The Cozy Impact Pod Season 3, Episode 4: Boost Your Oxytocin!

Welcome back to the Cozy Impact Pod, where we explore how softness, joy, and embodiment can be powerful tools for change.

In this episode, Malia and Julia reconnect after a full season of life and work. They reflect on burnout, shifting energy cycles, and the ways we find rest in a world that rarely slows down. From crocheting sea turtles to walking through botanic gardens, they explore how small sensory pleasures, like touching yarn or eating a peach, can ground us when things feel overwhelming.

They also dig into the deeper currents under their work: imposter syndrome, the pressure to have all the answers, and how meritocracy and white supremacy culture show up even in our most well-intentioned spaces. Together, they ask: What would it mean to embrace “I don’t know” as a radical practice? And how can we find comfort without losing our fire for justice?

This is an episode about pausing, recalibrating, and remembering that connection is a form of impact.

Mentions and Resources

• Spicy Brains Get Stuff Done by Dr. Becca Block - https://maven.com/rebecca-block-phd/spicy-brains
• Heather Rebecca Wilson The Cycle Starters Podcast https://www.youtube.com/@thecyclestarterspodcast
• Deena Ismail’s I Just Love Grape Leaves workshop - Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deendeen87/, and her work with Listening Lab: https://www.listeninglab.nyc/listeninglab
• Rooted Global Village https://rootedglobalvillage.com/
• Abundance by Ezra Klein https://bookshop.org/p/books/abundance-what-progress-takes-derek-thompson/20165403?ean=9781668023488&next=t

Listener Invitations What could you do this week that feels non-productively productive?

What’s one thing you can say “I don’t know” about — with softness and without shame?

Big Announcements 🌊 Bridging the Gap: From Fear to Trust A 5-part disability inclusion series led by Malia Wright and Sarah Kerwin → Starts June 12, 2025 — second Thursday each month → Learn more + register: https://www.maliawright.com/bridging-the-gap

🌺 Phenomena: An Embodied Retreat in Hawai’i August 22–28, 2025 | Kirpal Meditation & Ecological Center → Early bird through June 1 – but mention this podcast and keep the discount! → More info: https://www.ebbwithus.com/phenomena-retreat

🧘 Julia’s Community Open Houses (free) → Second Wednesday of every month, 12–1pm ET → Mindfulness, connection, and non-networking networking → Sign up: https://juliafirestonecoaching.com/events

💼 Coaching with Julia → Sign up for a 6-12 session package with Julia (special rates through June) → Start by booking an initial session: https://calendly.com/juliafirestonecoaching/coaching-clarity-session

Reach out to us!

Julia Firestone - hello@juliafirestone.com

Malia Wright-Merer - malia@maliawright.com

Malia and Julia discuss the current chaotic moment in the US, the LA fires, and each of our responses to navigating the environment we're in. Julia is in her petty era of activism, getting cybertrucks towed. Malia is in her mom-voice era being a powerful grounded goddess on a mountaintop. We discuss declassified CIA files on sabbotaging fascism, attacks on DEI, and how we’re continuing to fight for human dignity.

Links and references:

• https://www.miltwright.com/windmills-training-program
• juliafirestonecoaching.com/events
• Calling In - Loretta Ross: https://bookshop.org/p/books/calling-in-how-to-start-making-change-with-those-you-d-rather-cancel-loretta-ross/21525899?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkoe9BhDYARIsAH85cDMPIuxHAfMYBfdyeGKPxop5BCTOJSsl6VeZdoL9VH3xRixnA32BRQwaApMYEALw_wcB
• Lily Zheng - What comes after DEI - https://hbr.org/2025/01/what-comes-after-dei?ab=HP-hero-featured-text-1&giftToken=14571969381737647983023
• CIA doc - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26184?ref=404media.co
• Links to GoFundMe for folks in LA: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pK5omSsD4KGhjEHCVgcVw-rd4FZP9haoijEx1mSAm5c/htmlview?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYe3fVHAIXAyOd0fP4BeZxFUTV-xEld6UkQoT31cRCzNrPaq1BfwlfDgKo_aem_ctoXf8hydbBWJ4HkPqRuxw

Woof. These are challenging times with challenging conversations always simmering between us. How can we navigate them? What does "success" mean for hard conversations with those we care about? In this episode, we talk about how we have navigated hard conversations, tools and resources for showing up with authenticity and care to these conversations, and open with silly banter about Halloween costumes.