33 episodes

Not About You is a podcast about identity and social justice. I’m the producer and host of the show and I wanted to make a show where a white, straight, cis-gendered man (that’s me) connected with folks with different lived experiences from my own about the ways parts of their identities bump up against injustices. We’ll be talking about race, gender, religion, representation, protests, politics, relationships and more.

My hope is that this series leads to more conversation and interaction. I want folks who are hesitant or new to standing in these struggles to feel more comfortable showing up for change and asking questions. I want underrepresented voices to have new ways to be amplified and supported.

I’ve set up a voicemail line, 612-361-9261, where you can share comments, suggestions and personal stories of your own that may be used in future episodes of the podcast. If you tell me which episode you’re responding to, that will help me make follow up episodes with voicemail responses. Call 612-361-9261 with your questions, comments or stories.

Not About You Levi Weinhagen

    • Society & Culture
    • 5.0 • 41 Ratings

Not About You is a podcast about identity and social justice. I’m the producer and host of the show and I wanted to make a show where a white, straight, cis-gendered man (that’s me) connected with folks with different lived experiences from my own about the ways parts of their identities bump up against injustices. We’ll be talking about race, gender, religion, representation, protests, politics, relationships and more.

My hope is that this series leads to more conversation and interaction. I want folks who are hesitant or new to standing in these struggles to feel more comfortable showing up for change and asking questions. I want underrepresented voices to have new ways to be amplified and supported.

I’ve set up a voicemail line, 612-361-9261, where you can share comments, suggestions and personal stories of your own that may be used in future episodes of the podcast. If you tell me which episode you’re responding to, that will help me make follow up episodes with voicemail responses. Call 612-361-9261 with your questions, comments or stories.

    What does public safety mean to you? with Enzi Tanner

    What does public safety mean to you? with Enzi Tanner

    “I strongly believe that what is true for me doesn’t necessarily mean that the opposite is false for another person.”
    Enzi Tanner is a Community Safety Organizer at Jewish Community Action(JCA). He's also a licensed social worker who has spent the past two decades focused on police brutality & police violence. In this episode, Enzi talks about the ways being a Black, trans, disabled, Jew impacts the way he thinks about public safety & how he shows up in community. 
    You can listen to Enzi's podcast, "Kuumba Hineni," here: LISTEN
    You can donate to JCA here: GIVE MONEY!

    • 47 min
    Naomi Ko!

    Naomi Ko!

    “Why are you Korean-American and from Minnesota?”
    Naomi Ko is a Filmmaker, Writer, Actor, Comedy Maker, a Sundance Fellow & Bush Fellow. She is a co-founder of APIA MN Film Collective + Funny Asian Women Kollective (FAWK). 
    She gets on a Zoom call with Levi to talk about perceptions inside and outside of Asian-American communities. They talk comedy, creativity, dating, H-Mart, and being an asshole. 
    Naomi would love it if you supported Red Canary Song

    • 52 min
    Resmaa Menakem Reissue

    Resmaa Menakem Reissue

    Resmaa Menakem released a racialized trauma e-course in 2019 to work in concert with 'My Grandmother's Hands.' This is a reissue of his appearance in 2018 with a brief new opening about the e-course. 
    “For 400 years you have not had to address this.” - Resmaa Menakem
    Resmaa Menakem talks about his work and the goals of his book 'My Grandmother's Hands,' including the healing needed around racialized trauma, the different approaches needed for different bodies, and whose responsibility it is to engage with the work of racial and social justice.
    Resmaa Menakem MSW, LICSW, S.E.P. has appeared on both The Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil as an expert on conflict and violence. He has served as director of counseling services for the Tubman Family Alliance; as behavioral health director for African American Family Services in Minneapolis; and as a Cultural Somatics consultant for the Minneapolis Police Department. As a Community Care Counselor, he managed the wellness and counseling services for civilians on fifty-three US military bases in Afghanistan. Resmaa currently teaches workshops on Cultural Somatics for audiences of African Americans, European Americans, and police officers. He is also a therapist in private practice in Minneapolis. MY GRANDMOTHER'S HANDS The first self-discovery book to examine white body supremacy in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology. American Gods slave ship scene: https://vimeo.com/217950394
    Professor Mahmoud El-Kati: http://www.mahmoudelkati.com/

    • 1 hr 4 min
    TK Dutes talks race, radio, and ROOTS

    TK Dutes talks race, radio, and ROOTS

    “When white people make roses, they’re just f***ing roses!”
    On this episode, TK Dutes talks about code switching, producing radio, what it means to be professional and the realities of living your dream.
    Keisha TK Dutes is a graduate of CUNY Brooklyn College with a degree in TV/Radio. Throughout her college career, she found her niche in college radio stations and began honing her personality as an energetic, opinionated, funny programmer and thorough interviewer.
    Listen to TK's radio show 'TK in The AM' live on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays: http://bondfireradio.com/tk-in-the-am
    TK is the producer of Buzzfeed's 'Thirst Aid Kit'
    You can hire TK as an event host, an interviewer, a moderator, an audio producer and she even teaches audio production classes. Check out TastyKeish dot net for details!
     

    • 48 min
    Nancy Lyons | Season 3 Episode 6

    Nancy Lyons | Season 3 Episode 6

    “There’s a big difference between lived equality and legal equality.”
    Nancy has been locally and nationally recognized for her role as owner and CEO of Clockwork. She is co-author of “Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People, and Process” (New Riders, 2012) and author of the upcoming book, “How to Win at Business by Being Nice to Humans.”
    She serves as the Chair Emeritus of the National Board of Directors of the Family Equality Council, is on the Board of Trustees at Minnesota Public Radio, is on the Open Twin Cities Advisory Board, is on the Amplified Voices Board, and is a member of the advisory board for the innovative entrepreneurial conference, Giant Steps. She is also a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization and was the Emcee for the Women’s March MN in 2017.
    https://www.nancylyons.com/

    • 46 min
    Cat Polivoda | Season 3 Episode 5

    Cat Polivoda | Season 3 Episode 5

    “Health is not a moral imperative.”
    On this episode, fat feminist Cat Polivoda delves into body positivity, fat advocacy and what it takes to run her own business. She also talks about being a joyous person and explains what happens when we conflate thinness with health. 
    Cat Polivoda owns Cake Plus-Size Resale - a body positive, plus-size thrift shop in Minneapolis, MN. Focused on fostering a shop space and local community centered on radical self love and size-acceptance, she is dedicated to making plus-size fashion more accessible and affordable. 
    Cat also co-hosts Matter of Fat - a new podcast through KFAI Community Radio! In this body positive podcast with Midwest sensibilities Cat & her co-host/producer Saraya highlight voices from our community with a lens on body size, body positivity, & fat liberation. You can listen here!

    • 52 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
41 Ratings

41 Ratings

jeffachen ,

Feels like I'm having coffee with all the interesting people

Levi's humor, curiosity and descretion help him navigate these important conversations in ways that embrace our differences as well as our shared humanity--flaws, bias and all. I can really relate to Levi, so it makes me feel like I'm actually there in these conversations with Levi and his guests. Just need to bring my own coffee.

mel chi el ,

Thank you

This most recent interview with Resmaa Menakem is the first Not About You episode that I've listened to and it makes me want to go back and listen to all the rest. I appreciate Levi's thoughtful, courageous questions and the humor that he brings which seems to create a sense of movement and ease amidst heavy conversations.

I really loved the question asked about what brought Resmaa into this work and then Resmaa's response that mama told him that this is how he has always been ... that didn't choose this work, ancestors chose him. As someone who has recently learned the meaning behind my name and how that reflects the work that I'm here to do, I felt draw to the story Resmaa told of his name.

The book My Grandmother's Hands has been a huge gift as I work to heal generational trauma and white body supremacy in my family line. I recently used an ancestor visioning exercise from the book with some peers and have had profound experiences that have significantly impacted my life and kin for the better. Thank you, Resmaa, for this resource!

Jaded Optimist ,

Thank You Levi!

Too often artists separate themselves from the world and the diverse cultures that exist in our glorious globe. Levi’s humanity is a gift to the Twin Cities community and through this podcast the world at large. Thank you Levi!

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