Dream Nation Love

This is the Second Episode in our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn Series. This podcast is focused on data and what Indigenous activists are doing to help humanize MMIW data. At the end of the day, data is a collection of stories. Stories about individuals, events, and places. Providing a window into the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. When it comes to data gathering, a difference exists between the Indigenous and the Western approach. The approaches can have a vast effect on bringing relatives home. On the episode, we’ll hear from people working to decolonize data. As well as how activists are using Tik Tok to create awareness about the crisis and avoid being censored. Stories determine what percentage of cases are solved by authorities. Or in most cases, not solved. Missing person searches and murder investigations often depend on how well they are tracked and logged by various authority groups. Since 2016 there have been 5,712 reported Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases. Out of those, only a tiny number — 116 have been opened by the U.S. Department of Justice for investigation. Even when reports are filed, racism still plays a factor in the cases pursued by the authorities.  On the show you will hear from Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty. Delegate Crotty spoke about decolonizing data and how the MMIW crisis is affecting the largest reservation in the US. Annita Lucchesi who is the Founder and Director of Research and Outreach at Sovereign Bodies Institute shared how she put together the first MMIW database in the US. Meghan Leinhauser spoke about Instagram, Tik Tok, and Censorship. Meghan is an ally who recently published an honors thesis at the University of Dayton. It’s titled “TikTok and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People Movement.” Liz Marin who is the Program Director of Seeding Sovereignty spoke about how Instagram censored her posts on May 5, 2021 which is the National Day of Awareness of MMIW. Dr. Charlene Aqpik Apok joined the discussion from Alaska to talk about her work decolonizing data as the Executive Director and Founder of Data for Indigenous Justice. An Alaskan Native and Womxn led non-profit which is home to a database for missing and murdered Indigenous womxn, girls and relatives data. Many thanks to everyone for amplifying awareness around the MMIW crisis and indigenous data gathering. The stories are powerful and I am so grateful to Melissa Spence who was the Producer and Editor on the series. It would not exist without her care and meticulous attention to detail. Thank you to Patrick for setting up the interview with Amber Crotty. Please listen, please share, and please care. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Kae Burke is the Co-Founder of House Of Yes in Bushwick, Brooklyn. As well as the Creative Director of Yes Etc Creative Agency. HOY was recently named the #2 Best Thing To Do in the World by Time Out New York. The venue is internationally celebrated for fostering self-expression and nurturing emerging artists of all genres. Their events lead the way for developing safer spaces and consent culture. On the show Kae talks about going to fashion school with Anya Sapozhnikova and how they created HOY. Kae also speaks about how the House Of Yes fosters an inclusive culture and how costumes and self-expression go hand-in-hand. As well as how the pandemic has changed the party landscape and we delve into the ways people have started to be more mindful of their consumption. Her new Creative Agency is called Yes Etc and we talk about what it was like to open an experiential agency during a pandemic and where she finds inspiration. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

This five-part series brings attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn Crisis in the US. MMIW cases are also prevalent in Canada but this series highlights the situation in America. The systemic struggle is so complex that it would take years to cover all the stories. These MMIWR true crime episodes are different from the usual Dream Nation Love format. They are the first multi-episode story that DNL has published. The idea for the MMIWR (R standing for relatives) series originated from a conversation I had six years ago with my sister-in-law. I first noticed airport signs in Washington asking people to keep an eye out for human trafficking victims. Our conversation quickly went from human trafficking to the MMIW crisis. I’ve never heard of either back East. It was astounding to learn that this was happening in the US (and Canada) and that the mainstream media was barely covering the issue. The more I spoke to families and read articles, the bigger the MMIW story would become. The systemic struggles created an environment for many Indigenous Womxn, Boys, Girls, and Two-Spirits to be susceptible to murder and/or disappearances. Most are not aware that there are 5,712 cases of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls in the US. The episodes are edited and produced by Melissa Spence who is an Audio Producer and a Voice-over artist. An Anishinaabe Ojibway, Melissa is enrolled in Lake Manitoba First Nation of Canada. She is the Co-host of the Indigenous Vision Podcast alongside Souta Callinglast who is Blackfoot. Indigenous Vision is a collective of Native professionals empowering the future of Indigenous communities in Canada and the US. They do so through educational resources for environmental and cultural preservation. I am forever grateful to Melissa for her talent, friendship, and knowledge. The introduction features the “Strong Woman” song performed by Nicole Matthews, Guadalupe Lopez, and Angelica Allery. Nicole is the Executive Director of The Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition and Angelica is the Membership and Outreach Coordinator. Guadalupe is the Executive Director of Violence Free Minnesota. The song is a part of Nicole’s Tedx talk ”How Indigenous Values Can Help Sexual Violence Victims Heal.” Thank you to the women for sharing the powerful performance with the podcast. The voices that you are about to hear on the podcast are from Mary Katherine Nagle, an Attorney specializing in tribal sovereignty of Native Nations and Peoples. She is also one of the country's most-produced Native American Playwrights. Mary is also the Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program. You will also hear Minnesota Senator Mary Kunesh who created the MMIWG Task Force, to assess and recommend solutions to the crisis in Minnesota. as well as a report on MMIW with mandates to the Minnesota legislature. Mary is a founding member of the Native American and People of Color & Indigenous (POCI) caucuses. You will also hear from Amber Crotty who is a Delegate of the Navajo Nation (one of the largest Indian reservations in the US) about the MMIWR crisis there. The six years of research culminated in these episodes. The goal is to amplify Indigenous Voices and feature interviews with survivors, relatives, state patrol, tribal law enforcement, sexual assault coalition directors, senators, lawyers advocating for tribal sovereignty, environmentalists, and many more voices impacted by the MMIW crisis. After listening to the episodes, my dream is that you share the knowledge. In the hopes of creating awareness, advocating for change, protecting yourself or others, identifying persons being trafficked, and speaking up against injustice. Thank you for listening. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Y-Vonne Hutchinson is an Author, former international human rights lawyer, and Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Founder of ReadySet, a diversity and inclusion training firm that helps tech giants, political leaders, media outlets, and Fortune 500 companies speak more productively about racism and turn talk into action. Y-Vonne also hosts a podcast called Time To Act about Diversity and Inclusion. On the show, we talk about her latest book HOW TO TALK TO YOUR BOSS ABOUT RACE: Speaking Up Without Getting Shut Down. This episode is a conversation on race, inequality, and how race is fluid. A candid discussion from a global perspective that leaves the viewer with concrete advice that they can use in their work life. Part memoir, part actionable guidebook, this book equips employees with a framework to think about race at work, prepares them to have frank and effective conversations with more powerful leaders, helps them center marginalized perspectives, and explains how to leverage power dynamics to get results while navigating backlash and gaslighting. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Alexandra Fine is the Co-Founder and CEO of Dame which launched in 2014 after joining forces with Janet Lieberman, an MIT-trained engineer. Dame is a woman-powered company in every way and that’s why you’re hearing this story during March 2022 which is also Women’s History Month. Al is a lifelong student of sexual health, having earned her Master’s in clinical psychology with a concentration in sex therapy from Columbia University. A Forbes’ 30 Under 30 awardee, Al has transformed her role as a CEO into one of a dedicated activist for women’s health, gender equity, and prioritizing pleasure. On the show, Alexandra talks about sexual wellness, closing the pleasure gap, non-binary perspectives, The Sims BDSM, and a ton more. Our conversation is mostly focused on Dame’s three-year-long court battle against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Their historic triumph over the MTA validates both the existence of the woman-owned company as well as of female pleasure and wellness. Ensuring that company has the right to advertise on subways, buses, and commuter rail. Places that have long welcomed male-focused brands like Ro (Roman), Hims, as well as breast enhancements, and more. This is a big deal since the MTA transports over 11 million passengers a day. That’s a lot of customers. This is also a giant win for free speech and anti-censorship. Congrats to Dame Products and the team. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Ethan Zuckerman is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (my alma mater), where he teaches Public Policy, Communication, and Information. His work focuses on designing and advocating for versions of social media that have positive social and civic impacts. Which means moving beyond existing models of funding and governance. On the show, Ethan talks about the Metaverse, trust, Facebook vs Apple, making the Metaverse a safe space, governance of online spaces, data ownership, what the biggest piece missing from the Metaverse conversation is, Omar Wasow and Black Planet, and technical barriers when it comes to storytelling access on various platforms. Ethan founded the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure to explore the ideas previously mentioned. It’s a research group studying and building alternatives to the existing commercial internet. Previously Ethan was at the MIT Media Lab working at the Center for Civic Media, researching the relationship between media and social change, and building tools to study how ideas spread in the media, and how citizens can better participate in their civic lives. He is also the inventor of pop-up windows. Ethan has many hats but the one that he wears the most is that of a blogger/writer. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, CNN, Wired and others. He also has a Ted Talk about listening to global voices. Over the years, he’s been a tech startup guy (with Tripod.com), a non-profit founder (Geekcorps.org) a peace Corp for geeks, transferring tech skills from geeks in developed nations to geeks in emerging nations, especially entrepreneurial geeks who are building small businesses. He is also the Co-founder of Globalvoices.org which is a global blogging community. He’s has written two books: Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them and Rewire: Digital Cosmopolitans in the Age of Connection, both published through W.W. Norton.  And is an alumnus of the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard, the MIT Media Lab and Comparative Media Studies at MIT, Geekcorps, and Tripod. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Ben Curtis is a magician, award-winning actor, musician, and public speaker. He is also a Creation Coach dedicated to creating more love, compassion, and permission to go after your dreams with abandon. You also probably recognize Ben as the iconic "The Dell Dude” from the Dell commercials in the early 2000s. Dell recently brought him back to kick off a new campaign. I can’t help but feel like somehow this is the circle of life. It truly is magical. Ben and I have been meaning to record this podcast for quite some time since we are neighbors in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. What most people don’t know about “The Dell Dude” is that Ben is a really talented actor. Having studied at the best institutions. He attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts on an acting scholarship based on his audition. He studied at Tisch's Experimental Theater Wing (both in America and Amsterdam). Ben also attended the Lee Strasberg Institute & the Atlantic Theater Company. This podcast was really inspiring and happened right when his Dell spots went live. It was inspiring to speak about dreams past and present. Dream on and share this episode with someone who would appreciate it. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Alina Zavatsky is a vegan mom, runner, three-time marathoner, weightlifter, and champion of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Alina runs an awesome blog called Vegan Runner Eats and I really love her newsletter. It's filled with useful information for anyone interested in veganism, an active lifestyle, and tips on raising a vegan family. Alina was born in Uzbekistan – a country that used to be a part of the Soviet Union so it was interesting to speak with her about our shared experience of living in that part of the world. We talked about social media, body positivity, staying fit, and raising vegan children. The video jump-cuts on my end are because I'm not filming in a studio. I'm slowly building out a studio as I travel. Hang tight and thanks for watching. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Alina Zavatsky is a vegan mom, runner, three-time marathoner, weightlifter, and champion of a whole-food, plant-based diet. Alina runs an awesome blog called Vegan Runner Eats and I really love her newsletter. It's filled with useful information for anyone interested in veganism, an active lifestyle, and tips on raising a vegan family. Alina was born in Uzbekistan – a country that used to be a part of the Soviet Union so it was interesting to speak with her about our shared experience of living in that part of the world. We talked about social media, body positivity, staying fit, and raising vegan children. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Suzy Batiz is the founder of Poo~Pourri, Supernatural, and ALIVE OS. She is an incredibly inspiring human who’s overcome many obstacles to create her vision. You might have heard her story on other podcasts or read about it in a magazine. Since the story exists on other platforms, on this show, we’re going to focus on ALIVE OS. An 8-week course developed by Suzy showing you how to create the life of your dreams. Think of it as a radical upgrade to your human operating system. Suzy wrote this program and it’s full of paradigms, processes, and practices to help you lead a TURNED ON life. From figuring out what resonates with you to make your own ALIVE ideas come true. Propelling your dreams into reality. On the podcast, along with speaking about the course, Suzy talks about returning to Poo-Pourri as CEO, manifestation loops, Ayahuasca, raising kids while running a business, alive ideas, and the difference between resonance and dissonance. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Jeni Wren Stottrup is an audio producer based out of Portland, Oregon. She's also a musician, storyteller, vocalist, and podcast advocate. A human Swiss Army knife, Jeni is also my amazing Podcast Producer/Editor for Dream Nation Love. She makes my show sound great. I also love that I can come to her with any questions about audio production and podcasts. If you want to know more about her, you can check out Gritty Birds. In 2021 she launched The Podcasters Forum, a platform to support the growth of content creators. On the show, Jeni talks about coaching podcasters, imagination and ADHD, writing great show notes, improving SEO, how to invest in your show, scheduling time for creativity, and the privilege of dreams. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Laura Garnett is a performance strategist who works with CEOs and Executives to identify their unique genius and purpose. She has consulted with organizations including Capital One, Pandora, LinkedIn, and Instructure. Prior to launching her own company, New York City-based Garnett Consulting, she honed her marketing, strategy, and career-refining skills at companies like Capital One, American Express, IAC, and Google. Laura is also an Author. Her first book is “The Genius Habit: How One Habit Can Radically Change Your Work and Your Life.” The Genius Habit is a methodology developed by Laura after tracking her own behavior, researching the social science, psychology, and neuroscience of performance, and asking a lot of questions. If you believe that work can be one of the most rewarding aspects of life, then this book is definitely for you. Change your life by changing your habit. On the podcast, we talk about her new book “Find Your Zone of Genius: How to redefine intelligence, become an expert on yourself, and make greatness a given.” When you learn to align your work with your genius and purpose, you’ll avoid the feelings of confusion and anxiety that can surround your career. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Jordan Marie Daniel is a Lakota professional runner and Activist raising awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, girls, two-spirits, and relatives. Through her running, Jordan is representing Indigenous athletes and relatives, and the BIPOC community. She is an advocate for diversity, inclusivity, and justice for Indigenous, Black, Brown folx within these spaces. She is the Founder of Rising Hearts which was born out of Standing Rock and the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. She is also a producer on the film The Sacred And The Snake. Following three Water Protectors – Lauren, Cheryl, and Olive – through their transformative experiences at Standing Rock and beyond. On the show, we talk about her experience of moving to DC to be an advocate for Indigenous people. We also talk running, running through pregnancy, and MMIW. Jordan is holding a run to honor MMIW on May 5 which is the day honoring MMIW. You can learn more about it by following her insta https://www.instagram.com/nativein_la/?hl=en I’ll run it and I hope you’ll join us as well. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Suzy Batiz is the founder of Poo~Pourri, Supernatural, and ALIVE OS. She is an incredibly inspiring human who’s overcome many obstacles to create her vision. You might have heard her story on other podcasts or read about it in a magazine. Since the story exists on other platforms, on this show, we’re going to focus on ALIVE OS. An 8-week course developed by Suzy showing you how to create the life of your dreams. Think of it as a radical upgrade to your human operating system. Suzy wrote this program and it’s full of paradigms, processes, and practices to help you lead a TURNED ON life. From figuring out what resonates with you to make your own ALIVE ideas come true. Propelling your dreams into reality. On the podcast, along with speaking about the course, Suzy talks about returning to Poo-Pourri as CEO, manifestation loops, Ayahuasca, raising kids while running a business, alive ideas, and the difference between resonance and dissonance. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Rexy Rolle is a Musician, Aviation & Business Lawyer, and the Vice President of Operations and General Counsel at Western Air. The most successful, black-owned and private airline (outside of predominantly Black countries which have mostly government run airlines). The fleet operates out of the Bahamas. Rexy's parents started Western Air in 2001 and she has helped grow the company since she was a child. Rexy oversees the day-to-day operations of the busy airline and all legal affairs. On the show Rexy talks about balancing her music with her business, operating an airline, and the safety protocols airlines have to take during Covid. Rolle is also the Founder of Gyal On A Mission which provides mentorship and career help to girls. Helping develop the next generation of women in leadership positions. We didn’t get to talk about it on the show but I wanted to mention it so people know that it is there. It’s a great resource for girls living in the Bahamas. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Due to the pandemic we've all been spending a lot of time outdoors as well as indoors. I wanted to do a deep dive into nature and get a little metaphysical so today on the show I have Amy Dempster. She is a modern-day shaman, earth tender, and portal keeper. We'll get into what all of these things are on the podcast. Amy has learned to speak the language of nature. Now she is helping lightworkers, starseeds, and others with a deep connection to nature on their spiritual journeys. This episode is all about communicating and working with spirit and the healing energies of nature. We even talk about one of my favorite subjects which is Bigfoot. Amy also has a course on her site on how to connect with Bigfoot Elders. You can check it out on her site at https://followinghawks.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Pebe Sebert is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who is also known for being Kesha’s mom. She started singing at the age of four and performing publicly at six. Pebe has written for Kesha, Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Cyrus, Pitbull, Riders in the Sky, and many more. Sebert co-wrote one of my favorite songs “Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You Dear” with High Moffatt. It's been performed by Dolly Parton, Kesha, Joe Sun, and Brian Collins. This is a really fun podcast. Pebe talks about music, aliens, Eckhart Tolle, and her love of animals. Recently Pebe launched Magic Mission dedicated to improving the lives of street dogs in Central America. Their goal is to help spread a culture of animal kindness. Eliminating suffering and overpopulation through the support of community education and sustainable, safe spay and neuter programs. The non-profit also helps the dogs get adopted in the US. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Pete Sena is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Digital Surgeons, a global creative consultancy working on everything from venture-backed startups to Fortune 50 organizations. Pete partners with CEOs, CMOs, and creative leaders to help them set, plan, and achieve their visions. Pete’s mission is to empower ambitious individuals and visionary organizations to design demand and engineer growth. Creating human-centric, future-forward, inspiring work. Helping partner-clients think forward through experience design, creative marketing, and digital business model transformation. On the podcast, we talk about the future of Digital Marketing. Pete shares his advice for building cross-functional innovation teams, and how the pandemic affected digital marketing and product launches. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Len May is the CEO & Co-Founder EndoCanna Health, a Bio-Science Technology company. Think of them as a 23 And Me for Weed. An accomplished public speaker, he is on a mission to educate about the healing powers of Cannabis. In this episode, we'll talk about Cannabis, DNA, how your genetics play a role in your Canna experience, and how to talk to your Boomer parents about trying Cannabis. As a Certified Medical Cannabis Specialist in Medicinal Genomics, Len has an in-depth knowledge of genomics, cannabinoids and terpenes, and their interaction with the Endocannabinoid system. This knowledge has allowed him to consult on the creation of Cannabinoid formulations designed to address specific health concerns. May has more than 25 years of Cannabis and genomics experience and holds a Masters of Medical Cannabis and a certificate in Endocannabinoid Formulation from the Institute for the Advancement of Integrative Medicine. His areas of expertise include the workings of the Endocannabinoid System and how genetic expression plays a role in human experiences. A pioneer in the Medical Cannabis industry, Len's work has been instrumental in shaping the current legislation and culture. He has held past positions as President of the Cannabis Action Network and Board Member and Lifetime Member of California Cannabis Association. He is the current chair of the CBDIA science board and is a stakeholder in some of the industry’s most iconic brands. Len is also a published author of “ Making Cannabis Personal” and hosts the popular “Everything Is Personal” podcast. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support

Emily Chang is a strategic business leader and CEO of McCann Worldgroup, China. Before that, she served as CMO for Starbucks China. Prior to Starbucks, Emily was the Chief Commercial Officer for IHG, where she was responsible for all commercial functions across Greater China. Looking after 320+ hotels and a team of 5,200 Sales & Marketing members. She began her career at Procter & Gamble and Apple. Emily has a new book out called The Spare Room, which was also the topic of her first TEDx Talk. Emily started lending her Spare Room out to people in need when she was in college. It’s something that she continued to do to this day. On the podcast, we talk about how you can discover your own Spare Room. Is it your time, money, or a skill? Maybe it’s a physical room, or maybe it’s in the form of another gift that you can offer to the world. We talk about what the differences are when working in China vs America. As well as how to find your purpose. Emily suggests that your purpose lies at the intersection of two ideas. On one side, you have the thing that offends you, and on the other, there’s what you have to offer. We also talked about what it’s like to manage people and how to become a purposeful leader. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/DreamNation/support