MY JOURNEY TOWARDS A NEW PERSPECTIVE . . .

| Written by:The Empathic Realist aka Shaní (Sha-nay) Nicole |

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I am an Artist, Educator, a Creative Consultant, Public Speaker, Spiritual Coach, and Writer.

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I am originally from Houston, TX. I relocated to New York City in the summer of 2008 to pursue a then career in Advertising and Media. I also went on to become a professional blues, soul, and jazz singer (both as a front woman and as a background singer). Having lived in New York City for well over a decade, I have experienced both dark and light from a variety of spectrums. Each journey led me to new levels of spiritual and emotional awakenings. Thus, NYC became my incubation for my soul cultivation. After spending over a decade in the fields of Advertising, Education, Entertainment, Media, and Music, I decided it was time to find my soul mission;

birthing "The Empathic Realist."

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The name “The Empathic Realist” derived from a time in my life when I was facing extreme levels of oppression and tragedy in my personal and working life. As an African American woman, our voices are often muted due to the “angry black woman” label / stereotype. This label has unfortunately been placed upon me as well; both in my personal life and during my time in Corporate America. It wasn’t until the unexpected passing of my father that I decided to depart ways with my corporate career. Thereafter, I embarked on a journey of exploration; finding alternative ways to pursue my love for creative expression and passion for social, economical, and ecological justice. This led me to a journey of self-discovery and self-healing. After a year of exploring a variety of healing modalities, diving deep into diverse scholarly research, and traveling to countries around the world, I decided that I wanted to go back to school to dive DEEP into the origins of my ancestors painful journey and existence on stolen lands. As someone who identifies as both African and Indigenous, I was determined to find avenues / access to collective healing and re-education for not only my community but for all oppressed communities around the globe. While taking a turn down this new path felt liberating, I simultaneously began to see the (rotten) root causes of our current reality, not only as Americans, but also as global citizens. As I ruminated over these painful findings, I felt that there were four missing elements preventing the eradication of our human suffering:

Empathy, Accountability, Decolonized Truth, and Restorative Healing.

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As The Empathic Realist, I challenge & critique systems and ideologies through critical thinking, scholarly research, intuitive guidance and by interacting with communities across the globe. These practices allow me to hold space for unearthing (generating) unbiased opinions by looking through an empathic, compassionate, & humanist lens, in order to uncover the root issues and failures across societies; on a local, national and international basis. As issues / causes are discovered, I use a variety of creative methods to express them: music, education, poetry / spoken word, ancient healing modalities / practices,  and engaging in soulful conversations with others; paving the way for a collective space that approaches solutions in a more spiritual, harmonious, and decolonized way. 

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I believe my mission in this life is to awaken communities through empathic truth; creating a path towards healing and liberation. It’s not enough to just imbue empathy or sympathy to what we are facing. We are now being encouraged to embrace what it means to be comfortable within the discomfort of everything we have been taught as it relates to our faith, our self-worth, our relationships to others & larger institutions, and how all of these areas are completely up for global review. We are being asked to challenge every system currently in place and critically inspect how it all relates to the collective instability we are facing today. Yes, this is a huge task to take on, however, if we all accept the challenge of beginning this work within ourselves, it will begin a ripple effect in our external environments. I truly believe it starts with us. Our environments mirror our reality. If we want external change, we must begin the process within ourselves. Thus comes the process of un-indoctrination (de-programming / un-learning). Every system and structure in place has not had our best intentions at heart. We have collectively been functioning from a space of toxic patriarchy, (neo) colonial mentalities (which include capitalism), and white supremacy. Now is the time to re-assess EVERYTHING we have been taught. Our sense of security. Our sense of belonging. Our sense of Self. All of it. I know it seems heavy and  somewhat scary, however, there is a beautiful, gorgeous and luscious new reality awaiting us on the other side. 

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We can receive the key to this new home (New Earth) by connecting the dots of our past and bridging the gap of our differences. When we allow ourselves to begin this work, we can begin the process of RE-IMAGINATION & RE-BIRTH. What does a New Earth community look like to you? What does de-colonization feel like? Are we holding space for the ways in which we have traumatized various communities still feeling the effects of collective oppression? Are we expanding our minds to re-envision what it means to live from a earth-based and human-based perspective?

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To me - embracing a new way of living and being involves the process of transforming our communities into spaces that are safe, healing, healthy, diverse, creative, accepting, loving and financially stable; permeating peace, love, harmony, elevated connections to Mother Gaia, and intellectual + social + economic freedom. And I am here to let you know that YOU are NOT alone. I created this platform as a safe space for any and all who may need it. I also wanted to provide a space for those ready to explore, inquisite, problem solve and heal. We see that there are many flaws and outdated modes of functioning within our current society... so let's begin the journey of de-construction! We are in this together.

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Self Healing + Self Love + Self Reflection x Unlearning = The Key to Liberation, Repair, Collective Healing, and Elevation of the Human "race" & the planet.