"This plant has so much more to offer us than the narrow uses that have been told to us" — Aicila Lewis, Organizational Strategist

In this grounded and energizing episode of Gaia Gossip, host Mary Jane Oatman is joined by Aicila Lewis to explore hemp as more than a plant, but as a pathway back to relationships with ourselves and each other. Together, they discuss hemp as an ecosystem solution rooted in Indigenous knowledge, the power of community as a source of healing, and what it means to build systems that truly sustain both people and the planet. This conversation is a call to reconnect, to celebrate what we already have, and to remember that the antidote to greed is community, connection, and care.

Tune in for a refreshing episode with plenty of dirt from Mother Earth.

Aicila (EYE-ee-sila) is a strategic advisor, dynamic community organizer, and the founder of BiCurean Consulting. She has a deep, long-standing connection to the Her Many Voices Foundation, having partnered with Alicia Fall as the organization's Organizational Strategist for over six years. With over 20 years of experience in leadership, advocacy, and systems design—including earning a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition for her community organizing—Aicila guides visionary entrepreneurs and mission-driven organizations in building systems that honor their capacity and values. She is the creator of The Energy Equation™, a framework that helps leaders manage not just their time and money, but their most critical and renewable resource: energy. Aicila is also the host and producer of the Business as UNusual podcast, where she explores human-centered business strategies that challenge hustle culture and redefine what sustainable success looks like. Queer, unapologetically geeky, and deeply passionate about social justice, Aicila is a powerful voice for founders and activists ready to lead with clarity, integrity, and ease.

Her Many Voices Gaia Gossip programs empower climate solutions and community connection to be amplified for the betterment of Mother Earth. Our host, Mary Jane Oatman, is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a descendant of the Delaware Tribe, as well as a proud mother. She serves as the Executive Director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA), founder of the Indigenous CANNabis Coalition (ICANNC), and publisher of THC Magazine.

Produced by BiCurean.com.

Technical production by Peggy McCartha.

Narrative strategy, graphics and design by Victoria Carrington Chàvez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa Blacknall-Jamison, Her Many Voices Board Member, leads Theo EJ Wilson in a discussion on the origin of Black History Month, tracing it from Carter G. Woodson’s Negro History Week near Abraham Lincoln’s birthday to its expansion after the civil rights era. He explains what it means to be in a Black historical family, citing lineages like Douglass, Tubman, Shabazz, King, and his own connection through his grandfather, Tuskegee Airman Theobald Wilson. Wilson argues attempts to erase Black history will fail because knowledge is widely accessible, and critiques anti-“woke” politics, DEI rollbacks, and book bans. He links Black and Indigenous histories through shared resistance, colonization, extraction, and decolonization, emphasizing accurate storytelling that contextualizes divisions such as slavery among some tribes and Buffalo Soldiers’ role. He recommends restoring banned books, centering displaced voices, and using the 1619 Project’s rigor against efforts like PragerU/1776 Project, framing Black and Indigenous history as resilience, community wisdom, and a guide to resisting tyranny.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:49 Origins of Black History Month

01:36 Growing Up in Black History

03:28 Can Black History Be Erased

05:31 Black and Indigenous Parallels

07:42 Why the Right Targets History

10:16 DEI Backlash and Reality Check

12:29 Reclaiming Education with 1619

16:00 Indigenous History and Who Tells It

18:25 Responsible Storytelling Together

21:34 Protecting History in Practice

23:45 Final Reflections and Sign Off

Her Many Voices Gaia Gossip programs amplifies climate solutions and empowers community connection for the betterment of Mother Earth.

Host Theo Wilson powerfully blends artistic expression with a profound commitment to social justice. As a founding member of the National Poetry Slam-winning Denver Slam Nuba team and Executive Director of Shop Talk Live, Inc., he inspires community dialogue and healing. Theo is the author of "The Law of Action," and was launched nationally with his widely viewed TED Talk, "A Black Man Goes Undercover in the Alt Right". Theo is a recognized media personality and the host of The History Channel’s "I Was There" and a recognized media personality.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"When you have Elder women in your life, there is matriarchy." — Dr. Renee Tsinigine Holt

In this episode of Gaia Gossip, host Mary Jane Oatman sits down with Dr. Renee Tsinigine Holt (Navajo/Nez Perce), a Post Doctoral Research Scholar for the Indigenous Resilience Center (IRes). Together they sit at our communal table to discuss the power of matrilineal wisdom, motherhood, and science in land conservation. Dr. Renee brings her experiences as a mother, community leader, and scientist to share ancestral wisdom that reminds us when we stand in our identity with responsibility we create safe spaces for collective care to grow.

What You’ll Discover in This Episode:

• A deeper understanding that matriarchy is not limited to raising children. It includes safety, economic stability, wisdom, and collective strength.
• A recognition that Indigenous knowledge systems differ from colonial institutions. True learning goes beyond college. It means becoming a student of the world, finding mentors, learning multiple languages, and reclaiming ancestral ways of knowing.
• Indigenous people are natural-born scientists because knowledge of land is inherited, embodied, and practiced.The land is grandmother, teacher, and caregiver.
• The reclaiming of women’s leadership, that challenges Western misinterpretations of Indigenous women’s power.
• Leadership begins in the home but extends into governance, land stewardship, and resistance.
• An invitation to know yourself deeply—because self-knowledge builds respect. Even internal tension becomes part of growth when guided by ancestral wisdom.

About the Guest:

Dr. Renee Tsinigine Holt (Navajo/Nez Perce) is a Post Doctoral Research Scholar for the Indigenous Resilience Center (IRes). Prior to joining IRes, she was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Idaho working with the Native American Law Faculty & Student Association and the Indigenous CIRCLES faculty, before joining the University of Arizona. Her research foci centers Indigenous healing & ancestral ways of knowing, resilience, survivance and cultural knowledge, Native-FEWSS (Native Food, Energy & Water Security and Sovereignty), and the protection of traditional gathering places.

Renée works in tribal communities along with faculty, staff, students, and community members in environmental resiliency research that further develops and supports local, regional, and national Indigenous environmental sustainability. Dr. Tsinigine Holt was born in LA, but raised on Navajo Nation and is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a Post-Doctoral Research Scholar at the University of Arizona Indigenous Resilience Center.

Her Many Voices Gaia Gossip programs empower climate solutions and community connection to be amplified for the betterment of Mother Earth. Our host, Mary Jane Oatman, is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and a descendant of the Delaware Tribe, as well as a proud mother. She serves as the Executive Director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA), founder of the Indigenous CANNabis Coalition (ICANNC), and publisher of THC Magazine.

Produced by @bicurean and narrative strategist, Victoria Carrington Chàvez.

Technical Production: Peggy McCartha

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.