Practice Behind the Page, is component of our SHINE series, a monthly event discussions series that features luminary writers and wellness practitioners. This conversation series that focuses on what kinds of self care practices writers use to facilitate inspiration and creative flow. This month, we are honored to be joined by NH friend Kerri Kelly. As an extension of the work explored in her book American Detox: The Myth of Wellness & How We Can Truly Heal (North Atlantic Books, 2022 ), Kerri has kicked off a new series this fall: The UNLEARNING SERIES. Join her for a bold exploration of how we’ve been shaped by toxic ideologies (ie: perfectionism, individualism, whiteness, scarcity) and what it’s going to take to heal our cultural wounds and transform into new ways of being.
Kindly hop over to our Instagram page to view our live conversation and read below for an original interview with Kerri about where she finds inspiration, her writing practice and more! Order her book anywhere books are sold!
NH: Describe your writing practice? (ie: is movement or meditation a part of your writing?)
KK: I think my biggest learning along the way was that I could not force myself to write. I had to make space. I had to be receptive. I had to listen and wait for the words to come. And that was when I got serious about boundaries. I could not listen when I was in “work” mode. So I had to carve out non-negotiable writing time that was protected from distraction. In that time, I had to create the conditions for the words to come. Yes there was yoga and meditation, but I also found dynamic movements like running and dance helped excavate memories and wisdom that I didn’t know was there. This book demanded of me the very thing I was writing about – my own detox and recovery. I had to go on my own journey of falling a part and fallen back together again in order to birth this book and my practices were there to guide me.
NH: What surprised you most about the publishing process?
KK: The most surprising thing about being on the other side of this process is that once the book is in the world it takes on a life of its own. I had all these ideas about how the book would grow up and what it would become. But now the book is dancing with many more people and their stories and it is becoming something different, something more than I had imagined. The more it touches people and is touched by people, it evolves and grows and tells its own story.
NH: Where do you find inspiration?
KK: I’ve learned to find inspiration in really good questions. Questions that unlock more wisdom and possibility. Questions that lead to other questions. And this book left me with many more questions than answers – about how culture imprints itself in and on the body and the scientific and somatic practice of unlearning so that we can return to who we are beyond what we have inherited. I feel that there is a whole body of work there for me to explore.
NH: What are you reading?
SM: Right now I’m loving Hospicing Modernity, No More Police and The Future is Disabled.
To hear more, visit our Instagram to watch an intimate discussion with Kerri and Lisa about how we’ve been shaped by toxic ideologies.
About Kerri
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.
