Denizen

Barrett Holmes Pitner, the author of "The Crime Without a Name" and founder of the Sustainable Culture Lab, delves into the concept of ethnocide—the cultural erasure of communities. He argues that Trump’s re-election reflects America's long-standing issues with racism and capitalism. The discussion pivots around redefining freedom, the philosophical underpinnings of identity, and the importance of cultural healing through rituals. Barrett's idea of 'Eŭ-topia' emphasizes nurturing spaces for communal growth, challenging us to transform systemic oppression through collective action.

Melanie Rieback, a cybersecurity entrepreneur and founder of Nonprofit Ventures, discusses her journey into post-growth entrepreneurship—eschewing the traditional Silicon Valley model for sustainable practices. She critiques the conventional capitalist framework and emphasizes the importance of ethical governance models like steward ownership. Rieback highlights the concept of non-extractive business practices, addressing fair compensation challenges while advocating for systemic change. Engaging personal experiences are also underscored as vital for shaping this innovative landscape.

Rick Doblin, the founder of MAPS and a key figure in the psychedelic movement, teams up with filmmaker Nirvan Mullick, who spent a decade documenting this journey. They delve into the transformative power of psychedelics and storytelling in shaping narratives for societal change. Rick shares personal experiences and challenges faced in the fight for MDMA's FDA approval, while Nirvan reflects on the importance of compelling narratives in promoting public understanding. Together, they explore how these elements can catalyze a global shift in consciousness.

Ferananda Ibarra is the CEO of the Coventina Foundation, co-founder of the Metacurrency Project, and expert in utilizing the decentralized web to enable economic innovation, collective intelligence, and the commons.In this conversation we explore the role of currency innovation in economic innovation and regenerative economics.  Fernanda has such an incredible range of experience and knowledge that she brings to bear with her work — from her expertise in technology to her love of nature and study of indigenous wisdom to her deep foundational understanding of  the commons and collective intelligence.While the headline for this conversation is currencies, ultimately it’s abroad ranging discussion that explores money, wealth, currencies, why flows are so critical for healthy living systems, what’s wrong with blockchain and the familiar cryptocurrencies out there, and more. To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

This episode citizen’s assemblies, which are similar to jury duty, but for policy. Over the course of several months, a representative group of everyday citizens comes together to understand and deliberate issues, ultimately making policy recommendations. They’re very compelling as a compliment to traditional policy making processes, as citizens do not face the incentive challenges that elected officials do.Citizen’s assemblies have been gaining traction around the world for the last decade, and our guest Claudia Chwalisz is at the forefront of this work. We cover the basics, but then we also get into things at her frontier, such as how technology and AI can improve the process, how citizen’s assemblies might help us regulate AI, and moving beyond human-focused governance models. Resources:DemocracyNext website: https://www.demnext.org/DemocracyNext's Citizen Assembly GuideOECD Report: Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic InstitutionsValuing Uncertainty and Curiosity: Lessons from physics for politicsTech Enhanced Citizen's Assemblies: Toward a more healthy and constructive democracyMore than Human Governance Experiments in Europe (Claudia’s paper)Specific Examples:How A Permanent Assembly in Paris passed a bill into law (July 2024)In Oregon assembly, Americans show another kind of politics is possible (Oct 17, 2024)The French Citizens' Assembly on End of Life, ExplainedHow Ireland Transformed Democracy with Citizens’ AssembliesIn Their Own Words: Deschutes County, Oregon USA Civic Assembly Members  To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

Resources:Development in Progress: https://consilienceproject.org/development-in-progress/ To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

If you’re wondering how we might reform capitalism to be less extractive and more regenerative, this conversation is for you.  Our guests Chelsea Robinson and Jay Standish have just published a book, Assets in Common, sharing recent research on what is happening in the most progressive corners of the current economic landscape.   We discuss shared and stewardship governance models, which yield a more equitable, more purpose-driven economy.  Chelsea and Jay relay key findings from his research on how forward thinking entrepreneurs can address constraints they face, which  enable a more progressive economy to scale.  This isn’t a theoretical conversation that leaves you questioning what’s realistic, it is tactical and grounded in case studies. Resources:Assets in Common: Stories of Business and Community Leaders Remaking the Economy from the Ground Up To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

Ted Rau, an expert in collective decision-making and organizational structures, dives into the intricacies of collective power. He discusses power dynamics, highlighting the difference between power-over and power-with, and emphasizes the need for personal empowerment. The conversation explores the significance of consensus in decision-making and the importance of psychological safety within organizations. Ted shares insights on avoiding 'blobs' and fostering effective governance while balancing autonomy with collective goals, making a case for trust and coherence in group dynamics.

In this episode we’re discussing healing trauma, specifically what is required to address trauma at the root: in our nervous systems.  This topic is critical because what most of us don’t realize is how many people live in a perpetually dysregulated state due to unresolved trauma.  This leaves us with an ongoing baseline of reactivity, hypervigilance, and anxiety that spills over into every area of our lives.  Very often our unresolved trauma stems from so far into our childhoods that we are unable to parse out who we actually are at our core from who we become when our nervous systems are stuck in a fight, flight, or freeze response.  ‍Our guest for this episode is Danielle Rubio.   Danielle uses nervous system rewiring, movement therapy, and mindfulness to help her clients do the deep work required to truly address their trauma and live lives of purpose from a center, empowered place.  She is a yoga and meditation teacher, reiki master, and touch therapist who has studied extensively with leaders in the field such as Dr. Fleet Maul, Irene and Seth Lyon, Gabor Mate, and Arielle Schwartz.‍In this conversation Jenny and Danielle discuss:How Danielle defines traumaIts prevalence in the United States and the extent of its economic and social costs to societyWhat trauma actually does to the body and what it looks like when we have an unhealed, regulated nervous systemThe distinction between true healing and bypassing, illustrated by Danielle’s rude awakening after the traumatic birth of her daughterCritical learnings from Danielle's research that inform her practice todayWhat doing the work to heal actually looks like, and why it’s important to do it with supportDanielle's most essential toolsWhat it looks like to live in a more embodied state, addressing trauma as it surfacesThe one thing Danielle wishes everyone knew Resources:Danielle's website: https://danielle-rubio.com/The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel Van Der Kolk To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.

In this episode we’re discussing conflict resolution, in particular, the distinction between an adversarial paradigm, that all of us unwittingly hold, and a restorative paradigm, that gets us what we ultimately want: healthy, thriving relationships with those closest to us .  The difference between the two is quite literally life changing. In the former hurt leads to disconnection and distance, with a slow and steady degradation of the relationships that matter most.  In the latter, hurt creates an opportunity for deeper connection and intimacy, which obviously reflects the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. This deep, provocative, practical conversation will help us all move in that direction.‍Our guest is David Cooley, he is a relationship coach who works with individuals and couples, guiding them to address conflict in a way that restores harmony.   His work interweaves his background in restorative justice with training in nonviolent communication, mindfulness based practices, narrative therapy, somatic work, and attachment theory.  He is also the author of Poly-wise with his partner, Jessica Fern.‍In this conversation Jenny and David discuss:What the adversarial paradigm isHow culture and the criminal justice system affect how we show up in interpersonal conflictThe insidious ways the adversarial paradigm shows up in our beliefs, responses, and internal narrativesHow our conflict resolution defaults impact our nervous systems and the nervous systems of our partnersHow the stories we hold distort how we perceive our partners in moments of conflictWhy all of this leads to increasing disconnect and degradationsWhat the restorative paradigm isThe restorative versions of the believes, responses, and narratives of the adversarial paradigmThe nervous system and how critical self-awareness and self-regulation is to addressing conflict productivelyThe role of fairness in intimate relationshipsThe role of forgiveness and the distinction between repair, expression, and forgivenessHow we can care for our partner's emotional needs without taking responsibility for our partner's emotions and compromising ourselves‍Alongside this episode we are sharing David's incredible handouts with our listeners:Attachment NeedsParadigms of ConflictThe Restorative ParadigmRepair QuestionsCentering Hurt To stay connected to all things Denizen, you can sign up for our newsletter at www.becomingdenizen.com.  There we share our latest content alongside community events, educational opportunities, and announcements from our many partner organizations.