Tag: Social Change

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Bonus – Taking a break

All Network Episodes, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

A quick note to let you know that I’m taking a break in August, and why. Never fear, I’ll be back in September and in the meantime, we are revisiting some friends from previous episodes.

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123 – Da’Jonese Turner – Me in the Making

All Network Episodes, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

“Having those wounds shapes you, but also lets the next person know that they can heal from their wounds.” ~Da’Jonese Turner

Empathy + Empowerment = Resilience. That’s a standard formula for wellbeing, but without access, whole communities never receive the attention they deserve. That leaves generations of traumas and day-to-day anxieties unidentified and unaddressed.

Lean in to what Da’Jonese Turner, MA, has to say about the power of affordable, accessible wellness options for all. Da’Jonese is the founder of Me In The Making Wellness, a haven where Chicago’s Black population and POC can experience mental health care from therapists who understand the emotional baggage — not least of which is the “weakness” associated with asking for help.

Da’Jonese fantasy of a mission-driven center has been a bricks and mortar reality since 2015 — a lifetime ago by today’s hurry-up and wait standards. 2020 continues to serve up wildly mixed messages: Stay home to avoid COVID19! Get out and protest for social change!

CWH is grateful to Da’Jonese for opening up about her resulting mental fatigue and self-care (or not) routine. She shared with us an inspiring story from her practice and offered straightforward advice for white people new to the work of becoming anti-racist. “I would hope that for people who are struggling with race, when you know what racism is and what it looks like, to find somebody that they can talk to about it and figure it out from there.”

BIO:

Da’Jonese Turner is a master’s level clinician, who has built her career on the premise of helping others, especially today’s youth and young adults. As the founder of Me in the Making Wellness, DaJonese continues to use her gifts and talents to facilitate change for the families served, through the organization’s 3 pillars of Counseling, Coaching and Community outreach. When she is not working, Da’Jonese wears many other hats ~ dope daughter, super sister and supportive friend. She spends her time with all these lovely people and enjoying her favorite things: traveling, binge watching tv, listening to music and playing puzzle games.

For full show notes, guest information, and resources, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast

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122 – Ryanne Bright – A Beautiful Disaster

All Network Episodes, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

“I feel like everybody has healing qualities in one way or another. We all have gifts, right, and blessings and so I believe everybody… no matter who you are, has that.” ~Ryanne Bright

With friends like Ryanne Bright MA, LCPC, CADC, it’s a wonder we haven’t yet solved ALL of the world’s problems. But we’re working on it! Ryanne is the co-founder, co-owner and Chief Clinical Officer of The Family Recovery Centers in Chicagoland. As if she didn’t have enough on her plate, she’s also the founder of Chicago Integrative Center For Psychology. Her ability to reach high-risk kids, often without returning them to inpatient programs, has earned her the nickname “last chance Ryanne” (love that).

Another characteristic that makes Ryanne perfectly suited to connect with the classically challenging to reach? She owns the healer label and all the wounds that got her here: an early reliance on drugs and alcohol as well as a youthful arrogance directed at her own therapy, even as she pursued her degree in the field.

She encourages those new to the profession to commit to their own therapy as well (dear listener, after 100+ episodes, you know I’m down with this advice!) That’s a foundational tenet of our grand plan for solving the world’s problems.

Ryanne and I kick around a few more ideas, like chipping away at the performative authenticity many inexperienced therapists rely on in session. Also, restoring art and intuitiveness to the science of care. Once we’ve conquered those tasks, all will be well. Listen in; you’ll see.

BIO:

Ryanne is the Co-Owner/Co-Founder of The Family Recovery Centers (an intensive outpatient program for adolescents and their families in Lake Bluff, Hoffman Estates and St. Charles, IL) and The Chicago Integrative Center for Psychology (a large private practice in Lake Bluff, IL). In her 20 years of counseling, Ryanne has worked in multiple levels of care including intake coordination, private practice, intensive outpatient programs and inpatient units. She also has experience assessing potential psychiatric patients in the medical setting and working with special needs adults.

For full show notes, guest information, and resources, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast

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121 – Jay Taylor – Sit In Sound

All Network Episodes, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

“I think it’s just really trying to take time to just sit. You don’t even have to close your eyes. Just sit in your home and just look around. What do you hear? What do you feel in your body?” ~Jay Taylor

Heads up, beautiful people: My conversation with Sound Meditation Facilitator Jay Taylor was recorded waaaay back in the spring, the earliest days of regional pandemic precautions and well before the murder of George Floyd. Some things have changed…and some have stayed the same. Which practices have you chosen to bring with you on this journey?

Jay’s Sit In Sound sessions use gongs, crystal bowls, and percussive instruments to create immersive experiences or sound baths. We discuss how these high-vibe gatherings work to draw out tension, relieve stress, and even help participants address trauma, experiences he’s fostered in a wide range of settings (think corporate seminars, schools, addiction centers).

“If you’re feeling fear, anxiety, these types of things, we’re trained at this point to push those things down…we get stuck in loops.” Given our current socio-political-public-health environment, it’s easier than ever to see how those loops perpetuate the stories we tell about ourselves and each other. Jay wants us to give our brains a break. Just sit for a bit and see what comes up. Whatever that is or isn’t, you’re doing the best you can.

If you’re curious about sound baths (and I know you are!), Jay shares a brief sample with us at the end of this episode.

GUEST BIO:

Half way through a 10 year career teaching students with disabilities, physical education, nutrition, and mindfulness, Jay took on the philosophy that everybody is trying their best all of the time AND that expanding our version of ‘best’ can be accomplished through the release of stress, healing of trauma, and the loving consideration of the body. Jay began facilitating Sound Meditations in 2018 and has shared his sounds with over 400 groups of participants in Chicago-land hospitals, addiction centers, non-profits, schools, clubs, galleries, yoga studios, and corporate offices. Through his work he has come to fully understand the power that vibration has in creating space for others to truly relax and feel rejuvenated.

For full show notes, guest information, and resources, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast

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120 – Anna Golladay – The Ministry of Social Justice

All Network Episodes, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

“We’re all just trying to figure out a way through it and praying and hoping beyond hope that this hurt and anxiety we feel in these moments are actual birth pains that are about to birth for us something new and beautiful that we haven’t yet imagined, or that we’ve imagined and have never, ever thought possible.” ~Anna Golladay

Anna Golladay is a balm for anyone who doesn’t exactly vibe with Christianity. As co-host of ActivisTheology podcast, along with her partner Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Anna explores the myriad aspects of social healing.

As a United Methodist pastor and co-director of the ActivisTheology, she’s a compelling voice for liberation, equity, and inclusion, the same causes a certain radical mystic and activist was crucified for. Yup, Jesus. For those with an agnostic – or worse – relationship with Christianity, Anna’s ministerial activism will come as a pleasant surprise.

Anna’s love for her church is far from blind. This white, CIS-gendered woman with the kick-ass hair (just sayin’) is clear-eyed and confrontational. Anna doesn’t confine her view to the lofty heights of the pulpit. Instead, she whole-heartedly embraces her role on the front lines of the battle for social transformation, going so far as to eschew the term ally for something far more involved.

“I don’t ever want to be called an ally again. I want to be an accomplice.” Allyship provides cover, safety. Anna prefers to be close enough to those being harmed that she’s hit with the stones instead of them. Yup…just like that radical mystic and activist from 2000 years ago.

If you’re interested in my conversation with Anna’s partner and co-host Dr. Robyn Henderson-Espinoza (and I know you are!), you can listen here.

GUEST BIO:

Anna Golladay thrives on curating creative, spiritual & entrepreneurial possibility. As a highly accomplished and multi-talented creative, marketing and branding expert, she has over 20 years of blended corporate, independent and not-for-profit experience.

She is a minister in the United Methodist Church. Her ministry is focused on social justice and any inequity that exists both inside and outside the walls of the corporate church. She is diligent in her advocacy of full inclusion of all persons in the United Methodist denomination. As a queer justice advocate via faith and social construct arenas she boldly enters spaces of difference and stands firmly in the gap.

For full show notes, guest information, and resources, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast

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119 – Veronica Valli – Joyfully Sober

All Network Episodes, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

“The 12 steps are a return to the internal world…If you just do the cogs in a wheel, they will create an emotional rearrangement in you.” ~Veronica Valli

Hundreds of people take shaky steps toward sobriety every day. Veronica Valli began her journey 20 years ago this past May. Like many, she credits Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with helping her stay joyfully sober. But the author, podcast host, psychotherapist and coach knows not everyone shares her experience.

That said, she’s not about to let a recent New York Times OpEd piece get away with passing off misinformation as fact – especially where the care of female alcoholics in recovery is concerned.

We chat about that blog post as well as her developmental trauma and eventual emotional sobriety. Her answers to our favorite healer questions lead to our discussion about her experiences with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or tapping.

These days, it’s impossible to close the show without asking about COVID19. “I hope this is teaching us how we kind of have this…I mean, it’s about connection,” she says. Although referring optimistically to our post-pandemic future, Veronica’s comment could just as easily apply to her affinity for AA.

BIO

Veronica Valli has been joyously sober since May 2nd 2000. Originally from the UK, she is a psychotherapist, Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner, Recovery Coach and Author of books ‘Why you drink and How to stop’ and ‘Get Sober Get Free.’ She is also the co-host of the Soberful Podcast. Veronica passionately believes that anyone can recover from an alcohol problem if they are given the right tools and support.

She has personally helped thousands of women transform their lives. Veronica believes that alcohol is only a symptom of the problem and that to recover, thrive and become the women we are truly meant to be, we need to embrace a process of change. Now based in the USA she works with women all over the world through her online programs and Facebook groups. She is married and lives on Long Island with her husband and two sons.

For full show notes, guest information, and resources, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast

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http://www.thecreativeimpostor.com/healerlaunch

118 – Brit Holmberg – Becoming An Anti-Racist Social Worker

All Network Episodes, Black Lives Matter, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

“If you’re not talking about power, then you’re really not doing racial equity work or inclusive work.” ~Brit Holmberg

Brit Holmberg, MSW, LCSW, is a staff therapist at The Wellness Center of Loyola University and a longtime friend. He’s also the co-creator, alongside his colleague Marion Malcome MSW, LCSW, of “Becoming An Anti-Racist Social Worker”.

Use of that hyphenate is critical to this conversation. Not racist is easy but anti-racist? That’s where the real work sits and, spoiler alert: it never ends. As Brit explains, supporting the radical social changes Black people and people of color demand – and deserve – requires white allies to embark upon a life-long process of unlearning and decentering.

So what does a CIS HET white guy know about racism? Glad you asked. Brit is clear on this point: he’s not one of racism’s intended victims. Instead, his mission is to make inroads with people who, like him, have long been the beneficiaries of white supremacist culture.

Does that make him a healer, wounded or otherwise? You’ll have to listen in to hear what Brit thinks about my favorite question. The process of becoming an anti-racist, though? That’s transformative healing for those on both sides of that equation.

Brit offers these excellent suggestions for your anti-racist syllabus:

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard To Talk To White People About Racism – by Robin DiAngelo

Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? – by Beverly Daniel Tatum

White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible White Knapsack – by Peggy McIntosh

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness – by Austin Channing Brown

Code Switch Podcast – NPR

For the complete list compiled by Marion and Brit: https://tinyurl.com/AntiracismSW

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Brit Holmberg (he/him, they/them) is a passionate community organizer, educator, and mental health practitioner who seeks to disrupt white supremacy culture and promote anti-racism at both the clinical and organizational levels. Brit lives with his family in Chicago, IL.

For full show notes, guest information, and resources, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast

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Thank you to our sponsor (and editors) The Creative Impostor Studios! If you’ve been thinking about creating a podcast of your own, sign up for Andrea’s Launch Your Podcast online class ASAP.

Launch Your Podcast online class via Zoom

Thursday July 9, 2020

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$50. First 15 to register by July 2nd are free.

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117 – Tristan Taormino – Creating Shame-Free Inclusive Spaces with Sex Out Loud

All Network Episodes, Conversations With A Wounded Healer

“You’ve got to set up the dynamic, which is, we can talk about absolutely anything here. I’m not going to judge you. I’m not going to shame you. I can take it.” ~Tristan Taormino

Sex episode! Sexpisode? You decide. Either way, educator, author, and media-maker Tristan Taormino talks about the joys of her DIY career and what she wishes therapists knew about sex.

From her first book, The Ultimate Guide To Anal Sex For Women (published waaay back in 1997) to her current podcast, Sex Out Loud, Tristan’s dedicated her life to creating shame-free, inclusive spaces where knowledge and straightforward advice flourish. She’s also a prolific maker of feminist porn and erotica and a champion of marginalized voices. She uses her various platforms to amplify the views of her LGBTQIA peers and other groups who are consistently excluded from the CIS male-dominated mainstream conversations around sex and pleasure.

Tristan’s gained plenty of cognitive insight into the client-therapist relationship. She’s participated in years of dialectic behavioural therapy (DBT) to address her own childhood traumas and in continued support of her severe depression. She’s witnessed firsthand how therapists’ inherent sexual biases or avoidance tactics inhibit authentic therapeutic conversations.

She urges therapists to stop waiting for clients to lead on the subject of sex. With a little grace and a lot of sex-positive education, therapists can gain competencies that support their clients’ sexuality even if they themselves don’t fully embrace every kink or intimate desire on the spectrum.

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Tristan Taormino is an award-winning sex educator, media maker, and speaker. She is the author of eight books and editor or co-editor of 25 anthologies. She keynotes, lectures, and teaches workshops around the world on sexual pleasure and health, relationships, and social justice. She is the host of the podcast Sex Out Loud. She is the creator of Sex Educator Boot Camp, a professional training program, and she runs a coaching and consulting business for sexuality professionals.

For full show notes, guest information, and resources, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast

Conversations with a Wounded Healer is a proud member of @mhnrnetwork.

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