Music and Conversation
July 29, 2020 :: Leonard Searcy . Searcy for Senate, Independent Write-In, MN D45
ABOUT THIS EPISODE :: It was great to catch up with my long time friend Leonard Searcy. We first met in the Twin Cities as creatives with a message, artists with something to say. I've enjoyed being a witness from afar of how Leonard's career as an actor, teacher, and film producer has developed and progressed; and now he shares with us in this episode about how he's taking a turn in the road due to some major events that have occurred within his city of Minneapolis (you've likely heard of them) along with a conversation he had with his daughter. He shares about how his mother, a school bus driver, instilled into him a deep sense of community, human interconnection, and hospitality and generosity, and how he wants to help create a new, equitable America while he's Senator for Minnesota District 45. It was meaningful and hopeful to hear Searcy's story and perspective and I hope you enjoy and share!
MORE FROM and ABOUT Leonard Searcy at SearcyforSenate.com and LeonardSearcy.com
SONG LIST
Another Sunset (Go Outside) - words and music by Heatherlyn
I Shall Be Released - Bob Dylan
Rose Petals - Dee Wilson
Ever - Heatherlyn
SUPPORT these independent/interdependent “Storydwelling” productions at Patreon.com/HeatherlynMusic
July 8, 2020 :: Kerry Connelly, Writer, Mystic, Coach, Author of Good White Racist
ABOUT THIS EPISODE I really appreciated talking with Kerry Connelly about her book Good White Racist. The time flew by and we hardly scratched the surface - but of course, because this wound and all the layers of this narrative run deep. I would say whiteness isn’t an ethnicity, it’s a carefully constructed and reinforced system and story of dominance and pseudo supremacy that needs to get untangled and dismantled and replaced with a pervasively just and equitable system and story in each individual soul and psyche as well as in the universal mentality and societal polity. Kerry and I both aim to speak to whiteness since that’s our experience and we discuss being dedicated to the life-long practice of anti-racism. Hope it’s helpful to other white folks wrestling with your growing awareness of privilege and grappling what to do with that. Kerry is candid, funny, and humble when talking about her own journey of becoming anti-racist and she gives me hope of finding deeply good and transformative ways to lean into revolutionary love that demands justice for our BIPOC siblings in this human family and freedom for ourselves as well from internalized racism and white pseudo supremacy! Please listen and share! Kerry’s book is a fantastic tool to face and move toward ending racism, to unpack whiteness within our white selves, to learn to listen well to the BIPOC community, and it’s a guide to take action, creating the change we want to see in our world. Thanks for being on this journey with us! Thanks, Kerry Connelly, for creating this Storydwelling episode with me!
June 2020 :: Isaac Archuletta . Founder of I Am Clinic
As a young child, Isaac often felt odd, like a broken boy. After years of being teased by family and peers, Isaac started to hate himself. Growing up in a religious home filled him with both hope and deeply entrenched shame. After surveying his religious beliefs and sexuality, with several years in therapy, Isaac found a resting spot that felt holistically authentic. He now offers professional help to help those navigating the road he’s journeyed. Isaac has a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is the founder and director of IAmClinic, a premier outpatient psychotherapy private practice providing top quality services to LGBTQ+ individuals, couples and their families. He is invited to speak at conferences and forums across the nation, was the Executive Director of Q Christian Fellowship, contributes to The Huffington Post, and hosts weekend seminars for couples, individuals, and religious parents of children in the LGBT+ community. More at IsaacArchuleta.com and iamclinic.org
Feb. ‘20 :: Korean Adoptee, Adoptee Life Coach, Founder & Chief Empowering Officer of Pineapple Mindset :: Denver, CO
Our guest for this episode is Chloe Edwards! We’ll let her introduce herself and you can learn more about Chloe at PineappleMindset.com.
“Hi, my name is Chloe Edwards
I am a Korean adoptee who almost let depression and anxiety take my life. Instead, I cultivated a Pineapple Mindset to become a leader within my own life.
I was adopted from South Korea when I was 5 months.
Growing up, I was teased for not looking like everyone else, wearing an eye patch with glasses, and not being able to say my “r’s".”
I was told to “go back to my home country.”
I realized young that if you achieved in other areas and made people smile, people liked you, so I became an overachiever, perfectionist. I put pressure on myself to get straight A’s and win competitions. I started making self-deprecating jokes and being energetic all the time. The people around me would cheer, smile, and laugh.
The high level of stress caught up to me in high school. A darkness came over me. and I became depressed and had mini anxiety attacks. I felt like I was a burden and would never be good enough. Thoughts of suicide became an every day occurrence.
Years went buy and I put walls up of a happy facade, because I thought sharing my feelings would only make me seem weak and more of annoyance to people.
I felt that there were no resources out there for the trauma adoptees go through.
Adoption seems like just a blimp in our past, but adoption created the base of our existence and identity.
It wasn’t until I learned about the power of being vulnerable and the value of my adoption that I was able to choose to have a Pineapple Mindset.
Following a Pineapple Mindset has led me to travel to over 35 countries, work all over the world, present in front of youth and adults, help fellow adoptees by being a mentor to them and, now, start my own business, in hopes of being able to reach more people, like yourself!
What is a Pineapple Mindset?
1. Standing Tall and Wearing a Crown - Self-confidence
2. Being strong and sweet - Respecting and loving all your emotions
3. Growing in a community - Finding the strength to reach out for help and to lean on others”
PineappleMindset.com
Aug. ‘19 :: Activists, Artist, Social Entrepreneur :: Jonathon Stalls :: Denver, CO
Jonathon spent 242 days walking across the United States in 2010 and has continued to walk alongside thousands of people for thousands of miles. He is an artist, social entrepreneur, advocate for social, economic and racial justice, LGBTQIA+, Creator of Intrinsic Paths, and Founder of Walk2Connect.
Jonathon recently finished his studies at the Living School for Action and Contemplation and has committed much of his life to inspire connection-focused walking culture to help people deepen and heal relationship to one another, to the natural world, and to oneself.
July ‘19 :: Dancer, Yogini, Physical Therapy Doctoral Student. Tara DiRicco :: Denver, CO
Tara’s love for human form, experience, and story has guided her from the dance floor, to the yoga mat, and finally to a doctorate program in physical therapy. A dancer by training and a yogi by chance, she is fascinated by the ways in which we hold stories in our bodies. Delving into the world of chronic pain, she is on the path to uncovering how our beliefs, our community, and our environment shape the pain experience of our bodies. She envisions ultimately uniting dance, meditation, and yoga to create a unique therapy experience that goes beyond the physical. Maybe she’ll even call her practice “Beyond the Physical Therapy” one day 🙂
Tara knows first hand the impact that body pain can have on daily functioning. She is an experiential believer that we can explore our pain to uncover the stories that guide us, and even ENJOY the process while we are at it! Tara is an experiential believer that if we can meet our bodies in this very moment, what she calls our “here now body”, we can begin to live a less painful and more joyful existence.
Find her on instagram @herenowbody or at taradirocco.com
June ‘19 :: Policy Director, Colorado Sikhs. Community Organizer. Advocate. Dancer. Naureen Singh :: Denver, CO
Naureen Singh is a current graduate student at CU Denver studying Criminal Justice. She works as a community organizer at the Asian Pacific Development Center and is also the policy director of Colorado Sikhs. In her capacity at Colorado Sikhs, she has spearheaded some of the largest interfaith events to take place in Colorado and been an active voice for many Sikh issues. Due to her advocacy regarding educating her peers about the Sikh faith, she received the 2015 "Outstanding Student Voice" award. In an effort to increase awareness about Sikhism in the government, Naureen has interned at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, SALDEF, and the EEOC. She has also served as a White House E3! Ambassador under Obama's Administration, and organized communities around issues such as bullying, mental health, education, and public service. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, baking (or at least attempting to) and listening to KPOP music. She hopes to become a US Congresswoman one day and change the nature of faith in politics.
May ‘19 :: Nature + Soul Guide Yasmin Suarez Shaddox :: Lyons, CO
Yasmin Suarez Shaddox shares her inner flame to illuminate the essence of others . She is alight with wonder and is innately attuned to natural rhythms; this way of being permeates all she touches. In her powerfully transformative Soulskin Journeys, Yasmin kindles the soul essence of those who attend. Carrying the wisdom of fire, she sees in the darkness the truth within. Heralded as a compassionate guide, her work expands, centers, and propels others into the heart of their wild radiance, and invites them to walk in their inherent wholeness and truth. Yasmin inspires us to be in sacred reciprocity with the earth, and all life seen and unseen. A devotee to Mystery, Yasmin brings her gift of trust in the unknown we face every day. Learn more about Yasmin and Soulskin Journeys at soulskinjourneys.com
March ‘19 :: Community Organizer Gabriel Padilha :: Denver, CO
Originally from Argentina, Gabriel Padilha immigrated to the USA in 2005, landing at the Miami International airport with $200 and a suitcase full of dreams. He got his Green Card and a few years later, became an American Citizen, which he claims to be, one of the most difficult tasks he’s accomplished in life.
Gabriel is currently a Community Event Organizer at the Colorado Department of Health, working in the HIV/STI/Viral Hepatitis division. His job at the Department of Health is to promote PrEP among the Latino, Black, and Transgender communities, through events he crafts and tailors according to the population.
A self-taught photographer with a small photography business, he is very proud to have his photography published on the front cover of two books of poetry as well as many other photos published in different online magazines.
In 2018, Padilha enrolled at the Community College of Aurora and is transferring next semester to Colorado University to pursue his degree in Nursing.
Gabriel is a free spirited individual who lives his life to the fullest - sharing it with his partner and his partner’s 4 beautiful children.
Jan. ‘19 :: Singer Songwriter Ben Grace :: From Sydney, AU to Brooklyn, NY to The Rockies and Beyond :: Lyons, CO
Nov ‘18 :: Rev. Amanda Henderson Executive Director Interfaith Alliance of CO :: Denver, CO
October ‘18 :: Singer Songwriter Kate Farmer :: Boulder, CO
September ‘18 :: Box Girls International Ambassador and Film Maker Amanda Cruz :: Denver, CO
August ‘18 :: Box Girls International LIVE Event with Film Maker Amanda Cruz :: Denver, CO
July ‘18 :: Puala Stone Williams :: Lyons, CO
June '18 :: 9Beats Collective Artist Aaron Niequist :: Chicago, IL
May '18 :: A Peace of My Mind Author and Photojournalist John Noltner :: Denver, CO
: About John Noltner and A Peace of My Mind ::
John Noltner has been telling stories with words and images for twenty years for national magazines, Fortune 500 companies, and non-profit organizations. His work has appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Forbes Magazine, Midwest Living, and the New York Daily News, among other publications.
Throughout his career, Noltner has managed logistics for editorial and commercial clients, both nationally and internationally, having worked on three continents. Noltner carefully arranges details and builds relationships with his clients, using humor, understanding, and compassion to craft compelling and insightful stories.
Since 2009, Noltner has been asking people the simple (or not so simple) question, “What does peace mean to you?” for his multimedia arts project, A Peace of My Mind. He has driven 40,000 miles across the country, meeting with diverse subjects, photographing them, and recording their personal stories exploring the meaning of peace. He has included the voices of Holocaust survivors, the homeless, undocumented immigrants, convicted criminals, political refugees and others.
The series has been produced as two award-winning books and four exhibits. A Peace of My Mind has been presented at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, The Sojourners Summit for Change, Everyday Democracy, the Peace and Justice Studies Association, the Gandhi-King Conference on Nonviolence and the Dayton International Peace Museum. A Peace of My Mind represents Noltner’s belief that art and storytelling have the power to transform our hearts as well as our communities.
www.APeaceofMyMind.net
April '18 :: Kathy Wells :: Denver, CO
:: About Kathy Wells ::
Kathy Wells is not your conventional psychotherapist. Ever questing for more knowledge and a deeper connection with herself and those around her, Kathy has studied with masters and teachers across a vast expanse of disciplines, philosophies, and techniques. She integrates these myriad teachings and modalities with her own personal experience and perspective, and bestows the results on her clients and students, family and friends.
For more than 25 years, Kathy has worked as psychotherapist in private practice in Denver, Colorado. Kathy’s approach makes her clients dig deep to find and address the root cause of their issues and pain, rather than applying a quick-fix to the obvious symptoms. She doesn’t believe in being a victim of your own psychology, and has absolute faith in the notion that we can, each of us, learn to grow up and be healthy, functional, relational adults.
Kathy’s work is currently focused on Quantum Psychology; she teaches a practical and understandable method of using words and language to make subtle energetic patterns tangible and malleable. Her work with couples and individuals helps each person recognize, own, and break their destructive patterns and behaviors in favor of a more grounded, happy and meaningful life experience.
Kathy has a unique ability to normalize our crazy behaviors and belief sets so we can step up and really change them, once and for all.