Voices of Wellbeing | Yazmany Arboleda, Artist Voices of Wellbeing | Yazmany Arboleda, Artist

“MY ART PRACTICE EVOLVED FROM SEEKING OUT ACCEPTANCE AND CELEBRATION OF DIFFERENCE”

Where do we have the chance to practice imagining? And how do we do that together?

Colombian American Artist, Yazmany Arboleda, recounts his process behind developing his Hospital of the Soul installation for the Wellbeing Summit for Change. In the fall of 2019, Yazmany spent time in Bilbao, Biscay, meeting citizens from the region at a constellations retreat with specialist therapist, Judith Hemming. In this interview, he shares how the heartache and pain felt by these individual Basque civilians and their families was rooted in history and impacted by the civil war beginning in the 1930s. Getting to know these people and their stories led him to reflect on his own intergenerational trauma and the experiences of his family back in the mountains of Medellin, Colombia, as well as the ongoing racial injustice and violence in America where he now lives.

Watch his full story to hear his vision for joining the threads of belonging, interconnectedness, and true celebration of difference by using art and human connection to break down religious barriers or other social constructs that may divide us.

``How can we have a deep inner realisation about collective power?`` ``How can we have a deep inner realisation about collective power?``

Join us for a transformative episode of “Voices of Wellbeing” as renowned artist Deepa Narayan shares her inner realizations about the collective power within oppressed groups. Discover how embracing joy, letting go of self-judgment, and opening the heart can unleash a transformative force beyond individual capabilities. In “Connecting with Each Other,” Deepa emphasizes the significance of taking time to nurture joys, explore emotions, and foster genuine connections with others. Understanding and sharing gender stories become essential components for both personal wellbeing and fostering social justice. Prepare to be inspired as Deepa Narayan ignites a spark within you, urging you to tap into the power of collective action and embrace a mindset free from stress. Let’s come together, celebrate joy, and create a world where wellbeing and social justice thrive. Don’t miss this captivating episode of “Voices of Wellbeing” and join the movement of collective power. Remember to subscribe to our channel for more insightful content, and share this empowering video with others to spread the message of unity and transformative change.

``Time melts walls and barriers down`` ``Time melts walls and barriers down``

Join us in this transformative episode of “Voices of Wellbeing” as artist Mohau Modisakeng shares the powerful role of art in healing trauma and shaping South Africa’s future. Discover how art connects people to their history, fosters resilience, and breaks cycles of poverty and trauma. Witness the transformative power of art as Mohau inspires hope and dialogue for a brighter tomorrow. Don’t miss this compelling exploration of art’s profound impact in South Africa.

Voices of Wellbeing | Nadine Kaslow Voices of Wellbeing | Nadine Kaslow

“I use the Arts as a way to cope, to heal, and to flourish”

In this captivating episode of “Voices of Wellbeing,” join American psychologist Nadine Kaslow as she explores the transformative power of integrating dance and psychology to heal trauma, intergenerational trauma, and vicarious traumatization. Discover how Nadine, an Emory University professor, provides essential support to healthcare workers during the pandemic, finding a delicate balance between self-care and attending to the inner world.

Explore the profound impact of “Healing Through Arts” as Nadine utilizes art as a therapeutic tool to address intergenerational trauma stemming from experiences such as slavery, racism, and child abuse. Witness the power of artistic expression in helping individuals navigate their healing journey while fostering connections with others to bridge the gap between reality and a more just and equitable world.

Voices of Wellbeing | Rajni BakshiVoices of Wellbeing | Rajni Bakshi

“Nonviolence is love in action”

Rajni Bakshi is a Mumbai-based author, speaker and founder of ‘Ahimsa Conversations’, an online platform for exploring the possibilities of nonviolence.

As speaker at The Wellbeing Summit of Social Change, she joins us to share the importance of nonviolent action for social change.

In this interview, she shares her belief that by making space for open dialogue and taking time to understand movements, we can collectively sustain more conscious and humane models of development.

Voices of Wellbeing | Dr. Sará King Voices of Wellbeing | Dr. Sará King

“If you have a body, then you deserve wellbeing”

Dr. Sará King- speaker at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change– is a neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, education philosopher, social-entrepreneur, public speaker, and certified yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor. She specializes in the study of the relationship between mindfulness, art, complementary alternative medicine, community health and social justice.

She joins us to share the importance of sectors and institutions working together to support the psyhiological, psychological and relational wellbeing of our global societies. She also delves into how art can provide a path forward and ways to heal for those working within movements for social justice, as well as some of the neuroscientific research that is out there to support this.

Voices of Wellbeing | Laura Calderón de la Barca Voices of Wellbeing | Laura Calderón de la Barca

“We need to come together, to heal together”

Words by: Laura Calderón de la Barca, speaker at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change

The topic of individual, ancestral and collective trauma is huge and very complex. We can best understand it through individual stories that help us visualize the impact of trauma, and the ways it can heal. Also, seeing what has happened to us, has happened to others also, can help normalize the experience, and alleviate the shame that the presence of trauma often brings. In that spirit, I share here part of mine. 

One thing I would like to add to what I said in the interview, is that in this windy and complex journey of coming together to heal from collective trauma, we sometimes need to create particular healing containers for different groups of people to do their particular work before we can come together with enough resources, capacities and in a safe enough way for the joint healing to happen. That means that we need to support people who share lived experience of a certain kind of trauma to come together with the appropriate facilitation to heal together, and then share healing space with others who belong to groups who have hurt them, and vice versa: those who have in their ancestry or in their current experience oppression, need to come together with others to do some healing on their own before attempting to come together with others who are or were hurt by that oppression. I have found that the best facilitation is offered by people who have healed enough from that same kind of trauma, and can bring their wisdom and presence to their facilitation. 

I want to thank: my colleagues at The Collective Change Lab, with whom I have explored the intersection of trauma and social change systems; Thomas Hübl, with whom I have healed, trained and currently work with in collective healing courses and workshops; and the Zapotec communities of the Pueblos Mancomunados de la Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, Mexico, with whom I learned about the profound value of their way of life through direct experience, and discovered in the resonances that my heart and body felt, how much of that is still alive in me.

You can find more information on the systemic and collective dimensions of trauma and collective healing at the following sites:

collectivechangelab.org

pocketproject.org

Collective Trauma Summit

If it’s of interest, you can also read my thesis by clicking here.

Voices of Wellbeing | Mallika Dutt Voices of Wellbeing | Mallika Dutt

“Without the earth, we are nothing”

Mallika Dutt, founder, activist, social change leader and speaker at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change, joins us to share how her process of healing in community, as well as being open to exploring many other healing modalities, led her to understand the importance of inner work.

Listen to Mallika’s story to find out why her work is now centered around inspiring leaders to remember their innate interconnectedness and transform their impact. In a world of division and isolation, she invites us to see our shared wellbeing with people and planet.

How can we embrace collaboration and cultivate a world where we can flourish and thrive together?

Voices of Wellbeing | Dr. Rukudzo MwamukaVoices of Wellbeing | Dr. Rukudzo Mwamuka

“WHEN YOU’RE TRUE TO YOURSELF, YOU’RE ABLE TO REFLECT THAT TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU”

Dr. Rukudzo Mwamuka, psychiatrist and mental health researcher, joins us at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change to discuss the importance of a holistic approach to wellbeing that involves multiple components, including the spiritual.

Watch her full story to hear about how existing social and economic environments can pose challenges for bringing mental health awareness in her home country of Zimbabwe, and her belief that wherever in the world we are, working on self-introspection; emotional intelligence; and emotional awareness, can lead us to experience more profound human connection.