Joon Ae is a Korean adoptee, mother, and writer. Estranged from her adoptive family, community means everything to her. She cultivates intersectional and justice-centered spaces such as Constellation and Voices and recently held an auction for the Abu Dayer family to escape genocide. If you enjoy and learn anything from this episode, please consider donating — even $1 helps.

Joon Ae and I talk about the need to de-normalize adoption and the beauty of a chosen family, and she refers to Kit Myers’ forthcoming book, The Violence of Love. We also talk about trauma and trauma mining. For our extended conversation on mental health, please consider joining the podcast’s Patreon, starting at just $3.

We challenge the existing systems of oppressive ideologies and academia, and Joon Ae reminds us of the importance of also envisioning and creating what could be. Abolition isn’t just an ending…it’s a beginning of something different.

Please enjoy the vibrant and honest — Joon Ae.

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Joon Ae’s website

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Yuval is an Israeli, anti-zionist Jew, an artist, a writer, a dancer but most importantly — a human. He hosts the Emergent Wisdom podcast, which explores current events and the challenges of being human through the lens of ecology and mysticism. He is dedicated to the liberation of love, land, and Eros — which we talk about in this episode.

Hearing Yuval speak is at once grounding and uplifting. As we acknowledge the horrors of colonialism and genocide, Yuval invites us to stay connected to our souls, each other, and the Earth. I love that he describes the inherently contradictory nature of being human as a cosmic dance, a dance that can and will bring us all to collective liberation.

Yuval’s experience growing up in Israel and serving in the Israeli military provides unique insight into Zionism and his path to liberation from Zionism. He gives me hope that we as humanity can keep joining together until we are all free.

Yuval’s IG

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Liz is the president of AAP(I belong), a nonprofit organization that aims to raise greater awareness on Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander discrimination and cultural challenges. Liz created AAP(I belong) after her mother was attacked — for being Asian. We talk about the way that the Asian American identity is structured to be successful and how we are gaslit to think that we are only subjected to so-called micro aggressions, all the while being constantly reminded that we are foreign and do not really belong. Liz talks about the “pie of racism” —all racism is connected. She could see the thread connecting the murder of George Floyd to the Atlanta spa shootings to the attack on her mother. We need to keep talking about racism, including defining racism as an ideology that is separate from individuals. Sometimes we can all get caught up with claiming how not-racist we are, that we end up enabling and upholding the system itself. I admire that Liz has been able to alchemize the trauma of her mother — and of herself — to build community, to educate, and to envision a more inclusive future where we are all free. Please enjoy, the very resilient — Liz.

AAP(I belong) website

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I am very excited to welcome Michelle back on the podcast. In this conversation, we talk about making room for multiple feelings, self-erasure, and pressure testing our values.

Since her last visit, Michelle went back to our shared motherland of Korea. I loved hearing about how it felt like it was her first time returning home.

We also address the institution-wide repression when it comes to liberating Palestine, the weaponization of feminism, and the need to abandon binary thinking.

Michelle leaves us with the actionable advice to commit to any issue that we feel called to, as all of our issues our connected.

Please enjoy, again, the lovely and inspiring — Michelle.

Michelle’s IG

Michelle’s book

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Mo is a Palestinian artist, author, digital creator, and father. He has been tireless in educating all of us on what is and has been happening in Palestine for 76+ years.

Mo shares with us how it was to visit Palestine for the first time last September, from standing outside his grandfather’s ancestral home to the guilt he felt that he was able to set foot on his homeland when most of his extended family cannot. He talks about being Palestinian in the diaspora, and how much has changed from once having avoided conflict to now being so proudly Palestinian.

We talk about the hope that the college students give us, the harmful weaponization of antisemitism, and how so many of us throughout the world are waking up from indoctrination.

Please enjoy the very cool and very inspiring — Mo.

Mo’s IG

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Mo’s children’s book 1

Mo’s children’s book 2

Leah’s IG

Jemarc is a trauma recovery coach and wellness consultant supporting Queer, BIPOC, and neurodivergent beings. They are a speaker and lead workshops including the upcoming master class — Reclaiming Your Compassion — on May 18. (Details pinned on their profile.)

In our conversation, Jemarc shares their personal story of identity, trauma, and healing. They emphasize the absolutely powerful force of unhealed trauma as our greatest existential threat. They explain the differences between short term relief versus the long view of true healing, how decolonizing the self is innately about healing, and what it looks like when our self-care is ego-centric.

Jemarc also talks about Buddhist principles, meditation, and the concept of ReActivism.

The extended version of our conversation is available on my new Patreon, along with a growing collection of bonus content.

Please enjoy the unapologetically authentic — Jemarc.
Jemarc’s IG

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We are back with one of our most beloved guests, Sasha. Sasha is an ancestral healing practitioner and death doula who has been a truly incredible voice of collective liberation and dismantling supremacy culture and thinking. Since her last visit to the podcast, Sasha has launched Phoenix Rising — a community for healers of the resistance.

This conversation is fuel for the soul. We talk about what it means to embody liberation, the incredible mobilization of the student encampments, and the way we are literally seeing how we are taking care of us. Sasha’s message is to keep going, keep rising up.

Sasha tells us about her recent visit back to Egypt and we share stories about how we feel the presence of our ancestors and the land.

As a heads up — there’s a bit of spicy language! We keep things real in this space.

Because our conversation went long, I’ve made an extended version available on my new Patreon. Come and check us out over there.

Welcoming back our favorite fierce healer — Sasha.

Sasha’s IG

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