the roots of change podcast

A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We continue on our Road Trippin' for Change to reflect on the ties between the United States' founding and Trump's America. In Arizona, we discuss indigenous voting and the long history of white supremacist violence in elections. I share more about my experience canvassing for the 2024 election i...

Seedling Episode Preview | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We connect with our regular techs-pert Joe Cardillo (they/them) about growing off of Big Tech and for profit social media that only steals our data, manipulates our emotions, and harms our connection to each other. We discuss the fediverse as an alternative that hearkens back to the early Internet of...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hey y'all! 👋🏽 This year is a midterm election year and another opportunity to push back against the fascist agenda. We jump back to October 2024 and what it was like on the road talking to voters to stop Trump's 2nd term. Bear and I are going back out on the road to reflect on how we got to Trump's America in 2026 a...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We are back from our month-long hiatus to dig into the major news we missed and root into the long game of organizing against our polycrisis to build the future we deserve. While elites, Big Tech, and white supremacy are throwing everything they can at us, the truth is they are all the same root. Watch...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hey y’all, 👋🏽 May the 4th Be with You! Star Wars Day also happens to be my birthday. To celebrate, we're re-releasing our Live panel discussion with Get Free about Andor and Star Wars as a place for organizing lessons. Sam Chavez (she/they/he) chats with Natalie (she/her) and Anthony Torres (he/him) from Get Free ab...

A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 The pope and the president are fighting and no that's not a punchline for a dad joke. We celebrate Easter the way the radical organizer, Jesus, would want, by talking about community and radical love! I sit down with two of my pastors from Middle Church, Rev. Natalie Perkins and Jillian Langford,...

A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 this week, we stay in Southwest Texas to talk about the rise of christian nationalism, Republican Messaging strategies, and the complex web of the early history of the U.S. Bear hits the streets of Marfa, TX to reflect on small town, rural life and how we can empower the people politically and so...

A Road Trippin' for Change Episode | Explore the Series | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 this week, we are in Marfa, TX talking about cowboys, masculinity, and queerness. Women's History Month 2026 has been one of reckonings. The mask of patriarchy, as flimsy as it was, is being ripped off across our society. Growing up in Texas, toxic patriarchy and Christian Nationalism are nothing...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hey y'all! In a time of turmoil, I was delighted to chat with Janiah Miller, a Black Feminist organizer, with a focus on disability justice and housing rights. She helps us explore the critical intersection between disability justice and housing rights. We root into the systemic racism behind housing and disability po...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 As the U.S. and Israel unleash their vengeance in the Middle East, I wanted to return to our 1st ever podcast episode from 2023. In my conversation with communications expert and organizer, Nadia Rahman, we discuss the interconnected issues in Israel and Palestine, colonial history in the region, and ou...

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 Who's hungry? As RFK Jr. and the MAHA movement continue to obsess with perfection, health, and ideal bodies, we turn to a more rooted approach to health. I share more about my new venture, Casa Chavez, and why I'm spending more time in the kitchen. We covered the Black Panther Party for Black History Month and why food is critical to fighting fascism. I hope you enjoy what I had a b...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 In todays, tech & media landscape, it feels like we've fallen down Alice in Wonderland's Rabbit Hole. Two spirit advocate and marketing expert, Taryn Talley, joined us live to unpack how we navigate this mess, while staying sane. We got into the importance of storytelling for social change, the need...

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 How are you caring for yourself in this moment of right-wing extremism and political upheaval? Watch this week's Seedling episode preview . Today, I let you into my morning ritual and how I care for myself as an organizer and heart-first human when it's so easy to doom scroll and catch up on the recent MAGA shenanigans.  I hope you enjoy and that is sparks ideas for your care practi...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We're officially back in 2026 with an amazing organizer, educator, and storyteller. Chris Torres from the Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice joins host Sam Chavez (she/they/he) to discuss the current political landscape and the importance of organizing in uncertain times. Watch the pod on YouTu...

Hey y'all! For our 1st private podcast of the year, we reflect on history and our ancestors to reckon with today's world. We share a reflection from the Roadtrippin for Change series. Watch today's episode or on PeerTube . To access the full episode, become a Seedling Member at $2/month. On the 5th day of our roadtrip, Bear and I finally get settled at a campsite with time to reflect and chill. On...

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 We're back for season 4 to combat the storytelling that the regime is spreading. Host Sam Chavez discusses the importance of storytelling in activism and social change. They highlight the current socio-political climate, emphasizing the need for authentic narratives that empower communities. Join us on Thursday for a Live! about Rooting into Strategic Communications in 2026 . Our fu...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 For our last public podcast of the year, we root into the winter with collaborator Taryn Talley . We recorded on Trans Day of Remembrance and addressed the hate against the trans community as a fear of freedom. As two spirit people, we balanced trans hate with indigenous community care. We share ideas t...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 Joe Cardillo (they/them) and Sam Chavez (she/they/he) are back to tackle the big topic of Big Tech as we close 2025 and the 1st year of Trump's 2nd term. We cover how tech has changed drastically and how activists, organizers, & organizations can navigate the uncertainty with grace and humanity. We...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 This week, we unlock our 1st ever private podcast episode with guests Lisa Hurley and Sharon Hurley Hall to talk about rooted community that outlasts white supremacy. To commemorate the winter as a time of gathering, we get real about community and why many white spaces struggle with building the deeper...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 This week, we had double the Chavez! Host Sam Chavez (she/they/he) spoke with Andres Chavez (he/him) from the Chavez Foundation about the foundation's work, the impact of the government shutdown on their programs, and the legacy of Cesar Chavez. Watch today’s episode . "You only lose when you give up." ...

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 This week, host Sam Chavez (she/they/he) speaks with astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo (she/her) about meeting fascism with care, community, & constellations. We dig into the intersection of astrology and activism, discussing how astrology can empower ourselves as individuals and in communities to navigate social change. Watch today's episode and join our Signal chat for resources, cl...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 This week, host Sam Chavez (she/they/he) speaks with community organizer, Daniella Sherrill (she/her) about the critical issues surrounding water access and rights in the Southwest, particularly in Arizona. She shares her experience with Arizona Water for All , a program to support water-insecure commun...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 this week, we officially land in Arizona after a looong drive through California. Arizona has so much beauty and nature to offer when we stop and listen. Watch on YouTube and PeerTube .  At our camp spot, we reflect on driving without Google Maps, the settler/indigenous divide in Arizona, being vegan on...

Free Community Episode | Explore & Subscribe | Watch | Upgrade & Support Hi y’all! 👋🏽 Our 2nd roadtrip stop aligns well with Indigenous People's Day. We stumbled on César E. Chávez National Monument outside of Bakersfield, California. It's a perfect time to get into the history of labor organizing, migration, and Latino rights. We are seeing Latinos dehumanized by ICE and the impacts of...

Hi y’all! 👋🏽 This week, we dig into the sloppy AI news and why artificial intelligence will never be supportive for our movements. The latest news out of Big Tech and AI keep showing us who they are and what we do about it.  🌱 Become a Seedling Member Today! Get more behind-the-scenes action from our trip and go deeper with activists & organizers at just $2/month. This Week, Seedling Member...