In this episode of Curious Hearts, I sit down with Michelle Cassandra Johnson for a conversation that unfolds the way real spiritual life does. Slowly, with depth, and full of questions that do not need quick answers. We talk about where faith begins, how it changes over time, and what it means to stay in relationship with mystery while living inside very real human systems.

In this deeply nourishing conversation, the Aunties are joined by Michelle Cassandra Johnson— author, grief-tender, activist, and longtime guide in collective healing. Together, they weave a wide-ranging and intimate dialogue on grief as a sacred practice, the wisdom of honeybees and superorganisms, reimagining leadership beyond ego and hierarchy, and what it means to live, serve, and belong in a fractured world.

In this episode of The Unfolding: Presented by The Loveland Foundation Podcast, host Rachel Keener is joined by author, healer, and activist Michelle Cassandra Johnson for a thoughtful conversation inspired by her latest book, The Wisdom of the Hive. Drawing from her personal lineage and spiritual journey, Johnson reflects on what bees can teach us about healing, community, and interconnection.

More and more people are waking up to the very real dangers that humanity is facing as a result of a declining honeybee population. Yet as we join the refrain, “Save the bees!” Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Amy Burtaine pose a profound and extraordinary question: What if it’s the bees who are trying to save us? 

Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, practitioner, racial equity consultant, and intuitive healer. In this episode, she shares her powerful journey through grief, healing, and transformation. Michelle explores the deep traumas rooted in societal injustices and offers insight into the spiritual practices that have guided her work with individuals in crisis. She emphasizes the vital role of community, nature, and ancestral wisdom in personal and collective healing. With a passion for beekeeping, Michelle draws meaningful parallels between the lives of honeybees and human experiences, reflecting on adaptability, collective responsibility, and the quiet strength of selflessness. Through her story, she invites listeners to reflect on the importance of communal healing, spiritual connection, and the unseen ways we contribute to a better world.

What lies at the root of all human suffering? How can we relieve our suffering and that of others? According to the yoga sutras, our suffering comes from five root causes, the five kelshas, and there are practices we can do to alleviate suffering. Michelle Cassandra Johnson has studied this topic in-depth and shares her insights.

Thomas is joined by author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant and trainer, and intuitive healer, Michelle Cassandra Johnson. They discuss a new paradigm of collective care and healing inspired by the natural wisdom of honeybees. Michelle, an amateur beekeeper, shares what she’s learned about interconnectedness, adaptation, attunement, and longevity from these incredible creatures.

What lies at the root of all human suffering? How can we relieve our suffering and that of others? According to the yoga sutras, our suffering comes from five root causes, the five kelshas, and there are practices we can do to alleviate suffering. Michelle Cassandra Johnson has studied this topic in-depth and shares her insights.

Episode 11 of M3CS’s Contemplative Science Podcast saw Michelle Cassandra Johnson come on to the podcast to talk about trauma, spirituality and the whitewashing of yoga.

For the full podcast, check out the episode here.

In this episode, we cover... 

1. The differences and complexities of individual trauma and collective trauma.

2. Practical tips for introducing mindfulness to alleviate trauma.

3. The issues with Western Yoga: appropriated, whitewashed and capitalistic.

Our first podcast of the year is with the delightful Michelle Cassandra Johnson, and I was lucky enough to get to ask her so many questions. We had a nuanced conversation regarding being of service to the world, how we hold space for grief, and the tension between the spiritual call to be quiet and the noise we experience in our lives.

Take a listen to all her wisdom.

In this conversation, Michelle and Anjali discuss:

• Kleshas as an inquiry: Michelle’s new book on kleshas

• What does healing mean when the world is ablaze?

• Our collective nervous systems

• Michelle’s writing as a practice of reclamation and re-connection

• Her go to rituals during the writing process

• Role of community care and collective

• How does she practice care as a space holder?

Ever notice the ways we can create suffering for ourselves and others? Author Michelle Cassandra Johnson shares tools to navigate the obstacles that create suffering.  We can facilitate positive change not only within ourselves but also within our communities and the broader world.

Michelle Cassandra Johnson explores the kleshas—the five afflictions that cause suffering—within the framework of modern challenges ranging from racial injustice to climate change. Through personal stories, insights on yoga philosophy, and practical advice, Michelle offers a roadmap for understanding and addressing the root causes of suffering both individually and collectively. This conversation will inspire yoga practitioners and activists alike to engage deeply with their practice and strive for personal and social transformation.

What are the lessons you’re tired of learning? In yoga philosophy, the kleshas are patterns that create suffering, and exploring them can help us find peace and ease in our personal lives and within the collective. In this conversation, Tracee Stanley is joined by author, activist, spiritual teacher and practitioner, racial equity consultant and trainer, and intuitive healer Michelle Cassandra Johnson, whose new book, Illuminating Our True Nature: Yogic Practices for Personal & Collective Healing is a guide for turning towards—instead of away from—our suffering, not only to better understand why we suffer but also to also open up pathways to freedom. 

Michelle Cassandra Johnson thinks a lot about yoga and social justice. Does yoga have to be political? Can yoga create safety when the world feels unsafe? How can yoga take us from feeling activated to being activists?

In today’s episode, host Shay Beider speaks with Michelle about the collective grief experienced by people and how this can be linked to cultural trauma. She shares ways people can work through grief by tapping into their spirituality and focusing on breath and meditation. Michelle also explains how her work as a therapist has allowed her to embrace empathy and create space to heal from trauma. Michelle shares what healing means to her and the importance of yoga to connect with our inherent wholeness.

This episode of the Embodied Astrology podcast is offered with love, following April 16’s full moon in Libra which was trine with Saturn and square to Pluto.

In our conversation we explore Michelle’s chart and talk about the work of maintaining connections between our spiritual selves and our human bodies. Michelle shares from her experience as an energy worker and healer, intuitive, witch, activist and guide around how to anchor in our heart’s wisdom in times of stress and overwhelm; how to build resilience and connection in relational spaces; and how to navigate and attend to the wounds and dislocation of white supremacy culture.