WEBVTT - 111823 Iya Affo and The Effects of Generational Trauma (Part 1)

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<v Speaker 1>Broadcasting from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios. I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>welcome you to another episode of Civic Spher. I am

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<v Speaker 1>your host, Ramsay's job. Big shout out to my man

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<v Speaker 1>c Ward, who is out in the Philippines this week

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<v Speaker 1>if I'm not mistaken, as you know, he is a globetrotter.

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<v Speaker 1>But have no fear. We have a special guest in

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<v Speaker 1>the building, couple of special guests actually, and we are

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<v Speaker 1>going to spend some time talking to the one, the

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<v Speaker 1>only ea AFO about how trauma can pass from generation

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<v Speaker 1>to generation. I want to give you a proper introduction

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<v Speaker 1>when we actually get to that point, but it's okay

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<v Speaker 1>to say hi.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, Hi, thank you so much for having me. I'm

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<v Speaker 2>so excited to see here.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know, funnily enough, I learned about you and

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<v Speaker 1>this amazing lecture or lecture series that you give from

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<v Speaker 1>a dear friend of mine and a dear friend of

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<v Speaker 1>the show, fellow activist. Her name is Leanna Taylor, So

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for being here as well. We'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>kind of get an idea of what it was like

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<v Speaker 1>to be in the audience listening, just so that we

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<v Speaker 1>know kind of how to see the information that is

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<v Speaker 1>in store for us today. That is something that you

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<v Speaker 1>definitely need to stick around for, as well as the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the show. Our way Black History fact I

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<v Speaker 1>believe lends itself to what we're talking about today. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't want to spoil it, but suffice it to say,

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<v Speaker 1>a barrel lap is something that we're going to peel

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<v Speaker 1>back the layers of. In addition to that, we have

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<v Speaker 1>an incredible Boba today for you to stick around for

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<v Speaker 1>as well, So a lot in store for you today,

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<v Speaker 1>plenty to stick around for. And of course, true to form,

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<v Speaker 1>well I guess really not true to form because normally

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<v Speaker 1>we're talking about like police violence and all that sort

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<v Speaker 1>of stuff, and lately we've been talking about the war

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<v Speaker 1>in Palestine and Gaza, which is a sad situation. But

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<v Speaker 1>true to form, we are going to be doing our

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<v Speaker 1>best to empower you our allies with some information that

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<v Speaker 1>you can take into your communities and hopefully make some

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<v Speaker 1>lasting changes. But first and foremost, like we always do it,

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<v Speaker 1>this time, let's start the show off with some ebony excellence.

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<v Speaker 1>So today's Ebony Excellence is sponsored my major Threads for

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<v Speaker 1>Innovative Fashionable Sports, where checkmajorthreads dot com and I'm going

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<v Speaker 1>to be sharing an amazing story. Lately, We've been inundated

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<v Speaker 1>with lots of stories from young black kids that paint

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<v Speaker 1>a picture that I don't believe fully represents the entirety

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<v Speaker 1>of black youth in the United States. So this one

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<v Speaker 1>I thought was a great example. This comes from moss Point, Mississippi,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'll read a sixteen year old boy is being

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<v Speaker 1>hailed as a hero after helping rescue four people from

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<v Speaker 1>a car that drove off a boat launch into the

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<v Speaker 1>Mississippi River. And the incident happened around two thirty am

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<v Speaker 1>when the car, which had three teenage girls inside, drove

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<v Speaker 1>into the Pascagoula River in Moss Point, floated about twenty

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<v Speaker 1>feet away from shore and started sinking, the Moss Point

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<v Speaker 1>Police Department said in a statement. Quote the driver of

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<v Speaker 1>that vehicle said she was following her GPS and did

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<v Speaker 1>not realize she was going into the water, police said.

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<v Speaker 1>Carry On Evans, age sixteen, said he immediately ran over,

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<v Speaker 1>took off his shoes and shirt, and went in the

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<v Speaker 1>water when he saw the car sinking and heard the

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<v Speaker 1>three occupants shouting for help. Quote, I was like, I

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<v Speaker 1>can't let these folks die. They need to get out

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<v Speaker 1>of the water. Evans is a past Cugoula High school student,

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<v Speaker 1>and he said this to Biloxi, Mississippi ABC affiliate WLOX,

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<v Speaker 1>where this article comes from. He goes on to say,

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<v Speaker 1>so I just started getting them. I wasn't even thinking

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<v Speaker 1>about anything else. One of Evans's friends also jumped in

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<v Speaker 1>to help with the girls out through the top of

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<v Speaker 1>their vehicle. According to WLOX quote, I was trying to

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<v Speaker 1>I was behind them, trying to keep them above water

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<v Speaker 1>and swim with them at the same time, Evans told

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<v Speaker 1>the station. Along with Moss Point police officer Gary Mercer,

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<v Speaker 1>who responded to the scene, Evans helped bring the three

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<v Speaker 1>teens to shore. And this is a really cool story.

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<v Speaker 1>I really want you to check it out again. This

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<v Speaker 1>is Ebny Excellence and you can find this on our

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<v Speaker 1>social media at Civic Cipher on Instagram for this one. Okay, now, yeah, AFO.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much. We're going to have a good time.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's get it going.

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<v Speaker 1>So before we get to all the good stuff, give

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<v Speaker 1>us a little bit of background about the work that

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<v Speaker 1>you do and the changes that you're trying to bring

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<v Speaker 1>about in this country and in our conversations with ourselves

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<v Speaker 1>and with each other.

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<v Speaker 2>I you know, I started being on a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>Native American reservations, working with tribes around trauma and historical trauma.

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<v Speaker 1>Historical trauma.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes. And then the craziest thing happened. What I had

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<v Speaker 2>been talking about this stuff for years, but nobody really

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to hear me, right, nobody cared anywhere that I

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<v Speaker 2>could talk. I'd be there and you know, for free,

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<v Speaker 2>for whatever. And then George Floyd was murdered. And the

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<v Speaker 2>murder of George Floyd during COVID was what really further

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<v Speaker 2>law launched a lot of the work that I'm doing,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think the most important aspect of it is

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<v Speaker 2>understanding that certainly black Indigenous people of color have a

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<v Speaker 2>level of generational trauma that impacts the physiology and the

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<v Speaker 2>neurobiology and therefore drives how we think, how we feel,

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<v Speaker 2>how we emote, how we relate, how we behave, And

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<v Speaker 2>it's important to know these things because it changes how

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<v Speaker 2>we raise our children, it changes how we behave, and

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<v Speaker 2>so this has been really the important part of the message.

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<v Speaker 2>I've also been working with police departments on training their

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<v Speaker 2>officers about what happens when you move into your fight

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<v Speaker 2>or flight response. How do you know when you're in

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<v Speaker 2>your fight or flight response so that your reaction to

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<v Speaker 2>what's happening in front of you changes. How do you communicate, relate,

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<v Speaker 2>and talk to people in a way that creates safety?

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<v Speaker 2>And in creating that safety, you can control their behavior.

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<v Speaker 2>So if you really want to control the situation between

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<v Speaker 2>you and a potential suspect or somebody that you're interacting with,

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<v Speaker 2>create safety and you can have a safer outcome in

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<v Speaker 2>the end. So that type of work.

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<v Speaker 1>Got it. Got it? So when you say generational trauma

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<v Speaker 1>for the initiated, let's break down what that means.

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<v Speaker 2>So we can say generational trauma, intergenerational trauma, historical trauma,

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<v Speaker 2>collective trauma. All of them are interchangeable. They mean the

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<v Speaker 2>same thing. You're referring to the same phenomenon from a

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<v Speaker 2>different perspective. But it's the idea that trauma can be

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<v Speaker 2>passed from one generation to the next on the epigenome

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<v Speaker 2>of the DNA, meaning that the genetic information doesn't change,

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<v Speaker 2>but how that information is expressed can be altered due

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<v Speaker 2>to trauma as well as we have cultural shifts and

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<v Speaker 2>changes based on trauma. From previous generations.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, now, I know that you have a number of

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<v Speaker 1>certifications and qualifications and so, but let's make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>we list a handful of them. You don't need to

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<v Speaker 1>list them all, but a handful of them, just so

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<v Speaker 1>that the people know that they're talking to an expert

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<v Speaker 1>on the subject.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, So I'm a historical trauma expert. I am a

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<v Speaker 2>certified trauma specialist. I am certified in doctor Bruce Perry's

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<v Speaker 2>Neurosequential Model of Health, who is another one of our

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<v Speaker 2>trauma experts. I'm certified in doctor Gobor Matte's work that

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<v Speaker 2>he does around trauma and addiction.

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<v Speaker 1>I knew this was going to be a lot good.

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<v Speaker 2>I am a professor at the Arizona Trauma Institute Trauma International.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm the founder of the Rising and Resilience Phoenix Rising

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<v Speaker 2>and Resilience blog on the Paces connection platform.

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<v Speaker 1>On and on and on. Yes, indeed, Okay, trauma.

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<v Speaker 2>Just suffice it to say that trauma is my life,

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<v Speaker 2>like trauma is my passion.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, this is just my thing. It's who I am.

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<v Speaker 3>I live this, you know. It's it's interesting because I've

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<v Speaker 3>been invited to go to New York sometime.

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't tell you the date, but I'll be having

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<v Speaker 1>a conversation with Charlemagne and we're going to be talking

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<v Speaker 1>about mental health for black men and destigmatizing it and

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<v Speaker 1>so forth. So it's it's interesting in the past few

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<v Speaker 1>years this has become especially with respect to trauma, this

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<v Speaker 1>has become something that more and more people have been

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<v Speaker 1>talking about. So your pedigree in your and your studies

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<v Speaker 1>is kind of it's kind of like the right place

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<v Speaker 1>and the right time with the right person and right

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<v Speaker 1>you know what I mean. So I'm really excited to

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<v Speaker 1>have the conversation. Now I want to shift gears here

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<v Speaker 1>just for a bit. Okay, So, Leanna, you are the

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<v Speaker 1>person that brought really this conversation and this amazing individual

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<v Speaker 1>to our attention. And the reason that this happened is

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<v Speaker 1>because you were able to experience a I believe it

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<v Speaker 1>was a lecture. I'm not, she knows, okay, So for

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<v Speaker 1>for our listeners and just so that we know, give

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<v Speaker 1>us an idea of what it was like to witness

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<v Speaker 1>and learn and kind of understand everything that you know,

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<v Speaker 1>she was talking about. And I want to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>that this is stated. We do this from time to

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<v Speaker 1>time on the show. Leanna is white. She is a

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<v Speaker 1>white woman. Iyah is a black woman, and you guys

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<v Speaker 1>know me so anyway, So go ahead, you know, because

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<v Speaker 1>this is important the shows about ally ship and so

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<v Speaker 1>as a white woman to learn and receive instruction and

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<v Speaker 1>more information from a black woman who's an expert on trauma,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sure you learned a lot. And I don't want to.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't want to answer the question for you, but

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<v Speaker 1>you know, that's kind of what I was hoping to

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<v Speaker 1>get me, so.

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<v Speaker 4>All right, yeah, yeah, So I run a nonprofit and

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<v Speaker 4>you know, in nonprofit our work, when we're dealing with

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<v Speaker 4>our disempowered communities, it is a lot of individuals who

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<v Speaker 4>have suffered tremendous trauma, sure and generational trauma. So the subject,

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<v Speaker 4>I think is something really near and dear to my

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<v Speaker 4>heart because our clients really are the living, breathing embodiment

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<v Speaker 4>of what you were talking about and how we connected

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<v Speaker 4>was at a conference where it was a lot of

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<v Speaker 4>nonprofit individuals, frontline service workers, people that work with UH

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<v Speaker 4>low income again, disempowered, underserved, you know whatever uh language

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<v Speaker 4>we want to wrap around these, you know, our communities,

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<v Speaker 4>A lot of them are also black and round people themselves,

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<v Speaker 4>and I think having this information to contextualize the experiences

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<v Speaker 4>of our clients is so critically important. I've been to

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<v Speaker 4>a lot of conferences a lot and listen to a

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<v Speaker 4>lot of keynote speakers and was really blown away, not

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<v Speaker 4>just by the quality of the content, but the way

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<v Speaker 4>that it was delivered with such joy and really just positivity.

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<v Speaker 4>It felt really empowering, I think for a lot of

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<v Speaker 4>the people in the room. So I was excited to

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<v Speaker 4>bring the two of you together and you know, hopefully

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<v Speaker 4>get this information out to a broader a broader community.

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<v Speaker 2>It's really important. Thank you so much. Thank you for

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<v Speaker 2>all those kind words. And I love the fact that

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<v Speaker 2>you use the term disempowered. You know, it's just an

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<v Speaker 2>important way I think to describe our communities. So thank

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<v Speaker 2>you for that.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, so let's let's let's rewind a little bit. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>go back to your origin story, because I remember, prior

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<v Speaker 1>to today's conversation learning that you know, you had dealt

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<v Speaker 1>with depression going all the way back to age seven

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<v Speaker 1>or eight, correct, and you know you had gone through therapy.

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<v Speaker 1>There was there was a moment where you were kind

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<v Speaker 1>of confronting suicidal thoughts. And my understanding, and I want

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<v Speaker 1>your version to serve, but my understanding is that you

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<v Speaker 1>were able to connect this. This is how you were

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<v Speaker 1>able to make a connection with yourself and really the

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<v Speaker 1>generational trauma that you ended up studying and becoming so

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<v Speaker 1>proficient with.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, totally accurate. I could. I can recall being seven

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<v Speaker 2>and eight years old and being sad and depressed and

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<v Speaker 2>I was that kid at school that it's the seventies,

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<v Speaker 2>so it's going to sound crazy, but my second grade teacher,

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<v Speaker 2>I would spend the night at her house for the

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<v Speaker 2>weekend and I, you know, have all this fun and

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<v Speaker 2>that was part of what helped me during that time.

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<v Speaker 2>But I could never understand why I had so much pain.

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<v Speaker 2>I did I have adverse childhood experiences. You know, it's

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<v Speaker 2>a big thing right now. We know that there's the

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<v Speaker 2>ACES study and I had a very low A score,

0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.040
<v Speaker 2>so out of ten, I have, you know, like a

0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:41.000
<v Speaker 2>one A score. So it wasn't about adversity in childhood.

0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:46.360
<v Speaker 2>I come from a very solid, upper middle class family.

0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:49.600
<v Speaker 2>My mother has two PhDs and three master's degrees. We

0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:54.520
<v Speaker 2>have access to education, to income entrepreneurialism going back four

0:13:54.559 --> 0:14:00.040
<v Speaker 2>generations in my family and still one. I struggled so

0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:03.520
<v Speaker 2>much with mental health. But what was even more profound

0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:10.640
<v Speaker 2>was that the males in my family master level people,

0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:15.240
<v Speaker 2>people that were entrepreneurs, that owned property, could never really

0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:22.239
<v Speaker 2>be contributing members to society, never reached their full potential.

0:14:23.160 --> 0:14:26.840
<v Speaker 2>And so when I looked at that, I couldn't understand why,

0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.720
<v Speaker 2>you know, what is that really about? And why am

0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:33.800
<v Speaker 2>I suffering so much? And so I went on this

0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:35.960
<v Speaker 2>quest to I just wanted to be able to live

0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:37.880
<v Speaker 2>like I just wanted to be normal. I just wanted

0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:40.520
<v Speaker 2>to wake up every day and not not want to

0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:42.480
<v Speaker 2>go outside and not want to do some of those things.

0:14:42.520 --> 0:14:43.960
<v Speaker 2>By the time I was in high school, I was

0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:46.360
<v Speaker 2>missing like thirty days of school a year, and it

0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:50.480
<v Speaker 2>was around depression and anxiety and those types of things.

0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:55.040
<v Speaker 2>And so I kept searching. So I did talk therapy,

0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:58.640
<v Speaker 2>I did group therapy, I did New Age things, I

0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:03.040
<v Speaker 2>did self help things. I did acupuncture, any of the

0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:06.880
<v Speaker 2>things I had nutritionists that my mother would take me to,

0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:10.400
<v Speaker 2>any of the things that are your quote normal things

0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:13.440
<v Speaker 2>to do when you're struggling with mental health and behavioral

0:15:13.480 --> 0:15:17.240
<v Speaker 2>health outside of medication. I did all of those things,

0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:21.040
<v Speaker 2>and I could not get myself to a place where

0:15:21.080 --> 0:15:26.360
<v Speaker 2>I could be a functioning person on a regular basis,

0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:31.800
<v Speaker 2>with joy and really engaging in life. At some point

0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:35.480
<v Speaker 2>I started to read about and this is many years

0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:37.760
<v Speaker 2>ago in fact, but I started to read about doctor

0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:42.320
<v Speaker 2>Rachel Yehuda out of New York her work in the

0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:46.440
<v Speaker 2>Jewish community, and she had done some studies in a

0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:51.120
<v Speaker 2>Jewish community and found that second and third generation Holocaust

0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:57.400
<v Speaker 2>survivors had an alteration of the genetic expression, and so

0:15:57.560 --> 0:16:00.680
<v Speaker 2>that rang a bell for me. Then she went on

0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:06.760
<v Speaker 2>to say that Jews that live in Israel do far

0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:09.920
<v Speaker 2>better in terms of mental health and addiction and all

0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:13.120
<v Speaker 2>of those things than any of their brethren around the world.

0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:16.080
<v Speaker 2>So Jews in any other communities, right, the ones that

0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:20.480
<v Speaker 2>lived in Israel were far better. And she was making

0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:24.280
<v Speaker 2>the connection that when you connect people back to their

0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:28.360
<v Speaker 2>ancestral land, when you connect them into their communities where

0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:33.440
<v Speaker 2>they can live within their culture, have their you know,

0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:39.720
<v Speaker 2>ceremonies and rituals and not feel oppressed, it impacted mental

0:16:39.720 --> 0:16:43.840
<v Speaker 2>health and behavioral health. And that's where I took off running.

0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:46.360
<v Speaker 2>I lived also in a Jewish community, so a lot

0:16:46.400 --> 0:16:49.400
<v Speaker 2>of my friends growing up were Jewish, and so when

0:16:49.440 --> 0:16:51.280
<v Speaker 2>I looked at them and I thought, wow, you know,

0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:55.120
<v Speaker 2>we have the same socioeconomic background. Our parents have similar jobs,

0:16:55.160 --> 0:16:59.080
<v Speaker 2>similar levels of education. We're having the same educational background.

0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:02.040
<v Speaker 2>We live in and you know, the same community. But

0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:06.280
<v Speaker 2>why do their family members look different than mine? Why

0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:10.720
<v Speaker 2>is their trajectory so different? They have the Jewish Holocaust,

0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.760
<v Speaker 2>I have the trans Atlantic slave trade. What is the difference?

0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:17.239
<v Speaker 2>Why is there so much difference there? And so that

0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:21.320
<v Speaker 2>really sparked my interest in It was not formal education

0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:24.160
<v Speaker 2>or formal training in that area, but there were pockets

0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:28.560
<v Speaker 2>of people doing studies. Doctor Marie Yellowhorse Braveheart Jordan, she's

0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:31.400
<v Speaker 2>another expert in this work. She was doing this work

0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.240
<v Speaker 2>in the Native American community and then she started to

0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:38.600
<v Speaker 2>have studies and that's really how it all came about.

0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:44.400
<v Speaker 1>Okay, so I would guess that you might be one

0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:47.520
<v Speaker 1>of the people who advocates for black people in the

0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.119
<v Speaker 1>United States to take a trip to Africa at some

0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:50.960
<v Speaker 1>point in their life.

0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:53.040
<v Speaker 2>That's what healed me.

0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:53.679
<v Speaker 1>Really.

0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:55.719
<v Speaker 2>I don't think you and I got to have this conversa.

0:17:56.160 --> 0:17:57.720
<v Speaker 2>I know there's a lot of things that we didn't

0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:00.880
<v Speaker 2>get to talk about. Yet that's what healed me. So

0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:07.080
<v Speaker 2>I got to I am really a nomad real quick yeses.

0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:12.480
<v Speaker 1>Please, my teacher in the fullest sense of the word,

0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:16.240
<v Speaker 1>and a dear friend of the show doctor Camilla Westernberg.

0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:21.880
<v Speaker 1>She's a big advocate for that as well. And so

0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:23.879
<v Speaker 1>this won't be the first time that I've heard this,

0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:25.960
<v Speaker 1>but I'm glad I'm hearing it from someone who's so

0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:27.400
<v Speaker 1>qualified to have this conversation.

0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:34.160
<v Speaker 2>Now continue, Well, I was a young adult age I

0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:37.119
<v Speaker 2>was having suicidal ideation. I didn't think I would be

0:18:37.200 --> 0:18:39.720
<v Speaker 2>able to make it. I thought like, if I don't

0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:42.000
<v Speaker 2>figure something else out, I don't know that I can

0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:44.520
<v Speaker 2>continue living. Right, Like, either maybe I'm going to take

0:18:44.560 --> 0:18:47.760
<v Speaker 2>my life or maybe I'm going to be overcome with

0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:50.080
<v Speaker 2>illness and allow myself to die. But I can't move

0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:53.800
<v Speaker 2>in this way. I had this opportunity to travel. My

0:18:53.800 --> 0:18:57.280
<v Speaker 2>mother had traced our ancestry back to being in Republic,

0:18:57.320 --> 0:19:00.520
<v Speaker 2>which was once known as the Homemade in West Africa,

0:19:00.640 --> 0:19:03.000
<v Speaker 2>and we started traveling back and forth, were going to

0:19:03.200 --> 0:19:06.280
<v Speaker 2>we were opening a museum in the French Quarter, and

0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:10.320
<v Speaker 2>I knew immediately that this was life changing for me,

0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:16.119
<v Speaker 2>and I thought, Okay, this is my last chance, there's

0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:21.359
<v Speaker 2>something here for me, Stay open and be ready. While

0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:25.280
<v Speaker 2>we were there, I had the opportunity to start going

0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:33.040
<v Speaker 2>through initiation processes, so initiation into our traditional religion, cleansing ritual,

0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:36.920
<v Speaker 2>and one of the most important things was my naming ritual.

0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:42.280
<v Speaker 2>You know because as African people and many black indigenous

0:19:42.280 --> 0:19:47.359
<v Speaker 2>people of color communities, we when a child is born,

0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:50.919
<v Speaker 2>we asked the ancestors, we ask the deities, you know,

0:19:51.000 --> 0:19:54.879
<v Speaker 2>who is this person, what is their destiny? And we

0:19:55.040 --> 0:20:00.000
<v Speaker 2>get named based on our destiny. So the first big

0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:03.639
<v Speaker 2>thing that happened was my name is Ea, but Ea

0:20:03.840 --> 0:20:06.399
<v Speaker 2>is more of like a title that I earned, and

0:20:06.440 --> 0:20:09.040
<v Speaker 2>that means Holy Mother. The name that I was originally

0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:12.840
<v Speaker 2>giving and ritual was what kennel and that means mother

0:20:13.280 --> 0:20:16.680
<v Speaker 2>or owner of the universe. That was my north star.

0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:21.520
<v Speaker 2>That's who you are. So when you get lost, remember

0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:25.680
<v Speaker 2>who you are. Get on your path. When you're encountering adversity,

0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:31.720
<v Speaker 2>remember that as a mother, we have compassion, we have mercy,

0:20:31.840 --> 0:20:34.879
<v Speaker 2>we have to have strength, we have grace, and that's

0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:37.439
<v Speaker 2>how you have to manage other human beings that are

0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:40.320
<v Speaker 2>hurtful for you. That's how you have to carry yourself

0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:42.440
<v Speaker 2>in the world because this is who you are. So

0:20:42.560 --> 0:20:48.040
<v Speaker 2>that got me at least with something that was guiding me.

0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:53.199
<v Speaker 2>And then I continued to have ritual and ceremony to

0:20:53.320 --> 0:20:55.200
<v Speaker 2>cleanse some of the things that I had gone through,

0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:58.439
<v Speaker 2>to work through some of the neurological issues that I

0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:01.760
<v Speaker 2>was having. Remember, our indigenous communities the same as what's

0:21:01.800 --> 0:21:04.560
<v Speaker 2>in Buddhism, the same that's what's in Native American communities,

0:21:04.600 --> 0:21:07.520
<v Speaker 2>and surely what's in Africa. Our people have been doing

0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:10.560
<v Speaker 2>these rituals and ceremonies for thousands of years. It's not

0:21:10.680 --> 0:21:13.280
<v Speaker 2>just for fun. What we really find out is a

0:21:13.280 --> 0:21:17.920
<v Speaker 2>lot of these ceremonies and rituals they're neurologically regulating, right.

0:21:18.040 --> 0:21:22.359
<v Speaker 2>They impact your neurobiology, they impact your physiology. We know

0:21:22.480 --> 0:21:26.119
<v Speaker 2>that yoga right now, we've done enough research around yoga

0:21:26.160 --> 0:21:30.400
<v Speaker 2>that we know that yoga impacts our neurobiology, our physiology,

0:21:30.440 --> 0:21:33.679
<v Speaker 2>our mental health. So do all of these other traditions.

0:21:33.960 --> 0:21:38.360
<v Speaker 2>Sure so as I was able to connect to who

0:21:38.400 --> 0:21:46.480
<v Speaker 2>I am be on the ancestral land and know how

0:21:46.480 --> 0:21:48.800
<v Speaker 2>do I live as an African? You know, I live

0:21:49.160 --> 0:21:51.879
<v Speaker 2>in the United States of America. I'm born and raised here,

0:21:52.560 --> 0:21:57.760
<v Speaker 2>but my DNA and my imprint is as a tribal

0:21:57.800 --> 0:21:58.480
<v Speaker 2>African woman.

0:21:58.720 --> 0:22:01.800
<v Speaker 1>Is this Where are we bordering on the meaning of

0:22:01.960 --> 0:22:04.920
<v Speaker 1>epigenetics when you say in print DNA Okay, because that

0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:08.160
<v Speaker 1>sounds like kind of a that's a smart people word,

0:22:08.520 --> 0:22:11.520
<v Speaker 1>and we are we are just aspiring smart people on

0:22:11.560 --> 0:22:13.600
<v Speaker 1>this show. We would not profess to be smart. So

0:22:15.000 --> 0:22:16.080
<v Speaker 1>one of the things I want to say, and I

0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:18.760
<v Speaker 1>do want to get into epigenics after we take a break,

0:22:18.960 --> 0:22:21.480
<v Speaker 1>but I do want to say something that as often

0:22:21.520 --> 0:22:24.720
<v Speaker 1>as we can, Q and I both will say it.

0:22:24.800 --> 0:22:27.880
<v Speaker 1>And you know, with respect to your name, we say

0:22:27.920 --> 0:22:31.240
<v Speaker 1>that black women are as close to God as we

0:22:31.320 --> 0:22:33.480
<v Speaker 1>can be on planet Earth. We say it on the

0:22:33.480 --> 0:22:35.919
<v Speaker 1>show all the time. Longtime listeners of the show know that,

0:22:36.080 --> 0:22:39.879
<v Speaker 1>and a part of that is true for us as individuals,

0:22:39.880 --> 0:22:42.560
<v Speaker 1>of course, because our moms, our grandmothers or whatever. But

0:22:42.640 --> 0:22:46.199
<v Speaker 1>obviously the first woman being a black woman, again, the

0:22:46.240 --> 0:22:51.000
<v Speaker 1>lineage is all there. So again I think that that's

0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:53.520
<v Speaker 1>as close as we can be to God on planet Earth.

0:22:53.520 --> 0:22:55.159
<v Speaker 1>So I love your name and I love the story

0:22:55.160 --> 0:22:57.119
<v Speaker 1>of it all. We're going to come back in just

0:22:57.160 --> 0:22:59.840
<v Speaker 1>a second with more on epigenetics.