Soul SiStories
Soul SiStories was born out of a mutual desire to bring forward hope and healing through sharing our lived experiences. Hope is embracing life despite adversity. Hope is our reason.
Soul SiStories
Hope Through Witnessing
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
When the noise gets loud and the headlines sting, naming what we see becomes an act of care. We sat down to talk about hope through witnessing—how refusing silence, telling the truth, and showing up in nonviolent solidarity can steady us when fear tactics try to shrink our voices.
Our conversation traces a path from heartbreak to agency. We revisit the lessons of history—diaries from World War II and testimonies from the Holocaust—to understand how propaganda takes root and why moral clarity matters. We acknowledge the role of privilege, especially as white Americans, and commit to deeper listening: learning names, hearing families, and refusing to look away from lived realities that many have endured for generations. Minneapolis becomes a touchstone for both grief and courage, as neighbors, clergy, artists, and organizers gather despite storms and pressure to stay home. This is not about left or right; it’s about right and wrong, ethics and humanity, and the leaders—mayors, governors, social voices—who model integrity when institutions wobble.
We also share practices that keep our footing: holding short windows for meditation and prayer, joining energy workers and Reiki practitioners to “keep the high watch,” and focusing attention on love, dignity, and order in the midst of chaos. Attention amplifies reality; by centering love, we grow the resilience needed to stand in the street, speak at work, and comfort each other without burning out. Along the way, we celebrate the helpers who turn compassion into logistics, art, and presence. Hope isn’t passive here; it looks like naming harm, showing up for neighbors, and telling the truth even if only two people listen.
If this resonates, share it with someone who needs steadiness today. Subscribe for more grounded conversations, rate the show to help others find it, and tell us: where are you witnessing courage right now?
Thanks for listening to Soul SiStories. We hope you follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Five-star ratings and reviews always help to spread our message of hope.
Soul SiStories
Instagram
Facebook
Soul SiStories Podcast - YouTube
Welcome to Soul Sisters. Welcome to Soul Sisteries, where the sisters just got together to chat a little bit about hope through witnessing and really just kind of sharing our thoughts on what is happening in the country today.
SPEAKER_02Hey everyone. We thought we'd just have a little conversation, the sisters, and talk about stuff because boy, are we feeling stuff, and we know you are too. And we're called in this time of so much drama and angst and feeling and horror. And boy, you you name it. There's so many words we can put down on this. We're called right now, we feel called to witness, witness what is happening, to give it a name. And right now we thought, well, let's jump on and let's speak.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Yep. And so it is exactly that. It's the hope through witnessing. Um and all of all of the ways that we are, you know, dealing with it ourselves. And how do we witness to try to make sense of it and and to find hope, right?
SPEAKER_02Because in the end, right? What what does it matter if we don't have that? If we don't have that hope, we don't have that connection, we don't have that current of love, which all of that always exists, but how do we stay, how do we stay mindful of that when such egregious, horrific, heartbreaking behavior is happening when when such horrible things are happening. But also amazing things are happening. It's the Mr. Rogers thing, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, right. Look to the helpers. You know, we've talked over the the last year, you know, we've talked about a lot of different things, and and there's been hope through activism and you know, showing up and and doing the work and and you know, being on the ground and getting messages out and supporting others, and and that is so hopeful. So in this crazy, you know, the last year has been crazy and the last few months even more so, but seeing the numbers of people that are showing up and coming together and you know, being a voice and and fighting back. Um fighting back, you know.
SPEAKER_02And let's let me let me jump on that because I'm interrupting you, but that you say fighting back, yeah. The reality is it's it's not fighting back, it's pushing back. Pushing back and it's calling the calling out truth. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And yeah, and I guess, and then what I wanted to say is non-violently fighting back, but you know, being being a voice and being being a presence, I guess, more than anything, right? And and showing up to witness for their friends and family and neighbors, and and that's been hopeful. And then over the last few weeks, it's been really, really scary and frustrating and absolutely insane to see these things that are going on, right? So then you kind of spiral down and it's like, oh my gosh, how do we maintain this this hope? And and it is not being quiet, even though you're being pushed to be quiet. It's not high.
SPEAKER_02And the fear tactics are there to keep you quiet. Yeah, that's not working though. Isn't it amazing how the quite the opposite, quite the opposite is happening in mass. Yeah, that there is no quiet about this, and with the outrageous lies that are coming from leadership. I mean, it would it would be laughable if it were so horrific. Yeah, it's like it's it's Dr. Evil that is happening there.
Propaganda, Privilege, And Hard Truths
SPEAKER_01Yeah. You know, and I I think back to just when I was younger and reading, you know, of course, reading the diary of Ann Frank, you know, when I was much younger. And then as an adult, reading a lot of autobiographies that were written, really diaries more than anything, that were written during World War II and through the Holocaust. And, you know, um, and and really that was my way of witnessing what happened. I wasn't around then. I mean, I know what I know from my history books, right? And but feeling like that couldn't all be in vain. Like, you know, their legacy has to live on. And so reading that and really being engrossed in that, and and not ever in a million years thinking that anything like that could happen again.
SPEAKER_02Right. Because we learned, we learned, right? It was so clear and so much evidence, and there's film and there's stories recorded. Yeah, we thought. And so that's part of the heartbreak, right? Is to see how easy it is for propaganda to sway a great many people. And um, go ahead. No, no, go. Well, I was just saying the truth is because we're also, and you and I were talking earlier about this, we're aware that we also sit in this privileged position as white Americans having an experience and being aware of and being told and talking with friends about other experiences and never disputing that that was so, but also not fully understanding in a real and lived way what that is, yeah, and seeing it today and feeling so much anger and sadness over the truth of what a great many of our people have experienced forever, forever, right? How wrong that is, and how we as a nation need to fully acknowledge that. That's where the healing comes, right? When we witness, we acknowledge the truth of what is and has been. That's the only way the healing happens. We can't just well over and done, and now we move forward because we understand clearly not.
Minneapolis, Fear Tactics, And Solidarity
SPEAKER_01Right. And you know, seeing what happened this last week, and I, you know, we'll name it Minneapolis the last couple of weeks, and feeling so oh gosh, just me, I I don't want to say hopeless, but feeling just really, really low as I was seeing the events unfold. And then seeing the people who showed up after that, who didn't hide it in their houses, more people coming out, people coming out in other states, in other cities, coming out in solidarity and supporting and and and okay, pushing back, but showing that they're not going to just recoil and and go away because we have a government that's telling us we're not supposed to do this.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. They are bearing witness in the best ways and are showing us the best of humanity. And I guess that's what is carrying me through right now is that that exists by the millions. Right? That's the hope through is this capacity within us as human beings to stand with and for one another and to hold that space. And we see that happening around the world, across the country and around the world, and in fullness, in amazing fullness in Minnesota right now.
Ethics Over Politics And Real Leadership
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And yeah, we were. Yeah. So of course, in the middle of all this craziness, right? There's crazy weather in the world and and things are being shut down because of that. But yet people in these storms are showing up. And so last night when I think we we were expected to recoil, more and more people came out. And for me, that just gave me hope. That was the you know, that I I keep hearing songs in my head, but you know, I I get knocked down, but I get up again, you know, that sort of, and it is very much that like you might push us back, but we're not going away, you know, and and we're not folding to this stuff that we know is illegal and inhumane, yeah, and un-American, absolutely and unchristian.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and well, at least the Christian that you know we kind of knew back then. Yes, yeah, well, well, true Christian. I mean, yeah, yeah, it's um yeah, yeah. I don't think that word means what you think it means, Princess Bride.
SPEAKER_01I don't remember a whole ton of stories from the Bible, but I do remember Jesus going into the church and turning over tables. Right. And that has already a vivid story in my head. And so yeah, yeah. And and when the when the pastors show up in in mass, when yeah, people who uh who we haven't heard from over the last year, maybe because they had some privilege and were able to keep their mouths shut, but not that they didn't realize what was going on, yeah, but now people who I hadn't heard from are showing up. And yes, I mean, showing up for the rallies, showing up, you know, posting and sharing things on social media, sharing things through their artwork, um, knitting beanies for people, um, you know, all sorts of things that they're doing in mass. Yeah. That is beautiful and that is hopeful.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And as we're hearing said again and again these days, it has nothing to do with right and left, it's right and wrong. And there are ethics here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02There are there are ethics, there is humanity. And um there's that's not of varied opinions. We're talking about fundamental ethical behavior.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
Practicing Witness: Reading, Naming, Remembering
SPEAKER_02And you know, if we're going back to that Christian treatise, we know that the messaging there is love is all that matters. Right. Love of God, whatever one calls, you know, God, love, universe, source, love of God, love of self, love of others. Yeah. That's it. That's it. Like that, that's the totality right there. Yeah. So it it requires our government, our leadership to live in that space as well.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02There's also a great deal of hope in the world reaction.
SPEAKER_01Yes, for sure. For sure, yeah, to our our neighbors, how they're responding, um countries throughout Europe, how they're responding. Um, that they're not just folding, also. Yeah, you know. Oh, yeah, of course, it makes me a little jealous that there's real leadership in other countries.
SPEAKER_02And and I would there's real leadership here too. You have to remember that, and there are there are governors, there are mayors, there are um social leaders. There are there is there is real leadership here as well. There is some perverse leadership.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I and I guess I I guess that's what I mean. That yeah, if we look at the hierarchy who we're supposed to, you know, depend on, that's not there. So it is, it's it's the ones that are standing up and and and making a name for themselves through this. But, you know, so we were talking earlier too about, you know, what does that mean to witness? And it doesn't just mean to keep your eyes open, right? Although that is one of the ways we witness. We don't put our heads in the sand. Although, believe me, there are many times throughout the day, throughout the last several months, where I have just wanted to be like some people I know who just have no clue what ever whatsoever is going on, right? Don't look on social media.
SPEAKER_02Or choose not to.
SPEAKER_01Choose not to, right? And and I there's something about like, okay, just put my head in the sand, find myself a good book, just keep reading, don't don't ever, you know, look at what's going on in the world. That's not an option for me. So uh we were talking about how or some other ways, you know, what what else are we doing to actually witness? And, you know, like I said earlier, reading autobiographies from the past, but also reading stories in the present, you know, reading, witnessing the individuals whose lives have been taken and reading their stories, hearing from their loved ones and people who knew them, uh, who they really were, what their lives were really about. That's important to me. Um, saying their names is really important to me. Yeah. Um and then, you know, what else do we do? How else do we do this?
Collective Care: Meditation And Energy Work
SPEAKER_02And we have kind of shared that whole idea of like the collective consciousness and coming together and really kind of, you know, getting with others to like, hey, let's have, you know, 15 minutes of meditation or prayer or you know, sitting in the silence, whatever you want to call it, to, you know, to I guess uh elevate the consciousness to um, you know, oh I'm thinking of the word, to, you know, I guess to just rise above, to raise every way, raise the vibration of the hold the high watch, to hold the high watch where there is there is a lot of muck going on, but to also hold that perspective of love, of order from chaos, of um the best of what it is to be a human in full expression, um, to to hold to that, to look for that. And of course, we know also the more whatever we keep in mind and whatever we pay attention to also magnifies in our experience. And that vibration, that energy does radiate and connect, and it does, it does have an impact. It does have weight. So I think part of also how we're witnessing you and I right here speaking how we're speaking and saying what we're saying. This is, you know, in a lot of in other areas of my professional life, there are certain ways in which I need to edit and filter perspectives. And there is a certain grace in sort of room for all ideologies and expressions.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And I don't uh I don't differ from that perspective unless and until as now it is so egregious and it and it must be called out and and we must speak. So you and I speaking in this way, I think this is this is this is the witnessing. Even if two people listen. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And the reality is, yeah, yay, if people listen, but it's more about like, I guess I just need to talk, you just need to talk, we just need to, you know, this is us coming together in our own little world to hold out hope for each other, I guess, you know. Um and one of the things we talked about is, you know, and I don't I don't even know if we've talked about this in earlier or earlier shows, about you know, practicing Reiki and other forms of, you know, kind of energetic healing that we we do, and and really that idea of coming together with a group of other energy workers and light workers and doing some some Reiki, some healing for the situation, for the country, for the world, for you know.
Choosing Light Over Darkness
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. So that's what we're committed to being a part of. I know you and I have both discovered in our lives we can't not do that, right? Can't not be part of the solution, right? Can't not be on the side of love and light no matter what. And the reality is, is we've both walked through some very dark times. I know I'm not um immune to personal treatment by those who are expressing the darkest ways in which humans can behave. I I get that. I'm not disputing that that's so. Um I don't contend that there's a force of evil in the world. I think there's sickness. I think there's sickness and it takes expression. And it has in a really big way right now. So but there's but there but but the light exists, and the love always exists. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And that is that that is my truth, is that love is so much stronger, and there are there is so much more good in this world still. And always, always. And and good always wins. Yes, you know, and yeah, and and you know, we we talked earlier about Mr. Rogers and the looking for the heroes, you know, and in every I mean every day, but in every one of these incidents that we're seeing, there are real heroes that are stepping up and yeah, and and making a difference for others.
Celebrating Helpers And A Call To Join
SPEAKER_02So we're celebrating them now. Yeah. And we're witnessing, we're witnessing. Yeah. Yeah. Hope through hope through giving it a name. Hope through speaking. Hope through observing. Hope through staying aware. Hope through joining with others. And speaking truth. Exactly. And standing hand in hand. Yeah. So there we have it. There we have it, sis. Yeah. Hope through everyone. Join us. Join us. Much love to everyone. Thanks for joining us today on Soul Sistories. And thanks for sharing stories with us. We'd love to hear your stories as well and keep the conversation going, absolutely keeping the hope going. So we're really hopeful that you'll connect with our guests as well who have great stories to share. Go ahead and follow them in various social media platforms or live venues, wherever it is that they're performing and uh sharing what they do.
SPEAKER_00We would love to have you follow us on all of our social media platforms, subscribe and rate, as that will help us get our message of hope out to others.
SPEAKER_02Thanks for listening to Soul Sisteries.
