Stay Soft: An Interview with Nathaniel
Introducing Soft Power's Creative Producer & AD of Operations
But first: Livestream today at 10am PT / 1pm ET: Moonday Grounding on Soft Power TV
Hello from the liminal space that is these quiet days before a new calendar year. The moon is dark and new, leaving plenty of room for reflection and reminiscing. In addition to holiday celebrations and cozy time with my son, Midori and I have been integrating lessons and messages received this year as we look ahead to 2025.
One of the greatest gifts this year was the introduction of Nathaniel to the Soft Power team. They are the brilliant mind behind Moonday Grounding (our new YouTube show) and have been a driving force for our transition and foundational process since joining us in September.
In addition to their role guiding Soft Power’s operations, Nathaniel’s presence has brought a lot of fun and expansion to the team with their love for drag and writing practice. They are an artist of infinite layers and deep integrity and so much of our recent success is made possible with their grounding presence.
Inviting you to take a few minutes to get to know Nathaniel through this written interview and give their Substack a follow:
. I highly recommend reading joining one of their free writing circles on the new and full moons. Next one is tonight!
What does “soft power” mean to you?
my degree is in political science, but it wasn’t until i learned of Soft Power (the collective) that i also learned about Soft Power (the political ideology). Toni Cade Bambara’s framework really spoke to my search for “something else” as a practical answer to systems change beyond the neoliberal nonprofit industrial complex.
i carry early soul-severance by the hands of southern yt evangelical religion and part of the effectiveness of their methods was teaching me to hate myself and never trust my intuition. in my path to self-reclamation and soul-recovery, i am only going towards that which can point me back to myself.
I love that Soft Power (both the collective and the political ideology) is about connection to creative self.
this framework challenges my whiteness and the savior complex it sometimes carries from the shame of ancestral violence. the work is in me and creating is how i undo so many of the spells bound to my dna that seek to serve colonialism.
softness also holds a lot of weight for me as a transmasc. finding my gender was hard because my examples for masculinity were hard. i never related to that. my first residency producing drag, i titled the show “Soft Boys” and i have “Stay Soft” tattooed on my knuckles. softness guides my healing and is a north star for me, in many ways.
so, finding the Soft Power team and being a recipient of the medicine of each Soft Power Founding Mother felt easeful and affirming. I feel really held by the people here. I feel valued and celebrated and seen. I appreciate the soul-sensitive approach to movement building and the care that is modeled here.
How does church of Soft Power fit into your personal path of community care/service?
the next two years, astrologically, are pretty scary and for those that aren’t astrological, i still think it’s felt. fascism is rising globally and we are witnessing an escalation in imperialistic war and genocide. i am committed to moving responsively, responsibly and strategically rather than reactionary to what is happening. this work feels like a big part of that. i also personally see all of this as spiritual warfare as well and the spiritual containers that Soft Power curates are so valuable.
What do you bring to Soft Power and what are you enthusiastic about sharing here?
i have held many roles through the years - from the executive director of a teaching farm in Montgomery, Alabama, to working in corporate nonprofits as a recruitment director, to teaching high school history. I’ve also pursued my creative practice performing as a drag artist and pole dancer and also producing many trans-centered events throughout Los Angeles and Long Beach. I have certificates in data analytics and conflict resolution and have studied tarot & astrology for the last few years (and I’m beginning a 5-month transit astrology mentorship in a few weeks!).
I love that all of this experience culminates to a slew of fun skills i can bring to the team. I’ve never worked with a group of people so holistically talented, dedicated, and competent and it’s been really fun to thought-partner and learn with each SP team member so far.
I think I’m most excited about working with Soft Power TV as Creative Producer and bringing my previous skills producing drag shows and other queer/trans art events. The opportunity to offer these events virtually is particularly exciting with the ongoing disabling pandemic and the reality that many queer and trans people live in rural places without access to these spaces.
Is there a particular event or experience that has shaped your relationship to creative power?
i’ve found a lot of my creative power through traversing the darkest moments in my life. most notably, i lost my best friend to suicide in 2016 and it was through my relationship with him that i began reconnecting with spirit after leaving the church in 2011. much of my creative practice is about reclamation of what was stolen or abandoned through my ancestors choices to serve yt supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism. sometimes this means i’m stripping on a stage to reclaim my own body agency after growing up in purity culture, sometimes this means i’m writing the truth loudly and publicly about all the secrets that bind my family curses.
What is one thing you’re excited for in 2025?
My astrology mentorship!
What is something you’re leaving in 2024?
attracting manipulation/coercive dynamics
Best memory since joining the team?
oh man - i just love this team and these humans so much. it was really lovely all being together in november for the first time (for me) and i loved getting ready for our vampirate-themed dinner. it was so fun to put drag makeup on folks (shoutout to n4than who transformed into an eye-liner bih) and just jam and dance and laugh.
If you had to give this season/era of your life a title, what would it be?
surrender to transformation. haha - it’s funny since “surrender” was the name of my first event with Soft Power but it really has been the theme. my only fire is my venus in aries and it’s opposed my moon. I really felt a need to settle in and embody venus intentionally through conscious reception because I can really like, try to force things. So, this season has been about trust and about allowing and saying yes to what’s available rather than grasping or forcing what isn’t. through that process, i’ve been experiencing a rapid pace of transformation. i’ve been through so many tests and trials this year and they’ve sharpened me, fortified me, and alchemized so much wounding i was carrying. i feel very aware of and inside of my agency and inner power.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about Nathaniel. If you connect with our work and have the means, please consider a one-time or monthly pledge to help us continue providing a sanctuary for spiritual sovereignty and creative autonomy.