Episodes

Conversations with Jamal Ansari and Mario Pierzchalski (IMI002)

Conversations with the owner of the highly succesful Mediterranean Cruise Cafe, Jamal Ansari, and Aneta’s longtime friend and mentor, Mario Pierzchalski.

©2019 NONPOD for Top Ventures, LLC.   Music: CØDE – We’re Invincible (feat. Joseph Feinstein) [NCS Release], David Bulla – Unexpected [NCS Release], Jim Yosef – Firefly [NCS Release]. All music used by permission under attribution license courtesy of NoCopyrightSounds.

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Healing Justice with Susan Raffo (BZP011)

Happy Hanukkah! In this episode we sit down with Beth’s longtime friend and colleague Susan Raffo to talk about Healing Justice. We talk about its history, how the concept itself is rooted in the ancient wisdom of cultures around the world, and how it’s just recently begun to gain greater visibility in the broader Social Justice movement in the United States, thanks largely to the work of Queer Black women in the South combating the lasting effects of the legacy of slavery.

We talk about how healing has traditionally been understood in Western and American society and offer some alternatives to the parts of this understanding that continue to contribute to the very things we aspire to heal – both on an individual level and collectively. We also discuss a few ways that practitioners of all kinds can integrate Healing Justice concepts into their work and how anyone can implement it in their daily lives.

We also talk briefly about Beth’s upcoming Facilitating Cultural Change workshop and her all new website!

Roll up your sleeves and join us for a deep-dive discussion of a heavy topic that might actually be a lot simpler on some levels than it seems to be, and that in a lot of ways couldn’t be more timely.

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Reflections on the Teachings of Rosh Hashana for Movement Builders (BZP010)

In this episode, we talk about the state of our democracy, our world, the challenges our communities are facing from inside and out, and what we as individuals feeling lost in the middle of it all… can do about it. We also talk about how the lessons and traditions from the Jewish High Holidays (and really, most religious traditions) can help us find peace, community, forgiveness, our way back to those we’ve alienated and a calling to be our best selves. We talk about how even with the best intentions, we can often “miss our mark” – as individuals and as a community – and how that’s okay.

We talk about how putting each other through ideological perfection tests is always a losing battle, as everyone of us, at some point, will fail. We also talk about how as bad as things might feel right now, and as much as it might look on cable news like our movements might be starting to fracture from within… things might not actually be as bad as they seem – and it might actually be nothing new.

We also touch briefly on Nike’s “Believe in Something…” campaign with Colin Kaepernick and how its core message reflects something Movement Builders have been saying and doing for a long time.

Join us for a special “thinking out loud” edition of the Beth Zemsky Podcast and let us know how your faith tradition or values frame drives your work and helps you find focus, accountability, forgiveness, a calling to be your best self, and guides you back to others when you fall.

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Narrative Strategy with Eleonore Wesserle (BZP009)

In this episode, we talk Narrative Strategy with Beth’s colleague Eleonore Wesserle, Communications Consultant and founder of the new Narrative Strategy Consulting firm Dreams To Power.

We talk about Eleonore’s “Now Wow How” issue framing system and how it can be used to maximize our Movement Building work. We also apply some basic Narrative Strategy concepts to some current events and suggest a few alternatives to some of the dominant Progressive narratives around them employing the “Now Wow How” system.

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Theresa Holl of the Kelly Nicole Foundation (TCP104)

On-location at the 2018 Twin Cities Pride Festival with Theresa Holl of the Kelly Nicole Foundation. We talk about the music and legacy of Theresa’s late wife, Kelly Nicole, and about how you can help support the important work being done by the foundation in her memory.

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2018 Festival Preview with Board Chair Darcie Baumann (TCP103)

Twin Cities Pride Board Chair Darcie Baumann sits down with Ryan for a special extended interview to talk candidly about the issues and controversies that have surrounded the Festival and Parade over the past two years. We talk about what went wrong, what’s been done to correct it and what’s being done this year and beyond to ensure that the Festival continues to be a safe and inclusive space for everyone.

We dig past the headlines, soundbites, reactions and misinformation of the past two years. We get to the heart of the matter and speak directly to the LGBTQ+ community about who Twin Cities Pride really is and why we need your help to keep getting better.

We talk about Darcie’s 10-year rise through the organization from volunteer to Board Chair, we answer all of your questions about Police involvement with the Festival and Parade, we respond directly to the demands raised by last year’s protesters and much, much more.

This is an historic, unprecedented, in-depth, one-on-one conversation with the first female, first Person of Color Board Chair of Twin Cities Pride that you won’t hear anywhere else. Clear your schedule for the next hour and a half.

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An All Current Events Edition of The Beth Zemsky Podcast (BZP008)

In Episode 8, we talk about the events taking place around immigration, Trump’s performance in North Korea, the trend of celebrities reinforcing polarization by responding to hate with hate, the media’s obsession with the Mueller investigation (to the exclusion of other news), the Right’s most recent attack on pre-existing conditions, the increasing radicalization of the Right at the Primary level, and more.

We also cover the annual “Night of a New Day” event at the Kaleo Center and talk about “The Opposite of Hate”, Beth’s most recent book recommendation.

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A Community Conversation with the Minneapolis Police Department featuring Andrea Jenkins (TCP101)

On-location at the Minneapolis Central Library for a community conversation with the Minneapolis Police Department, featuring City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins.

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Episode One – 2018 Festival of Nations (IM1)

Welcome to Episode One of Immigrant Invincible! Meet your host, Aneta Toporowska, and join us on-location at the 2018 Festival of Nations.

 

©2018 Podletter Media for Top Ventures, LLC.   Music: CØDE – We’re Invincible (feat. Joseph Feinstein) [NCS Release], David Bulla – Unexpected [NCS Release], Jim Yosef – Firefly [NCS Release]. All music used by permission under attribution license courtesy of NoCopyrightSounds.

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Beth Zemsky and Lisa Vecoli, Curator of The Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies at the University of Minnesota (TCP100)

For episode 100, we venture deep into the caverns below the University of Minnesota on an epic quest to officially archive the first 6 episodes of The Beth Zemsky Podcast. For our expedition, we bring along Beth’s longtime friend and colleague, Lisa Vecoli, Curator of The Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection, to help us tell the story of how the U of M Archives came into being and how (with some good community organizing!) the Tretter GLBT History Collection found its place and cemented its legacy among them.

We also take the opportunity to set the stage for the next 6 episodes of the Beth Zemsky Podcast by talking a little about where we’ve been so far and about where all of the deep intersectional movement energy in our country right now might be leading us.

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They/Them Project Gallery Opening at LUSH with Councilman Phillipe Cunningham (TCP094)

On-location at The They/Them Project Gallery Opening at LUSH with Councilman Phillipe Cunningham.

For an extensive background on this episode, including interviews with the artist and several of the individuals involved in the project early on, check out episodes 59-62 of The TC Pride Podcast by clicking the links below.

Episode 59 (Part 1)

Episode 60 (Part 2)

Episode 61 (Part 3)

Episode 62 (Part 4)

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2018 Winter Beer Dabbler with John Garland (TCP092)

On-location at the 2018 Winter Beer Dabbler with John Garland from The Growler Magazine. We catch up with old friends from the Pride Dabbler, make some new ones and talk with John about The Dabbler, The Growler, and the new Twin Cities Pride Magazine.

For over an HOUR of bonus footage from the 2018 Winter Beer Dabbler, click the links below!

Bonus Footage Part 1

Bonus Footage Part 2

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Building Relationships Across Polarization (BZP006)

In this episode, Beth talks about the recent Facilitating Cultural Change workshop, her experience at the 30th Annual Creating Change Conference sponsored by the LGBTQ Task Force, the truth behind Trump’s “booming” economy narrative, and other slight-of-hand tactics that the Right continues to engage in behind the smokescreen of the day-to-day distractions and trauma. In the curriculum segment, we talk about Beth’s recent trip to Northern Minnesota to speak with leaders of Rural Non-Profits about doing Equity work in this current polarized climate. We then discuss some concrete tips for building dialogue and relationships with others in a way that undermines the “Us vs. Them” ideology that leads to polarization.

Click here to download the .PDF document referred to in this episode!

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Intercultural Organizational Development and Systems Change with Phyllis Braxton (BZP005)

Beth and Phyllis talk about how organizations can work towards equity and make a difference in their communities through Intercultural Organizational Development. Along the way, we also briefly discuss Net Neutrality, the CDC’s list of newly banned words, the Alabama Senate race, and reacting to trauma in a polarized world. Beth and Phyllis also share about the importance of practitioners connecting with others in their space and how trainers can elevate their skill sets by taking part in the upcoming workshop Facilitating Cultural Change in January 2018.

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Powerful – Hirut’s Success Story and DAP’s Holiday Family Program (DAP018SHE)

Women’s Program Graduate Hirut shares her family’s story of healing from domestic violence, and about how DAP’s generous donors have helped make her family’s holidays brighter through DAP’s annual Holiday Family Program.

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Faith-Based Organizing and Graceful Engagement with Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel (BZP004)

A special double-length episode with Rev. Dr. Rebecca Voelkel. Beth and Rebecca reflect on lessons regarding values-based intersectional movement building that they gleaned from their history of faith-based organizing. They also talk about the implications of these lessons for secular organizers in this time of deep polarization, particularly the difference we each can make through Graceful Engagement.

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