Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast

This conversation opens with the beautiful, grounding discovery that Dr. Candace (the host) is blood kin with Jocelyn, a reminder that this work is always rooted in relationship and interconnectedness.  In this episode, Dr. Candace connects with Jocelyn Formsma, CEO of Indspire, to unpack what leadership looks like when we move beyond top-down models and into the role of a "big auntie"—s...

In this episode, host Dr. Candace Manitopyes speaks  with Nicole Robertson, a Cree media specialist from the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and one of the most respected voices in Indigenous communications. With over 30 years of experience across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., Nicole has shaped the way Indigenous stories are told through her work as a journalist, producer, and media strategist. This...

To walk through this world as an Indigenous trans or queer person is to reclaim a sacred, ancestral freedom that the colonial design never anticipated. In this episode, Dr. Amáyá Scott and Dr. Candace Manitopyes connect the threads of their experiences, exploring how joy functions as a revolutionary act of defiance.  Their conversation journeys through the exhaustion of the digital age, where algo...

Colonial binaries impose a rigid grid of control, yet ancient Indigenous cosmologies have always held a different truth. Renowned Cree scholar Dr. Alex Wilson dismantles these imposed limitations by braiding Indigenous knowledge with the non-binary nature of quantum physics.  She reminds us that "Queering is transforming poison into medicine." This conversation invites listeners to rejec...

In this episode of the June IndigiQueer series, host Dr. Candace welcomes the talented and iconic Ryan Breezy, a Diné and Southern San Juan Paiute model and makeup artist.  Join them as they explore the vibrant world of Indigenous fashion, the importance of representation, and the journey of self-discovery through art and culture.  Listeners will be inspired by Ryan's commitment to community...

Our June IndigiQueer series kicks off with Dr. Candace Manitopyes and Dr. Autumn BlackDeer as they explore Indigenous queerness, decolonization, grief, identity, academia, and liberation beyond colonial binaries. They unpack how colonial systems shaped modern understandings of gender, sexuality, and what it means to reclaim Indigenous ways of being rooted in sovereignty. Dr. Autumn shares openly a...

Join us for a deeply meaningful conversation about the power of art and the healing it brings. Steph Littlebird shares how art became a safe space in her life; a way to process her experiences, express herself, and find her voice when words weren’t always accessible. What began as a personal outlet has grown into impactful work that resonates with others at a global scale; offering connection, val...

What happens when the story shifts from trauma to sovereignty, from survival to power? The conversation between Dr. Savage Bear and Dr. Candace invites listeners into a deeply honest exploration of what it means to reclaim the body, rewrite inherited narratives, and return to Indigenous ways of knowing. Moving beyond the weight of deficit-based stories, it centres strength, Ancestry, and the truth...

In this compelling episode, Tantoo Cardinal shares a deeply honest and reflective look into her life, her legacy, and the truth behind Indigenous storytelling. With a career spanning decades, Tantoo speaks from a place of purpose, rooted in truth, resilience, and responsibility to her people. She opens up about the realities of growing up in a world shaped by colonization, where Indigenous identit...

In the final episode of the winter season, Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits with Dr. Rocio Rosales Meza, a Xicana/Mexicana seer, initiated medicine woman, and psychologist whose work bridges ancestral teachings with liberation. They name the moment we’re living in—the collapse of empire, the overwhelm of digital life, and the spiritual and emotional toll of witnessing global injustice. Dr. Rocio shares...

In this powerful cousin episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes welcomes her cousin, Dr. Tara Hutchison, a young Cree physician from Moose Cree First Nation, for an intimate and wide-ranging conversation about medicine, culture, identity, and the realities facing Indigenous communities today. Both women discuss the emotional labour of being Indigenous professionals in colonial systems: balancing advocacy...

In this vibrant episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes speaks with acclaimed actress, musician, and director Crystle Lightning of Enoch Cree Nation, an artist whose three-decade career has broken barriers on screen, on stage, and behind the scenes.  They get into the reality of working in film, television, and theatre—far beyond the glamor audiences see. Crystle opens up about the grit behind the craft,...

In this gripping episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits with award-winning journalist, author, and filmmaker Tanya Talaga, whose work has become a lifeline for truth in a country still wrestling with denial. From the moment they begin, the conversation feels less like an interview and more like two Indigenous women pulling back the curtain on generations of silence, survival, and spiritual return. ...

Turtle Island (aka North America) meets Aotearoa (aka New Zealand), and the stories of Indigenous resistance mirror each other.  Dr. Candace Manitopyes speaks with Māori artist Theia, whose music is less performance and more ceremony. Candace describes experiencing Theia’s live show as a moment of kinship across oceans, a palpable spiritual recognition that transcends borders and mirrors the share...

This is the episode that will make listeners laugh, blush, heal, and rethink everything they were taught about love, shame, and who they’re allowed to become. In this electric and tender conversation, Dr. Candace Manitopyes connects with with Dr. Tenille K. Campbell, a Dene, Métis, poet, photographer, PhD holder, auntie, and unapologetic storyteller whose work has cracked open space for Indigenous...

In this moving episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes has a conversation with Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, the first Indigenous person to ever serve as Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Services, and a woman whose leadership was forged in lived experience, sharpened through education, and guided by a heart rooted in community.  What unfolds is an intimate, honest, and generous exchange between two Cree women...

This episode opens like someone cracked a window in a crowded room. Fresh air, honesty, and two Indigenous minds settling into a conversation that feels intimate, necessary, and decades overdue. Dr. Candace Manitopyes connects with internationally acclaimed Cree artist Kent Monkman, whose work has reshaped how the world understands history, queerness, and Indigenous presence. Kent speaks about the...

In this episode, Candace sits with not one, but two Deadly Aunties—Stephanie Pangowish and Sherry McKay—two Indigenous comedians who have turned everyday Indigenous life, ceremony, mistakes, and cross-community confusion (“scone dog” vs. “bannock dog”) into a full career. They talk about the realities of comedy behind the scenes: how humour travels across nations, how it sometimes absolutely doesn...

In this episode, Melrene Saloy Eagle Speaker—Blackfoot designer, artist, and founder of Native Diva Creations and Authentically Indigenous—opens up about the heart, history, and hard lessons behind her work. From carrying her ancestors into global fashion stages to building one of Calgary’s most beloved Indigenous markets, Melrene shares how legacy, loss, and love continue to shape her artistry. S...

Emerging from a place of prophecy, courage, and hard-earned wisdom, this episode traces the extraordinary life of Ma-Nee Chacaby—a Two-Spirit Ojibwe-Cree Elder, activist, storyteller, and acclaimed author whose teachings continue to shift the landscape of 2SLGBTQ+ visibility in Canada.  Her story unfolds through memories of her Kookum’s early vision that she would one day become a healer and educa...

Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with Anishinaabe singer-songwriter Natasha Fisher, a rising independent artist known for her moody, edgy fusion of pop, alt-rock, and unapologetic storytelling. Their conversation gets deep into the heart of Natasha’s creative process, her path to sobriety, and the personal history behind her newest album, Temporary Feelings. Natasha shares how songwriting has alwa...

In this profound conversation, Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with Vina Brown, also known by her ancestral name ƛ̓áqvas gḷ́w̓aqs, which translates to Copper Canoe Woman. Vina is Haíłzaqv and Nuučaan̓uł, a mother, artist, weaver, scholar, and the powerhouse behind Copper Canoe Woman Creations. Her jewelry and artistry blend ancestral strength with modern design, carrying forward teachings from ge...

Our guest this week is Chyana Marie Sage, a Cree-Métis and Salish memoirist, journalist, poet, model, and author of the national bestselling memoir Soft as Bones. Dr. Candace and Chyana unpack truth-telling, survival, and the power of naming your own story. Chyana speaks vulnerably about her journey from silence to self-expression, describing how writing her memoir became an act of reclamation, gi...

Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with the beloved scientist, writer, and matriarch Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss . They weave a dialogue on remembrance, resistance, and relationality, where Indigenous knowledge and scientific thought meet in the shared soil of hope. Dr. Kimmerer reflects on her newest movement, Plant Baby Plant, which calls people to res...

In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes returns to the Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast with honesty, gratitude, and renewal.  She shares the story of her wedding to her sweetheart, Alex Manitopyes, a ceremony rooted in intimacy, cedar medicine, and Cree traditions. She reflects on how love, rest, and joy have reshaped her relationship with activism, creativity, and resistance....