Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast

• Ep. 38: The Pedagogy of Moss: Lessons in Fluidity, Belonging, and Resilience with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer

  Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with the beloved scientist, writer, and matriarch Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss. They weave a dialogue on remembrance, resistance, and relationality, where Indigenous knowledge and scientific thought meet in the shared soil of hope.Dr. Kimmerer reflects on her newest movement, Plant Baby Plant, which calls people to resist extraction by restoring reciprocity through regeneration. She and Candace speak candidly about despair, joy as an act of resistance, and the necessity of holding “two buckets”(one for grief, one for goodness) at once.Their exchange moves through moss, language, and the sacred act of remembering. They explore how moss teaches us gender fluidity, adaptability, and queerness, and how Indigenous languages reveal a world where everything (water, trees, even a bay) is alive and in motion. They consider what it means to unlearn colonial rigidity, to delight in being wrong, and to find flexibility through humility and curiosity.This episode feels like an offering of hope in a time of dismemberment. It reminds us that the revolution begins with the choice to create, nurture, and remember our membership in the living world.-Relentless ReflectionsWhat parts of yourself, your culture, or your relationship with the land have been “dismembered”? Reflect on what remembering might look like for you, not just recalling, but rejoining the living web that has always held you.When was the last time you allowed yourself to be wrong, and what did it reveal? Consider what humility makes possible. How could embracing the delight of being wrong expand your capacity for relationship, creativity, or solidarity?Relentless ActionsBegin your own “Plant Baby Plant” practice. Whether it’s tending herbs on a windowsill, planting seeds with children, or volunteering in a community garden, ground your resistance in regeneration.Practice language as ceremony. Choose one phrase or word from your language (or the local Indigenous language where you live) that reminds you the world is alive. Speak it aloud. Let it rewire how you see everything around you.Relentless ResourcesPlantBabyPlant.com – A growing movement co-founded by Dr. Kimmerer that transforms resistance into regeneration through the act of planting and caring for the Earth.The Pedagogy of Moss - The award-nominated PhD dissertation of Dr. Candace 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

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• Ep. 37: The Queer Wedding and the Revolution

  In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes returns to the Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast with honesty, gratitude, and renewal. She shares the story of her wedding to her sweetheart, Alex Manitopyes, a ceremony rooted in intimacy, cedar medicine, and Cree traditions. She reflects on how love, rest, and joy have reshaped her relationship with activism, creativity, and resistance.After stepping away from social media during their honeymoon, Candace speaks candidly about what it means to reclaim energy in an age of constant reaction. She unpacks how consumption often replaces creation, and how sustainable resistance begins with choosing to build, not just respond. Through reflections on fascism, education as rebellion, and the importance of channeling rage into regeneration, she invites listeners to pause, reflect, and discover their own gifts to offer the world.Candace also shares exciting news about the new season of the podcast, featuring conversations with brilliant Indigenous voices—including Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Kent Monkman, Tanya Talaga, Ma-Nee Chacaby, and many more. She introduces her re-imagined Relentless Indigenous Woman Patreon community as a space for collective learning, reciprocity, and transformation.This episode feels like a breath of fresh air. A reminder that rest us part of resistance, and that the revolution begins in how we care for ourselves and each other.-Relentless ReflectionsWhere is your energy going, toward reaction or regeneration?What gift has Creator placed in you that the world needs right now?Relentless ActionsSet digital boundaries to reclaim your creative energy. Try a 1-hour timer on social media this week. Notice how it feels to consume less and create more, whether that’s journaling, finding a new hobby, making art, teaching, or resting intentionally.Take one feeling (anger, grief, or hope) and channel it into something tangible. Write a poem, support a mutual aid fund, plant seeds, teach a friend about decolonial solidarity, etc. Transmute what overwhelms you into what sustains you. Relentless ResourcesBook: Braiding Sweetgrass by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer Essay: Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly (or the audiobook) 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

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• Ep. 36: The Power of Performance: Dr. Zoey Roy on Art as Education

  Dr. Candace Linklater welcomes Dr. Zoey Roy, a celebrated spoken word poet, creative producer, and arts-based educator from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and a proud member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. With a career spanning international stages—including performances with the National Youth Orchestra of Dr. Canada and at the World Expo in Dubai—Dr. Zoey has trailblazed the blending of hip-hop and orchestral music, creating globally touring shows like "Enough" and "Ever Beautiful." Holding a PhD in Education, Dr. Zoey has received numerous awards, including the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Indspire Award, and Ontario’s Arts Educator of the Year, solidifying her reputation as both an artist and a leader in education.Dr. Candace and Dr. Zoey’s conversation goes beyond her incredible accolades, focusing on the spirit and intention behind Dr. Zoey’s artistry. Dr. Candace reflects on witnessing her perform live, describing it as spirit-led and electrifying, while Dr. Zoey shares how fashion, stage presence, and reciprocity with the audience are all part of her craft. They discuss the inspirations fueling her work today—especially the grounding influence of motherhood—and how creativity, identity, and relationality shape her performances. This dialogue reveals Dr. Zoey’s brilliance as a poet and performer, along with her dedication to carrying culture, story, and truth forward through every medium she touches.Bio: Dr. Zoey Roy (Nihithaw-Denesuline Halfbreed-Métis) is a celebrated spoken word poet, creative producer and arts-based educator from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She is a proud member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, a signatory of Treaty Six. In 2017, she toured Canada with the National Youth Orchestra, a 104-piece ensemble, while performing spoken word. In 2021, she showcased her talent at the World Expo held in Dubai. Discovering a passion for blending hip hop with orchestral music, she collaborated with her partner, Omar Ballantyne, to create two orchestral spoken word shows: "Enough is Enough" with Juliet Palmer and "Ever, Beautiful" with Cris Derksen, both of which she plans on touring globally.Dr. Zoey holds a Bachelor of Education from SUNTEP at the University of Saskatchewan, a Master's in Public Policy from the Johnston Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, and a PhD in Education from York University. Dr. Zoey received the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Women of Distinction Award (2013), the Indspire Award (2015), the Saskatchewan Arts Board Award for Education (2022); the University of Saskatchewan's One to Watch (2023); and Ontario's Arts Educator of the Year (2024)[email protected] https://zoeyroy.com/ -Relentless Reflection QuestionsWhen have I experienced performance or art that felt spirit-led, and how did it move me?What intentional choices, whether in dress, words, or presence, do I make that reflect my full essence when I step into public spaces?Relentless ActionsThe next time you’re in an audience, whether a classroom, performance, or community space, offer your full attention and presence as part of the exchange. For one day, choose what you wear not for utility or trend, but as an expression of your spirit and story, just as Zoey curates her stage presence.Relentless ResourcesDr. Zoey Roy’s official Site & WorkShow: Ever BeautSend 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

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• Ep. 35: Crafting Space for Indigenous, Queer, and Trans Futures with Siibii

  Siibii —a queer, trans, non-binary Cree artist–joins Dr. Candace Linklater in this episode where shit gets real. Known for their breakout single YOY, which has surpassed three million streams and earned a SOCAN Young Canadian Songwriter Award, Siibii blends atmospheric pop with lyrical honesty rooted in family, land, and spirit. Signed to Ishkode Records, their music—including their latest single User—confronts contradictions, self-doubt, and longing, while simultaneously creating space for Indigenous, queer, and trans artists to be celebrated.​The conversation goes into Siibii’s inspirations, from family and community to the grounding power of being back home on the land. They reflect on the push and pull of urban Indigenous life, the disconnection it can create, and the healing that comes with returning to one’s roots. Dr. Candace and Siibii explore themes of queerness and feeling like an outsider–showing how music expresses personal truth and carries ancestral memory forward. This episode offers listeners the raw honesty of Siibii’s journey and invites them to see music as a force for reclamation and healing.Bio: Siibii is a queer, trans, non-binary Cree artist originally from Mistissini, Quebec, now based in as Montreal. Their name—meaning “river” in Cree—is a current that runs through everything they create: ever-moving, cleansing, and alive with intention.A self-taught singer-songwriter with roots steeped in family, memory, and land, Siibii blends atmospheric pop with emotional depth, crafting songs that speak directly to the spirit. Their breakout single “YOY” struck a deep chord with listeners, racking up over three million streams and earning them a SOCAN Young Canadian Songwriter Award. Their music has taken them to major stages like Festival d’été and TD Arena in Ottawa, and most recently, they opened for the iconic Elisapie.Now signed to Ishkōdé Records, Siibii’s newest single, “User,” is another bold chapter in their story—one that calls out contradiction, self-doubt, and the ache of needing to be seen. Through every lyric and note, Siibii raises representation and opens doors for future generations of Indigenous, queer, and trans artists to walk through.They are making music and making space. And today, they’re here with us to talk about identity, artistry, land, and the rivers that continue to carry them forward.IG: @siibiimusic  https://ishkoderecords.com/siibii/ -Relentless Reflection Where do I feel most disconnected from myself, and what is the “home” I need to return to?In what ways can my art, work, or voice open doors for those coming after me, not just myself?Relentless ActionsSpend one hour this week in a place that holds memory for you (forest, river, family home). Listen, without distraction, to what it asks of you.Share a song, poem, or artwork from an Indigenous 2SLGBTQ+ creator in your circle, and give them full credit. Visibility is medicine.Relentless ResourcesSiibii's Website Ishkode Records: An Indigenous-owned label amplifying Indigenous voices in music—proof that decolonizing the music industry is possible and urgent.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

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• Ep. 34: You Are the Medicine: A Conversation with Asha Frost

  In this episode of the RIW Podcast, Dr. Candace Linklater welcomes Asha Frost, bestselling author of You Are the Medicine, healer, oracle deck creator, mentor, and mother. Asha shares her deep roots as an Anishinaabe woman from Cape Croker First Nation, belonging to the Crane Clan, and describes how her life’s work is devoted to guiding people back to the medicine that has always lived within them. The conversation explores how her oracle deck, teachings, and mentorship open pathways for people to reconnect with spirit, ancestry, and land. Candace reflects on her own transformative experience with Asha’s oracle deck, describing how a Wolf card meditation unexpectedly connected with her dog, affirming the living spirit within the cards.Moving beyond tools and titles, Asha and Candace dive into the heart of medicine work—the shadows, spirals, and challenges that come alongside healing. Asha emphasizes that authentic medicine work is not about bypassing pain with “light and love,” but about meeting the depths of struggle and transformation with honesty and courage. They remind listeners that healing is relational, embodied, and alive: it speaks to human beings, animals, the Land, and the unseen forces around us. This conversation is an invitation to trust the spirit within and honour the medicine that moves through all of creation.BioAsha Frost is the best-selling author of You Are the Medicine, an Indigenous healer, oracle deck creator, mentor, and mother. Her life’s work is dedicated to helping others connect with the medicine that has always been within them—the spark, the illumination, and the power—waiting to be seen, felt, and claimed.She grew up on and currently resides on Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat, and Haudenosaunee land. Her maternal and paternal lineage and relatives originate from many First Nations across Ontario, Canada (Turtle Island). Asha is from the Crane Clan (Aji-jaak Dodem) and is a member of Neyaashiinigmiing (Cape Croker) First Nation.IG: @asha.frost https://ashafrost.com/-Relentless Reflection Where in my life am I avoiding the shadows and pretending healing is only about “light and love”?Who am I centring in my healing, my ego or my community?Relentless ActionsName your shadow: Write down one pattern you’re ashamed of but keep repeating. Share it with a trusted person or mentor. No hiding.Cut the bypassing: Stop saying “love and light” when someone shares their pain. Instead, sit in the discomfort and ask, “How can I witness you fully right now?”Relentless ResourcesAsha Frost's Website & BooksThe Sacred Medicine Oracle Deck 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

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