Everybody Knows Everything: Parenting is Spiritual Bootcamp. Join Us.

Home
United States
Louisville, KY
Everybody Knows Everything: Parenting is Spiritual Bootcamp. Join Us.

Michele and Mandy, a grandma and a mother, explore themes interweaving child development, social just

Address

Louisville, KY

Website

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/everybody-knows-everything/id1448183295?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR1TFKI0jCmHP7wVVI0FapSRjE9x1C

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Everybody Knows Everything: Parenting is Spiritual Bootcamp. Join Us. posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Louisville?

STATEMENTS OF PURPOSE

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE from Michele

When Mandy Zoeller Olivam, the mother, was born along with her oldest son Oak, she and I continued a journey we started many years ago. It now took a more urgent tone in the realm of relationships, exhaustion, white supremacy, and community. Conversations over these many many moments have propelled us to be willing to share them publicly, something that does not come naturally to either of us. However, Mandy, by example, has opened herself to sharing more and more of that space with others, and that has allowed me to follow along.

My willingness to make public the sacred ground upon which we work was borne of the realization that, through technology, I could ease a burden, rest a worry, hold a hand, or share the joy and humor of what we all want: something for our children that is worthy of their choice to be here with us in these times.

Each generation - my own, and now those engaged as young parents or careteachers with children - is given the gift of intention when “raising” a child. I love that notion: “raising” a child, lifting up all that is there, giving it safe harbor to mature and then the courage to make good on the promises made before birth. We gaze at each one and ask simply, “Who are you?” How do we then listen and make a path for that answer? How do we reconcile that our children are here in the midst of the violence of white supremacy and economic greed, as well as courage and loud peace? And in the middle of all that, they demand to be fed, make miraculous messes, wear us down to our most vulnerable selves, and cause us to laugh uncontrollably - all in an hour!

Come with me and Mandy as we make our way through that remarkable, distressing, miraculous, hilarious, gut wrenching space - at once horrific and eloquent. Everybody knows everything. Mandy and I, not so much. ;) Join us! That’s why we are here.

Photo: This is a photo of me walking toward my dad and my sister at the end of a camp where I had my first introduction to racial justice. I am walking toward my dad and sister, who I adored, beginning my journey to all that followed. It was before anything had happened to break my confident stride.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE from Mandy

When I became a mother, my life felt charged with fresh purpose. My children have opened portals within me to new planes of knowing - some of which have awakened new capacities for awe and joy, while others have brought new edges of anxiety and terror at the state of the world. Capitalism, racism, and militarism now not only loom as present threats in my consciousness, but as legacies that could be left to my, to all, children. The urgency of our times compelled me to engage in a broader way with my personal journey to explore and understand my privilege. I felt two distinct but connected longings: to engage difficult questions, and to build community.

I’ve been abundantly blessed with mentors who have radically altered my life, including Michele, a beloved teacher who has also become a friend. Our virtual and in-person conversations over the years have floated me over choppy waves to navigate my own ship and raise little humans in these times. I have also been profoundly inspired by my involvement with Mama's Hip Family Co-op, where I've met many, many families grappling with similar challenges and questions, who long to live with their children in integrity. Michele's broad and multifaceted knowledge, her persistent willingness to ask questions first, and her magnificent sense of humor felt like an antidote to the fear-based authoritarian trends that often happen when parents long to ensure we are parenting “the right way.”

To free ourselves and our children from the bonds of white supremacy and racism, we can engage together in the work of becoming who we long for our children to be. This takes practice, play, pause, and companionship. My hope is that the gathering space Michele and I create on a virtual plane will allow us to join with others who share our longing. We can nourish one another and find sustenance for our journey in our shared resources and experience.

There is not one path, one way. There is only so much we know for sure. But what I trust is a vision of Beloved Community in which adults and children learn and work side-by-side to create a way in freedom. Please join us to explore and grow together.