Tell it Proud

Trust is the foundation of healthy relationships and a functioning society. Without trust, we cannot function or meet our basic needs. When we have high levels of trust in our relationships we work together better, and feel a deeper sense of wellbeing and safety. While pundits and politicians on the far-right complain about the woke DEI mind-virus, those of us who live in reality understand our society is experiencing a crisis in trust and DEI is necessary to improve trust. It's at the root of why our relationships and democratic processes are suffering. To rebuild trust requires accurate historical and cultural education, which would explain the root causes and solutions to these inequality issues so many people feel the impacts of, but this type of education is under attack. This episide covers why DEI is critical for trust and functioning democracy.

Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of courage too good to erase or ignore. I'm your host Christina Blacken. I'm a public speaker, performer, writer, and founder of The New Quo which helps every day people practice authentic leadership through daily acts of courage that improves trust and wellbeing in how we live and work together. Today's episode is an essay I wrote titled "why imperfection is your greatest strength," which dives into the concept of wabi-sabi -- an aesthetic and philosophical practice from Japan that values and celebrates imperfection. Western culture is obsessed with perfectionism. We're ambushed by messages embedded in our institutions about striving for perfection. Whether it's education, or sports, our physical bodies, or careers, we're inundated with messages about how we're not thin enough, fast enough, light skinned enough, smart enough, talented enough, rich enough – it sounds like a bad rap song about how we need to be different to deserve love and safety. Wabi-sabi is an antidote to this detrimental perfectionism and different approach worth exploring.

Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of courage too good to erase or ignore. I'm your host Christina Blacken. I'm a public speaker, performer, writer, and founder of The New Quo which helps every day people practice authentic leadership through daily acts of courage that improves trust and wellbeing in how we live and work together. If you felt a stomach dropping, heart skipping clutch of fear at any point today, I'm guessing you weren't zig zagging from a wild beast trying to catch you, you were experiencing what I've dubbed MPTs or Modern Protection Thoughts (acronyms are fun). These MPTs are typically a daily, even hourly, occurrence and can be triggered by having to make any decision that has potential risks or downsides. They come alive as nagging voices of doubt, anxiety, or panic that can make you sweat plate sized pit stains through your shirt (hopefully it's not a button up shirt, because you can't hide shit with a button up shirt). This fear can even stifle you from doing, saying, or being the "wrong thing." This episode addresses how to overcome MPTs to have a healthier relationship with fear and others overall.

Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of resilience, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where I curate overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom straight to the inboxes of members who are passionate about finding new insight and inspiration to practice their social justice values. This essay is titled "Whose story is told matters", and is a recounting of me exploring a new historical exhibit in Brooklyn, NY called Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn. This exhibit is about the United States slave trade and its impacts on Brooklyn, NY through the ancestry of two Brooklyn families. The exhibit also recounts the history of slavery in the region through various first-hand documents beyond these two families' stories, highlighting an important piece of history often overlooked about the North's participation in slavery when its typically recounted as just a Southern problem. This recounted history highlights how traditional historical narratives often prioritize the stories of those in power, glorifying their achievements while minimizing their moral failings, and how often there's a stark difference in how these families are remembered and portrayed in historical records and family histories. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of ethical and cultural wisdom too good to erase or ignore. This episode is a special compilation of friends, family, and homies sharing personal wisdom and ethical and cultural insights about what they love about being Black. During a time of increasing racial profiling, state sanctioned violence, and cultural erasure, it's more important than ever before to create our own narratives and value around our identities. Tune in to hear an original poem from me and to laugh, be inspired, and learn from various backgrounds, locations, and perspectives about what it means to love the skin you're in. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of cultural intelligence, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where I curate overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom straight to the inboxes of members who are passionate about finding new insight and inspiration to practice their social justice values. This essay is titled "we are living in someone else's imagination" and it's about the ideologies and beliefs driving the biggest leaders who are creating and funding artificial intelligence also known as TESCREAL. TESCREAL is an acronym for overlapping set ideologies within the field of AI that developed from the 1980s to present and stands for stands for Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, Cosmism, Rationalism, Effective Altruism, and Longtermism. This all sounds like sci fi but you'll understand more when you listen into this episode. What most people don't know is that the artificial intelligence leaders and owners who believe in these concepts, imagine a post-human world, a utopia enabled by technology that values the potential future possibilities from this technology as more important than the present harms that may be happening today, thus making the harms currently being created by the technology today worth it. And we are living in the imaginations and the decisions of those delusions, in real time. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

Today's episode is a little different from our norm. A few months ago I asked individuals to submit personal stories of ethical and cultural wisdom on the topic of power, and today's podcast is highlighting the story of Daisy Onubogu who at 17, became the first Black woman to lead Europe's oldest debating society (UCD L&H). Walking into rooms where no one expected her to belong taught her early that power isn't only positional, it's also about voice, presence, and refusing erasure, shaping how she later built and led communities, by centering people who are usually unseen and creating spaces where their ideas carry weight. Daisy is a creative operator and community-builder who has led across tech, venture capital, hospitality, and nonprofits. She previously served as an investor at Backed VC, helping raise a €150M second fund, and led VIP speaker acquisition at Web Summit, bringing A-list cultural and political leaders to the stage. Today, Daisy is a coach to individuals and organizations and the host of the Strange Life podcast, where she translates messy human complexity into simple explanations and repeatable practices. In her story you'll learn: How power doesn't have to be given; sometimes it must be claimed with courage, even in the face of doubt. That representation matters because when you break into uninvited spaces, you shift what others imagine is possible. And that the most enduring kind of power is collective, built by making room for more voices at the table.

Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of power, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where I curate overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom straight to the inboxes of members who are passionate about finding new insight and inspiration to practice their social justice values. This essay is a book review of You're More Powerful Than You Think by Eric Liu. This book serves as both an inspiration and a practical guide for citizens seeking to create change. This book's message is ultimately one of hope combined with agency - the belief that individuals working collectively can reshape their communities and society at large. The book demonstrates that even in seemingly rigged systems, it is possible to "generate power out of thin air through the magic of organizing." It's an essential read to understand how ordinary citizens like you and I can become effective agents of change. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.