In the final episode of the winter season, Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits with Dr. Rocio Rosales Meza, a Xicana/Mexicana seer, initiated medicine woman, and psychologist whose work bridges ancestral teachings with liberation. They name the moment we’re living in—the collapse of empire, the overwhelm of digital life, and the spiritual and emotional toll of witnessing global injustice. Dr. Rocio shares how grounding in creation, tending to the Earth, and honouring the elements are what keep her centred when the world feels chaotic.

Their conversation goes straight to the heart of what many are experiencing right now: the “spirit-eating” nature of colonial systems, the dysregulation caused by social media, and the exhaustion of carrying both awareness and responsibility online.

They talk openly about burnout, boundaries, and the courage it takes to hold hope when the world keeps offering reasons to despair. Dr. Rocio offers wisdom from her own collapse—losing her tenured academic career during a health crisis—and how that breaking became the doorway to her calling.

Both women unravel the myths of New Age spirituality, the reality of decolonization, and the necessity of confronting our shadow without shame. This episode is a reminder that healing is spiritual work, the underworld is part of the journey, and our medicine often lives in the very places we were taught to fear. It’s an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and remember who we were before colonial conditioning told us otherwise.

https://www.drrosalesmeza.com/

@dr.rosesalesmeza

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Relentless Action

1. For one week, track when you override your limits, numb out online, or perform “awareness” instead of feeling — then name the body sensation underneath it.

2. Write from the part of you that feels resentful, jealous, exhausted, or ashamed, then respond from your grounded adult self without exiling what you find.

Relentless Reflection

1. Where have I mistaken visibility or knowledge for actual integrity?

2. What part of me did I silence to survive systems that were never built for my wholeness?

Relentless Resources

1. All About Love by bell hooks. A rigorous examination of how domination distorts love, spirituality, and community, and what it takes to confront those distortions inside ourselves.

2. Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés A deep reclamation of the instinctual feminine and the underworld journey, unpacking how culture fractures women from their wild knowing — and how to return.

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Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

In this powerful cousin episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes welcomes her cousin, Dr. Tara Hutchison, a young Cree physician from Moose Cree First Nation, for an intimate and wide-ranging conversation about medicine, culture, identity, and the realities facing Indigenous communities today.

Both women discuss the emotional labour of being Indigenous professionals in colonial systems: balancing advocacy with gentleness, resisting the pressure to be palatable, and unpacking the internal battles around perfectionism and imposter syndrome. They speak openly about therapy, burnout, and the crash that often follows major achievements, reminding listeners that success doesn’t erase vulnerability.

The episode ultimately offers a portrait of two Cree women who have navigated demanding systems while staying rooted in who they are and where they come from. It celebrates community, resilience, cousinhood, and the growing wave of Indigenous people transforming medicine, education, and futures in their homelands and beyond.

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Relentless Actions

1. Write down what you carry in rooms that isn’t in your job description, then choose one thing to stop doing this month.

2. Identify two people who understand your context without explanation and schedule a real check-in before burnout forces one.

Relentless Reflection

1. Where did I learn that excellence is the price of belonging?

2. After I achieve something significant, do I let myself land or do I immediately chase the next proof of worth?

Relentless Resources

1. My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

2. Your Body Is Not an Apology Workbook: Tools for Living Radical Self-Love

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Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

In this vibrant episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes speaks with acclaimed actress, musician, and director Crystle Lightning of Enoch Cree Nation, an artist whose three-decade career has broken barriers on screen, on stage, and behind the scenes.

They get into the reality of working in film, television, and theatre—far beyond the glamor audiences see. Crystle opens up about the grit behind the craft, such as the long rehearsals, endless travel, last-minute script changes, and the discipline it takes to thrive in an industry that often expects Indigenous creators to prove themselves twice over. She talks about imposter syndrome, leading her cast with auntie-level care, and building space for emerging artists to stand confidently in rooms not built for them. The two discuss the creation of Bear Grease, the smash-hit Indigenous musical she co-created, and the wild, funny, nerve-wracking backstage moments that became the heartbeat of the show’s success.

The episode ends on a powerful note: a call to action for Indigenous creatives to pursue their dreams with courage, curiosity, and community. Crystle reflects on the legacy she hopes to leave—opportunities, representation, and a path wider than the one she had to fight through. The conversation is full of laughter, truth-telling, motivation, and love for Indigenous art. It’s a celebration of what’s possible when Indigenous stories are centred, protected, and brought to life by Indigenous hands.

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Relentless Reflection

1. Where in my own creative or professional life am I still shrinking, even though I know I’m meant to take up more space?
2. What barriers did my younger self face that I can now remove for someone coming up behind me?

Relentless Actions

1. Write down three tangible opportunities you can offer to another Indigenous creative this month (a connection, a recommendation, a shared resource, a skills exchange).
2. Choose one creative risk you've been avoiding and commit to taking the first step within 72 hours—send the email, revise the script, shoot the video, publish the post.

Relentless Resources

1. Native Women in Film & Television (NWIFT) — advocacy, mentorship, and networking entirely focused on Indigenous women and gender-diverse creatives in film.
2. Illuminative’s Storytelling Guides — free toolkits that help creators frame, protect, and elevate Indigenous narratives across industries.

Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions!

Join the RIW Patreon Community

RIW Website

Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat