Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause

When I was in my late 20s, I felt like I was going through a tremendous identity shift and growth spurt. The shift was from a more conventional aspirtationally bougie identity of my early 20s to one that was seeking to find my authentic self. The self at home in this body and understanding the origins of my culture beyond these shores. I was a single mom, working full time in the non profit sector, had stopped relaxing my hair (i.e. cut off my hair and was growing my first set of locs) and was seeking a spiritual path and practice that was more African in nature. From the outside looking in, old friends and some family members were perplexed, confused and some were concerned. I can tell you that my mother was worried about me. What was I doing? Why was I changing in a way that looked so different? Who was I becoming and would there still be room for our connection and love? I assured her that this growth was not an abdication of my love for her, our family or our community. It was just more me trying to find and love more of me. All of me. 

There are people who see it before you do. They see who you are trying to become. They see what is emerging, sometimes with struggle, sometimes with grace and they support you. They can be peers who look like you who are also on their own journey, they can be elders who have walked the path you are currently on or they can be the oddest of allies, so compelled by your emerging truth that they invest in your transformation. Either way, they are willing to bear witnesses to the makings of you. In this episode, we explore identity, healing, pleasure and activism with Ignacio Rivera. 

Ignacio G Hutía Xeiti Rivera, M.A. who prefers the gender neutral pronoun, They, is an Activist, Writer, Educator, Sex(ual) Healer , Filmmaker, Performance Artist and Mother. Ignacio has over 20 years of experience on multiple fronts, including economic justice, anti-racist and anti-violence work, as well as mujerista, LGBTQI and sex positive movements. Their work is influenced by their lived experience of homelessness, poverty and sexual trauma. Ignacio’s work is also driven by the strengths of identifying as a survivor, transgender, Yamoká-hu/Two-Spirit, Black-Boricua-Taíno and queer.

Listening Advisory:

There are parts of this episode where we discuss sexual trauma and abuse. 

You can follow Ignacio on IG Here:

@blkbrownred

@heal2end

For more information about Ignacio's works around healing trauma and pleasure, check out: 

https://heal2end.org/home/

To take advantage of the discount from this episode's sponsor, KINDRA, click: 

ourkindra.com/omi20

To learn more about the Black Girl's Guide to Surviving Menopause, purchase our FIRST ZINE "Messages from the Menopausal Multiverse or buy merch, check us out at www.blackgirlsguidetosurvivingmenopause.com 

Love offerings are appreciated and accepted via cashapp, venmo or paypal:

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