Special Premier for MLK Day...

Offering Lived Experience of the Civil Rights Movement and Wisdom needed for 2026. Hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball are joined by Civil Rights Activist Mel Hoover, a pillar of wisdom whose life experience bridges the worlds where Martin Luther King Jr. and his family walked and lived. We are profoundly enriched by this elder sharing his lived experience of the civil rights movement and his personal knowledge of his namesake, Dr. Melvin Watson, who was a close friend and mentor to the King family.

A trailblazer in ministry, education, and social justice, Mel opens the windows to bring in fresh air for a frank, grassroots understanding of what “I have a dream!” meant to “we the people.” This episode—the first of several—brings forward a powerhouse of lived experience from a challenging period of history to help us navigate our current times.

Inside this Episode:

• Predicting the Past: Mel explains why we must honestly examine our history to change our present. If we don’t understand how the "foot on the neck" functioned in the past, we cannot remove it in the future.

• The Messenger vs. The Movement: A deep dive into how Dr. King was the voice, but the community—especially the power of Black women—was the engine.

• Geographical Perspectives: Comparing the marches in Texas to the border-community perspectives of Whatcom County, Washington, to see how location shapes our understanding of race and restorative work.

• Logic to Legacy: We explore shifting from transactional, hierarchical systems to a Living Restorative Legacy based on shared humanity and the "eyes of love."

Mel Hoover demonstrates how focusing on local needs promotes positive community changes. Join us for this "Major League" conversation on rehumanizing the human race.

Available NOW on all streaming platforms. 🎧Broadcasting Thursday, Jan 22nd at Noon on KOYS-LPFM 94.1. 📻🕛

Welcome to the Season 5 Premiere of iChange Justice! In this landmark episode, hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball celebrate an incredible milestone with our dear friend and international collaborator, James White. James is a member of Community Living British Columbia, serves on the Board of the Restorative Community Coalition, and founded the ESATTA Cooperative (Empowering Self Advocates To Take Action) over 40 years ago. Trailblazing anew, it’s achieved a distinctive level of civic leadership!

Focusing on 2026, James identifies this as the Year of the Fire Horse—his own Chinese astrological sign—signaling a time of high energy, passion, and rapid advancement. A globally recognized mentor in the international learning community for person-centered practices, James is guiding us to use this "on fire" energy to move away from cold, transactional bureaucracy and back to the heart of Human Connection.

Inside this Premiere, he introduces tools and demonstrates action:

The "Who Am I?" One-Page Profile: James details how ESATTA uses this tool to help people move past labels and "ableism." It’s a blueprint for building symbiotic, life-giving friendships and professional support systems based on who we actually are, rather than institutional "pigeonholes."

The Mission, B.C. Success Story: We dive into the "Reimagining Community: Welcome Home" project. Using the power of World Cafés, James shows how he helped bridge the gap between city councils, 27 diverse tribes, and everyday citizens in British Columbia to create a roadmap for true civic inclusion.

Breaking Down Barriers: Following the theme of "Nothing About Us Without Us," we discuss how to challenge systemic barriers and return control to the individuals most impacted by the justice and care systems.

Moving from Logic to Legacy: This episode sets the stage for a series of five intensive trainings James will be leading in 2026. We are moving from the “logic” of the system (the data, the labels, and the rules) to a “living restorative legacy”—utilizing the powerful "Fire Horse" energy of the year to create a world where everyone is treated with compassion, respect, and dignity.

In this Season 5 Premiere, Whatcom's own Joy Gilfilen and community justice educator and activist Karen Ball (currently located in Texas). engage in a high-level dialogue with Kathryn Alexander, MA, founder of Bridge to Partnership. An early student of the Fifth Discipline and systems thinking, Kathryn brings decades of research into how "tacit values" shape our leadership and our culture.

The conversation explores the imbalance of Western culture and Kathryn’s shift to nature as the ultimate expert. She introduces the Resilient Values Set™ and her Birds of a Feather™ model—tools designed to move us out of the "Protective" value systems that fuel social and environmental fighting. We dive deep into the Biotic Pump and her work with SoilSmart-SoilWise, revealing how a scientific understanding of the Earth’s self-cooling systems provides a blueprint for human community health. This is a vital look at how we move from the noise of systemic crisis to a legacy of restorative action.

#217 iChange Justice Podcast - The Seeds of Sovereignty: A Lifetime of Indigenous Advocacy with Beth Brownfield

In this special Happy New Year broadcast, host Joy Gilfilen welcomes her longtime mentor and community icon, Beth Brownfield. As we step into 2026 and our fifth season, this episode serves as a masterclass in how one person’s "seeds of justice" can ripple across a nation to change laws, denominations, and heart-centered community policies.

The Seed of a 12-Year-Old: Beth shares the origin of her activism—a seed planted at age 12 after reading a heartbreaking paragraph of contaminated smallpox blankets sent by the U.S. Army, especially Plains groups, to control the Indian problem. Years later she takes her heartbreaking first response through her journey from the Pine Ridge Reservation to the Pacific Northwest, sharing the heroic stories of Sue Ann Big Crow, who transformed racial tensions through a Lakota shawl dance on a basketball court, and the losing fight of Alex White Plume to grow hemp under the protection of native sovereignty.

The Principles of HONOR: Beth details her work with HONOR (Honor Our Neighbors, Origins, and Rights), an organization that worked, at the invitation of Tribes and Nations to: Honor government to government relationships and tribal sovereignty; Affirm Indian treaties; Honor and protect the Earth; Conduct Ourselves in a manner which is respectful of all people; Promote intercultural understanding and awareness. She explains how these principles were practiced in collaborative work to save Whatcom County from the proposed coal terminal, and why the first official acknowledgment of the "first inhabitants of these lands and waters" was an essential first step to restorative justice.

The Doctrine of Discovery: One of Beth’s most significant legacies is her work inspired by the work of Lummi, Jewel James and Shawnee, Lenape, Steve Newcomb to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. Beth recounts her campaign to move the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to pass a national resolution repudiating this archaic legal framework used to dominate the Original Nations and Peoples, their lands, and resources.

Beth describes her methodology as being a "Johnny Appleseed" for justice—planting seeds and letting them take root through the work of community action. She leaves us with a powerful call to action for 2026: "If everyone plants “seeds” as they pass through the world, and picks up the garbage in front of them, we could change the world."

Ready for a soul-stirring Christmas? Discover iChange Justice! Whatcom County's own Joy Gilfilen and visionary artist Shawn Gallaway present a musical gift of restoration for the Salish Sea and beyond. Find iChange Justice right here every Thursday at noon.

This Christmas Day, the iChange Justice podcast is unwrapping something truly special. Host Joy Gilfilen is joined by visionary artist Shawn Gallaway to present a curated selection of his most recent music—songs born from a lifetime of storytelling and a deep commitment to human restoration.

Blending Soul with TechnologyShawn shares how his newest creations use Authentic Intelligence to reach the heart. These are "songs of transformation" designed to help us navigate the Choice Point between love and fear.

Episode Highlights:

• The Debut of New Sounds: Experience Shawn’s most recent compositions, including the powerful evolution of "Joy Riders."

• Bridging Generations: Shawn reflects on his journey as a performer and grandfather using modern tools to spread ancient truths.

• A Vision for 2026: How music serves as a frequency to heal, transmute fear, and prepare us for the collective changes ahead.

This episode is a tribute to the Restorative Community Coalition and a warm holiday season to every listener seeking justice, peace, and joy in the Salish Sea and beyond.

The Christmas Special: A Sonic Gift to the Community

This episode is a tribute to the Restorative Community Coalition and a warm holiday season to every listener seeking justice, peace, and a bit of joy in the coming year.

iChange Justice co-hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball present the powerful conclusion to their two-part series with Elder Eveimai Lotori, focusing on "Beyond Your Impossible Awakening Your Wisdom Healing." This episode features deep reflection and dialogue with guest Mel Hoover, frequent contributor and and supporter of the work with Eveimai.

The discussion centers on Eveimai’s five-step self-learning and healing process, which is a rich integration of ancient teachings from Toltec, Mexica, Cherokee, Lakota, Dakota, and Cheyenne traditions. This process, which Eveimai uses for her own transformation through journaling, is structured around key stages: self-reflection (mirroring), heart-centered will, shedding limiting patterns, wisdom activation, and achieving harmonic balance through ceremonial dance.

Joy sets the context for the conversation by placing it at the critical transition from the end of 2025 into 2026. She emphasizes that this period is far from normal, citing profound shifts in global political and economic power, the spread of misinformation, and the rapidly accelerating influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and augmented intelligence.

Karen builds on this by translating Eveimai’s wisdom into actionable steps, inviting listeners to engage in deep listening and brave conversations. She uses the concept of the four directions to examine the self, questioning personal "blinders" and repetitive patterns of dualism and competition. Karen stresses the need to pivot away from systems of extraction, consumption, and control toward collaboration and co-creation aligned with the laws of nature.

Mel Hoover provides a foundational analysis, affirming that culture has programmed people into "either/or" thinking—a deviation from nature. He introduces the critical idea that personal change must begin with the "I" to build an honest "we." Mel then offers a profound, experience-based definition of the "tipping point," drawing on his civil rights work. He explains that when neighborhoods or schools reached 15% to 20% integration, white residents with financial means often "panicked and moved." This phenomenon, he argues, exposed how money and classism allowed people to mask the deeper discomfort of "anti-blackness" and systemic advantage, proving that the societal struggle encompasses not just racism, but all "isms" (including rankism and classism) built on a foundational "lie" that normalizes division.

The episode concludes with a powerful invitation to embrace the coming holy day season (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa) with "mosaic eyes." Joy and Mel encourage listeners to practice true listening, forgive human imperfections, apologize sincerely for unintended harm, and work toward becoming "beloveds together"—connected to the wholeness and health of nature. The conversation ends by calling for a "holiday season of learning" that celebrates the possibility of personal and collective change.

To learn how you can participate, volunteer, research, or donate to support local living economies and partner with the iChange Justice podcast, please visit www.therestorativecommunity.org.

Find details about upcoming events on the calendar there.

This first installment introduces Eveimai's groundbreaking plan for The Beyond Your Impossible Legacy Foundation. Co-hosts Joy Gilfilen and Karen Ball guide listeners through the vision for this new entity—a 508 C1A Private Membership Association—designed for global community service, advocacy, and spiritual inclusivity.

At the heart of the foundation are the proposed Nurturing Development Centers. Eveimai describes these centers as tailored, two-year immersive journeys for individuals and families in locales worldwide, from Colorado to Palestine. The mission is to help participants discover their soul and creative potential, supported by healers, craftspeople, and experts. Core focus areas include emotional healing, creativity activation, and developing conscious enterprise roadmaps for a future where traditional jobs are obsolete and "creators and co-creators" lead the way.

Eveimai envisions these centers as residential properties where participants can live and engage in a holistic experience. They will feature essential elements like food gardens, orchards, vineyards, and labyrinth gardens for meditation. They will also host ceremony spaces—such as sweat lodges and teepees—welcoming traditions from all cultures, alongside farm animals to engage children and families. Furthermore, the property design incorporates Airbnb-ready tree houses or housing units to support financial sustainability through retreats and rentals.

This episode is a compelling call to shift our collective focus from systems of restriction to systems of creation. As Eveimai beautifully states, the goal is to weave our visions together, recognizing that "we all are a piece of the whole." Karen and Joy affirm the timeliness of this vision, noting that current global challenges demand this level of unified, multi-cultural action to bridge economic gaps and restore natural balance.

Tune in to witness the genesis of a vision for a thriving future, and be sure to return next week for Part Two, where Eveimai describes her holistic healing process, Beyond Your Possible Awakening Your Wisdom Healing.

To learn how you can participate, volunteer, research, or donate to support local living economies and partner with the iChange Justice podcast connecty with us.

Host Joy Gilfilen and co-host Karen Ball launch a new conversational series with Elder and civil rights leader Mel Hoover (Mel-Rose Ministries). This episode begins the podcast's move into its Fifth Era as a converging network.

Mel, born in 1944 into an "apartheid nation," contrasts his inherited unconditional love with the Constitution's "lie in terms of the actions" and reveals his Native American heritage. The hosts compare their three distinct generational stories (Apartheid, Vietnam, and the Red Scare) to explore the Survival/Thrival Paradox: How do we build a restorative culture when facing the deep societal fear and "undeniable fissures" exposed by the COVID-19 lockdown?

Mel's wisdom for the future is a mandate for courage: cultivate the core belief to be your "authentic self no matter what." This internal decision is the key to creating a "beloved, inclusive future."