Unrooted Podcast- The Indigenous Foundation

Latest Episodes:

Becoming a Matriarch: Grief, Boundaries, and the Sacred Work of Healing with Helen Knott Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Bestselling author of In My Moccasins and Becoming a Matriarch, Helen Knott, joins Breanne Smith to talk about grief as both a pain and a portal, intergenerational trauma, healing from sexual violence, the medicine of boundaries, and the act of remembering our inherent worth. Helen opens up about her healing journey, ancestral connection, spirituality, and what it means to show up in the world with both softness and strength.

This episode is a masterclass in healing, self-love, and reclaiming your voice after pain.

📅 Join our Book Club and attend our special speaker event featuring Helen Knott on June 21st, 2026. Click here for more info: www.instagram.com/theindigenousfoundation

About Helen Knott: Helen Knott is a Dane Zaa, Nehiyaw, Métis author from Northern British Columbia. Her memoir In My Moccasins became a national bestseller and award-winner for its raw, poetic portrayal of addiction, trauma, and healing. Her follow-up, Becoming a Matriarch, continues her exploration of grief, sovereignty, & womanhood through an Indigenous lens.

EPISODE TOPICS:

🔷 Indigenous Storytelling

🔷 Indigenous knowledge

🔷 Becoming a matriarch

🔷 Indigenous teachings

🔷 The role of matriarchs

🔷 Matriarchal societies

🔷 intergenerational healing

🔷 generational healing

🔷 breaking generational trauma

🔷 overcoming addiction

🔷 addiction recovery

🔷 cultural preservation

🔷 Indigenous podcast

🔷 The Indigenous Foundation

🔷 Indigenous ceremonies

🔷 Indigenous healing

🔷 Indigenous author

🔷 Grief and loss

🔷 Indigenous resilience

🔷 ancestral knowledge

🔷 Indigenous teachings

🔷 Indigenous book club

🔷 Indigenous speaker

🧡 Support & Connect:

🌐 https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/

📲 Follow us on Instagram:

@theindigenousfoundation

@breazieboozhoo

@helenknott05

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on Indigenous wisdom, resistance, & healing

📚Books as Medicine: Decolonize Your Bookshelf & Honor Indigenous Voices with Dominique Burleson Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

We’re celebrating Indigenous storytelling by talking about what it really means to decolonize your bookshelf and reclaim the stories that shape identity, culture, and connection.

Breanne sits down with Dominique Burleson, Lumbee bookseller and founder of Paperbacks & Frybread, to explore the power of Indigenous representation in literature and the role books play in remembering who we are.

Dominique shares her journey from homeschool mom to viral bookstore owner and advocate for Indigenous literature, offering insight into how stories can reconnect us to language, cultural roots, and ancestral knowledge.

As we honor National American Indian Heritage Month (a little late), this conversation is a reminder that storytelling is survival - and that Indigenous books are acts of resistance, reclamation, and love.

This is a reminder that decolonizing your bookshelf is a pathway to reclaiming your narrative and carrying Indigenous stories into the future - not just in November, but year-round.

EPISODE TOPICS:

🔷 Indigenous Storytelling

🔷 Indigenous knowledge

🔷 Decolonization

🔷 Indigenous teachings

🔷 Decolonizing education

🔷 Decolonized homeschooling

🔷 intergenerational healing

🔷 generational healing

🔷 breaking generational trauma

🔷 diverse books

🔷 cultural preservation

🔷 Indigenous podcast

🔷 The Indigenous Foundation

🔷 Indigenous ceremonies

🔷 Indigenous healing

🔷 Indigenous author

🔷 Native American author

🔷 Native American Heritage Month

🔷 Indigenous author

🔷 Native American storytelling

🔷 Indigenous resilience

🔷 Ancestral knowledge

🔷 Native American teachings

🧡 Support & Connect: 🌐 https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/

📲 Follow us on Instagram: @theindigenousfoundation & @breazieboozhoo

and Dominique Burleson @paperbacks_n_frybread

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on Indigenous wisdom, resistance, & healing

🧡 Orange Shirt Day 101: The History, Conversation Starters & Ways to Create Change Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Orange Shirt Day is more than a date on the calendar - it’s a powerful call to remember, learn, and act. In this solo episode, co-host Breanne explores the history of Orange Shirt Day, the legacy of residential schools in Canada, and the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad, whose stolen orange shirt sparked a nationwide movement for truth and reconciliation.

You’ll hear:

Why September 30th was chosen as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
The lasting impact of residential school trauma and the strength of Indigenous survivors & families
How wearing an orange shirt helps raise awareness that Every Child Matters
Practical conversation starters for families, classrooms, and communities
Meaningful ways to support Indigenous communities - from self-education to advocacy

Whether you’re new to Orange Shirt Day or seeking deeper understanding, this episode offers education, reflection, and actionable steps to stand with Indigenous peoples and help build a more truthful, just future.

EPISODE TOPICS:

🔷 What is Orange Shirt Day?

🔷 Who is Phyllis Jack Webstad?

🔷 Every Child Matters

🔷 Truth and Reconciliation

🔷 Residential schools Canada

🔷 Building a better future

🔷 Reconciliation actions

🔷 Indigenous history

🔷 Generational healing

🔷 Native American stories

🔷 Indigenous healing

🔷 Indigenous podcast

🔷 Indigenous storytelling

🔷 Indigenous perspectives

🔷 Native American philosophy

🔷 Residential school survivor story

🔷 Ancestral knowledge

🔷 Indigenous teachings

🔷 Indigenous stories

🔷 Native American teachings

🔷 Indigenous voices

🔷 Survivor Stories

🔷 Ways to support Indigenous Communities

🔷 Indigenous leaders

🔷 Orange Shirt Day in classrooms

🔷 Indigenous teaching in classrooms

🔷 Conversation starters

🔷 Classroom conversation starters

🧡 Support & Connect:

🌐 ⁠https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/⁠

📲 Follow us on Instagram:

@theindigenousfoundation

@breazieboozhoo

The Orange Shirt Society: https://orangeshirtday.org

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on Indigenous wisdom, resistance, & healing

🐺 Feeding the Good Wolf: A Story of Indigenous Wisdom & Healing Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

If you’ve been feeling torn between who you are & who you're trying to become, this Indigenous story offers powerful guidance. In this episode of Unrooted, we explore the powerful Cherokee story of the two wolves that live inside each of us-one fueled by fear, anger, & ego… the other by love, peace, & compassion. Through this wise Indigenous teaching, we uncover what it means to choose healing, even when it’s hard, & how the energy we feed becomes the life we live.

This isn’t just a story - it’s a map for inner growth, emotional regulation, & reclaiming your power after pain. Whether you're healing from trauma, navigating big emotions, or simply seeking a deeper connection to yourself, this episode offers reflection, grounding, and guidance through an ancestral lens.

✨ Discover which wolf you’ve been feeding
✨ Learn how Indigenous wisdom can guide your healing
✨ Shift your daily choices toward compassion, growth, & self-love

Tune in & let this sacred teaching remind you: you are not the battle - you are the storyteller.

EPISODE TOPICS:

🔷 Feed the good wolf

🔷 Indigenous knowledge

🔷 Cherokee stories

🔷 Cherokee teachings

🔷 Native American wisdom

🔷 Building a better future

🔷 Becoming your best self

🔷 Indigenous wisdom

🔷 Generational healing

🔷 Native American stories

🔷 Indigenous healing

🔷 Indigenous podcast

🔷 Indigenous storytelling

🔷 Indigenous perspectives

🔷 Native American philosophy

🔷 Personal growth

🔷 Ancestral knowledge

🔷 Indigenous teachings

🔷 Indigenous stories

🔷 Native American teachings

🧡 Support & Connect:

🌐 https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/

📲 Follow us on Instagram:

@theindigenousfoundation

@breazieboozhoo

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on Indigenous wisdom, resistance, & healing

Seven Generations Principle: Healing the Past & Shaping the Future Apr 19, 2025

Show notes

What if every decision you made today could impact the lives of those who come seven generations after you?

In this episode of the Unrooted Podcast, our co-host Breanne explores the deep roots & modern relevance of the Seven Generations Principle - an Indigenous philosophy grounded in ancestral wisdom, long-term thinking, & collective responsibility.

We dive into the origins of this principle in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, how it connects to Anishinaabe teachings through the word aanikobijigan, and the many ways this timeless teaching still applies to our lives today - from sustainability and community building to healing generational trauma and preserving Indigenous culture.

Whether you're just beginning to learn about Indigenous knowledge systems or are reconnecting with your own roots, this episode offers both reflection & action.

You’ll learn:

🌱 What the Seven Generations Principle really means

🌊 How to apply it to land, water, & environmental decisions

💞 How it shapes relationships, community, & long-term healing

🧬 The connection between Indigenous wisdom & science (hello, epigenetics!)

🌺 5 actionable ways to live by this principle today

🪶 Why your healing matters not just for you - but for future generations

EPISODE TOPICS:

🔷 Seven Generations Principle

🔷 Indigenous knowledge

🔷 Haudenosaunee Confederacy

🔷 Anishinaabe teachings

🔷 building a better future

🔷 aaniikobijigan meaning

🔷 Indigenous environmentalism

🔷 generational healing

🔷 breaking generational trauma

🔷 epigenetics & Indigenous wisdom

🔷 cultural preservation

🔷 Indigenous podcast

🔷 The Indigenous Foundation

🔷 Indigenous storytelling

🔷 climate justice

🔷 sustainable living

🔷 Indigenous perspectives

🔷 Native American philosophy

🔷 decolonizing the future

🔷 ancestral knowledge

🔷 Indigenous teachings

🧡 Support & Connect:

🌐 https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/

📲 Follow us on Instagram:

@theindigenousfoundation

@breazieboozhoo

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on Indigenous wisdom, resistance, & healing

Indigenous Perspective: Introducing Yourself Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

Tansi! Hello! In this episode of Unrooted, join podcast host Lazaya in a conversation on the significance of Introducing one another, and how you can introduce yourself in an Indigenized way. Introductions are quite often overlooked in today’s fast-paced society, and this episode illustrates the importance of slowing down and really understanding our peers through introductions. This episode highlights Lazaya’s perspective on introductions, and Lazaya explains the difference between an Indigenized introduction versus a westernized introduction. Lazaya shares an in-depth step by step foundation to perfecting your Indigenized introductions, whether you are meeting new friends, classmates, teachers, elders or co-workers!

Connecting Conversations with Leo and Jeremy Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

In this episode of Unrooted one of TIF’s podcast hosts; Kasey McDonald is joined by Leo Manning, host of the “Words of Medicine” podcast and Jeremy Ratt, host of the CBC podcast “Pieces”. This episode titled “Connecting Conversations” is meant to bring a sense of connection, community and an outlet to share and reflect. In this episode, we talk about identity, language learning, re-connecting and whatever else we happen to stumble upon. Join us for a “connecting conversation” on Unrooted! Resources: Culture for Life - http://cultureforlife.ca/ , Indigenous Cultural Understanding Resources - https://alignab.ca/indigenous-initiatives-resources/ , Hope For Wellness Help Line - 1-855-242-3310 Native Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-877-209-1266 Kids Help Phone:1 800 668 6868 Ontario Post-Secondary Student Helpline: 1-866-925-5454 Ontario Post-Secondary Student Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-2433

The Indian Child Welfare Act and Brackeen v Haaland Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, co-hosts Kasey and Chloe talk about an important case in the Supreme Court this January. This case is so significant that could potentially be used to overrule the Indian Child Welfare Act and even threaten indigenous sovereignty. This case is Brackeen vs. Haaland, the result of a lawsuit in 2018 in which the federal district court of Texas ruled that the Indian Child Welfare Act is unconstitutional on the basis of it being racist to white people. A panel from the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, and the case has now been sent to the Supreme Court. Kasey and Chloe also talk about IWCA (the Indian Child Welfare Act), what it is, and its impacts. *Note: This episode was created in December 2021, so the reason some current dates are referred to in the future is due to the episode’s recording date.*

21 Things: Expropriation and European Names Jan 22, 2022

Show notes

Hi everyone!! We missed you! In this episode of the 21 Things series under the Unrooted (@theindigenousfoundation) podcast, co-hosts Roaa and Izzy will be discussing and enlightening each other on the topics of expropriation and European names, the next two items in the Indian Act. They will also be adding an additional item this week. As always please enjoy and remember learning is the minimum, ensure to integrate action items into your everyday life and support Indigenous peoples, always.

Indigenous Perspective: Education System Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

Aanii! Boozhoo! Tânisi! Hello everyone! Welcome back to another episode of Unrooted, a podcast by The Indigenous Foundation. In today's episode, our two co-hosts, Lazaya (a part Plains Cree woman from Sweetgrass First Nation and Onion Lake First Nation) and Kelsey (an Anishinaabe and Dutch woman from Saugeen First Nation), will be talking about Indigenous perspectives of our current education systems with special guest Zhaawnong. Zhaawnong is an Anishinaabe content creator from Kitigan Zibi First Nation. He is known for his TikToks (@Zhaawnong) that educate others on various issues that impact Indigenous peoples as well as his comedy TikToks that cater to what many call native humour. This podcast episode highlights the perspectives of these three Indigenous folks and the changes they believe are necessary to better accommodate Indigenous peoples in our education systems.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Unrooted Podcast- The Indigenous Foundation

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected