The Power We Hold

Thank you for joining me, your host and eco-visual artist Vanessa Albury, on my journey to becoming a better ally to people of all diversities (bipoc, LGBTQAI2S+, non-normative brained and embodied +) and steward of the environment in podcast form as The Power We Hold! This is part of my Coral Projects' work in eco-consciousness healing. My co-host, Caleb Williams, is also an artist. She is 21 years my junior and makes art about her experience as a Black woman in America. We have in-depth conversation together and with others about difficult topics full of love and healing.

Today Caleb and I chat with Heather Jiang of Allegorie, the food-waste-based leathers accessories company. I bought my cactus-waste leather wallet from Heather in 2020 and have loved every minute of having it. Heather is a powerful eco-advocate. She uses her creative mind and business savvy to solve the problem of sustainable, well-designed, and high quality leather made from waste! How cool is that?! Please check out Allegories, get your wallet or bag, or both! If you are in NYC Heather is at outdoor fairs all season with a regular spot at Grand Bazaar on Columbus at W77th Street. See for yourself why I'm so in love with her products!
What eco-problems do you have the skill set to solve and love what you're doing at the same time?
recorded March 26, 2023 in Brooklyn, NY

Notes:
Allegorie IG, website

Show Notes:
The Power We Hold Podcast IG, website
Vanessa Albury IG, website
Coral Projects IG, website + Make a tax-deductible donation
Caleb Williams IG, website
Music Clear Skys by Wael Elhalaby IG, Soundcloud
Audio Editing by Bryan Klausing Rain Junkies website, LinkedIn
Coral Projects in Italy + Hyperallergic

Thank you for joining me, your host and eco-visual artist Vanessa Albury, on my journey to becoming a better ally to people of all diversities (bipoc, LGBTQAI2S+, non-normative brained and embodied +) and steward of the environment in podcast form as The Power We Hold! This is part of Coral Projects' work in eco-consciousness healing. My co-host, Caleb Williams, is also an artist. She is 21 years my junior and makes art about her experience as a Black woman in America. We have in-depth conversation together and with others about difficult topics full of love and healing.

Trigger warning: It's about healing from sexual trauma. We do not go into details, but please decide if this is for you.

Episode 8 is a very powerful conversation between Caleb and I about healing from sexual assault. We feel this is an important topic to share. We both hit triggers and blocks to move through in order to get it out there. Sharing growth from trauma is one of the final signs of healing through it. There is no dodging the trauma in healing. There are acceptance, responsibility for the self and choices all the way.

I open with context around how I see healing and the contemporary moment we are all in together around women’s bodies. I share my masterclass Get the Love You Deserve which is my 4 steps of healing to moving out of jobs and relationships that did not serve me into living the life of my dreams, truly BEYOND my dreams.

I hope our conversation supports you. Please share it with 3 other people, and at least 1 cis-gendered man. We all need to be in this conversation. We need healing around sexual assault as a community. Let’s keep talking about how we heal!

Thank you for your participation in this powerful conversation.

Originally recorded July 12, 2022 in Brooklyn, NY.

Show Notes:
The Power We Hold Podcast IG, website
Vanessa Albury IG, website
Coral Projects IG, website + Make a tax-deductible donation
Caleb Williams IG, website
Music Clear Skys by Wael Elhalaby IG, Soundcloud
Audio Editing by Bryan Klausing Rain Junkies website, LinkedIn
Coral Projects in Italy + Hyperallergic
Caroline Myss
Karpman's Drama Triangle
Master Sri Akarshana
Get the Love You Deserve Masterclass
Phoenix Rising

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that: 73% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a non-stranger. 28% by an intimate partner. 7% by a relative of the victim.
Agnes Vivarelli
To Be Magnetic
Fight, flight, fawn and FREEZE
Hotline for sexual assault 800-656-HOPE (4673) + Link has chat line too

Thank you for joining me, your host and visual artist Vanessa Albury, on my journey to becoming a better ally to people and steward of the environment in podcast form as The Power We Hold!
In episode 4, my brilliant co-host Caleb Williams and I welcome Trevor Bayack of Freedom Market to talk about economic justice, creating an activated space for all to join in collaboration, Between the Windows, and how we can affect change on the grassroots level. This is the first half of our conversation. Trevor gives us the scoop on his current thoughts around Freedom Market after a little over a year of working on the project. Enjoy our conversation with the hardest working activist in North Brooklyn, Trevor Bayack.
Next week we will share the second half of our chat with Trevor. Then for the following two episodes, we will re-air the interview Trevor and I hosted with Heather McGhee.

Originally recorded Jan 6, 2022 in Brooklyn, NY
Show Notes:
The Power We Hold Podcast IG, website
If you enjoy The Power We Hold podcast, please consider supporting us in covering the costs to create it on Patreon via Coral Projects.
Host Vanessa Albury IG, website
Co-host Caleb Williams IG, website (She's got great swag for sale!)
Coral Projects IG, website, creating underwater, eco-contemporary art to rewild the ocean with oysters and corals.
Make a tax-deductible donation to Coral Projects and NY Oyster Reefs
Between the Windows IG, public art collaboration with Caleb
Music by Wael Elhalaby IG, Soundcloud
This is a clip from his song Clear Skys.
Audio Editor, and my cousin, making magic from my home recordings, Bryan Klausing of the Rain Junkies website, LinkedIn
Trevor's details:
Freedom Market, freedommarketnbk IG - Shop products made by BIPOC-owned businesses, many are eco-friendly. And you'll find Caleb's t-shirts with her brand Urban Jungle now on the FM!
North Brooklyn Bedford Slip petition - Support the protection of the Bedford Slip in North Brooklyn. Signatures still being collected!

Recommendations:
Judas and the Black Messiah movie
Black Panther Party leader and activist Fred Hampton's biographical information
Trevor also mentions the North Brooklyn Mutual Aid which is a group of neighbors supporting the Greenpoint and North Williamsburg community, here their IG, website.
Heather McGhee's power book The Sum of Us pinpointing precisely how racism not only harms our black and brown communities but also our white ones.

Thank you for joining me, your host and visual artist Vanessa Albury, on my journey as a better ally to people and steward of the environment in podcast form as The Power We Hold!
In episode 3 I review the shifts I've made in my life thanks to a new perspective due to the pandemic lockdown. I ask you to also consider, how has your life changed since the pandemic began? How are you supporting local, eco and BIPOC businesses? How are you supporting yourself?
Originally recorded Nov 16, 2021 in Brooklyn, NY
Show Notes:
The Power We Hold Podcast IG, website
If you enjoy The Power We Hold podcast, please consider supporting us in covering the costs to create it on Patreon via Coral Projects.
Host Vanessa Albury IG, website
Co-host Caleb Williams IG, website (She's got great swag for sale!)
Coral Projects IG, website, creating underwater, eco-contemporary art to rewild the ocean with oysters and corals.
Make a tax-deductible donation to Coral Projects and NY Oyster Reefs
Between the Windows IG, public art collaboration with Caleb
Music by Wael Elhalaby IG, Soundcloud
This is a clip from his song Clear Skys.
Audio Editor, and my cousin, making magic from my home recordings, Bryan Klausing of the Rain Junkies website, LinkedIn
Recommendations:
Free Store Project, IG - This project is NYC-based and they have a map of locations on their website linked here. Create one where you live!
Kylin O'Brien's Feng Shui Consultant Work - It’s not healthy to have more than you need and she can help you make it all beauty and balanced.

Learn more about Alexandra Hammond's Boa's Repair Shop.
As you clear your space consider these options like a checklist before the trash bin:
Donate
Sell
Recycle
Repair

Do you want to align your purchases with your ethic to live eco-friendly and support BIPOC and local businesses? I do eco-assessments for households and businesses. I review your household habits and recommend new strategies and products to align your behavior and where you spend your money with your ethic. Email me.

An easy and "feel good" gateway to aligning your ethics and your spending, redirecting your purchases to businesses that create sustainably and responsibly and you'll be supporting Black-owned businesses. It's toilet paper!

Lor tush is a small business selling bamboo toilet paper out of Baltimore run by two Black biological sisters. My highest recommendation as they are a small business.
Reel sells bamboo toilet paper and paper towels. It is a Black-owned company. They ship directly to you. The prices are comparable to those tree wasting TP to which you are accustomed. They are also available at some Target store

Thank you for joining me, your host eco-visual artist and spiritual coach Vanessa Albury, on my journey to becoming a better ally to people of all diversities (bipoc, LGBTQAI2S+, non-normative brained and embodied +) and steward of the environment in podcast form as The Power We Hold! This is part of Coral Projects' work in eco-consciousness healing. In this space we have in-depth conversation together with people of all backgrounds and diverse perspectives about difficult topics full of love, healing and what it is to be a human loving on planet Earth, our only home for now.
This episode is a re-airing of a really powerful conversation Trevor Bayack and I had with Heather McGhee back in 2021 about her research and book The Sum of Us. I like to revisit this conversation to mark my growth and to remember my desire to learn, grow and improve while having compassion for myself. I wish the same for you!
Show Notes:
Trevor Bayack's Spread Love Free Market website
Spread Love Free Market IG
Heather McGhee's book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Do buy it from your local bookstore, bipoc owned if have one in your city. My favorite NYC bipoc-owned bookstore is also feminist, called Cafe Con Libros does ship!
Her website with appearance and talks linked.
The Power We Hold Podcast website
Vanessa Albury IG, website
Coral Projects IG, website + Make a tax-deductible donation
Get your Custom Sea Coin
Learn more about the doc film Coral Projects in Italy + Hyperallergic
Book an Akashic Records reading with me here or via my website

Music Clear Skys by Wael Elhalaby IG, Soundcloud
Audio Editing by Bryan Klausing Rain Junkies website, LinkedIn

Recorded March 19, 2021 in Brooklyn, NY