Stepping Into Truth: Conversations on Social Justice and How We Get Free

Lisa Selin Davis Season 3  Episode 7 One of the joys of childhood for a lot of girls, me included, was being a tomboy when I was a child. I ran around with a pack of boys and girls and we played with abandon. Does this sound familiar? Was that you or a friend of yours? In this episode I speak with author Lisa Selin Davis. Selin Davis has written a book that not only looks at the general idea of be...

Kim Sykes Season 3  Episode 6 In this episode I speak with actress and writer Kim Sykes who is the artistic director for Girl Be Heard an organization dedicated to elevating the voices of girls, young women, transfeminine, and gender nonconforming, and gender fluid individuals .  These  are the future and Girl Be Heard is dedicated to building the activists and changemakers who will be running the...

Christopher Brown Season 3 Episode 5 Before Ahmaud Arbery, Elijah McLain, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Michael Brown there was Wayne Jones. Mr. Jones was a schizophrenic, unhoused Black man living in West Virginia when a random encounter with the police resulted in Mr. Jones being shot 22 times. In this conversation I speak with Christopher Brown, the attorney who took the Jones family's case...

Nikki Patin Season 3  Episode 4   In a conversation that predates the pandemic Nikki Patin and I talked about what it takes to change both public perception and policy as it comes to rape culture. Using her experience as a rape crisis counselor and in her current position as Community Engagement Director at Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) she helps bring healing to individuals...

  Monique Davis Season 3  Episode 3 In this conversation Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at the Center for Art  and Public Exchange at the Mississippi Museum of Art Monique Davis and I discuss how art can be used to build bridges in our communities as well as be used as a tool to dismantle White Supremacy.   When Whiteness is the yardstick by which all is measured it takes a reckoning to establ...

Shannon Downey Season 3  Episode 2 In this fun conversation Badass Cross Stitch founder, Shannon Downey, and I talk about how to bring a lovely, subversive twist to the art of cross stitching. Really, it (and lots of other creative pursuits) can be a venue for taking down white supremacy.  Shannon tells me how she came up with this idea, about the impact it's had, and the how she's now taking this...

Nicole Vick Season 3 Episode 1 Welcome to Season 3! I'm so excited for the season to come. I've got some brilliant guests coming up this season and to start I've got someone whose work is in public health. We may as well start in the realm of one of the two crises facing the world right now. In this episode public health professional Nicole Vick and I talk about how our public health system is fai...

Chet Sisk Season 2   Episode 21 In this episode futurist Chet Sisk and I discuss what this pandemic is revealing about our societies. We talk about black swans, the African philosophy of Ubuntu, and some of the changes this event will likely bring about. This was a fascinating conversation and a perfect end to Season 2 of the podcast. For a written transcript of this episode click here .

Betsy Greer Season 2   Episode 20 In this Conversation During a Pandemic author Betsy Greer and I discuss the ways in which our crafts can be tools of activism. How craft can be a source connection and solace, especially in a difficult time, and why all activism doesn't, and shouldn't, look the same. For a written transcript of this episode click here.  

Arnetia Fogg Dupree Season 2   Episode 19 In this conversation political operative Arnetia Fogg Dupree and I talk about the urgency of electing Black women to political office and how we can stay connected during a pandemic. In this stressful time this conversation filled me with hope and belief in a brighter future on the other side of this. For a written transcript of this episode click here .

Amanda Litman Season 2  Episode 18 In this conversation Run For Something co-founder Amanda Litman (if she looks familiar you may have seen her on tv) and I talk about the importance of those local races that most of us often don't think about. Amanda also shares her point of view on the whole “lesser of two evils” argument. We also talk about why you might be someone who should consider running f...

Gaelynn Lea Season 2  Episode 17 In this conversation NPR Tiny Desk Concert winner Gaelynn Lea and I talk about her disability activism, politics, music, and more. This conversation made me think about things like our culture's ideas about beauty, for one, in entirely new ways. Music, activism, politics, Gaelynn weaves all these together for a discussion that will likely expand your thinking on a...

Rosalie Fish Season 2   Episode 16 In this remarkable conversation 19 year old activist Rosalie Fish and I discuss the current epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. A member of the Cowlitz tribe, Rosalie comes to this subject with deep personal knowledge and an unshakeable commitment to giving a voice to these women. This was a hard conversation for many reasons, not the least of whic...

Kat Calvin Season 2   Episode 15 In this episode I talk with Kat Calvin, founder of Project ID and Spread the Vote about why her organization focuses on getting ID for the millions of Americans who don't have any. This goes so far beyond what I was expecting when I got into this conversation. I had no idea about some of the things people can't access without identification. Things that make just d...

Don Estill Season 2   Episode 14 In this beautiful and moving conversation filmmaker Don Estill talks about why he was compelled to make this documentary. He speaks of the women who inspired him directly and talks about the multitude of ways that Black women are amazing. The voices of Black Women  are often misunderstood and overlooked. She Speaks shines a light on the depth and richness of these...

Renee Bracey Sherman Season 2   Episode 13 In this episode abortion rights activist Renee Bracey Sherman and I talk about why it’s so important that abortions stories are heard. We also talk about the deep bias that’s at the heart of the debate and the disproportionate impact on people of color. Renee made me think about aspects of this issue that I hadn’t considered before. Join us and expand you...

Richarda Abrams Season 2   Episode 12 In this episode actor Richarda Abrams and I discuss her award winning one woman show, First By Faith: The Life of Mary McLeod Bethune. We also talk about the ways in which each of us can contribute to the greater good in our own way and why the Arts are so important in a healthy society. Richarda's one-woman show about black educator and activist Bethune has l...

Lauren Duca Season 2   Episode 11 In this episode Lauren Duca, author of How to Start a Revolution: Young People and the Future of American Politics, and I talk about what changed after the 2016 election. We talk about how many young people experienced a political awakening and the shift that has engendered. You’ve probably heard the term military industrial complex. But have you heard about the p...

Rebecca Farnum Season 2   Episode 10 In this episode London based Rebecca Farnum and I discuss a range of social justice issues from Volunteer-tourism’s ups and downs to gender based violence in North Africa. This conversation will definitely get your activist juices flowing if you're feeling stuck. If you're already in motion you'll also find inspiration here. For a written transcript of this epi...

In this conversation Mara Glatzel and I discuss meaningful self-care (it’s not just baths and chocolate), managing our expectations of ourselves so that we aren’t setting ourselves up, and how thought patterns and belief systems play into self-care. We talk about taking risks and how taking a risk might be the best self-care there is and so much more. I think you’re gonna love this deep conversati...

In this episode Louiza (Weeze) Doran and I talk about reproductive rights and how they are linked to generational poverty for communities of color. We also talk about what it’s gonna take for us all to get to freedom. Weeze doesn’t pull punches and I loved this conversation. I think you will too. Be sure to listen to the end so that you can get Louiza’s suggestions for how to bring activism to our...

On November 7th 2018 Grace McKinnon was on her way back to work when she saw a confrontation unfolding between a black man and police officers in Washington, D.C.. As soon as she saw what was happening Grace stopped her car, got out, started recording and approached the young man, Anthony Williams. The officers had their weapons pointed at Williams and McKinnon knew that she needed to somehow defu...

In this episode Kristin Iris and I talk about the “Oreo Complex” the accusation that someone is Black on the outside and white on the inside because they don’t conform to someone’s idea of what being “Black” looks like. Kristin and I also tackle the subjects of belonging, what creativity looks like for her, and so much more.

Renitta Shannon Season 2   Episode 5 In this episode I talk with Georgia State Representative Renitta Shannon about the accelerating and ongoing assault on reproductive rights and the efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade. This conversation with Renitta inspired me to do more interviews on the subject of abortion rights so keep an eye out for more on this critically important subject.

In this episode I interview singer, actor, and author Craig Pomranz. This is a first for the podcast! Until now none of my interviewees has been male. I started this podcast really wanting to give more women a voice. Then Craig approached me and when I read his book I was both charmed and sure that his was also a voice to amplify. Craig has written a wonderful children’s book that tackles our ster...