Welcome to Untethered Advice, a new format for the Untethered pod! In today’s episode, a listener asks if monogamy is responsible in part for men’s violence against women, because of its emphasis on ownership.

I answer this the best way I know how - by looking at the broader picture of where the SYSTEM of male violence learns its tactics from. And yes, I talk about Palestine and imperial violence.

This is a challenge to western feminists who want to focus solely on domestic homicide in Australia while ignoring the genocide in Palestine. These two thinks are interconnected, and we cannot fix domestic violence without understanding and dismantling our complicity in imperial violence.

***

Email you advice questions to untetheredpod@gmail.com

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Speaking with conviction has always been my approach, especially when discussing topics that many shy away from. For this episode of Untethered, I'm going solo to talk about the hypocrisy of those suddenly speaking up about men's violence against women while remaining silent on the Israeli genocide of Palestinians.

This dialogue is more than just talk; it's a call to action—a challenge to examine the heavy cost of true change. As we consider the complexities of advocating for justice and liberation, I dissect the interplay of capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy and how these systems of oppression often silence the most critical voices. This episode is an invitation to reflect on our collective responsibilities and the sacrifices demanded in the pursuit of a more equitable world. It's time to weigh the importance of our humanity against the comfort of staying silent, and I'm here to guide that introspection. Join me, and let's dare to envision and fight for the change we so desperately need.

***
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Subscribe to my Substack for written work, with paid Subcribers there getting access to exclusive writing, event invitations and community chat threads: www.substack.com/@clementinef

Support the Show.

If you're enjoying Untethered, please consider rating and reviewing the show and becoming a subscriber!

You can follow Clementine here, and support her work and the podcast:

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Substack: www.substack.com/@clementinef

Part two of my episode with YUMIKO KADOTA is here! A beautiful reading I designed called THE STAR:

S: The spirit. What light do you shine on the world?
T: Truth. What truth are you here to illuminate?
A: Arising. What's arising in you right now?
R: Retreating. What energy is retreating?

Thanks to Yumiko for being so kind and generous with her time! I know Tarot isn't for everyone, but if you're listening to this then I'm glad it's for you.

Follow my new Tarot newsletter on Substack: The World Turns

Buy Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota here: Emotional Female

Support the Show.

If you're enjoying Untethered, please consider rating and reviewing the show and becoming a subscriber!

You can follow Clementine here, and support her work and the podcast:

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***Apologies for the dodgy audio this week. I've discovered that my laptop doesn't have enough processors (?) to manage audio on Riverside, so I had to use backup audio that isn't super great! I'm upgrading this week.***

This week, I speak with the amazing YUMIKO KADOTA, author of the memoir Emotional Female (A brilliant young surgeon's journey through ambition and dedication to exploitation and burnout).

Yumiko and I discuss what happens when the drive to succeed academically and professionally turns out not only be detrimental to your health, but also the very opposite of what actually makes you happy. We also talk about the stereotypes Yumiko has faced as an Asian woman, adult life diagnoses of neurodivergence (Yumiko has AudHD - autism and ADHD) and the need to be specific with language to avoid diluting the meaning of words entirely.

As announced last week, I'm also following up each midweek episode with a weekend special featuring me giving my guests a Tarot reading! Tune in on Saturday (and subscribe so you never miss an episode) to hear me go deep with Yumiko. The reading will be particularly of interest to anyone who has spent their life masking in some way and is finally ready to break free.

***
You can purchase Yumiko's book Emotional Female here.

Follow Yumiko on social media: @dryumikokadota

Book a She Shapes History tour here

To book a Tarot reading with me, contact me on clementine.ford@gmail.com

Subscribe to my Substack: www.substack.com/@clementinef

Support the Show.

If you're enjoying Untethered, please consider rating and reviewing the show and becoming a subscriber!

You can follow Clementine here, and support her work and the podcast:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/clementine_ford
Substack: www.substack.com/@clementinef

Part two of my episode with the incredible AJA BARBER. Aja was kind enough to let me read her tarot cards for this recording, and we get a beautiful insight into who she is beyond her sustainability work. A reminder that the spread featured here was designed by me and is called BESTIE.

B: Bones - how the person being read structures their approach to living and humanity
E: Essence - the spirit that governs them
S: STRENGTH - the things that inform their inner strength
T: THROAT - how they speak their truth
I: IMAGINATION - the dream they secretly hold
E: ELEVATION - how they can make it happen

Although I love this particular reading, it ended up being too long really for podcast format. Moving forward, my plan is to release two episodes a week. The first will be a straight interview with my guest, released on a Wednesday. The second, released on a Saturday, will be a shorter tarot reading recorded at the end of our conversation. It'll be shorter by about a third than this episode, and really a way for listeners to get a deeper insight into someone without necessarily having to know (or even care about!) tarot.

For this Saturday's episode, I'm going to upload a brief overview of tarot for beginners - and why I think it's a perfect medium for conducting interviews and exploring a person's interior.

****
Follow Aja Barber on Instagram at @ajabarber

Buy CONSUMED here: Booktopia

Support the Show.

If you're enjoying Untethered, please consider rating and reviewing the show and becoming a subscriber!

You can follow Clementine here, and support her work and the podcast:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/clementine_ford
Substack: www.substack.com/@clementinef

Hello all, and welcome to an experimental new format for Untethered (at least for this week).

Some of you will know I'm really into Tarot cards - both as a tool for spiritual awareness and also a tool to further understand ourselves and other people. For this week's episode of Untethered, my amazing friend Aja consented to me recording a Tarot reading for her to share with you all. Over 90 minutes, we explored the depths of Aja's work in environmental activism and how it intertwines with personal identity and collective responsibility. The conversation was a beautiful look into the ways our upbringings shape our understanding of scarcity and fortune, urging us to consider the resilience and adaptability required to navigate life's complex tapestry. Over the course of this double episode, Aja shares her insights on crafting a fulfilling existence within the bounds of a capitalist world. As a result, you'll be invited to reflect on your own ambitions and the societal roles we each play.

This is the (shorter) half of a two episode arc, just introducing Aja and the parameteres of our conversation. Consider it a little taster. The guts of the episode will come out on Sunday, with me walking Aja through one of my own personally designed spreads:

B: The material bones of who Aja is in the world
E: The essence of why she is
S: The strength that informs Aja's work
T: The throat - or truth - that Aja speaks from
I: The imagination Aja holds for herself, a dream she wants to achieve
E: The elevation of how to make that dream come true

Let me know if you like this format. I know that tarot and this vibe isn't for everyone, but I am really embracing the stage in my life where I want to just really ENJOY what I do and make and lean right into it!

***
Aja Barber can be found across all social platforms on @ajabarber

Aja's book Consumed can be purchased here: booktopia.kh4ffx.net/9g65q5

Don't forget to subscribe to Untethered!

Support the Show.

If you're enjoying Untethered, please consider rating and reviewing the show and becoming a subscriber!

You can follow Clementine here, and support her work and the podcast:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/clementine_ford
Substack: www.substack.com/@clementinef

***Argh! Mercury is in retrograde which explains why the audio I uploaded earlier this week of this episode somehow removed all the music and left either giant blank spaces or a very strange affect on Claire's BEAUTIFUL song that closes out this episode! I have fixed it now so please don't be put off!***

Naarm based singer-songwriter, podcaster and mother Claire Tonti joins me for a soulful exploration of matrescence, the state in which seismic shifts in identity occur after transitioning into motherhood. Our conversation traverses the raw and unspoken narratives of becoming a mother, from the societal pressures and emotional rebirth to the profound connections (and trauma) forged in the throes of childbirth. We promise a journey that honors the stories of mothers everywhere, especially those facing the unsung complexities and challenges of this transformative life chapter.

Navigating the symbiotic dance of family life and creative expression, Claire and I share candid anecdotes about partnership and the mental gymnastics of balancing parenting with personal passions. Our discussion illuminates the beauty and trauma of birth experiences, the systemic issues in childbirth, and the deep spiritual journey that accompanies bringing life into the world. Listeners are invited to reflect on the strength and resilience inherent in motherhood, the ancestral bonds that are strengthened through this process, and the importance of creating space to process and honor these profound experiences.

We delve into the stark disparities of maternal care – contrasting the empathetic midwifery that many experience and others do not while also addressing the harrowing realities for mothers currently under siege in Palestine. This episode is not just about the personal; it's a call to awaken our collective conscience to the plight of humanity worldwide. With Claire's evocative song "Free" ringing in our ears, we're reminded of the power and courage it takes to embrace and express our true selves, highlighting the universal thread of humanity that binds all mothers together. Join us for this heartfelt episode that promises to resonate with anyone touched by the extraordinary journey of motherhood.

Please be advised this episode contains discussion of birth trauma, genocide and witchcraft.

****

To find Claire's event information, see here: https://www.clairetonti.com/events

To listen to Claire's album 'Matrescence', go here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0jU1LTnSMuxDk22ei4lGOn?si=nnsk5tR5S76TsLVCTyOSqw&nd=1&dlsi=31f41d15338a4e73

To follow Claire's podcast, go here: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tonts/id1571257105

Support the Show.

If you're enjoying Untethered, please consider rating and reviewing the show and becoming a subscriber!

You can follow Clementine here, and support her work and the podcast:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/clementine_ford
Substack: www.substack.com/@clementinef

Hello beautiful listeners! This is a welcome message from me, thanking you all for tuning in to the first few weeks of Untethered. It's also an explanation for why there's no new episode this week - short answer, it's recorded and I'm editing it but I was interstate in three different cities last week working (including presenting a brand new show I've never done before and *stressing* about how it would go) and I'm just ever so slightly burnt out this week. I hope that this transparency is also seen as a good reminder to us all that it's okay to say we just don't have capacity for something - it's taken me a long time of being on the hamster wheel to realise this, but the world will not end if I miss a deadline (unless that deadline is figuring out how to stop the world from ending - which, let's be honest, is unlikely something I'd be in charge of.)

I also talk a little about the heartbreak of losing my podcast at Nova thanks to my political stance on Palestine. At some point in the future, I'll delve more into that too.

In the meantime, Untethered will be back as per usual next week with special guest CLAIRE TONTI, discussing motherhood, creativity, recovering from birth trauma and how the world would benefit if we actually honoured and revered the nurturing, caring elements of what it means 'to mother'.

xxx

Support the Show.

If you're enjoying Untethered, please consider rating and reviewing the show and becoming a subscriber!

You can follow Clementine here, and support her work and the podcast:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/clementine_ford
Substack: www.substack.com/@clementinef