Episode 114: Emergent Strategy: Adrienne Maree Brown

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When I checked in with myself and listened to our community and the pulse of the world right now, what felt right this week was not to publish a new podcast episode, but to point your attention to one of our favorites from the past that features a black woman whose work is devoted to black liberation.

In the summer of 2018 I savored every word of Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown.

(She’s since published Pleasure Activism, which became a NY Times bestseller and is also incredibly powerful.)

Adrienne dances the intersection between spirituality and social justice work in a way that feels really necessary right now.

If you’ve noticed spiritual leaders (especially white ones) jumping directly to unity and oneness without first acknowledging the 400 years of oppression that needs repair, and it doesn’t sit well with you, listen in.

If you’re feeling immobilized by the reality of the profound limitations of society and our history around race and what it means for you and your people, and you’re grappling with how it could possibly be at all connected to spirituality, listen in.

Adrienne’s words, laughter, and ideas are medicine.

In this episode that first came out January 1, 2019, but is no less relevant today, you’ll hear:

How Adrienne practices time bending (and how feeling good is part of it)
How she finally answered her calling to be a Doula despite being freaked out by blood
Who she writes for (and who she does not)
How to organize your life around the “YES!”
How to join your spirituality and social justice work together
How to know when to coast and why working hard all the time isn’t the way to go
And so much more!

Press play and listen to her brilliance (and prepare to laugh!)

Thank you for being here in this community. Over the last week it’s become ever more clear to me that not all communities are places where people feel safe to be themselves and, even more so, affirmed for all of who they are.

While I will never get it perfect and I will continue to be humble and ready to fumble (quoting Erika Hines), you have my commitment that you matter to me and you are welcome here. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to show up. I’ll continue to do the same.

Episode 114: Emergent Strategy: Adrienne Maree Brown

In This Episode

Why Adrienne feels that now is the time that her message needs to be shared [6:19]
How she manages her relationship with time [10:54]
What she loves most about her work as a doula [13:06]
What living a “YES” life means to Adrienne [19:04]
How you can live this way too [23:37]
The power of small adjustments [29:35]
Why doula work doesn’t just involve births [36:32]
Who Adrienne does (and doesn’t) write for [42:15]
The reasons she thinks her work resonates so much with others [45:32]