Meet ritualist, musician, activist, and yogi Suzanne Sterling (suzannesterling.com). Suzanne has been performing and teaching transformational workshops for over 20 years. She is the founder of Voice of Change, inspiring people to find their unique voice as a tool for conscious evolution. Suzanne has been featured at hundreds of international festivals and conference centers including Yoga Journal, Omega, Esalen, Wanderlust, Bhaktifest, Earthdance and many more. Since 2007 she has been training leaders in activism and social justice through her co-founded organization Off The Mat, Into the World. As director of OTM’s Seva Challenge Humanitarian Tours, which raised over $4 million, she has spent time in the US, India, Cambodia, Haiti, Ecuador, and Africa working in community resilience and raising awareness about critical global issues. In addition to her work with OTM, she offers yearlong trainings in Sacred Leadership. She is a guest teacher in numerous Yoga Teacher Trainings and is excitedly training facilitators in her signature Voice of Change work. She has released 5 solo albums and numerous DVD soundtracks. To learn more and stay connected go to www.suzannesterling.com In this episode, we talk about the intricate connection between yoga and self-expression and how yoga can be a force for social change. We talk about why it’s so important and terrifying for us to use our voices as well as the power of ritual and how we’re hard-wired for self-expression in community. We touch on leaderless movements, the pitfalls of hero worship, and the transformation that can happen when embodiment practices are combined with science and psychology. Suzanne reminds us of How EVERYONE has the right to sing and EVERYONE has sound inside them, We talk about colonialism and the injunction of self-expression in our bodies, what creativity requires of us, the challenge of receiving, and the fear and freedom of transparency around money and sex. This week the call to action is to ponder and ask ourselves - how can I be more self-expressed? Where do I feel the most free? Where do I feel the most restrained? What fear am I willing to face to create a new level of freedom, not only for myself but for others? Then, share it with someone you trust and take the next brave step.

Meet the wise, insightful, catalyst for change, Dr Leslie Carr. Dr. Carr, (http://lesliecarr.com) is a licensed clinical psychologist. She lives in San Francisco and offers psychotherapy and coaching in person, over the phone, and via Skype or FaceTime. Her primary expertise is in helping people to overcome internal obstacles so that they can become the best possible version of themselves. She grew up on the east coast and moved to San Francisco 11 years ago for better weather and a nudging from her soul to embark on the next adventure. She considers herself a California girl but a New Yorker at heart. In this episode Dr. Carr shares about how she overcame the fear of public speaking and gives us guidance on how we can do it too. Go to lesliecarr.com to learn more about her in person and online programs.

Amber Field is a talented musician, captivating performer, and master teacher in San Francisco. Amber has the unique gift to share music and expressive arts as healing, liberating, practices for individuals and communities. Amber’s mission is to free our voices in harmony with others as we co-create a world of collective liberation. And they have programs kicking off in the San Francisco bay area starting October 9th. Go to amberfieldmusic.com to learn more about ongoing and seasonal events, teachings and offerings. In this episode, we learn about what it took for Amber to reclaim their voice and trans identity as an Asian American. Amber shares how chronic body pain forced them to go deeper within themselves and come back to their body. Amber shares about personalizing ritual and how they used it for a deeper level of healing and freedom. Amber invites us to be courageous, keep showing up exactly as we are, and to keep loving ourselves through the process of becoming and reclaiming the FULL spectrum of our true selves. The invitation and call to action from this episode is to consider - what help am I afraid to ask for? What is one small next step I could take towards a solution that could potentially transform my life? And consider, how can I integrate the healing power of music and ritual into my life? Then take the next best step. Music by AShamaluev Music.

Meet Emily Webb, co-founder, and teacher of Mission Fusion Dance in San Francisco. She is also a Krav Maga instructor. In this episode, we learn about what it’s taken for Emily to heal from abuse and find her voice. We learn how Emily was able to transform her experience from walking around in a perpetual state of fear to embodying and asserting her power. She helps us understand how trying on the idea of taking 100% responsibility for our lives can be a path to freedom and how asserting boundaries are an expression of love and respect. Learn more about Emily’s upcoming women and teen self-defense programs at www.kravmaga-sf.com The invitation and call to action from this episode is to ask yourself who’s energy do I want to try on? Who's energy do I want more of in my life? Where in my life have I been avoiding taking responsibility? What might be possible if I had more influence and power to change this area of my life than I originally thought? music by AShamaluev Music.

Welcome to Season 2 of the She’s Heard Podcast! This is the place where extraordinary everyday people from different professions and walks of life, share with YOU - the empath, change-maker, truth-teller, disruptor, creator, and lover of humanity and life - about how to honor our voice and live with more power, creativity, and joy. In this episode - I (Emily Jennings, the host of the She’s Heard Podcast) share my personal story and journey of reclaiming my voice and wholeness. It’s a lot easier for me to listen than to speak up. But speaking up is my practice, so I do it. In this episode, I share key moments where my voice got shut down and key experiences that helped me reclaim it. A shift in our culture will come from extraordinary everyday people like you and me. Humble the Poet summed it up perfectly when he said, “We are all pieces of a puzzle and puzzles in a piece.” This podcast exists to help us better understand ourselves and how we fit into and impact the greater picture as well. Over the next several episodes we’re going to explore topics like forgiveness, the healing power of music, leading with love, and the practice of cultivating creativity and joy. We will talk about health, wellness, body liberation, and gender. We will discuss racism, white supremacy, and the power yoga has to heal and transform it. And we will explore food and its role in reclaiming connection and belonging. We will look at how we can literally protect ourselves, heal trauma and harness the liberating power of storytelling. The invitation from this episode is to reflect on where you’re from. Pick up the book "Skill in Action" and/or "Radical Dharma". And consider - What are you willing to be heartbroken for? What do you want your life to be for? If you don’t know, pause, reflect and get curious. Please go to https://www.shesheard.com/ to keep in touch and learn of more opportunities to stay connected. If this podcast provided value to you and you want to dive deeper, please join our Patreon community where we offer unique opportunities to engage, grow, learn and own your story, and life. Learn more at https://www.shesheard.com/ Tune in to our next episode. More inspiration, wisdom, and insight is on the way! Thanks for being here! music by AShamaluev Music.

Meet Catherine Ashton, trauma therapist, yoga teacher, mother, grandmother, and social change activist. Catherine is the founder of Yoga to Transform Trauma (http://www.yogatotransformtrauma.org/). Catherine offers several different trauma-informed yoga training programs and intensives for settings such as the yoga studio, community centers, hospitals, and incarceration centers. In this episode, we discuss the book that changed both our lives and how women are the change we need right now. We talk about how white women are challenged with truly being in community with each other, how white folks also loose in a culture of white supremacy, and how we can go about doing the work of reclaiming our personal and collective souls. This week the call to action is to reflect on - what are YOUR gifts, wounds, and passions? Where do they intersect? How can you leverage your gifts, wounds, and passions to live more deeply aligned? If you’re already clear on this for yourself, how can you be a catalyst for someone else to realize this intersection for themselves and live with a greater level of integrity and alignment? Then take the next step either for yourself or to stand for someone you care about.

Meet Jasmine Hines. She is a mother, an athlete, yoga instructor, innovator, and transformational leader. Jasmine is also the founder of The Inspower Agency (http://www.theinspoweragency.org/) and founder of Amplify and Activate (http://amplifyandactivate.com/). Jasmine facilitates difficult conversations in various organizations ranging from the construction industry to historical museums, to yoga studios. Her truth-telling, fiercely loving, creative and compassionate stand for humanity bridges trust amongst diverse groups optimizing communication, effectiveness, creativity, and leadership. She consistently delivers cutting-edge programming that helps to embolden and heal communities. Jasmine has played key roles in spearheading, leading, and creating the Charlotte chapter of the SisterCARE Alliances, the Self Care Agency, the Amplify and Activate Summit, as well as the Self Care Movement. The Self Care Movement is a reminder for our government and fellow citizens to recognize and acknowledge our collective humanity as the primary source of power. The Self Care Movement also serves as a catalyst to re-learn practical strategies to implement and address our critical needs. Through practicing a mindset of self-care, we can catalyze change within ourselves, our families, our communities and beyond. In this episode, Jasmine shares key moments that helped shape her into the powerful, black woman she is today. She invites us to look at our self-care through the lens Anana Harris Paris teaches in the book “Self Care Matters, A Revolutionary Approach”. I’m inspired by Jasmine’s unwavering commitment and lifestyle of healing, thriving, and creating with joy, and closing the gaps both personally and in the community, one fierce steady step at a time. This week I encourage you to look at your life and community, notice what’s thriving, notice what’s not. Pick one area of the 6 key categories referenced in this podcast which are: 1) spiritual and emotional 2) artistic 3) economic (time, money, energy) 4) physical 5) educational 6) social Then take the next best baby step towards healing and thriving in one of these areas. If you’d like to dive deeper go to http://amplifyandactivate.com/ and check out Anana Harris Parris’ book “Self Care Matters, A Revolutionary Approach” at amazon.com. music by bensound.com

Torey Ivanic (www.openspace4.com) is the author of “No Big Deal From Athlete to Advocate: A Memoir of Childhood Betrayal and a Journey to Justice.” Torey is a mom, wife, and founder of Open Space. Torey coaches people to navigate life changes with a sense of fun, adventure, and appreciation and respect for nature. She grew up in Ohio, worked her way west to California, then replanted her family in Colorado a few years ago. Through her coaching practice, Torey inspires people to grow, heal, and live more authentic and intentional lives. Writing "No Big Deal" has been cathartic for Torey and has brought greater clarity to her work and life purpose. In this episode Torey shares about her process of acknowledging the abuse she experienced as a young gymnast from her coach, the impact it had on her life and others, and what it took for to heal, thrive, and seek justice. Torey now uses her personal experience as well as her formal training as a homeopath, to help folks navigate change and thrive. You can purchase her book on or after July 31st, 2018 at amazon.com. Torey’s story is a Me Too memoir. And the Me Too movement has always been about healing. This is one example of how one woman pursued healing and justice while bringing hope and helping others on their journey as well. Torey illuminates the uncomfortable tricky pitfalls and nuance of trusting, loving, AND being afraid of her abusive coach. I love and stand with Torey’s BOLD commitment to raising awareness on consent, reclaiming healthy sex, living with compassion, and dramatically reducing sexual violence for future generations. I’m honored to share this story of healing and justice with you. If you or someone you know is navigating sexual abuse or trauma, here are some resources to start healing and thriving. If you are in acute trauma or triggered now: Wings Foundation https://www.wingsfound.org/ If you’ve healed on some level and wanting to thrive: Parillume https://www.parillume.com/ If you want to work with Torey: Homeopathy First https://homeopathy1st.com/ If you want to work with Rachel Shanken (author of the foreward of the book “No Big Deal”): MindBodyWise https://mindbodywise.com/ Other movements and resources to end and heal sexual violence: https://themetoodialogues.com/ https://www.vday.org https://www.onebillionrising.org/ http://yogatotransformtrauma.org This week the call to action is to pause, reflect, and take inventory of what areas of life are calling for a deeper level of healing within you and your life. Acknowledge it in some way - to yourself, your journal, a loved one, someone you trust, then take one step towards getting support in the area you want to heal. Healing and thriving is not only possible, it’s your birthright. music from bensound

Michelle Cassandra Johnson (www.michellecjohnson.com) is the author of "Skill in Action, Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World". Michelle has a deep understanding of how trauma impacts the mind, body, spirit and heart. Her experience and awareness as a black woman, allow first hand knowledge of how privilege and power operate. She understands the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual toll that oppression can take on individuals and the collective. Michelle is a social justice activist, empath, yoga teacher, intuitive healer and has a background as a licensed clinical social worker. Whether in an anti-oppression training, yoga space, individual or group intuitive healing session, Michelle holds healing and wholeness at the center of her work. She’s spent many years on the front lines of justice movements craving a space for healing through ritual, ceremony and sacred practice. While working in many non-profits with missions focused on justice, she didn't find a space that centered healing as a guiding tool to create justice. So, she created her own space and way of working. Michelle leads anti-racism trainings and yoga workshops focused on the intersection of justice and yoga. She also offers intuitive healing sessions to support social justice workers, healers and activists to help sustain the good work they do in the world. Michelle also began her own teacher training in 2014 to inspire change that allows people to stand in their humanity and wholeness in a world that fragments most of us. There are a myriad of ways to work with Michelle and you can learn more at www.michellecjohnson.com In this episode Michelle talks about how she came to yoga by way of the breath and how your breath can be a form of resisting oppression. She shares how yoga and social justice overlap. We talk about spiritual bypassing and ways to disrupt it. We also hear a little bit from her beloved dog Jasper. :-)

Dr. Sapana Doshi is a professor at the School of Geography and Development at the University of Arizona. She teaches and researches about the oppressive social, cultural, and political systems of global capitalism and the possibilities for liberatory social transformation. Dr. Doshi is a daughter of immigrants from India, She grew up feeling like an outsider, never really fitting into any single culture, social group or gender role. Conversely she also feels most “at home” at the borders of different cultures, languages, identities, desires and modes of being. She’s lived and worked in India, Brazil, the US, Nepal and speaks many languages. She is married to another woman of color of immigrant descent who she has been practicing and growing in love with for 15 years. In this episode Dr. Sapana Doshi talks about how if there are fascist capitalist forces in the world, there are also mini-fascist regimes within our own mind and bodies that work to oppress the self and others at every moment, throughout the smallest cells of our body. Dr. Doshi shares how she sets herself and her classroom up to discuss these deep and difficult topics. She shares how she is able to talk about white supremacy, global capitalism, and imperialism without collapsing under the weight of them. She shares her embodiment practices and encourages us to use our unique skills and focus on what’s directly in front of us. It's liberating and inspiring how simply her existence in the institution of marriage as a queer woman of color is transforming it, how the marriage process for her and her partner was a way for her to assert ALL of herself to her community and family while renegotiating what partnership and family mean to her. In her sharing about how heterosexism and patriarchy oppress her, we are able to recognize ways in which we are oppressed by it as well. And her recent experience in achieving tenure was a glimpse into an elite privileged academic group and process most don’t get access to or experience. Music from bensound.com