Note: This episode was recorded when Amáyá was using the name Charlie. You’ll hear us refer to her as Charlie throughout the episode; however, she now goes by Amáyá, as reflected below.

We're kicking off this season of Tending Our Roots with guest Amáyá Scott, a Diné scholar, writer, and creator who is dedicated to inspiring joy and justice.

Amáyá reflects and celebrates what it means to be Diné, queer, and trans in the 21st century — sharing her brilliance and humor with thousands online as @dineaesthetics. When we met with Amáyá, a summer storm rolled through, thunder shaking the walls as we laughed and talked all afternoon. In this episode, she speaks about leaving academia, living in community, and the daily practice of choosing and loving herself. For Amáyá, love is abundance — found in quiet mornings, soft laughter, and the courage to be fully who you are.

Interested in learning more after our conversation? Check out more of Amáyá’s work at https://dineaesthetics.com/

Tending Our Roots is co-hosted by Drs. Miigis Gonzalez (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe) and Jill Fish (lineal descendent of the Tuscarora Nation).

This podcast was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and supported by the CIRCLE P50 Center of Excellence funded through the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (Award Number P50DA058619). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Production was completed by Solar Powered Studios in St. Paul, MN.

Podcast artwork was completed by Marlena Myles, a Spirit Lake Dakota, Mohegan, Muscogee artist.

The song, “The Best of Me” is used with the permission of Anishinaabe and First Nations singer-songwriter, Leonard Sumner.

Welcome to Tending Our Roots with Indigenous Methodologies, a podcast exploring Indigenous approaches to research, evaluation, and community practice. Come join us each week as we visit with guests to talk about how Indigenous Knowledges and ways of being support the health, healing, and futures of Indigenous communities.

Tending Our Roots is co-hosted by Drs. Miigis Gonzalez (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe) and Jill Fish (lineal descendent of the Tuscarora Nation).

This podcast was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and supported by the CIRCLE P50 Center of Excellence funded through the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (Award Number P50DA058619). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Production was completed by Solar Powered Studios in St. Paul, MN.

Podcast artwork was completed by Marlena Myles, a Spirit Lake Dakota, Mohegan, Muscogee artist.

The song, “The Best of Me” is used with the permission of Anishinaabe and First Nations singer-songwriter, Leonard Sumner.