Work Bae

Grief is complicated, but collective grief is even more of a mindfuck 🫨 This week, Naana and Obie discuss how millennials are (or aren’t) processing the layered grief of our generation. From 9/11 and the financial crisis to the pandemic, climate anxiety, political chaos, and lost cultural milestones, we explore what it means to come of age in an era of nonstop disruption. How do we mourn the future we were promised while still imagining joy, hope, and connection? Tune in for a raw and reflective conversation about loss, resilience, and the unique struggles of a generation navigating a world in constant flux. Cheat Sheet 1. "Gen Z Grief: The Hidden Grief of a Generation" - https://tinyurl.com/2nvtwu64 2. "US Gen Zers and Millennials Are Burning Out, Poll Finds" - https://tinyurl.com/5n6d9m35

Who taught you about pleasure? How do you tap into the erotic? What is so innate to us sometimes can feel very disconnected 🫦 In this episode, Naana and Obie explore pleasure through the lens of Audre Lorde’s iconic essay, “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power”. Join us as we unpack how embracing the erotic, beyond just the sexual, can lead to deeper self-awareness, richer connections, and radical personal empowerment. From everyday joy to identity and societal norms, this conversation challenges the status quo and invites you to reclaim what feels good as a source of strength. Cheat Sheet - Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power (1978) by Audre Lorde: https://tinyurl.com/3bnebwb5 - Audre Lorde reads Uses of the Erotic [AUDIO]: https://tinyurl.com/3cv7arvh

“Community” has been in the lexicon a lot lately but what does it really mean? Do you find community or does it find you? How do you sustain community? If this is something we are all craving, why is it so hard to find?! 🧐 Join us this week as we explore the transformative power of community and its profound impact on personal growth and how connections with others can shape our lives, offering support, inspiration, and a sense of belonging. Cheat Sheet - Tap Into Your Sense of Play with Playdaate: instagram.com/play.daate - Learn More about New Visions Book Club: instagram.com/newvisionsbookclub - Follow Sadé and attend an upcoming Sunday Salon: instagram.com/sadeinstereo - Join a Community of Black Polyamorous/ENM folk: instagram.com/boonoonoonoos_co

After an unplanned but very necessary break, your favorite Work Baes are back! 🫩😮‍💨😓 In this season opener, Naana and Obie reflect on the wild ride that was the past year—navigating job loss, creative breakthroughs, and challenging conversations about friendship, family, and growth. From the tension between balancing creativity with stability to the messiness of unlearning people pleasing. Tune in for a refreshingly honest catch up full of laughter, lessons, and a little chaos!

Your favorite Work Baes are back this week after recording two episodes with friend of the podcast Antoinette Henry from Around The Way Curls. Around The Way Curls has always been one of our favorite podcasts and it's always a pleasure to jump on with Antoinette and Shanti whenever we get the chance! 🙏🏿 We'll link the two episodes in the show notes below 👇🏿 This week we wanted to switch it up after Episode 58's heavy but very necessary conversation about grief and lighten things up a little bit with some fun Q&As courtesy of the popular card game, "We're Not Really Strangers". You'll be surprised by some of the things we still don't know about each other even after six years of friendship! 😲 Cheat Sheet Listen to Around The Way Curls Ep 348: Money, Morals & Culture & Ep 349: Can You Emasculate A Man? - t.ly/BviWB Follow Around The Way Curls on IG @aroundthewaycurls

This week on Work Bae, Naana and Obie talk through the complexities and sometimes outright ridiculousness of the gender wars within the Black community. From examining historical legacies to dissecting contemporary societal pressures, we explore how gender dynamics shape relationships and our identities. Tune in as we confront some of the nuances and tensions driving this ongoing discussion and hear our thoughts on how to rise above the noise.

This week, Naana and Obie discuss the burgeoning loneliness epidemic that is plaguing millions of Americans here at home and impacting the lives of countless others globally as well. With social media at our fingertips, why are so many people experiencing loneliness today? What effects does loneliness have on us individually and as a collective? From fostering genuine relationships to navigating the digital age's impact on human connection, this episode offers invaluable guidance on understanding loneliness and how to cultivate fulfilling relationships IRL. We also share some actionable tips on uncovering your 'third place'—that sanctuary beyond home and work—where meaningful connections thrive. Tune in to rediscover the power of authentic human interaction in an increasingly isolated world.

Recently the concept of decentering romantic love has started to take hold as people. regardless of gender, have begun to prioritize being more fulfilled in other areas of their life. Antoinette Henry from @aroundthewaycurls joins Naana this week to share what decentering romantic love has meant to them while still exploring how to build romance in their lives while single 💖 Who says the two always have to exist together? Join us this week as the ladies jump into a discussion about love and all of the different forms it takes on in our lives. No Cupid's bow required 🏹 Cheat Sheet: Follow Antoinette @ instagram.com/antoinettewashere Tune in to ATWC @ instagram.com/aroundthewaycurls "Real Love" by Sharon Salzberg - www.sharonsalzberg.com/reallove

We promised you part two and here it is! We’re joined again this week by the lovely Lauren Brake, Jazzmine Carthon, and Velonica Pome’e for a very special Wine Down episode of Work Bae 🍷 Tune in and hear from Jazz and Velonica on how the body positivity movement plays out in the world of fashion and how their experiences as Black and brown plus-sized models led them to help build the Models for Change Now (@modelsforchangenow) platform. But beyond activism, how are our guests navigating dating, relationships, and sex as fat girls? 👀🍑💦 Things got a little spicy this week … apparently Ari ain’t the only one sitting on things!! 😳 Cheat Sheet Follow Lauren @ https://www.instagram.com/brake_free_ Follow Jazzmine @ https://www.instagram.com/jazzminecarthon Follow Veronica @ https://www.instagram.com/veronicapomee Learn more about Models for Change Now @ https://www.instagram.com/modelsforchangenow

If you went to an H.B.C.U. you might already be familiar with Alphas, Deltas, Omegas, and Sigmas and the storied history of Black fraternities and sororities but that is NOT what we're talking about this week! 🙅🏿‍♂️ Instead we're jumping into the discourse surrounding "alphas", "betas", and all the other archetypes that men have decided to divide themselves into ♂️ What effects do these rigid hierarchies have on men or the women that engage with them? From red pilling to incels and Kevin Samuels join us this week as we jump down the rabbit hole that is male socio-sexual hierarchy 😖 Cheat Sheet: "How America Became Infatuated With a Cartoonish Idea of ‘Alpha Males’" - New York Mag (https://tinyurl.com/2emkujnu) "There's no such thing as an alpha male" - Business Insider (https://tinyurl.com/7n968uje) "The Myth of the Alpha Male" - Greater Good Magazine (https://tinyurl.com/fy6u8ww) “A Short History of ‘Simp’” - The New York Times (https://tinyurl.com/56zctwej) “How pseudo-love guru Kevin Samuels exploits the vulnerability of Black women” - The Grio (https://tinyurl.com/nkkmscks)

This week on Work Bae we share an episode we recorded a few months ago where we discussed the dumpster fire that is the United States of America 🇺🇸 🔥 From the insurrection earlier this year on January 6th to the slew of voter suppression laws enacted in the wake of the 2020 Election, Naana and Obie put on their political commentator hats and try to make sense of the current political landscape and most importantly how to process it all as a Black person living the American experience ✊🏿 Meet us here every Monday for a new episode of Work Bae!

We’ve made it to the end of Season 3 🙌🏿 We might be inching across the finish line but, "Mama we made it!!" 🤣 Nothing seems more pertinent these days than the #2020Election but as we’re getting closer to November 3rd more and more people are questioning if their vote will even count or make a difference considering the current state of our country. On the season finale, Nanaa and Obie share their differing views on the importance of voting … is it still an effective tool to influence change? While they might disagree on its role, they both arrive at the same conclusion … we ALL need to get our asses out and vote! 🗳️💯 Thank you all for listening in and joining us this season as we navigated through sometimes difficult conversations while having everything that’s happened this year as a backdrop. No matter where we are as a country later this winter we look forward to figuring it all out with you on Work Bae Season 4! As always wash your hands, wear your mask, and love on each other ✊🏿🖤✨