24: Joanna Johnson Wants You To @Unlearn16

In this thought-provoking episode of the TikTok FAMOUS™️ Podcast, host Meredyth Willits welcomes Joanna Johnson, better known online as @unlearn16, a Canadian educator, author, podcast host, and Gen X social commentator with over 3.5 million followers on TikTok. Known for her blunt takes, classroom chalkboard rants, and powerful calls to question what we've been taught, Joanna is on a mission to help us all unlearn the programming we've inherited.

 

Together, they explore:

✅ Why unlearning is just as important as learning
✅ How COVID created a creative explosion and connected communities
✅ The impact of politics, fear, and social media on personal identity
✅ Why so many Americans are resistant to travel, education, and change
✅ What it really means to "vote against your interests"
✅ Teaching Gen Z vs being a Gen X rebel
✅ The danger of performative allyship and why cancel culture misses the mark
✅ Why conversations, not takedowns, change minds
✅ The real reason people are clinging to the past instead of evolving
✅ Her book, podcast, TED Talk, and wild antique finds (yes, triptychs and chalkboards included)

 

If you've ever found yourself questioning what you were taught about politics, culture, gender, or identity — this is the episode for you.

 

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00:00 Meet Joanna, aka @unlearn16, and her unlikely TikTok rise

02:30 Gen X on TikTok, nostalgia, and breaking free from adult boxes

05:00 From lip-syncing to thought leadership — how it all started

07:40 Why America's fear of travel is part of a bigger narrative

10:10 Chaos, COVID, and how people seek control

13:00 Fear-based culture, ego, and putting yourself in a "box"

15:00 Joanna's take on the rise of Trump after Obama

18:10 Why unlearning matters now more than ever

20:00 On critical thinking, indoctrination, and generational blindspots

23:30 Personal stories, family secrets, and cultural silence

25:40 Why "we all know someone" is part of the problem

27:10 Can we learn before it's too late?

29:00 Social media as a platform for real education

31:20 Letting go of ego, and being willing to say "I don't know"

33:30 Authenticity vs performative wokeness

35:00 What Unlearn16's book is really about

37:10 Behind the scenes: her writing process and TikTok style

39:40 Why conversations are better than debates

41:00 Teaching kids to question — and think

43:00 Triptychs, chalkboards, and all the vintage Gen X goodness

45:00 Thoughts on gender, dress codes, and being seen

47:00 Parenting, programming, and Gen Z challenges

50:00 Why performative culture is killing real conversations

53:10 Her TED Talk, podcast goals, and public speaking mission

55:30 "I can make people look stupid, but that's not the point"

58:00 What true allyship and curiosity really look like

01:00:00 From Adderall to Aunt Judy — let's talk about real addiction

01:02:00 When Roe fell and what Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned us about

01:05:00 Why the "angry woman" stereotype n