the Inclusionist: a talk with Hila The Earth: environmental educator, rapper, artist, earth embodied.

🌸 Spring' has sprung, and so has a fresh, awesome chat on the Inclusionist podcast with Hila the Earth! 🌍 Lol with us, get hugely inspired, and maybe even shed a tear as we dive deep with Hila - an activist, environmental educator, rapper, artist, and legit Earth queen-superhero. From dishing on creative confidence, social media de-influencing, and helping friends escape Gaza, to running for President...we really steeped the pacha matcha on this one. Hila’s on a mission to heal our planet, spread endless love, and build community- and she's sharing how we all can join in. 

Please help Alaa Zagout’s family (Hila's friends) make a life-saving escape from Gaza. Check out: https://gofund.me/64c9f612

Follow Hila (for good vibes) on Insta: @hilatheearth and get your kids on the eco-warrior path with @hilatheearthkids.

 Hit play now!

Transcript

  Happy spring, friends, and welcome back!  We made it to the other side. Woof! Yes, we did. And in celebration of this season, I had a great shot with Earth. The Earth. HeLa the Earth, that is. And HeLa is an environmental activist, a rapper, artist, educator, and  literally Earth embodied. Just an overall badass.  She is freaking hilarious, but her work is so important because what could be more important now more than ever than educating kids on how to heal the earth, save the world, and just love each other?

We went in. We went in on creative confidence, standing up for Palestine, helping her friend's family escape Gaza, running for president, Healing your inner child climate action and so much more. So here it is, friends, my chat with Gila the Earth. Happy listening.  Thanks for coming onto the podcast today. I am so honored to have you.

I'm so excited to have you on. How are you? How is the earth,  ? 

Oh, thank you so much for having me. This is great . Um, you're great. I'm doing okay. I. You know, I'm out here, um, in the woods, in the Catskill mountains, and 

Beautiful. I 

just, yeah, I, I'm doing really well out here, just being with the trees and the sky and the fresh air, um,  you know, the world, the earth is, is doing a lot, a lot going on for 

sure.

Yeah.  She got a lot going on. 

Yeah, she's got a Gila is, is, um, on a deep. Uh, growth and like transformation journey. So, um, yeah, there's, there's all sorts of 

amazing 

oceans built in that, but ultimately I feel really good.  Uh, 

and thank you, thank you for, thank you for being Hila, and thank you for being the Earth. 

Both.  Okay, so for folks who don't know you, as they should, because you are amazing. I would describe you as an artist, a creative environmentalist, an activist,  a rapper, and Earth embodied.  What am I missing? Oh my gosh, you really nailed it. Those are amazing titles. What am I missing though? Am I missing anything?

Or is there anything in there you really, you know, identify with?  

I guess, I don't know. I mean, I'll add that , I do a lot. I do a lot. Honestly, there's so many. You do. There's so many roles that I take on and things that I like to do, and I'm definitely just a big creative, uh,  silly, goofy earth girl. 

you, but you really do, like, you go around wearing a.  An earth costume and rapping about  the climate and the environment and  the human  experience and so many other cool things like it is silly, but it's also  like that shit hits. It makes sense, like it really does. It makes sense. It resonates. It does. It's fun.

Appreciate that.  Yeah, it's fun, but it resonates. It's um, you know, a lot of what I realized over the years is that I'm making things for my family.  Inner child, 13 year old Hila, like who was growing up in Soho and didn't have any real access to nature or what we call nature, you know, didn't really, wasn't made aware of the, even the city trees or any gardens or anything, any, you know, just knowledge about the earth, her systems and cycles.

And so when I, when I'm making things, I'm kind of making things for her, I'm thinking like. What would 13 year old Hila like laugh about and think about and get excited about and how would I connect her with the earth, you know? So that's kind of like, that, that pushes a lot of my. Content and creation, for sure. 

That is so beautiful. That is so beautiful because your content seems  so, your content seems so positive and joyful. There there are serious moments for sure and I think, you know, as an activist, there, there You know, serious touch points in your messages sometimes, but your content does seem so  authentically joyful.

It's like, it's so important to try to access joy. So I, you know, whenever I, whenever I achieve that and I'm like, Oh my God, I feel good. It's like, okay, great. Let me share that.  I want everybody to know. Yeah. 

So you used to live in, you grew up in Soho. Now you're living in the Catskills, which is two hours away from the city.

Yeah. I'm up 

in the 

Catskills, uh, doing an artist residency. So I'm here basically learning about this mountain that I'm living on and writing songs for all the different like native plants and trees and animals that  live here with me. That 

is  incredible. How do you think moving from the city to the  I mean, aside from, you know, now you're  just completely immersed, how else do you think it's changed your creative process so far? 

Yeah, it's changed me completely. Like I, you know, I've been here now for maybe six months and, um,  I've never, ever lived like this country. I've never lived in a place where I wake up and I'm surrounded by trees and I go outside and just like, Life surrounds me and there's like a creek and wow, I just kind of like, yeah,  so I'm not entirely sure, like all the mechanics of how it's impacted and changed me, but it definitely has.

Like for one, I feel like I'm more able to get into routines. I've been waking up earlier. I feel generally healthier and like there's more.  I'm able better to compartmentalize like work and rest and care and play and just kind of move through my days. Like a little bit more focused, a little bit more  in the flow of just like the rhythm of me and. 

Yeah, I feel so much more connected to like sunlight and sunsets and I feel like when you're in the city It's like there's lights everywhere. It's like it doesn't really matter what time of day it is like, you know, it's like, yeah  But yeah, but here there's it's a bit of a slower pace and I I don't know I'm very excited to watch everything bloom here too now that I've been here For the fall and the winter.

I feel like I'm excited just to experience all the different seasons and  yeah, it's it's definitely changed Oh, I'm I'm growing with it. That's 

beautiful. Yeah Yeah, Earth on Earth.  Earth 

on Earth. Earth on 

Earth. Okay, you are a really good rapper. Like, amazing.  How? How? What got you into rapping? How was this gift bestowed upon you?

Girl, I don't even know, because I think I just like,  was born a rapper or something, because I grew up I, you know, I grew up in the city and so, like, my, the first artist that I, like, ever listened to probably, like, ever done and, like,  Biggie and Tupac and, like, you know, Queen Latifah and, like, just Missy Elliott and, like, just, like, my, I, like, you know, these are my, like, first introductions to hip hop and music.

That was, like, 

yeah, the first sound of music for you. 

Literally, yeah, and, um, and I was also really into, like, pop music at the time, like, you know. Brittany and all the boy bands and all that but like I was rapping for my friends in theater school Like I remember doing that like when I was like 11  Like I would remember I would memorize Like rap songs in Hebrew that I'd like you rap in Hebrew, too.

Of course you do. Yeah, that makes sense 

Rap. And now I'm learning Spanish. So I've been, I've been rapping in Spanish too. Um, but yeah, like basically just like, you know, I just love it. I just love it. It's very intricate. You need, you know, a lot of focus and Like, good enunciation. I just like, I like it. I don't know. It's like, for me, the way that I Does it come 

intuitively 

to you? 

I, it must, you know? It does. I mean, I obviously have to practice certain things sometimes, like, but generally, it's, to me, it's like dancing. Like, I never really imagined myself, like, growing up, I never really thought of myself as, like, a musician. Like, I didn't feel like Yeah, I learned guitar and I learned piano and all these things, but it never like really stuck like I wasn't like feeling like, oh, I know, I know about chord progressions.

I know about melodies. I know about music notes and theory. 

But what did you think you were?  What did you,  if you were in a, what were you, what were you doing? 

I guess I was doing, I felt like I was doing more like comedy and like performance art. Okay.  Okay. That comes through. It kind of all came together.

Cause no, at the beginning I was Hilla the Killa, like that was in summer camp during middle school. I was, you know, coined Hilla the Killa. And then I like, you know, that was, I was a rapper and I was like Hilla the Killa. And then. Um, that was always kind of a joke. Like you would see me like pop up, like someone would like invite me onto like a stage or something, and they would just be like, all right, everybody get ready, uh, hill of the killer.

And then everyone would laugh, right. Because they'd see me and I'm just like. Is it you with little pigtails? Yeah, literally like cute little girl, cute little, you know, like getting up on stage and I was just like, Oh, that's really funny. And then I started to sit in bars and then everyone's like, that is actually really funny also, but also, wow, she's actually can rap.

Um, 

she's killing it. No, for real. Okay.  

But yeah, that's when I like started taking it more seriously and, you know, gave myself the permission to like, Be more serious about it and care more, like, you know, like, Oh shit, I'm actually 

really good.  

Yeah. And like, really think about lyrics and, um, wordplay. And so I feel, honestly, I feel like I've grown so much as a rapper in the last, um, six years that I've been really doing it. 

Cause like, I'll listen to my old stuff and I'm just like, wow, I've grown so much. So yeah, the name change happened last year. You've grown 

out.  

Wow, that was good. That was a good thing. 

Do you think that that was a bit motivated? Do you think that that was also a bit motivated by you moving to the Catskills? 

Well, so that happened before, um, because, so I changed my name to Hila the Earth, April 2023. Um, I moved up here in September  so the name change really occurred to me because Um, the year prior, so between 2022 and 2023 was when, like, the Earth, uh, persona really, you know, Became the frontal center of what I was doing.

So what was happening was I was going, I was going viral. People were starting to recognize me and I would get like people recognizing me in the streets and what they would say is they would just shout at me and they would just be like, Oh my God, earth girl or like, Miss  planet.  Miss  planet, queen, queen,  I'm like, okay, you know, and so I would just literally get shouted earth, earth, girl, earth all the time.

And I realized like, yeah, aren't remembering that my name is Hilla or that it's Hila or that it's Hilla the Killa, like they're remembering that I'm the earth and I'm earth girl. And like, so I felt like it was just a really like,  It had to be in my name, you know, for, for searching purposes for everything.

And it just kind of made sense. Like I'm Hilla the Killa, I was Hilla the Killa. And, you know, when you're searching my name, you have to type in H I L A the. And so I was just like, let me just change to kill it to earth. Cause like. A, yeah, there's enough. There's enough killers out here. Like we need to be healing.

Um, I'm, you know, I'm good. I'm retired. Kill. Kill. Retired. Retired.  . My killing days are over. Uh, like the og the OGs know that I'm still a killer on the mic, but like, still, it's like I just really, really wanted the earth to be part of my dream. You're nurturing. You're nurturing. Now. I'm nurturing. You're nurturing killer.

I'm feeling nurturing. Yeah, kill killing the haters always. But you know, just  like, and also my name, um, in Hebrew is pronounced Hela. So like people don't usually say that. And I really wanted to like, bring that back. Like I wanted to be, I wanted possible to say hela again. And like when, when it was Hilla the killer, it was very like, oh, this rhymes like, this is how you say her name, it's Hilla.

And a lot of people would say that, but. Now it's now it can just be whatever now it's like if you know me as Hilla you can still call me Hilla Of course, that's how I grew up. But also now you can call me Hila Hila like it's It's both, and Heal of the Earth sounds like healing the earth, which is just like an extra layer of cherry on top.

Yes, I just got that.  It's cute. Yeah. I was like, I don't know. Okay. Yes. Like an Italian. That is cute. Like an Italian person being like, Heal of the Earth! So yeah, that's 

my That is so good. You think that you've been rapping your whole life, pretty much. Or you've been good at I don't know, even like, but the confidence part, where is that coming from?

Like  you're so bold and audacious, graciously so gracious, but where do you find this confidence? Where is it coming from? 

Wow. Where does confidence come from in general? I think  there's a certain level of absurdity in the world and a certain level of like. I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know if I'm right or wrong.

I just gotta go for it. You know, yeah, I think the confidence feeling that feeling that lately. Yeah, I think the confidence just comes from like a deep need to like,  You know, do something and working, like, just really working really hard mentally, not to be afraid. Um, I feel like confidence is the opposite of fear, right?

Like, when we're confident in something, we're sort of like taking that bold step, um, in, you know, expressing ourselves, uh, you're making a decision.  To, you know, go for it, to say what you want to say, to say it with, with power, with strength behind your voice and like, um, yeah, that's, it's, it's definitely a practice, uh, you gotta practice doing it and.

I do, you know, and I'm not always confident. That's the other thing. Like, you know, I'll, I'll regret certain things or I'll, you know, I'll delete messages and re rewrite them. And, you know, I'll, I'll do it. Yeah.  Um, you know, I feel like sometimes I could be more confident, honestly, more out there, but I am pretty calculated with.

Uh, what I do and what I say. So, you know, which is also a good thing because I wanted to, I think it's like quality over quantity in a lot of ways, which is, is not always what social media will, will  sort of promote. Like I think, you know, people just putting a lot of stuff out there and, um, yeah, it's, it's important for me to have the confidence, but also to have.

The like restraint of actually putting stuff out there that I fully believe 

in. Yeah, yeah. I have a friend who's a content creator. She said that, you know, people are, we live in an interesting time with social media and the internet where  people profit off of delivering messages.  that are absolutely absurd, worthless, and just dumb and purposeless, and just only for profit. 

And she was saying that as a creative, it's important to  create From not necessarily it being perfect,  but just with the same audacity that people have to just consistently pour out, not just bad art, but toxic art  onto the, the internet and social media,  she was like, you should just as audaciously post  positive art.

That is not so good,  or just maybe imperfect,  but you should have just as much audacity to do so. And she's right. When you go on social media, you go on, I'm not even on Tik TOK, but I know how dumb it is and I know how toxic it is on there, you know? So she's, she's right. It gave me some. A little bit of clarity because I do have issues with, you know, perfection as a creative and, and all that stuff.

So, and confidence and imposter syndrome, all of that. 

That's a great, that's a great mantra and affirmation because, you know, I felt the same. I'm like, I need to be put, you know, sometimes I'll retreat from social media. I will feel like a need to.  You know, save myself first, like hide and like, kind of like retreat, retreat, literally.

And so I won't post my stories, I won't post, I won't, you know, stay a little quiet, but I realized that like, when I don't take up that space, like other people are, and I really do feel that my message and my voice is important because I, at least I hope that it, like, Reaches very  important and helps them, like, you know, live better lives.

So, like, I need to be taking up that space. The other thing that's really interesting to me is, you know, social media and, like, Being on your phone and watching the screen Like it's very addicting and it's a lot of dopamine hits and I do really so 

addicting 

I encourage people and myself to stay off of it as much as possible.

So oh, yeah, kind of like a  It's kind of it's not that it's counterproductive, but it's It's a double edged sword or it's a catch 22, right? Like I pour into this app and pour into this medium, knowing that it's hurting people when they interact with it, but knowing that my content isn't hurting them, but only if.

When they see it, they have the urge to leave the app,  you know what I mean? Like if they go out there and use something  literally. So, and, but I do believe that like, so I, I do believe that Instagram and TikTok like, um, punishes creators for that in some way or another. Right. Cause they have the data. Like if let's say a thousand people interact with that post, And, you know, after like sharing and commenting, they closed the app for like four hours.

Right. They have that data. They know that Hila the Earth makes people leave Instagram.  Yeah. So like maybe they won't show me, you know, maybe they won't show me. 

Yeah. How do you like with collabs and stuff like brand collabs and sponsorships and stuff? Are you  Like, I've seen you've done stuff with Panasonic and Greenpeace and,  um, you know, are you, and I think Hello Wisp recently.

Are you  Like, just super careful because of  even what your message is and what you stand for. Are you, do you have to be, or do you feel you're more cautious with who you choose to do collabs with?  

Definitely. I go through a pretty extensive vetting process when it comes to collabs. Um, when it comes down to it though, I feel like I can really  Be flexible.

And so if a brand that isn't super aligned completely with my mission,  we'll reach out to me. There's usually a way I find some kind of creative way to get a sustainable message into whatever we're doing. Um, but a lot of the times those, those kind of like, uh, partnerships don't pan out. Um,  they just, you know, it really just depends what I, what I do ask of all of my clients is that they.

Recognize that I'm not going to make them just like a basic commercial for their brand or their product, like what they're doing. Don't come here for, yeah, like don't come here for like a pharma ad or something. Definitely not. But, you know, even with HelloList, for example, like they do provide medical services and, you know, they have certain medical products.

That I don't ever mention in my, you know, work with them, but what I do is  creating a marketing like campaign around a topic that is important for their, um, customers, you know, and their The client, so like  they basically sponsored a song to teach people about the menstrual cycle or a song to teach people about yeast infections.

Right. And so that's what I asked for of like all my clients. It's like, pick a topic that we want to teach the world about. And you know, if we align on the topic that we want to teach the world about, then you get to sponsor an original. Feel of the Earth song about this topic, you know, about the ocean, about, uh, clean energy, about whatever.

Right. So that's, you know, with Panasonic, it was like the history of energy with, um, Green Peace. It was, that was so cool. Thanks. Yeah. So it's just like, I really want to keep it educational because the value of the content is always going to be more important to me than. You know, promoting some products or a brand or anything like that, you know, it's just like, this has to be educational and it has to be good music too.

That's the other thing I really, it's really important to me that, you know, I'm making actual songs and not just like jingles. 

Like they, they kind of have to  meet you where you are as a creative rather than you having to.  Trying to conform your art to their message. 

It's yeah, it sounds 

like  

I mean, it's always like with any collab.

It's gonna have some Compromises and some you know,  just you were all working together And they are putting in a lot of money to you know Create something and I want to make sure that they're happy too. But yes in general  It's very important to me that The values of my brand stay intact and the integrity of what I do stays at the forefront of any collaboration because I really want to remain an educational page and it is actually really difficult for me.

To sell products, to sell anything. I I've been really into influencers that have sort of be begun to coin this term of like de influencing  it's like, you know, even I even have a friend who has this like, kind of like sustainable shop and.  She sent me some products like, you know, um, bath time products or kitchen products that actually are really useful and great and they're made sustainably and they're made locally and I would like to promote Would you mention the names? 

Uh, oh, the name of the store is Closet.  It's, uh, C L O S I I T. It's like, um, it's supposed to be like a sustainable Amazon. It's super cool. And I'm supposed to have like a shop, yeah. And I'm supposed to have like a shop on it. Um, but it's taken me some time to really like vet the products, if I like them, if I use them.

And then also to kind of imagine how I'm going to promote that. Yeah, what's on your explore page? My explore page changes all the time, but let's see.  Um, I have some fashion stuff, lots of Aquarius  things.  Ooh, are you an Aquarius? I am, yes. Okay. Aquarius energy. Um, I've got some Spanish lessons.  Lots of fitness babes, lots of hot, hot girls.

Fitness babes. Yes, you are a fitness babe. You're running 

out here all the time. Princess.  Oh my gosh, I have some sloths.  I have some cool vegetables and farming. It's a pretty diverse situation. But see, it's working for you 

though. And I, I think why your content really resonates with me because I think, a lot of the time, I think when it comes to like climate activism and environmentalism and stuff like that, sometimes the way that the message is delivered is harsh.

Or, you know, I've, I've. I've had conversations with vegans that have been very, um, combative. And  I think the way that you use your art to like teach or teach people or express how you're learning how to save the planet is incredibly audacious. Like, so beautiful. This is how it's going to happen. We're going to save the earth through, 

through art.

You know, I love everything you said. It made me feel so good because I feel like you really see me and you see what I'm doing. Cause to me, like, I, you know, I'll just like, it is, it is personal. I grew up with a lot of like, shame and, Um, you know, just guilt  and I don't know if that's like, you know, a very Jewish stereotype, but, you know, but like, it's just what it was and I feel like it was so harmful to me and like back to like  doing things for my inner child.

Like I don't want  Lil Hilla to feel shame or, you know, guilt, you know, like I want her to feel empowered. And.  Excited about life and ultimately when it comes down to like saving the earth or saving ourselves, right? Because we're the earth. Um, what happens to the earth happens to us like building that connection Is like you I feel like I realized that being the healthiest most vibrant alive version of myself is going to um Heal the earth, you know, because the more I learn about You What I put into my body, what I consume, what I do, the actions that I take, you know, the steps that I walk, things that I buy, um, that contributes to me as much as it contributes to The earth so, you know, right taking taking notice of the materials that are in my space taking notice Like, you know of like how I choose to spend my time what I'm doing what I'm thinking about growing food learning about water and Honoring the fact that every time I drink water, it's like this sacred thing that I've been that's beautiful you know just really noticing cuz like yeah, like We forget, sometimes we forget to drink water, right?

Like when you're still all the time,  just doing things like you're like, Oh my God, this and that. And then like, boom, I haven't drank water. It's like.  I'd love to just like, remember, like the most important thing is just to drink water. The most important thing is just to breathe. And when you 

take for granted, 

yeah, like it's simplest things that really, you know, it comes down to being the most important.

And then it's like, okay, yeah. Having access to clean drinking water, like what could be more important than that? Having clean air to breathe, like what could be more important than that? And so when those sort of become like. Or how, you know, healthy, nutritious food. Like these are all.  Like such important things that like because of my practice and like being the earth and doing all this like it gets pushed to the forefront of my mind and then, you know, it's not that it's easier to deal with the harsh realities of like, Oh, now that I know that this is important.

Now I have to grapple with the. Incredible destruction that has occurred, you know, that I was born into this legacy of, you know, capitalism and extract extraction and pollution and how do we get out of it? You know, like, you know, the, the, the legacy of war, the legacy of like the military industrial complex and, and all of the destruction that it has.

We're in this massive stage now where healing is so important and it's going to take time and we're going to need to be patient and like, it, you know, it's like one of these things where I'm just like, okay, I have to figure out a way to like wake people up. Like it's a, it's not, you know, it's a lot for one person, you know, you can't do it alone.

It really requires, it requires community, it requires so many people to come together and so like, Yeah, sometimes I feel like, you know, as a planet, like one planet, like, you know, my, the vision of just like being this one planet out here, kind of like doing it all. It could be a lot. It's 

a 

lot of weight on one planet's shoulders.

Literally got the world on my shoulders.  But, you know, it's, it's all a metaphor. And at the end of the day, I am building my team and my community and And, you know, just trying to inject that kind of positivity and light and energy into people, just be like, you got this, you're doing great. You know, I feel like part of like being a leader is  building up other leaders.

Um, yeah. Speaking of leaders, yeah, tell me, are you really running for 

president?  Is this really happening?  

Yeah. So  a few things, one is that, you know,  This time, this election is going to be very intense and I personally don't even really know who I.  Would vote for, um, I would vote for me mother. So I'm kind of just,  I would vote for you too. 

I, I, I, my, my goal really in this campaign is to just like highlight what actually should be talked about and should be happening and also highlight how we need to like, Make better use of our media to promote political ideas, such as, you know, actually helping people and being a real government that supports society and citizens.

So trying to understand, like,  really what that looks like. But generally it's, you know, to me, it's just about identifying what people really need and want and what's happening in their lives and what their day to day looks like and rebuilding our society, rebuilding our economy. To benefit more people and so that more people have sustainable green homes that are very like nice and comfortable and access to land, access to gardens, access to their communities, more community spaces, more ways to like engage with local food and parks and just like generally the things that make people happy and have them live like good, happy lives.

Um, you know, getting rid of jobs that are destructive, polluting, you know, creating jobs that are actually like.  Part of the green economy that we try to create. So it's like, there's so many things that. I have in my mind that I've like, Oh wow, this would be so much better. Like society would function so much better if we actually took care of people. 

And  I want to like create like content around that, but can I actually run for president? Like, I don't think so. Like, can I actually get elected though? Like, I'm not sure. I'm not sure that it actually will work like that this time. It's possible that it could happen. Next time, like next election in four years, but for this one, like, first of all, I'm not 35.

Yeah. Um, so I'm already like disqualified in that regard. Um, but then the other element is that, so you're starting young,  I'm starting young. Um, I mean, I'm 4. 5 billion years old, but you know,  my human body is only 30. Yeah.  Um, but, but yeah, but like being like, you know, Just the type of setup that I would need.

Like I would really need to be basically touring the whole country. But one thing that I am going to do.  Is I'm going to make a song for each state that outlines like politically all the different changes and like land things that I would do or like things like learning about the state and like kind of addressing major ecological issues.

Um, so that I have a connection with each state, I guess, you know, but a big part of like the idea is that like, yeah, orders are all made up anyway. And. We really need to start thinking about  the land as land and returning it to like indigenous people and not just in the sense of like, Hey, you have control over this now, but which, yes, of course, but also like, just to listen to the way that they think about it and, uh, you know, to, to address like some of the.

Sort of philosophy around how we treat the land, how we address it, how we create borders between communities, because it's not like, Oh, here's just this like straight line, you know, that doesn't do anything. Like, it doesn't make any sense. Like a lot of the things that we've built and created, like  wreak havoc on the ecosystems that we're trying to like, that basically certainly make us.

able to be alive. And  so there's a lot of work to do, but, um, yeah, the presidential campaign is more of just like an educational kind of like tool to bring people into like a more awareness of like what they would, what they should expect or want from their candidates. Um, but I don't think I can actually run for president, but what I'm concerned about is that people are going to start writing me in.

Yeah. I feel like people are going to write me in and it's not like it's going to be enough to win, but  you know, who knows if I go super viral. Who knows? Gila 

the earth for president. You heard it here. I have to legally 

change my name though. That's what I, I need to do that.  

Would you do that? Would you legally change your name to Gila the earth?

Yes.  

Yeah. Last name, Earth, middle name, 

Z. I hear that.  I hear that. I hear that. We need Earth on the ballot. And like, okay, your last name, would you keep your last name?  Uh, no.  

My dad changed it  in his adult life. It's literally just a random choice that he made. To be Perry and okay. Yeah, you know,  I don't think he expected any of his daughters to keep it anyway.

So,  because, you know, we, you know, it's expected that women get married and then change their last name anyway. So I'm just going to change it. I don't need to get married. I'm married to the earth. 

You  do your parents support, you know, all of the, you know, your creative endeavors and everything that you do.

And do they get it?  

Yeah, they get it. Um, they're cool. They get it. They just want me to be happy and successful and, you know, they're into it. So,  yeah, your family, 

you're Jewish, right? You're your family's Jewish.  

Yeah, I was raised 

in a Jewish house  

to Jewish parents for sure.  Yeah, I don't like do they it's not like the front.

It's not something that I think about very much in terms of my own identity. But, um, yeah, that's how we, yeah,  

but you are, I think you are, you are a transparently Jewish activist. On your platform, on your social media, like you have, you know, a lot of,  

I wouldn't say, I would say, like, say it's, it's one of these things where it's like, I try, you know, I do my best to highlight that in certain conversations because I feel like that's where it could be relevant or important or connect me with other Jewish people.

Like, you know, for example, like if I'm talking about, um, what's happening in Gaza, like I do make it a point to say that I'm Jewish and I oppose. You know, this like military onslaught and, uh, I'm very much against it and I don't, you know, not in my name, you know, I feel like that's really important, but generally like I'm not putting that at the forefront of a lot of like what I do because it doesn't, Really relate like I don't practice Judaism.

I hear you. I don't really like mm hmm think about it very much I think the monotheistic religions in general and we can you know, starting with Judaism since it's like kind of the first one  Has created this this this disconnection from humans to the earth, you know And like I'm noticing that when I it's a problem  Yeah, when I, when I read about indigenous spirituality and how earth centered it is, you know, God is, is the earth and the animals and the water, you know, that's, that is what I see to be God, right.

So in everything. Yeah. Yeah. Um,  so yeah, with when, when you learn Judaism and you learn about the kings and the patriarchy and, you know, the God and Adam and Eve and all these stories, I'm just kind of like, all right, well,  where's compost? Where's the, where's the bird spirits? Where's compost? Yeah. Where's, yeah.

No plastic. Where is what I hold sacred? Where's Yeah, where Exactly. Like, this concept of plastic. Like, being like, you know, that obviously didn't exist in the times of the Bible, but like, just, just the fact that you could be so religious and so spiritual and still just use plastic all the time. Yeah. So, so, I don't know.

So Judaism to me is still something that I think I have to explore how to connect with other people. The, the ways in which I feel connected to it is just, is really just purely based on the history and like that being Jewish connects me to a shared history of like  oppression and generational trauma.

And in that sense I can, you know, connect with other people and  hopefully yeah. Use that Mm-Hmm. point of connection to, to create healing spaces. And have you received 

backlash from friends or family? Or Jewish fam, uh, friends for being,  um, I don't know if you would consider yourself pro Palestine, but I do see on your platforms, you, you say a lot, like not in my name and stuff like that. 

Yeah. Like from your family or  just like your, your social circle.  

I don't. I mean,  it's hard to say because  I've had some, you know, difficult conversations with some people.  Uh, but generally, I feel like I have a protective shield around me when it comes to backlash or just like negative energy in general.

I think maybe it has to do with my message being quite pure and simple. So like, There's not a lot to argue, you know, like people can throw all sorts of obscene statements at me, but at the end of the day, I'm not going to budge on health, humanity, and love for all. Like, that's pretty basic, you know, I'm never going to be, uh, uh, I'm never going to be, uh, like violence is going to lead to peace kind of person, you know?

So  it's not, you know, when you have like philosophical arguments with people, it's like,  You have to start somewhere. And when, you know, when my base argument is, violence is never acceptable. Um, destruction is never acceptable. It's, uh, that's, that's it. Like, that's the, you know, you can't argue. It's hard to, it's hard to argue 

with that.

Yeah. Yeah. But I'm sure people do. I'm sure you have. I mean, they try. People do argue with you about that. 

But then the conversation is basically like, when is violence acceptable? Right. And that's a different kind of, that's a different kind of, Yeah.  Philosophical conversation that You know, I'm down to have with people for sure.

But then we're, we're, that we're just talking in abstract and like the, in the reality is, you know, bombs are falling, they're hurting the earth. They're hurting people. We're losing an entire people and culture. And these are my ancestors, like. The Palestinian people are my ancestors. I'm not, I am Palestinian.

Like that's something that I've really connected with a lot over this last few months is that like, these are my people. Like this is not, I'm Jewish. So my family got this like colonization card, right? Like, and a lot of Palestinians did too, right? Like not Jewish and Muslim and Christian Palestinians.

Many of them, if they were. Inside the borders of Israel, like we're either not displaced or we're granted Israeli citizenship and, you know, have different lives, very different lives. And the people in Gaza, people in the West Bank, and I recognize that we were split, you know, we were a people split people of the land that were split and, and you know, the, what happened in Israel and the,  the changes and the, you know,  It's, it's a, it's a, it's a very interesting history, but it's also very painful and sad because I, you know, I, I have like, um,  Arabic roots, like, you know, in, in Palestine, like my family.

Was, you know, Mizrahi and kind of came from that region. Uh, my grandfather was born in Iraq. My grandmother's family, some of them are from like  Syria, like Syria and Georgia. And a lot of that, and I know you're learning 

Arabic too. 

Yeah. I'm learning Arabic, Spanish. Yeah. Um, but a lot of that culture was lost.

And like, you know, my grandfather was actually a linguistics professor in university. Teaching Arabic and  I don't know Arabic. My mom doesn't know Arabic. Like, it's just interesting how I feel like, you know, the Israeli culture was just like, everyone has to Hebrew. And, you know, even though they, they did teach Arabic in school and Arabic was one of the national languages of Israel up until like two years ago, um, it's just like really interesting, like how that process of like trying to erase, like, and like create this new.

You know, white supremacist culture, um, sort of something that I didn't really notice or pay attention to growing up, right. Cause I didn't have like that education and learning. And, um, but yeah, but now  it's just really important to like recognize what things are, you know, and the connection to land is our connection to ourselves, like I said before.

Um, and so what's happening now is just so atrocious. We already need to heal. And this is just like.  Taking us far back into, you know, although,  yeah, but at the same time, it's also waking a lot of people up, like the veil has been lifted for many, many people. Oh, yeah, I think, yeah, because, because I feel 

like this has been happening for so long, like this, like pre pre dates.

October 7th, and it's been happening for so long and, you know, a lot of people just have had no idea, just like how a lot of people have no idea about, you know, what's happening in Congo, in Sudan, in, you know, Ethiopia, and like so many genocides that are happening in the world and, you know, people were, were, you know,  We're blinded to that, you know, so I think it's, you're right.

It's like a step backwards, but also that awakening is also hopefully going to propel us in a, in a,  in a direction forward. Hopefully, you know, that's all we can for, yeah. I saw you have a, um, a GoFundMe running right now and I'm going to link it in the description of the, of the episode as well, because yeah, you have a.

A friend that you have a GoFundMe for. Yes, so actually that's what I was 

just about to, that was just about exactly what I was just about to mention is that October 7th happened and it was extreme, you know, blow for me and everybody I know in Israel and, um, I have like  A friend who I met, um, many years ago with Nate, um, his name is, uh, summit as the artist's name is Sazh and he's a rapper and he's Palestinian.

He was born in Ramleh and he's amazing. He's just one of these incredible people. He's so positive, so full of light and joy and raps, you know, for the connection of like Israelis and Palestinians and raps with this other Israeli rapper who like, they have the song, like that they like go back and forth, kind of like Discussing their positions.

And it's really, really cool. And he's an amazing person. Very cool. You know, he was one of the first people I reached out to because I was just like, Hey, I don't like whatever's happening right now is beautiful. Intense is so beyond, but like, I need to know that we are good and that, you know, that I'm here for you.

And, you know, he was like, I'm here for you. And yes, like, so we started talking like every day. And it was just like this beautiful, like little beacon of hope that I was just like, wow, me and him, like, there's still so much love between us. And then, you know, he told me like his family is in Gaza. Like, you know, he, you know, we've been following them and. 

The, you know, the, the, these, this, this family that survived so far, like they're now at the end of the road, you know, they are in tents in Rafa and they want to get out. You know, they have another family member who left like many years ago and he's in Canada and he's going to. Basically take them in. And so what we just need to get them out.

And there's a lot of like fees associated with getting these people out. Like, that's what's really sad about all of this is that Egypt is super corrupt. So they're like extreme fees to get people out through the border. And, you know, once they're in Egypt, they have to like, Get permits and visas to get to Canada and they need flights and they need to have somewhere to live.

They need money for food and shelter while the process, so it's not even that much money, right? Like we're like asking for like 10, 000 per person and, um, For like, you know, a process that's going to last probably like a month or so getting them out and like getting them to Canada. Um, but like timing is the essence too because, you know, people are saying like Israel is going to like start bombing Rafa like soon and like, I don't know, it's just very, Scary and urgent and  it's hard to like very 

scary.

Yeah, like one of the things that I'm going to be doing probably today is having like a recorded conversation with summit and we're going to like, um, talk about our relationship and our story and urge people to just donate as much as they can in like share and boost it because there's a lot of go fund me is out right now.

But this is the one that somehow I was tasked with, you know, overseeing and being like, yeah. The promoter of, so I just like, you know, I dunno, I just really, I just hope that we can, we can get them out in time and  

yeah, I'm definitely going to link that, um, definitely going to link it in the description for this  episode and it's a lot, but I'm definitely, it's not impossible.

We're definitely, you know,  I'm going to do everything we can to make that happen. You have my full support. I'm definitely going to be sharing widely and donating as well. There's so many GoFundMes, but like you said, like this is the one that landed on you and that's what it's going to take actually is all we can as, as individuals, all we can do is, you know, gather into collective action.

And so all of these little. You know, like GoFundMe's here and, you know,  posting and everything and like creating transparency. That's, that's all it's going to take because it's like one canary sings, no one hears. We need like every canary to sing, you know, in every corner because it's just, the situation is dire.

It is. And I think there's, there's a level of desensitization that's happening. The longer it occurs, the more people are like, you know, there's a level of like sickening. And, um, you know,  kind of, kind of like, I don't want to call it boredom, but you just get. Like numb to seeing the level of suffering and  I can see that that's happening to that.

Like people are losing Fervor in a sense because it's like oh it's been happening for so long Oh, like what can be done and it's like what can be done is is we need is keep Keep going. Yeah. Yeah. 

We, we owe each other endurance for sure. 

So 

yeah, I'm, I'm doing my best. It's not, I'm not, I don't feel like it's like, you're doing amazing. 

You're doing amazing. 

Just have one more question to close out really quickly to be come and earth girly or girly of the earth. What are the top three things that everyone should start doing right now? 

Oh my God. Okay. Earth girlies, listen up really quickly.  Um, spend time outside in all the different weather situations, uh, raining, snowing, you know, sunny, yeah.

Just get to know them and pay attention to how the earth is speaking to us. And, um,  just spend time outside I think is a really great. Thing to do, uh, composting, finding out like how you can compost, putting stuff back into the earth, giving back to the earth, your food scraps, your, you know, organic waste is going to feel so good.

You're going to love it. You're doing something awesome. Uh, limiting as much as possible. Like Buying things that you don't need and like excessive consumption, especially plastic, you know, this is not going to be easy for everybody depending on what's accessible to you or, you know, but having awareness and just trying your best is better than not trying at all.

And that goes, you know, that extra goes for like, you know, fashion and clothing and food, everything, just like whatever you're buying, whatever you're consuming, just be, just be mindful of it. Um, and. What else? Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Community. That was three. You got one more? I know. She got a bonus.

Like a bonus bonus. Just like get people around you. Start building connections with Farmers, with going to the farmers market, community gardens, your neighbors. Like anyone who's physically around you that's like, you know, part of your environment. Like just, you know, start to Build those relationships and maybe get involved with your city council or, you know, just have a connection to your society and to your community as well as to the land around you.

Thank you 

so much. Thank you so much for coming 

on. I just wanted to say, um, thank you so much for inviting me to  be on your podcast and for this like conversation. I love talking to you. And I really appreciate all the things that you've said and the way that you see me and the art and the message that I'm trying to, you know, put out there into the world.

Um, and I appreciate also being able to talk about, uh, the GoFundMe and what's happening in Palestine and the, you know, my other homeland. And I, um Of course. Thank 

you for sharing. 

Yeah. And you know, cause it's, it's important. It's like, you know, what's happening on earth. So yeah, thank you so much. And yeah, of course, seeing more 

of what you do as well.

I appreciate you. Thank you so much.  Bye.  Hey friends. So a little bonus for you because after Hila and I played back this conversation, there was or were a few things I wanted to add just a few points.  Now,  a bit of time has passed since we recorded this talk, just about a month and change, and in that time,  something both Hila and I have been working on individually and talking about offline.

Is this idea of de influencing and cleansing more from social media and we touched on that in the, in the conversation because it does cause us, we've, we've both found, and I'm observing in myself to be more reactionary in tone and less action centered, less holistic in perspective as an activist. And I don't know if that's something that other people can resonate with.

But it's definitely something that I'm noticing. I don't know if it comes through in this episode, but it's something that I'm observing in myself.  Having sat outside of social media and the sphere of social media for about a month now, and I believe Hila has been going through a similar process, a similar journey.

Something that is definitely awakening more in me is more empathy, more understanding. I've always been empathic, but it's definitely heightened a level of empathy for people, all sorts of people, even especially people who are so different from me and my beliefs and just being around people more, being more observant of real people in front of me,  rather than the fake lives that are.

Always being shown on social media and yeah, just being around people more and a lot of the back and forth and the news being shown on social media. Some of it is important. A lot of it is meant to divide us further. All of that  not being in my sphere for this time has really somehow it's given me an understanding.

for listening. Or a reminder that we are fighting against systems and governments of oppression  rather than people. And yes, people are  being  used and pawned and confused by these systems and governments of oppression. Bye. Ultimately, the fight is against these systems. Both Hila and I stand unequivocally for the people of Palestine, for the freedom of Palestine.

We both offer support and prayers to all the people suffering in that part of the world. There is so much suffering and pain going on in that part of the world. There's Jewish people suffering, Muslim people suffering, Christian people suffering. There's Palestinians suffering, Lebanese people, Yemen is suffering, Israeli people are suffering, Gaza, the West Bank, there are governments and systems that are continuing to profit off of this suffering and our collective pain as a people.

And it's worked over the course of history. This has worked for that.  This has worked to keep the world divided and to keep us from building, you know, true allyship and true solidarity and making progress in that. And  it has worked to keep us in constant division and in conflict with each other while they are directly profiting and making money off of our collective pain.

And it is easy to really lose sight of with, you know, social media and, you So much else who the real enemy is with how the media is driving things and how social media drives things, how the algorithm drives things. It is really easy to lose sight of who the real enemy is, who really is the enemy. And I think it's really time for us to work towards, you know, clarity, building solidarity, building allyship as a people, like people of the world.

So I really want to encourage this idea of,  De influencing ourselves from social media, I think we need to be using social media still to reflect the work that we are doing in real life on ground and give voice to people who that is their only way to get their message across.  Go out there and do that work.

Don't just do it on Social media, just scrolling, go out there and actually talk to people, actually meet people and see, you know, how similar we all are. See how we all can make a difference in each other's lives. Like try to spend less time engaging on social media and more time. On the ground, actually face to face,  touching some grass with some other human beings. 

So that's my little bonus guys. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you Hila so much for this awesome talk. Don't forget to donate to the GoFundMe that we discussed in the episode to get Hila's family friends out of Gaza. The link is in the description of this episode. Until next time, bye!