WeBeTheChange: Conversations with Evolutionaries

How do we remember the human being beneath the label? In Part 2 of A Collage of War , my uncle Dan Strawn and I talk about one of the simplest ways we can stay human in divided times: noticing the names we give each other, and choosing not to let those names replace the person. This conversation begins with the language of war, but it keeps returning to ordinary life — families, politics, neighbor...

The Intelligence of Protection What changes in us—and between us—when we feel safe enough to connect? In Part 1 of Our Inner Ecology , Jhana Bowen and I explore the natural movement between protection and connection—and how our inner sense of safety shapes the way we listen, communicate, create, and belong. This conversation may help you recognize when protective patterns are guiding your response...

What happens to the human heart when war fades into daily life? In this three part WeBeTheChange series, A Collage of War , we’ll journey into the historical conscience of war with elder author Dan Strawn. Dan Strawn opens this first episode with a short but potent poem he wrote before the Iraq invasion. Then he widens the frame: war as a bully-pattern, war as greed, war as a spiritual injury to a...

A fireside conversation with tribal leader Brian “BB” Melendez about land, ceremony, and the evolution of sacred space. Some sacred places are widely recognized by the world. Others are created slowly through listening with responsibility to Spirit, people, and the land. Brian Melendez reflects with Colleen Akiko and her husband, Chris, through themes of compassion, grief, Indigenous resilience, c...

What if real strength is refusing the bait—staying human while you name the pattern? In Part 2 of the Leisa Peterson series, Colleen and Leisa get practical about what to do when the world is loud: how to name patterns without feeding fear, practice fierce compassion with real boundaries, and create safety together without pretending we all agree. You’ll hear grounded language for staying regulate...

What if “transcendence” isn’t about escaping the world—but waking up from its deceptive trance? WeBeTheChange host Colleen Akiko and Leisa Peterson --Wealth Coach, Author and Financial Intuitive, discuss the larger pattern behind our culture’s distress: a scarcity-based trance that keeps people reactive, divided, and exhausted. (Do we detect a familiar Ugh ?) Leisa shares how her decades in financ...

When was the last time you learned from soil instead of a screen? Middle and high school teacher Kari Hagel shares with WeBeTheChange host Colleen Akiko about the rise of nature deficit disorder. Kari, also a Health & Wellness Coach, shows how hands-on ecology—worm bins, a classroom dog, gardening and even mapping water with a drone—restores attention, engagement, and belonging. In Pt 1 of The...

When the craving hits, what are you actually hungry for? In Part 3 of “ A Fearlessly Feral Life ,” we get practical about the sober path: the tiny act of willingness that flips the switch, the boundary that protects your peace, and how to tell a trigger from a longing for belonging. We talk family dynamics and codependency, the medicine of community (AA rooms and beyond), and what it means to choo...

Welcome to We Be The Change and this second segment of the series A Fearlessly Feral Life with Rev. Karen Linsley. In Part 2 we dive into New Thought as a grounded path for recovery—where principle is not bound by precedent and healing means changing our thinking to change our life. Karen traces sobriety from her Thanksgiving‑day treatment intake in 1986 to ministerial training, interim ministry,...

“How can I release old survival mechanisms to create a truly beautiful life? This powerful question is the heartbeat of today's conversation. We’ve all carried patterns from the past that once helped us survive, but now keep us from fully living. I am delighted to have my friend and neighbor with us, reverend and author, Karen Linsley. Her personal journey of how she stepped away from 20 solid yea...

Must embodying authentic Presence have to look like the Mona Lisa? Welcome to the final segment of our series, LIVING AS A PORTAL OF PRESENCE: The Inner Work that Changes the Outer World . In this soulful yet earthy conversation, host Colleen Akiko and spiritual counselor, Brenda Heldoorn explore the internal struggle of navigating global and personal chaos while staying anchored in love. They exp...

How can a little notebook disarm the ego’s grip? In this short but potent episode, spiritual counselor Brenda Heldoorn shares a surprising exercise with host Colleen Akiko that dismantled her negative self-talk. With openness and humor, she names the “Doom Loop” for what it is, and offers a direct pathway through the grand illusion. We explore how victim language sneaks into our thoughts and conve...

What if our total collapse could pivot us to our most radiant becoming? In this vulnerable, luminous continuation of Brenda Heldoorn's conversation with Colleen, we explore what it truly means to surrender—not as defeat, but as a threshold where rock bottom becomes sacred ground. Brenda shares her lived experience of a suicide attempt that became a catalyst for profound awakening—a moment that cou...

Have you ever felt the weight of the world on your shoulders, believing you had to face every challenge alone? Join host Colleen Akiko and her guest, spiritual director and counselor, Brenda Heldoorn--who reveals her pivotal moment of absolute surrender that led her to deep healing and a new path. In this first segment of the four-part series, you'll witness how astounding power can be released in...

How are the new energetics asking you to increase capacity? Enjoy this exhilarating conversation with host and Essential Connections Coach Colleen Akiko and sacred artist, teacher and "well-being generator" Daniel Strawn. In this final episode of the series, Navigating the New Energetics, you'll hear about perturbation, real “insulation,” the Blue Princess , and a near-death vision of Earth’s new...

What if you were designed to handle more light—but need to upgrade your wiring first? This We Be The Change episode is a fun yet profound conversation, exploring the intersection of spirituality, development, energetics and collective consciousness. Join host Colleen Akiko and sacred artist and teacher Daniel Strawn as they discuss silver and gold forces, ritual vs. ceremony, sacred architecture,...

How can “God’s Word” be used to justify harm–such as the mass murder and intentional starvation in Gaza? What unfolds when scripture is weaponized by fear, and how can faith return to love? In host Colleen Akiko’s candid conversation with Rev. Tim Boeve, we explore heaven, hell, and the heart of the Bible—not as dogma, but as a call to embody compassion and courage–living love in a fractured world...

What if the dysfunctions we witness and experience are largely due to missing connections for soul growth opportunities? Explore the intersection of electromagnetic energy, ancient spiritual wisdom, science and the transformative power of mentorship. Join We Be The Change host, Colleen Akiko and sacred artisan and teacher, Daniel Strawn in Part 3 of the series, Navigating the New Energetics . Disc...

In a world obsessed with output and achievement, what does it mean to allow wellbeing to be generated from within ? In this second segment, The Electrical Aspect of Human Being , host Colleen Akiko continues the series, Navigating the New Energetics, with sacred artist and teacher Daniel Strawn. They explore the mosaic of Daniel’s lived experiences and teachings to colorfully emblemize the hardwar...

 How do we make sense of all the information fragments flying around us? How do we discern what's going on in us and outside of us? Welcome to this new We Be The Change series, Navigating the New Energetics . In this opening segment, Finding Our Bearings in Uncertainty, host Colleen Akiko talks with Daniel Strawn—sacred artisan and artist, teacher, mentor, and a lifelong spiritual explorer. This f...

The Earth has recorded its HOTTEST. YEAR. EVER. When I heard that on the Stephen Colbert Show, I wondered... How do the EPA decision-makers and other climate deniers bury their heads in such sizzling hot sand? What if all the truth questers met at the top center of the media bias chart, to explore together the most neutral, current and reliable information there is. Who's got the grit for that? I'...

What if change isn’t about fixing, but about listening? Join host Colleen Akiko and Tessa Lynne Alburn: spiritual guide, energy mentor, author and Soul Connection Coach, for this final segment of our Coming Home to Soul series, The Practice of Becoming: Soul Habits, Brain Retraining, and Inner Trust. We'll explore how to recognize old patterns, form new habits, and honor the whispers of your soul....

What does feeling safe have to do with connecting with your soul? Join Tessa Lynne Alburn and Colleen Akiko in this episode, From Survival to Sovereignty, to hear empowering truths and techniques for calming and retraining the brain, moving beyond trauma and becoming more present for an uplifted life. Tessa Lynne Alburn has been guiding visionary women back home to their soul, helping them reignit...

How can I walk the mystical path with practical feet? If you're craving deeper meaning but feel unsure of how to walk a spiritual path in a grounded, real-world way, you'll enjoy this soul-nourishing conversation with host Colleen Akiko and Tessa Lynne Alburn: spiritual guide, energy mentor, author, master facilitator and Soul Connection Coach. For more than 25 years Tessa has supported women cons...

 Because of the rich visuals woven into it, this episode is best watched if possible. FOR THE VIDEO OF THIS EPISODE, CLICK HERE. Or click HERE to view this episode on Substack. This is Colleen Akiko, your We Be The Change host. This special video episode is part of a Zoom conversation last February with an incredible artist--and my beloved Aunt, Bernice Strawn. At 95 she was still radiating joy an...