Conversations Altagracia has joined as a guest, and the Freedom Readers conversations she hosts, with quotes in her own words.
SACRED H.E.R.story Podcast · Season 3, Episode 45
Conflict Bravery: Turning Difficult Conversations into Pathways for Healing with Altagracia Montilla
Hosted by Jennifer Natasia · June 23, 2026 · 58 min
Jennifer Natasia and Altagracia talk about where our habits around conflict come from, the three parts of Conflict Bravery, The 7 Space, and Freedom Readers.
“I always say if conflict bravery isn’t a norm in the relationship that you have with a loved one, a roommate, a friend, a family member, a colleague, then it’s not living to the full potential of what it could be.”
The show’s transcript has no times, so these quotes link to the full episode.
Quotes
“So I came up with a framework that allowed us to think of conflict in a very generative way. Not to be afraid of conflict, but to use it as a way to nurture our relationships and move us towards the vision of the kind of world community, you know, that we want to build.”
“I would say you are doing some of the most important work, at least in my opinion, right? That there is, and you’re creating a meaningful change in this world. And comfort with conflict is necessary to create that change.”
“What we tell folks is that [The 7 Space] embodies our belief that art has the power to heal and that community has the power to heal as well. And community is art in many ways, right?”
“And if I were to oversimplify my work, I would say that I come in to help them see that what they are doing is possible, what they want to achieve is possible, and to show them how to do that.”
“And so I had to practice my imagination, my creativity, and essentially dream up the world that I wanted to live in or dream up the kind of life that I wanted to have.”
“Things that we need most are typically things we have never seen before, right? And we have to be like willing and brave enough to like dream it up, you know, no different than an artist would.”
“I feel like I treat that trust as something that is very sacred and I think about what kind of chapter I’m going to play in someone’s narrative, right?”
“You know, love is work. Friendship is work. Care is work. Like mutual aid is work. All of that is work and all of it can really be beautiful and sustaining.”
“I always say there are four layers of data or four pieces of data to the full data puzzle. And that is numbers, which we know, stories, which we’re familiar with, also historical data, which is the history of the organization. And then I also add ancestral data, which is the data that we bring as individuals.”
“I offer to organizations that you won’t be able to really change the world or create the world that you want to see without conflict because we’re in conflict with the status quo.”
“I believe in building conflict-brave relationships. I believe in building conflict-brave communities. I believe in building conflict-brave organizations.”
From One Caregiver to Another (Facilitator On Fire) · Episode 107
Altagracia Montilla - Awareness and Action
Hosted by Kay Coughlin · May 3, 2023 · 45 min
Kay Coughlin and Altagracia talk about awareness and action, community care, calling in and calling out, and the design process Altagracia uses with teams.
“It is not just to be aware, but it is a dream outside of that. And it is to live your life as someone who is creating that dream and making that dream a reality.”
“I know, I trust that the [ancestors] have brought me here on this Earth, on this plane, during this time to help folks connect meaningfully with each other, with themselves and with purpose, right?”
“Freedom Readers was started as a book club but I think in many ways my spirit and my heart is recognizing that it’s gone beyond the book club and now it’s a digital wellness center, we’ll call it that.”
“I always say that like you have to build your intentional community so that way at the end of the day when you go home from work, if you have to work in crusty dusty, at least you know your people got you.”
“I always say that like for every person who’s in this space, they are lighthouse, they are also a seed that is planted within the garden of like liberation and joy and care.”
“Whenever I’m hosting a gathering, whether it’s virtual or even in person, depending on the space, the place that we are in, I always talk about the difference between place and space, right?”
“When we’re in a place like screens together, we can really transport ourselves outside of that into a special space that is made by the energy that we are sharing together.”
“Listen, get your dollars. If you want them, get them, please get your degrees. If you need them, by all means, get as many as you can and you want, but do not think that that equates to healing.”
“If you can say that me going to the altar is just as important as me deciding I’m going to read this research text, or I’m going to publish this dissertation, like it’s just as important, then you’re opening your mind up to a completely different timeline.”
“And one of the values that I live by, I don’t just speak in practice and in my work, but I live by is to say that we are supposed to be ourselves so that we can give it to the community and the community can give it to us.”
“I do know for a fact that there are these like communities that I can build, sacred community. There are these realms I can create that I can have an impact on that are right in front of me.”
“And so I started Freedom Readers as a space for folks who believe in a better world, a more just world, who are brave and bold enough to use the imagination and creativity to really reimagine what our world should look like and what systems in our world should look like.”
“And I think many of us, all of us, should find what our in-betweens are, especially those, I think, that we have chosen to be a part of, right? Because it’s a privilege to be an in-between.”
“I urge everyone who’s watching to also think about what your in-between is and what your work is to be done in this space and to, you know, keep that dream alive, you know, the freedom dream.”
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