204: Living in Harmony with Yourself and the World
“It comes down to taking individual responsibility for your actions and behaviors.”
My Guest
Erica Nelson is a member of the Navaho Nation. She is a fly fishing guide, host of the “Awkward Angler” podcast, and a contributor to the “Awkward & Clueless Beginning Fly Fishing” show on YouTube. She is a Brown Folks Fishing ambassador, a community that cultivates the visibility, representation, and inclusion of people of color in fishing and its industry. She is also the passionate co-founder of REAL Consulting, which focuses on bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to the world, including the world of fly fishing.
One of the pearls that Erica shares in our conversation is the Navaho concept of Hózhó, which encompasses the ideas of beauty, order, and harmony, and expresses the goal of striving for balance. That concept, not surprisingly, is the theme that runs throughout our conversation.
• Hózhó is in balance in how Erica has brought her passions for diversity, equity, and inclusion and fly fishing together.
• Hózhó is out of balance when we look at how some would like our nation’s history taught — Do we avoid discussing the darker periods in our past because they might make someone today feel guilty, or do we use them to be honest with ourselves and teach critical thinking to our youth?
• Hózhó is out of balance when we look at the concept of land — Can we own the land, or are we meant to be its stewards, nourishing, honoring, and protecting it?
• Hózhó is out of balance when we look at how we treat nature — Are we in a reciprocal relationship with it – we take and we give back – or are its resources there only for us to extract?
Connect with Erica
Podcast: https://www.awkwardangler.com/
REAL Consulting: https://www.consultreal.org/
Willowfly Anglers: Fish with Erica!
https://3riversresort.com/fishing/
Referenced
New York Times feature article
Show Credits
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"Getting Unstuck" theme music: Original composition of "Allegro ben ritmato e deciso" by George Gershwin. Arrangement and recording courtesy of Bruno Lecoeur.