On the 13th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Jaja Dare.

Jaja is a Wiradjuri Original and an Artist, producer, curator and designer for cultural advocacy. Jaja is the national First Nations Programmer for Apple Music, creator of indigiTUBE, Decolonise Podcast Executive Producer and Host alongside being a 2025 National Regional Arts Fellow.

In their own words, Jaja has a great passion in reminding others that everything starts with connection to place and Jaja is ablaze with the exploration of how we move forward into what they call the ‘Knu’.

This is the most raw and tender conversation on the pod to date of where we find ourselves in late stage colonial capitalism and the many heartbreaks that stem from that but also the need to still find joy in day to day connection.

In this Episode, Jaja shares their perspective on what colonisation is and its inverse - what it means to decolonise (live and move in a decolonial way), That the internal revolution is just as important as the one in the outside world and How comfort is one of the biggest barriers to decolonising.

We also yarn about the fact the colony is set up in a way that criminalises poverty and trauma with indigenous peoples disproportionately on the receiving end and That the revolution or evolution is multi pronged involving amplifying revolutionary voices and action while also working on new systems to roll out when the colony does really fall in a profound way.

Lastly, Jaja underlines how words are spells and the importance of using our words consciously in the ushering in of new systems for all; and the power of courageous music and art in all its forms to support with decolonial evolution, solidarity and empathy. And much more……

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Jaja for their time, wisdom and action.

You can get more info and get in touch with Jaja through the website www.decolonise.com.au or on instagram at de_colonise

Also check out on insta - TRIALS @producedbytrials , BARKAA @barkaa__ , KOBIE DEE @kobiedee47 , BOE SPEARIM @boeknows89 , CHELSEA WATEGO @little_miss_watego , KNEECAP @kneecap32 , GURRIDYULA @gurridyula , RATM @rageagainstthemachine

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

On the 12th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Tom Wright.

Tom is the Founder & CEO of ‘Wasteless World’ - A project that supports communities (local and abroad) to locate environmental problems in their area and through its vast network of knowledge and connections, empowers them to tackle these problems and turn them into economic opportunities incentivising those who might not usually have the time and resource to take part in these actions.

He also spearheads the ‘Pez Leon’ project which an example of this, turning an invasive species into profit, thus bolstering threatened coral reefs and Indigenous communities in the Caribbean. He is also the host of the 'Waste Less, Love More Podcast'.

Tom is committed in a myriad of ways to pioneering innovative solutions to build a more sustainable and connected future.

In this Episode, we talk about the insanity of a system where 50% of the plastic used is single use. That same plastic that passed through our hands for say 5 minutes, then takes 500 - 1000 years to break down.

We also talk about the toll our human-made plastic islands some as big as Texas, are having on our marine systems.

We do a deep dive into the Wasteless World concept covering the 72 major environmental clean up operations Tom has inspired and overseen; the fascinating tech of turning plastic and waste into new and valuable resources like synthetic lumber and oil; circular economies where fixing Earths problems can be monetised and reframing refuse as a commodity if reused.

Lastly, Tom shares how you too can help to fix the ecological crisis and get paid for it, living a life of purpose and giving back to Earth, our Mother. And much more...

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Tom for his time, knowledge and action.

You can get more info, get in touch and get involved with the Wasteless World project through the website www.wastelessworld.com, on instagram at waste_less_world or email him directly at info@wastelessworld.com

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

On the 11th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Juliet Lamont.

As well as being one of the 6 Australians aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla (the most recent flotilla that set out to break the siege on Gaza and that was intercepted and kidnapped by IOF forces in October), Juliet is also a documentary filmmaker, mother and front line humanitarian and ecological activist.

Juliet believes direct action is love in action and has organised and been a part of numerous non violent direct actions. To name a few - Tree sits in Whitehaven coal mine, locking on to trains and conveyor belts for the stop Adani movement and shutting down weapons factories like EOS among many others.

In this episode we speak in great detail about the harrowing journey that was the Global Sumud Flotilla.

While telling this story, Juliet also speaks to the fact even for all the abuse she faced, she got the 5 star treatment in Ketziot cause she is a white westerner and that Palestinians in the same prison face unspeakably more vicious and ruthless treatment. Juliet tells me while incarcerated, she heard screams of pain and heartbreaking sobbing in the night that could not be linked to the flotilla cohort.

We also talk about how out of the 46 nationalities aboard the flotilla, Australians where some of the last to be let free and why; The 2 way arms trade that our country deals with Israel and how that makes us complicit in Genocide.

Lastly, Juliet shares the beautiful moments of comradely and purpose she and her fellow flotilla comrades will hold in their hearts from the mission; The next flotilla in which Juliet will also embark on and is a key organiser of and how you can get involved either on the ground team or on the flotilla itself // and much more

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Juliet for her time, heart and bravery.

Juliet will be organising and joining the next Flotilla to Gaza leaving the end of March 2026 so if you’d like to go or support on the ground team please get in contact with her directly on her instagram @julietlamont and she can explain how to apply. Or just follow her if you’d like to keep up to date and cheer her along.

Also, if you’d like to donate to the Direct Action Defence Crowdfund to support our brave comrades please do so via:

https://www.chuffed.org/project/156522-support-frontline-activists-to-continue-to-oppose-genocide

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

On the 10th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Daniel Foor, PhD.

Daniel is the author of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing and an internationally respected teacher of ancestor reverence and ritual. Over the past 20 years, he has guided over 150 multi-day ancestor-focused healing rituals in over 10 countries, reached thousands of participants through personal sessions and online courses, and mentored over 200 practitioners to facilitate the work of ancestral healing. He is also a doctor in psychology.

Daniels work revolves around helping people come back into relationship with the rest of life through animist ethics and applied ritual arts.

I respect Daniel for many reasons but particularly am inspired by him for his balance of spirituality without bypass and his deep commitment to utilising it in a decolonial way. Intentionally interrupting empire and supremacy of all forms.

Daniel tells me that ‘its important our approach to spirituality break our heart a little and help us to know that the suffering in the world is our own’ and ‘if our spiritual work isn’t moving us into stronger heart connection and solidarity with life, we are probably doing it wrong and might just be participating in escapism’.

In this episode, Daniel explains what ancestral and family healing is and why it is important for individual and collective trauma. Also why and how it can support in busting oppressive systems over the planet.

We also talk about what animism is, the sacred balance between spiritualist and activist and how to tap into our intuition in the age of AI and deep fakes.

Lastly, we talk about how Colonialist nation states do not inherently have a right to exist and that if our systems arent serving life then they should be dismantled; that the main way to prepare for death is to be an ethical person in life and how people of settler colonial lineage can tithe for the debts of our ancestors // and much more

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Daniel Foor for his time and wisdom.

You can learn more about Daniel and check out his upcoming offerings and courses at his website ancestralmedicine.org or on his instagram @danielfoor

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

On the 9th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Aunty Dinnawhan.

Dinnawhan means emu in Gamilaraay language and is an active Wakka-Kabi Elder and Wisdom Keeper living and walking on these lands now known as the Sunshine Coast of Australia.

Dinnawhan tells me she walks sovereign to the best of her ability.

As a respected First Nations Elder, Dinnawhan has facilitated and supported many cultural gatherings like Lore Circles, Indigenous Camps, Cultural Land Clearings and Ceremony Business. The Kiva circle of Multicultural Elders is one example of the many ceremonies and conventions across the world she has been invited to share at as an Indigenous Australian Ambassador. She also leads local gatherings on Clap sticks, Bush Tucker and Walkabout Talkabouts on country to name a few, sharing precious tradition with all.

In this episode, Aunty fuses Cultural Tradition, Lore and Spiritually as she imparts wisdom around the fact that our DNA is intertwined to the country that we are born onto and the importance of connecting to that country and how to do that.

She offers insight on differences between the law of the square or colonial law and the Lore of the circle or creators lore and how prayer is another form of conscious communication.

Lastly, Dinnawhan generously shares with us what the main responsibilities and actions of a First Nations elder are, What a songline is and what they are used for and the difference between learning and remembering // and much more

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Aunty Dinnawhan for her time and wisdom.

You can learn more, see what’s coming up or get in contact with Dinnawhan by contacting her on her email at biracha@hotmail.com or through Libby at munimba-ja.com.au or at Munimba-Ja’s instagram @munimba_ja

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

On the 8th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Dr Herwig Drobetz.

Professor and surgeon Dr Drobetz is an Austrian Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeon operating and living in Lismore Australia, who also spends time every year serving in humanitarian aid missions with Red Cross and Medicines Sans Frontiers which translates to Doctors Without Borders.

In this episode we talk about these relief operations working as a humanitarian doctor in Syria, Yemen and Gaza. Dr Drobetz has been to Gaza now 3 times. Twice before Al Aqsa Flood where he worked on injuries that resulted from the March of Return and once during this latest ongoing aggression on Gaza in Rafah hospitals since Oct 7.

Herwig tells us the harsh realities of being on the ground in the worlds first live streamed genocide in Gaza, the stories that most broke his heart from there and his other missions and the surreal privilege of being able to come and go from a war zone in a support role.

We also talk about the hypocrisy of western medical institutions of condemning Russia over their bombing of a hospital whilst staying silent on the over 1000 attacks on hospitals and medical staff in Gaza in the last 2 years.

And we zoom out to examine the fine line between humanitarian medicine and colonialism and Herwigs efforts to curb the latter with a rogue group of doctors // and much more

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Professor Dr Herwig Drobetz for his time, action and wisdom.

If you want to get in contact with Dr Drobetz you can contact him on email herwig.dro@gmail.com

And if you’d like to donate to the incredible work MSF or Red Cross are doing in communities that need support the most, please donate or support your time via https://msf.org.au or https://www.redcross.org - these organisations need more than just medical staff and a wide range of volunteer and paid roles are available for war and austere environments.

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

On the 7th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Chels Hood Withey.

Chels Hood Withey is a passionate Community Organiser, Advocate and Creative Problem-Solver dedicated to equity, justice, and systemic change. As the founder of House You, a Housing-First Campaign, Lead Organiser in the Community Disaster Action Group and Northern Rivers Organiser of 350 Australia, Chels brings a unique perspective to the intersection of housing justice, climate resilience, and community empowerment.

In this episode we talk about the fact that access to a safe home for yourself and your family is a most basic human right and the moral deficit of the commodification of human rights under capitalism and colonialism.

We also talk about the actual numbers, stats and facts around the housing crisis that we face in Australia today and the tax cuts, negative gearing and institutional inertia that perpetuates it. A system that solely benefits wealthy individuals, making it easy to accrue and hoard more homes, driving up property prices and living costs effectively making it harder and harder for lower income households to be able to enter the buying market for a family home.

We discuss also the explosion of short stay websites like Airbnb and how it renders good housing stock off limits, affecting supply and sky rocketing rental prices. And the many embarrassingly simple solutions that the govt could implement tomorrow to start fixing the housing crisis and its effect on the widening wealth gap.

Chels also shares wins that they have succeeded in like the community-led initiative that they spearheaded to get a Dignity Village built to house people in need in the local area. Local council has approved it and it is slated to be implemented this term of Government proving that people-powered projects can work.

Chels finishes with a squatters handbook for my anarchists out there and ways you can be a part of the housing first legion transforming our society into one that prioritises people and planet over profit and privilege // and much more

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Chels for their time, action and wisdom.

You can learn more and get in contact with them through their instagrams @chelshoodwithey or @house_you__ or you can find Chels or House You on Facebook.

You can also learn more about House You at their website houseyou.org or email on office@houseyou.org

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.

On the 6th episode of Mycelial, we speak with Omora Sonqo and Sophie Samrow.

Omora is a revered indigenous Medicine Man, musician, and healer from the Maputche nation of Chile. He embodies a profound connection to a lineage of healers that spans generations within his family. Sophie is the founder of Conscious Flow Breathwork and a passionate Holistic Health Coach amongst many other things.

Together they run Munay Temple in Bundjalung northern NSW. Munay Temple offers transformative spiritual retreats with indigenous communities around the world, holistic wellness, and healing ceremonies such as the Temazcal sweat lodge and Vision Quest to give some examples. Omora and Sophie are also newly married.

In this episode we talk about what indigenous rituals like the Temazcal and Vision Quest are and why they are beneficial to the whole being. We also do a deep dive into one of the many transformational retreats Munay Temple hosts around the world, with the Yawanawa tribe of the Brazilian Amazon as an example. In these retreats, western participants are taken to stay with, learn from and partake in traditional ceremony and ritual leading to a profound cultural exchange and deep healing.

We also talk about why its important that people from the west can be with, listen and learn from indigenous cultures in this way; the Yawanawa’s strong ties with plant medicines like Ayahuasca, and why and how journeying with plant medicines like Grandma can change ones life and the greater collective in deeply profound ways.

Lastly, we talk about the crossover and overlap of teachings and wisdom across all the indigenous tribes Omora and Sophie work with and follow on from our last episode, uncovering more about the Kiva multicultural gathering happening in the Northern Rivers of NSW March 2nd to 5th which is being hosted by Omora and Sophie and their Roots of the Earth family // and much more

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Massive Gratitude and Respect to Omora and Sophie for their time and wisdom. You can learn more and get in contact with them through their instagrams @omorasonqo or @consciousflowbreathwork and @munaytemple or at their websites www.munaytemple.org or www.consciousflow.com.au .

You can also learn more about the upcoming Kiva international elder gathering through the website www.kivafamily.au or instagram @kiva.gathering.australia

If you feel you are receiving something from the podcast, a way you can give back is to follow and give us a 5 star rating or review on podcast platforms. Also, following on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mycelialpodcast and Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mycelialpodcast helps its growth and message. If you feel others could receive something from it too, please share an episode with a friend or on social media.

At this point, this project is 100% self funded by me and my recycled clothing business NIRANIA so you can also support my business on instagram https://www.instagram.com/nirania_collective

Also big thanks to Juman for the music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/77pkM8fFPgStKyD3G2Qr4B

This podcast is broadcast from the First Nation ancestral sacred lands of Bundjalung in so called Australia. I would like to pay my respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging, and any indigenous Elders listening in. I’d also like to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in this country. Always was, always will be aboriginal land.