From Root to Bone with Dr. Jenn Mullan

Decolonizing Therapy
  • 4.8 (60)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

From Root To Bone is the podcast for people who are parched, poised and primed to rehydrate our souls and do some unlearning. A place where Dr. Jenn unlocks the gates and has real ass conversations with elders, teachers and her intellectual crushes, folks doing the real ass work towards reclaiming the juiciest parts of our ancestry, history, collective health and liberation. Dr. Jenn, The Rage Doctor, and Founder of Decolonizing Therapy continues to shift the mental health paradigm on its head with her realness, vulnerability and 25 + years of experience as a clinical psychologist, community

  1. 4d ago

    The Marrow of Grief as a River Home with Dr. Jaiya John

    What happens when grief becomes a doorway instead of a destination? In this deeply moving and soul-stirring conversation, Dr. Jen welcomes ancestral baba, medicine poet, and freedom worker Jaiya John to the From Root to Bone altar. Together, they explore the profound loneliness, grief, rage, and longing many of us are carrying in these times—and the sacred practices that can help us find our way home to ourselves. Through storytelling, poetry, ancestral remembrance, and heartfelt reflection, Jaiya shares wisdom on ritual, ceremony, embodiment, collective healing, and the revolutionary power of slowing down. The conversation moves through themes of orphanhood, belonging, spiritual dehydration, grief as a living river, the relationship between rage and love, and the ways we can reclaim our humanity in a world that often asks us to abandon it. This episode is an invitation to breathe more deeply, grieve more honestly, receive soul medicine, and remember that even in our isolation, we are not alone. Connect with Dr. Jaiya John - jaiyajohn.com

    1h 43m

  2. Jun 8

    The Marrow of Ancestors, Endings, & Transformations w/ Dr. Minerva Arias

    In this deeply moving conversation, Dr. Jennifer Mullan welcomes grief therapist, priestess, author, and soon-to-be Dr. Minerva Arias to explore grief as more than an emotional response to loss—it is a sacred relationship, a portal, and a teacher. Drawing from her lived experience, ancestral traditions, and her work within Ifá and Lucumí cosmologies, Minerva shares how the sudden death of her beloved niece transformed her life and ultimately guided her toward a doctoral path centered on grief, ancestral relationships, and collective healing. Together, Dr. Jen and Minerva unpack what Western psychology often misses about grief, the importance of maintaining relationships with our ancestors, and how colonization has disconnected many of us from traditional practices of mourning, remembrance, and spiritual care. This conversation invites listeners to consider grief beyond individual loss and into the realms of collective, historical, ecological, and ancestral grief. Through stories, reflections, and practical wisdom, Minerva offers gentle pathways for reconnecting with ourselves, our bodies, our ancestors, and the natural world when life feels overwhelming. Whether you're grieving the death of a loved one, navigating personal transformation, mourning a relationship, or carrying the weight of collective heartbreak, this episode is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and remember that we were never meant to carry grief alone. Connect with Dr. Minerva Arias - https://www.sagradard.com; https://instagram.com/sagradard

    1h 40m

  3. May 18

    The Marrow of Revolutionary Parenting w/ Leslie Priscilla and Fernando Deveras

    In this deeply grounding and emotionally expansive conversation, Dr. Jennifer Mullan is joined by Leslie Priscilla and Fernando Deveras for a powerful dialogue on parenting, collective liberation, community care, and what it means to raise conscious children in a world shaped by oppression, violence, and disconnection. Together, they explore the intersections of decolonized parenting, organizing, healing, ancestral wisdom, and relationship-building as acts of resistance and survival. Through reflections on intergenerational healing, political education, mutual aid, and the importance of village-building, the conversation moves between the personal and the collective—offering listeners a tender but urgent reminder that liberation begins in our relationships with ourselves, our children, and each other. Leslie and Fernando share insights from their organizing work in immigrant communities, their experiences building intentional community spaces, and the challenges and beauty of parenting while navigating grief, systemic harm, and social collapse. This episode is an invitation to imagine new ways of being together: rooted in care, accountability, humanity, and collective responsibility. Connect with Leslie Priscilla - https://latinxparenting.org ; https://instagram.com/latinxparenting Connect with Fernando Deveras - https://www.instagram.com/fernando.deveras/

    2h 11m

  4. May 4

    The Marrow of Therapists from the Hood w/ Kim Young and Marvin Toliver

    In conversation, Dr. Jennifer Mullan is in unfiltered conversation with Kim Young and Marvin Toliver—licensed social workers, cultural disruptors, and unapologetic truth-tellers. Together, they dive deep into the realities of mental health work, the violence embedded in traditional systems, and the radical act of showing up as your full, authentic self. From reflections on growing up Black in America to navigating overwhelmingly white academic spaces, Kim and Marvin unpack the emotional labor of being “the only one,” the myth of neutrality in therapy, and the pressure to shrink or shape-shift to survive. They challenge the field of social work to reckon with its complicity in harm, while also naming the beauty, power, and necessity of community-centered care. Expect real talk on burnout, boundaries, liberation, and the journey of becoming—again and again. Connect with Kim Young - https://instagram.com/dopeblack_socialworker Connect with Marvin Tolliver - https://instagram.com/mtoliver_lcsw; https://instagram.com/dearblackman_yougood

    1h 32m

  5. Apr 20

    The Marrow of Apocalyptic Grief w/ Lama Rod Owens

    n this deeply expansive and soul-stirring conversation, Dr. Jennifer Mullan welcomes renowned Buddhist teacher, author, and activist Lama Rod Owens to From Root to Bone. Together, they explore what it means to live, love, and lead from the marrow—where truth, grief, joy, and liberation all coexist. From reflections on spiritual lineage and ancestral connection to the radical act of choosing joy in a world shaped by systemic harm, this episode invites listeners into a layered dialogue on healing, responsibility, and becoming. Lama Rod shares insights from his journey through Buddhism, activism, and personal transformation, emphasizing the importance of sitting with discomfort, embracing brokenheartedness, and turning pain into medicine. Dr. Mullan and Lama Rod also unpack the tension between collective liberation and individual healing, the myth of “goodness” as a tool of control, and the necessity of play, pleasure, and vulnerability in movement work. Through stories, laughter, and truth-telling, they offer a powerful reminder: we are not just here to survive—we are here to feel, to connect, and to live fully. This episode is an invitation to soften, to listen deeply, and to remember that even in collapse, joy is not a betrayal—it is a practice of freedom. Connect with Lama Rod Owens - http://www.lamarod.com/

    1h 46m

  6. Apr 8

    The Marrow of Pleasure and Power w/ Dr. Zelaika Hepworth Clarke Carnagie

    Dr. Jennifer Mullan sits down with sexologist Dr. Zelaika Hepworth Clark Carnegie for a powerful conversation on decolonizing sexuality, reclaiming the erotic as power, and healing beyond Western frameworks. Together, they explore pleasure, trauma, ancestral wisdom, and the radical act of imagining new ways of being. This episode is an invitation to reconnect with your body, your joy, and your liberation. Dr. Zelaika Hepworth Clarke Carnagie, PhD, MSW, MEd, is an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, as well as a loveologist, cultural and clinical sexologist, Africa-centered social worker, anti-racist sexuality educator, decolonial eroticologist, decolonizing autoethnographer, and consultant. Dr. Hepworth Clarke is the first Jamerican (Jamaican-American) to earn three degrees in Sexuality Studies from accredited universities in the United States: a Bachelor of Arts from NYU in Sexuality, Culture, and Oppression (2007); a Master of Education in Human Sexuality (2012); and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Sexuality (2015) from the Center for Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University. Dr. Hepworth Clarke is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Social Work. They are a graduate of the National Academy for African-Centered Social Work, the International School of Transnational Decolonial Black Feminism in Brazil, and the Decolonizing Knowledge and Power Summer School in Barcelona, Catalonia. They co-founded the anti-racist decolonial sexuality studies program at Goddard College and co-created the Decolonial Sexual Attitude Restructuring/Reassessment (D-SAR), a sexuality training program that helps participants examine the impact of settler-colonialism, white supremacy, capitalism, and cisheteropatriarchy on sex, gender, and relational dynamics. As the director of The Pluriversity LLC, Dr. Hepworth Clarke offers decolonial guidance services, love education, consulting, and counseling with a commitment to increasing sexual multiepistemic literacy, erotic sovereignty, and sensual justice. Their work centers communities of the African diaspora, along with kinky, non-monogamous, queer, gender-expansive, and erotically marginalized populations. Dr. Hepworth Clarke’s approach integrates anti-erotophobic, anti-oppressive, and healing-centered approaches to support individuals and communities through transformative processes related to intimacy, eroticism, gender, sexuality, pleasure, and relationships. More information can be found at www.zelaika.com

    1h 24m

  7. Mar 23

    The Marrow of Somatic Healing w/ Nazbah Tom and Fayza Bundalli

    Dr. Jennifer Mullan sits with somatic practitioners Nazbah Tom and Fayza Bundalli to explore healing through the body, ancestry, and collective liberation. Together they unpack burnout, nervous system wisdom, cultural lineage, and everyday resilience practices. This grounding conversation invites listeners to reconnect with embodied knowing and imagine more liberated futures.Nazbah Tom (Dene) is a somatic practitioner based near Tkaronto (Toronto), living and working on Mohawk and Anishinaabe lands. They offer one-to-one healing work, lead small groups, teach and supervise practitioners, and support community skill-building rooted in embodiment and cultural wisdom. Nazbah is also passionate about woodcraft, hiking, boxing, reading, and writing as pathways of creative expression and restoration. Fayza Bundalli is a queer South Asian femme, mother, somatic therapist, and bodyworker. She supervises queer and trans BIPOC practitioners, teaches in collaboration with generative somatics educators, and offers healing spaces that support collective aliveness, dignity, and liberation. Her work centers the impacts of systemic oppression on the body and supports people in building nourishing relationships and meaningful contributions to their communities.Connect with Nazbah and Fayza - www.fayzabundalli.com - https://instagram.com/somaticswithnazbah

    1h 39m

  8. Mar 9

    The Marrow of Radical Queerness w/ Robert Downes

    When white queerness can't always be trusted to keep in line with collective liberation, where do you turn? In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Mullen sits down with psychotherapist and writer Robert Downes for a powerful conversation about resistance, Black feminist thought, and the work of decolonizing therapy and the psyche. Together they explore rage, care, ancestry, and what it means to live and act with integrity in a world shaped by colonialism and racial capitalism. This episode invites listeners to transform grief and discomfort into deeper connection, truth-telling, and collective action. Robert Downes is a psychotherapist, supervisor, teacher, and writer whose work explores the intersections of psychotherapy, decolonial thought, and psychosocial practice. Drawing from a range of critical traditions, Robert’s work challenges dominant therapeutic frameworks while centering relational, cultural, and political dimensions of healing. Rooted in his Irish ancestral lineage and informed by Black feminist scholarship and abolitionist practice, Robert’s work examines how colonialism, racial capitalism, and social power shape psychic and relational life. His approach to therapy and teaching often centers what he calls “disruptive therapeutics,” a practice that interrogates institutional norms while creating space for truth-telling, care, and collective liberation. Connect with Robert - https://bodypsychotherapyinlondon.com/ Want to read the books suggested in this episode? Get them at the Decolonizing Therapy bookshop - https://bookshop.org/lists/from-root-to-bone-read-along

    1h 25m
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4.8
out of 5
60 Ratings

About

From Root To Bone is the podcast for people who are parched, poised and primed to rehydrate our souls and do some unlearning. A place where Dr. Jenn unlocks the gates and has real ass conversations with elders, teachers and her intellectual crushes, folks doing the real ass work towards reclaiming the juiciest parts of our ancestry, history, collective health and liberation. Dr. Jenn, The Rage Doctor, and Founder of Decolonizing Therapy continues to shift the mental health paradigm on its head with her realness, vulnerability and 25 + years of experience as a clinical psychologist, community

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