We've noticed that our ancestral values don't always jive with the chaotic climate of social media. In this episode, we talk about the ways that social media and time spent in the digital world can harm our health, and why this is potentially the biggest public health crisis of our time. We also share tips, strategies, and ideas for bringing our ancestral values back to the forefront -- even in the virtual landscape -- ensuring that our relationship to technology remains healthy and productive.

Currently in Native country, there is a resurgence of Indigenous fatherhood life ways and practices. The role of Indigenous fathers in their families and communities is evolving, while also remaining rooted in ancestral teachings.

In this conversation WFC Co-Founder Thosh Collins sat down with his friend and collegue Dr Joshuaa Allison-Burbank during a Native Wellness Institute Power Event that was live on Facebook. 

Dr. Allison-Burbank (Diné / Pueblo) is a father of two from Tohatchi, NM on the Navajo Nation. Josh received an MA in 2015 and a PhD in 2020 in speech-language pathology from University of Kansas. He also attended the University of New Mexico, completing undergraduate degrees in speech and hearing sciences. His research and clinical interests include autism spectrum disorder, communication disorders associated with cleft/craniofacial differences, disability surveillance, early intervention, and culturally responsive service delivery. He is an adjunct lecturer at the University Vermont Medical Center. Dr. Allison-Burbank has facilitated numerous workshops and technical assistance related to early childhood programming and diversity initiatives across Indian Country. He currently works as a speech-language pathologist at Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, NM.

Thosh co-authored, with Dr. Allison-Burbank, a chapter called American Indian Fathers and their Sacred Children in the recently published book titled ‘Handbook of Fathers and Child Development’. 

Handbook of Fathers and Child Development by Fitzgerald, H.E., von Klitzing, K., Cabrera, N., Scarano de Mendonça, J., Skjøthaug, Th. (Eds.)

https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030510268

To learn more about Dr. Allison-Burbank’s work and consulting business visit his website at https://www.lilmoccasins.com/About.

Instagram: @ndnslp

As COVID-19 continues to impact the world, tribal Nations and Indigenous people continue to see sweeping impacts of the virus in our communities. This episode explores public health implications and perspectives surrounding the topic.

First, we talk about some of the ways that the virus has impacted our family and communities personally. We then interview Deionna Vigil, a Research Program Coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for American Indian Health. She offers insight into the public health response to the pandemic in Indian Country. She explains how this has shifted over time. She then answers our questions about the vaccine.

This is a 2-part series. The next pandemic episode will be released soon, in which we will explore cultural, spiritual, and wellness-oriented impacts of the virus.

These episodes have been made possible with funding by the National Geographic Society Emergency Fund for Journalists.

Resources on how to take action

https://blacklivesmatter.com/global-actions/

https://blacklivesmatter.com/defundthepolice/

https://www.standwithbre.com/?fbclid=IwAR1O5lupss1_YmmjZpPlUr_mH0i5NX95YFaETWIJS4xwUDlUQTF-Tgz9zk0

List of books recommended in episode:

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves by Adam Hochschild

The work fo Dr Cornel West, an American philosopher, political activist, social critic, author, and public intellectual.

In this episode we give our thoughts on the current global pandemic, and we discuss ways we can all stay grounded and well through Indigenous teachings, using our original model for holistic health, the 7 Circles of Wellness. We provide a short guided session of emotional freedom technique, which is a tool to reduce stress and anxiety.

PODCAST EPISODE 10 : OUR INTERTRIBAL WEDDING // Guess what? We got married this month! It was a beautiful, healthful, spiritually grounding ceremony followed by a 3-day celebration full of friends, family, and Indigenous food. We did things in our own unique way — combining customs from our various tribal nations and adding tweaks of our own to make it all come together. We weren’t planning on doing a podcast episode on this topic, but since the whole thing turned out so nicely, we wanted to tell you about it, inspire some ideas, and invite you to share our happiness. Thanks for listening!

Banner photo by Tomás Karmelo

Photos by Angelo Paulos

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Episode 09 : CONSCIOUS INDIGENOUS PARENTING // Indigenous parents all over the world are reclaiming and revitalizing the parenting philosophies and methodologies that have been keeping Native families well and strong since the beginning of time. In this episode, Thosh and Chelsey share all about their tips, experiences, and thought processes from pregnancy to labor/delivery and through the stages of baby care. This is the first in an ongoing series of parenting episodes. For more of this type of content, be sure to check out all of the #wellforbaby blog posts on welllforculture.com

Healthy relationships set the foundation for strong families which in turn make up thriving Indigenous communities. Much of the healing and wellness needed within our communities is dependent upon breaking the cycles of unhealthy relationships and reconnecting with our original teachings on love, honor, trust and respect. One of the seven circles of wellness is “Kinship/Clanship/Community.” The topic of healthy relationships lies within this circle.

Many of our listeners requested that we open up and share a little bit about our own relationship and discuss how we stay well in our partnership. We also share some stories about other relationships that we admire, and share a bit about our past experiences so that the listener can hear firsthand examples of good partnerships and red flags to look out for.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We are utilizing our platform to spread awareness on the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, and to encourage those who may be in an unsafe situation to reach out to available resources. We hope that the listener will also become informed on the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Online resources for healing and support:

https://www.thehotline.org | National Domestic Violence Hotline | 1-800-799-7233

https://www.nativewellness.com | Non-profit that offers Healthy Relationships Training

https://www.strongheartshelpline.org/ - 1-844-7NATIVE | A Native American helpline for domestic and dating violence

You Are Not Alone - Native Women's Association of Canada | A toolkit for First Nations women, girls and diverse people for escaping domestic and dating violence.

A conversation with Sean Sherman, The Sioux Chef. We are so excited to share this episode with you all! Many of you are probably already aware of the amazing work Sean is doing in the area of revitalizing and evolving Indigenous food-ways. He is an award-winning chef, cookbook author, social entrepreneur, and much more. In this episode Thosh and Sean talk about the importance of making Indigenous foods a part of our lives again; the critical link between our health and our food-ways, the Indigenous FoodLab, a new project Sean and his team are undertaking through their non-profit organization NATIFS, and so much more. Listen and share! Available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Reestablishing our relationships with food is perhaps the most critical step toward reclaiming Indigenous health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, the food conversation can be overwhelmingly complex, but we’ve broken down some of the basics and shared our thoughts to help you start viewing food more like your ancestors did. Topics covered in this episode include the impact of colonialism on modern health; Indigenous values-based food choices; why we don’t say “diet,”; no more one-size-fits-all solutions; the mental/physical/spiritual/emotional components of food; mindful eating; what is ancestral food; and much, much more ! 

This is the first of many FOOD episodes to come.