Yep, it’s time for another solo episode! Today’s release includes excerpts from a May bonus drop over on Patreon, where I take a critical look at gender essentialism — the socially reinforced belief in a fixed gender binary. Two days ago, I recorded a new intro, adding in some personal stories. I share why my girliest school photo is the cringiest, about the time I shaved my head in the early aughts, and the name of the book that had me...
Happy Pride month, y’all! Please help me welcome lifelong activist and Arizona Drag Show organizer, Christopher Jay Hall, to the pod. Earlier this week, Christopher and his father were featured in a CNN article & this episode is a timely follow-up. Listen in as Christopher shares about his upbringing in rural Arizona, and how he & his dad have repaired their relationship in recent years. Despite his dad’s early-on rejection of his...
“Be Like Penny.” If you visit my current hometown of Cottonwood, Arizona, you’ll see these three words displayed around town. Penny Smith was a friend to many and a living example of how everyday citizens can make a meaningful difference in their local communities. She passed away in 2021, but her legacy lives on in the hearts of those who know and love her, and also through The Penny Peace Project. In this episode, I’ll...
It’s no accident that gender essentialism is a (sometimes vitriolic) obsession on the right, with folks clinging to the idea that gender is fixed and immutable. Strict enforcement of gender norms is page-one in the fascist playbook. In this episode, I talk about why, and also, what we can do about it. Places I go in this release >> Inspired by Judith Butler, I argue against essentialism and ask: what if gender is a social construct?...
Hi friends. My apologies for the long lag time between episodes. I've been laid out with Covid for two weeks, and I'm just now coming up for air. 🥴 AND I'm finally sharing this convo that Monica Welty & I recorded back on January 29th. It's the first drop in a new series, Togethering, where I'll be inviting friends - both new and old - to chat out what's most alive for us in the moment. And in this moment in the U.S., a literal...
Monica Welty steps in as our guest host in this one-of-a-kind episode of Deconstructing Dogma where Candice is the one in the hot seat - for a discussion about money! 💸🔥 Earlier this week, friend and regular contributor to the pod, Monica Welty, asked me to sit down for a discussion about money, meaningful work, and energy exchange when it comes to relational (versus commercial) value. And she shares what's been weighing on her heart &...
QUICK & IMPORTANT UPDATE >> After taking six weeks off from the main feed of the pod, I've come to realize two things: 1) sometimes when I want to cut&run, all I really need is an open-ended breather... and 2) the 'cult'ure series ain't over yet! I'm not sure how much longer I'll carry on, but I've decided to keep tending the fire awhile longer. Folks just keep showing up for amazing conversations - and in solidarity with this...
Hi y'all. I'd initially planned on saving this two-part conversation until after the 'cult'ure series wraps. But I've since decided to go ahead and roll it out now, because friendship and belly laughs are always helpful around the holidays. Long time good friend of the pod, Monica Welty, joins Tracy & I for a two-part 'cult'ure series recap, and the three of us reflect on two-plus years podcasting & how the ‘cult’ure series in...
This week’s ‘cult’ure series release is a very special rollover from the Patreon-exclusive deconstructing dogma bonus series. Three former ‘Org’ affiliates join Candice for a panel discussion examining wellness-cult dynamics through the intersectional lens of gender and sexuality. Together they explore how mainstream socialization around the heteronormative gender binary is very often reinforced in spirituality and wellness spaces. In...
This week, Candice welcomes Priscilla Eyles for a discussion on intersectional cult recovery. Priscilla, who comes to us from the UK, is a DEI/JEDI consultant who shares about their time spent in two different cults: Landmark, an LGAT offshoot of est, and OneTaste, a wellness organization that is currently under FBI investigation for sexual exploitation and forced labor practices. When Priscilla stepped away and began grappling with their...
