Justin Michael Williams Archives

Justin Michael Williams

Justin Michael Williams is a pioneering transformational voice for diversity, inclusion, and wellness. He is an award-winning speaker, Grammy®-nominated recording artist, and author of Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us. Visit justinmichaelwilliams.com.

Author photo © Jamaal

Mario Van Peebles

Mario Van Peebles made his directorial debut with NEW JACK CITY. The film was heralded as a gangster classic and became Warner Brothers' most profitable movie of 1991.

Mario went on to direct and act in several other films including his multicultural western POSSE, the award-winning political thriller PANTHER, about the Black Panthers Party for self-defense and BAADASSSSS! He started acting professionally on the stage at 11 years old, his feature film breakout, was in the movie, HEARTBREAK RIDGE with Clint Eastwood. He went on to act in numerous projects, including playing political, icon, Malcolm, X in the feature film ALI directed by Michael Mann. The Van Peebles family are no strangers to “edutainment” Mario is not afraid to take on subjects that challenge. He wrote, directed, produced and starred in ARMED a psychological, thriller, about a good guy with easy access to meds and weapons of war. Passionate about social justice and raising Eco consciousness, Van Peebles did a series called MARIO’S GREEN HOUSE chronicling his family’s comic attempts to go green while living in Hollywood. In the documentary space he did the FIRST AMENDMENT PROJECT for Sundance featuring the renowned poet Amiri Baraka. He made FAIR GAME which explored the prison industrial complex and BRING YOUR A GAME which shares the necessary skills for young black boys to thrive and survive.

Shelly Tygielski

Shelly Tygielski is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher, speaker, and activist. She founded the CNN Hero-featured global grassroots organization Pandemic of Love, and is the author of Sit Down to Rise Up. Visit shellytygielski.com.

Author photo © Demetrius Philp

Also By Author

See All

podcast

Post Views: 2,488

Justin Michael Williams, Shelly Tygielski, and Mario V...

Justin Michael Williams
Mario Van Peebles
Shelly Tygielski — November 7, 2023

The end of racism—really? When your eyes stop rolling, tune in to this podcast to hear why it’s actually possible—in our lifetimes—to free our society from systemic racial oppression and injustice. In part one of this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski about their new book, How We Ended Racism. In part two, filmmaker and activist Mario Van Peebles joins the conversation to share his own hope-giving perspective.

This stirring and uplifting podcast explores the five assumptions that perpetuate racism; the eight pillars of possibility; the pledge to help end racism; how our inner work relates to the outer change that we’re working toward; assertion versus assessment, and learning to recognize our own biases; shadow work and confronting the concept of supremacy; taking action where we’re standing right now; “loving with bigger arms”; crossing the divide within families; the metaphor of the inherited house; the practice of calling forward; intraconnection; the link between exposure and empathy; the SUSS process: State, Uncover, Synergize, and Select; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

podcast

Post Views: 2,233

Justin Michael Williams: Stay Woke

Justin Michael Williams — February 11, 2020

Justin Michael Williams is a meditation teacher and personal coach who is also a Billboard top 20 recording artist. With Sounds True, he has published Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us. In this special video episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Justin about his upcoming “Stay Woke, Give Back” tour, in which he will explain his unique approach to meditation and give copies of Stay Woke to youth in various cities across the US. Justin explains his “freedom meditation” technique and the experiences that led him to practicing mindfulness. Tami and Justin also discuss the blind spots of traditional meditation, the need for spiritual practices to acknowledge real-life struggles, and the dangers of spiritual bypassing. Finally, they talk about why it’s essential we begin teaching all children mindfulness skills from an early age and how we as a society can make that happen. (66 minutes)

Products By Author

Stay Woke

Audio

Starting at: $14.99

Stay Woke

Paperback Book

Starting at: $12.59

How We Ended Racism

Paperback Book

Starting at: $11.99

You Might Also Enjoy

podcast

Post Views: 223

Craig Foster: Belonging to the Wild

Craig Foster — November 19, 2024

All of the myriad forms of life on our planet, whether plant or animal, predator or prey, contribute to our survival. And when any one of the fragile threads of the web of life begins to fray, all of us are threatened. Craig Foster—the Academy Award–winning creator of My Octopus Teacher—has since the age of three spent his life intimately connected to the natural world, in particular the Earth’s endangered marine ecosystems such as the Great African Seaforest. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Craig about his ongoing mission to reawaken humanity to our interconnectedness—and our interdependence—with each and every living being, seen and unseen.

Tune in now to a fascinating conversation about: the community of activists behind the Sea Change Project; being part of the Great Mother; the extraordinary biodiversity we depend on; attuning to the “forest mind”; establishing a comfortable connection with the wild of nature “that your whole being is craving”; balancing the tame and the wild aspects of ourselves; getting to know the natural environment through places close to home; therianthropes and other mind-boggling images enshrined in the rock art of Indigenous peoples; the healing power of the cold; underwater tracking and learning “the oldest language on Earth”; staying relaxed in dangerous natural settings; a new understanding of the impacts of species extinction; appreciating the vast intelligence and awareness of the creatures who share our world; what nature can teach us about death and dying; the great potential for rebirth and regeneration at this time; and more.

podcast

Post Views: 4,835

Giovanni Dienstmann: Activating Your Aspirational Iden...

Giovanni Dienstmann — October 22, 2024

What would you attempt if you knew you couldn’t fail? Most of us didn’t grow up in a family that was unfailingly supportive. Instead, as life coach and author Giovanni Dienstmann explains, “We were conditioned to believe certain things about ourselves and about life that are just not helpful.” In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Giovanni about his new book, Wise Confidence, and how we can each create our own “aspirational identity”—the person you want to be, how you want to see yourself and the world, and how you want to operate.

Give a listen to their inspiring conversation about: mindful self-discipline; making sacrifices; self-doubt and arrogance—two traps of the ego; the five elements of wise confidence; the conviction of self-belief; the journey from a conditioned identity to an aspirational identity; goal-oriented spiritual lineages (and those that aren’t); living with purpose; recognizing the stories we tell ourselves as the first step in transcending our conditioning; practicing courage; finding your three “power words”; choosing the personal qualities you most want to develop; imposter syndrome; the ceiling fan metaphor; four core tools—mindset, witnessing, imagination, and embodiment; the “never zero” commitment, and how commitment differs from motivation; self-love and self-compassion; energizing your thoughts; living in a multilayered universe; knowing your “bigger why”; and much more.

podcast

Post Views: 4,251

John Seed: A Cosmic Walk to Discover Your Ecological I...

John Seed — September 17, 2024

After almost 50 years as one of the world’s leading environmental activists, John Seed has started to see an encouraging shift: “Caring about the Earth isn’t just for hippies and pagans,” he says. “More and more people are moving from having these ideas to exploring what we can do about them.” In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with the founder of the Rainforest Information Centre and co-author of Think Like a Mountain about his ongoing commitment to serving as a tireless steward of our planet and all its inhabitants.

Give a listen to this inspiring conversation exploring: the illusion of separation underlying the environmental crisis; experiential ecology, or “the work that reconnects”; engaged Buddhism and activism as a spiritual practice; Joanna Macy’s renowned despair and empowerment work; waking up a culture in denial; transforming numbness into energy and action; creating a container for safely witnessing what’s going on; ceremony and bringing the sacred into our activism; the Council of All Beings practice; gratitude; a guided experience of “the cosmic walk”; Thomas Berry and the call for a creation story that unites us all; and more.