CHIARA FRANCESCA on Embodied Care /266
Photo of a layered cross section of an agate by Minakryn Ruslan.
In this week’s episode, we ground ourselves in our embodied reality with guest Chiara Francesca, who invites us to explore what it means to be aware of our bodies and the way that they feel in this world. With a deep commitment to future visioning, we unpack the significance of what it means to “heal” amidst a system that is so violently creating our perpetual states of illness. Moving beyond notions of healing as a singular, individual act, Chiara Francesca asks us to think about what it will take for care and community to thrive.
In conversation, we explore the emotional experience behind acupuncture, how a disability justice framework shapes Chiara Francesca’s work, the connection between Earth and bodily experienced trauma, and how to create a conducive environment for embodiment. Chiara Francesca reminds us that “healing is a collective endeavor,” and if we truly want to co-create a healthy society, we must work to liberate one another from survival mode.
“Capitalism has demanded that we leave our bodies behind, pretend that the environment doesn’t exist, and keep producing.”
Photo of Chiara Francesca
Originally from Italy, and currently residing in Chicago, Chiara is a queer artist, writer, organizer, acupuncturist, immigrant, and former teen ma’ living with multiple disabilities. Their clinical focus is on mental health, trauma, CPTSD, and queer/trans health. She is committed to building collaborative spaces for community care and centering collective health in and out of movements for justice.
♫ The music featured in this episode is “Bird Eye or Camera” by Cy X, “May This Body” by Te Martin, and “Sulk” by Secret Cigarette.
Chiara’s Recommendations
“Anything by adrienne maree brown, Mariame Kaba, Shira Hassan, the Allied Media Conference archives, Kelly Hayes, Leah Lakshmi Piepna-Samarasina, Octavia Butler, Silvia Federici, Mariarosa dalla Costa, INCITE!, Grace Lee Boggs, TruthOut!.”
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For The Wild Podcast is an anthology of the Anthropocene; focused on land-based protection, co-liberation and intersectional storytelling rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth and consumerism.