Cultures of Change: Healing Our Identity

Kia ora, and welcome to this episode of the "Healing Our Identity" podcast. We are one year old. It is something I am so very grateful for. And in this episode, we'retalking about leadership. So it's a timely conversation reflecting on the past 12 months. We're looking at the whakatauki, he aha te kai o te rangatira?He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. What is the food of a leader? It's knowledge and it's conversation. Two things that I love. This is about knowledge of self and conversations we have in this podcast through storytelling. So what does leadership mean to you, and how do you see yourself as a leader?

In this episode of the "Healing Our Identity" podcast, we are following on from part one of the question that we ask to all of our guests, which is, what does healing our identity mean to you? We're hearing the answers from Gambirra, GLVES, Sandra Morales, Peho Howden, and even myself. And this is a beautiful compilation of all of these answers coming together, showing the different perspectives of how we all view our own healing and how we all view our own identity.

Kia ora, and welcome to this episode of the "Healing Our Identity" podcast. We are taking a look back at the first five amazing women that shared their stories on series two of the podcast. I ask every single guest, what does healing our identity mean to you? And this episode is a compilation of what each of these women shared. Every single answer is completely unique to them, to their experiences, to their stories, to their wisdom and what they choose to share. We're gonna be hearing the words again of Whaia Sonic Weaver, Amelia Butler from Learn Maori Abroad, Michelle Hoffa from PNG, Chenoa Demal, a professional actor, and Sarahlee Bragg, a Kaiako Matua.

Kia Ora and welcome to this episode of the Healing Our Identity podcast. I'm joined by Peho Howden, a Māori woman who has spent the last 17 years in Australia, Gold Coast. Peho is the founder and creator behind Healing Winds. She's a natural born seer, traditionally known as a Matakite. She was initiated into her work by her Ancestors through ancient shamanic tikanga. Although she does not boast about this as she understands full and well, the responsibilities that come with her practice and her gifts. "So, a lot of the time when I'm working with people, especially when it comes to identity, I am standing up as the conduit, not as the healer, I stand up as the pipeline, the instrument, the vessel, literally so, you may have heard it, you may have heard people say those words, when I am literally that, when people come into this space." You can connect directly with Peho and her work at Healing Winds on her website: https://www.healingwinds.com.au Or Instagram and Facebook @healingwindsgc Please like, share and subscribe to the podcast! Thanks for listening and supporting. Erica x

In this episode of the Healing Our Identity podcast, we are carrying on from the legacy of Gigari and unpacking what she regularly said, which was what matters most, is whose hands are on the steering wheel. I am talking about this, in the context of all areas of my life, how it now rolls out into my work and as a mentor, and I'm asking you to inquire for yourself, what it means to have your own hands on the steering wheel, that is your life.

Kia ora and welcome to this very special episode of the Healing Our Identity podcast. This episode is in honor of the legacy of Gigari George. An opportunity to share with you all some of her wisdom and leadership within the indigenous land and sea management sector, an area that she dedicated her life to, an area that she was well respected in, where her impact was far reaching and continues to be today. I'm sharing with you the Mabo lecture that Gigari gave at the national native title conference in 2016, arguably, all that she talks about is still relevant today as she refers back some 20 years. This is definitely a history lesson for some, and a deeper insight into the woman and leader that she was in this space, and the legacy she left behind that continues to have impact today.

In this episode I’m joined by Sandra Morales from Heartdancers. Sandra was born in Colombia “mestiza” (mixed race) woman. She had the blessing to be born in a land were Indigenous, Spanish and African arts and cultures blended. For many years she resented the history of violence that made this to happen. Now, Sandra uses her mestiza “identity” as a gift and through her work in preserving indigenous arts and culture, ‘I have realised that beyond our identity in form we are the Great Spirit free from time and space’, says Sandra. Sandra leads Heartdancers Charity, in which everyone is welcomed to walk with us on an uplifting and exciting journey of personal and collective healing through cross-cultural dialogue, education and empowerment through the arts. You can connect directly with Sandra on Facebook and Instagram @heartdancers_inc Or visit their website https://heartdancers.org.au/ Please like, subscribe and share this episode with a friend you know will enjoy it! For more on doing this deep work for yourself, I have recorded a masterclass for you called ‘Reclaim Your Identity’. It’s free and you can access it at www.womenreconnecting.com Thank you for supporting this kaupapa.

In this Episode I’m joined by special guest GLVES. GLVES (pronounced “gloves”) is a proud Kaurareg Aboriginal, Fijian and Polynesian woman. She is a Lutruwita (Tasmania) born, Kaurna (Adelaide) raised, and now Meanjin (Brisbane) based First Nations singer-songwriter. Raised in a fear-driven doomsday cult isolated from society, her culture and extended family, her music tells the story of her survival and self-sovereignty. Driven by a deep appreciation of her heritage, and a heartfelt longing to further connect with her cultures, GLVES’ music and storytelling reflects an exploration of her emotional landscape to find self-love and healing; harmoniously weaving electronic elements, soothing vocal loops and percussive instruments to create an earnest representation of her inner-most thoughts. In March her 'Heal Me' music video was Highly Commended in the 2021 Queensland Music Awards and she is also a Finalist in the Australian Women in Music Awards Emerging Artist category. You can connect with GLVES on instagram, twitter, facebook @glvesmusic and you listen to her music streams on all music platforms. For more on doing this deep work for yourself, I have recorded a masterclass for you called ‘Reclaim Your Identity’. It’s free and you can access it at www.womenreconnecting.com Please like, subscribe and share this episode with a friend you know will enjoy it! Thank you for supporting Erica x

In this episode, we're talking to an amazing woman Gambirra aka Mama G. Your woman from the Gumatj clan of Northeast Arnhem Land currently residing in Worimi country. Gambirra uses art as her tool to unite and heal people. She is an eclectic artist using song, dance and painting as a natural process for her. She values multiculturalism, human rights and the environment. She has a passion for nurturing and strengthening identity. "It's about connecting to country. Cause you'd go, how do we do that? So connection to country is a big one because it allows us to connect to our internal system. You know, that's activating our DNA. That's activating our nervous system. Being barefoot on the land and in the water. I think this is where we begin to heal." You can connect with Gambirra on Instagram @gambirra @gambirra_mob @theillumegirls Please like, subscribe and share this episode with a friend you know will enjoy it! Follow us on Instagram @healingouridentity. For more on doing this deep work for yourself, I have recorded a masterclass for you called ‘Reclaim Your Identity’. It’s free and you can access it at www.womenreconnecting.com More About Gambirra Gambirra uses the Arts as her tool to unite and heal people. Over two decades of practice as a professional performer; musician, singer songwriter, producer, exhibiting visual artist, workshop facilitator, cultural arts educator and a clinical mental health & well-being coach. Gambirra values multiculturalism, human rights and the environment. She has a passion for nurturing and strengthening identity and connecting with disadvantaged individuals and/or communities who have suffered intergenerational trauma. Song, dance and painting has always been a natural process for Gambirra. Her source of inspiration draws from a long lineage of ceremonial painters, healers and the natural world. Creating and sharing through the arts is a spiritual and philosophical process for her. A member of the Sydney World Music Chamber Orchestra. She is a key Ceremonial vocalist and Ensemble Leader of Dream Drone. A member of The ILLUME Girls, Leader of the ‘GAMBIRRA MOB’ - bringing together a dynamic & diverse multicultural family in song, expanding up to a 12-piece band, gracing world stages such as Woodford Folk festival and Splendour in the Grass. As an eclectic artist, Gambirra has composed and produced musical pieces for projects such as Catapult Dance Company, NAISDA Dance Company and Legal Aid NSW. Throughout her practice, her message is powerful and simple; "our spirituality is inseparably linked to the land, we all vibrate with the planet. We are one blood".

Tena koutou, nau mai, haere mai ki tenei waahanga o te korero 'whakaaora i to tatou tuakiri' pepetema te marama Reo Māori. Welcome everybody to this episode of the Healing Our Identity podcast, because September is Māori language month, I am sharing with you my Te Reo Māori what it means to me to speak my language and to speak although I am not fluent. This is about speaking, because I can, because I choose too and because I don't need to wait until it feels perfect for me to do so, I invite you to join me in this special episode. As I dive into Te Reo Māori what it means to me and how it connects with my cultural identity. For more on doing this deep work for yourself, I have recorded a masterclass for you called ‘Reclaim Your Identity’. It’s free and you can access it at www.womenreconnecting.com Please like, subscribe and share this episode with a friend you know will enjoy it!

In this episode I am joined Sarahlee Bragg, she is joining us from the Deep South of Aotearoa from the fishing village known as Bluff. Sarahlee is a Kaiako Matua, a head teacher, at the Bluff Kindergarten, as well as a Cultural and Spiritual Advisor for Southcoast Psychology in Invercargill. Supporting people to know who they come with and to connect with their ecological identity. 'Ko Takitimu te Maunga Nō Motupohue ahau Kei Murihiku tōku kāinga ināianei Ko Te ara a kiwa te Moana Ko Te Rau Aroha te Marae Ko Ngai Tahu, Whakatohea, Ngati Ruanui nga iwi Ko Sarahlee Bragg tōku ingoa' '...When you talk to me about the importance of identity, it's like for me knowing my whenua (land) and knowing my to tupuna (ancestors) and knowing who I come from and the bones of my ancestors is paramount into how I walk and breathe and behave in the world as this human Sarahlee Bragg. It's like I don't know any other way to move through the world than knowing who I come with. It is such a blessing to do this sacred work within my own community.' Sarahlee is also humbled and blessed to also co-facilitate the Divine Spark Tarot and Astrology NZ community, alongside Founder Kym McDonald, teaching courses on the depth and wisdom of the Tarot. You can connect with Sarahlee directly on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sezbluffie or Instagram @sezbluffie. Follow along with the podcast @healingouridentity on Instagram. For more on doing this deep work for yourself, I have recorded a masterclass for you called ‘Reclaim Your Identity’. It’s free and you can access it at www.womenreconnecting.com Please like, subscribe and share this episode with a friend you know will enjoy it! Nga mihi, Erica

In this episode, I'm joined by Chenoa Deemal. She is a professional actor and has been in many productions, including The 7 Stages of Grieving, The Longest Minute, which she received a Matilda Award nomination for best actress, and, most recently, in the production, Cursed, writen by Kodie Bedford who is an incredible Indigenous writer for screen and stage. Chenoa is a Thiithaarr Warra woman from the Guugu Yimithirr Nation. Chenoa is passionate about her work and the roles that she takes on. "The more exposure Indigenous kids and children of color, I mean, you know, refugee kids, the more that they see themselves and their stories represented, the more they feel like they're important and that they matter and their stories matter. Yeah, that's important to me, that they're valuable." In 2020 Chenoa appeared in the world premier of Ensemble Theatre’s Black Cockatoo and in the award-winning Australian play Holy Day by Andrew Bovell in New York, in March 2019. With production partners United Stages and Grin and Tonic, Chenoa had a month-long season of The 7 Stages of Grieving by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman at Starlight Theatre, Los Angeles. In 2018 she played the lead in Queensland Theatre’s The Longest Minute which received a Matilda Award Nomination for Chenoa - Best Actress in a Leading Role. She also appeared in David Williamson’s Sorting Out Rachel at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre in 2018. Her performance in the Queensland Theatre/Grin & Tonic co-production The Seven Stages of Grieving garnered huge critical acclaim; the production also went to London for the 2017 Border Crossings’ Origins Festival. Other theatre credits include: Rainbow’s End (Riverside Theatres), An Octoroon, St Mary’s in Exile, Mother Courage and Her Children(Queensland Theatre), The Voice in the Walls (Imaginary Theatre), Mr Takahashi & Other Falling Secrets (Corrugated Iron) and A Man with Five Children (Darlinghurst Theatre). Splatalot!(YTVcanada/CBBC/ABC3) & short film Love Song Dedication. Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) QUT; Advanced diploma of the Performing Arts:ACPA (Aboriginal Centre of the Performing Arts). You can connect with Chenoa on Instagram @chenoadeemal Follow along with the podcast @healingouridentity on Instagram. I have recorded a masterclass for you as well called ‘Reclaim Your Identity’. It’s free and you can access it at www.womenreconnecting.com Please like, subscribe and share this episode with a friend you know will enjoy it!

In this episode, we are having a conversation about the multiple layers of identity. We are reflecting on the conversations we've been hearing in the first few episodes of this series, and I'm sharing my own reflections that have come up for me from listening and receiving these stories. A beautiful Maori whakatauki that is weaved throughout this episode and speaks volumes in this conversation, and to me, the power of self-belief. “He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.” "What is the most important thing in the world? It's the people, it's the people, it's the people." It is people who create momentum, and it is momentum that creates change. This whakatauki brings up some of the insights that I've been receiving from these conversations.

Welcome to this episode of the Healing Our Identity podcast. We are joined from PNG by Michelle Hau’ofa. She has a strong sense of social justice. And has made it her life mission to help people in whatever capacity she can to live the world a better place. Michelle has a firm belief that women must have a presence in PNG Parliament. If there is to be sustainable and positive impact on social and economic indicators. "I think it starts from a belief that men and women are equal. That's the fundamental belief. Men and women are equal. And we have gifts to bring to our families, our societies, our communities, our country, that are just as important as each other. And without that balance, you don't have a balanced anything." - Michelle Hauofa Please like, share and subscribe to our podcast to be notified when a new episode is out. You can follow us on instagram @healingouridentity or on facebook at 'Cultures of Change - Healing Our Identity'. You can connect with Michelle on Facebook @michelle.hauofa.9 You can support and follow Kokoda 4 Kidneys You can support and follow the Roger Hau'ofa Kidney Foundation Thanks for listening and supporting.

Kia ora and welcome to Episode 2, Series 2! I'm joined by special guest, Amelia Butler, the founder of Learn Maori Abroad. She is talking to us about growing up in Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland, NZ, and moving to Los Angeles in 2009. In 2017, Amelia started an LA-based kapa haka group, and in 2018, she started Learn Maori Abroad. This is now her life's work, and it revolves around sharing Maori culture and Te Reo Maori to learners living all around the world. "Our ancestors have spoken these words, and so I think that's just so, so special that we are activating our whakapapa connection in the present moment, that does mean our ancestors are right with us, because we're speaking the same words that they spoke. We are singing the same waiata that they sung." - Amelia Butler The intake of Learn Maori Abroad is happening now and starts on August 7th, 2021. You can connect with Amelia and find out all about the Learn Māori Abroad Program on Facebook at ‘Learn Māori Abroad’ and on Instagram @learnmaoriabroad or email info@learnmaoriabroad.com. Please like, share and subscribe to our podcast to be notified when a new episode is out. You can follow us on instagram @healingouridentity or on facebook at 'Cultures of Change - Healing Our Identity'. Thanks for listening and supporting.

Welcome to series 2 of the Healing Our Identity Podcast, where we are diving deep into the stories of Indigenous women from around the world. It's an honor and privilege to bring you the story of Whaia Sonic Weaver. She is a Ngāti Kahungunu woman who was raised in Outback Desert, Western Australia. Her story is very much shaped by her experiences, how she grew up. She is a renowned Vocalist, Multi-instrumentalist, Designer, Cultural Producer and Facilitator. Whaia is one powerhouse mama! Walking with Taonga Puoro/Traditional First Nations Instruments including one very rare Whale Tooth Flute and Crystal Singing Bowls she weaves her own unique cradle of embedded healing phonics. Join us for a conversation with Whaia as she shares a piece of her life story, and some of the wisdom and knowledge she has learned along the way. You can connect and follow along with Whaia Sonic Weaver on Facebook or Instagram @whaia_creation or visit her website www.whaiacreation.com. You can catch her this weekend at the Hervey Bay Whale Festival 29th July 2021.

In episode 21, we're talking about the fact that we don't need to force what has been for us. And we're going into a conversation about when we are working in a team environment and we're working with other people. How important it can be to allow everybody to express themselves freely in the space. Allow them the room to contribute and to collaborate to the task at hand. And if we are in a space of trying to force an outcome, it spills over into trying to force other people to act and be in a certain way. It also goes for situations as well. When we're forcing something, we're starting to focus our energy into a tense, restricted space. We put our head down, we put our blinkers on, we try and block out the reality of the changes and the challenges that come up when we are implementing something, when we are creating something. Nothing ever translates from plan to reality perfectly. And if we're in a space of forcing an outcome that we've locked our mind onto creating, then we start to create from a place of stress and restriction and we don't invite new ideas or new opportunities to then flowing.