Held Together

Held Together Podcast

5.0 (2)
Relationships
Updated Monthly

Held Together is an exploration of disabled life, care work, and the everyday magic of interdependence.

23h ago

From Hidden to Held: When My Deficit Became Your Medicine

In this episode, Xander Peer Keller welcomes Chantalle, a dancer, writer, mover, adventurer, and facilitator whose work is rooted in co-creation and the belief that everyone has something to learn and something to offer. Content warning for mentions of suicidality in this episode. What begins with a photograph of Xander's disabled grandmother unfolds into a deeply personal exploration of disability, survival, intimacy, and the power of being witnessed. Together, they explore: disability, chronic illness, and the hidden stories that shape our livessurviving shame, depression, and suicidal ideation through care, community, and connectionhow dance, embodiment, and song became pathways to healing and belongingreimagining intimacy, interdependence, and the ways we hold one another through struggleThis is a conversation about moving from hidden to held. Through friendship, love, vulnerability, and years of learning together, Xander and Chantalle explore how our deepest struggles can become sources of connection, growth, and belonging. Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at Patreon.com/heldtogether for bonus content like Q&As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller: Instagram: @xanderpeerkellerTikTok: @queercripmagicSubstack: xanderpeerkeller.substack.comWebsite: disabilitycreativity.comListen to Sirona Isle's music on Spotify Email us at: heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
Aug 20

Singing as Survival: EDS, CSF Leaks, and the Songs That Save US

In this episode, Xander gathers with Mack Packard and Francis Cimarron for a conversation woven through disability, song, survival, and the unexpected ways love finds us. What begins as a reflection on living with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks unfolds into a story about care webs, friendship, ritual, and being held through experiences that exist somewhere between life and death. Together, they explore: living with CSF leaks and profound disability friendship as life-saving medicine song as ritual, resistance, and survival hospital rooms transformed by collective singing the magic and tenderness that can emerge alongside suffering reimagining love beyond conventional relationship models finding humanity inside medical systems This is a conversation about being carried when you cannot carry yourself, about the songs that keep us tethered to life, and about the people who arrive at exactly the right moment. It is a story of profound illness, profound love, and the ways we are held together through care, connection, and song. Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at Patreon.com/heldtogether for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller:⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠On Facebook linked here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here.⁠⁠ Read their writing on Substack at ⁠⁠xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ linked here.⁠⁠ Visit their website at ⁠⁠disabilitycreativity.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ linked here.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify!⁠⁠ Email us at ⁠heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
Jul 30

Village Building: Parenting, Divorce, and Singing Together

In this episode, Xander lays down with Lyric for a conversation about friendship, interdependence, chosen family, and the ways we nourish each other when neither of us feels like we have much left to give. What begins as a reflection on song and mutual support unfolds into a deeper exploration of community, divorce, parenting, grief, and the magic that emerges when people allow themselves to be held. Together, they explore: friendship as a sacred form of lovecommunity support during divorce and major life transitionsparenting within a village of supportritual, magic, and raising children in communitygrief as a doorway to connection and transformationsong as medicine, prayer, and collective healinglearning to ask for what we truly needbeing seen, held, and transformed through relationship This is a conversation about what becomes possible when care is not transactional, when friendship is allowed to be as sacred as any other form of love, and when people trust each other enough to bring their whole selves into the web. Together, Xander and Lyric explore how pain and pleasure, grief and joy, independence and interdependence are not opposites, but threads woven into the same song. Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at Patreon.com/heldtogether for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller:⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠On Facebook linked here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here.⁠⁠ Read their writing on Substack at ⁠⁠xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ linked here.⁠⁠ Visit their website at ⁠⁠disabilitycreativity.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ linked here.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify!⁠⁠ Email us at ⁠heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
Apr 22

Between Worlds: Disability, Suicidality, and Sacred Pain

In this episode, Xander lays down with Anusuya in her living room bed for a conversation about conflict, energy, altered states, and what it means to stay present inside a body that has limits. What began as a reflection on being “the bridge” in conflict opens into a deeper inquiry about capacity, chronic illness, and the cost of holding others. Together, they explore: conflict as intimacy the nervous system cost of being the bridgechronic illness and limited energystories vs raw emotion empathy without fixingaltered states and other ways of perceivingthe sacredness inside painThis is a conversation about choosing where your energy goes, and what it means to care without losing yourself.What connects us can also exhaust us. Together we talk about learning when to stay and when to step back. Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at ⁠patreon.com/heldtogether⁠ for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller:⁠ ⁠ ⁠⁠On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠On Facebook linked here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here.⁠⁠ Read their writing on Substack at ⁠⁠xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ linked here.⁠⁠ Visit their website at ⁠⁠disabilitycreativity.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ linked here.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify!⁠⁠ Email us at ⁠heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
Feb 5

Unlikely Channels: Weed, Needles, Pain, and Spirit

In this episode, Xander sits down with their acupuncturist, Tom Kirby, for a conversation about unlikely healing, addiction, and what it means to truly be met. What began as resistance to another white man in medicine became an unexpected relationship rooted in listening, presence, and shared humanity. Together, they explore chronic pain cannabis as both lifeline and challenge sobriety vulnerability the living loop of care and reciprocity This is a conversation about survival, trust, and the messy beauty of staying alive. What helps us survive can sometimes begin to take more than it gives. Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at ⁠patreon.com/heldtogether⁠ for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller: ⁠On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. ⁠⁠ On Facebook linked here. ⁠⁠ And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here.⁠ Read their writing on Substack at ⁠xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/⁠⁠ linked here.⁠ Visit their website at ⁠disabilitycreativity.com⁠⁠ linked here.⁠ ⁠ Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify!⁠ Email us at ⁠heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
12/14/2025

Rituals of Becoming: Magic and Disability as Transformation

In this conversation, Xander sits down with my friend Raven Hinojosa to trace the threads of our connection—how ritual, magic, and care weave through our friendship. We talk about: How our relationship shifted when Raven joined me in disability and illness Following ease and pleasure, even in pain Evolving and unfurling without needing to “fix” ourselves The role of ritual and creativity in deepening love and interdependence This episode is an invitation into the ways friendship, disability, and magic hold us together. Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at ⁠patreon.com/heldtogether⁠ for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller:On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here.On Facebook linked here.And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here.Read their writing on Substack at xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/ linked here.Visit their website at disabilitycreativity.com linked here.Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify! Email us at heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
12/14/2025

Unchosen Paths: When Childlessness & Illness Brought Us Closer

In this tender conversation, Xander Peer Keller and their longtime friend Amy reflect on 20 years of friendship shaped by disability, queerness, sickness, and unchosen paths. Together they explore: Unchosen paths — navigating childlessness and incurable illness Interdependence in practice — what it means to build and sustain a care web Friendship through rupture and repair — lessons from 20 years of showing up Invisible grief — losses that aren’t always seen or understood by others Receiving care — moving past fear of being “needy” into worthiness and reciprocity With honesty and vulnerability, they share what it means to mother without children, to live inside an ill body, and to trust that community and support can make survival feel like flourishing. Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at ⁠patreon.com/heldtogether⁠ for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller:On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here.On Facebook linked here.And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here.Read their writing on Substack at xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/ linked here.Visit their website at disabilitycreativity.com linked here.Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify and linked here! Email us at heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
12/14/2025

Between Us: Disability, Care, and Friendship

In the first full-length episode of Held Together, host Xander Peer Keller opens the door (and the bed) to a conversation about disability, care, and interdependence. Joined by longtime friend and collaborator Beth, they share stories of building a care web—a network of support rooted in friendship, reciprocity, and queer community. This episode explores: Finding voice and healing through song, storytelling, and community How disabled and non-disabled people can practice mutual aid and reciprocity The realities of crip time, pain, and communicating needs in interdependent relationships Why care webs matter for queer, disabled, and neurodivergent communities The joy and creativity that can emerge from interdependence At its heart, this conversation asks: What becomes possible when we stop holding it all together alone—and allow ourselves to be held together? Stay tender. Stay tangled. Stay held together. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at ⁠patreon.com/heldtogether⁠ for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller: On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. On Facebook linked here. And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here. Read their writing on Substack at xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/ linked here. Visit their website at disabilitycreativity.com linked here. Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify linked here! Email us at heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
10/29/2025 · Bonus

From Seed to Spark: An Introduction to Held Together

In this short behind-the-scenes episode, you’ll meet the people who are holding and shaping Held Together. Xander introduces Beth, Nora, and Lunie (their dog) as the team weaving sound, structure, and support into this experiment in care webs and conversation. Together, we share how this podcast was born out of friendship, courage, and the simple but radical act of showing up for one another. From building nests and leaning back-to-back, to discovering the strength of a three-legged truss, this episode offers a glimpse into the relationships that make Held Together possible. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at ⁠patreon.com/heldtogether⁠ for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller: On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. On Facebook linked here. And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here. Read their writing on Substack at xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/ linked here. Visit their website at disabilitycreativity.com linked here. Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify linked here! Email us at heldtogetherpod@gmail.com
Season 1, Episode 1 Trailer

Welcome to Held Together

Welcome to Held Together, a podcast about care webs, disabled life, and the everyday magic of interdependence. From my bed, I, Xander Peer Keller, invite you into conversations that are intimate, messy, and beautiful. We explore how pain can become a portal, how queerness and disability carry their own magic, and how being held together is more powerful than holding it all alone. This trailer is a glimpse into the world we’re creating here: part invocation, part seed-planting, and always rooted in the truth that interdependence is power. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at patreon.com/heldtogether for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller: On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. On Facebook linked here. And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here. Read their writing on Substack at xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/ linked here. Visit their website at disabilitycreativity.com linked here. Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify linked here! Email us at heldtogetherpod@gmail.com

Trailer

Welcome to Held Together

Welcome to Held Together, a podcast about care webs, disabled life, and the everyday magic of interdependence. From my bed, I, Xander Peer Keller, invite you into conversations that are intimate, messy, and beautiful. We explore how pain can become a portal, how queerness and disability carry their own magic, and how being held together is more powerful than holding it all alone. This trailer is a glimpse into the world we’re creating here: part invocation, part seed-planting, and always rooted in the truth that interdependence is power. Want more Held Together? Become a subscriber at patreon.com/heldtogether for bonus content like Q & As, advice, extra episodes and more! Memberships offered on a sliding scale. Find Xander Peer Keller: On Instagram @xanderpeerkeller and linked here. On Facebook linked here. And on TikTok @queercripmagic and linked here. Read their writing on Substack at xanderpeerkeller.substack.com/ linked here. Visit their website at disabilitycreativity.com linked here. Check out Sirona Isle's music on Spotify linked here! Email us at heldtogetherpod@gmail.com

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

Held Together is an exploration of disabled life, care work, and the everyday magic of interdependence.

Creator

Held Together Podcast
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

10
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Held Together Podcast
Show Website

Held Together