19 | Ariana Fotinakis: Honoring Medicine, Culture, and Your Truth

In this episode of Life as Ceremony, I sit down with Ariana Fotinakis. She is a mixed-heritage woman with ancestors from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation and Greece. Ariana is a decolonial facilitator, mother, breathwork guide, and co-founder of Decolonize and Rize. Ariana shares her journey of reconnecting with her Indigenous ancestry and how she navigates sharing medicine with roots in other cultures, such as breath work. We talk about the narrative of “not being Indigenous enough” and the importance of reclaiming and revitalizing culture. 

Ariana discusses the intersections of decolonization and personal healing, highlighting the slow nature of a reconnection journey and the importance of intention and integrity along the way. We dive into deep discussions with questions such as: Does someone have to be from a certain lineage to share teachings from that culture?

This conversation is about untangling ourselves from colonial narratives, cultivating curiosity about internalized beliefs, and returning home to ourselves without needing anyone else’s permission. Ariana reminds us that reconnection is a lifelong journey, decolonization is for everyone, and we are all invited to reconnect with the earth, our roots, and our truth.

Connect with Ariana: 

IG: https://instagram.com/arianafotinakis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decolonize-rize/

Subscribe to Ariana's newsletter to receive a 10-minute guided breathwork practice: https://arianafotinakis.com/daily-breathwork-tuneup

Subscribe to Decolonize and Rize's newsletter to receive a Simple Wellbeing Practices workbook: subscribepage.io/142d4z

Connect with Sam: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samdsquire/

Substack: https://lifeasceremony.substack.com/

Website: https://www.lifeasceremony.ca/