Spiritually Grounded Activism (w/ Kazu Haga)
Explicit content warning
03/26/24 • 62 min
“Can we actually lead with fierceness and the vulnerability of saying, I'm not here because I hate you. I'm actually here because I love you. I'm here because I love the sanctity of life and beauty, and those things are being destroyed all over our ecosystem.”
Check out the episode page for the transcript and a full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/5
Today’s episode is with Kazu Haga, a nonviolence trainer in the lineage of Dr. King, based in Oakland who's been involved in social change movements since he was 17. He leads trainings for youth, incarcerated populations, and activists. He's the author of Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm.
In this conversation, Kazu and I explore how to bring more spiritually grounded practice into our social change movements. I appreciated his invitation for us to think about how we can bring an energy of opening things up, even if outwardly we're doing direct actions that are shutting things down. He also shares his perspective that much of the injustice we witness is actually a manifestation of unhealed wounds, both at the individual level and the societal level. And I particularly loved the part of this conversation where we talked about leading from heartbreak and vulnerability as a way to create connection, especially during conflict.
Key moments
- 03:24 - Kazu's spiritual lineage and politicization through nonviolence
- 07:51 - Opening things up spiritually while shutting them down tactically
- 14:38 - Exploring trauma healing as a modality for social change
- 22:43 - The necessity of deep practice in movements
- 26:07 - Allowing messiness as we learn to hold conflict
- 33:56 - Breaking up with "cancel culture" and creating deep belonging
- 37:51 - We need skills to not only name harm, but repair it
- 46:45 - Embracing complexity over black-and-white thinking
- 50:08 - Anekāntavāda: Holding multiple truths
- 53:06 - Finding beauty in challenging times
- 54:55 - Nourishment: Hospicing Modernity & unplugged time
Resources & Links
- Healing Resistance (book by Kazu Haga)
- Fierce Vulnerability (upcoming book by Kazu Haga, scheduled for early 2025)
- A Force More Powerful (documentary about nonviolent movements)
- Ayni Institute
- Building Belonging (organization)
- Prentice Hemphill
- Hospicing Modernity (book)
- Movement Generation
- Thich Nhat Hanh
- Anekāntavāda: Holding multiple truths (principle form Jainism)
- Canticle Farm (community in Oakland)
Connect with Kazu
- KazuHaga.com (join his email list)
Other episodes you might like
Follow the podcast
- WiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation
- @WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenes
- Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find this show.
- Connect with Jeremy on
“Can we actually lead with fierceness and the vulnerability of saying, I'm not here because I hate you. I'm actually here because I love you. I'm here because I love the sanctity of life and beauty, and those things are being destroyed all over our ecosystem.”
Check out the episode page for the transcript and a full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/5
Today’s episode is with Kazu Haga, a nonviolence trainer in the lineage of Dr. King, based in Oakland who's been involved in social change movements since he was 17. He leads trainings for youth, incarcerated populations, and activists. He's the author of Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm.
In this conversation, Kazu and I explore how to bring more spiritually grounded practice into our social change movements. I appreciated his invitation for us to think about how we can bring an energy of opening things up, even if outwardly we're doing direct actions that are shutting things down. He also shares his perspective that much of the injustice we witness is actually a manifestation of unhealed wounds, both at the individual level and the societal level. And I particularly loved the part of this conversation where we talked about leading from heartbreak and vulnerability as a way to create connection, especially during conflict.
Key moments
- 03:24 - Kazu's spiritual lineage and politicization through nonviolence
- 07:51 - Opening things up spiritually while shutting them down tactically
- 14:38 - Exploring trauma healing as a modality for social change
- 22:43 - The necessity of deep practice in movements
- 26:07 - Allowing messiness as we learn to hold conflict
- 33:56 - Breaking up with "cancel culture" and creating deep belonging
- 37:51 - We need skills to not only name harm, but repair it
- 46:45 - Embracing complexity over black-and-white thinking
- 50:08 - Anekāntavāda: Holding multiple truths
- 53:06 - Finding beauty in challenging times
- 54:55 - Nourishment: Hospicing Modernity & unplugged time
Resources & Links
- Healing Resistance (book by Kazu Haga)
- Fierce Vulnerability (upcoming book by Kazu Haga, scheduled for early 2025)
- A Force More Powerful (documentary about nonviolent movements)
- Ayni Institute
- Building Belonging (organization)
- Prentice Hemphill
- Hospicing Modernity (book)
- Movement Generation
- Thich Nhat Hanh
- Anekāntavāda: Holding multiple truths (principle form Jainism)
- Canticle Farm (community in Oakland)
Connect with Kazu
- KazuHaga.com (join his email list)
Other episodes you might like
Follow the podcast
- WiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation
- @WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenes
- Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find this show.
- Connect with Jeremy on
Previous Episode
Bridging Healing and Activism (w/ Noëlle Janka)
“Healing doesn't look like getting back to the way things were before, the way things were before made you sick.”
Noëlle Janka is a politicized career and healing coach dedicated to supporting social change leaders. For the past decade, she has brought together her personal experience navigating chronic illness with her passion for social justice and transforming systems of oppression. Noëlle recently published her book, Rebel Healing: Transforming Ourselves and the Systems that Make Us Sick.
In this conversation, Noëlle shares concrete ways coaches can support social change leaders to reconnect with their bodies, intuition, and a sense of interconnectedness. We explore how coaching can help prevent burnout by focusing not just on doing more, but on what needs to stop. And Noëlle opens up about embracing her role as a healer within social movements and how she navigates the tension between one-on-one work and large-scale transformation.
Check out the episode page for the transcript and the full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/4
Key moments
- 02:04 - The Root Cause: What inspired you to write Rebel Healing?
- 06:41 - Doing work for justice with a more regulated nervous system
- 13:45 - Preventing burnout: Coaching can be about doing less, not more
- 17:23 - Healing: 30% repair, 70% transformation
- 21:51 - Serving 1-on-1: Embracing the role of healer within social movements
- 28:28 - Coaching Technique: Reconnecting with body wisdom and intuition in coaching
- 34:25 - Noëlle's sources of inspiration
- 36:52 - Closing
Resources & Links
- Rebel Healing: Transforming Ourselves and the Systems that Make Us Sick (Book by Noëlle Janka)
- Liberated to the Bone: History's Body's Futures (Book by Susan Rappo)
- Deepa Iyer's Social Change Map
- Microactivism: How You Can Make a Difference in the World Without a Bullhorn (Book by Omkari Williams)
- Strozzi Institute (Somatic coach training program)
- @CoachJenniGrover - For folks with health challenges and a crafty side
- Chronic Babe 101: How to Live an Awesome Life with Chronic Illness (Book by Jenni Grover)
- Girl, Woman, Other (Book by Bernadine Evaristo)
- Wildchoir (Spiritual Social Change Choir Music)
- Black Voters Matter Fund
- Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute with adrienne maree brown
Connect with Noëlle
- Noëlle Janka’s Website
- @NoelleJanka on Instagram
- Noëlle Janka on LinkedIn
Follow the podcast
- WiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation
- @WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenes
- Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find this show
- Connect with Jeremy on his coaching website
I’d love to hear how this episode resonated with you or any suggestions for future topics/guests. You can email me at
Next Episode
Climate Change Coaching (w/ Charly Cox)
“My starting point is less about agitating for change and more about empowering people to believe that they can be actors in their own lives. We fundamentally believe that everyone has a stake in climate change, that everyone can make, can affect change around it.”
Check out the episode page for the transcript and a full list of the resources mentioned in this episode: https://widerroots.com/6
Today's episode features Charly Cox, author of the book "Climate Change Coaching."
In this conversation, Charly's approach to holding a systemic view stands out. She not only believes in our client's ability to change but also in the system's ability to change. Her coaching helps clients see their situation from this broader perspective. Charly shares her story about realizing that coaches don't have to be "neutral" and can bring their own values forward in their work.
Some background on Charly Cox and her work: She founded an organization called The Climate Change Coaches, which focuses on empowering climate leaders with coaching skills. Their climate coaching approach helps leaders and individuals find their unique role in addressing the climate crisis. It motivates them to take action and enact behavior change at the personal, organizational, and systemic levels.
Key moments
- 01:39 - Charly Cox's Journey to Climate Change Coaching
- 06:20 - Bridging Climate and Coaching
- 13:48 - The Unique Approach of Climate Change Coaching
- 20:26 - "Having an agenda" vs living your values as a coach
- 32:39 - Charly’s sources of nourishment
- 34:42 - Closing
Resources & Links
- The Climate Change Coaches (the organization Charly founded)
- Climate Change Coaching by Charly Cox (book)
- Terra.Do
- The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells (book)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Joanna Macy
- Margaret Wheatley
- Eco-Dharma by David Loy (book)
- We Are The Great Turning (podcast with Jess Serrante)
- Climate Change Coaching Mastery course
- Green Transition Coach Course
Connect with Charly Cox
Follow the podcast
- WiderRoots.com - Join the newsletter for more resources on personal + systemic transformation
- @WiderRootsPod - Follow the podcast on Instagram to get a peek behind the scenes
- Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help others find this show
- Connect with Jeremy on his coaching website
I’d love to hear how this episode resonated with you or any suggestions for future topics/guests. You can email me at [email protected].
Wider Roots - Spiritually Grounded Activism (w/ Kazu Haga)
Transcript
And so I think so much of the work that we need to do starts within our own movement spaces of like, how do we create that culture where even if I do or say the worst possible thing, I know that I still belong because it's the way that the universe is structured, right? There's nothing outside of belonging. And so how do we give people that felt sense?
Jeremy BlanchardWelcome to the Wider Roots podcas
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