Voices on the Side

Welcome back for Part 2 with essayist Helio - aka @jupiterbaal. If you enjoy our conversation, please rate, review, and subscribe - it really helps with visibility. ⁠Helio IG⁠ ⁠Leah IG⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

Helio - aka @jupiterbaal - is an essayist and an educator, rooted in an immense love for all of life. His video essays have been a balm to so many of us during the last two years. Our conversation spanned so many topics and trails of thought so it’ll be published in two parts. I am always learning so much from Helio and I hope you will too.  Helio IG Leah IG

Samar is the artistic/founding director of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre (YSDT) and is based in Palestine and NYC. Samar graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program under the tutelage of Kazuko Hirabayashi and her work has been performed in 19 countries on four continents. YSDT's mission is to create invigorating performance and education programs that expand access to and promote understanding throug...

Rand, aka officialjakegyllenhalal, is a beloved voice in our movement for collective liberation. From LGBTQ+ rights to Free Palestine to resisting from within the belly of the beast, Rand has been committed to using her platform to educate and to inspire. She also reports for the Adalah Justice Project. In this episode, we talk about what community means and the importance of being curious about o...

Alexandra is a somatic artivist dedicated to liberation through somatic education and care, mahayoga, body temple dance, and ritual arts. Although we recorded this conversation a few months ago, everything we discuss is as relevant as ever, especially as we try to stay grounded amidst these times. Alexandra and I talk about our yoga practices, processing the grief of witnessing gen ocides, and com...

Sarah is a Tony-winning performer, writer, and director and the host of the America, Who Hurt You? podcast. As a Black woman from a multicultural background, she is devoted to building a movement that promotes collective healing and affirmation for all people, starting with Black women and femmes. Our conversation was in the wake of the election results, and both Sarah and I were navigating the we...

Some thoughts as we enter into this year. May we all find ourselves and one another. We’ll be back with full episodes soon. Let’s stay in touch:  Substack  or my  blog

Jonathan is a father, writer, professor, astrologer, numerologist, and diviner. This was a magical conversation about so many real life issues through the lens of spirituality and through nerding out (in Jonathan’s words) about astrology. From politics to systemic oppression to spiritual practice, we exchange thoughts on all the intersecting aspects of being human. Jonathan gets real about his own...

Rolla is an award-winning filmmaker, a Sundance alumna, and a Palestinian American with deep, maternal roots in Jerusalem. She is the founder of the Safina Filmmaker Project, an initiative to raise the voices of Palestinian filmmakers through free artistic mentorship. We talk about what it takes to continue to ignore and be silent about the suffering and oppression of others, the way we as a socie...

Devon is a father, musician, and one of my favorite voices of collective liberation. At a moment in time where the divide and conquer method of the oppressor seems to be at an all-time high, Devon’s analysis on the need for moral consistency through all our various struggles is incredibly important. We talk about what it means to be living in a propagandized country and having empathy for those wh...

Lena is a Palestinian Christian in the diaspora whose roots go back to Bethlehem. She is a mother, trauma therapist, and author.  Our conversation weaves in and out of our thoughts about what true solidarity means, the way our relationships have changed over these last 14 months, and what being Palestinian means to Lena. As a mental health professional, Lena’s perspective on what motivates someone...

Alisha is a Korean adoptee, mother, therapist, and educator. She was born in South Korea, grew up in Michigan, and now lives in NYC, where she has a  private practice  and small-batch  pasta  business with her husband. Alisha was the Korean American Story 1st Place Winner earlier this year for her piece “ Loss, Love, and Liberation .”  Alisha talks to us about growing up as a transracial adoptee i...

Sarinya was the first ever Asian woman firefighter in the FDNY and is the founder of Angry Asian Womxn, an organization centering safety, wellness, and community for women, femmes, and gender expansive folks affected by anti-Asian racism and Islamaphobia. Angry Asian Womxn is currently running a  fundraiser  for mutual aid to Gaza until 11/22/2024, and especially for any Sanrio lovers - I highly r...

Kiki is an author, illustrator, and geographer whose parents immigrated from Guatemala. Her book,  Palestine 1492: A Report Back , takes us on a journey through history, geography, and political theory through the language of memoir. In our conversation, we share our personal stories about who we used to be, how we woke up, and who we are becoming. In this reflection, we emphasize the need for com...

Toi is an impact strategist and single mother to four boys. She is the founder of  Loving Black Single Mothers , an organization creating ecosystems of care centering the needs and the support of Black single mothers. Through all of Toi’s work, she is building new ways of living, being, and caring for each other.  We talk about motherhood and the nuclear family as institutions held up by the patri...

Welcome back to the second half of our conversation with Mohamed, which brought me back into a feeling of being back at school learning from a beloved professor. I think this is an important piece of our work for liberation — the ability to be in beginner’s mind, to listen — truly listen — to one another. Mohamed at once describes the problems with our world as well as how we can work — together —...

Mohamed is a North African-Egyptian Muslim settler of color on Turtle Island. He is an interdisciplinary activist-scholar of Indigenous, Black, critical race, and Islamic studies, as well as gender, sexuality, abolition, and decolonization with extensive fieldwork experience in the Middle East-North Africa, Asia, and Turtle Island. He is a professor and the author of  Islam & Anarchism: Relati...

So Yun is a Korean American filmmaker. Her debut film  Liquor Store Dreams  is an incredible and intimate portrayal of two Korean American children of liquor store owners in Koreatown, Los Angeles, who set out to bridge generational divides with their immigrant parents. The film pulls us back to the 1992 LA riots, which is a personal, heartbreaking childhood memory for many of us. In this conversa...

Teresa is a mother, performer, yogi, and storyteller. Born in the Philippines, she emigrated to California as a child, but the motherland eventually called Teresa back. She now raises her 3 boys in Manila with her husband.  We recorded our conversation in September 2024 with hopes of my publishing the episode ahead of the Global Mala Project , which was created with the mantra of uniting the globa...

We’re back with the second half of our conversation with Najla. Najla shares her experience navigating her identity in the theater and entertainment industries. We talk about racism, white supremacy, and propaganda and a concept called PEP — Progressive Except Palestine. The past almost year has been one of shattered illusions, loss, and grief. Najla and I connect on the feeling of not knowing who...

Najla is an author, actress, playwright, and activist. Her identity cannot be reduced to a checkbox: she is Arab, American, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Christian. She is the daughter of Edward Said, the late Palestinian professor, author, and activist. Today, September 25, 2024, is the 21st anniversary of Professor Said's death, and I am so humbled to share my conversation with Najla. May it be...

Janet is a Dance Embodiment and Moving Meditation Guide who explores healing, self-discovery, and re-wilding through the power of dance and somatic movement. Our conversation dives right into a discussion of the wellness world and the burnout that can result as we try to free ourselves from personal and systemic trauma and harm.  As a non-binary person of color growing up under the weight of expec...

Hannah is an unapologetically fat and queer Palestinian American. She is the author of  Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine  and she works at her Palestinian family-owned publisher,  Interlink . When I was first learning about Palestine in October 2023, I turned to books, which is what I have always done when seeking answers, inspiration, or healing. I came across  Homeland  and immediately to...

Cassandra is our favorite restie bestie! An autistic Viet-Chinese somatic healer, grief-tender, and community caregiver, Cassandra is a spirit-affirming breath of fresh air.  Our conversation is a reset that I think many of us desperately need. Cassandra shares her stories of unrest — from a childhood on the margins to chasing dreams that did not bring the wholeness we all seek. In time, they came...

Cera is a Diné (aka Navajo) woman, artist, and creator whose love of her Native identity inspires her labor of social justice and her solidarity with all oppressed people. She is a wealth of indigenous wisdom and a keeper of Native narratives. This conversation has stayed with me ever since we recorded it. There is so much I did not and do not know when it comes to the history and current events o...