Join hosts Joy Gilfilen (Restorative Community Coalition) and criminal justice educator Karen Ball for a powerful installment as they explore the foundational principles driving the iChange Justice movement.

This episode draws on five years of work and the wisdom of global, national, and local thought leaders. We dive into our core philosophy: "When we invest in punishment, we perpetuate harm; when we invest in people, we cultivate safety."

In this episode, you'll hear the essential impact of insights from:

Mel Hoover (Mel-Rose Ministries): On the ethical grounding of restorative practice.

Marc Santos (NobleGoldman Network): Pathways to systemic change through regenerative economics.

Kurt Krueger (Peacemakers Circles): Methods for conflict resolution and peace education.

James White (ESATTA Cooperative): The power of community support and self-advocacy.

Irene Morgan: The vision steering the Restorative Community Coalition.

We connect the dots between activism, education, and policy to show the concrete actions needed to build a more humane future. Don't miss this crucial conversation about choosing people over punishment!

Find iChange Justice every Thursday at noon.

Host Joy Gilfilen welcomes Larry Ballesteros—a Native American leader and symbol of deep resilience (tribal name: Bear from the Earth).

Larry reveals his journey from incarceration to innovation, detailing how he co-created the grassroots Transitioning Offenders Program (TOP) after realizing the system was designed to fail those being released (leaving prison with only a $40 check).

Larry and fellow inmates built a comprehensive, data-driven reentry network right from inside the walls. When audited by state officials, their inmate-run program demonstrated a stunning 92% success rate (7.8% recidivism)—a record unmatched by formal programs at the time.

In this powerful conversation, Larry discusses what it truly takes to transform lives behind bars, the power of self-mastery (requiring participants to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull), and how programs like TOP offer a blueprint for the future of restorative justice.

Airing Everywhere on November 20th.

From the healing ceremonies at Wounded Knee to her work with the Grandmothers Society, Grandmother Ejna Jean Fleury shares a living teaching on consciousness, remembrance, and the return of the Divine Feminine.

Host Joy Gilfilen welcomes Grandmother Ejna Jean Fleury — Miniconjou, Oglala, Hunkpapa, and Ihanktonwan of the Great Sioux Nation; First Peace Ambassador of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe; and founder of the Crow Creek Kunsi / Unci Grandmothers Society, Divine Mothers Love, Sacred Earth Council, and Healing Hearts at Wounded Knee.

Recorded just before she opened an international women’s congress, this spontaneous conversation became a teaching on healing, consciousness, and the sacred feminine. Grandmother Ejna recounts her journey from the ceremonies at Wounded Knee — where she has led healing gatherings for decades — to her global outreach connecting the Divine Mother traditions found in cultures around the world.

She speaks of the quantum reality of love as a field of life itself — a living energy that unites all beings beyond the boundaries of culture, language, or form. Through story, memory, and ceremony, she calls us to return to that field, to remember our relationship with Mother Earth, and to live as conscious caretakers of creation.

This episode is both personal and universal — a remembrance of who we truly are and a call to embody peace in every choice we make.

Healing Hearts at Wounded Knee