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Holding Space with Magical Wheelism

Holding Space with Magical Wheelism

By Monika Fabian

In roller derby, holding space is an empowering, often intimidating, act of strength and strategy for one's self and/or teammates. Holding Space (the podcast) clears the floor for conversations that touch upon race, class, identity, and privilege to amplify stories, build community, and make more human connections in the skate world.

Holding Space with Magical Wheelism is now available on Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and Youtube. Help support the pod grow by subscribing and sharing it with friends! Rating and reviewing the pod on Apple Podcasts helps others find us.

I am @modega_cat on Instagram and Twitter.

Music: Sunsearcher, "Latin Rhythm"

Cover photo: James Corbett www.epiclifeimages.com and Instagram @epiclifeimages (https://www.instagram.com/epiclifeimages/)
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29. Derby Downtime: Jumpy McGee

Holding Space with Magical WheelismApr 11, 2021

00:00
01:11:35
29. Derby Downtime: Jumpy McGee
Apr 11, 202101:11:35
POP-UP SHOPCAST: Icy Knots

POP-UP SHOPCAST: Icy Knots

Get to know macrame plant hanger maker extraordinaire Rachel Avenido (aka Ice of Minnesota Roller Derby) of Icy Knots on this latest episode of "Pop-Up Shopcast"!

Dec 14, 202025:48
POP-UP SHOPCAST: Mixed Hues

POP-UP SHOPCAST: Mixed Hues

In this episode of "Pop-up Shopcast," we catch up with Austin-based Sam Barks (aka Mixed Hues). The Detroit native tells all about her influences, mediums, and lets us know how the pandemic has been treating her.    
Dec 13, 202025:28
POP-UP SHOPCAST: Xox Handmade Gifts

POP-UP SHOPCAST: Xox Handmade Gifts

In this latest episode of "Pop-up Shopcast," maker Caesarea Hendrix (aka Legs of Minnesota Roller Derby) tells us all about her handmade stationery and skin care! FYI: the video of this interview is available on this pod's youtube and Insta pages. Enjoy! 

 

Dec 13, 202027:01
POP-UP SHOPCAST: Bout Betties & Roller Derby Athletics

POP-UP SHOPCAST: Bout Betties & Roller Derby Athletics

What's up, peeps! I'm super pumped to introduce POP-UP SHOPCAST, an informal chat series with Black, Indigenous &/or Skaters of Color with entrepreneurial endeavors be they full-fledged businesses or nascent Etsy side-hustles. I've been motivated by these makers in our midst for some time now and have wanted to big them up somehow. Last year, I compiled a BIPOC biz list and have refreshed it a few times. This "Pop-Up Shopcast" series is meant to bring that list to life, to have these folks tell us about their work in their own words.

First up: Taco Bruiseday and Ratchet, the midbestern sister duo behind the roller derby subscription box Bout Betties, the roller derby cross-training service Roller Derby Athletics, and the soon-to-be-launched "Small Business Mullet," a podcast for small businesses. Enjoy!











 

 

 

 

Dec 12, 202034:01
28. The U.S. Census & What it Means for You & Us w/ Manila Ice (MNRD)

28. The U.S. Census & What it Means for You & Us w/ Manila Ice (MNRD)

Today’s special guest is topical, timely as well as just plain awesome. Manila Ice of Minnesota Roller Derby and Team Philippines, is a U.S. Census enumerator, which means they visit far-flung areas in their home state and completes the census form with residents who have not been counted. In case you don’t know what the Census is, it’s a national count that takes place every 10 years of every child and adult who resides in the United States, regardless of immigration or economic status, or political affiliation. It is a count that is dictated by the U.S. Constitution and is in turn used to apportion how many seats your area gets in the House of Representatives, how much funding is disbursed. The population number of this Census will determine the Electoral College votes are apportioned to each state for 2024’s Presidential Election--so it’s super important.

We’re nearing the deadline for responses to the United States Census. It was originally set for October 31 and then shortened a month by the executive branch of the federal government and set for September 30, but a federal judge last week restored the original deadline. In any case, if you haven’t done so, get it in as soon as you can. It takes 5 minutes. The link is below.

Enjoy the convo with Ice, who knows their stuff. We also talked about identity and the mood and conversations that have taken place at MNRD since George Floyd’s murder in neighboring Minneapolis.



EPISODE LINKS:
US Census: https://my2020census.gov/

Holding Space with Magical Wheelism is available on all your favorite podcast outlets. Help support the pod grow by subscribing and sharing it with friends! Rating and reviewing on Apple Podcasts also helps others find us.

Follow the pod @holdingspacewithmagicpod on IG and @ThisisHSMWPod on Twitter

Music: ROFEU, "Midnight Lover"

Cover photo: James Corbett www.epiclifeimages.com and Instagram @epiclifeimages (https://www.instagram.com/epiclifeimages/)

Sep 29, 202001:08:03
27. Building BIPOC Skater Community w. Neon (BIPOCWhoSkate)

27. Building BIPOC Skater Community w. Neon (BIPOCWhoSkate)

Today’s guest needs little to no introduction for followers of skater social media. Neon is the creator of the @BIPOCWhoSkate instagram, which has become a clubhouse of sorts--equal parts home, hang, and hub--of BIPOC skater-centric topics, issues, and images. Through BIPOCWhoSkate, Neon hosted or sponsored Spanish-language skater terms classes, Q&As, events, book and film discussions, fundraisers, takeovers, and more. IRL the LA native co-founded and built a skating collective in Madison, Wi, where she landed after attending college elsewhere in the state. She’s also an alum of Madison Roller Derby and Team IRN, and is avid park skater. 

Sep 23, 202001:02:43
26. Movie Club: THE LAST DANCE (w/ Jumping Spider of Windy City Rollers)
Sep 08, 202001:00:27
25. Mic Check: Jumping Spider (Windy City Rollers)
Sep 02, 202045:02
24. Movie Club: HAMILTON (ft. Coco Butther, Punkie Pie, & Scarbie Doll)

24. Movie Club: HAMILTON (ft. Coco Butther, Punkie Pie, & Scarbie Doll)

What does a musical-turned-film cultural phenomenon about the US founding father Alexander Hamilton performed by a majority POC cast have to do with roller skating? Nothing but for the fact that many skaters are huge HAM fans. (Not to mention there's also a decent-sized Venn diagram overlap between musical theater nerds and derby peeps.) So listen to Coco, Punkie, Scarbs, and PEGGY--err, Magic--dissect why HAMILTON is so special, important and, at times, problematic. And yet we'll never be able to say no to this (musical)! 

Jul 20, 202001:16:19
23. The Eternal Sunshine of Kaio-kensi's Awesome Mind
Jun 30, 202001:35:42
22. Skater Spotlight en Español: Lío (Nuevo León RD)
Jun 30, 202037:54
21. The First Lineup: Scarbie Doll (BRDN)
Jun 16, 202001:09:57
20. Exit Interview: Prime (Iron Octopus Fitness)

20. Exit Interview: Prime (Iron Octopus Fitness)

Today’s guest, fitness coach and writer Octopus Prime announced earlier this year the winding down of Iron Octopus Fitness, her online fitness and coaching business for roller derby skaters. For the uninitiated, Prime’s work is anti-racist and rooted in body acceptance. I was an admirer and follower of hers for some time before becoming a client, and when I started this podcast she was the first person I told.

Being such a supportive, anti-racist, all-bodies-accepting ally in the roller derby universe, from the jump I knew I wanted to invite Prime on the pod. We kicked around some ideas. Then it occurred to me: it’d be really interesting to conduct a quasi-exit interview with Prime. So ya girl pulled up the article “10 Most Important Interview Questions You Should Ask Employees Who Are Leaving (And Why!)” from Zenefits dot com and “The 37 Best Tarot Questions” according to Reddit like some new-age HR director and got to work. Enjoy!

May 25, 202001:03:32
19. Cultivating Roller Derby Mom Strength w/ Hurtrude Stein (MNRD)

19. Cultivating Roller Derby Mom Strength w/ Hurtrude Stein (MNRD)

Minnesota Roller Derby's Hurtrude Stein reflects on the road back to gameplay post-pregnancy and also shares what she holds as her post-pandemic derby visions for herself and the collective. The 10-year vet also translates some of her namesake Gertrude Stein’s sage words into derby wisdom. 

But before we begin, I just want to wish all the mothers--in every sense of the word--in skating, derby, and the world a wonderful day. You keep the world on its axis. You are the trucks to our wheels. You are awesome.   

May 10, 202040:15
18. Movie Club: UNITED SKATES (w/ Neon of BIPOCWhoSkate)

18. Movie Club: UNITED SKATES (w/ Neon of BIPOCWhoSkate)

Last Wednesday, @BIPOCWhoSkate and @HoldingSpacewithMagicPod hosted a discussion about the film UNITED SKATES on Instagram Live. The 2018 documentary, which is currently viewable for free on HBO dot com & Hulu, chronicles the place of rollerskating rinks in African-American culture. Here's a slightly edited version of that discussion. (NOW with 50% less cat meows and zero buffering internet connections!) Enjoy!

Apr 25, 202046:37
17. Butter Roll

17. Butter Roll

Today’s guest Amz Collado, the one-woman powerhouse behind Butter Roll, a New York City-based POC-centered rollerskating social enterprise. As a creative endeavor, Butter Roll is one part memory and one part imagination. The name alone feels quintessentially NYC and evocative of the sleekest rink skating. Incorporating skater-curated playlists, women of color filmmaking opportunities, bygone skate images and education, as well as skate events, Butter Roll approaches rollerskating and jam skate culture as multi-disciplinary and, above all, for the people. 

Apr 05, 202044:51
16. Confronting Privilege Through Art w/ Momo Fett (Darkside) & Sam Barks (Mixed Hues)
Mar 15, 202057:14
15. Skater Spotlight: CoCo Butther (SFVRD, QSA, & Team Black Diaspora)

15. Skater Spotlight: CoCo Butther (SFVRD, QSA, & Team Black Diaspora)

CoCo Butther of San Fernando Valley Roller Derby needs no introduction partly because she’s such a mainstay in skaterly environs online and IRL, and also because I just want y’all to listen to CoCo herself, who is passionate about BIPOC visibility and inclusion. 

I’m confident everyone will find a piece of CoCo’s experience resonant though--be it skating her way through small, medium, and large leagues in search of a space that fits best, or coming out, or dealing with the bitterness and sweetness of being a Black skater in roller derby. Enjoy!

Mar 08, 202001:25:13
14. TV Club: "Cheer" with Purple Reina and Queen Loseyateefa

14. TV Club: "Cheer" with Purple Reina and Queen Loseyateefa

It’s time for TV Club! On this very first edition of TV Club, pod guests Queen Loseyateefa and Purple Reina have returned to discuss the Netflix sensation “Cheer.” The regal ones and I unpacked why watching a documentary about an insular, misunderstood sport practiced predominantly by women and queer-identified athletes in search of structure and community felt a little like looking in the mirror to the online roller derby community. Warning: This is a spoiler-full special, so if you haven’t watched it, come back in six hours after you’ve finished your homework!

Feb 27, 202050:25
13. Your Argentinean Roller Derby Primer with Maki Antoinette (Sailor City)
Feb 18, 202056:45
12. It's Lit w/ Punk (AZRD) & Rosetta Stone (Sacramento RD)
Feb 01, 202001:20:18
11. The 2020 Question Buffet with Purple Reina (Tuscon Roller Derby)

11. The 2020 Question Buffet with Purple Reina (Tuscon Roller Derby)

Time to look ahead! Welcome to the 2020 Questions Buffet -- the chill, pressure-free questions for 2020 discussion hosted by special guest Purple Reina (Tucson Roller Derby) and your host-est with the enough-sest! 

EPISODE LINKS:
Therapy for Black Girls -
Session 136: 20 Questions for 2020

Holding Space with Magical Wheelism is available on all your favorite podcast outlets. Help support the pod grow by subscribing and sharing it with friends! Rating and reviewing on Apple Podcasts also helps others find us.

The podcast is @holdingspacewithmagicpod on IG and I'm @modega_cat on IG and Twitter.

Music: Sunsearcher, "Latin Rhythm"; Silent Partner, “Get Back”

Cover photo: James Corbett www.epiclifeimages.com and Instagram @epiclifeimages (https://www.instagram.com/epiclifeimages/)

Dec 30, 201901:04:34
10. Previously on 2019... with Purple Reina of Tucson Roller Derby

10. Previously on 2019... with Purple Reina of Tucson Roller Derby

Purple Reina and I recap 2019’s moments and highlights in derby and skating. 

Dec 28, 201935:45
9. Hindsight, Foresight, & Everything in Between with Queen Loseyateefa
Dec 24, 201957:46
8. Skater Spotlight en Español: Ayudante de Satan (River City Rollers)

8. Skater Spotlight en Español: Ayudante de Satan (River City Rollers)

Hola hola, mi gente! La invitada de hoy, Ayudante de Satán, juega con River City Rollers en Richmond, Virginia y anteriormente Bogotá Bone Breakers en su país natal Colombia. Como jugadora de derby que ha jugado tanto en América Latina como en los Estados Unidos su punto de vista me intrigó. Sin mencionar que ser inmigrante latinx en 2019 en el sur me hizo aún más curiosa por tener su perspectiva sobre cosas que iban desde la historia personal de derby hasta su historia de inmigración. Pero mis preguntas van más allá de la política. Satán también es una panadera talentosa, una pasión que descubrió al tratar de recaudar fondos para el derby. Busquen su trabajo en “Satan’s Bakery” en Instagram. Y también podrán encontrarla en el Team Virginia All Stars en el torneo estatal Battle of the All-Stars (BOTAS) en febrero 2020.

Dec 24, 201933:46
7. It Has Been a YEAR (ft. Little Loca of Philly Roller Derby & Phe Wright of UNITED SKATES)

7. It Has Been a YEAR (ft. Little Loca of Philly Roller Derby & Phe Wright of UNITED SKATES)

Nov 30, 201901:10:42
6. The Revolution is Not Being Televised (feat. Barbara & Kenny)

6. The Revolution is Not Being Televised (feat. Barbara & Kenny)

For the past few weeks, numerous people-led revolutionary uprisings have taken place in several countries across the globe, including in Chile and Lebanon. Folks have been taking to the streets often with nothing more chants, signs, pots, and pans. Their demands? Better living conditions, an end to inequality and state corruption, and host of other issues. 

As protests escalated, skaters took to social media to share first-hand accounts of their countries’ plight with the world. I was fortunate to speak with skaters Barbara of Las Cabras Rollerskate and Metropolitan Roller Derby, and Kenny of Brussels Roller Derby, who were on the ground in Chile and Lebanon--about all the protests, what the media is and isn’t covering, as well as the connections between skating and social consciousness. First up is my Spanish-language interview with Barbara (translated transcript link below). Kenny’s interview, which is in English, starts at around the 17th minute.

EPISODE LINKS:
Barbara's interview in English: 
http://tiny.cc/Cabras
Musical Interlude: "My Life" by Jay Someday (https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday)
Photo credits: IG: Bosque.lluvioso; Joyce Goethals; NSP 189 


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Holding Space with Magical Wheelism is now available on Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and Youtube. Help support the pod grow by subscribing and sharing it with friends! Rating and reviewing on Apple Podcasts also helps others find us.

Follow the pod on Instagram at @holdingspacewithmagicpod.

Music: Sunsearcher, "Latin Rhythm" 

Cover photo: James Corbett www.epiclifeimages.com and Instagram @epiclifeimages (https://www.instagram.com/epiclifeimages/)

 

Nov 02, 201939:34
5. We Are Nation (ft. Jumpy McGee of Team Indigenous Rising & Tiggz of Jewish Roller Derby)

5. We Are Nation (ft. Jumpy McGee of Team Indigenous Rising & Tiggz of Jewish Roller Derby)

Oct 18, 201901:13:44
Ep. 4 - Skater Spotlight: L-Dubz of GGRD, QUO & mo'

Ep. 4 - Skater Spotlight: L-Dubz of GGRD, QUO & mo'

Liann “L-Dubz” Wadewitz skates in Gotham Girls Roller Derby’s rec league program and is on-skates official in the league. She works in TV, plays the violin in a local queer-friendly orchestra, and recently rode 480km (nearly 300 miles) on horseback in an endurance race through Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. All that AND she has enough time to make her own kombucha -- WUT?!

EPISODE LINKS:

Gobi Desert Cup: https://www.gobidesertcup.com

Queer Urban Orchestra: https://www.queerurbanorchestra.org/


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Special thanks to Liann, the Gobi Desert Cup, and Queer Urban Orchestra (QUO). The outro music is a piece of Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1 excerpted from QUO’s May 30, 2015 concert Music That Leaps Off the Page: Inspiration.

Holding Space with Magical Wheelism is now available on Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and Youtube. Help support the pod grow by subscribing and sharing it with friends! Rating and reviewing on Apple Podcasts also helps others find us.

I am @modega_cat on Instagram and Twitter.

Music: Sunsearcher, "Latin Rhythm" 

Cover photo: James Corbett www.epiclifeimages.com and Instagram @epiclifeimages (https://www.instagram.com/epiclifeimages/)

Sep 27, 201945:09
Ep 3 - Movie Club: Whip It! (feat. Curly Fry)
Sep 26, 201952:32
Ep 2 - Moonlight Roller Lounge

Ep 2 - Moonlight Roller Lounge

On this episode, we chat with Adrienne Cooper, a first-time entrepreneur, about reimagining the roller rink model and transforming it into Moonlight Roller Lounge, a 21-and-over skating venue set to open in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2020.

EPISODE LINKS:
Moonlight Roller Lounge:
https://moonlightrollerlounge.com/

Moonlight’s Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rollerrevival/moonlight-roller-lounge-join-the-roller-revival

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  • Holding Space with Magical Wheelism is now available on Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and Youtube. Help support the pod grow by subscribing and sharing it with friends! Rating and reviewing the pod on Apple Podcasts helps others find us.
  • You can find me as @modega_cat on Instagram and Twitter.
  • Send emails or voice memos to magicalwheelismderby@gmail.com.
  • Music: Sunsearcher, "Latin Rhythm" 
  • Cover photo: James Corbett www.epiclifeimages.com and Instagram @epiclifeimages (https://www.instagram.com/epiclifeimages/). 
Sep 23, 201937:44
Ep 1 - Roll Call: feat. Skate Wytch, Courtney Shove, & Sam Barks
Sep 08, 201934:22
Holding Space for a Hot Skate September Launch (aka the Intro episode)
Sep 01, 201908:50