dr. alicia nance | Senior Partner
What brings you joy and energy outside of work?
Mi familia and friends, co-conspiring with young people, keeping a connection to land (my toes in the soil and soil under my nails), learning from plantitas, the beach (salt and sunshine on my skin), self-care, music and dancing, Julie mangoes and cheeses of all kinds, being active (running, triathlons, quad roller skating, gymnastics, CrossFit), my spirituality and faith, being creative, my two fur babies, books and reading, learning and growing, doulaing, community organising and honoring my elders and ancestors.
What is your self-care routine?
Writing in my gratitude journal, reading the Bible, connecting with loved ones and new people, slowing down and appreciating the small moments and things, being active, growing food, dancing and listening to music as often as possible, Kemetic yoga, Ayurvedic healing, somatic healing, spiritual herbalism and energy work, eating natural foods, embracing silence and listening to the Divine in nature.
What is one book you would recommend to our readers, and why?
I love books and reading so much that I am recommending two books.
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem is a great introduction to somatic healing and abolitionism. It leads us on an exploration of how racism is not about the head but about the body, and how it affects us all, regardless of how we are racialized. This book focuses on processes for healing, an essential, often omitted part of the conversation, through a new understanding of white supremacy as body-centered.
The Power Manual: How to Master Complex Power Dynamics by Cyndi Suarez supports the development of an analysis of the concept of power, with a focus on the dynamics of domination and liberation. There is a lot of confusion between the struggle for power and the quest for liberation. A thorough understanding of power and mastering power dynamics is an essential skill for change agents, as we often forget that in any conflict there is a tendency to become the mirror image of one’s opponent. |
