Season 1: Episode 5 Summary

Ms. Frances Mary Albrier was born in 1898 in Tuskegee, Alabama, carrying the legacy of a grandmother who survived enslavement and helped found the Tuskegee Institute. Inside this episode, Ms. Albrier shares — through a rare oral history clip — one of the most enduring lessons her grandmother passed down: next to every poison is an antidote. She speaks candidly about bitterness, and why her elders understood that allowing the racism of oppressors to fester inside you wasn't just painful — it could kill.

Ms. Albrier went on to become a fearless civil rights organizer for over five decades — advocating for Berkeley's first Black teacher, becoming the first African American to run for Berkeley City Council, and organizing Don't Buy Where You Can't Work campaigns. She did it without being consumed by bitterness. She transmuted it into fuel.

In this episode, we explore the somatic and spiritual cost of swallowed rage — what happens in the body when pain goes unspoken. Dr. Shawna shares her own journey with Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine as a practice for releasing what words can't reach, and teaches a healing sound practice you can use today.

What becomes possible when you stop carrying what was meant to destroy you?

Presence Practice

Where in my body am I holding what I was never given space to say?

Reflection: What would it mean to let bitterness become fuel — not suppression, but strategy and healing?

Go Deeper — Presence Practice: Qigong for Leaders

This episode comes alive in the body. Join Dr. Shawna for a virtual Qigong class directly inspired by this episode. 🔗 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/presence-practice-qigong-for-leaders-tickets-1984147213728

Two More Ways to Go Deeper:

1. Join the community on Patreon → https://www.patreon.com/c/shawnamurraybrowne
2. Explore Cadence — Liberatory Leadership Incubator for women of color leaders → https://www.kindredwellness.net/cadence

This episode is also available as a video on YouTube. If it moved you, please like, share, subscribe, and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review.

Archival credit: Oral history excerpts courtesy of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University, Black Women's Oral History Project.