Show Notes
Sarah Eagle Heart is an Emmy-Award Winning Social Justice Storyteller and—in all seriousness—a true Social Justice Warrior. She’s the co-CEO of Return to the Heart Foundation, which, if we pause right there to experience the name alone, we feel the power, the empowerment, the justice, the heart, the truth.As the co-CEO of Return to the Heart Foundation, Sarah works tirelessly to enable and empower the very necessary visibility of Indigenous womxn. I’ve looked up to Sarah Eagle Heart and her work for many years now, making it a deep honor to have her here with us today.In our conversation, you’ll hear her begin with a greeting that reverberates past your ears, beyond your mind, and into your body’s knowing of where we come from as people—historically, ancestrally, culturally, environmentally, spiritually. Sarah’s traditions carry a reverence for truth that, when heard with the ear of your nervous system, injects itself into the very bones of our being— easily and quickly. Making it so much more simple for us to disperse truth from lie—be it lies of capitalism, lies of racism, lies of a lack, and the list goes on as long as the trail of tears. Longer, even. Returning to truth is sacred work. Amplifying that truth, those stories, those peoples, so that we can return to a real care for our planet, our community, ourselves….. THAT is the sacred work we’ll hear about today from Sarah Eagle Heart. This is a very special episode. And it’s an honor to have you listening with us today. WORKS: - Emmy-Award Winning producer of Crow: the Legend, inspired by the Native American legend - co-CEO of Return to the Heart Foundation - Co-author of “Warrior Princesses Strike Back: How Lakota Twins Fight Oppression and Heal through Connectedness,” written with her identical twin sister and psychotherapist, Emma Eagle Heart–White - Co-producer, “Lakota Nation vs. the United States,” a feature-length documentary chronicling the Lakota People’s present-day quest to reclaim the sacred land called Black Hills - former, CEO of Native Americans in Philanthropy, a national nonprofit that focuses on investment in Native American communities - Board Member, Women’s March - Board Member, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition - Board Member, We Stand United
TOOLS: - Tools to address the root causes of racism - The importance of acknowledging Indigenous history and how honoring this history leads to the changes we need - Wisdom behind the importance of acknowledging the land you live on - How to transfer TALK into ACTION - Steps to decolonize your life and decolonize your work - Understandings that enable us to lean into conflicting history, become comfortable sitting in discomfort, fear, and truth to enable safety for people who have had to live without safety for centuries
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: BETTER is recorded on the unceded and ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and has been stewarded by them since time immemorial.
BETTER with Mark Brand is produced by Pamela Rothenberg of I HEAR YOU STUDIOS and Adam Karch with Orbyt Media
More from BETTER presents: Make Food Food Again
In Season 4, Make Food Food Again, Mark takes a deeper look at the systems that determine how we feed ourselves, who benefits, who gets left behind, and what needs to change. Through powerful human stories, investigative documentaries, and accessible explainers, BETTER explores the connections between food, health, labour, land, power, and dignity. From food banks and grocery giants to the people growing, preparing, and relying on our food, Mark asks difficult questions, challenges familiar narratives, and explores practical solutions. Because building a better world starts with understanding the one we've created. East Coast Credit Union is proud to support Better because we believe meaningful change starts with asking the right questions and challenging the way things have always been done. As Mark Brand explores the systems that shape our lives and meets the people working to improve them, we see a natural connection to our own purpose: using banking as a force for good to improve financial wellbeing, strengthen communities and help people thrive. When our members and communities thrive, we all do. Learn more about how East Coast Credit Union is challenging the status quo of traditional banking and showing how business and banking can be a force for good: eastcoastcu.ca
In this episode of Better, host Mark Brand sits down with Nova Scotian diver and content creator Sean “Saltwater Sean” McMullen for a deeply honest conversation about curiosity, healing, and finding purpose beneath the waves. Sean shares how boredom during COVID, a wetsuit from Marketplace, and a couple of vintage soda bottles led to a viral photo, national media attention, and the birth of the Saltwater Sean platform. Along the way, he opens up about sobriety, divorce, tinnitus and hearing loss, childhood bullying, and how diving, magnet fishing, and cleaning up local waterways became a way to reconnect with his inner child, his parents, his kids, and his community. This is a story about environmental action, mental health, and the power of simply doing your own “weird thing” so others feel brave enough to do theirs.
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Actor, director, gamer, and entrepreneur Matthew Lillard has been a cult favorite for decades—from Scream and Hackers to Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy’s. But behind the characters is a story of failure, reinvention, and radical authenticity. In this conversation with Mark Brand, Matthew opens up about: Growing up as an outsider: obese kid, learning disabilities, drama nerd in the 80s The moment he turned down Dancing With the Stars, fired his team, sold his house, and rebuilt his life and career How The Descendants “reintroduced” him to Hollywood as a man, not just the funny kid Building Beadle & Grimm’s and Find Familiar Spirits, brands that serve fandoms instead of chasing the mainstream Why helping friends win feels better than his own success How he uses his celebrity as a tool for impact, not ego Turning pain, insecurity, and “outsider” energy into art, business, and community This episode is a love letter to nerds, misfits, and late bloomers, and a masterclass in showing up as your whole self, even when it’s messy.
Coming soon! Matt Lillard! Actor, director, gamer, and entrepreneur Matthew Lillard has been a cult favorite for decades, from Scream and Hackers to Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy’s. But behind the characters is a story of failure, reinvention, and radical authenticity.