In this episode of The Unfolding: Presented by The Loveland Foundation Podcast, host Rachel Keener is joined by author, healer, and activist Michelle Cassandra Johnson for a thoughtful conversation inspired by her latest book, The Wisdom of the Hive. Drawing from her personal lineage and spiritual journey, Johnson reflects on what bees can teach us about healing, community, and interconnection.

Rooted in the agricultural legacy of her grandparents and shaped by her own practices in yoga, meditation, and ritual, Johnson explores how bee behavior mirrors the kind of care, communication, and collective resilience we often long for in our own lives. She unpacks how tending to the self is inseparable from tending to the collective—and how the hive serves as a model for mutual support and embodied healing.

If you're craving a deeper understanding of community care and the sacred connections that bind us, this episode offers a powerful lens—and plenty to carry forward.

More about Michelle Cassandra Johnson:

Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant and educator, and intuitive and shamanic healer. She approaches her life and work from a place of knowing we are, can, and must heal individually and collectively. Michelle facilitates workshops and immersions, leads retreats and transformative experiences nationwide, and offers an array of healing services for individuals and groups. For over 25 years as a racial equity educator, she has worked with large corporations, non-profits, and community groups. Michelle is a five-time published author, and in May 2025, her sixth book, The Wisdom of the Hive, published by Sounds True and co-written with her best friend, Amy Burtaine, was released.

Michelle was a TEDx speaker at Wake Forest University in 2019 and has been interviewed on several podcasts in which she explores the premise and foundation of Skill in Action, along with embodied approaches to racial equity work, creating ritual in justice spaces, our divine connection with nature and Spirit, and how we as a culture can heal.

Learn more: https://www.michellecjohnson.com

–

The Unfolding: Presented by The Loveland Foundation podcast is an additional resource not only to the public but also to our therapy fund cohort members. The Loveland Foundation therapy fund and resources are only made possible through support from our community.

At The Loveland Foundation, we are committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Our resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing. Since our founding, the Therapy Fund has provided financial support for therapy to over 13,000 Black women, girls, and non-binary individuals across the country.

Links:

Support the show: https://give.thelovelandfoundation.org/give/436656/#!/donation/checkout
Follow Michelle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skillinaction
Follow The Loveland Foundation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelovelandfoundation/
Visit the website: https://thelovelandfoundation.org/

Support the show

Tend to Your Hive with Michelle Cassandra Johnson