The Emergent Strategy Podcast

Complex Movements is a Detroit-based artist collective supporting the transformation of communities by exploring the connections of complex science and social justice movements through multimedia interactive performance work. Carlos, Sage, Wes, and Ill of Complex Movements join adrienne to discuss nonlinearity, the development and evolution of the group's emblems, and their most recent project Beware of the Dandelions.

Mia Mingus is a writer, educator, and trainer for transformative justice and disability justice. She founded and currently leads SOIL: A Transformative Justice Project, which builds the conditions for transformative justice to grow and thrive. This week, Mia meets with adrienne to discuss quitting capitalism, practice, and climate catastrophe.

Shira Hassan is a long time activist whose work focuses on the experiences of girls, boys, transgender and queer youth involved in the sex trade and street economy. She is the co-author of Fumbling Towards Repair and the author of Saving Our Own Lives. This week, Shira joins Sage to talk about black holes, her book Saving Our Own Lives, and sex work as care work.

Ericka Huggins is a human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader and former political prisoner. Ericka joins adrienne to talk about freedom as an inside job, the teachings of meditation, and recognizing the women of the Black Panther Party in her newest book Comrade Sisters.

Nicole Newman is a poet, writer, sister, and coach. Aja Taylor is a facilitator, sex educator, sister, and writer. Together, they co-founded Two Brown Girls Consulting Cooperative. This week, Nicole and Aja join adrienne to discuss creating more space, the practice of invitations, and science fiction as a source of politicization.

Ashoka Finley is an emergent strategist and the founder of hypha, a subscription that funds climate solutions. This week, Ashoka and adrienne meet to talk about elemental practices, feeling wholeness in liminal spaces, and what it means to build a new world.

Chelsea Cleveland is an organizer, facilitator, and the co-founder of Hearing Youth Voices, a youth organization based in New London, CT. Chelsea joins Yanitza, facilitation cohort member and former ESII staff, and Mia, this week's ESII host, to talk about listening to disabled people, dreaming about an Octavia Butler tarot deck, and thinking of loneliness as a process of fermentation.

Micky ScottBey Jones, The Justice Doula, is an author, speaker, and healing justice practicioner. In this IG Live Interview, adrienne talks with Micky about brave space, plagiarism, accountability, call-outs, and learning in public.

Makani Themba is an author, innovator, and currently the Chief Strategist at Higher Ground Change Strategies based in Jackson, MS. A long-time organizer, Makani meets with ESII host, Sage, to discuss genealogies, the economy as a set of relationships, and the power of imagination.

Paris Hatcher is the executive director of Black Feminist Future, a political hub focused on the dynamic possibilities of galvanizing the social and political power of Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people towards liberation. Paris joins Mia to talk about being deliberately emergent, learning from the natural world, and Black feminism as a call to transformative justice.

Briana Herman-Brand is a teacher, facilitator, and parent. This week, she joins adrienne to talk about trusting from within, the possibilities of co-housing, and unlearning processes from white supremacist culture.

A sonic treat this week with BOLD organizer Alta Starr. Alta is a bodyworker, organizer, poet, and tarot reader. Alta converses with ESII host, Sage, about existentialism, our agency when it comes to imbuing circumstance with meaning (or not), and tarot use for less predictive outcomes and more as a space for reflection, play, and reinterpretation of the world around us. 

Adaku Utah is a 6th generation Igbo healer and the organizing director of the National Network of Abortion Funds. Adaku and Mia meet to talk about organizing and providing services to communities outside of the parameters of the state, and Adaku points to the work that is required for tending to our relationships. They also leads listeners through a centering practice. So find a place that brings you comfort and press play.   

Yazmany Arboleda is the People's Artist for New York City through the Civic Engagement Commission. This week, Yazmany joins adrienne to talk about the possibilities of creating an active, experimental, and more imaginative and democratic engagement with the people who make up a place. 

ashley sparks is a theater maker, facilitator, engagement strategist, and collaboration coach and consultant. ashley joins Sage this week on the Emergent Strategy Podcast to talk about bringing their artistry into activism spaces, getting buttoned up adults to soften, and the grieving that comes when parts of ourselves need to be let go or are challenged.

Acupuncturist or Blacupuncturist, Lindsay Fauntleroy, joins ESII host, Mia, for a conversation about possible overlap between African-based traditions and Chinese medicine. She is also the author of the new book In Our Element: Using the Five Elements as Soul Medicine to Unleash Your Personal Power, and Lindsay talks to Mia about the beauty and practice of yin timing.    

Caitlin Breedlove is the current Deputy Executive Director at the Women's March and author of a forthcoming book about her experience with ovarian cancer. A long time organizer, Caitlin meets with ESII host, adrienne, to discuss how approaching and experiencing cancer has informed her work as an organizer and vice versa. Caitlin and adrienne also talk about writing close to the bone (hint: it involves losing lots of preamble). 

Cris Izaguirre is a farmer, writer, educator, trans, and queer Nicaraguan immigrant of Afro-Indigenous descent. He joins ESII host, Mia Herndon, on the podcast this week to converse about the queerness of plants, decolonizing the natural world, land stewardship, and how farming isn't for everyone.    

Season 2 is here holding hands with Spring! Also, Happy Bookday to Emergent Strategy! Five years ago today, the book dropped and has been moving between hands, circles, and spurring conversation. Sage, Mia, and adrienne reflect on what has happened over the past five years and what they are looking forward to for the upcoming season.  

The Emergent Strategy Podcast hosts, adrienne, Mia, and Sage debrief about and reflect on season one. We'll be back in March 2022 with season two, amazing guests, and continued emergence in conversation. 

"White supremacy and capitalism wants us to believe that they are the most important thing going on and that the whole world is against us. The whole world is not against us," says Sendolo Diaminah, co-director of the Carolina Federation. Diaminah joins ESII host, adrienne maree brown, this week to talk about love of strategy, softer rigor (at times), and living out a new politics.