Denizen

We are incredibly fortunate to welcome Tema Okun to the Denizen podcast for this important conversation. Tema is the author of the influential 1999 paper "White Supremacy Culture" and has been a leader in the racial justice movement for over 35 years. In this insightful episode, Jenny and Tema explore the pervasive influence of white supremacy culture in society. They discuss the concept's historical context, its impact on both personal and systemic levels, and the importance of recognizing internalized racist conditioning.  Tema shares the journey of her original paper, detailing its attributes and their societal implications. She also outlines into the interconnectedness of colonialism, capitalism, and white supremacy.  Tema and Jenny reflect on the necessity of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and a culture of appreciation as antidotes to these ingrained systems. The dialogue also highlights the significance of love, belonging, and making conscious choices in combating fear-based energies, ultimately advocating for a collective effort towards systemic change and personal transformation.  Outline for the episode: * 00:00 Introduction to Racist Conditioning * 00:35 Meet Tema Okun: Activist and Educator * 00:47 White Supremacy Culture and Denizen Community * 01:54 Personal Reflections on White Supremacy * 03:09 Understanding White Supremacy Culture * 05:46 The Role of Fear in White Supremacy * 09:26 Intersectionality and Systemic Context * 12:27 The Origins of the 1999 Paper * 24:55 Perfectionism and White Supremacy * 29:04 Transforming Defensiveness into Curiosity * 30:19 Qualified Paternalism and the Hero Complex * 34:41 The Flaws of Capitalism and the Growth Imperative * 36:35 The Importance of Process and Connection * 38:32 Urgency and the Right to Comfort * 45:33 Cultural Antidotes and Emotional Intelligence * 53:14 Closing Thoughts and Gratitude   Resources: * White Supremacy Culture website [https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/] * "White Supremacy Culture [https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/okun_-_white_sup_culture_2020.pdf]" original 1999 paper * "White Supremacy Culture - Still Here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XR_7M_9qa64zZ00_JyFVTAjmjVU-uSz8/view]" 2021 update * Racial Equity Principles [https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/racial-equity-principles.html] * Tema's website: https://www.fiercelove.info/ [https://www.fiercelove.info/] * 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership [https://conscious.is/15-commitments] * The New Rules of Marriage [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-new-rules-of-marriage-terrence-real/21573677?ean=9780345497383&next=t], Terrance Real To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com [www.becomingdenizen.com].  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

This conversation features Tyson Yunkaporta, academic, arts critic, researcher, and member of the Apalech Clan in far north Queensland. Tyson is the author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World; Right Story, Wrong Story: How to Have Fearless Conversations in Hell; and Snake Talk: How the World’s Ancient Serpent Stories Can Guide Us. Unlike our typical episodes which focus on a topic, here Jenny embraces Tyson's generative cultural practice of yarning. Tyson describes a yarn as "like a conversation but taking a traditional form his people have always used to create and transmit knowledge."  Thus here we capture a raw conversation between Jenny and Tyson, touching on topics of whiteness, identity, modes of cognition, justice, and the hero complex.  Tyson shares the story behind each of the three books in his trilogy, touching on their relevance for the modern technologically driven era. To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com [www.becomingdenizen.com].  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

In this conversation Jenny and Jasmine discuss: * Four common internalized stories we have about money * Money trauma * The importance of talking about money * Jasmine's analogy of a water supply * Philosophical questions of enough and fairness * Banking: extractive vs. sustainable and community-oriented options * Public banking * Consumption decisions and Jasmine's no Amazon policy * The irony of conscious consumption * The role of third party certifications  * Investment decisions and investing in place * Structural economic implications of conscious investment and consumption * Giving and receiving money through philanthropy * Beyond personal finances: influencing financial flows * Participatory budgeting * Beyond financial flows: influencing corporate culture and decision making * Employee activism * Showing up for each other beyond money * Acknowledging non financial capital * Rethinking income: guaranteed income and UBI Resources: * Jasmine's website: https://www.jasminerashid.com/ [https://www.jasminerashid.com/] * Trauma of Money program [https://www.thetraumaofmoney.com/] * Friends of public banking pledge [https://friendsofpublicbanking.org/] * Just Economy Institute [https://justeconomyinstitute.org/] To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com [www.becomingdenizen.com].  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

This powerful conversation explores the relationship between decolonization and consciousness. Ashanti is a systems change agent focused on helping organizations deconstruct dominant narratives of colonization and replace them with life affirming narratives that support a regenerative future. She believes that true transformation must begin within, guiding leaders to embrace spiritual coherence and walk their talk. ‍ Jenny and Ashanti discuss: * How to define what is right and good * Why the inner work is imperative * The consequences of the narratives we have internalized * Rethinking our understanding of leadership and power * Taking responsibility for ourselves and what inhibits us from doing so * The relationship between deconstructing our stories and spirituality * The importance of walking the talk and the harm caused by misalignment * Love as praxis: moving from fear to love * The role of fear in white supremacy * The Zulu concept of Ubuntu * Loving each other through our ugly * Love and spiritual growth * Love, consideration, and diversity in systems change work * Open and honest communication * The importance of expressing emotions and creating emotionally safe spaces * Calling out vs. calling in * Spiritual accountability, personal integrity, and coherent leadership * Spiritual discernment * Paying attention to our thoughts and language * Self-love   Resources * Learning 2 Unlearn, [https://www.learning2unlearn.com/] Ashanti's website * "White supremacy lives in the mundane" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76jSuwsisW0] Ashanti on Social Transformation * Pedagogy of the Oppressed [https://bookshop.org/p/books/pedagogy-of-the-oppressed-50th-anniversary-edition-paulo-freire/11951112?ean=9781501314131&next=t&next=t], Paul Freire * We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice [https://bookshop.org/p/books/we-will-not-cancel-us-and-other-dreams-of-transformative-justice-adrienne-maree-brown/14970781?ean=9781849354226&next=t&next=t], adrienne maree brown To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com [www.becomingdenizen.com].  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

This episode builds on many prior conversations exploring work that we can do on ourselves, including living authentically, trauma and the nervous system, nonviolent communication, transforming relational conflict, and optimal zone resilience. It demonstrates how the work on ourselves extends upwards into the organization context, and further amplifies our impact at a systemic level. ‍ In this conversation Jenny and Diana discuss: * What Diana means by conscious when she refers to conscious leadership * Being above or below the line: reacting from fear vs. responding from trust * The four different types of consciousness from which we might lead: to me, by me, through me, and as me * Taking radical responsibility * Staying curious and growing in self-awareness * The problem with wanting to be right * Our relationship with our stories and willingness to consider the opposite is equally true * The importance of feeling our feelings and seeing their value * Why candor and safe emotional spaces are essential * Why gossip is pernicious and the how judgement reveals our shadows * Integrity, both with ourselves and with others * Making clear agreements using a whole body yes * How to handle broken agreements * Regarding all circumstances of life as an opportunity to learn and grow * Moving from scarcity to abundance with a commitment to experiencing having enough of everything * Committing to win for all solutions * Operating from our zones of genius and realizing our full potential * Being the resolution rather than assigning blame to others * The importance of rest and play * Subconscious commitments   Resources: * The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership [https://conscious.is/15-commitments] * The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-15-commitments-of-conscious-leadership-a-new-paradigm-for-sustainable-success-diana-chapman/14574335], Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp * The Conscious Leadership Group [https://conscious.is/] * WholeBodyYes.com [https://conscious.is/concepts/leading-and-living-from-your-whole-body-yes] * Conscious Loving: The Journey To Co-Commitment [https://bookshop.org/p/books/conscious-loving-the-journey-to-co-committment-gay-hendricks/11421437?ean=9780553354119&next=t&next=t], Gay Hendricks, Ph.D. and Kathlyn Hendricks, Ph.D. * Terrance Real: https://terryreal.com/ [https://terryreal.com/] * Man's Search For Meaning, [https://bookshop.org/p/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-viktor-e-frankl/8996943?ean=9780807014271&next=t&next=t] Viktor Frankl * Existential Kink: Unmask Your Shadow and Embrace Your Power [https://bookshop.org/p/books/existential-kink-unmask-your-shadow-and-embrace-your-power-a-method-for-getting-what-you-want-by-getting-off-on-what-you-don-t-carolyn-elliott/13067847?ean=9781578636471&next=t&next=t], Carolyn Elliott, Ph.D. To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com [www.becomingdenizen.com].  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.