Episode # 141

Ending Racism with Shelly Tygielski and Justin Michael Williams

When we sat down to talk with our next two guests, we were already big fans. They had presented as part of the Embodied Social Justice certificate course that we had taken together this summer, and their theme was clear: how we end racism. In one generation.

So, if your immediate reaction is one of incredulity, then maybe you need to hear this episode more than you think. Because their method is not one of hammering hard facts into people’s heads - it’s an approach based primarily on love, compassion, and our shared humanity. We talk in-depth about the conversations that can bring seemingly opposite people together, even when issues of politics and race would normally divide them. (And - if you’re looking for more tips on how to HAVE those uncomfortable conversations that may be happening in the next couple of weeks around your own holiday tables, we’ve got those details in depth next week!). At the end of our chat, we realized that this was the conversation we all, collectively, need to have, if we’re really serious about moving the needle when it comes to racism.

Have questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at hello@dearwhitewomen.com

“We're having all these divides, because if you don't have a vision of what you're walking toward, then all we have to talk about is what we're fighting against.” - Justin Michael Williams
“he best version of the world starts with the best version of ourselves. That's first and foremost.” - Shelly Tygielski

What to listen for:

The importance of processing a timeline for ending racism - running TO a goal, instead of running AWAY from a goal
How self-care plays into dismantling racism
What happens when people focus on the humanity in each other versus constructs such as political or racial divides
A specific method - if only for today - that focuses on the intentions we can all bring to our daily lives to begin the process of ending racism

ABOUT JUSTIN:

From growing up with gunshot holes outside of his bedroom window, to sharing the stage with Deepak Chopra, Justin Michael Williams knows the power of healing to overcome. He is an author, top 20 recording artist, and transformational speaker who is using music and meditation to wake up the world.

When he was younger, Justin always wanted to be a singer, but a lifetime of being bullied, teased, and abused, made him give up his dream. Then after a seminal moment with his dying grandmother, Justin woke up—and his debut album premiered in the top 20 of the iTunes charts next to Britney Spears and Taylor Swift. He has since been featured by Billboard, Grammy.com, SXSW®, and shared on stages alongside some of the most compelling leaders of our time, including Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, and Chaka Khan.

With over a decade of teaching experience, Justin has become a pioneering voice of color for the new healing movement—between his podcast, keynotes, and motivational online platforms, Justin’s teachings have now spread to more than 40 countries around the globe.

Justin is dedicated to using his voice to serve. To being a beacon of hope for those who are lost, and to making sure all people, of all backgrounds, have access to the information they need to change their lives.

“When people wake up to their own brilliance—it’s like magic," says Williams. 'If my work and art can inspire people to do that, then I’ve fulfilled my mission.”

His first book, Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us, was released nationwide February 11, 2020.

ABOUT SHELLY:

Shelly Tygielski is the author of the book, Sit Down to Rise Up: How Radical Self- Care Can Change the World, which launched on October 26, 2021 from New World Library. She is also the founder of Pandemic of Love, a global, grass-roots, volunteer-led mutual aid community that has directly matched over 1.7 million people since the beginning of the COVID- 19 pandemic, accounting for over $57 million in direct transactions. Her work has been featured in over 100 media outlets including CNN Heroes of 2020, Forbes, Upworthy, The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS This Morning, the New York Times and Washington Post.

Shelly has been hailed by individuals from President Joe Biden to Arianna Huffington, and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn to Maria Shriver. Shelly is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher named one of the “12 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement” by Mindful Magazine in 2019. She teaches formalized self-care and resilience practices at organizations around the world, and is widely regarded as a self-care activist. She is happily married to her husband, Jason, and is an adoring mother to her son, Liam. As part of her own self-care, Shelly makes time for skateboarding, playing guitar and making craft cocktails. Since mid-2020, Shelly and Jason have been relocating every few months, exploring and adapting to a modern nomadic lifestyle..

Where to order your copy of Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Racism: https://thecollectivebook.studio/dear-white-women

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