Good Ancestor Podcast

In this episode, I speak with author, transformational speaker, and top 20 recording artist, Justin Michael Williams.

From growing up with gunshot holes outside of his bedroom window, to sharing the stage with Deepak Chopra, Justin Michael Williams knows the power of healing to overcome. He is an author, top 20 recording artist, and transformational speaker who is using music and meditation to wake up the world.When he was younger, Justin always wanted to be a singer, but a lifetime of being bullied, teased, and abused, made him give up his dream. Then after a seminal moment with his dying grandmother, Justin woke up—and his debut album premiered in the top 20 of the iTunes charts next to Britney Spears and Taylor Swift. He has since been featured by Billboard, Grammy.com, SXSW®, and shared on stages alongside some of the most compelling leaders of our time, including Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, and Chaka Khan.With over a decade of teaching experience, Justin has become a pioneering voice of color for the new healing movement—between his podcast, keynotes, and motivational online platforms, Justin’s teachings have now spread to more than 40 countries around the globe.Justin is dedicated to using his voice to serve. To being a beacon of hope for those who are lost, and to making sure all people, of all backgrounds, have access to the information they need to change their lives.

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In this episode, I speak with award-winning journalist, author and an internationally-recognized speaker, strategist and advocate for maternal and infant health, Kimberly Seals Allers.

A former senior editor at ESSENCE and writer at FORTUNE magazine, Kimberly is a leading voice on the socio-cultural and racial complexities of birth, breastfeeding and motherhood. She is the director of the Maternal and Child Health Communication Collective, a national consortium of over 80 organizations working collectively to shift the narrative of maternal and infant health issues, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.Kimberly was recently named one of “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” for 2018 by Women’s eNews for her decades of media advocacy work. A frequent contributor to The New York Times , Washington Post, Slate and others, her online commentaries received over 10 million page views last year. Kimberly’s fifth book, The Big Let Down—How Medicine, Big Business and Feminism Undermine Breastfeeding was published by St. Martin’s Press in January 2017. In 2018, she founded Narrative Nation, a non-profit that creates community-centered media and technology to eradicate health disparities.A graduate of New York University and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Kimberly is a divorced mother of two who lives in New York City.

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In this episode, I speak with writer, stylist and consultant, Aja Barber.

Aja Barber is a writer, stylist, consultant and speaker whose work focuses on the intersections of feminism, colonialism and race in regards to our clothing and how we choose to consume. Aja is a prolific writer and micro-blogger on Patreon and Instagram, where she creates spaces for deep learning and inquiry into the ways that systems of power affect our buying habits.

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In this episode, I speak with writer, mental health advocate and historian living, Blair Imani.

Blair Imani is a writer, mental health advocate, and historian living at the intersections of Black, Queer, and Muslim identity. In addition to being a public speaker, Blair is the author of Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History (2018) and Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and The Black American Dream (2020). She is also the official ambassador of Muslims for Progressive Values, one of the oldest progressive Muslim organizations to support the LGBTQ+ community. Blair has been featured in Essence, Out Magazine, THEM, Broadly, and more.

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In this episode, I speak with social change activists and co-founders of Race and Resilience, Michelle Johnson and Kerri Kelly.

Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, yoga teacher, social justice activist, licensed clinical social worker and Dismantling Racism trainer. She approaches her life and work from a place of empowerment, embodiment and integration. She has been leading anti-racism trainings for 22 years. Michelle has experience working to dismantle systems of oppression inside corporations, mid-size organizations and small non-profits including Google, Lululemon, the ACLU-WA and many more. With a deep understanding of trauma and the impact that it has on the mind, body, spirit and heart, much of her work focuses on helping people better understand how power and privilege operate in their life. Michelle explores how privilege, power and oppression affects the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and energy body.

Kerri is the founder of CTZNWELL, an emerging movement to mobilize people into a powerful force for the wellbeing for all. Kerri is recognized across communities for her inspired work to bridge transformational practice with social change and politics. She’s been instrumental in translating the tools of wellbeing into practical application and social action in the public and private sector, working in collaboration with community organizers, spiritual leaders, policy makers and corporate executives including William Morris Entertainment, Congressman Tim Ryan, Lululemon, Marianne Williamson, People's Action Group and more.

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In this episode, I speak with rapper, chaplain and poet, Mona Haydar

Mona Haydar is a Syrian-American rapper, chaplain, poet, and MA in Christian Ethics. Billboard Magazine named Mona's breakout hit "Hijabi" one of 2017's best protest songs and one of the top feminist anthems of all time. Her "Ask A Muslim" project, created in the wake of the Paris and San Bernardino terrorist attacks, garnered international attention and extensive press. The project was featured on the series "The Secret Life of Muslims" and remains the most-watched episode of the series. As an MA student, she worked as a chaplain at NYU and studied post colonial theology.

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In this episode, I speak with author, Healer and Transformational Coach, Jennifer Arnise

Jennifer Arnise is an author, Healer and Transformational Coach. She’s dedicated to helping Black women heal their deepest emotional pain so they can experience more joy, pleasure and purpose in their life. She lives in Atlanta with her son and their dog Bella.

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In this episode, I speak with writer, illustrator and spoken word, Jasmin Kaur.

Jasmin Kaur is a writer, illustrator and poet living on unceded Sto:lo territory. Her writing, which explores themes of feminism, womanhood, social justice and love, acts as a means of healing and reclaiming identity. As a spoken word artist and creative writing facilitator, she has toured across North America, the UK and Australia to connect with youth through the power of artistic expression.

One of The Tempest’s 40 Women to Watch in 2019, her work has been celebrated at the American Music Awards by musical icon Jennifer Lopez and shared by celebrity activists, including Tessa Mae Thompson, Reese Witherspoon, Cara Delevigne and Sophia Bush. She has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar India, Huffington Post, The Indy 100, KaurLife Magazine, Sikh Formations Journal and other publications. ​

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In this episode, I speak with best selling author, educator, and motivational speaker, Celine Semaan.

Celine Semaan is a modern ambassador of cultures, fostering communication across industry, policy, academia and the broader citizen population. As an MIT Director's Fellow, her research focuses on circular design & communication, translating complex concepts and systems into approachable stories that resonate with a wide audience. Ms. Semaan’s work in sustainability has made her a recognized expert; her non-profit education initiative Study Hall, incubated at MIT Media Lab, is now an official partner of the United Nations and holds an annual summit at the UN headquarters in New York. As a writer her work has been published in New York Magazine The Cut, Elle USA, and Vogue as well as studied in universities; as a designer she has been recognized and exhibited in museums around the world. She lives and works in New York, leading research on Regenerative Aesthetics within her company Slow Factory.

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In this episode, I speak with best selling author, educator, and motivational speaker, Rebekah Borucki.

Rebekah “Bex” Borucki, founder of BEXLIFE® and the BLISSED IN® wellness movement, is a mother of five, TV host, meditation and yoga guide, and birth doula. She has taught meditation as a profound act of self-care that can be executed effortlessly and effectively to hundreds of thousands of individuals online and in exclusive workshops and public events. Rebekah’s mission is to make mental-health support and stress-management tools accessible to all. For more information, visit www.MotherloadBook.com.

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