From Root to Bone with Dr. Jenn Mullan

In this deeply grounding and emotionally expansive conversation, Dr. Jennifer Mullan is joined by Leslie Priscilla and Fernando Deveras for a powerful dialogue on parenting, collective liberation, community care, and what it means to raise conscious children in a world shaped by oppression, violence, and disconnection. Together, they explore the intersections of decolonized parenting, organizing, healing, ancestral wisdom, and relationship-building as acts of resistance and survival.Through reflections on intergenerational healing, political education, mutual aid, and the importance of village-building, the conversation moves between the personal and the collective—offering listeners a tender but urgent reminder that liberation begins in our relationships with ourselves, our children, and each other. Leslie and Fernando share insights from their organizing work in immigrant communities, their experiences building intentional community spaces, and the challenges and beauty of parenting while navigating grief, systemic harm, and social collapse.This episode is an invitation to imagine new ways of being together: rooted in care, accountability, humanity, and collective responsibility.Connect with Leslie Priscilla - https://latinxparenting.org ; https://instagram.com/latinxparentingConnect with Fernando Deveras - https://www.instagram.com/fernando.deveras/

In conversation, Dr. Jennifer Mullan is in unfiltered conversation with Kim Young and Marvin Toliver—licensed social workers, cultural disruptors, and unapologetic truth-tellers. Together, they dive deep into the realities of mental health work, the violence embedded in traditional systems, and the radical act of showing up as your full, authentic self. From reflections on growing up Black in America to navigating overwhelmingly white academic spaces, Kim and Marvin unpack the emotional labor of being “the only one,” the myth of neutrality in therapy, and the pressure to shrink or shape-shift to survive. They challenge the field of social work to reckon with its complicity in harm, while also naming the beauty, power, and necessity of community-centered care.Expect real talk on burnout, boundaries, liberation, and the journey of becoming—again and again.Connect with Kim Young - https://instagram.com/dopeblack_socialworkerConnect with Marvin Tolliver - https://instagram.com/mtoliver_lcsw; https://instagram.com/dearblackman_yougood

n this deeply expansive and soul-stirring conversation, Dr. Jennifer Mullan welcomes renowned Buddhist teacher, author, and activist Lama Rod Owens to From Root to Bone. Together, they explore what it means to live, love, and lead from the marrow—where truth, grief, joy, and liberation all coexist.From reflections on spiritual lineage and ancestral connection to the radical act of choosing joy in a world shaped by systemic harm, this episode invites listeners into a layered dialogue on healing, responsibility, and becoming. Lama Rod shares insights from his journey through Buddhism, activism, and personal transformation, emphasizing the importance of sitting with discomfort, embracing brokenheartedness, and turning pain into medicine.Dr. Mullan and Lama Rod also unpack the tension between collective liberation and individual healing, the myth of “goodness” as a tool of control, and the necessity of play, pleasure, and vulnerability in movement work. Through stories, laughter, and truth-telling, they offer a powerful reminder: we are not just here to survive—we are here to feel, to connect, and to live fully.This episode is an invitation to soften, to listen deeply, and to remember that even in collapse, joy is not a betrayal—it is a practice of freedom.Connect with Lama Rod Owens - http://www.lamarod.com/

Dr. Jennifer Mullan sits down with sexologist Dr. Zelaika Hepworth Clark Carnegie for a powerful conversation on decolonizing sexuality, reclaiming the erotic as power, and healing beyond Western frameworks. Together, they explore pleasure, trauma, ancestral wisdom, and the radical act of imagining new ways of being. This episode is an invitation to reconnect with your body, your joy, and your liberation.Dr. Zelaika Hepworth Clarke Carnagie, PhD, MSW, MEd, is an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, as well as a loveologist, cultural and clinical sexologist, Africa-centered social worker, anti-racist sexuality educator, decolonial eroticologist, decolonizing autoethnographer, and consultant. Dr. Hepworth Clarke is the first Jamerican (Jamaican-American) to earn three degrees in Sexuality Studies from accredited universities in the United States: a Bachelor of Arts from NYU in Sexuality, Culture, and Oppression (2007); a Master of Education in Human Sexuality (2012); and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Sexuality (2015) from the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University.Dr. Hepworth Clarke is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Social Work. They are a graduate of the National Academy for African-Centered Social Work, the International School of Transnational Decolonial Black Feminism in Brazil, and the Decolonizing Knowledge and Power Summer School in Barcelona, Catalonia.They co-founded the anti-racist decolonial sexuality studies program at Goddard College and co-created the Decolonial Sexual Attitude Restructuring/Reassessment (D-SAR), a sexuality training program that helps participants examine the impact of settler-colonialism, white supremacy, capitalism, and cisheteropatriarchy on sex, gender, and relational dynamics.As the director of The Pluriversity LLC, Dr. Hepworth Clarke offers decolonial guidance services, love education, consulting, and counseling with a commitment to increasing sexual multiepistemic literacy, erotic sovereignty, and sensual justice. Their work centers communities of the African diaspora, along with kinky, non-monogamous, queer, gender-expansive, and erotically marginalized populations.Dr. Hepworth Clarke’s approach integrates anti-erotophobic, anti-oppressive, and healing-centered approaches to support individuals and communities through transformative processes related to intimacy, eroticism, gender, sexuality, pleasure, and relationships.More information can be found at www.zelaika.com

Dr. Jennifer Mullan sits with somatic practitioners Nazbah Tom and Fayza Bundalli to explore healing through the body, ancestry, and collective liberation. Together they unpack burnout, nervous system wisdom, cultural lineage, and everyday resilience practices. This grounding conversation invites listeners to reconnect with embodied knowing and imagine more liberated futures.Nazbah Tom (Dene) is a somatic practitioner based near Tkaronto (Toronto), living and working on Mohawk and Anishinaabe lands. They offer one-to-one healing work, lead small groups, teach and supervise practitioners, and support community skill-building rooted in embodiment and cultural wisdom. Nazbah is also passionate about woodcraft, hiking, boxing, reading, and writing as pathways of creative expression and restoration. Fayza Bundalli is a queer South Asian femme, mother, somatic therapist, and bodyworker. She supervises queer and trans BIPOC practitioners, teaches in collaboration with generative somatics educators, and offers healing spaces that support collective aliveness, dignity, and liberation. Her work centers the impacts of systemic oppression on the body and supports people in building nourishing relationships and meaningful contributions to their communities.Connect with Nazbah and Fayza - www.fayzabundalli.com - https://instagram.com/somaticswithnazbah

When white queerness can't always be trusted to keep in line with collective liberation, where do you turn? In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Mullen sits down with psychotherapist and writer Robert Downes for a powerful conversation about resistance, Black feminist thought, and the work of decolonizing therapy and the psyche. Together they explore rage, care, ancestry, and what it means to live and act with integrity in a world shaped by colonialism and racial capitalism. This episode invites listeners to transform grief and discomfort into deeper connection, truth-telling, and collective action.Robert Downes is a psychotherapist, supervisor, teacher, and writer whose work explores the intersections of psychotherapy, decolonial thought, and psychosocial practice. Drawing from a range of critical traditions, Robert’s work challenges dominant therapeutic frameworks while centering relational, cultural, and political dimensions of healing. Rooted in his Irish ancestral lineage and informed by Black feminist scholarship and abolitionist practice, Robert’s work examines how colonialism, racial capitalism, and social power shape psychic and relational life. His approach to therapy and teaching often centers what he calls “disruptive therapeutics,” a practice that interrogates institutional norms while creating space for truth-telling, care, and collective liberation. Connect with Robert - https://bodypsychotherapyinlondon.com/ Want to read the books suggested in this episode? Get them at the Decolonizing Therapy bookshop - https://bookshop.org/lists/from-root-to-bone-read-along

As Black and Brown descendants of people who survived through religious colonization, getting back to the spiritual practices and wisdom of those in our lineages can seem scary. In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with practitioners of ancestral healing, Natoya Hall and Jen Maramba, to bring more lightness to spiritual wisdom lost to us. Natoya is a multidimensional healer, channel and spiritual teacher with over two decades of experience walking the path of soul remembrance and energetic mastery. Her work weaves ancestral wisdom, galactic consciousness, and soul alchemy to activate the new HUman codes of healing and rooted in the wisdom of her ancestral lineage and attuned to the frequencies of galactic consciousness, Natoya weaves timelines, dimensions, and light codes into a potent tapestry of soul alchemy. Her work is not merely a practice — it is a transmission, a living remembrance of who we are beyond the veils of illusion. With every session, gathering, or teaching, she invites others into the sacred temple of their own essence — guiding them to reclaim lost soul fragments, dissolve karmic patterns, and awaken the dormant codes of the New Human.Jen Maramba (she/they) honours their most recent ancestral lineages from PAN-GA-SEE-NONE Pangasinan and Panay PA-NI Island, lands now known through the colonial name “the Philippines.” Jen is a sacred witness, decolonizing energy healer, integrative somatic trauma therapy practitioner, interdisciplinary artist, and parent. Their work bridges ancestral connection, ceremony, and embodied creativity to support deep healing and remembrance. Through womb ceremonies and ancestral rituals, Jen guides individuals back to the creation center of the body, a place of listening, release, and reconnection. Rooted in relationships with their ancestors and collaborators, they uplift our Original AI: Ancestral Intelligence, as a path to remembering who we are and reclaiming our capacity for connection, intuition, and power.Connect with Jen Maramba and Natoya Hall - jenmaramba.com https://www.motherofstarkeeping.com/ Summarize this data    As Black and Brown decendents of people who survived through religious colonization, getting back to the spiritual practices and wisdom of those in our lineages can seem scary. In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with practitioners of ancestral healing, Natoya Hall and Jen Maramba, to bring more lightness to spiritual wisdom lost to us.

American colonialism has tried its best to erase the knowledge, traditions and population of those indigenous to this land. But the commitment to ancestral wisdom and practices, indigenous cultures continue to thrive. In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with anti-colonial scholar, Dr. Autumn Blackdear about the power of native sovereignty.Dr. Autumn Asher BlackDeer is a queer anti-colonial scholar-activist from the Southern Cheyenne Nation. Her scholarship illuminates the impact of structural violence on American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Dr. BlackDeer centers Indigenous voices throughout her research by using quantitative approaches and big data as tools for responsible storytelling. Dr. BlackDeer is a racial equity scholar with an emphasis on Indigenous tribal sovereignty and is deeply committed to furthering anti-colonial abolitionist work.Connect with Dr. Autumn BlackDeer - follow on social media at @drblackdeer and/or email [email protected] for collaboration opportunities.

In the era of self-care, what we've grown to know about caring for ourselves and regulating our nervous systems has become a slogan for luxury and self-centered action. But how can your commitment to softness and self-care also be care for those in your community? In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with EbonyJanice, a free woman on a love journey, about her ethos for real soft girl shit.EbonyJanice Moore is a Hip Hop Womanist, scholar-priestess, sovereignty mentor, and revolutionary dreamer. With a mind shaped by Cultural Anthropology and Political Science, and a heart anchored in spirit, love, and liberation, she writes, teaches, and dreams Black women free. Founder of Emma’s Legacy and author of All The Black Girls Are Activists, Sacred Text For Black Folks Soul, and her forthcoming book Real Soft Girl Shit, she blends ancestral wisdom, womanist theology, and cultural commentary with the audacity of a sovereign being that knows she’s worthy. Her work lives at the altar of justice, joy, softness, and fantastic Black futures.Connect with EbonyJanice - www.ebonyjanice.com; IG, Threads, TikTok @ebonyjanice

Menticide, or the systematic and intentional undermining of a person's conscious mind, effectively "killing" or destroying their independent thought and beliefs, is one of the most effective ways to supress revolutionary change in a society. So how do we protect our communities from it? And what examples do we have to look to? In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with Dr. Evan Auguste about the effects of menticide and what we can learn from the Haitian revolution. Evan Auguste (aw-goost), Ph.D., is an incoming Assistant Professor of Psychology at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice. His identities as a Haitian-African American man have informed his work on examining how the American history of anti-Blackness has shaped psychological realities both in and outside of the country’s borders. He is the director of the A.S.I.L.I. Collective, a research group whose work focuses broadly on addressing the mental health consequences of structural anti-Blackness through the lens of Black liberation psychology. He is also the co-developer of the SAWABONA HEALING CIRCLES for the Association of Black Psychologists. He is also the Lead Facilitator with In Cultured Company and on the board for the Institute for the Development of Human Arts.Connect with Dr. Auguste on Instagram- @dr.evan.auguste, @inculturedco, @ida.nyc, @abpsyBooks and resources mentioned:The Common Wind by Julius ScottThe Haitians: A Decolonial History by Jean CasimirAfrikan-Centered Consciousness Versus the New World Order by Amos N. WilsonEducation | John Henrik Clarke | Marimba Ani | Amos N Wilson https://youtu.be/fhFtIBrD6fg

On an Earth where abundant resources are exploited for profits and greed, often we are faced with the question - who is deserving of care? In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with Toi Smith about how she is ignoring the dehumanization of "deservedness" and helping Black women get what they need at all times. Toi Smith is a Mother, a growth and impact strategist, and the founder of Loving Black Single Mothers. Toi’s experience as a single Mother, a lifelong learner and revolutionary thinker deeply inspires her mission to create ecosystems of care for single Black Mothers that directly nourish and improve their material conditions. Her work centers on doing life, business, and motherhood differently. Connect with Toi Smith online - https://www.instagram.com/toimarie/?hl=en

The anticipation of the pain of grief can lead to an intense fear of loss that can color the way we move through the world. Trying to hold onto what we perceive as what is ours can make us self centered and unaware of the ways we perpetuate harm and sabotage connection and collective healing. In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with Breeshia Wade about the connection between grief, loss, fear and love. Breeshia Wade is the author of the 2021 publication, Grieving While Black: An Antiracist Take on Oppression and Sorrow, which was rated one of the best 9 books on grief, and is currently required reading in multiple university graduate courses. Connect with Breeshia on the web - https://www.breeshiawade.com/

As we learn to work with our feelings, the idea of "emotional regulation" becomes an ever present challenge that we are obsessed with mastering. But what exactly to we aim to do? What do the spikes in our emotions actually tell us about our overall mental health. In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks to Aasia Lewis about emotional regulation and somatics.Through her personal desire for a more embodied mental health practice, Aasia Lewis has created space as a yoga educator, certified somatic coach and bodyworker, to help others see themselves clearly and deeply; And to offer encouragement to curiously explore one’s inner terrain. Through her yoga, somatic, and communication practices, she offers distinctive movement and energy analysis to reveal asymmetries and blockages within the soma, as well as perceptive insights on one’s interpersonal relationships, self-expression, and overall life exploration. Connect with Aasia on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sia_ontheotherside/

When we think of healing and therapy, we often rush to the idea of diagnosing and fixing. But for some of us, the simple witnessing of our full selves, with space to feel physically what we are experiencing emotionally, our agency and ability to actually live in a way that serves us best, grows exponentially. In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with Chiara Francesca about the power of accompaniment, witnessing and somatic practice. They also talk about the powerlessness that uterus having people often face in the healthcare system when dealing with issues like fibroids.Originally from Italy, and currently residing in Chicago, Chiara is a queer disabled artist, writer, organizer, acupuncturist, immigrant, and former teen mother. They are committed to building collaborative spaces for community care and moving toward collective embodied liberation in and out of movements for justice.Chiara has been deeply involved in gender violence prevention, practicing healing justice, and creating politicized art for over two decades. They have written and spoken extensively about disability justice, politicized healing, and using art as a cultural tool for structural change. They are a politicized somatics practitioner in the lineage of Generative Somatics with a focus on generative conflict, childhood trauma recovery, and breaking multigenerational cycles of harm. In 2022 they published their first book, "We Will Build a New Compass: Magic Moments of Seeding More Just Worlds.Connect with Chiara Francesca on Instagram - @Chiara.acu https://www.instagram.com/chiara.acu/

As we approach our awakening, a process of learning, unlearning, and owning the parts of ourselves that will serve our growth. In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with Dr. Connie Wun about her unlearning, reclaiming, and in time using her lessons to empower and organize communities to be in solidarity, power and righteous rage. Dr. Wun reminds us of our humanity through our coming into consciousness.Dr. Connie Wun is a researcher, author, educator and the executive director and co-founder of AAPI Women Lead. Her work is a reflection of a lifelong commitment to ending racial and gender-based violence. She has published in academic books, journals, and mainstream press, including the anthology, Antiblackness, as well as Educational Policy, Race, Ethnicity and Education, Critical Sociology and Elle magazine. She is a co-editor for the anthology, Abolition for the People, with Colin Kaepernick and Christopher Petrella. Dr. Wun has appeared on Democracy Now!, MSNBC, NPR, and a range of podcasts. She is a former National Science Foundation Fellow, Soros Justice Fellow, UC Berkeley Chancellors Fellow and more. She’s also been recognized by California API Legislative Caucus with the 2021 Excellence in Civil Rights Award and by GoldHouse with an A100 award. She is a former sex worker, high school and college educator, anti-sexual assault advocate and organizer. Dr. Wun continues to co-facilitate community-driven research projects on racial and gender violence with organizations across the US. Connie has a daily meditation practice and is a yoga instructor who has also trained in Muay Thai and kickboxing.Connect with AAPI Women Lead and sign up for the newsletter - AAPIWL.ORG Connect with Dr. Connie on Instagram - @seewun https://instagram.com/seewun

The root of personal innovation, the creation of new habits, processes and practices that help us along in our healing journey, often comes from witnessing the road that others have created to forge their paths. In this episode, Dr. Jenn welcomes Foluke Taylor, a psychotherapist and writer, to discuss themes of sisterhood, identity, and the significance of Black feminism. The conversation explores personal histories, the importance of community, and the journey of self-authorization in sharing one's voice.Foluke Taylor is a psychotherapist and a writer interested in therapeutic practices that hold open space for thinking from and into the position of blackness. She works with Black feminist modes that create and hold open spaces for the emergence of the yet to be and for the therapeutics that call this into being. Taylor is the author of UNRULY THERAPEUTIC: BLACK FEMINIST WRITINGS & PRACTICES IN LIVING ROOM - Part thesis, part memoir, and part poetry, Foluke Taylor explores how the centering of black women’s experiences in therapeutic scholarship allows for greater space—space for wandering, for wondering, and for deepening narratives—in every therapeutic relationship. Connect with Foluke Taylor on Instagram @FolukeTaylor. https://instagram/com/foluketaylor

The root of our disconnection from self is sewn into the fabric of our society. The way we work, eat, socialize and communicate through toxic systems have a direct effect on our bodies. But what if we knew that we have all of the ancestral, spiritual and intuitive wisdom we need to facilitate our own healing? In this episode, Dr. Jenn talks with Alex March about how our spiritual and emotional healing is directly connected with our physical health. Alex is an evidential medium, physical and emotional empath, medical intuitive, reiki master-teacher and can read anything about your life past, present and future path. Alex can be found approaching strangers with messages from their departed loved ones in public, reading people in bathrooms and overall using her presence to help anyone that comes in her path. Alex is also an incredibly accomplished martial artist. She believes using all modalities in healing of the mind body and soul is key to full healing. Connect with Alex March on Instagram @alexmarchenergy https://www.instagram.com/alexmarchenergy/?hl=en

When the spirit of rage arises in us, the first thing we might feel is shame. An instinct to quiet the fire raging within us and dismiss ourselves, submitting to harm and mistreatment. But what if we created a different relationship with our rage? One that allows us to be in conversation with the emotion so that we can become aware of what it's trying to tell us? In this episode, Ruth King, the Mother of Rage, talks with Dr. Jenn about where our rage comes from and how it can be a source of pride and intimacy with ourselves.

The gifts that we hold are often squashed into the confines of the systems of society. The magic within us made to fit into a one page resume to make us fit for corporate life. But what happens when you stop ignoring what makes you special and gives you power, and use it to transform your life in this realm to one that transcends what you are told is possible? In this episode, get to know Dr. Jenn. The Rage Doctor, the founder of Decolonizing Therapy, the amalgamation of gifts passed down through generations to help us reconnect with ourselves.

For generations, our ancestors have created and passed down rituals, histories and gifts of survival. Some of those lost over time, replaced by systems that keep us contained. But when we call on our roots, to reconnect with who we are, who we’ve been and the power we have inherited, we unlock the gates to our liberation.From Root to Bone with Dr. Jenn Mullan, a new podcast from Decolonizing Therapy, is coming to you weekly starting March 10th. It is the podcast for people who are parched, poised and primed to rehydrate our souls and do some unlearning. Join Dr. Jenn in real ass conversations with elders, teachers, folks doing the real ass work towards reclaiming the juiciest parts of our ancestry, history, collective health and liberation.  Let’s reclaim our roots, collectively.