With so many of our communities struggling and so many issues worsening, it's understandable that we can feel pushed and pulled to get involved in a lot of different initiatives.

But that good intention can often leave us feeling too overwhelmed to do the work from an emotionally grounded and fully engaged way - or even know what work to focus on. 

That's because our good intention is often corrupted by the internalized oppression belief that we are not enough and don't have inherent self-worth.

In our exploitative capitalist system, we've been taught that our worth is tied to how much we produce.

So we need to keep working and working and working - in order to earn our right to be seen as valuable and be cared for in society.

As BIPOC, we also often feel like we need to be exceptional and prove ourselves better than our white counterparts in order to be seen as equal or worthy - even if it burns us out.

So it's no surprise that we can often bring this self-exploitative energy into our movement spaces.

Even when we're trying to dismantle those same oppressive dynamics in our society.

Because that's how we’ve survived in the system - both despite and because of the odds against us.

But that path won’t lead us to liberation. 

We can choose another path.  

We don't need to do what we’re told is necessary, especially by the system.

Instead we can listen to our inner voice for who we’re being called to be - especially during these times of radical possibilities.  

We can listen for what our unique purpose is during these burning times.

And how we can contribute our unique gifts for the well-being and liberation of our communities..

Being grounded in who we are called to be gives us the parameters needed to show us what actions and initiatives are in alignment with our purpose.

So we can know if we're on the right track.

It also shows us when we need to let go of some things - so others can care for them because that’s part of their purpose..

This way, if you give yourself permission to just be the person you've been designed to be - whatever you do will be enough.  

Because you are enough - and you always have been.

With the hits coming like they are, it's unsurprising many of us are feeling overwhelmed.

This can lead us to being emotionally reactive, scared, anxious, confused, checked out, numbed out, etc.

In other words, we're having a trauma reaction...

Which happens when we're overwhelmed beyond what we have the capacity to handle.

While 'trauma reaction' may feel like a big word to use, it's really quite common to experience them.

Trauma reactions are a normal, natural, and human response to an overwhelming situation. 

They're how our body tries to keep us safe in moments of danger - by engaging in some version of fight, flight, freeze, and/or fawn response.

But we’ve been unconsciously conditioned to pathologize our trauma reactions.

Because systemic oppression makes it unacceptable to feel our feelings, especially when we're really upset or angry.

This is especially true for us as BIPOC who are perceived as threatening or being too much or hysterical when simply expressing our strong feelings.

We’re also too often not allowed to make the time and space necessary to feel our deeper feelings, including grief - especially if it’s going to get in the way of our ability to work and get things done.

So we often don't complete and release our trauma reactions - leaving our bodies stuck in that energy.

So it comes out sideways in unintentional and sometimes harmful ways.

Even if we did make the time and space for it, many of us don’t know how to complete and release our trauma reactions in responsibly messy ways.

Since most of the modeling we've received is around repressing our emotions, staying distracted from them, and blaming ourselves or others for them.

Additionally since we’ve been conditioned to aspire to be work robots, we too often judge people who aren’t able to get things done - even if they’re actually in a trauma reaction.  

Including ourselves!

But if we understood how trauma impacts our brain and shows up in our body, we’d be able to be aware of when we’re in a trauma reaction and take care of it.  

This would allow us to release that energy and get emotionally spacious enough to choose our next step from a more grounded place.

So we could allow ourselves and each other to be human - in responsibly messy ways.

As people committed to anti-oppression and pro-liberation, we want to dismantle the systems of oppression that we live in.

We also don't want to replicate oppressive dynamics towards others or ourselves.

Yet trying to leave the system can leave us feeling anxious, hopeless, and scared.

So can noticing how we're unconsciously being dominating and dehumanizing - to those around us and even ourselves.

It may be a prison - but it’s the only home many of us have known.

It's how we've gotten our needs met - even if it’s been exploitative and coercive to ourselves and others.

So we've been conditioned to deeply believe that we'll be protected by the system - if we were just high enough in it.

This leaves us afraid of what will happen to us if we don't - with valid reasons.

But that fear also keeps us closed off from the alternative to turning to the system - turning to each other.  

For example, Struggling to earn enough money to pay a nanny and house cleaners to keep the family and house running can feel much easier and more socially acceptable than it is to even embrace the possibility of living in a multigenerational home with shared income and shared household responsibilities in a neighborhood where kids could go in and out of their neighbor’s homes without concern. 

In other words, we're traumatically bonded to the very chains that keep us in the system.

And they keep us from opening up to radically different ways of getting our basic needs met - with dignity and in community.

That's why it's important to slow down. It gives our fear and resistance of shifting how we get our needs met time to breathe and come forward - so they can be cared for.

But since most of us have never been taught how to turn toward our feelings in ways that are actually caring and healing, we need healing practices and community support to do so. 

When we do, we can be emotionally free to stop turning to the system to get our needs met - and instead turn toward each other.

That's how we will experiment and iterate our way into a more liberating future.

Systemic oppression has tricked us into believing that if we just tried hard enough, we can get anything done.

That way, we question and blame ourselves - and not the system when struggling with structural obstacles. 

This has also led us to internalize the oppressive belief that we can and should push ourselves and force our way forward in the world.

Regardless of what is actually possible in that moment.

That's why we can feel the need to push endlessly, even in movement spaces - even if we're sick, exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed, or need to care for someone else.

And why we blame ourselves for not doing more when things don’t work out as we hope.

This is often tied to another internalized oppression belief that we are alone in this and we alone are enough to get things done.

But what if we're not alone in this and we were never designed to get things done by ourselves?  

What if we don't need to coerce ourselves into action and can invite ourselves to flow with where the energy is going?

What if we could listen for what we're being called to do in this moment - by our inner voice?

All of this is still available to us - if we open ourselves to remembering what is in our bones.

Systemic oppression, particularly white supremacy and colonization, has torn many of us away from our ancestral cosmologies and ways of connecting directly to the spiritual. 

But we are still so much more than just physical bodies producing labor and future laborers.

These burning times are not just a political or social reckoning.

It is also a spiritual call to remember that we are one amongst many and cannot simply force our way forward and force our will on the Earth.

At least not without dire consequences, as we are seeing with climate change.  

It is also a spiritual call to remember that just because we forgot our ancestors, our ancestors haven't forgotten us.

And that we are still connected to all beings and are children of both the Earth and the Stars.

Even when we don’t acknowledge it.

But when we do acknowledge it, we can listen for our inner guidance, and lean on the collective energy and support of our ancestors and spirit guides.

We can remember that we have never been alone - and we don't have to ever feel like we are again.

If we can be spiritually grounded and lead from that interconnected and sacred place.

Systemic oppression uses a divide-and-conquer strategy to prevent us from coming together to resist it.

For many of us, this has broken our sense of collective care and resourcefulness to the point where we can't imagine what it could look like. 

For those of us who still live in communities that look out more for each other, those ties can sometimes feel invasive, coercive, and conformist.

So we've been conditioned to believe that we have to figure it out alone, do it alone, and that we alone should be enough to get it done.

That's why we often feel that asking for help makes we're weak or lazy and puts us at-risk of being judged and blamed.

So it can feel unsafe and scary to ask for help. 

Even if we do have people offering support to us, we can feel like we may not know how to communicate what we need and receive help in a way that's actually helpful to us.

Also giving support may also be complicated for us - leaving us feeling awkward, concerned about enabling someone, or even scared of backlash if you don’t get it right.

Without both emotional and practical support from others, we can be left feeling too exhausted, reactive, confused and overwhelmed to get out of that trauma reaction cycle.

And it only truly benefits those on top who hoard the profit from our endless labor and from us paying others to do what was once handled through communal care.

If we could share our feelings and needs with others, then we'd be more able to co-create a solution to support us in meeting our basic needs.

That way, even though we can't stop many of the hits from coming, we can draw up on the collective wisdom and resourcefulness to help us get through it - together.

The Collective Care Pods is an on-demand and self-paced online course.

So you start once you register! You should receive an email granting you access to the course and a welcome email from Sandra. 

Once you access the course, you'll be able to start Module 1: Purpose Driven. 

Since this is a self-paced course, you can choose how fast or slow you want to go through that content.

Please note that currently we do not have the capacity to organize you into Care Pods. However you can organize a group of your friends into a Care Pod to go through the course together.

Also we currently do not have capacity to offer a live online space is on pause due to limited capacity. Once we have capacity again, we will begin to offer a space and will invite you to it. 

This course is on-demand, meaning it starts when you register.

So registration does not close - but is instead kept open for when you're ready to enroll.

WildSeed Society focuses on helping us move out of capitalist relationships and towards collective liberation.

As part of that purpose, we want this course to be financially accessible to all - while still being financially sustainable for WildSeed.

That's why we ask you to pay what's appropriate for you, given your class background and wealth privilege.

• Sponsorship Fee of $497 for people with annual income of over $80,000 USD 
• Regular Fee of $297 for individuals with annual income over $30,000 and under $80,000 USD
• Subsidized Fee of $197 for individuals with annual income under $30,000 USD

If you live outside of the US and don't find the income guidelines helpful, please choose the fee that's most appropriate to your financial situation.

There are also multiple ways to lower your registration fee, including:

• Scholarship: If $197 is not reasonable for your financial situation, you can pay on a sliding scale. Apply here.
• Group Discount: Register with a group of at least 3 people and get a discount off the regular registration fee of $297. Request a group discount here.
  • For 3-5 people: 15% off at $252 per person
  • For 6-8 people: 20% off at $237 per person
  • For 9+ people: 25% off at $222 per person
• Payment Plan: Pay the regular fee in three monthly installments of $99. Register here.

No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Just send a message if you need more financial support. 

Also there is a 30-day money-back guarantee if you do not find it appropriate for you.

So there's no financial risk to you!

Yes, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee starting from the start of the course. 

Just email us at [email protected] and ask for a refund!

BIPOC is the abbreviation for Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color. 

While that may seem straightforward, as with all things, it's more complex and nuanced than that.

We use BIPOC as both a political term and a racial term.

The Collective Care Pods course is for people from the global majority who have been oppressed, marginalized, and/or othered due to their racial/ethnic identity -

AND who choose to work with other people who've been oppressed by white supremacy and racism due to their racial/ethnic identity - for our collective liberation.

People from the global majority include those with African, Indigenous, Latin American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and North African ancestry. 

We also include:

• Biracial/multiracial BIPOC with European ancestry and who have felt marginalized and othered due to their racial identity - and want to dismantle white supremacy and other forms of systemic oppression
  
  
• White-passing BIPOC who have felt marginalized and othered due to their racial/ethnic identity - and want to dismantle white supremacy and other forms of systemic oppression

While we've been taught to believe that race is a fixed thing, the history of how whiteness was created and who is considered eligible for whiteness by law shows a different story.

Therefore, who is considered 'not white' and 'other' by our racist society is more fluid even today than we often realize. It has more to do with maintaining and growing our exploitative capitalist system and the wealth and power of those running this country than anything else.

That's why we acknowledge the arbitrary nature of defining who is white and who is non-white and focus more on our political alignment for collective liberation from white supremacy than our phenotype and how we look.

Because unfortunately, while all BIPOC experience white supremacy, not all BIPOC want to dismantle it. 

So if you identify as BIPOC, as defined here, and want to support our collective liberation from systemic oppression, you're welcomed!

No, this is not only for BIPOC in the USA. BIPOC from around the world are welcomed.

However please note that because all the facilitators and the majority of the participants are from the USA, the context for the gathering will be USA-based.

People from other countries are invited to reflect on their own context and listen for their own truths about their experiences in the countries they live in.

This online course is only for Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC), because we have a different social location and assimilation process in the system that's based on white supremacy and colonization compared to white people.

While there's a lot of diversity of experiences and anti-oppression analysis amongst BIPOC, there's at least a shared sense of POC-ness amongst BIPOC who wish to get free from the system.

This gives BIPOC a common starting ground to grow on.

For white allies/accomplices, the starting place on this journey is very different from BIPOC.

Making it very difficult to start together on this journey. 

White supremacy has unconsciously conditioned people racialized as white to normalize and universalize their racial experience and cultural norms.

As well as disproportionately materially and socially benefiting from the system compared to BIPOC.

So the journey to noticing the toxic impact of the system on white people and shifting out of starts in very different locations. 

That's why we recommend that if you're a white ally/accomplice for racial justice and would like to get support on a similar journey described in this course, please check out the Healing from Internalized Whiteness online course. 

After you finish that course, you'll be able to register for the next white allies-only version of this course.

In time, we will also have a multiracial community that have taken this course so we can all be together - with shared framework and shared practices.

So while we start out in separate courses, we're all moving toward being together for our collective liberation across all races.

Thanks for wanting to support this work! 

You can donate to WildSeed Society to help make this course financially accessible to BIPOC with limited financial means.

We invite you to make a one-time payment here.

Thank you for helping to redistribute wealth in this small way!

This online course will be accessible to people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, 

The Module video/audio lessons and live Group Coaching and Pod sessions will have closed captions.

If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing and would like to attend the weekly live session and need assistance to make it accessible to you, please let us know at [email protected].

We can provide an ASL translator for you for free.

No, this course is not a substitute for professional mental health services.

It also may not be appropriate for people with acute mental illnesses and/or whose lives are very destabilized. We are not equipped or qualified to handle such situations.

However, this course can be a great complement to people who are in therapy. The course can help you go deeper and have more community support around your goals in therapy.

If you are working with a mental health professional, please let them know about you wanting to participate in this course.

You can consult them about how this course may fit into your work with them.

Collective Care Pods, in concept, have always existed as long as humans have gathered together to keep us safe and provide for each other - which is over a million years.

However, over the last thousands of years, so many of our ancestral practices have been lost due to colonization, capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and other forms of systemic oppression.

That's why so many us no longer have people or land that we feel we belong to.

We don't have a community of people we trust to look out for us and who we can freely turn to for support.

That's why, while many of us talk about "being in community," as a key part of anti-oppression and pro-liberation work, it is more often of a vague aspiration than an concrete embodied practice for us.

That's why we're grateful to the transformative justice field, especially Mia Mingus and the Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective (BATJC), for popularizing the term "pod" in our movement spaces.

They use pods to refer to people you can turn to for support around violence, harm or abuse - which is super important.

They recognized that the term "community" was too vague and big for most people - and chose the term "pod" to help make it more concrete and specific.

And it's helping to spread a missing key community structure in our lives.

Click here to learn more about BATJC's analysis behind why we need pods and how to map out one for yourself >>

During the pandemic, many people have also created pandemic pods - small groups of people who agree to support each other in order to not be totally isolated during this period.

Our concept of Collective Care Pods build upon these great examples.

The purpose of our Collective Care Pods are to remember and reclaim our ancestral traditions of healing and solidarity.

So we may shift away from the system and towards each other in a radically liberating ecology. 

Great, just contact us here!

We will get back to you soon.