'So You Wanna Be Less Oppressive' is a 3-part workshop series for Marginalized Leaders who wants to disrupt the status quo in a way that is authentic to you.

In this workshop recording, you'll explore socialization, social justice and solidarity through the use of self-inquiry and collective-inquiry.

The series costs $50 USD (payment plans available).

Buy now for $50 USD

Registration gives you access to:

• (3) one-hour virtual workshops via Zoom
• Chaptered recordings of each workshop
• Access to resource materials delivered after each workshop

What is this series about?

Helping Marginalized leaders speak up during crucial moments and meetings without self-doubt getting the best of you.

(AKA: helping Marginalized leaders say it with your chest because you're doing the work and you know your shit).

We know that we want to lead ourselves and our teams in ways that are more people-centered and humane but every time we think about doing things differently, this voice pops into our head:

• Do I know enough to be talking or trying this?
• What if I say the wrong thing and hurt someone?
• Am I really making change in this situation?

In the 'So You Wanna Be Less Oppressive' series, you will explore frameworks and exercises that will allow you to disrupt the status quo in a way that is authentic to you.

Buy now for $50 USD

What are we exploring?

In Growing Awareness (Pt. 1), we will build a shared language about what we mean when we use words like power, privilege, bias and oppression. Often times, we fuck up before we even start having these conversations because we're not all using the same definitions for common words. Not today though! By building this foundation, we're able to peep when oppressive systems and structures are at play within and outside of us. 

Here's a preview of what is covered in this session:

0:00:00 Goals for this session

0:02:30 Who am I?

0:03:45 The Human Contradiction

0:06:17 What is Social Justice?

0:14:00 What is Power? (and exercise)

0:50: 22 What is Privilege?

0:55:00 What is Bias?

1:24:00 Reflections & Takeaways

In Developing Discrepancy (Pt. 2), we will be making the personal, political (as the feminists told us) by connecting our lived experiences to systems of power, privilege and oppression. Often times, we talk about systemic oppression as if it is something that happens to over there which limits our imagination and action towards co-creating a different world in our everyday lives. Not today though! By making space for the ways that our values live in a separate house from our actions, we can develop compassion for the discrepancy and build courage towards greater alignment.

Here's a preview of what is covered in this session:

0:00:00 Where are we? (past / present / future)

0:02:30 Surrounding ourselves with compassion

0:12:25 What is Oppression? (way #1)

0:20:35 What is Oppression? (way #2)

0:42:06 What is Oppression? (way #3)

0:53:00 Cycle of Socialization

1:12:00 Cycle of Socialization: Exercise

In Rooting Liberation (Pt. 3), we will explore ways that we can take the seeds of liberation, solidarity and collective action into our leadership and work. Often times, we learn a lot about what not to do but less of what we can do or even what that could even look like for us. Not today though! By learning about different approaches to change, where you might fit into this work and how you can lead from a place of liberation, not perfection, we can identify simple and practical ways for you to disrupt oppression in a way that is authentic to you. 

Here's a preview of what is covered in this session:

0:00:00 Goals for the Session

0:01:56 Surrounding ourselves with pleasure and humility

0:09:40 Fear of "doing it wrong" exercise

0:32:10 Cycle of Socialization

0:33:00 Cycle of Liberation

1:00:30 Is it Solidarity or Allyship?

1:17:00 3 S's of Steady Self-Trust

1:25:54 P.L.A.Y. is a Pathway to Liberation

Buy now for $50 USD

Who's leading this series?

Holllaasss! Petra Vega here!

👋🏽 *waves* (that's me waving, but my hair's not that red anymore!)

I describe myself as a Liberatory Leadership Coach, Emergent Strategist, Social Justice Facilitator and Radical Social Worker.

All of these titles inform how I navigate my liberatory efforts by:

• Moving from the overlap between personal change + systems change through Liberatory Leadership
• Using the nature of change to shape the future through Emergent Strategy
• Making things easier to go deep, not wide through Social Justice Facilitation
• Healing the root causes of pain and suffering through Radical Social Work

I help BIPOC and Queer leaders align their liberatory values with their liberatory actions (especially when self-doubt is the cause for the discrepancy). Together, we build the skills, supports and spirit needed to use our leadership as a force for collective liberation.

In doing this work for 10+ years, I've seen how self-doubt has become one of the ways that we silence, oppress and minimize ourselves in order to fit, survive and protect ourselves in certain White, hetero, cis, abled spaces.

This is why I believe liberation is an inside job. 

I'm not saying that personal freedom is more important than collective freedom, but I am saying that without doing the inner work of personal liberation, we will not ever get to the collective liberation work that so many of us desire and dream of.

And I know this from first-hand, personal experience.

You can read more about my experience here or keep reading for the short story:

As a baby Queer who was raised in a Puerto Rican family in a predominantly White town in Upstate, NY, I grew up believing that I should be seen and not heard at home and in the world.

After learning about the multi-layered systems of oppression that were operating within and outside of me in college, I began doing the inner and outer work of questioning socialization, healing trauma and disrupting oppression.

This work is what has allowed me to resist my oppressive upbringing and reclaim my voice as power.

My special sauce is weaving an anti-oppression approach, trauma and healing tools, with playful possibility (this means I'll bring in some humor WHILE we expand our imagination) to support Marginalized folks in leading from a place of liberation, not perfection.

I really believe that we need all of us to get free and I want to help as many of us as I can stay engaged in this work.

If that's you too, you'll wanna register for the 'So You Wanna Be Less Oppressive' series.

Buy now for $50 USD

What will you receive when you register?

When you register for the 'So You Wanna Be Less Oppressive' series, you'll receive the recording of the following workshops:

• Growing Awareness (Pt. 1)
• Developing Discrepancy (Pt. 2)
• Rooting Liberation (Pt. 3)

RESOURCE HUB: After each session, there will be additional materials (articles, books, videos, podcast episodes, etc.) to further your learning.

Who is this series for?

BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S, Disabled, Neurodivergent, and other Marginalized leaders who:

• navigate self-doubt when speaking up for themselves or others
• give a shit about people and the planet (you may or may not describe this passion as collective liberation)
• recognize that institutional change, requires personal change as well
• agree that none of us is as smart as all of us
• acknowledge the harmful impact we've made and are willing to make the shifts and changes need to co-create a space with minimal fuckshit and fuckery happening to anyone

You might hate this series (and probably shouldn't register) for this if...

1. You're uncomfortable with the metaphysical, metaphorical, ancestral or spiritual, it's just not your jam. For me, social change will require both logic and intuition, both the seen and unseen, etc.
2. You're looking for someone to give you a fail-proof, prescriptive, step-by-step guide. While I am available to consult, provide examples and leverage my experience, I am most interested in helping you think critically, deepen your inner knowing and feel more confident about the ways you are moving towards challenging the status quo in a way that is authentic to you.
3. You don't have access to or have not engaged in self-growth work before. This is deep, vulnerable work and I want to make sure you have other supports in place, just in case or you are already in a practice of self-reflection already.

Still not sure if this series is for you?

Feel free to reach out in any of the ways below and I'll do my best to be helpful. 

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What can you expect from working with someone like me?

If this sounds like the kind of person you want to learn from and with, you'll wanna register for the 'So You Wanna Be Less Oppressive' series.