Shaina Philpot | Author of "Where Do I Belong?"

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Shaina Philpot, author of the anthology chapter titled "Where Do I Belong?,"  where she details her desert to mountaintop experience of losing herself in an abusive relationship and the journey to finding her voice again.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

About Shaina:
Shaina Philpot (she/her/hers) is an enrolled tribal member of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Native American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, her first Master’s Degree in Public History with a subspeciality of Native American History from the University of California, Riverside and her second Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University
of Southern California. Shaina co-authored a chapter in the book titled, The Indian School on Magnolia Avenue: Voices and Images from Sherman Institute (OSU Press,
2012), which focuses on the off-reservation boarding school experience at Sherman Institute in Riverside, CA. Shaina spent many years in various roles in the field of education, including teaching and working with tribal communities. She is also currently a doctoral candidate in the Ed.D in Leadership in Higher Education program at Northcentral University. Her research centers on American Indian students’ sense of belonging in higher education, specifically comparing American Indian students’ sense of belonging between predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and
Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). When Shaina is not working and researching, she is a dog mom and enjoys watching anime and traveling with her husband. Shaina
hopes her story will inspire other women to continue living. You can follow Shaina’s journey on her Instagram: @s_philpot.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast.