Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast

This episode opens like someone cracked a window in a crowded room. Fresh air, honesty, and two Indigenous minds settling into a conversation that feels intimate, necessary, and decades overdue. Dr. Candace Manitopyes connects with internationally acclaimed Cree artist Kent Monkman, whose work has reshaped how the world understands history, queerness, and Indigenous presence.Kent speaks about the power and pain behind paintings like The Scream, describing how art becomes both meditation and medicine as he confronts the legacy of residential schools. He shares how his new Knowledge Keepers series honours the children who secretly whispered their languages to each other—moments of quiet rebellion that kept culture alive. Candace meets him in that depth, recalling how seeing The Scream during the uncovering of unmarked graves felt like a punch to the heart.Then Miss Chief Eagle Testickle enters: Kent’s iconic, gender-fluid alter ego. Part trickster, part theorist, part seductress, she’s his weapon for reversing the colonial gaze, stepping into Western art and rewriting the story from the inside. Kent and Candace dismantle the myth that queerness is new or un-Indigenous, naming how binaries rooted in Christian colonialism buried truths communities once held with ease.Their conversation becomes a meditation on love, liberation, kinship, and the courage it takes to be oneself in a world that benefits from your silence. By the end, listeners are reminded that art can heal, queerness is ancient, and Indigenous love will always outlast the systems built to erase it. -Relentless Actions1. Visit a local gallery, museum, or online archive featuring Indigenous artists. Spend 10 minutes observing one piece without reading the caption first, just let your body respond, then learn its context.2. Have a short conversation with someone in your life about a topic you usually avoid, such as identity, queerness, colonial history, or truth-telling. Keep it grounded, curious, and honest.Relentless Reflections1. Where in my life have I confused silence with safety? And what might become possible if I allow myself to speak or live more truthfully?2. When have I witnessed love—mine or someone else’s—expand beyond what colonial binaries said was acceptable? What did that moment teach me about freedom?Relentless Resources 1. Kent Monkman's website2. The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: Vol. 1: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island, book Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

In this episode, Candace sits with not one, but two Deadly Aunties—Stephanie Pangowish and Sherry McKay—two Indigenous comedians who have turned everyday Indigenous life, ceremony, mistakes, and cross-community confusion (“scone dog” vs. “bannock dog”) into a full career.They talk about the realities of comedy behind the scenes: how humour travels across nations, how it sometimes absolutely doesn’t, and what happens when you try to make zoom-comedy work while staring at 48 blank squares. Both share how they moved from regular jobs into the comedy world, a transition that can best be described as: terrifying, necessary, and apparently involving a lot of self-talk, prayer, and occasionally wanting to vomit. They also speak candidly about sobriety while working in environments where alcohol is built into the job, and how having a friend who will literally knock a drink out of your hand is underrated support.Underneath it all is the thread that Indigenous humour has always been survival, connection, and medicine. Not the romanticized kind, just the practical kind that gets people through another day.The Aunties show how laughter and honesty keep communities close, and why sticking with your purpose (even when you’re unsure) is worth it.-Relentless Actions1. Think of one conversation this week where you can use humour to build connection—not to avoid discomfort, but to ease into honesty the way Indigenous communities have done forever. Pay attention to what kind of humour feels natural and what kind strengthens relationships.2. Whether it’s writing a short story, sharing an idea publicly, posting a TikTok, or attending an open mic (even just to watch), choose one low-stakes action toward a creative dream you’ve stalled on. The point isn’t perfection, but it’s building the muscle to follow that “scared-but-curious” feeling the Aunties described.Relentless Reflections 1. What’s one moment in my life where humour carried me through something I wasn’t ready to say out loud? Consider how laughter has acted as medicine, grounding, or connection for you, and what that reveals about the role comedy plays in your relationships or healing.2. Where am I currently choosing safety over purpose? The Aunties left the security of 9–5 jobs to pursue something uncertain but aligned. Reflect on a place in your life where you’re avoiding a leap, and why. What would support or community look like for you there?Relentless Resources1. The Deadly Aunties, website 2. In a good way: Reflecting on humour in Indigenous education, academic article Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

In this episode, Melrene Saloy Eagle Speaker—Blackfoot designer, artist, and founder of Native Diva Creations and Authentically Indigenous—opens up about the heart, history, and hard lessons behind her work. From carrying her ancestors into global fashion stages to building one of Calgary’s most beloved Indigenous markets, Melrene shares how legacy, loss, and love continue to shape her artistry.She reflects on navigating backlash to her Medicine Collection, describing what it means to create from dreams, protocol, and deep cultural intention. The conversation moves through community accountability vs. cancel culture, the emotional toll of public criticism, and the courage required to stay rooted in one’s purpose.Melrene and Candace also dive into entrepreneurship: the realities of financial literacy, learning in public, accepting feedback, and building supportive relationships that make creative risk possible.They discuss the origins of Authentically Indigenous, the importance of accessible markets for makers, and the joy of seeing 285+ Indigenous entrepreneurs thrive in a space built by community for community.Grounded, funny, honest, and generous, Melrene’s story reminds listeners that Indigenous entrepreneurship is legacy work woven with medicine, imagination, and the refusal to leave anyone behind. -Relentless Actions1. Take one creative risk this week that you’ve been avoiding because of fear, backlash, or someone else's perception.2. Spend 20 minutes mapping out the community you already have — mentors, peers, supporters — and choose one person to intentionally reconnect with or uplift.Relentless Reflections1. Where am I holding back my gifts because I’m worried about how others will react, and what would it look like to create from intention rather than fear?2. What am I carrying that isn’t mine (someone else’s expectations, projections, or limitations) and how can I release even a small piece of it this week?Relentless Resources1. Authentically Indigenous, website 2. Indigenous Business Development Services, websiteSend Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

Emerging from a place of prophecy, courage, and hard-earned wisdom, this episode traces the extraordinary life of Ma-Nee Chacaby—a Two-Spirit Ojibwe-Cree Elder, activist, storyteller, and acclaimed author whose teachings continue to shift the landscape of 2SLGBTQ+ visibility in Canada. Her story unfolds through memories of her Kookum’s early vision that she would one day become a healer and educator for her people, a path she ultimately walked through decades of community work, advocacy, and leadership.Listeners are brought into Ma-Nee’s reflections on living as Two-Spirit, which she describes as carrying both masculine and feminine spirits in harmony—a balance that shapes how she walks in the world. She speaks to the power and bravery of the younger generation, the shifting landscapes of identity, and the reciprocal learning that happens between youth and elders.The conversation also highlights her groundbreaking memoir A Two-Spirit Journey, the national recognition it has received, and the generations it has touched. Through humour, honesty, and story, Ma-Nee offers insight into resilience, colonial impact, community healing, and the future she sees emerging through today’s youth. Her presence throughout the episode is both grounding and transformative, reminding listeners what it means to lead with heart, and  truth.-Relentless Action1. Choose one conversation this week where you intentionally listen the way Ma-Nee models: without interrupting,  fixing, or assuming you already know. Just be present, and let the other person’s truth unfold on its own timeline.2. Ma-Nee reminds us that young people carry clarity, courage, and “future minds.” Do one small act that honours the younger you. Something they would’ve needed, loved, or felt safe with.Relentless Reflection1. Where in my life have I forgotten the wisdom and courage my younger self already carried? What did they know that I’ve unlearned over time?2. How can I embody balance between the gentle and the fierce, the stillness and the action in my daily life?Relentless Resources -A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-nee Chacaby-Academic Article: Envisioning the future of culturally safe healthcare systems for Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and gender diverse peoplesSend Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with Anishinaabe singer-songwriter Natasha Fisher, a rising independent artist known for her moody, edgy fusion of pop, alt-rock, and unapologetic storytelling. Their conversation gets deep into the heart of Natasha’s creative process, her path to sobriety, and the personal history behind her newest album, Temporary Feelings.Natasha shares how songwriting has always been the place where she can say the things she can’t always speak out loud. Her music, often mistaken for romantic heartbreak, is rooted just as much in family struggles, addiction, and the emotional complexity of healing. She talks about how sobriety brought her back to her teenage self—reviving old musical influences, emo roots, and a rawness that she finally gave herself permission to embrace.Candace and Natasha also unpack the pressure Indigenous artists face to “sound Native enough,” and Natasha speaks honestly about carving out her own lane—one that honours her identity without fitting into someone else’s expectations.Throughout the episode, she opens up about navigating the industry as a fully independent artist, from doing her own marketing to earning a billboard spot, to mentoring younger Indigenous creatives who want into the music world.This conversation is full of humour, vulnerability, cultural insight, and creative truth-telling. It’s a reminder that healing is nonlinear, identity is expansive, and art becomes its most powerful when it’s honest.@natashafisher_-Relentless Actions1. Choose an age where you felt misunderstood, silenced, or creatively limited. Do one thing this week that honours who you were then (a playlist, an outfit, a journal entry, a walk in a place you loved) anything that reconnects you to that self.2.  Pick one emotion you’ve been avoiding. Express it in a creative way (voice memo, drawing, movement, music, spoken word). No polishing. No editing. Just the raw feeling given form, and then released.Relentless Reflections 1. Where in my life am I still trying to fit into someone else’s expectations of who I should be?2. What emotion or truth do I find hardest to say out loud, and what creative medium might help it finally move? Relentless Resources1. Indigenous Artist Mentorship & Funding. Canada Council for the Arts – Creating, Knowing & Sharing Program. Supports Indigenous artists, storytellers, musicians, and cultural expression.2. Healing Through Art & Sobriety Support. Native Wellness Institute – Wellness Resources & Programs. Offers Indigenous-centered healing, wellness teachings, and community programs.Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat