Everlutionary: Healing and Transforming the World
E35 – Decolonizing Wealth, Philanthropy, and Liberated Capital with Edgar Villanueva
September 23, 2025
What if money, so often a source of harm, could become medicine for our collective healing? In this episode of The Everlutionary Podcast, host Hawah Kasat sits with Edgar Villanueva—Lumbee tribe member, award-winning author of Decolonizing Wealth, and Founder of the Decolonizing Wealth Project—to explore how philanthropy can move from colonial extraction to reparative giving. Edgar shares how confronting the origins of wealth, telling the truth about harm, and embracing cultural healing can transform both communities and donors. From the $1.8 trillion trapped in philanthropic endowments to his bold $1 trillion “moonshot” for reparative justice, he reveals what it takes to liberate capital in service of racial equity. Along the way, he weaves stories of his own spiritual journey, the resilience of Indigenous traditions, and the urgent work of healing systems from within. For over two decades, Edgar has advised global philanthropies, Fortune 500 companies, and grassroots movements, influencing more than $1 billion toward repair. His latest initiative, a $20 million youth mental health fund, centers culturally responsive care for young people of color and LGBTQ+ youth. This episode is a call to reimagine wealth, not as something to hoard, but as a living force that can restore dignity, repair relationships, and move us toward collective liberation.
What if the very systems that built wealth could be transformed to heal the harm they caused? What if money, so often a driver of inequality, could become medicine for our collective liberation?


In this revealing episode of The Everlutionary Podcast, host Hawah Kasat sits with Edgar Villanueva, Lumbee tribe member, award-winning author of Decolonizing Wealth, and Founder of the Decolonizing Wealth Project, to explore how we can move from colonial extraction to reparative giving.


Edgar shares how confronting the origins of wealth, telling the truth about harm, and centering Indigenous ways of healing can transform both communities and those who hold resources. From the $1.8 trillion sitting in philanthropic endowments to his bold $1 trillion “moonshot” for racial and economic justice, this conversation unpacks the tangible and spiritual work required to liberate capital. Along the way, Edgar opens a window into his personal journey, from a church-centered childhood and rediscovery of his Lumbee roots, to building a global movement that challenges philanthropy to align its actions with its values.


A strategist, storyteller, and healer, Edgar’s work has already influenced more than $1 billion in philanthropic investments toward repair. His latest initiative, a $20 million youth mental health fund, prioritizes culturally responsive care for youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth, recognizing culture itself as a protective factor for wellbeing.


This episode is both a critique and an invitation: to see wealth not as something to hoard, but as a living force capable of restoring dignity, repairing relationships, and building a future rooted in equity and shared humanity.


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Previous guests include: Edgar Villanueva, author of "Decolonizing Wealth"; Kute Blackson, national bestselling author of "The Magic of Surrender"; Kerry Docherty, co-founder of the "Faherty Brand"; Prince Haru, the recognized leader of the Kuntanawa Nation; and Noor Tagouri, award-winning journalist and storyteller.

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