Unexamined Me

Welcome back to Unexamined Me. Today we’re diving into a conversation that many of our communities have avoided for generations — the reality and harm of anti-Blackness within communities of color. This is a conversation about white supremacy and how anti-Blackness functions inside our own communities, in our families, our organizing spaces, our schools, and our relationships.

Welcome back to Unexamined Me. In this episode we talked about the trap that white supremacy sets — and that many of us, especially those who think we’re doing ‘the work,’ still fall into. I call it The Learning Trap. It’s not ignorance that sustains white supremacy anymore. It’s the endless appetite for learning — reading, reflecting, attending workshops — that never ripens into collective disruption. Learning has become a ritual of belonging for those who want to feel good about knowing, not those ready to risk something for freedom.

In this episode, we are talking about unpacking the mind behind Midwest Nice.  If you grew up in the Midwest, you know “nice” is its own language… and its own survival strategy. But under that “politeness”, there’s a racialized structure of comfort and avoidance we need to unearth. We were joined by Amanda Garcia Florence Goodenough where she breaks this down into four types of Midwest Nice. 

Welcome back to Season 2 of Unexamined Me. In this episode, we discussed three questions that every culture, lineage, and ancestor has wrested with: What stays behind when we die? How do we leave a legacy of unconditional love?  And what’s the difference between legacy and the afterlife?

Dr. Erica Srinivasan is an associate professor of Psychology and Director for the Center for Grief and Death Education at the University Wisconsin–La Crosse. She is also the lead instructor of the Grief Support Specialist Certificate and the Dementia Support Specialist Badge, offered through continuing education divisions in the UW System. Dr. Srinivasan specializes in grief and loss in her research. She has a passion for normalizing conversations about death and grief, which serves as a foundation for all of her professional work. We thank Dr. Srinivasan for her expertise in this episode as she walks us through how grief can show up, or not, when death comes into our lives.

Today’s episode is about the condition that mortality places on unconditional love. But not death as an event — death as a presence. Not someone else’s dying — our own. Because whether we face it or not, we live every day in relationship with our own ending. And that relationship says everything about how we love. The question guiding us today is simple, but it’s everything: What will we do with the time we have left? Trigger Warning: This episode discusses depression, suicide ideation, and suicide

Welcome back to the podcast. In tooday's episode, we explore death as a human condition in which our relationship with, behaviors around, and disconnection from death keep us from Unconditional Love.  Death to, a foundational process to personal growth and a necessary but painful act of letting go. We're focusing on the profound difference between suffering a loss that is forced upon you, and choosing a loss that sets you free.

In this episode, we wrap up the Condition of Settler Colonialism with a reflection on our relationship with the land we occupy. When we deeply listen to what the land needs, we realize that the land is our ancestor; one to be listened to, honored, and revered. 

 Welcome back to Unexamined Me. Today, we’re taking you on a journey through time — from the 1400s to today — to trace how power structures have delegitimized non-dominant spiritualities. In this episode, we’re going to organize this timeline through four big themes: Demonizing Other Religions Creating Policy to Uphold Dominant Beliefs Sustaining Erasure as a Social Norm Recognizing Red Flags Today Each phase builds on the last — turning fear into law, law into culture, and culture into everyday control.

Welcome back to Unexamined Me, a space for remembering — remembering who we are beneath the systems that shaped us. In this episode, we’re diving deep into how settler colonialism built — and still sustains — the very foundations of academia. Our through line today is simple but powerful: settler colonialism must erase, gatekeep, and control education in order to survive. That’s why we need anti-colonial tools — ones that return us to relationship, reciprocity, and truth.

Welcome back to Unexamined Me. Today we’re joined by Dr. Mary Jo Klinker and diving into a conversation that sits at the heart of why so many of our communities struggle to thrive—colonization. We’re talking about how colonization, whiteness, and the carceral system aren’t just abstract concepts, but living tools that rip communities apart. And we’ll also talk about what it looks like to resist, to decolonize, and to return to a way of being in community that honors humanity, reciprocity, and unconditional love.

Welcome Back. We are in episode 3 of season 2 and we decided to get together, yes in person. Through these next episodes we will be doing a lot of educating, reflecting, and coaching. We created this episode so you get to know us better! So sit back, relax, and enjoy. 

Season 2, Episode 1.  In this episode, we talk about unconditional love. What it is and what is is not. We talk through the nuance of faux freedom and the notion of hope for future action. 

Welcome back to Unexamined Me. In this episode Nicole, Julie, and Stephanie cut straight through the noise and went straight to what patters - social justice, culture, and politics. 

In this episode, Nicole, Julie, and Stephanie spend time talking about the gap. Join us as we discuss the background work we have been doing to set up GraftedRoots. Listen as we also discuss our new Webseries: Unconditional Love!

Join Julie and Stephanie in this episode as they discuss choice, intention, and social justice. 

Join Nicole, Julie, and Stephanie as they recap the last three episodes. 

Welcome back to Unexamined Me—a space where we explore the intersections of inner truth, collective responsibility, and the evolving journey of being fully human. I’m your host, Dr. Stephanie Bohlman, and today’s episode is called: “The Uncertainty of Certainty.” Take a breath with me. Because this one goes deep.

In this episode of Unexamined Me, Nicole walks us through uncertainty and the weight of not knowing, surviving the stretch of ‘unprecedented times,’ and the strange reality that despite history’s lessons, we are still here, questioning.     But here’s the real conversation: this isn’t about forgetting history, it’s about feeling the shift. We aren’t uncertain because history hasn’t taught us—we’re uncertain because deep down, we know history’s ways no longer serve us. And that realization? That’s powerful.

The winds of chaos continue to blow, but you don't have to be untethered during them. In this episode, Julie walks through simple practices that are first line defenses for standing in your power. 

On this episode of Unexamined Me, we're doing something a little different. Join hosts Julie, Nicole, and Stephanie as they revisit the last three episodes, connecting the dots between past conversations and deeper themes. Reflect with us on the journey so far — and get a glimpse of what's ahead, with upcoming episodes designed to inspire introspection and personal growth.

What happens when the fight for justice and equity meets the power of spiritual transformation? In this episode, Nicole and Julie explore the beautiful intersection of faith, activism, and identity—challenging norms, co-powering with marginalized voices, and redefining what it means to be a spiritual activist in today’s world. Don’t just listen—join the movement.

On this episode, we discuss the importance of mindfulness in activism with Facilitator and Coach Christine Bright from the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, CHJS. Dig into neuroscience and how we can, through sport, bring social justice into athletes' lives, no matter their age.  Resources: Bruce Perry Coaching While Black CHJS Dr. Stuart Ablon on the Mel Robbins podcast What Happened to you?

Join Stephanie and her guest, AJ Clauss as they discuss burnout and the importance of restoration in the pursuit of social justice. Learn practical ways to restore the soul while staying committed to the fight for justice. 

Join Stephanie as she interviews our newest team mate, Nicole. Nicole brings the concept of radical rest to us as an essential part of social justice work.

Who is driving your metaphorical car? Ego? Intuition? Society? Join Stephanie and Julie to examine who is in your driver's seat and how to ensure intuition is navigating versus ego. 

Join us to learn more about your hosts, Stephanie and Julie, and what Unexamined me is all about.