How can we resist buying into the big lie that we are alone? What does it take to embody a sense of dignity and belonging when we hold dominant identities within oppressive systems? Can we lay to rest the desire to be “pure, perfect, and innocent” and still be worthwhile to the revolution?

Kristyn with a Why receives compassionate witnessing from some of the folks from her Embodied Social Justice cohort (ESJC) in today's (relatively) mini episode.

0-11:00: Introduction, Updates, Synchronicities

11:16- end: Crying and Compassionate Witnessing by Embodied Social Justice Cohort

Check out Kristyn on the “Asteria’s Convos” podcast where they chatted about building community and sharing sourdough!

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

If you enjoyed today’s ep, you will probably love the Cosmic Anarchy Substack by Ayesha Khan, Ph.D and on IG @wokescientist

Liberation with Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)
Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This episode contains spoilers for the first two books of The Empyrean Series- Fourth Wing and Iron Flame)

How can romantasy novels resource us to live a more liberated life? How does “curing” a protagonist of their chronic pain support larger ableist narratives? If you fall in love with a “book boyfriend” whose lands, language, and culture have been stolen from them- how can you show your devotion to them in real life and honor land back and indigenous sovereignty? What would it take for us to stop policing groups we have been conditioned to hate/fear especially when the rules are unjust? Do *all* romantasy fans play Dungeons and Dragons?

Kristyn with a Why sits down for a friendly chat with two friends she met on Reddit- Alexis (a writer/boardgamer) and Kendra (an aerialist/chiropractor and member of the Cree nation)- both of whom live with chronic illnesses. Together they discuss how Violet’s journey resonated with them, what they would have liked to see more of, and they collectively imagine what liberation can look like in the soon to be released 3rd book of the series, Onyx Storm!

0- Episode Intro

5:30- Kristyn gives a reflective synopsis of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame

28:40-Introducing Alexis and Kendra

41:32- Critiques of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame

58:00- Moments in the book that resourced us

1:09:47- How Fourth Wing and Iron Flame help you FEEL liberation

1:15:30- What was lost? Connections with Indigenous themes

1:19:37- The value of not curing a chronically disabled protagonist

1:33:51- More connections and quotes of Indigenous themes

1:40:00-Hope for Onyx Storm

1:50:23- Outro

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

10 Principles of Disability Justice by Sins Invalid

Sophie Strand’s substack: You can preorder “The Body is a Doorway” here

For more community and witnessing around chronic illness and disability, check out Carmen Spagnola’s Numinous Network

Roadmap to Liberation with Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This episode contains spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 of Squid Game)

How can I connect and hold space for someone who is moved by a story that I refuse to watch? How does capitalism thrive in binary/hierarchical thinking: good vs bad, guilt vs innocence, us vs. them? Is consent and free will even possible in capitalism? In what ways is Squid Game a metaphor for reality shows like Love Island? How can a practice of satisfiability and finding your “enough” disrupt the insatiable momentum of capitalism? How can we create the world we prefer while also fighting against unjust systems?

This episode flips roles as Kevin sits Kristyn down to give a synopsis of Season 1 and Season 2 of Squid Game. Then together they riff on how the puritanical obsession with innocence and perfection has kept us immobilized from just doing less harm and feeling more satiation in unjust systems of exploitation and “never enough.”

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Grateful for the learning alluded to in today’s episode:

-Toi Smith

-Carmen Spagnola’s podcast with Toi Smith, courses on Attachment and Contact Nutrition on the Numinous Network
-Ruben Anderson and the #smallanddeliciouslife

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

This bonus and first ever mini-sode is a practice of trust--recorded, edited and uploaded in an hour.

Kristyn takes a moment to celebrate the podcast's half revolution around the sun: Timeline peering the last six months, sharing best predictions for early 2025 (more subversive smut coming soon?!), and offering a tearfelt thank you to listeners-

THANK YOU for sitting around my campfire with me the last 6 months.

(This season contains spoilers for the show “Severance”- season 1 aired in 2022 on Apple)

How might someone heal from a coercive relationship or high demand group? How can we identify fascism and fight tyranny and why must we? How can we respond when escape is off the table? When trauma severs the mind from the body, what are the pros and cons of “top down” vs “bottom up” healing modalities? How can we discern when “wellness” isn’t safe? How is absurdity a hallmark of collapse?

Kristyn with a Why chats with her teacher and mentor Carmen Spagnola about disorganized attachment, cult tactics, fascism, “wellness,” and collapse through the lens of Severance.

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0-11:14 Intro to episode

11:14-18:00: Intro to Carmen

18:00-31:51: Petey’s Protocol- How to heal from high demand groups

31:51-45:31: The disorganized field of Lumon- How fascism depends on cult tactics of hijacking your nervous system

45:31-58:44: When Mark sculpts a tree/When “wellness” isn’t safe- Somatics and “top down” vs “bottom up” healing modalities

58:44-1:08:40: Severance is absurd and so is Collapse- "We are in the Bread and Circus Phase"

1:08:40-1:21:22: a liberated future for Helly in Season 2, collectively imagining a better future.

1:21:22-end: If you enjoyed this interview, you can preorder Carmen’s next book!/ Outro

Scene Links—------------------------

Wellness Session

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

PreOrder Carmen Spagnola’s book here

Alexandra Stein’s book: Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems

Timothy Snyder’s Book: On Tyranny

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)