When We Speak

Today's episode is with Marla Taviano, author of her newest book unbelieve: poems on the journey to becoming a heretic. This episode is in honor of Rachel Held Evans who inspired much of Marla's deconstruction and decolonizing journey. We discuss Marla's book, how she wrestled with her faith beliefs, what/who she lost, what she's gained, her passion for books and people, and lastly she turns the tables and asks me about my book What Children Remember.

Today's conversation is with my friend Marta and we are discussing IFS and transracial adoptee trauma, her experience of being raised in a predominantly White environment and the many layers of complex PTSD.

49. IFS and Psychedelics with Candace Oglesby, LCPC and Victor Cabral, MSW, LSW, CCTP-I

Today's convo is with my guest Christa Couture. We discuss her book, How To Lose Everything and how grief gave meaning to her gifts, shaped and redefined her role in her community, the importance of naming grief and attending to it, what grounds her today. We also discuss advocacy and how being disabled empowered her to advocate for herself and her daughter.

Christa Couture is an award-winning performing and recording artist, filmmaker, writer and broadcaster. She is also proudly Indigenous (mixed Cree and Scandinavian), disabled, queer, and a mom.

Today's convo is with Andre Henry and we discuss his new book All The White Friends I Couldn't Keep, compromises we make when we are in relationship with people who are non-Black, how the murder of Eric Garner became a wake-up call, and anti-Blackness that exists in all of us.

When the rallying cry “Black Lives Matter” was heard across the world in 2013, Andre Henry was one of the

millions for whom the movement caused a political awakening and a rupture in some of his closest relationships with white people. As he began using his artistic gifts to share his experiences and perspective, Henry was aggrieved to discover that many white Americans—people he called friends and family—were more interested in debating whether racism existed or whether Henry was being polite enough in the way he used his voice.

In ALL THE THE WHITE FRIENDS I COULDN’T KEEP: Hope--and Hard Pills to Swallow--About

Fighting for Black Lives (Convergent Hardcover; March 22, 2022; $26), Henry explores how the historical divides between Black people and non-Black people are expressed through our most mundane interactions, and why this struggle won’t be resolved through civil discourse, diversity hires, interracial relationships, or education. What we

need is a revolution, one that moves beyond symbolic progress to disrupt systems of racial violence and inequality in tangible, creative ways. Sharing stories from his own path to activism—from studying at seminary to becoming a student of nonviolent racial change, from working as a praise leader to singing about social justice—and connecting those experiences to lessons from successful nonviolent struggles in America and around the world, Andre Henry calls on Black people and people of color to divest from whiteness and its false promises, trust what their lived experiences tell them, and practice hope as a discipline as they work for lasting change.

Andre Henry is an award-winning musician, writer, and activist contending for the world that ought to be. He is a columnist for Religion News Service and the author of the newsletter “Hope and Hard Pills.” His activism in pursuit of racial justice has been featured in The New Yorker and The Nation, and on The Liturgists Podcast.

In today's conversation we speak with Dr. Patrice Berry about her book, "Turning Crisis into Clarity", the mental health stigma in the Black community, how to find the right therapist, and how she became a social media influencer and content creator.

Dr. Patrice Berry is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of clinical experience. She provides outpatient therapy at her private practice, and specializes in treating children, families, and adults with histories of trauma, adoption, depression, anxiety, and adjustment/life stage issues. As a speaker, she provides educational trainings on mental health awareness, integrating faith and mental health, and the impact of racism on marginalized communities. She also provides educational information on social media including Tiktok, Youtube, and Instagram. She will be joining me today to discuss her new book Turning Crisis into Clarity: How to survive or thrive in the midst of uncertainty.

Today's episode is with Undrea Wright and Charlotte James, creators of The Ancestor Project. Our discussion is all about sacred earth medicines and their work with the BIPOC community. We delve into their inspiration for starting the Ancestor Project, reclaiming ancestral practices, the medical model's stigma against plant and animal medicine, what they've learned about themselves while doing this work, and what they've learned about healing and community. This is such a rich and beautiful discussion.

Undrea has been working to heal himself with sacred medicines for over 11 years. He is a cannabis entrepreneur that was instrumental in the decriminalization and medical bill pass in Maryland. He has a focus on equity and inclusion in all healing work and communities. Dre practices in the Traditional Amazonian ways, informed by the South American Shipibo-Conibo and Quechua-Lamista lineages, having trained with various global indigenous masters. He focuses on ancient teachings as a means to achieve spiritual enlightenment. At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet.

Charlotte has been a harm reductionist and psychedelic explorer for over 10 years, but her path through this work has certainly not been linear. After leaving harm reduction years ago because of rapid burn out, she is returning to this work with a new energy - thanks to the power of healing with Sacred Earth Medicines. Charlotte is fascinated by communication, has a love of language, and is captivated by the power of human connection. She has been in fearless pursuit of her passions since she can remember, always gifting herself new experiences and opportunities to expand her mind. Charlotte works to create a world in which everyone is able to live in fearless pursuit of their radical transformation. She uses her skills as a digital strategist, coach, and space holder to build and engage a community focused on pursuing equitable liberation.

Follow The Ancestor Project on Instagram

Donate and support their work at www.theancestorproject.com

Today I am speaking with my friend and Internal Family Systems peer Kim Paulus, LMFT. Kim and I discuss the intersection of queerness and BIPOC, being a first generation immigrant and biracial. We discuss legacy burdens and ancestral healing among BIPOC queers. We also discuss what it means to speak your truth, how to meet others in the LGBTQ+ community, what it means to live authentically, and how to navigate relationships with those who disapprove of the gay community.

Kim Paulus describes herself as a fat, biracial, queer psychotherapist and IFS clinical consultant in private practice in Oakland, California. With a background in social justice activism, she serves primarily the LGBTQIIA+ and BIPOC communities, including multiracial people and adult children of immigrant parents. She first began using IFS in 2004, and was recently invited to join the IFS training staff as an Assistant Trainer. She is passionate about bringing the beautiful healing and empowerment that IFS offers to more and more of her people.

Learn more about Kim via her website at https://kimpauluslmft.com/

Follow Kim on Instagram 

"Love is the ritual, compassionate attuning is the medicine." -Alishia McCullough, LCMHCA

Today I am speaking with Alisha McCullough, LCMHCA about disordered eating in the Black community. Alishia educates listeners on the many categories of disordered eating, how white supremacy shows up in discussions about food, the difference between decolonization and anti-colonization, how to have conversations about disordered eating, and how find safe spaces and seek support.Alishia McCullough (she/her) LCMHCA  Owner of Black and Embodied Counseling and Consulting PLLC  is a millennial Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist currently residing in the DMV. She is also an independently published author of the book Blossoming. Alishia is passionate about racial healing, and anti-colonialism within eating disorders. She is motivated to increase access and create spaces for Black, Indigenous and People of the Global Majority to come together and heal in ways that inspire holistic wellness and liberation focused healing.  Outside of her clinical work, she is a Co-Founder of the Amplify Melanated Voices Movement  and the Founder of The Holistic Black Healing Collective. Her work has been featured by Target, Bustle, LA Times, Popsugar, and Forbes. 

Sabrina String Fearing the Black Body can be found via Amazon

bell hooks all about love can be found via Amazon

Eating Disorder Support Group for Black Folks  https://www.thesanctuaryinthecity.org/ed

the third Tuesday of each month at 4pm PST/6pm CST/7pm EST

@uncsolicitedftb https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unsolicited-fatties-talk-back/id1593026848

@myblackbodypodcast https://www.myblackbody.org/

Black Body Liberation Collective https://tbblcollectivewebs.wixsite.com/my-site

"I'm Thrivin" Paola Hernandez https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1jXIhhaZO1oddJBiIoIj5w

Follow Alishia on IG @ blackandembodied

Visit Alishia's website @ http://blackandembodied.com