White Women Wake Up

In this episode of White Women Wake Up, Karen and Jonelle explore the concept of psychological safety and why it matters in both personal relationships and professional spaces. Drawing from research by Harvard professor Amy Edmondson and examples from workplaces like Google, they discuss how true safety means creating an environment where people can admit mistakes, share concerns, and disagree without fear of humiliation or punishm...

Hard conversations shape us—yet too often we avoid them, shut them down, or mistake venting for dialogue. Karen and Jonelle take a closer look at what really happens when conflict rises at the dinner table or online, from visceral reactions in the body to the cycle of rehearsed narratives that keep us stuck. They draw on both personal stories and research to show why silence is never neutral and why staying at the table matters. At...

In this episode of White Women Wake Up, Karen and Jonelle examine social identity theory—the idea that our self-esteem is often tied to group membership, which leads us to view our “in-group” as good and “outsiders” as bad. Using recent violent events as a lens, they explore why some tragedies spark widespread outcry while others are met with silence. From media coverage that overrepresents white victims to the empathy gap revealed...

In this episode of White Women Wake Up, Karen and Jonelle explore how interdependence transforms the way we challenge bias and build belonging. White women are often taught to strive for independence—doing it all alone—or to slip into codependence, losing themselves in the needs of others. Interdependence offers another path: a shared practice of mutual care, accountability, and authenticity. Through personal stories of failure and...

In Episode 40 of White Women Wake Up, Karen and Jonelle turn their attention to ableism and its everyday impact. They explore how neurodivergent people are often pressured to mask to fit into neurotypical expectations, and why this demand for assimilation can be harmful rather than supportive. Drawing from teaching, personal experience, and lived realities, the hosts highlight how good intentions—like “modeling” behavior—can uninte...

In this episode of White Women Wake Up, Karen and Jonelle unpack the tension between cultural expectations of “niceness” and the need for authentic clarity. They reflect on how generations of white women have been socialized to prioritize politeness, avoid conflict, and mask their true feelings, often at the expense of vulnerability and growth. Drawing from research on emotional labor and gendered expectations, the hosts explore ho...

In this episode of White Women Wake Up, Karen and Jonelle unpack the hidden layers of cultural appropriation in today’s wellness industry. From yoga studios with no South Asian teachers to trendy sound baths, sage burning, and mindfulness retreats, they examine how many white women’s wellness practices borrow heavily from other cultures without honoring their origins. The hosts explore how wellness spaces often exclude marginalized...

In Episode 37, Karen and Jonelle pull back the curtain on coded language—those seemingly harmless words that hide bias in plain sight. They introduce the CODE scan (Context, Othering, Denied specifics, Echo) as a quick litmus test for spotting dog-whistles in conversation. Real-world examples abound: a car-dealer who calls residents “weird,” Maude Littleton’s smear of the Jewish Levy family at Monticello, and political catchphrases...

Karen and Jonelle tackle when imaginative empathy crosses into cultural appropriation. Jonelle defines appropriation as writers “taking ownership… and not giving honor, research, or credit to its heritage”. She flags 2024 data: more than half of novels with LGBTQ protagonists were written by straight authors, proving demand often outruns authentic representation. Karen defends artistic freedom yet agrees readers must verify whose s...

Episode 35 explores the roots of bias inside our households. Jonelle opens with eye-opening research: babies only exposed to their own race 90 percent of the time start favoring faces like theirs by six to nine months, and children aged five to twelve already show a pro-white bias on implicit tests. The hosts note that just one ten-minute, color-conscious conversation with a parent can reduce anti-Black bias in kids by 61 percent. ...

In this episode, Karen and Jonelle step into the awkward pause that follows the question, “Are you sure?” They dissect why white women often doubt a friend’s painful account, tracing the habit to quick-fire heuristics. Proximity bias trusts stories that sound like our own. Authority bias treats doctors, pastors, and headlines as default truth. Comfort bias protects the worldview we already like. The hosts introduce philosopher Mira...

In this episode, Karen and Jonelle dive into the hidden power of echo chambers on social media. They compare their own TikTok feeds to reveal how algorithms quietly reinforce race, age, and ideology, even when we think we are curating diverse voices. The hosts unpack how recommendation systems favor anger, diet culture, and other triggers that keep users scrolling, and how that constant reinforcement shapes beliefs, voting habits, ...

In this episode, Karen and Jonelle move beyond theory to confront how a colonial mindset shows up in choices. They define the colonial mindset as believing resources exist for our claiming, elevating Western norms, and embedding hierarchies of power that erase other histories. Recognizing that giving away property overnight is unrealistic, they explore smaller on-ramps: widening whose stories they consume, questioning scarcity scri...

In Episode 31, Jonelle and Karen zero in on the surge of reverse discrimination claims and why they differ fundamentally from racism. They start by defining racism as prejudice backed by systemic power—something only the dominant group can wield—and contrast it with discrimination, which any individual or group can experience. Drawing on a recent Supreme Court ruling under Title VII that lets any employee allege unfair treatment wi...

After a brief conversation about how cultural backgrounds influence trauma responses, Karen and Jonelle dive into the concept of individualism as a defining feature of American society. They explore how an overemphasis on personal autonomy—evidenced by the United States scoring 91 on Hofstede’s individualism index—can foster colorblindness, political polarization, and a disconnect from collective wellbeing. Using examples from pand...

In this episode, Karen and Jonelle explore the emotional terrain of being triggered and the deeper layers of trauma shaped by culture, history, and identity. Prompted by a listener's question, they unpack how cultural norms influence what wounds us and how we react. From parking disputes with neighbors to friendship breakdowns and unintentional exclusion, they reflect on how centering our perspective can deepen division rather...

In this deeply personal episode, Karen and Jonelle explore how colonial patterns have shaped white female friendships, often embedding competition, scarcity, and passive aggression into our closest relationships. They unpack the inherited values of "niceness" and the need to compete, reflecting on how these patterns undermine authentic connection. Drawing from personal stories, recent research, and generational insight, t...

In this episode of White Women Wake Up, Karen and Jonelle go deep on the colonial mindset—not just as history, but as a living framework that still shapes white imagination, entitlement, and fear. Inspired by the books Decolonizing Therapy by Dr. Jennifer Mullan and Louder Than the Lies by Ellie Yang Camp, Karen shares how unlearning colonization has cracked open her own views on land, ownership, capitalism, and scarcity. Together,...

In this episode, Karen and Jonelle tackle the uneasy allure of Southern plantations after a fire destroyed Louisiana’s lucrative Nottaway plantation resort. They ask why a venue built on slavery is still marketed as picture-perfect while weddings at Auschwitz are unimaginable. Their conversation traces the post-Civil War propaganda that turned forced-labor camps into symbols of elegance, from Gone with the Wind to today’s billion-d...