On today's episode I am with my friend Marta Sierra and we are discussing what's changed in her life since her previous conversations on the podcast. Marta is discussing her recent divorce plus the impact of abandonment trauma on her grief process. Marta and I also discuss:

--her support system

--how she connects with pleasure

--her expression of queerness post-divorce

--what she tells herself to get through the pain of the divorce

Marta has been immersed in IFS since 2013, she was legally trafficked from Colombia as an infant and now specializes in helping her community move through healing from adoption trauma, racial trauma and CPTSD. She is passionate about adopted and displaced people having the tools they need to be able to build and maintain healthy relationships, most importantly with themselves and all their parts. T0 reach out to Marta, contact her at [email protected].

In this episode, I speak with Kaity Rodriguez about how she embodies self-love and self-confidence. We discuss when and how she found her voice which led to her working with her clients on developing more assertive communication. We also discuss:

--Kaity's blog series "100 Dates in Houston"

--Kaity's journal, "The Confidence Project"

--Kaity's guide, " Welcome To the Couch"

--Kaity's IFS parts that are activated during the dating journey

Kaity Rodriguez, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, author, and media expert with a passion for educating and inspiring women and minorities to live amazing lives. Her virtual group counseling practice, Serenity Wellness and Therapy Services, specializes in treating individuals with anxiety and stress disorders, as well as self-esteem and self-confidence issues. Kaity is a former Miss New Jersey USA and the author of “The Confidence Project Journal: 52 Journal Prompts to uncover personal strength and stop self-doubt”, as well as “Welcome to the Couch: a Beginner’s Guide to Therapy.” She has been featured on outlets such as FOX News, News 12 NJ, and NBC.

In today's episode I am with my chosen sister and friend Marcie. We dive right into her book, " Everybody Come Alive".  We also discuss:

--Recognition of the Divine inside of her

--Marcie's process for honoring Blackness in her book

--Microaggressions and barriers for Black writers/authors

--The national book ban

--In praise of " Everybody Come Alive", the reception of Marcie's book by family and friends

--Our fun ideas for creating a Black Utopia

Marcie Alvis-Walker is a writer and the creator of the blog and Instagram feed, Black Coffee with White Friends and the author of EVERYBODY COME ALIVE: A MEMOIR IN ESSAYS. She is passionate about what it means to embrace intersectionality, diversity and inclusion in our spiritual lives. She recently moved to Chicago, Illinois with her husband, daughter, and their dog Evie where she reads a lot of books, watches a lot of movies, and drinks a lot of tea and coffee.

Visit Marcie's website : https://www.marciealviswalker.com/

Follow Marcie on Instagram @ Blackcoffeewhitefriends

Subscribe to Marcie's newsletter @  https://blackeyedstories.substack.com/

In today's episode, I speaking with my sister, my friend, and fellow sojourner, Natalie Gutierrez. In this heart-lead, soulful conversation we discuss:

--Her book, " The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color"

--The parts of her that she is embracing today

--We talk about the importance of love

--The ancestral work that is calling her today

--How Natalie is staying true to her calling

--Her truest " I Am"

Natalie is a Boricua trauma therapist and space-holder in New York and Author of The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color. She has spent 15 years supporting BIPOC in her trauma counseling practice that were hurting from the soul wounds of Complex Posttraumatic Stress. She has worked to help people on the healing journey navigating racial trauma, attachment trauma, generational trauma, and sexual trauma. She is a certified internal family systems therapist. Her individual and group decolonial healing work blends the intersections of psychotherapy, activism, intuitive and ancestral wisdom and connection. She is a mother of two beautiful spirits and works intentionally everyday to disrupt cycles of legacy wounding.

This episode is everything--such a beautiful conversation with my friend Tommy Allgood. We discuss intersectional identities, queerness, sacred earth medicine, what is inspired our connection with each other. 

"Thomas Garvin (They/he), better known as Tommy Allgood, is a Registered Nurse turned Care Director doing work with community and organizational development based in Charlotte, NC. What is colloquially known as Charlotte and the surrounding area is the land stolen from the Sugaree, Catawba, Cheraw, and Waxhaw people. He/They have a passion for helping people navigate mental, emotional, and spiritual roadblocks by developing grounding practices centered in self and community that foster co-creation and resiliency in the face of adversity and resistance. Tommy works with organizations to facilitate cultural shifts that are people-centered and compassion oriented, breaking down what it means to be in authentic service of self and communities. Tommy's current work includes: Educating and transforming organizational visions + missions to meet the modern day challenges of diversity, inclusion, equity, and anti-racism principles and practices Spiritual care rooted in personal + collective discovery utilizing tools that center a holistic perspective + embodied self Knowledge sharing and strategy building with organizations so that they foster healthy people and healthy environments. Exploring + Advancing Bodily Liberation at the intersections of the Black and Queer experiences.

To connect with Tommy visit his website @ www.teamallgood.com

In today's episode which was recorded February 2023, I speak with Tina Strawn (she/they).

Tina is a joy and liberation advocate, activist, author of "Are We Free Yet? The Black, Queer Guide to Divorcing America" (Row House Publishing, January 2023). Tina is also the owner and host of the Speaking of Racism podcast and she is the co-founder of the movement to ban guns and buy them back, Here 4 The Kids. The heart of Tina's work is founding and leading Legacy Trips, immersive antiracism experiences where participants visit historical locations such as Montgomery and Selma, AL, and utilize spiritual practices as tools to affect personal and collective change.

Tina has three adult children, an ex-husband, an ex-wife, and an ex-country. She has been a full-time minimalist nomad since February 2020 and currently lives in Costa Rica. Tina travels the globe speaking, writing, teaching, and exploring where on the planet she can feel safe and free in her queer, Black, woman-identifying body.During our conversation we discuss Tina's book, " Are We Free Yet? The Black Queer Guide to Divorcing America." We discuss anti-Blackness and how it shows up. Tina shares how and where she has found love, belonging, and community.