Therapy for Black Girls

This week we’re joined by cultural icons Erika Alexander and Kim Coles, two of the stars of the beloved 90s sitcom Living Single. Now co-hosts of the Re-Living Single podcast, Erika and Kim are taking a walk down memory lane, revisiting the episodes that made us laugh, cry, and feel seen.

During this conversation, they share what it’s been like to reconnect with their characters and each other, unpacking the highs and l...

When it comes to marginalized intersectional identities, Black women and women of color are no stranger. But if we zoom out, what does that experience look like across systems, access, and paychecks? Today we're excited to be joined by economist, advocate, and author Anna Gifty. She’s here to talk about her new book, ‘The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid,’ a powerful, data-driven explor...

We can't let September go by without acknowledging Sex Positive September. Over the years, we've done dozens of episodes exploring sexual liberation, sexuality, and sexual health, so we wanted to pull from our archives to bring you this essential conversation.

In this episode, Dr. Pia Goff joins us to get real about what chips away at our sexual confidence, why some of us struggle with arousal and pleasure, and how to actually talk...

This week, we’re discussing a crisis that’s disrupting lives across the country: the escalating wave of deportations tearing families apart and dismantling the fragile sense of safety many immigrants cling to. For this conversation I’m joined by Catherine Labiran, a writer, organizer, and research manager whose work lives at the intersections of immigration justice, Black liberation, and mental health. Cather...

This week, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford joins us for a compassionate conversation about weight, health, and healing. We're exploring why obesity should be understood as a chronic disease, not a moral failing, and discussing new treatment options like GLP-1 medications that are changing lives. 

Dr. Stanford is an obesity medicine Physician-Scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. What makes her perspe...

Have you ever heard someone casually say “I’m so OCD” just because they like things neat and organized? That kind of language often oversimplifies a serious mental health condition and can make it harder for those living with OCD to be seen and understood. Today, we’re digging into what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder actually is and how it uniquely impacts Black women. Dr. Jameeka Moore joins us again fo...

This week we're bringing attention to a topic that doesn’t always get the space or care it deserves: the mental, emotional, and physical toll of living with a severe autoimmune condition. Joining me for this conversation is Dr. Martine Hackett, a public health expert and the host of the podcast "Untold Stories: Life with a Severe Autoimmune Condition". In her show, she shares her own experience navigating chronic illness...

Balancing a career and family life isn’t always easy, but it is possible. Today, I’m joined by actor, producer, author, and podcast creator Tika Sumpter. A true multi-hyphenate, her career continues to thrive. Since becoming a mother, she’s embraced her creativity even more, defying the societal expectation that women should scale back their ambitions after motherhood. Through her company Fort Sumpter, she has thr...

This week’s guest is Renée Bryan, a Licensed Professional Counselor and educator with a Master's in Education from Mercer University and a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Richmont Graduate University. What makes Renée's work particularly compelling is her role as a mental health co-responder with law enforcement. This growing field many mental health professionals may not even know exists. In ...

Nila Morton is a graduate of  Howard University where she earned her Masters in Social Work  and a passionate disability advocate born with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy, a rare condition that requires her to use a wheelchair. Her advocacy work focuses on challenging ableism and promoting inclusivity within the disability community. In this episode, Nila opens up about the struggles of fighting for accountability ...

This week, we are joined by Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka, a clinical psychologist, hairstylist, professor, and the founder of “PsychoHairapy,” an innovative approach that uses hair care as an entry point into mental health in the Black community. As Black women, our hair is more than just what’s at the surface. It shapes identity, signals care, and holds cultural memory. In our conversation, Dr. Afiya and I dig into the d...

This week we're joined by award-winning scholar, ethnomusicologist, and cultural anthropologist Dr. Kyra Gaunt to explore the powerful intersections of music, play, and identity in the lives of Black girls and women. Dr. Gaunt, author of The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop, offers a brilliant breakdown of how musical play, like hand games, cheers, and jump rope rhymes, does more than ent...

Today, we’re throwing it back to Session 321 — Some Thoughts On Playing Small.

This quick episode was inspired by a line from Issa Dee, the beloved character played by Issa Rae in Insecure: “How much different would your life be if you actually went after what you wanted?” It’s a question that feels especially relevant now as we head into summer. The days are longer, the sun is out, and so many of us a...

We’re stepping into summer, and vacation season is in full swing. For many, that means excitement, adventure, and a packed travel itinerary. But for others, especially when it comes to flying, it can stir up a lot of anxiety. With everything we’ve seen in the news this year, those feelings might be new, or more intense than ever. In today’s episode, we’re talking about how to navigate flight anxiety so it do...

We couldn’t let this month go by without having a conversation about one of my favorite things, music. While we’re only halfway through the year, there have already been so many major moments, from iconic performances to albums that push past genre limitations. These culturally-defining moments have all been sparked by artists we love, and we’d be remiss not to celebrate the ongoing impact of Black artists in musi...

This episode is dedicated to all of the newly minted college graduates! You're likely feeling a mix of emotions as you step into what's next, and we invite you to take a moment to process what you're feeling. We also want to make sure you're not so busy focusing on what's next that you don't celebrate the huge accomplishment you've achieved. 

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In this special bonus episode, I’m joined by our incredible producers for a fun and insightful conversation about some of the pop culture moments that have been giving us life lately. We're diving into Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour and what it means for how we understand Black womanhood and creativity, unpacking the emotional and spiritual layers of the new film Sinners, and reflecting on the quiet power of the Ne...

Dr. Lana Holmes, who you may remember from Session 222: How Horror Films Help Us Process Life, joins us again to explore sexuality through the lens of kink and BDSM practices  often misunderstood but rich with opportunities for healing, agency, and reclaiming pleasure. We unpack common myths, discuss how these communities prioritize communication, boundaries, and consent, and challenge the racialized and gendered stereotypes t...

This week we’re joined by Mary Frances Phillips, a scholar-activist, public intellectual, and Associate Professor of African American Studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her interdisciplinary research agenda focuses on race and gender in post-1945 social movements and the carceral state. Her scholarly interests include the Modern Black Freedom Struggle, Black Feminism, and Black Power Studies.

Her first bo...