Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast

Relentless Indigenous Woman
  • 5.0 (11)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to the Relentless Indigenous Woman podcast—a space for uncensored and unapologetic conversations on the lived realities of Indigenous Peoples.   Hosted by Dr. Candace Manitopyes, a proud Moose Cree First Nation educator, advocate, and scholar, this podcast invites you to listen, grow, and take meaningful action. With a community of over 750,000 followers across social media, Dr. Manitopyes has become a powerful voice in bold Indigenous education, truth-telling, and solidarity. Here, education becomes rebellion. Resistance. Revolution. Whether you are an Indigenous listener or an ally committed to learning, this podcast exists to challenge, inspire, and empower.  www.relentlessindigenouswoman.ca

  1. 4D AGO

    Ep. 43: Beads, Backbone & Breaking Barriers with Melrene Saloy-Eaglespeaker

    In this episode, Melrene Saloy Eagle Speaker—Blackfoot designer, artist, and founder of Native Diva Creations and Authentically Indigenous—opens up about the heart, history, and hard lessons behind her work. From carrying her ancestors into global fashion stages to building one of Calgary’s most beloved Indigenous markets, Melrene shares how legacy, loss, and love continue to shape her artistry. She reflects on navigating backlash to her Medicine Collection, describing what it means to create from dreams, protocol, and deep cultural intention. The conversation moves through community accountability vs. cancel culture, the emotional toll of public criticism, and the courage required to stay rooted in one’s purpose. Melrene and Candace also dive into entrepreneurship: the realities of financial literacy, learning in public, accepting feedback, and building supportive relationships that make creative risk possible. They discuss the origins of Authentically Indigenous, the importance of accessible markets for makers, and the joy of seeing 285+ Indigenous entrepreneurs thrive in a space built by community for community. Grounded, funny, honest, and generous, Melrene’s story reminds listeners that Indigenous entrepreneurship is legacy work woven with medicine, imagination, and the refusal to leave anyone behind.  - Relentless Actions 1. Take one creative risk this week that you’ve been avoiding because of fear, backlash, or someone else's perception. 2. Spend 20 minutes mapping out the community you already have — mentors, peers, supporters — and choose one person to intentionally reconnect with or uplift. Relentless Reflections 1. Where am I holding back my gifts because I’m worried about how others will react, and what would it look like to create from intention rather than fear? 2. What am I carrying that isn’t mine (someone else’s expectations, projections, or limitations) and how can I release even a small piece of it this week? Relentless Resources 1. Authentically Indigenous, website  2. Indigenous Business Development Services, website Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    47 min

  2. DEC 13

    Ep. 42: Walking in Balance: Ma-Nee Chacaby on Being Two-Spirit

    Emerging from a place of prophecy, courage, and hard-earned wisdom, this episode traces the extraordinary life of Ma-Nee Chacaby—a Two-Spirit Ojibwe-Cree Elder, activist, storyteller, and acclaimed author whose teachings continue to shift the landscape of 2SLGBTQ+ visibility in Canada.  Her story unfolds through memories of her Kookum’s early vision that she would one day become a healer and educator for her people, a path she ultimately walked through decades of community work, advocacy, and leadership. Listeners are brought into Ma-Nee’s reflections on living as Two-Spirit, which she describes as carrying both masculine and feminine spirits in harmony—a balance that shapes how she walks in the world. She speaks to the power and bravery of the younger generation, the shifting landscapes of identity, and the reciprocal learning that happens between youth and elders. The conversation also highlights her groundbreaking memoir A Two-Spirit Journey, the national recognition it has received, and the generations it has touched. Through humour, honesty, and story,  Ma-Nee offers insight into resilience, colonial impact, community healing, and the future she sees emerging through today’s youth. Her presence throughout the episode is both grounding and transformative, reminding listeners what it means to lead with heart, and  truth. - Relentless Action 1. Choose one conversation this week where you intentionally listen the way Ma-Nee models: without interrupting,  fixing, or assuming you already know. Just be present, and let the other person’s truth unfold on its own timeline. 2. Ma-Nee reminds us that young people carry clarity, courage, and “future minds.”  Do one small act that honours the younger you. Something they would’ve needed, loved, or felt safe with. Relentless Reflection 1. Where in my life have I forgotten the wisdom and courage my younger self already carried? What did they know that I’ve unlearned over time? 2. How can I embody balance between the gentle and the fierce, the stillness and the action in my daily life? Relentless Resources  -A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-nee Chacaby -Academic Article: Envisioning the future of culturally safe healthcare systems for Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and gender diverse peoples Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    53 min

  3. DEC 6

    Ep. 41: Redefining Native Music: Natasha Fisher’s Creative Freedom

    Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with Anishinaabe singer-songwriter Natasha Fisher, a rising independent artist known for her moody, edgy fusion of pop, alt-rock, and unapologetic storytelling. Their conversation gets deep into the heart of Natasha’s creative process, her path to sobriety, and the personal history behind her newest album, Temporary Feelings. Natasha shares how songwriting has always been the place where she can say the things she can’t always speak out loud. Her music, often mistaken for romantic heartbreak, is rooted just as much in family struggles, addiction, and the emotional complexity of healing. She talks about how sobriety brought her back to her teenage self—reviving old musical influences, emo roots, and a rawness that she finally gave herself permission to embrace. Candace and Natasha also unpack the pressure Indigenous artists face to “sound Native enough,” and Natasha speaks honestly about carving out her own lane—one that honours her identity without fitting into someone else’s expectations. Throughout the episode, she opens up about navigating the industry as a fully independent artist, from doing her own marketing to earning a billboard spot, to mentoring younger Indigenous creatives who want into the music world. This conversation is full of humour, vulnerability, cultural insight, and creative truth-telling. It’s a reminder that healing is nonlinear, identity is expansive, and art becomes its most powerful when it’s honest. @natashafisher_ - Relentless Actions 1. Choose an age where you felt misunderstood, silenced, or creatively limited. Do one thing this week that honours who you were then (a playlist, an outfit, a journal entry, a walk in a place you loved) anything that reconnects you to that self. 2.  Pick one emotion you’ve been avoiding. Express it in a creative way (voice memo, drawing, movement, music, spoken word). No polishing. No editing. Just the raw feeling given form, and then released. Relentless Reflections  1. Where in my life am I still trying to fit into someone else’s expectations of who I should be? 2. What emotion or truth do I find hardest to say out loud, and what creative medium might help it finally move?  Relentless Resources 1. Indigenous Artist Mentorship & Funding. Canada Council for the Arts – Creating, Knowing & Sharing Program. Supports Indigenous artists, storytellers, musicians, and cultural expression. 2. Healing Through Art & Sobriety Support. Native Wellness Institute – Wellness Resources & Programs. Offers Indigenous-centered healing, wellness teachings, and community programs. Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    44 min

  4. NOV 29

    Ep. 40: Balancing Light and Dark: The Medicine of Creation with Copper Canoe Woman

    In this profound conversation, Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with Vina Brown, also known by her ancestral name ƛ̓áqvas gḷ́w̓aqs, which translates to Copper Canoe Woman. Vina is Haíłzaqv and Nuučaan̓uł, a mother, artist, weaver, scholar, and the powerhouse behind Copper Canoe Woman Creations. Her jewelry and artistry blend ancestral strength with modern design, carrying forward teachings from generations of matriarchs before her. Vina shares how she integrates her academic and artistic worlds through a holistic understanding of Dharma (living one’s purpose) and how her ADHD diagnosis reshaped her relationship to balance and joy. The two discuss entrepreneurship as a form of self-determination, the importance of Indigenous frameworks over colonial hierarchies, and the radical act of centring children, community, and kinship in our work.  In the second half, the conversation turns deeply spiritual and decolonial as Candace and Vina reflect on religion, shame, and the need to confront darkness with compassion. They discuss how Christianity’s colonial legacy sought to erase Indigenous cosmologies, yet how returning to balance, between light and dark, creation and destruction, restores our humanity. This episode is a masterclass in courage, creativity, and compassionate truth-telling, and a call to remember that our work, our art, and our healing are all forms of ceremony. IG: @coppercanoewoman Website: www.coppercanoewoman.com  - Relentless Reflections Where in my life have I unconsciously centered myself or the institution over the relationships, children, or communities who actually belong at the centre?What parts of my “basement” (fears, shame, defensiveness, colonial reflexes) need to be acknowledged, so I can return to community with more humility?Relentless Actions Write down one place in your daily life where you can replace hierarchy with relationality.Walk on the Land and identify one place where decay and new growth exist together. Let that be your teacher.Relentless Resources Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies BookWhat is Land-Based Learning? A Digital Forum VideoSend Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    1h 17m

  5. NOV 22

    Ep. 39: Soft as Bones: The Strength Beneath Tenderness with Chyana Marie Sage

    Our guest this week is Chyana Marie Sage, a Cree-Métis and Salish memoirist, journalist, poet, model, and author of the national bestselling memoir Soft as Bones. Dr. Candace and Chyana unpack truth-telling, survival, and the power of naming your own story. Chyana speaks vulnerably about her journey from silence to self-expression, describing how writing her memoir became an act of reclamation, giving voice to her younger self who had once been silenced by trauma and shame. She shares how traditional Cree-Métis healing practices, women’s circles, and language revitalization became lifelines throughout her process of writing and recovery. The two reflect deeply on what it means to be a truth teller in a colonial world that rewards silence, the body’s wisdom when something feels wrong, and the ways love, in all its forms, sustains us. They unpack the intersections of colonial violence, relational trauma, and how survivors can reclaim their narrative without apology. Chyana’s honesty about navigating toxic relationships, gaslighting, and her realization that “sometimes we’re not in love with them, we’re in love with our reflection in them” opens space for listeners to reflect on their own experiences of love, loss, and awakening. This episode is a reminder that healing doesn’t get rid of the pain, but alchemizing it into power, creativity, and truth. @softasbones -  Relentless Reflection  Where in my life am I still staying silent to “keep the peace,” and what would it look like to honour my truth instead of protecting someone else’s comfort?How do I relate to my own healing—do I see it as an isolated journey, or as something held within community, land, and lineage?Relentless Actions  Choose a body of water, a patch of forest, or even a quiet spot outside your home. Sit, breathe, listen. Notice what shifts in your body when you allow the land to be a relational teacher rather than a backdrop. Buy a book, attend a talk, share their work, subscribe to a newsletter, or donate to a project. Decolonial practice includes shifting resources and attention toward Indigenous-led narratives and knowledge.Relentless Resources Yellowhead Institute Land Back online course. This free, self-paced seven-module course explores the scale of land dispossession in Canada and Indigenous strategies for reclamation and consent-based relationships with land and governance.Matriarch Movement Podcast - A powerful platform amplifying Indigenous women, Two Spirit, and gender-diverse voices. A grounding resource for relational accountability, cultural healing, and Indigenous storytelling.Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    55 min

  6. NOV 15

    Ep. 38: The Pedagogy of Moss: Lessons in Fluidity, Belonging, and Resilience with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer

    Dr. Candace Manitopyes sits down with the beloved scientist, writer, and matriarch Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss. They weave a dialogue on remembrance, resistance, and relationality, where Indigenous knowledge and scientific thought meet in the shared soil of hope. Dr. Kimmerer reflects on her newest movement, Plant Baby Plant, which calls people to resist extraction by restoring reciprocity through regeneration. She and Candace speak candidly about despair, joy as an act of resistance, and the necessity of holding “two buckets”(one for grief, one for goodness) at once. Their exchange moves through moss, language, and the sacred act of remembering. They explore how moss teaches us gender fluidity, adaptability, and queerness, and how Indigenous languages reveal a world where everything (water, trees, even a bay) is alive and in motion. They consider what it means to unlearn colonial rigidity, to delight in being wrong, and to find flexibility through humility and curiosity. This episode feels like an offering of hope in a time of dismemberment. It reminds us that the revolution begins with the choice to create, nurture, and remember our membership in the living world. - Relentless Reflections What parts of yourself, your culture, or your relationship with the land have been “dismembered”? Reflect on what remembering might look like for you, not just recalling, but rejoining the living web that has always held you.When was the last time you allowed yourself to be wrong, and what did it reveal? Consider what humility makes possible. How could embracing the delight of being wrong expand your capacity for relationship, creativity, or solidarity?Relentless Actions Begin your own “Plant Baby Plant” practice. Whether it’s tending herbs on a windowsill, planting seeds with children, or volunteering in a community garden, ground your resistance in regeneration.Practice language as ceremony. Choose one phrase or word from your language (or the local Indigenous language where you live) that reminds you the world is alive. Speak it aloud. Let it rewire how you see everything around you.Relentless Resources PlantBabyPlant.com – A growing movement co-founded by Dr. Kimmerer that transforms resistance into regeneration through the act of planting and caring for the Earth.The Pedagogy of Moss - The award-nominated PhD dissertation of Dr. Candace  Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    55 min

  7. NOV 8

    Ep. 37: The Queer Wedding and the Revolution

    In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Candace Manitopyes returns to the Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast with honesty, gratitude, and renewal.  She shares the story of her wedding to her sweetheart, Alex Manitopyes, a ceremony rooted in intimacy, cedar medicine, and Cree traditions. She reflects on how love, rest, and joy have reshaped her relationship with activism, creativity, and resistance. After stepping away from social media during their honeymoon, Candace speaks candidly about what it means to reclaim energy in an age of constant reaction. She unpacks how consumption often replaces creation, and how sustainable resistance begins with choosing to build, not just respond. Through reflections on fascism, education as rebellion, and the importance of channeling rage into regeneration, she invites listeners to pause, reflect, and discover their own gifts to offer the world. Candace also shares exciting news about the new season of the podcast, featuring conversations with brilliant Indigenous voices—including Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Kent Monkman, Tanya Talaga, Ma-Nee Chacaby, and many more. She introduces her re-imagined Relentless Indigenous Woman Patreon community as a space for collective learning, reciprocity, and transformation. This episode feels like a breath of fresh air. A reminder that rest us part of resistance, and that the revolution begins in how we care for ourselves and each other. - Relentless Reflections Where is your energy going, toward reaction or regeneration?What gift has Creator placed in you that the world needs right now?Relentless Actions Set digital boundaries to reclaim your creative energy. Try a 1-hour timer on social media this week. Notice how it feels to consume less and create more, whether that’s journaling, finding a new hobby, making art, teaching, or resting intentionally.Take one feeling (anger, grief, or hope) and channel it into something tangible. Write a poem, support a mutual aid fund, plant seeds, teach a friend about decolonial solidarity, etc. Transmute what overwhelms you into what sustains you. Relentless Resources Book: Braiding Sweetgrass by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer Essay: Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly (or the audiobook) Send Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    48 min

  8. SEP 27

    Ep. 36: The Power of Performance: Dr. Zoey Roy on Art as Education

    Dr. Candace Linklater welcomes Dr. Zoey Roy, a celebrated spoken word poet, creative producer, and arts-based educator from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and a proud member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. With a career spanning international stages—including performances with the National Youth Orchestra of Dr. Canada and at the World Expo in Dubai—Dr. Zoey has trailblazed the blending of hip-hop and orchestral music, creating globally touring shows like "Enough" and "Ever Beautiful." Holding a PhD in Education, Dr. Zoey has received numerous awards, including the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Indspire Award, and Ontario’s Arts Educator of the Year, solidifying her reputation as both an artist and a leader in education. Dr. Candace and Dr. Zoey’s conversation goes beyond her incredible accolades, focusing on the spirit and intention behind Dr. Zoey’s artistry. Dr. Candace reflects on witnessing her perform live, describing it as spirit-led and electrifying, while Dr. Zoey shares how fashion, stage presence, and reciprocity with the audience are all part of her craft. They discuss the inspirations fueling her work today—especially the grounding influence of motherhood—and how creativity, identity, and relationality shape her performances. This dialogue reveals Dr. Zoey’s brilliance as a poet and performer, along with her dedication to carrying culture, story, and truth forward through every medium she touches. Bio:  Dr. Zoey Roy (Nihithaw-Denesuline Halfbreed-Métis) is a celebrated spoken word poet, creative producer and arts-based educator from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She is a proud member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, a signatory of Treaty Six.  In 2017, she toured Canada with the National Youth Orchestra, a 104-piece ensemble, while performing spoken word. In 2021, she showcased her talent at the World Expo held in Dubai. Discovering a passion for blending hip hop with orchestral music, she collaborated with her partner, Omar Ballantyne, to create two orchestral spoken word shows: "Enough is Enough" with Juliet Palmer and "Ever, Beautiful" with Cris Derksen, both of which she plans on touring globally. Dr. Zoey holds a Bachelor of Education from SUNTEP at the University of Saskatchewan, a Master's in Public Policy from the Johnston Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, and a PhD in Education from York University.  Dr. Zoey received the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Women of Distinction Award (2013), the Indspire Award (2015), the Saskatchewan Arts Board Award for Education (2022); the University of Saskatchewan's One to Watch (2023); and Ontario's Arts Educator of the Year (2024). @zoeyroy.thepoet  https://zoeyroy.com/  - Relentless Reflection Questions When have I experienced performance or art that felt spirit-led, and how did it move me?What intentional choices, whether in dress, words, or presence, do I make that reflect my full essence when I step into public spaces?Relentless Actions The next time you’re in an audience, whether a classroom, performance, or community space, offer your full attention and presence as part of the exchange. For one day, choose what you wear not for utility or trend, but as an expression of your spirit and story, just as Zoey curates her stage presence.Relentless Resources Dr. Zoey Roy’s official Site & WorkShow: Ever BeautSend Us a Text with Your Thoughts or Questions! Join the RIW Patreon Community RIW Website Music Produced by Award-Winning Anishnaabe DJ Boogey the Beat

    45 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Relentless Indigenous Woman podcast—a space for uncensored and unapologetic conversations on the lived realities of Indigenous Peoples.   Hosted by Dr. Candace Manitopyes, a proud Moose Cree First Nation educator, advocate, and scholar, this podcast invites you to listen, grow, and take meaningful action. With a community of over 750,000 followers across social media, Dr. Manitopyes has become a powerful voice in bold Indigenous education, truth-telling, and solidarity. Here, education becomes rebellion. Resistance. Revolution. Whether you are an Indigenous listener or an ally committed to learning, this podcast exists to challenge, inspire, and empower.  www.relentlessindigenouswoman.ca

Information

  • Creator
    Relentless Indigenous Woman
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast
  • Show Website
    Relentless Indigenous Woman Podcast

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