Chahta Chatter
Our ancestors have used stories for generations to guide us in living well on Mother Earth. These stories carry the wisdom to heal, remember our purpose, and re-center our well-being.
Chahta Chatter is a podcast where traditional Indigenous stories meet and offer insight for modern mental, physical, and spiritual health challenges. With a focus on land-based healing and community resilience, each episode takes listeners on a journey of reflection and learning.
We believe our ancestors’ stories carry instructions for healing. Through our show we reflect on their relevance today. So that future generations our knowledge remains embedded in our stories providing wisdom for a healthy and good life. By listening to and sharing stories, we build resilience within our communities.
Chahta Chatter is a wellness podcast brought to you by the School of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington in collaboration with IWRI’s HOLLO (Healing Opportunities in Love, Land and Original Instructions) Division. Through this platform, we honor traditional storytelling and explore its teachings for contemporary health and wellness practices.
Chahta Chatter
Grandmother Spider - Spokni Chunkash, the spider who gave us fire.
Welcome to Chahta Chatter!
Our ancestors have used our stories for generations upon generations for instructions on how to live a good way on the earth; they also have encoded ways in which we can heal.
Grandmother Spider - This tale describes how fire came to the Choctaw people from an unlikely source. It further emphasizes our relationship with our more than human kin and the teachings that they bring.
Meet our host:
Dr. Michelle Johnson-Jennings is a Choctaw tribal member, clinical health psychologist, and a Full Professor at the University of Washington’s Schools of Social Work and Public Health. As co-Executive Director of IWRI, she leads groundbreaking research in land-based healing, Indigenous health frameworks, and culturally relevant interventions. Her work spans continents and empowers communities through storytelling and holistic health practices.
Andrea Gonzalez is a proud Mexican-American with Indigenous ancestry who is passionate about ancestral connection, spirituality, and well-being. She is the Program Coordinator at University of Washington’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. Andrea has a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Sciences, and spent her undergrad in a microbiology lab researching bacteria that play an important role in chronic periodontis. She is multilingual and passionate about expanding her consciousness as a citizen of the world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Producers: Andrea Gonzalez, Dr.Michelle Johnson-Jennings, and Felipe Contreras.
Mixed By: Felipe Contreras
Special thanks to Brad Joe for the support and contribution to the music of the show.
This podcast is made possible through collaboration with IWRI, the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, and HOLLO’s initiatives. At HOLLO we integrate storytelling and land-based healing to address chronic health issues, preserve cultural heritage, and promote community-led wellness.