iChange Justice Season 5

Krueger's near 80-year journey has taken him into conflict zones 💥 where he brought peace talks 🤝 together, to communities healing from disasters 🆘, and the athletic arena . He reveals how the skills that helped him through his career in athletics also empowered him to face trauma in his life and in the lives of others. Inspired by peacemaking 🕊️, Krueger founded PeaceMakers Circle/Network, using ancient wisdom and modern tools to build a global community of peacemakers around the world. Learn more about Kurt Krueger and PeaceMakers:  https://www.successsystemsinternational.net/founderinspirit.html #iChangeJusticePodcast #iChangeJusticePodcastSeason4 #RestorativeCommunityCoalition

Join Joy Gilfilen in a conversation with Marc Santos, the Founder of NobleGoldman.com as we face the speed of change in a world facing high speed, high volume, and big money change in the midst of chaos, upheaval, war, conflicts and ecological challenges. How do we turn fear into opportunity, liabilities into assets that can be turned around so our children have a healthier world to inherit from our time on earth? Developing the aptitude to notice new ways to see things, and learning how to allow different perspectives to exist while finding new pieces of puzzles into a discussion is a learned skill that is necessary in an increasingly complex environment.

Bob Trask's prison work transformed lives, but why wasn't it funded? Host Joy Gilfilen talks to Bob about the power of ACTIVE listening and how it builds relationships that last. This heartwarming conversation explores the ARAS Foundation's practices for building connection. Bob explains the cascading impact of acceptance: accepting others where they are leads to respect, which creates space for affection to grow naturally. This foundation allows for genuine support to flourish, creating positive ripples. Bob's message of active participation brings love and light into the world. Get Bob's book "Romancing the Soul" on Amazon! Learn more at BobTrask.com and ArasFoundation.org.

Humor in today's interview with Ulf Sandstrom, a founder of The Peaceful Heart Network was quite unexpected, as the topic was about First Aid Tools to resolve psychological trauma. In a dialog, host Joy Gilfilen asks Ulf how to help communities and civic leaders reset their mindsets, their behaviors and worldviews after the multiple stressors of elections in the US are rippling around the globe. We dig into the last five years as any community, including hers, has been facing economic, social and civic duress with compound civic domestic violence affecting us as humans. Ulf has lived experience working in 45 countries that have faced human violence, refugee crises, war and many layers of disasters to heal our hearts as we change how we see the experiences.

Tune in to Joy Gilfilen's interview to learn more about the hidden costs of incarceration. Did you know that visiting loved ones in prison can break the bank? Michelle M. shares her eye-opening research on how the system profits off families and taxpayers. Every Thursday at 1:00 PM P.T.

In this episode Joy Gilfilen, host of iChange Justice podcast, asks Irene Morgan to talk about why, as an 80-year old grandmother, she is still standing up for “Right Action for All”. What got her learning about Peacemaking, reconciliation and non-violent communication, counseling and Restorative Justice? What drove her to learn about whole family trauma recovery, abuse addiction and healing work? Join us to learn how – for she’s built a bridge to help those facing huge barriers to reentering society. What happened that she has become a spiritual healer and civic activist and started questioning how the business operations of the prison industrial complex works? As a prior co-owner operator of a meatpacking slaughter business with her husband and children she started with questions, then in the 70’s,80’s and 90’s she began volunteering at the local non-profit Northwest Youth services, the Homeless Coalition, Crisis Services, served on the Community Accountability Board before working at Sean Humphrey House. Eventually she saw the gap and found her voice as the founder of the Restorative CommUnity Coalition to work resolving jail and prison issues. “I have always been a champion for the underdog…then one evening I met Don Kirchner, author of “A Matter of Time”. He’d been incarcerated and faced up to 25 years in Federal prison, when he started working with inmates, to help them heal and as a result the prosecutor dropped the additional charges. His book opened my eyes. He’s become a champion advocating for all people involved in the jail, justice and reentry business. It inspired me to start the RCC with14 members, including several from the Dept. of Corrections in 2006. We’ve now worked with thousands of inmates, friends, families, interns, judges, and employees of law enforcement, court employees and service providers. “I have great hope for our future!” - Irene Morgan

In this episode of the iChange Justice podcast, host Joy Gilfilen explores the hidden world of financial markets and their connection to our justice system. She interviews a Wall Street bond trader to uncover how arrests are transformed into financial assets that are traded on the stock market. This episode sheds light on the complex and often invisible ways that money influences our justice system. Gilfilen highlights the lack of transparency in the process, where people working within the system often don't understand the bigger picture. The podcast follows the journey of a case, from a 911 call to a bond posted for bail, ultimately becoming part of a financial package traded on Wall Street. This raises important questions about the impact this system has on our communities and how it can become obscure and disconnected from the people it affects. ✅Every Thursday at Noon on KOYS-LPFM 94.1 Bellingham and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Joy Gilfilen, Host of iChange Justice, interviews Debbie David, President of the Restorative CommUnity Coalition, about new tools and the sciences behind Trauma Informed Workplaces. Debbie is a Home Care Aide with decades of professional and lived experience working with people of diverse abilities, mental health issues, and the types of trauma that comes from incarceration, military service and 1st responders working on the front lines. Debbie discusses how there is a plethora of new knowledge related to healing from civic trauma that is excellent. This includes the emerging awareness in systems thinking called the "biocracy". Walter B. Cannon, a physiologist in the 30s, coined the term, and now today, suddenly, people understand that our societies are part of a living system, and our interactions with that system affect us all. Understanding the links between our ecological, social, civic, and living conditions affects how we live and respond to crises. A new level of integrated research has come out related to NEAR - neuro-sciences, epigenetics, ACE's and Resilience research.

Welcome to the Season 5 Premiere of iChange Justice! In this landmark episode, hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball celebrate an incredible milestone with our dear friend and international collaborator, James White. James is a member of Community Living British Columbia, serves on the Board of the Restorative Community Coalition, and founded the ESATTA Cooperative (Empowering Self Advocates To Take Action) over 40 years ago. Trailblazing anew, it’s achieved a distinctive level of civic leadership!Focusing on 2026, James identifies this as the Year of the Fire Horse—his own Chinese astrological sign—signaling a time of high energy, passion, and rapid advancement. A globally recognized mentor in the international learning community for person-centered practices, James is guiding us to use this "on fire" energy to move away from cold, transactional bureaucracy and back to the heart of Human Connection.Inside this Premiere, he introduces tools and demonstrates action:The "Who Am I?" One-Page Profile: James details how ESATTA uses this tool to help people move past labels and "ableism." It’s a blueprint for building symbiotic, life-giving friendships and professional support systems based on who we actually are, rather than institutional "pigeonholes."The Mission, B.C. Success Story: We dive into the "Reimagining Community: Welcome Home" project. Using the power of World Cafés, James shows how he helped bridge the gap between city councils, 27 diverse tribes, and everyday citizens in British Columbia to create a roadmap for true civic inclusion.Breaking Down Barriers: Following the theme of "Nothing About Us Without Us," we discuss how to challenge systemic barriers and return control to the individuals most impacted by the justice and care systems.Moving from Logic to Legacy: This episode sets the stage for a series of five intensive trainings James will be leading in 2026. We are moving from the “logic” of the system (the data, the labels, and the rules) to a “living restorative legacy”—utilizing the powerful "Fire Horse" energy of the year to create a world where everyone is treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.

#217 iChange Justice Podcast - The Seeds of Sovereignty: A Lifetime of Indigenous Advocacy with Beth BrownfieldIn this special Happy New Year broadcast, host Joy Gilfilen welcomes her longtime mentor and community icon, Beth Brownfield. As we step into 2026 and our fifth season, this episode serves as a masterclass in how one person’s "seeds of justice" can ripple across a nation to change laws, denominations, and heart-centered community policies.The Seed of a 12-Year-Old: Beth shares the origin of her activism—a seed planted at age 12 after reading a heartbreaking paragraph of contaminated smallpox blankets sent by the U.S. Army, especially Plains groups, to control the Indian problem. Years later she takes her heartbreaking first response through her journey from the Pine Ridge Reservation to the Pacific Northwest, sharing the heroic stories of Sue Ann Big Crow, who transformed racial tensions through a Lakota shawl dance on a basketball court, and the losing fight of Alex White Plume to grow hemp under the protection of native sovereignty.The Principles of HONOR: Beth details her work with HONOR (Honor Our Neighbors, Origins, and Rights), an organization that worked, at the invitation of Tribes and Nations to: Honor government to government relationships and tribal sovereignty; Affirm Indian treaties; Honor and protect the Earth; Conduct Ourselves in a manner which is respectful of all people; Promote intercultural understanding and awareness. She explains how these principles were practiced in collaborative work to save Whatcom County from the proposed coal terminal, and why the first official acknowledgment of the "first inhabitants of these lands and waters" was an essential first step to restorative justice.The Doctrine of Discovery: One of Beth’s most significant legacies is her work inspired by the work of Lummi, Jewel James and Shawnee, Lenape, Steve Newcomb to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. Beth recounts her campaign to move the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to pass a national resolution repudiating this archaic legal framework used to dominate the Original Nations and Peoples, their lands, and resources. Beth describes her methodology as being a "Johnny Appleseed" for justice—planting seeds and letting them take root through the work of community action. She leaves us with a powerful call to action for 2026: "If everyone plants “seeds” as they pass through the world, and picks up the garbage in front of them, we could change the world."

Ready for a soul-stirring Christmas? Discover iChange Justice! Whatcom County's own Joy Gilfilen and visionary artist Shawn Gallaway present a musical gift of restoration for the Salish Sea and beyond. Find iChange Justice right here every Thursday at noon.This Christmas Day, the iChange Justice podcast is unwrapping something truly special. Host Joy Gilfilen is joined by visionary artist Shawn Gallaway to present a curated selection of his most recent music—songs born from a lifetime of storytelling and a deep commitment to human restoration.Blending Soul with TechnologyShawn shares how his newest creations use Authentic Intelligence to reach the heart. These are "songs of transformation" designed to help us navigate the Choice Point between love and fear.Episode Highlights:The Debut of New Sounds: Experience Shawn’s most recent compositions, including the powerful evolution of "Joy Riders."Bridging Generations: Shawn reflects on his journey as a performer and grandfather using modern tools to spread ancient truths.A Vision for 2026: How music serves as a frequency to heal, transmute fear, and prepare us for the collective changes ahead.This episode is a tribute to the Restorative Community Coalition and a warm holiday season to every listener seeking justice, peace, and joy in the Salish Sea and beyond.The Christmas Special: A Sonic Gift to the CommunityThis episode is a tribute to the Restorative Community Coalition and a warm holiday season to every listener seeking justice, peace, and a bit of joy in the coming year.

iChange Justice co-hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball present the powerful conclusion to their two-part series with Elder Eveimai Lotori, focusing on "Beyond Your Impossible Awakening Your Wisdom Healing." This episode features deep reflection and dialogue with guest Mel Hoover, frequent contributor and and supporter of the work with Eveimai.The discussion centers on Eveimai’s five-step self-learning and healing process, which is a rich integration of ancient teachings from Toltec, Mexica, Cherokee, Lakota, Dakota, and Cheyenne traditions. This process, which Eveimai uses for her own transformation through journaling, is structured around key stages: self-reflection (mirroring), heart-centered will, shedding limiting patterns, wisdom activation, and achieving harmonic balance through ceremonial dance.Joy sets the context for the conversation by placing it at the critical transition from the end of 2025 into 2026. She emphasizes that this period is far from normal, citing profound shifts in global political and economic power, the spread of misinformation, and the rapidly accelerating influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and augmented intelligence.Karen builds on this by translating Eveimai’s wisdom into actionable steps, inviting listeners to engage in deep listening and brave conversations. She uses the concept of the four directions to examine the self, questioning personal "blinders" and repetitive patterns of dualism and competition. Karen stresses the need to pivot away from systems of extraction, consumption, and control toward collaboration and co-creation aligned with the laws of nature.Mel Hoover provides a foundational analysis, affirming that culture has programmed people into "either/or" thinking—a deviation from nature. He introduces the critical idea that personal change must begin with the "I" to build an honest "we." Mel then offers a profound, experience-based definition of the "tipping point," drawing on his civil rights work. He explains that when neighborhoods or schools reached 15% to 20% integration, white residents with financial means often "panicked and moved." This phenomenon, he argues, exposed how money and classism allowed people to mask the deeper discomfort of "anti-blackness" and systemic advantage, proving that the societal struggle encompasses not just racism, but all "isms" (including rankism and classism) built on a foundational "lie" that normalizes division.The episode concludes with a powerful invitation to embrace the coming holy day season (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa) with "mosaic eyes." Joy and Mel encourage listeners to practice true listening, forgive human imperfections, apologize sincerely for unintended harm, and work toward becoming "beloveds together"—connected to the wholeness and health of nature. The conversation ends by calling for a "holiday season of learning" that celebrates the possibility of personal and collective change.To learn how you can participate, volunteer, research, or donate to support local living economies and partner with the iChange Justice podcast, please visit www.therestorativecommunity.org. Find details about upcoming events on the calendar there.

This first installment introduces Eveimai's groundbreaking plan for The Beyond Your Impossible Legacy Foundation. Co-hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball guide listeners through the vision for this new entity—a 508 C1A Private Membership Association—designed for global community service, advocacy, and spiritual inclusivity.At the heart of the foundation are the proposed Nurturing Development Centers. Eveimai describes these centers as tailored, two-year immersive journeys for individuals and families in locales worldwide, from Colorado to Palestine. The mission is to help participants discover their soul and creative potential, supported by healers, craftspeople, and experts. Core focus areas include emotional healing, creativity activation, and developing conscious enterprise roadmaps for a future where traditional jobs are obsolete and "creators and co-creators" lead the way.Eveimai envisions these centers as residential properties where participants can live and engage in a holistic experience. They will feature essential elements like food gardens, orchards, vineyards, and labyrinth gardens for meditation. They will also host ceremony spaces—such as sweat lodges and teepees—welcoming traditions from all cultures, alongside farm animals to engage children and families. Furthermore, the property design incorporates Airbnb-ready tree houses or housing units to support financial sustainability through retreats and rentals.This episode is a compelling call to shift our collective focus from systems of restriction to systems of creation. As Eveimai beautifully states, the goal is to weave our visions together, recognizing that "we all are a piece of the whole." Karen and Joy affirm the timeliness of this vision, noting that current global challenges demand this level of unified, multi-cultural action to bridge economic gaps and restore natural balance.Tune in to witness the genesis of a vision for a thriving future, and be sure to return next week for Part Two, where Eveimai describes her holistic healing process, Beyond Your Possible Awakening Your Wisdom Healing.To learn how you can participate, volunteer, research, or donate to support local living economies and partner with the iChange Justice podcast connecty with us.

Host Joy Gilfilen and co-host Karen Ball launch a new conversational series with Elder and civil rights leader Mel Hoover (Mel-Rose Ministries). This episode begins the podcast's move into its Fifth Era as a converging network.Mel, born in 1944 into an "apartheid nation," contrasts his inherited unconditional love with the Constitution's "lie in terms of the actions" and reveals his Native American heritage. The hosts compare their three distinct generational stories (Apartheid, Vietnam, and the Red Scare) to explore the Survival/Thrival Paradox: How do we build a restorative culture when facing the deep societal fear and "undeniable fissures" exposed by the COVID-19 lockdown?Mel's wisdom for the future is a mandate for courage: cultivate the core belief to be your "authentic self no matter what." This internal decision is the key to creating a "beloved, inclusive future."

Join hosts Joy Gilfilen (Restorative Community Coalition) and criminal justice educator Karen Ball for a powerful installment as they explore the foundational principles driving the iChange Justice movement.This episode draws on five years of work and the wisdom of global, national, and local thought leaders. We dive into our core philosophy: "When we invest in punishment, we perpetuate harm; when we invest in people, we cultivate safety."In this episode, you'll hear the essential impact of insights from:Mel Hoover (Mel-Rose Ministries): On the ethical grounding of restorative practice.Marc Santos (NobleGoldman Network): Pathways to systemic change through regenerative economics.Kurt Krueger (Peacemakers Circles): Methods for conflict resolution and peace education.James White (ESATTA Cooperative): The power of community support and self-advocacy.Irene Morgan: The vision steering the Restorative Community Coalition.We connect the dots between activism, education, and policy to show the concrete actions needed to build a more humane future. Don't miss this crucial conversation about choosing people over punishment!Find iChange Justice every Thursday at noon.

Host Joy Gilfilen welcomes Larry Ballesteros—a Native American leader and symbol of deep resilience (tribal name: Bear from the Earth).Larry reveals his journey from incarceration to innovation, detailing how he co-created the grassroots Transitioning Offenders Program (TOP) after realizing the system was designed to fail those being released (leaving prison with only a $40 check).Larry and fellow inmates built a comprehensive, data-driven reentry network right from inside the walls. When audited by state officials, their inmate-run program demonstrated a stunning 92% success rate (7.8% recidivism)—a record unmatched by formal programs at the time.In this powerful conversation, Larry discusses what it truly takes to transform lives behind bars, the power of self-mastery (requiring participants to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull), and how programs like TOP offer a blueprint for the future of restorative justice.Airing Everywhere on November 20th.

From the healing ceremonies at Wounded Knee to her work with the Grandmothers Society, Grandmother Ejna Jean Fleury shares a living teaching on consciousness, remembrance, and the return of the Divine Feminine.Host Joy Gilfilen welcomes Grandmother Ejna Jean Fleury — Miniconjou, Oglala, Hunkpapa, and Ihanktonwan of the Great Sioux Nation; First Peace Ambassador of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe; and founder of the Crow Creek Kunsi / Unci Grandmothers Society, Divine Mothers Love, Sacred Earth Council, and Healing Hearts at Wounded Knee.Recorded just before she opened an international women’s congress, this spontaneous conversation became a teaching on healing, consciousness, and the sacred feminine. Grandmother Ejna recounts her journey from the ceremonies at Wounded Knee — where she has led healing gatherings for decades — to her global outreach connecting the Divine Mother traditions found in cultures around the world.She speaks of the quantum reality of love as a field of life itself — a living energy that unites all beings beyond the boundaries of culture, language, or form. Through story, memory, and ceremony, she calls us to return to that field, to remember our relationship with Mother Earth, and to live as conscious caretakers of creation.This episode is both personal and universal — a remembrance of who we truly are and a call to embody peace in every choice we make.Healing Hearts at Wounded Knee

#209 – iChange Justice Podcast – From Chaos to Coherence: Dr. Christine Habercorn on Community, Economics & the Future of JusticeHost- Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball welcome Dr. Christine Habercorn, an elder stateswoman of civic leadership and long-time consultant with the Restorative CommUunity Coalition. With more than 50 years of political and community experience, Dr. Habercorn brings a rare perspective shaped by decades of business, activism, teaching, and global travel.Beginning her work in the 1970s alongside Robert F. Kennedy and Jerry Brown, Christine became deeply engaged in civic reform, economic development, and community action across multiple states and countries. Her lifelong commitment to healthy social progress and her understanding of global systems provide a powerful context for this wide-ranging conversation about change, leadership, and the human spirit.Together, Joy and Karen explore with Christine discuss how the past 15 years have transformed the way we think about justice, economics, and community connection. From activism to technology, and from trauma to trust, Dr. Habercorn helps illuminate how coherence emerges from chaos when people focus on community return to service and compassion.Building on her earlier appearance in Episode #113, “The Business of Justice,” she connects economics, governance, and technology to the deeper human need for meaning, resilience, and hope.Building on her earlier appearance in Episode #113, “The Business of Justice,” she connects economics, governance, and technology to the human need for coherence and hope.

Joy Gilfilen speaks about the evolution of the iChange Justice Podcast — how a lifetime of unexpected experiences shaped her understanding of law, leadership, and community transformation.For nearly five years, Joy has hosted the iChange Justice Podcast as a thought-leadership platform exploring how restorative justice, regenerative economics, and community empowerment intersect to build a more humane society. What began as a local conversation about jail reform and reentry in Whatcom County has grown into a wide-ranging inquiry into how justice, governance, and the economy intertwine across generations and cultures.From her early life on a ranch in Eastern Washington to working inside the legislature, law enforcement, and business development, Joy shares how firsthand experiences revealed the patterns that shape modern systems. Whether in government, science, or economics, she found that systems rewarding control and extraction often undermine the life they depend on.Those insights led to her work documenting jail trauma and advocating for prevention-based justice. Through over 200 episodes, the iChange Justice Podcast has become a public forum for transformation — amplifying voices from inmates, sheriffs, elders, educators, reformers, and innovators alike.As Joy explains, “The future of public safety isn’t about control — it’s about prevention, education, and rebuilding civic resilience.” The podcast invites listeners to rediscover authentic intelligence — the human capacity for empathy, ethics, and courage that no algorithm can replicate.Each episode offers a piece of that larger mosaic — from Paul Levy’s Wetiko Mindset (Episode 165) to Patricia Anne Davis’ Indigenous wisdom (Episode 124), Don Kirchner’s justice reform (Episode 118), and Marc Santos on regenerative economics (Episode 78). Together they form an archive of social courage and civic learning.In this solo reflection, Joy connects the dots — from ranch life to policy, from justice to regeneration — to ask a question at the heart of it all:How does it work? And how can we make it work better for everyone?

Host Joy Gilfilen welcomes back Ilona Krohn, an economist whose research traces the hidden emotional and structural roots of our economic and social systems. Together they explore how the global obsession with profit and control has shaped local taxation, governance, and public safety — and how these deeply embedded behaviors are driving cycles of trauma, competition, and inequality in our communities.Ilona reveals how economic systems built on scarcity thinking have conditioned generations to believe there is never enough — not enough time, money, resources, or worth — and how that fear fuels everything from political division to personal burnout. She connects the dots between profit-driven decision-making and the erosion of community wellbeing, showing how “more concrete and steel” doesn’t stop crime; it privatizes it.This episode dives deep into the psychology of economics, the unconscious trauma that underlies modern systems, and the need for a collective shift toward conscious, compassionate leadership. Joy and Ilona challenge listeners to question the assumptions that equate profit with success — and to imagine what healthy, regenerative, community-based business models could look like if we re-centered human value over financial value.“Technology has outpaced our consciousness. Now it’s time to evolve emotionally — to reconnect our economics with empathy.”It’s a thought-provoking continuation of Ilona’s earlier appearances (#32 and #37), expanding the conversation from survival to awareness, and from scarcity to shared responsibility. Together, they outline a path toward an economy that serves life — not the other way around.