Episode 7: Tender Touch, Practice vs Performance, and The Skill of Tracking | Aaron Johnson

“For me when I think of consent, particularly black bodies and animals and touch and the violations that have been historically in place and how we’re finding new language and new ways to be together, I feel like the question I often have is: can we slow down and acknowledge what’s happened? Can we see all the levels of choice that are given to folks, and all the ways that choice is not given to folks?” -Aaron Johnson

Join us for the seventh episode of The Lesson is Love, as I speak with Aaron Johnson, a facilitator, public speaker and touch specialist working to identify and interrupt barriers between people.

In this episode we talk about singing (and other activities) as a spiritual and life practice versus a performance, the importance of tender touch in our lives, consent, the practice of tracking to expand our awareness and cultivate safety for others, and how our relationships with dogs can teach us about community.

About the Host, Grisha Stewart:

Grisha Stewart is an author, international speaker, dog trainer, and online dog school facilitator based in Oregon, USA, who specializes in dog reactivity and canine empowerment. She’s been training dogs since 2003. Her two most recent books are Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0: New Practical Techniques for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in Dogs and The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual: A Practical, Force-Free Guide to Problem Solving and Manners. In 2022, she revealed the update to BAT 3.0 (BAT 2.0 is still the best book on the subject). She presents dog training and behavior seminars around the world and lessons online. There are over 100 different courses in her innovative online dog training school, with more coming every few weeks from a variety of instructors, including Grisha. In addition to her professional pursuits and projects, Grisha is an avid conversationalist and enjoys exploring topics of connection, love, communication, and interspecies community.

About the Guest, Aaron Johnson:

Aaron Johnson is a facilitator, public speaker, and touch specialist working to identify and interrupt barriers between people. As co-founder of both Holistic Resistance and Grief to Action, Aaron takes the time to hold the stories of black people around homophobia, transphobia, internalized racism, and those that are Chronically UnderTouched. Because oppression is a part of historical and present American culture, the long-term impact of those trauma stories should be acknowledged and held as a map for our collective healing. Aaron Johnson practices and invites various methods of moving through these stories, such as the communal listening ear, sound healing, meditation, and closeness to the earth.

Links:

The CUT Project

Holistic Resistance

Grief to Action

Aaron’s Tedx Talk

Grisha’s website

The Grisha Stewart Academy

The Lesson is Love Podcast Webpage

Social Media:

Grisha’s Instagram Grisha’s Facebook

CUT Project Instagram

Holistic Resistance Instagram

Episode 6: Tapping, Embodied Healing Practices, and The Value of Re-Membering | Damon Silas

“We are whole mind, body, soul beings. And so to just do therapy with the frontal part of the brain is doing the rest of the body a disservice. It's doing the rest of your healing process a disservice. And not saying that for some people, traditional talk therapy might be their thing--and I love it for you--and our bodies hold so much valuable information as well, and I think it's important to acknowledge the messages that our bodies hold too.” -Damon Silas

Join us for the sixth episode of The Lesson is Love, as I speak with Damon Silas, a clinical psychologist, published author (From Mourning to Knight: Overcoming Loss and What's Your ACTION Plan? 6 Powerful Ways to Get Unstuck In Your Life Now), speaker and teacher.

In this episode we talk about what brings us joy, the importance of exploring the role our bodies play in healing, honoring our somatic experiences and integrating body connection into our healing and therapeutic practices, and the power of re-membering--learning (and teaching) new ways of navigating harm, healing and relating in self and collective community. Damon also leads us through a guided tapping session!

About the Host, Grisha Stewart:

Grisha Stewart is an author, international speaker, dog trainer, and online dog school facilitator based in Oregon, USA, who specializes in dog reactivity and canine empowerment. She’s been training dogs since 2003. Her two most recent books are Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0: New Practical Techniques for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in Dogs and The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual: A Practical, Force-Free Guide to Problem Solving and Manners. In 2022, she revealed the update to BAT 3.0 (BAT 2.0 is still the best book on the subject). She presents dog training and behavior seminars around the world and lessons online. There are over 100 different courses in her innovative online dog training school, with more coming every few weeks from a variety of instructors, including Grisha. In addition to her professional pursuits and projects, Grisha is an avid conversationalist and enjoys exploring topics of connection, love, communication, and interspecies community.

About the Guest, Damon Silas:

Dr. Damon Silas is a clinical psychologist, published author (From Mourning To Knight: Overcoming Loss, and What’s Your ACTION Plan? 6 Powerful Ways To Get Unstuck In Your Life Now,), speaker and teacher. In his over 20 years in the field of psychology, he has worked with a wide range of populations and issues including but not limited to anxiety, grief and loss, and trauma. He is currently working as a contractor overseas, helping service members and their children adjust to and thrive within the military lifestyle. He also belongs to various mental-health related groups such as Movement Genius and Black Tappers United. When not living overseas, he resides in the Charlotte, NC area with his husband and two dogs, Lamont and Lola.

Links:

Grisha’s website

The Grisha Stewart Academy

Damon’s website

The Lesson is Love Podcast Webpage

Damon’s book, From Mourning to Knight: Overcoming Loss

Damon’s book, What's Your ACTION Plan? 6 Powerful Ways to Get Unstuck In Your Life Now

Movement Genius

The Tapping Solution

Mary Lou Seereiter’s Program, School For Mind-Body Centering

Social Media:

Grisha’s Instagram Grisha’s Facebook

Damon’s Instagram

Damon’s Facebook