Welcome back! This week, we are joined by Desiree Decoo—Founder of Heal on Purpose Everyday (HOPE), a therapist, public health leader, and advocate with nearly 20 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and communities on their healing journeys.

In this episode, we connect personal healing to leadership and service, exploring how healed individuals often become more grounded, compassionate leaders. We discuss how doing the inner work reshapes the way we show up for others, transforming care, empathy, and responsibility into lived action rather than just conversation.

Join us for a grounded, uplifting conversation that invites us to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with what wellness looks like in our own lives.

This year, we launched our podcast "The MJE Living Room Conversations;" an intimate dialogue hosted from MJE's Blue Library. This new MAV X MJE series brings grassroots leaders, community healers, and advocates together to explore the question: Where do we go from here?

Fresh from the MAV National Conference, we've gathered for heartfelt conversations about sustaining healing, building leadership capacity, and strengthening our national network of women leading community transformation. Monalisa Smith, Founder of Mothers for Justice and Equality and the MAV Learning Community, led these open conversation with special guests who are shaping the next chapter of our movement -- from momentum to model. Stay tuned for 2026!

Thank you to this year's inspiring guests:

Episode 1: Hosted by Monalisa Smith - Founder, President, CEO of Mothers for Justice and Equality - Roxbury, MA

Episode 2: Milagros Burgos - Founder of Imani Dream Angel / Rincon - Chicago, IL and Nortasha Stingley - Chicago, IL

Episodes 3 & 4: Jacqueline Monteiro - Founder of W.S.R & Wellness Coaching LLC - Leicester, MA and Eileen Paterson - Mothers for Justice and Equality - Boston, MA

Episodes 5 & 6: Nana Akomaa Kyerematen - Author of "Is America Constitutionally Unconstitutional?" - Mothers for Justice and Equality - Boston, MA

Episodes 7 & 8: Desiree Decoo - Founder of HOPE - (Heal on Purpose Everyday) - Boston, MA

This week in The Living Room, we are joined by the incredible Desiree Decoo — Founder of HOPE, therapist, public health leader, and advocate who has spent nearly 20 years helping individuals, families, and whole communities move toward healing and wholeness.

In this episode, we shift the conversation from simply talking about wellness to truly living it every day. Desiree guides us through what it means to practice wellness in real life — in our routines, relationships, and in the quiet moments we often overlook. She reminds us that healing is not a destination, but a daily commitment to caring for ourselves with intention and compassion.

Join us for a grounded, uplifting conversation that invites us to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with what wellness looks like in our own lives. 💜

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