COVID-19 Special Episode: A Call to Action for Community Care with Nicole Cardoza and Ryan LeMere
This virus is exposing our inequities, leaving some people more physically and economically vulnerable than others. In the absence of systems that protect people in times like these, it’s up to us to respond.
In this special CTZN Podcast in a time of Coronavirus, we’re checking in with two of our favorite people about what we can do to show up right now.
Nicole Cardoza is a wellness leader and founder of Reclamation Ventures, a venture fund dedicated to closing the wellness gap, and has quickly pivoted her focus to providing real-time financial relief to our most vulnerable community members.
Ryan LeMere is an artist, designer, thinker, and founder of Aligned Magazine, which explores the intersection of culture, wellbeing, and social responsibility.
This podcast is raw and unplanned and a window into how we’re coping during this crisis, and what's possible when we have each other’s backs and build systems and politics of community care. Check it out.
- Download the Coronavirus Community Care Resource Guide
- Sign up to lead or join a community care “pod”
- Support Reclamation Ventures and follow their work on Instagram
-Follow Nicole and Ryan on Instagram
If this episode resonates for you, we’d love for you to take a screenshot add tag us on Instagram stories @ctznwell, @reclamationventures, @nicoleacardoza, and @ryan_lemere, and click below to tweet:
-Join CTZNWELL on Patreon
-Follow CTZNWELL on Instagram
-Sign up for CTZNWELL’s weekly email WELLREAD and check out our other free action guides at ctznwell.org.
+ Read Transcript
Kerri Kelly: Welcome to CTZN Podcast. This is Kerri Kelly. This is not your normal episode as these are not normal times. I'm not sure I know what normal is anymore and maybe that's a good thing. But today, I'm checking in with two people I trust and respect about how we are in the midst of this Coronavirus pandemic. And what we can do. Nicole Cardoza is a wellness leader and founder of Reclamation Ventures, a venture fund dedicated to closing the wellness gap, which has quickly pivoted to providing real time financial relief to our most vulnerable community members. Ryan LeMere is an artist, design thinker and founder of Aligned Magazine which explores the intersection of culture, wellbeing, and social responsibility. This virus is exposing our inequities, leaving some people more physically and economically vulnerable than others. And in the absence of systems that protect people in times like these, it's up to us to respond.
Kerri Kelly: This podcast is raw and unplanned and a window into how we're coping during this crisis and what's possible when we have each other's backs and build systems and a politics of community care. Check it out. So y'all welcome. I'm so happy to be here with you. I'm sad that we're here under these circumstances, but this call is really about community care and I can't imagine not having it in community with you all. How are you all taking care of yourselves in this moment before we get into how we take care of the whole.
Nicole Cardoza: I am trying to go for walks every day and eat three full meals and actually get dressed. So going back to the basics, I guess.
Kerri Kelly: I almost think, what was I doing before this moment?
Nicole Cardoza: Right. Like why was I wearing jeans?
Ryan LeMere: Yeah.
Kerri Kelly: Like, did I eat today? Do I have pants on? Have I brushed my teeth? And I work from home, this isn't new for me and yet here we are.
Ryan LeMere: I think we're all used to working either at home or in a remote capacity. And yet here we all are. Yeah.
Nicole Cardoza: Yeah.
Kerri Kelly: It goes to show that context matters, right? Even if the circumstances are similar, our working conditions are similar. You can't help but feel what's happening outside and around the country and around the world and be impacted by it.
Ryan LeMere: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, I think it was in the Atlantic. I was just reading this afternoon that, what we need to name right now is grief and I think the title was something like, that funny feeling that you have right now it's called grief, and that really struck me because, it is grief. What we're feeling on a personal level for maybe the routine that we used to have, what we're feeling on a social level for the suffering that's happening, the grief that we're having for the future, otherwise known as anxiety is what it is. And for me that really clicked me into realizing, what all of the stirring in my chest has been. It has shown up in a lot of generalized anxious, panicky ways, but naming it as grief, it feels really powerful, in a way that brings it closer to being able to transform it into something else.
Kerri Kelly: I really appreciate even the naming of it, because I'm having an experience of deep feelings, many feelings, all day long. And I think some of them are fear, but I didn't think about some of those being grief. And I feel like if we don't name what we're feeling, it's really hard to navigate our feelings, and it would make sense that we would have to reckon with grief in this moment. And what's being lost and not just in how we're living, but lives will be lost and work will be lost. And, how if we don't make space to actually feel that, I don't know how we recover.
Ryan LeMere: Yeah. And look at it, and sit with it and then eventually maybe love it. That's what I've been trying to work on the past few days, is to turn that into some form of love. Not to bypass it by any means, but to really, really look at it. And because I've been in an anxious spiral, in a stupor, in tears may be more days than not in this whole thing. And, it's a tremendous amount of energy and there is a potential to transform that. But not by avoiding it and certainly not by getting stuck in it either, which is really to be honest, where I'm at.
Kerri Kelly: You're like, "I'm officially stuck in this."
Ryan LeMere: Yeah.
Nicole Cardoza: I'm so glad you put a name to that for me because I think I've just been trying to stay as busy as possible to avoid all of my feelings, which is a really healthy habit that I have and I haven't spent that much time naming it or recognizing it or sitting. I've just been trained to take all of this anxious feelings and the fight and flight that we've talked about earlier and apply it into something. And luckily there's a lot of shit to do right now, but at the same time, I need to be in practice with just sitting with myself and sitting with my emotions right now. So thank you.
Kerri Kelly: Well, when I think about the concept of community care, I really believe it has to include that piece. Because community care is about healing and action and we can't heal what we don't name. We can't heal what we don't allow ourselves to feel. And so that does feel like that's part of this conversation, is like, what do we need to acknowledge that has been lost and how do we reckon with those feelings as we move forward?
Ryan LeMere: Yeah. And Nicole to what you're saying about stacking up on work, I was listening to Lama Rod speak, he's not even in the States. He's on retreat I think.
Kerri Kelly: Right, he is.
Ryan LeMere: So he's been speaking from that place, which is really lovely actually to see someone somewhat outside, even though it's global and he talks a lot about refuge and finding a refuge and work can maybe be a distraction, but I also think for so many, it's a refuge and there's balance in all things. But, one of the things I've been having to remember is what are my refuges. Work is certainly one of them for me and I want to be stepping back more and more and more into that. And so I feel like naming is important but to basically throw the ball back at you. I think that's such an honorable refuge to take up for yourself.
Nicole Cardoza: Thank you. I do feel most at home when I'm in action, in action not in inaction. So I think there's a lot of truth to that, and I can have a better balance.
Kerri Kelly: Well, we can all I think, embody the wholeness of who we are instead of bypassing different parts of ourselves and going where it might feel more familiar but I do also feel like there's a need for action in this moment. And, it's funny because when I look around at how people are responding, there are things I see that give me despair and there are things I see that really give me hope. And, Nicole like you're doing some of that work, that is like righteous work that you're doing because there is a real need right now for a lot of people. And not everyone equally.
Kerri Kelly: While this virus is impacting everybody. While this virus doesn't discriminate, systems do. And there are some groups that are just much more vulnerable to the impacts of not just the infection but the impacts of having to work from home or being laid off or having to work on the front line, which these days is a hospital or a grocery store or just being a contract worker. A great percentage of this country works on contract and isn't salaried and doesn't have the benefits that come with that level of employment.
Kerri Kelly: And so, I want to actually get into that. I want to talk a little bit about what does ... And I want to hold the sacredness of what we just named as we talk about this. What does embodying community care look like, that allows us to have our full whole experience, that allows us to have our grief and our fear and our inquiry and our yearning. But that also allows us to organize effectively so that we can actually be responding to the need right now. And Mia Mingus put this amazing tool out. I believe it's actually from the Bay area transformative justice collective called, Pod Mapping.
Kerri Kelly: And I feel like that's what we're all doing this right now. This is our mini pod, but really it's like call all your people together so that you're not alone in action and so that you can actually aggregate your resources, your support, your energy, your gifts to do the healing work right around the collective grief. I think that we're all feeling but also so that we can do the real time response work that's needed right now.
Kerri Kelly: And when I think about our pod, our particular pod, that's situated inside of wellness. An industry that's predominantly contractor based and that is also really suffering. Nicole, I'm so inspired by how you've mobilized while some of us are stuck and Nicole is mobilizing to actually put together a fund that can be responding not just to everyone because not everyone is having the same experience of this moment, but to the folks who are in most need.
Ryan LeMere: And not only putting together a fund. I know this is a global focus, but I also wanted to just shout out, your other existing organization, yoga foster, has adapted and in real time adjusted to the very real changes that the schools are going through as well. So you're holding that space at the same time and so I wanted to shut that out too.
Nicole Cardoza: Thank you. It's been a wild week. And on the Reclamation Ventures part, I feel like, as a fund that's committed to investing in making yoga and mindfulness and other forms of wellness more accessible and more equitable through capital. Like we come into this space through providing resources. When I think about us as an organization, getting our people talking to other people that have capacity, financial capacity, normally to be increasing representation and equity, but Kerri, like you said, this space right now needs support to keep these people in this space, to keep people that are working in this, that are most marginalized, that are the least likely to be seen and heard and respected to begin with to keep them in business. So, independent business owners, studios and spaces open and classes that support the vulnerable running and instructors who don't have money coming in being able to pay their rent and input groceries in their fridge.
Nicole Cardoza: So part of the reason we were able to mobilize so quickly is because we were already committed to offering more grants this year. And so we shifted our business strategy to be able to support that and called our people. And had conversations about this is a space that we all believe in and we have to elevate and center the people that are most marginalized and the most vulnerable at this time. Not just in our industry but everywhere.
Kerri Kelly: Yeah. That feels like a really important point because especially in a moment where everyone feels like they're universally having the same experience of an infection like this, a virus like this. And yet we're not based on our location, based on our life's experience, based on our proximity to access and healthcare and paid sick leave and maybe family income. And, I'm not seeing people talk about this enough, I do think this moment is calling us to reckon with not just our position, but our capacity to survive. Like what do you really need in this moment? I'm hearing some people talk to me about lost income, lost revenue.
Kerri Kelly: Obviously that's a thing for a lot of people, but that's not the same as actually like not being able to pay your rent or not being able to keep the lights on in your studio or not being able to keep going. And I do think the concept of community care does actually require us to locate ourselves inside of this system and determine like what do we have? What do we need and who needs the most right now? And then what do we do in response to that? Because I know for me, I'm scared for the next couple of months. I have a lot of uncertainty but I'm okay right now.
Kerri Kelly: And so like what can I do to contribute because of that, even despite the fact that I think we're all facing a shit ton of uncertainty and many months probably of economic insecurity, I still think we should all be asking ourselves, like what can I give up? What can I contribute? What can I offer? Because there are people worse off than me right now with less security, less family, less savings. Anyway, so I just wanted to like put an exclamation point on that particular point. Because that feels like something that everyone should be contemplating right now. So I'm wondering, Nicole, if folks want to respond. If folks lean into that inquiry and actually determine that they want to help and that they can give or that they can make a contribution, what do you recommend? Like how can people show up for this fund?
Nicole Cardoza: First and foremost, if you have the capacity to give, give to the fund, give now if you can, if you've already given and you have capacity give again. I can't emphasize how important financial capacity can be, like you said, Kerri, for those that need it. Another thing that you can do is take our survey. So we're also collecting data on the state of the yoga industry. For starters, we're going to go to other industries next, but we're capturing data on the state of the industry so that we can create a report that quantitatively shows what's shifted in the past couple of months for so many people. So if you are a yoga instructor, go to reclamationventures.co relief.reclamationventures.co and take our survey. We've partnered with set two to collect that data and publish a report.
Kerri Kelly: That's really helpful and we'll provide all the links on this podcast for people to just click through.
Nicole Cardoza: And obviously if you're listening to this and you could use the financial support, please apply for the fund as well. Our goal is to deliver grants every Friday for the next few weeks and persist as long as we can and as long as we need to because we don't know what the end date of this situation will be.
Kerri Kelly: Well, but we know that, I'll just go give some statistics. I think there's like something like 700,000 yoga teachers in the United States and I think it's safe to assume that majority of them are contract workers, which means they don't have any job security, they don't have paid sick leave or paid family leave. They probably don't have health insurance or at least health insurance provided by their employer. And so I just say that to give context to, there's probably many hundreds of thousands of teachers in need and obviously there's an equity lens on this fund, but the more people can give, the more you can continue to respond. Like I don't think there will be enough money to respond to all of the needs. I just wanted to like say that. So the more people can actually make a contribution, even if it's like 20 bucks, 50 bucks, 100 bucks.
Kerri Kelly: I'm also thinking about like the big industries in wellness that have profited and benefited from a thriving teaching community, like apparel brands and yoga video platforms and retailers and so on and so forth. That are enormous companies with probably a much larger cash flow than any one individual teacher. Or studio for that matter. Like what contribution can they make in the spirit of equity. Because they simply have more and they have benefited and they actually need yoga teachers and yoga studios to continue to thrive.
Nicole Cardoza: Absolutely.
Ryan LeMere: I think that's a great call out too, because as stores are closing their doors, there's like Boohoo moment there for companies and for retailers. But as you pointed out, the equity conversation is still unchanged. When you look at that disparity.
Kerri Kelly: Yeah, totally. And that too, maybe companies need to actually also reckon with their role and their responsibility in this particular moment.
Ryan LeMere: Yeah, for the people that they use as influencers or for the people that are buying their products or for the teacher that wears whatever it is in the front of the room that is essentially keeping them afloat. What does that aid look like?
Kerri Kelly: Yeah, I think that's right. And so, let's make this an official calling up of all of the wellness companies out there. We will not name you, but you'll be getting a call from us [crosstalk 00:20:27]. And we're going to be asking you to step in because there is a real need and because we actually need each other, that's the spirit of mutual aid and community care is that, companies need teachers. They need studios to survive, they need students to continue to be engaged and a lot of us need them. So like what does mutuality look like in this moment where we all step in and play our part?
Kerri Kelly: So I love that. So, Nicole, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And I want to almost like zoom out for a moment because I feel like this is a great segue as we think about the inequities that the Coronavirus is exposing. It feels important to acknowledge that there are a lot of groups of people who are just much more vulnerable to this virus either because of their immune system. So there's a lot of people who are biologically more vulnerable to this virus but also because of their job or their function or their position in society. So I'm thinking about of course the elderly, the disabled community, immunocompromised folks, but also I'm thinking about service workers who don't have the privilege of social distancing and staying home, and I mean like grocery store people, delivery people, garbage men, civil service workers.
Kerri Kelly: And then certainly like folks on the front lines in hospitals and doctor's offices who are working tirelessly and exposing themselves every second of the day to this virus. I'm thinking about the incarcerated population. I'm thinking about undocumented immigrants and there's obviously more and so, what is the opportunity I think for pods or for community care circles to show up and respond to those communities.
Ryan LeMere: Mm-hmm (affirmative). I've been thinking a lot about, there's so many direct calls to action for each of them too. And just to add to that as well, there's an org, I was just coming across housing justice for all that is hosting calls to support rent suspensions and I'm calling in from New York city. And so I'm specifically thinking about in New York city rent happens to also be the epicenter of the pandemic right now. And so it seems like an obvious call and the cash handouts I was reading somewhere are analogous to basically a landlord bailout if we don't do rent suspension as well. So, there's some direct calls to action to assembly members to senators, to your representatives for that too. And that's for everyone.
Kerri Kelly: Yeah, I think that's right. So there's, I think frontline organizations are more obviously mobilizing to support and protect their people. And there's so many amazing campaigns already out there. And to your point, calls and mutual aid networks that are responding in real time to the needs of those groups. And also to your point, like there's advocacy happening, because state and federal government can actually step in here and provide resources and access and protection and security over the next couple of months, especially for people who are more vulnerable in this particular moment. And you're seeing some politicians talking about that. You're seeing some talk about it, especially as Congress is debating how to pass increased legislation to respond to COVID-19 and to stimulate the economy.
Kerri Kelly: And of course, to your point, that's looking a lot more like a wall street bailout than a people's bail out. But, we'll see what comes of that. And so, I just love that you said it's a combination of how we respond on a local level, how we listen to frontline orgs into what they need into what they're requesting, but also how we actually fight for the systems that protect them in the first place.
Ryan LeMere: Totally. And we're already seeing some folks in this system, folks who are incarcerated being released in New York city. Not that many. There's thousands of people in those jail systems, but there is a lot of public pressure and I think that public pressure needs to stay and it needs to be harder because 20 here, 20 there doesn't really cut it. Jersey just let out a bunch of people. But I think that's one specific place where public pressure can go a long way.
Kerri Kelly: Yeah. And also, we had to report some ICE intersecting undocumented folks at hospitals and just completely appalling behavior by ICE enforcement. So I just think solidarity and the way in which you're naming, like how do we all come together collectively and actually put some real pressure on law enforcement, politicians, administrators to make sure that they're doing the right thing to care for the people who often get forgotten or who are invisible or who slipped through the cracks. Like we should all be asking ourselves those questions. Like, who is being left out? Who's missing in all of this legislation? Who is not getting the mutual aid that they need because they're not front and center or they don't have the loudest advocacy group"
Kerri Kelly: Who is next? Like what are the institutions that are nearby and next door, that might be suffering in this moment. So we're going to provide some links also for folks to provide mutual aid but also to sign petitions and advocate for some of the legislation and support that that communities are demanding rightfully. And the only other thing I wanted to name is because you can't help but wonder what an election looks like in this landscape of Coronavirus. And like how are the primaries going to continue and how will people vote with social distance? We just don't know where we're going to be in November. And yet the election goes on. And one of the things that gives me hope is that, I think that we're seeing the cost of not having policies of community care, of not having policies that give people the security and the support that they need and that they deserve.
Kerri Kelly: Like we're getting a real time lesson about what that world looks like when people don't have what they need to survive. And so I'm hoping that his actually informs people. I'm hoping it inspires people to think differently about what we need to be voting for and who we need to be voting in, in November. And I hope it really does expose the limitations, the gross limitations of this administration given how wide reaching this virus is going to be and the need for something better. Like we deserve something better.
Ryan LeMere: There's a frequently stated call to let this moment radicalize you. And that's something I've been thinking about a lot too, especially as I think about some of my more centrists family and people in the periphery of my community. And seeing their individual reactions where I often go to as a litmus test of what does the central American attitude feel like right now? And it is, that's making me hopeful is that, in soft whispering ways I see those people being radicalized more and more and more in only a week's time.
Ryan LeMere: In just like you're saying, in the exposure, in the visible exposure to all the inequities. I think that more and more people will be left to look at it and have to make those decisions.
Nicole Cardoza: I agree. And I think this is going to in particular like mobilize the youth. Like the young voters, the people that are getting involved in politics for the first time, who have a significant amount of the hourly wage, jobs that are out there or used to be out there, who may be, if they are in college they were kicked out of their dorms and sent home and are entering maybe more of the traditional workforce in this uncertain time.
Nicole Cardoza: And so I particularly hope that we see a lot more young people getting active and engaged. Not like they aren't already. I think there's just such a strong and powerful voice in this movement. But I couldn't imagine going through this 10 years ago in a dorm room in New York City, seeing this happened and not feeling like I have a voice and I have an action to do in November.
Kerri Kelly: Yeah, I think that's right. And I do believe you're right, like I think a majority of young adults are hourly wage workers, part time workers and they're bearing the brunt of layoffs and certainly no job security. And so, maybe this is a wake up call for people that the policies that we've been talking about and fighting for aren't just conceptual. Like they're not just ideas, they're real. They affect our lives, they affect our ability to pay our bills, they affect our ability to have access to health care. They're going to affect our ability to live or die in this particular moment. Like that's just true.
Kerri Kelly: People are going to lose their lives because of systemic inequities, because they're being denied resources, because they had been forgotten or excluded. Like that's just fucking real. And so like one of the things I think we're thinking about is, how do we organize around that? Like how do we take this consciousness about community care and mutual aid and collective care and this inquiry of how do we respond to take care of each other? How do we take that into politics? How do we take that into the 2020 election and turn over this white house. So that we're not in the same situation next year.
Kerri Kelly: So, call to action for you all, all of you people out there listening to our radio show here, organize a pod, organize a group of people that you know and love and trust so that you can be in community around how we respond in this moment. And there are three really clear calls to action. One is the most immediate, which is real time relief for people who need it most. And we're going to be giving you all the links to supporting the Reclamation Ventures really fund so that you can really help support a lot of the wellness instructors and the wellness studios who are suffering right now. The second call to action is, to get your pod into solidarity with some of the more vulnerable groups. And so we'll circulate some links to petitions and to fundraising campaigns and to ally groups that were initiated by frontline organization so that y'all can like collectively decide how you want to help advocate and help respond to the different needs of different groups.
Kerri Kelly: And then certainly there is a call to action around how we organize politically. We're seeing a really big piece of legislation move through Congress right now, that's going to affect a lot of people and determine their ability to survive the next couple months economically, if not physically. And so, that's just one example of how the political and the meta, the big systemic really matters. It really impacts everyone in all of us.
Kerri Kelly: It's going to make or break the lives of certain people and we should certainly also be thinking about how we can parlay that into election mobilization. Like I really want to imagine a politics of community care in the 2020 election like policies of community care, care policies that we know that we need now and that we can start to be more articulate and literate about as we start to engage one another in our vote this fall. So before we adjourn, any last words y'all, like any last words of wisdom to how we navigate this moment to how we heal together to how we take action together?
Nicole Cardoza: I just want to thank both of you for all of your support for some of the work that I'm doing. You've both been so supportive with the fund and getting that stuff out Kerri, you've been answering all of my random text messages that I send in with yoga foster. Ryan, like you jumped at the opportunity or a challenge, more like challenge of relaunching our website in like three days. So, I can't think both of you enough and I think that's what I'm really learning and trying to embrace right now, is leaning on my people as much as I can to make this stuff happen. Whether it's through work or processing emotions or getting the strength to get out of bed in the morning. So I just want to thank you both for being there for me.
Ryan LeMere: Thank you. I think I would just take it back to this idea of refuge and detail it further and dig into the idea of refuge further that, it's a place for you to go and it's a place or a thing for you to have and find or a space or a person for you to lean into until it's you creating the refuge, for somebody else or for another group. And so, I think that for me at least, leaning into the idea of refuge is something super multi-dimensional, allows me to contextualize the balance of how do I take care of myself and how then do I become this same word, the same idea for those who really need it. I think that's how I would end it.
Kerri Kelly: I love that. And I think it speaks to the idea of mutuality. That mutuality includes us. It includes the refuge that we create for ourselves and how we take care of ourselves. Like we get to be included in that, but it also understands that we're interdependent.
Ryan LeMere: More so than ever.
Kerri Kelly: More so than ever. That's exactly right. So thank you all for being here and for being a part of this and for being in conversation and for showing up.
Ryan LeMere: Thanks, Kerri. Thanks, Nicole.
Kerri Kelly: Thank you.
Nicole Cardoza: Appreciate you both. Kerri Kelly: While this podcast is coming to an end, our work in the world is just beginning. This week's call to action is all about community care. First you can download our Coronavirus community care guide at citizenwell.org to stay up to date and engaged. Second, you can provide a realtime relief to those who are most vulnerable. Donate to the relief fund at reclamationventures.co which will go directly to providing lost income for underestimated wellness leaders. Lastly, you can organize your community into a pod or a circle around a culture and politics of community care that ensures that everyone has the healthcare and economic protections that they need to thrive. Sign up at citizenwell.org.
Kerri Kelly: Special thanks to DJ Drez for the amazing soundtrack. You can check out his music at djdrez.com. And to our executive producer who puts it all together and makes it sound great, Trevor Exter. And thank you for being here today. You can stay in the know and engaged by subscribing to our free weekly newsletter, well-read at citizenwell.org. Citizen podcast is community inspired and crowdsourced. That's how we keep it real. Join our community on Patreon for as little as $2 per month so that we can keep doing the work of curating content that matters for citizens who care. And don't forget to rate us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google play. And share the love y'all, by telling your friends to check us out.