Queerify | Demystifying Wellness for QTBIPOC

This week we chat with the wonderfully unique and multi-talented, Alexis Benefield (she/her). Alexis is a Black/Filipina Bay Area native, queer femme, and multidisciplinary artist, designer and community organizer, who believes we are all perfectly and uniquely made beings finding our way back home to ourselves ✨ We discuss her community driven projects SIS (Solidarity in Sisterhood) and Tender,...

In this episode, we’re honored to feature the artist THEIA (she/her), a proud ‘wahine moe wahine’ (lesbian) from the Waikato-Tainui and Ngaati Tiipaa tribes of New Zealand. Theia shares her journey as an artist, and how her Māori upbringing and identity influenced her music and activism. She shares her deep connection to her indigenous heritage, discussing the importance of language, traditional p...

Hey there Queer Kittens!  This episode we’re so excited to bring you one half of the Bad Queers (@badqueerspod) podcast duo Shana Sumers! Hang with us and Shana as we discuss life, community and what it means to be a gold member of the Beyhive. Shana shares her journey from being a music therapist,  to working for the HER app and how that led to the creation of the Bad Queers Podcast.  She also di...

“ All walls gon’ fall, free them all, free them all. ” On this week’s episode we discuss black liberation and collective wellness through the power of sex magick with the incredible, Halo the Gxdbody (they/them) . Halo opens up about their own journey of exploration, and how the combination of black sex magick and BDSM practices has brought them closer to their divine energy. They believe that thr...

We’re celebrating Black History Month by featuring an episode from one of our favorite podcasts, Bad Queers hosted by Shana and Kris. They beautifully weave the black queer experience, pop culture, entertainment, and so much more. We hope you enjoy this episode queer kittens! FEED DROP: BAD QUEERS | EPISODE 192: For the second year in a row, Angela Bassett did the thing. This time with Regina King...

On this episode, we’re honored to have the amazing Chhoti Maa (They/ella). Born in Guanajuato, Mexico; Chhoti Maa is a rapper, singer, and songwriter whose music is rooted in ecofeminism, migrant rights and the power of community. Their music reflects decolonial living, ancestral medicine, queerness, love and radical sisterhood.  We discuss Chhoti’s passion for learning their ancestral traditions,...

Listen in as the QUEST team, Stevie Cua (All Pronouns Accepted) and Raphaella Landestoy (She/Her) define what radical acceptance means to them, and how they apply it to their own lives and to others they love.  We discuss cultivating healthy boundaries with family and friends in order to honor authenticity, and what it means to be radical when faced with adversity and dysfunction.  We hope this ep...

“ What is your gift? What is the medicine you can give to the world? ” - Madame Gandhi Happy 2024 folks! We’re so excited to be back with you and to be starting this season off with such an amazing guest.  In this episode, we sit down with Madame Gandhi (she/her). She is a musician, activist, gender liberation and personal empowerment speaker. Listen in as we discuss tools to overcome life’s roadb...

Hello Queer Kittens! 2023 is nearing its end, and we wanted to take this chance to reflect and recharge amongst community. In this episode we have Aïma The Dreamer (They/Them/Femme) joining us in meaningful and healing conversation. They are a multi-disciplinary artist, musician, and activist based in Oakland, CA. They use their art as a tool for liberation by uplifting the principles of QTBIPOC e...

On this episode, we are reclaiming the holiday season with our guest, Bex Mui (She/her) . We discuss the importance of setting intentional practices for yourself during the holidays in order to enter the new year with some ease. Bex also discusses her QTBIPOC-centered spiritual play space, “ House of Our Queer ” and book, “ House of Our Queer: Healing, Reframing and Reclaiming Your Spiritual Pract...

On this episode, we had the privilege of talking to the incredible and multifaceted Sie Savage Chambers @ThaPlantbasedSavage⁠ . He is a Southern-born, Plant-Based Wellness Coach, Chef, Educator, Creator, Poet, Community Organizer, and Founder of @Hyer_wellness . We discuss all things gut health, and what it’s like navigating family holiday dynamics while living a plant-based lifestyle. Sie also hi...

Halloween has arrived Queer Kittens!  Now is the time to let our true-est self come out and play, and there is no better person to help us do just that than Helixir Jynder Byntwell !  Helixir (he/they) is a gender-bending trans-nonbinary Drag King who is taking the Bay Area by storm. Join us as we discuss the magic of transformation and how Helixir found authenticity through drag and by leaning in...

Happy October Queer Kitties!  In this episode, we welcome back one of our amazing guests, Melissa from episode “The Giver (2020 Wrap-up)”. Listen in as we glimpse some of her incredible personal growths and life changes since last year at Sum Of Us festival .  We were also blessed to get a chance to speak to Melissa’s kiddo, Morgan, who gave us a new perspective on their mother’s transformation, a...

Hey Queer Kitties! We’ve missed you! For our new listeners we welcome you with open arms. Come hang out with the QUEST crew in our first episode of season 3 kick-off. You will hear the team discuss some of our summer highlights, set backs, and learning moments. We have a lot to catch you up on, so tune in!  Check out all the wellness resources mentioned on the podcast here . THE CREW: Host: Vaness...

Be an official supporter of the podcast DONATE HERE if you are able. Happy Pride Queer Kittens! For our final episode of season two we wanted to honor this month of celebration/protest by featuring a true beacon of hope in the SF community; the amazingly talented Niko Storment!  Niko Storment (He/They) is a transgender event producer, videographer/photographer, and singer-songwriter. He is the fou...

Be an official supporter of the podcast DONATE HERE if you are able. Spring has Sprung Queer Kittens, it's time to dust off the cobwebs of winter! This episode we will be giving you some tips on how to incorporate the energy of spring into your life and spirit. Join us as we talk to our associate producer Raphaella Landestoy, as she shares some of her favorite cleansing practices for your mind...

Be an official supporter of the podcast DONATE HERE if you are able to. Join us on our part 2 of the mushroom spectrum where work to de-stigmatize psilocybin and bring attention to its powerful medicinal and spiritual capabilities. We discuss the history of the psychedelic renaissance, different social/political impacts psychedelics have had in the United States, and give you useful tips and infor...

Be an official supporter of the podcast DONATE HERE if you are able. On this week’s episode we’ll be talking all things mushrooms! Join us as we deep dive into the wonderful world of functional fungi and some of the amazing benefits they hold for not only our bodies, but also this planet.  Our guest this week is one of our Executive Producers, Stevie Cua (All Pronouns Accepted), who is an all arou...

Be an official supporter of the podcast DONATE HERE if you are able. Radically loving our bodies is an act of rebellion, and our guest this week is living by that mindset. Listen in as we talk to Luca Yacón, the founder of Radically Fit Oakland, the Bay Area's radical community gym rooted in fat liberation & joyful movement for all queer, trans, black and brown folks and allies, regardless of...

Be an official supporter of the podcast DONATE HERE if you are able. Happy Valentine’s Day Queer Kittens! In this episode of QUEST we bring attention to the most important expression of love there is; radical self love. Join us as we chat with our amazing guest Kaylynn Marisol aka The Vulva Witch, a positive body image activist, sex educator and birth doula. In this episode we dive deep into Kayly...

Be an official supporter of our podcast DONATE HERE if you are able to. Happy New Queer! We are recharged and ready to bring you amazing stories and resources for 2023. In this episode, our host V and guest co-host Kori Houston (our Executive Producer) catch us up on their holiday season and discuss alternative ways of thinking about new year's resolutions that can be more kind to the mind and hea...

If you or someone you know is in crisis, dial 988 for free support at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline . In the last few months of this podcast…we have hit the highs and the lows in our quest for wellness with you. We want to thank you for embracing all of our stories and the folks that we’ve had on the pod so far. This month we dove deeply into suicide ideation and prevention. We know the depths o...

If you or someone you know is in crisis, text/call 988 for free support at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline . “It's not enough to change the external environment. You must deal with changing the self-destructive processes, the inner patterns that erode the self and mental wellbeing.” - Dr. Israel Orbach (1943-2010) On this week's episode of QUEST we continue our conversation around the more shadow...

If you or someone you know is in crisis, dial 988 for free support at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline . “Sometimes life's a masterpiece, you paint it in the dark” - Kolohe Kai Here at QUEST we want our listeners to know from the bottom of our hearts that you are not alone. We strive to be a safe space and useful resource to our listeners, and hopefully help you on your journey towards radical self...

Although the holiday season has arrived, we believe that re-indigenizing your life is a all-year long practice. We wanted to spend this episode shining a light on our indigenous communities fighting every day to regain sovereignty, and take a look at what indigenous joy looks like. We chat with Two-Spirit community leaders, Victoria/Victor, Batul True Heart, and Kenta while at the Indigenous Red M...