Episode 41 | Decolonizing Yourself with Hilary Giovale

In this episode of Cults and the Culting of America, host Scot Loyd and Daniella Mestyanek-Young (KnittingCultLady) sit down with Hilary Giovale—a ninth-generation settler living among Indigenous communities in Northern Arizona. Hilary opens up about her journey from segregation to engaging deeply with Native communities, emphasizing how re-education and personal healing can unravel the lasting wounds of colonialism.

Hilary discusses the trauma inflicted by Indigenous boarding schools and the persistent impact of white supremacy on both marginalized communities and white culture. By practicing ancestral reverence and focusing on actionable reparations—like supporting sacred landscape protection and Indigenous-led initiatives—Hilary and her guests illustrate the transformative power of honest dialogue and community-based healing. For more on Hilary's work, listeners are encouraged to visit her website, GoodRelative.com.

Hilary's Links:

• Her Book: Becoming a Good Relative
• Guide to Making a Personal Reparations Plan
• An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, by Resmaa Menakem
• Reclaiming Our Indigenous European Roots, by Lyla June Johnston
• Listeners can donate to the Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition to support the continued research and documentation

Daniella's Links:

You can read all about my story in my book, Uncultured-- buy signed copies here. https://bit.ly/SignedUncultured

For more info on me:

Patreon: https://bit.ly/YTPLanding

Cult book Clubs (Advanced AND Memoirs) Annual Membership: https://bit.ly/YTPLanding

Get an autographed copy of my book, Uncultured: https://bit.ly/SignedUncultured

Get my book, Uncultured, from Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/4g1Ufw8

Daniella's Tiktok: https://bit.ly/4bwvNC0

Instagram: https://bit.ly/4ePAOFK / daniellamyoung_

Unamerican video book (on Patreon): https://bit.ly/YTVideoBook

Secret Practice video book (on Patreon): https://bit.ly/3ZswGY8

Other Podcasts

Daniella's other podcast: Hey White Women

Scot's TikTok

@thescotloyd

Haley's Tiktok

@nuancedmasculinities

Takeaways

• Transformative Re-education: Hilary shares her journey from a segregated existence to building respectful relationships with Indigenous communities.

• Boarding School Trauma: The discussion highlights the deep and enduring pain caused by Indigenous boarding schools and their impact on cultural identity.

• Confronting White Supremacy: The conversation emphasizes the need to recognize and dismantle the harmful legacy of white supremacy, both for marginalized people and within white culture itself.

• Humility and Listening: Hilary stresses the importance of approaching new communities with genuine curiosity, humility, and a readiness to learn rather than impose.

• Ancestral Healing Practices: The practice of ancestral reverence—such as maintaining an ancestor altar—is offered as a powerful tool for personal and collective healing.

• Community-Based Action: The episode underlines the significance of supporting sacred landscape protection, Indigenous-led initiatives, and creating personal reparations plans as crucial steps toward healing.

Produced by Haley Phillips