Wait?? Are we the OPs

Today, I’m joined by Tracie Collins.

Tracie is an author, entrepreneur, business strategist, public speaker, and creative powerhouse. She is best known for her stage production Cold Piece of Werk, which confronted the human trafficking epidemic in Oakland, California. That groundbreaking work earned her a Mayoral Proclamation from the City of Oakland—declaring March 14, 2015, as Tracie Collins Day.

Her work has always pushed against silence—whether around women’s rights, racism, or the taboo topics in Black culture. And in 2023, she made another bold move: leaving the U.S. to start a new chapter in Mexico.

Her life is art, activism, and reinvention—woven together. And I can’t wait to share this conversation with you.

Today’s guest is a force. A conjurer of stories. A root woman. A grief witness. A ritual architect. She is Renée Michele— a multi-hyphenate creative whose world stretches across the realms of spirit, story, and sacred service.

She is a Hoodoo practitioner and a Yayi in Palo Mayombe, where she navigates spirit realms with intention and ancestral devotion— always bringing respect, purpose, and just the right amount of sanctified chaos.

She is the founder of Geechee Gal Roots and Ancescents— two offerings rooted in cultural reclamation, handmade ritual goods, and storytelling from the soul.

She’s also an artist, a poet, and an author of works like Lock, Stock & Smoking Metaphors, Enamored: The Love Letters, and the deeply anticipated I Know It Was the Blood.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Renée shows up as a death doula—quietly, gently— offering non-clinical, spiritual care to those crossing the veil.

Contact Renée @ https://www.instagram.com/geecheegalroots/

Today’s guest is Reverend Sandy— Author. TV and radio personality. Life coach. Reiki Master Teacher. Corporate trainer. Master gardener. Energy medicine practitioner. Community organizer. And someone who has been on the frontlines of healing and transformation since 1961.

Born and raised in Watts, California—Sandy has lived through more than most. She’s survived two of the most explosive uprisings in this country’s history: the Watts Rebellion in the 1960s and the Rodney King Riots in 1992. And both times—her home, her business, her life—were touched by the flames.

This conversation is about trauma, yes. But it’s also about wisdom, remembrance, and the power of elders who know the way through. We also discussed her new book, The A's Have It – Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction

Today, I got the chance to talk with my friend Jarrett. We had a real and raw conversation about Jarratt's journey through depression, the impact of friendships with other men has had on his mental health, and healing.

You can follow Jarratt's podcast, It's About Damn Time, where he dives deep into self-improvement, mindset shifts, mental health, fitness, relationships, and personal development. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-about-damn-time/id1528584161

Music Inspiration: With a Little Help from My Friends by The Beatles ‧ 1967

Welcome back to Come to the Brink. I’m your host, Zoë Flowers.

Thank you for joining us and for following the podcast. If you’ve been sitting with the stories we’ve shared so far—of grief, resilience, and healing—I hope you’re finding space to breathe, to reflect, and to remember that none of us are alone on this journey.

Today’s episode is for the organizers. The caregivers. The cultural workers. The ones who show up for everybody else… even while carrying invisible wounds of their own.

I’m joined by Odilia Romero—Zapotec interpreter, cultural bridge builder, and co-founder of CIELO: Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo. For more than two decades, Odilia has organized with Indigenous migrant communities in Los Angeles and across California. Her work has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, Democracy Now! and so many other places—but what grounds her work isn’t the recognition. It’s the deep, personal understanding of what it means to lead while still healing.

Today, we’re talking about what it means to carry community in one hand and old wounds in the other. What it costs—and what it gives back.

Grief can take us to unexpected places. The resilience we discover and the courage it requires to reinvent our lives can take a toll. Today, I'm talking with Aleese Moore Orbih about losing the love of her life to cancer, navigating that deep loss, and courageously pivoting careers after decades of transformative advocacy work.

Song Inspo-Back To Life Soul II Soul

https://music.apple.com/us/album/back-to-life/723348678?i=723349014

Today’s conversation is a journey through grief and trauma into creativity, spiritual awakening, and deep healing. My guest is the inspiring Amy Miranda—entrepreneur, activist, shamanic practitioner, and award-winning executive producer. Known for her powerful connective gifts, Amy is the founder of Lunch, an author, and a healer committed to guiding others through both spiritual and creative pathways.

Together, we'll explore her early experiences, the unhealed traumas she carried, her transformative spiritual journey, and how grief opened portals to healing and purpose.

Song Inspo-Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen

Join Amy for LUNCH

https://thisislunch.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorOTFFY2kE74GxaBcL2N_tlmf2dRkXc004EVRC_yp_NBt0nyChS