Join Suzanne Toro and Kerri Kelly in an in-depth conversation around her new book, American Detox: The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal. We find a possible bridge…returning to what we have already known. We explore remembering our ancestors to help us find the solutions and remedies to collectively heal and take actions for the benefit of all.
Questions to contemplate…
What were you taught about entitlement?
• What is your right role and responsibility in bringing forth justice and wellbeing for all?
• What is your relationship with perfection?
• And what has individualism cost you?
AMERICAN DETOX
We are an America obsessed with self-seeking and self-perfection, driving a wellness industry that reaches more than 80 million people and fuels a market worth more than 650 billion dollars. An industry that promises to make you better, stronger, healthier and whole and meets an ever-increasing demand amongst Americans to “feel good” and find meaning in a cruel and confusing world. But while wellness soars so does inequality, insecurity and isolation. We don’t need more juice fasts and yoga fads–we need to detox from the ideologies of separation, supremacy and scarcity that are holding us back from our best selves.
The myth of wellness isn’t making us well. And until we confront the toxicity of our culture and systems, we won’t ever truly heal.
In American Detox, Kerri Kelly—community organizer and wellness activist—sounds a wake-up call. The wellness that we are so relentlessly seeking is only possible when we embody a mutual responsibility that goes beyond self care towards collective wellbeing. Through powerful storytelling, critical analysis and new/old wisdom, Kerri tackles America’s toxic culture rooted in perfectionism, white supremacy and individualism and explores a new paradigm for personal and societal wellness that is radical, relational and resilient. Along the way, she offers tangible practices and strategies for how to detox from the culture of separation, supremacy and scarcity and show up for the wellbeing of the whole. It is a timely book that disrupts the status quo and provokes radical responsibility, while also nourishing and sustaining our resistance and resilience. American Detox is a “personal reckoning meets citizen handbook” about waking up, reclaiming our wholeness and transforming our country from the inside-out.
BIO.
Kerri is the founder of CTZNWELL, a movement that is democratizing wellbeing for all. A descendant of generations of firemen and first responders, Kerri has dedicated her life to kicking down doors and fighting for justice. She’s been teaching yoga for over 20 years and is known for making waves in the wellness industry by challenging norms, disrupting systems and mobilizing people to act.
WORK.
A community organizer, wellness activist and author of the forthcoming book American Detox: The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal, Kerri is recognized across communities for her inspired work to bridge transformational practice with social justice. She’s been instrumental in translating the practices of wellbeing into social and political action, working in collaboration with community organizers, spiritual leaders and policy makers to transform our systems from the inside out. Her leadership has inspired a movement that is actively organizing around issues of racial and economic justice, healthcare as a human right, civic engagement and more.
"KERRI KELLY IS RADICALLY COMMITTED TO OUR WELL-BEING BY TEACHING US HOW TO 'BE WELL' WITHIN OURSELVES AND ONE ANOTHER." — Layla Saad
Production brought to you by OmToro Wellness + Media