AI is reshaping social work, education, and everyday life fast. In episode 33 of the Revolutionary Social Work Podcast, Ace and Alicia talk through what this shift means for purpose, identity, mental health, and community, and how to lead with heart while staying grounded and ethically clear.

If you’ve felt the tension between technology and humanity, this one is for you.

Website: RevolutionarySocialWork.com

Email (connect + collaborate): castettler@alaska.edu

Chapters

00:00 Theme Song + Intro

00:43 Introduction and Check-In

01:55 The Impact of AI on Social Work

03:31 Purpose and Identity in a Changing World

08:38 Youth Connection and Social Interaction

16:29 Navigating Technology and Social Media

23:12 Adapting to AI in Education

25:50 Conclusion and Future Directions

About Ace (Christian “Ace” Stettler)Professor Ace is a professor of social work, writer, and creator based on Hawai'i Island. He is the founder of Revolutionary Social Work, a framework centered on deep self-reflection, relational practice, and becoming more fully human. Ace hosts the Revolutionary Social Work Podcast and The Critical Social Worker: A Revolutionary Storytelling Podcast, creating conversations that challenge conformity in the profession and call people back to connection, conscience, and kinship.

About Alicia Stettler, LCSW, CYTAlicia Stettler is a Revolutionary Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Yoga Teacher, and guide for those seeking deeper healing, health, and happiness. With over a decade in mental health, her integrative approach blends evidence-based clinical practices with yogic philosophy to support personal and collective transformation.Alicia created the Circle of Self, a framework for lasting healing through (re)connection to seven essential elements: Movement, Stillness, Nature, Community, Spirit, Nourishment, and Love. She teaches that we must nurture our own Circle in order to share it with others.

Join the conversation:

What part of the AI shift feels most real in your work or life right now, and what helps you stay grounded?

#RevolutionarySocialWork #SocialWork #AI#SocialWorkPodcast #EthicalAI #MentalHealth #Purpose #Identity #Community #Connection #FutureOfWork #SocialWorkEducation #Healing #CircleOfSelf #RelationalPractice #EmbodiedHealing

© Revolutionary Social Work

Alan Dettlaff (upEND Movement) joins Ace + Alicia for a direct conversation on abolitionist social work, ending the family policing system, and reclaiming social work from professionalized compliance. We get into electoral politics, the profession’s silence on genocide, desensitization and empathy, organizing for community, and practical action like economic boycotts and finding clearer information in a saturated media landscape.

Connect + collaborate (we actually read these): RevolutionarySocialWork@gmail.com

Website: RevolutionarySocialWork.com

Explore Alan’s work:upEND Movement: https://upendmovement.org/Alan Dettlaff: https://www.alandettlaff.com/

About Alan Dettlaff:Alan began his career in the family policing system as an investigative caseworker and administrator. He later helped create the upEND Movement (2020) to abolish the family policing system and build healing-centered alternatives. He’s the author of Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System: The Case for Abolition (Oxford University Press, 2023), co-editor of Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice (OUP, 2023), and co-founding editor of Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work (open-access, peer-reviewed).

Topics in this episode include: abolitionism, family policing, child welfare, social work education, solidarity, community building, media saturation, boycotts, and revolutionary social work.

Chapters

00:00 Theme song + intro

02:40 Introduction to Revolutionary Social Work

03:49 Alan Dettlaff’s Background and Abolitionist Work

06:17 The Impact of Angela Davis on Activism

08:17 Distraction Tactics of Oppressors

10:36 The Limitations of Electoral Politics

13:44 Critique of the Democratic Party

15:14 Disappointment in Social Work Organizations

18:08 The Silence of Social Work on Genocide

21:54 The Performative Nature of Social Work

25:06 Desensitization to Global Issues

27:25 The Need for Political Education

30:25 Authenticity vs. Fear in Activism

32:46 Addressing Global Genocides

34:44 Revolutionizing Social Work

37:32 Reclaiming the Term “Social Work”

41:37 Reclaiming Social Work: A Complex Identity

47:31 The Role of Education in Social Work

51:18 Abolitionist Ideas in Social Work

56:12 Collective Action and Political Engagement

01:02:41 Building Community and Connection

01:05:59 Navigating Information Overload

01:15:25 Towards Liberation: A Call to Action

#RevolutionarySocialWork #AbolitionistSocialWork #upENDMovement© Revolutionary Social Work

Social work, identity, Ubuntu, community, and cultural transition anchor this conversation with Shayla S. Dube, an Africentric and decolonial educator whose work embodies collective responsibility and relational practice. Alicia and Ace explore the tensions between assimilation and belonging, the power of Ubuntu-centered care, and the ongoing work of reclaiming cultural foundations in a world shaped by colonialism and accelerating technology.

Shayla reflects on her journey from Zimbabwe to Canada and the costs of assimilation; the role of community participation in becoming more fully human; and the need for social work education that centers relational learning, cultural humility, and ancestral knowledge. The discussion moves through identity reauthoring, the ethics of AI, and the work of re-centering African and Indigenous wisdoms in practice. This episode speaks to anyone committed to liberation, grounded pedagogy, and community-made identity.

Visit Shayla's Website: https://wellnessempowered.com/

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@RevolutionarySocialWork/sub_confirmation=1

Email: RevolutionarySocialWork@gmail.com

Website: RevolutionarySocialWork.com

Chapters:

00:00 Intro / Theme Song

01:38 Introduction and Identity Exploration

07:14 The Importance of Community and Participation

13:04 Cultural Transition: From Zimbabwe to Canada

18:52 Assimilation and Identity Loss

24:04 Reclaiming the Village in Modern Society

29:46 Teaching and Learning in a Community Context

35:06 Navigating Parenting in a New Cultural Environment

38:14 Helping Others Discover Their Identity

46:40 Understanding Human Experience Beyond Pathology

47:44 Cultural Identity and Ancestry Exploration

48:55 Creating and Reauthoring Culture

50:41 The Role of Culture in Human Behavior

52:42 Connecting with Cultural Foundations

54:20 Navigating Cultural Disconnection

57:04 The Dynamic Nature of Culture

58:46 Technology, AI, and Social Skills

01:04:10 Ethics of AI in Social Work

01:07:54 Re-centering Indigenous and African Wisdom in Social Work

#RevolutionarySocialWork #Ubuntu #SocialWorkPodcast #CulturalHumility #AfrocentricPractice #DecolonialEducation #IdentityAndCommunity #UbuntuCenteredCare

© Revolutionary Social Work