What if silence isn’t agreement?

In this episode, we unpack how survival within institutions often requires a strategy people never see — monitoring tone, calculating risk, deciding when to speak and when not to.

Refusal doesn’t always look loud.
Sometimes it looks like protecting your energy, choosing restraint, and understanding how power actually moves inside systems.

This episode also asks a harder question: when institutions celebrate resilience, what conditions made that endurance necessary in the first place?

Because there’s a difference between surviving a system and being supported by it.

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Part 3 of Fira's Thesis Series examines how the institution can appear supportive on paper but also quietly shifts responsibilities and instability onto Indigenous students. In this episode, we dive into how unclear policies, unequal access to power, and the concept of "self-advocacy" significantly affect the experiences of Indigenous graduate students. When harm is only acknowledged through written rules, daily instability can seem normal, leading to silence as a survival tactic. It raises an important question: if policies promise fairness, how do we reconcile that with the reality on the ground? 

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In Part 2 of the Thesis Series, we examine how institutional harm often shows up—not through overt discrimination, but through silence, shifting expectations, and assumed support that never fully materializes. This episode names the structures that place quiet, ongoing pressure on Indigenous scholars: unclear guidance, uneven power, emotional labor disguised as professionalism, and the expectation to endure harm without disruption. Rather than assigning blame, this conversation focuses on clarity—how systems function, who bears the cost of confusion, and why refusal can be an act of protection and survival. This episode sets the foundation for what comes next: turning survival into creation when institutions fail to hold us.

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Before there was a thesis, there was survival. In this opening episode, Fira shares the story of how she arrived at graduate school—not through a carefully planned academic path, but through years of navigating broken systems, community responsibility, loss, and improvisation. 

From teaching on the reservation, to moving to Las Cruces after her mother’s passing, to entering a graduate program without Indigenous mentorship, this episode traces the conditions that made the thesis necessary. This conversation is not about individuals or institutions, but about patterns, absence, and what it means to build your own container when support disappears. 

This is the beginning—before the language, before the defense, before the scholarship.

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This Episode marks the return of Dr. Georgina Badoni for Part Two of our conversation first introduced in Episode 21. In this episode, we reopen the space with intention, care, and accountability as Dr. Georgina Badoni shares what was left unsaid the first time around.

Dr. Badoni speaks candidly about the real reasons behind her departure from an institution that was not built to protect Indigenous women who speak truth. Through reflection on power, systems, and accountability, she unpacks the behaviors, breaking points, and responses that ultimately led her to step away. This conversation situates her experience within a larger pattern faced by Indigenous people navigating institutional spaces, while also naming what organizations consistently get wrong—and what could change if leaders truly listened.

Grounded in cultural teachings and personal strength, Dr. Badoni also shares how she cares for herself while carrying truth that holds weight, and offers guidance for others facing similar harm in their workplaces or communities. We close by looking forward—what’s next for her, what keeps her grounded, and how listeners can stand with those who speak out and push for change in their own spaces.

This is a powerful continuation of a necessary conversation—one rooted in courage, accountability, and the responsibility that comes with truth-telling.

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Whose faces are we carrying in our pockets every day?

We break down how U.S. currency honors slave owners, colonizers, and architects of Native genocide, and how that daily symbolism reinforces power and erasure. We also talk about Indigenous economies before the dollar—wampum, trade, livestock, and the teachings that defined real wealth long before capitalism.

From the faces on coins and bills to the jewelry our people wore as wealth and protection, this episode challenges listeners to rethink money, memory, and value. What it really means to carry history in your wallet.

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In this episode, we unpack Acting Attorney General Colin Bradley’s opinion on the colonial roots of blood quantum and how they violate Diné law and tradition. What does it mean to move beyond fractions and reclaim identity through k’é, clans, and community accountability — while still protecting against pretendians? Because being Diné isn’t something you claim; it’s the relationships you have with your people, your ancestors, and your place.

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Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! We are back with a new episode to start season two! Hope you had a great break! A massive shout-out to all our listeners! We love you and thank you! We hope you are ready for the Fall season and for Halloween! 

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From rez schools and border-town classrooms to universities, Indigenous students face systems that were never made with us in mind. In this episode, we share personal stories of corruption, discrimination, blood quantum barriers, and the hostile realities of “diversity” offices that fail to protect us.

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We are still in mourning as this episode is dedicated in part to Ozzy, but it also honors all those whose love for music reminds us that sound connects us across generations. Music serves as a form of ceremony, memory, and survival. From traditional songs to metal and hip-hop, music resonates with Indigenous peoples both historically and today. We explore how it continues to heal and inspire people of all ages.

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In this conversation, Cassie speaks candidly about growing up in the tension between Diné and Mexican (Naakai Diné) identities, the anger that came with it, and the lack of support she faced as a social work graduate student at NMSU. Her story challenges us to rethink mentorship, community care, and how we create culturally safe spaces.

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This episode explores the devastating Oak Ridge Fire, which has had a significant impact on the Diné (Navajo) community. The destruction of the forest unveils a deeper narrative that connects to ancestral heritage and cultural guardianship, highlighting a relationship with the land that transcends colonial boundaries. For the Diné, land represents family, not wealth. By honoring their connection to the forest, we reflect on what it means to restore relationships with the land in the context of climate justice.

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Join us for a conversation with Dr. Georgina Badoni, our friend and former Indigenous professor at New Mexico State University (NMSU), as she reflects on how leaving higher education became an act of resistance. Together, we unpack the weight of institutional harm, the complexities of Indigenous identity, and what it means to reclaim space by stepping away. We also explore how representation, community, and healing are so vital for Indigenous students and faculty navigating academic space. 

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Join us in this episode as we explore the bond between sisters navigating both traditional and nontraditional worlds. We dive into Tara's unique experiences as an urban native, where she learns to foster understanding and rely on mutual support from friends and family, forming a vital anchor in her journey of self-discovery.

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A reentry episode about taking time off, surviving school/work, and what indigenous rest, identity, and resistance can look like outside the spotlight.

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In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Marco Arviso and Milford Calamity, two of the four Diné business owners of Dineh & Co., who are Indigenous entrepreneurs and artists. They are redefining what it means to lead with purpose, resilience, and cultural pride. From startups to traditional art and jewelry making, our guests share their journeys of navigating entrepreneurship while honoring their heritage.

We explore the unique challenges and opportunities faced by Indigenous entrepreneurs, how community and culture influence their business models, and celebrate the innovation and creativity that thrive in Indigenous-led enterprises.

This episode is a tribute to the strength, wisdom, and vision of Indigenous changemakers who are building businesses and shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.

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We talk with Tanya, Fira's BFF, about how they met and who they banged...jk. Join us to explore the special friendship between two unlikely pairs. Learn about Tanya’s view on allyship and how friendship has endured over the years. 

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The ride continues. 

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Join us on an ADD ride with your host Fira as she discusses her mentally draining week. 

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Happy St. Patrick's Day! Let's talk about Ireland, the Irish, and the relationship between Natives and the Irish.

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We discuss Leonard Peltier's release following clemency granted by former President Joe Biden, along with the events leading to his imprisonment. We also talk about the documentary "Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae," which is currently streaming on Hulu. Additionally, we emphasize the urgent need for awareness and action surrounding the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement, which continues to affect countless families across North America.

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We talk about our Valentimes Day, chain restaurants, and attending a rally for New Mexico gubernatorial candidate, Auntie Deb Haaland.

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Happy 2025! We talk about the Golden Globe and Oscar nods. NMSU in Santa Fe, talking DEI and Indigenous artists. And other things going on here and there and everywhere. Don't forget, Valentime's is coming up, don't be all cheap!

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Listen to our updates on life, Native American Heritage Month events, Rocking our mocs, brief election results, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Fira's massage experience.

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In this episode, we interview our children to get their perspective on growing up Haffbreedz. From attending BIA-run community schools to butchering sheep, these boys have some stories! Be sure to listen to the end to catch our secret special guest!

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Many significant events and transformations can occur over the course of a decade! In this final episode, we invite you to join us as we delve into Fira's compelling journey, chronicling her mixed-race experiences and growth from her university years to the present day. This episode promises a prospect and an interesting exploration of Fira's evolution over the years.

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We are discussing Fira's life after middle school. Come and join us as we explore her journey and the changes in her self-identity.

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Listen to Gabe speak to Fira about her experiences growing up Haffbreed. Hear how she navigated through adulthood and how her experiences helped shape and mold her identity.

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Fira finishes up her interview with Gabe. They both stress the importance of keeping your native language alive. Tune in next time where the interviewee becomes the interviewer and so on and so forth. 

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Fira speaks to Gabe about his identity. What was it like growing up and how he navigated and interpreted being different.

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We discuss Native students attending college and pursuing higher education. What does giving back to your community mean and what does it look like? We attended a presentation by Dr. Adrienne Keene and talk about #LandBack.

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We are back!! Thank you for all your patience! We are committing to being more consistent and explain our issues within this episode. Listen in, follow us on IG and visit our website.

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Nił Hózhǫ́ǫgo Ninínáádoohxah! Happy New Year! This is our 2023 year in review featuring indigenous events and happenings all around us.

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Welcome to our ThanksTAKING episode where we discuss the meaning of this day for us as Haffies, navigating our Tazhii (turkey) holiday as assimilated yazhies (children), to young adults that go-with-da-flow, and how we are reclaiming this day with our educated minds and experiences. 

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Our personal take on Killers of the Flower Moon. Spoilers (but also not because it's history) on our take of the film and book. Of course the book is going to be better than the movie. Tune in or skip if you want to read/watch on your own. We recommend the book by the way...

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Juss needing to get some things off our ADD minds (because we're Xennials): from DBs  small talk, cringy Native rappers, Gabe's halitosis friends, IHS, Ysleta Del Sur, and Hbz issues all throughout! It's only the beginning folx!  

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