Welcome back! This week, we are joined by Desiree Decoo—Founder of Heal on Purpose Everyday (HOPE), a therapist, public health leader, and advocate with nearly 20 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and communities on their healing journeys.

In this episode, we connect personal healing to leadership and service, exploring how healed individuals often become more grounded, compassionate leaders. We discuss how doing the inner work reshapes the way we show up for others, transforming care, empathy, and responsibility into lived action rather than just conversation.

Join us for a grounded, uplifting conversation that invites us to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with what wellness looks like in our own lives.

This year, we launched our podcast "The MJE Living Room Conversations;" an intimate dialogue hosted from MJE's Blue Library. This new MAV X MJE series brings grassroots leaders, community healers, and advocates together to explore the question: Where do we go from here?

Fresh from the MAV National Conference, we've gathered for heartfelt conversations about sustaining healing, building leadership capacity, and strengthening our national network of women leading community transformation. Monalisa Smith, Founder of Mothers for Justice and Equality and the MAV Learning Community, led these open conversation with special guests who are shaping the next chapter of our movement -- from momentum to model. Stay tuned for 2026!

Thank you to this year's inspiring guests:

Episode 1: Hosted by Monalisa Smith - Founder, President, CEO of Mothers for Justice and Equality - Roxbury, MA

Episode 2: Milagros Burgos - Founder of Imani Dream Angel / Rincon - Chicago, IL and Nortasha Stingley - Chicago, IL

Episodes 3 & 4: Jacqueline Monteiro - Founder of W.S.R & Wellness Coaching LLC - Leicester, MA and Eileen Paterson - Mothers for Justice and Equality - Boston, MA

Episodes 5 & 6: Nana Akomaa Kyerematen - Author of "Is America Constitutionally Unconstitutional?" - Mothers for Justice and Equality - Boston, MA

Episodes 7 & 8: Desiree Decoo - Founder of HOPE - (Heal on Purpose Everyday) - Boston, MA

This week in The Living Room, we are joined by the incredible Desiree Decoo — Founder of HOPE, therapist, public health leader, and advocate who has spent nearly 20 years helping individuals, families, and whole communities move toward healing and wholeness.

In this episode, we shift the conversation from simply talking about wellness to truly living it every day. Desiree guides us through what it means to practice wellness in real life — in our routines, relationships, and in the quiet moments we often overlook. She reminds us that healing is not a destination, but a daily commitment to caring for ourselves with intention and compassion.

Join us for a grounded, uplifting conversation that invites us to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with what wellness looks like in our own lives. 💜

#changeyourmindsetchangeyourlife #community #boston #love #stopgunviolence #podcast #mothersforjustice #leadlearnlivelove

This week, as we reflect on gratitude and community, we celebrate MJE’s Thanksgiving Turkey Drive, where we provided 100 turkeys to families in need. Just as we nourish bodies, we also need to nurture minds and spirits. Join us for a heartfelt conversation with Nana Akomaa Kyerematen, Master’s Clinician, cultural competence advocate, and MJE Board Member, as we explore cultural and ancestral healing and honor our ancestors through the power of community and storytelling. 💜 Tune in and join us in The Living Room—where gratitude, healing, and community intersect.

#MothersForJusticeAndEquality #MJE #stopgunviolence #talkshow #womensupportingwomen #TurnPainIntoPurpose #stopviolenceagainstwomen #HealingJustice #boston #CommunityHealing #podcast #ItsNotOkay #culture

Welcome to episode 5! This episode dives deep into the role of culture—how our ancestry, our identities, and the transitions we navigate across countries, communities, and generations all shape the way we heal. Healing is never just personal; it is tied to the stories we inherit, the values we grow up with, and the spaces we move through.

We’re honored to welcome Nana Akomaa Kyerematen, author of Is America Constitutionally Unconstitutional? Nana brings a unique perspective as both a writer and cultural thinker. Together, we explore how cultural identity can become both a source of strength and a site of tension, how migration reshapes emotional landscapes, and how understanding our roots can open new paths for recovery and resilience.

#MothersForJusticeAndEquality #MJE #stopgunviolence #talkshow #womensupportingwomen #TurnPainIntoPurpose #stopviolenceagainstwomen #HealingJustice #boston #CommunityHealing #podcast #ItsNotOkay #culture

Welcome back! This week, let's continue discussing our powerful question: Who heals the healers? After last time’s heartfelt stories, this follow-up dives even deeper into what it means to sustain those who give so much of themselves to others. 💜

#boston #community #selfhealingcommunity #love #stopgunviolence #mothersforjustice #stopviolenceagainstwomen #equalityplusjustice #podcast #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #mavlearning

In this conversation, we explore the often-overlooked question — who takes care of those who dedicate their lives to helping others?

Our special guests include Jacqueline Monteiro, Founder of W.S.R & Wellness Coaching LLC, who shares her personal experiences and insights on healing, self-care, and emotional balance, and Eileen Paterson, a grandmother, MJE board member, and peer leader whose powerful story has inspired a movement.

Together, they remind us that healing is both personal and collective — and that even those who nurture others need care, reflection, and community to sustain their strength.

#boston #equalityplusjustice #mothersforjustice #healingthroughconnection #healingjourney #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #healers #stopgunviolence #selfcare #love #stopviolenceagainstwomen #wellness

A bridge between local roots and national voices. Join Nortasha Stingley, Milagros Burgos, and Eileen Paterson from the MAV Learning Community as they share insights from the 2025 MAV National Conference — how they bring healing, justice, and service back to their communities.

💜 Why does connection matter? Tune in and find out — you won’t want to miss this.

#boston #community #equalityplusjustice #womenempowerment #stopgunviolence #stopviolenceagainstwomen #talkshow #podcast