Wider Roots

Building a business that resists capitalism (w/ Bear Hebert)

“Reminding ourselves that, that commerce is not the same thing as capitalism. Buying and selling things is a really old thing that human beings have been doing for way longer than capitalism has existed.”  Today's episode features anti-capitalist business coach Bear Hebert (they/them). We explore Bear's definition of capitalism as exploitation for profit and discuss principles for running an anti-capitalist business. We examine manipulative tactics often used by entrepreneurs and consider more justice-oriented alternatives.Bear and I discuss the pressure to have an "ideal" business and how to align money-making with our values. With over 20 years in social justice work, Bear brings insights as both a radical business coach and educator, highlighting how capitalism intersects with white supremacy and patriarchy.Check out the episode page for the transcript and the full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/11 ⭐ Key moments03:57 - How Bear got politicized10:11 - What makes us feel gross about marketing18:46 - Authentic alternatives to manipulative marketing tactics28:44 - Debunking the myth of the perfect dream job33:47 - Rethinking niching from an anti-capitalist lens36:15 - Business as a garden, not a machine43:37 - Key areas to integrate anti-capitalist values in your business47:58 - Aligning business policies with anti-capitalist principles52:18 - Bear's sources of nourishment56:51 - Closing📚 Resources & LinksBear Hebert, Radical Anti-Capitalist Business CoachTad Hargrave, Marketing for HippiesKelly DielsHadassah DamienAlternate ROOTSSoutherners on New Ground (SONG)"Hild" by Nicola Griffith (book)bell hooks (reference to "power over power under" concept)🌲 Follow the podcastWiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal and systemic transformation@WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenesLeave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find this showConnect with Jeremy on his coaching websiteI’d love to hear how this episode resonated with you or any suggestions for future topics/guests. You can email me at podcast@widerroots.com.

Coaching in Times of Collapse (w/ Margaret Wheatley)

“It takes enormous courage and enormous compassion to face reality. To say ‘I want my little contribution to make a difference. Maybe only in the lives of my colleagues, family, and community, but that's enough actually.’”Today's episode is with author and systems thinker, Margaret Wheatley. For over four decades, she's been helping leaders show up fully in these chaotic times and find meaningful ways to serve. She’s the author of Leadership and The New Science and Who Do We Choose To Be?I'll be honest - I find Margaret's work both inspiring and deeply confronting. Part of me appreciates her invitation to look directly at the pattern of societal collapse we're in, relieved someone's telling the truth without sugarcoating. Another part wonders if we can really predict how it'll all turn out.We talk about facing the reality of collapse with clear eyes, redefining meaningful work and life in this context, and how coaches and leaders can move beyond individualism towards community-centered approaches.Check out the episode page for the transcript and the full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/10 Key moments02:33 - The power of clear-eyed leadership in chaotic times09:36 - Embracing reality to find meaningful service13:09 - Breaking free from "hopium" to see our authentic path22:45 - Cultivating presence through mindfulness practices25:42 - Embracing the warrior spirit in a changing world30:39 - Redefining meaningful work and life in turbulent times36:15 - Community as the answer to individualism41:54 - Ancient wisdom we need at these timesResources & LinksMargaretWheatley.comWho Do We Choose To Be (book)Restoring Sanity (book)Leadership in the New Science (book)So Far From Home (book)Warriors for the Human Spirit (Margaret’s training program)Berkana InstitutePema ChodronFollow the podcastWiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation@WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenesLeave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find this showConnect with Jeremy on his coaching websiteI’d love to hear how this episode resonated with you or any suggestions for future topics/guests. You can email me at podcast@widerroots.com.

What’s the role of the coaching industry in collective liberation? (w/ Andréa Ranae)

“My invitation is just to let ourselves feel the pain. That we don't have to have the shame on top of it. It’s painful to know that I have contributed to the harm of another person and that I had no idea. I don't have to hold shame about it. I can grieve that.”Check out the episode page for the transcript and the full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/9 In this conversation, Andréa Ranae and I explore some juicy questions: How has the coaching industry's engagement with social justice evolved over the past 8 years? What does it look like for coaches to recognize our collective power to shape the industry?Andréa shares stories of the breakthroughs and challenges she's witnessed as her students become politicized. We discuss the importance of taking collective responsibility as coaches and healers. We also dig into the role of shame, and how it can serve as a wake-up call but shouldn't keep us stuck.Andréa Ranae is a coach, facilitator, and singer-songwriter who has dedicated her life to exploring how we can live, work, and relate in ways that contribute to impactful social change.⭐ In this episodeHow has the coaching industry evolved in its engagement with social justice over the last eight years?What were some of the key concepts and frameworks Andréa needed to introduce to coaches who were new to social justice?What breakthroughs have coaches experienced as they became more politicized through her teachings?How can coaches use their collective power to shape the industry and create systemic change?What questions can politicized coaches ask themselves to work toward collective liberation?How can shame serve as an indicator of change, and what role does it play in keeping systems of domination in place?📚 Resources & LinksCoaching as Activism (Andréa Ranae's program)Article: "Why the Self-Help Industry Isn't Changing the World" by Andréa RanaeArticle: "Why the Self-Help Industry Won't Change the World" (follow up)The Combahee River Collective (organization)Sasha Heron (public figure, death doula, and ancestral healing practitioner)"Love Poems" by Nikki Giovanni (book)💬 Connect with Andréa RanaeAndréa Ranae's main Instagram: @AndreaRanaeJAndréa Ranae's website: andrearanae.comAndréa Ranae's music Instagram: @DRElikeSade🌲 Follow the podcastWiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation@WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenesConnect with Jeremy on his coaching websiteI’d love to hear how this episode resonated with you or any suggestions for future topics/guests. You can email me at podcast@widerroots.com.

The inseparable link between inner work and outer change (w/ Staci Haines)

“There's no such thing as personal change outside of a social context. You actually can't separate a person from our social context. And that is just like, well, duh, how did they ever think we could do that?”Check out the episode page for the transcript and the full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/8 In this conversation with Staci Haines, we dive into the intersection of personal transformation and structural social change. I appreciate Staci's commitment to holding these two aspects as inseparable - that true healing and justice require both inner work and outer change. We explore some challenging questions: How can we navigate conversations around Palestine and Gaza with our clients in a way that is grounded in compassion and truth? How do we ensure that transformational modalities don't inadvertently reinforce passivity in the face of injustice, but rather empower us to create change? What are the key distinctions between coaching and therapy, and how can we discern our realm of competency as practitioners?Staci Haines is a pioneer in the field of politicized somatics and trauma healing. For over three decades, Staci has been dedicated to bridging personal and social transformation, guided by the belief that we cannot have one without the other. As the co-founder of generative somatics and a senior teacher at the Strozzi Institute, she brings a depth of wisdom and experience to her work supporting individuals and movements in healing trauma and embodying transformative change. ⭐ Key moments02:43 - Opening05:03 - Staci's roots: personal + systemic transformation12:32 - The power of somatics in social change work17:58 - How we're showing up for Palestine27:54 - How do we move beyond individualism in healing and coaching36:09 - Coaching to challenge the status quo, not to cope with It39:43 - Imagining new credentialing orgs for politicized coaching/healing59:25 - Staci's sources of joy1:04:22 - Closing📚 Resources & LinksGenerative somatics (organization co-founded by Staci Haines)Strozzi Institute (Staci Haines is a senior teacher here)The Politics of Trauma by Staci Haines (book)Just Transition Framework (zine by Movement Generation)Sharks in the Time of Saviors (book recommended by Staci Haines)💬 Connect with Staci HainesStacihaines.com (Staci Haines' professional website)Instagram @stacikhaines🎙️ Other episodes you might likeEpisode 5 with Kazu Haga: Spiritually Grounded Activism🌲 Follow the podcastWiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation@WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenesLeave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find this showIf you’re interested in coaching with Jeremy, reach out on his coaching websiteI’d love to hear how this episode resonated with you or any suggestions for future topics/guests. You can email me at podcast@widerroots.com.

Heartbreak, Hope, & The Wisdom of Joanna Macy (w/ Jess Serrante)

“Uncertainty inherently means that possibility exists. Possibility for all sorts of things. For the darkest fantasies and fears that I have and for the most beautiful. And my life is a vote in the direction of a possibility, and I'm going to give myself to the one I want.”Check out the episode page for the transcript and the full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/7 In this conversation with Jess Serrante, we dive into the teachings of Joanna Macy and explore how they can support us in our work for social change. I was particularly moved by our discussion on the role of heartbreak in activism and coaching. We asked, what if more healing modalities and spiritual paths helped us get in touch with our pain for the world as a catalyst for discovering our unique contribution? Jess shares powerful insights from her new podcast, "We Are The Great Turning," (including previews of unreleased episodes!)We also grapple with the question of hope in the face of overwhelming challenges like climate change. When despair creeps in, what can we draw upon that's more stable than the fluctuations of hope? Throughout our conversation, we touch on the importance of grounding our activism in our love for the world, and how Joanna's teachings can help us do that.Jess Serrante is a dear friend of mine and a longtime climate activist who has worked with groups like Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, and Sunrise Movement. She’s a coach, facilitator, and now a podcaster!Subscribe to We Are The Great Turning on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts.Key moments03:02 - The dream Joanna & Jess had for this project15:39 - Heartbreak and honoring our pain for the world23:59 - Clip from Joanna Macy: What if my pain for the world overwhelms me?28:58 - Clip from Joanna Macy: Our pain is sacred35:34 - Heartbreak guiding us to our calling44:25 - Examining Hope (and other places to find our motivation)53:36 - Clip from Joanna Macy: Whistling in the dark to cheer ourselves up1:02:51 - Jess' sources of nourishment1:04:46 - ClosingResources & LinksWe Are The Great Turning Podcast websiteActive Hope by Joanna Macy (book)The Work That ReconnectsVideo of Joanna Macy: “The knife edge of uncertainty”Parable of The Sower by Octavia Butler (book)Rebecca Solnit quote: “Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency"Connect with JessCoaching website: JessSerrante.comInstagram: @jess_serranteFollow Wider RootsWiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation