friends, share on your social media, drop me a comment, and consider becoming a supporter for just a few dollars a month, you can help keep this podcast casting.

I mention a TedTalk on the subject of choices and self definition, which you can find here. I love this talk, and have watched it a couple of times, and recommend for anyone facing or considering making big life changes. The talk is by Ruth Chang, and you can find it here.

I mention my Instagram photography, and you can connect with me here.

My poetry and writings can be found here.

Constellation on SoundCloud can be found here.

If you use Facebook to connect, I have a page with writings and art and music here.

Thank you for listening! Don't forget to subscribe to catch the upcoming episode that I'll be putting out with Maren and Tonya on Compound Privilege.

Hi everyone,

Just popping in here to give you a brief update. I had a medical scare, I've moved, and I'm not dying just yet. 

How do we live a meaningful life? Why do we talk about life and death like winning and losing rather than as a natural, gestalt whole?

How do we end up with so much stuff?

An upcoming episode will have Maren and Tonya both on to discuss compound privilege with me. 

Please Subscribe to the podcast! Like and share your favorite episode (s), and feel free to tag me in your shares.

Thank you for listening!

I couldn't wait to get this episode out to you guys, so here it is. Maren really gets into the heart of what kind of actions people can take to be involved in community, and to help direct the changes in our towns, cities, states, and nation. Most importantly, the work is never done. We keep striving, and we support others in their striving. We can rest, but we can't stop.

Here are a few highlights:

"Like there's real injustices out there in the world, and there's ways to address them and that's what politics is. Politics is talking to one another. Politics is addressing the issues that are confronting us as a community, so I don't think I'll ever become deactivated again, and I try not to despair."

"You have to decide what's important to you. And you have to view politics as a way to get those things done, and you have to figure out how you accomplish them within that political system."

"So, part of my job is to hold my representatives accountable when they don't do the things they say they're going to do."

"You know, when people talk about debt, a lot of that is occurring because politicians aren't willing to tell constituents that to pay for this, we’d have to raise your taxes. So, they keep on cutting taxes and then paying more for programs."

"I think everybody should be devoting at least a few hours of every week to doing something that improves their community. It doesn't have to be necessarily, you know, in politics. You know, everything is politics. Everything is how we relate to each other as human beings. But get involved in something. Make it…make our world better and you start local."

"...if I'm interested in something, I want to know the group that's doing the stuff on it because they've already solved a lot of the problems. They've already built part of the road. They've got a nice vehicle. I just need to help them push their vehicle. I don't need to reinvent the wheel. I don't need to go and research all of the best ways to have a better police force…better police forces in my state. There are already lots of academics who have been studying it for a long time. There are communities that have already put solutions into place and have lessons learned."

"There isn't a way to fix problems quickly. There is only making things better."

You can find the Audio transcript here.

Support this podcast directly with a monthly contribution on the main Anchor page here. Recommend me someone to interview next (or it could be textile pollution next, you won't know). Share your favorite episodes far and wide! Thank you for your kind words of support! I have the highest quality of listeners, so thank you for that!

Maren contacted me after listening to Episode 3 part 1 and asked if she could clarify something she felt came across unclearly, so we got together on Zoom this morning to record this for you, dear listeners. The second part of Episode 3 is still in the works, as I am in the process of some major life adjustments. I will try to get it out for you soon.

My friend, Maren, who you met in the first Episode, Dreams and the Stories We Tell Ourselves, comes back on the show for Episode 3 to talk about how becoming politically active has deepened her understanding of politics, renewed a commitment to engagement, and outlines some of the avenues that political activism can take. 

Listen as she speaks with her heart and passion about her experiences leading up to, and coming out of, the 2020 election cycle.

Audio transcript can be found here.

Tonya and I wind up our (really it was four parts) episode talking about  hidden costs and factors of energy of renewable energy, the distance between people and our resources, volunteering, religious organizations and where their money goes, and spirituality.

It was such a great pleasure to spend time talking with Tonya. After we cut the mics off, we continued talking for a good while longer, and we hope to have some time down the road to share with you again. 

If you haven't had a chance to check out the previous episodes, you can find them here.

Show notes can be found here.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for your support.

Please subscribe to catch new Episodes as they are launched. Next up, Maren is coming back on the show to talk about politics, and I hardly got three words in sideways, if you can believe that. ;) 

Thank you for your patience while I have been working hard to get these episodes out, I have also been working in other areas to pay the bills. Wendy Says Things is sponsored by Anchor by Spotify, for which I am grateful. I get about half-penny per play for the advert slug in the center-ish of the podcast. I am not podcasting for the dime in my virtual wallet, but because I think these issues need to be discussed, and the info found in the Show Notes needs to be compiled and accessible. 

In this episode, we talk about cultural attitudes on nursing in public, attitudes towards children, definitions of intimacy, ways to nurture the mind and spirit, following intuition, how the #metoo movement could be more inclusive of male survivors of sexual assault (resources are in the show notes), and how businesses need to take a long-term strategy approach toward climate issues to stay relevant. 

The Washington Post just published an article about how 85,000 claims of sexual abuse have been made against them. Our society must begin to value our children. If you've missed previous episodes of Wendy Says Things, we have covered topics such as Dreams and the Stories we Tell Ourselves, Talking With Tonya Part 1 (We cover some basic concepts in this episode about personal energy and healing, interpersonal energy and healing, and generational trauma energy and healing.), and Talking with Tonya Part 2 (Where we tackle Child Abuse, and Human Trafficking. We zoom into some of the specific challenges of addressing these issues, and back out to frame them in greater societal and cultural trends.). 

We know that these issues may be difficult to hear, and discuss, and share. Our goal is to provide information, support, and healing in these difficult areas, during these difficult times. Thank you for listening. Thank you for healing. Thank you for surviving. Your life is important. Your heart is a gift to the world.

There's still time to catch up on the first episodes of Wendy Says Things.

I have an album release coming up February 20th, so I'm a little behind on the podcast! Check out the details here.

There are many ways to support this podcast, and I appreciate all of the ways you-all help keep me going!

Tonya and I pick the conversation back up in this second part of the second episode tackling Child Abuse, and Human Trafficking. We zoom into some of the specific challenges of addressing these issues, and back out to frame them in greater societal and cultural trends. Tonya, an Indigenous Health and Wellness practitioner who has long advocated for Native rights and who was at Standing Rock, walks us through some of the specific challenges facing our Native communities when it comes to preventing, investigating, and bringing to conclusion cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. 

Classism, the Legal System, Politics, and personal traumas all influence our society as we attempt to put into play laws and dispositions which value and protect our children, while providing them with freedom and support to grow and develop. We talk about God, and Spirituality, Religion, and the tribal roots that all of humanity shares. Marriage, Sex, Freedom of religion, and Freedom are touched on as well. 

For references, articles, my personal comments, research, and organizations helping to combat human trafficking, please refer to the full transcript which can be found on my website here.

Previous episodes and links to additional platforms can be found here.

We love all of the ways you support us - likes, comments, shares, discussion. Keep it up, and thanks for listening.