Tell it Proud
Episodes
The hidden truth about neurodivergence
02 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is an essay I wrote for The New Quo Learning Community about neurodivergence which describes people whose brains develop or function i...
my neighbor called the police on me for singing
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, an...
1 in 5 Teens are dating AI & other thoughts on loneliness
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's podcast episode is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where stories and practices of daily courage...
a Japanese value that transforms relationships
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, an...
Pleasure activism is a way of doing good
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where stories and practices of courage are curated fo...
whose story is told matters
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Ne...
Why shared music transforms us
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of community, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning...
what I love about being black
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, fami...
what the Harlem Renaissance teaches us about power
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of influence, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New...
we are living in someone else's imagination
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
hoarding versus sharing power
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Refusing Erasure
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
I Asked AI If Inequality Was Good, Here's What It Told Me
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
You're More Powerful Than You Think
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
the power of being time travelers
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the cultural principles of power, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Qu...
The Beautiful and Hard Grief of Endings
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the cultural principle of adaptability, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Commu...
Why You Shouldn't Ignore Your Intuition
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the cultural principle of influence, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Communit...
How I Thrived When Everything Collapsed
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the cultural principle of adaptability, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Commu...
A Cultural Practice for Conflict and Forgiveness
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the cultural principles of love, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community wh...
Self-love Comes From Unexpected Places
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a replay from my storytelling event I produce and host titled Change My Mind: a live storytelling experience. We get everyday peopl...
We need Black humor
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the cultural principles of cultural intelligence, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Lear...
It's not too late to achieve your dream
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a replay from my storytelling event I produce and host titled Change My Mind: a live storytelling experience. We get everyday peopl...
why good people are happier people
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the cultural principles of hope, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community wh...
Tell Strangers Knock Knock Jokes
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a replay from Christina Blacken's storytelling event she produces and hosts titled Change My Mind: a live storytelling experience, ...
Chosen Family and The Fallacy of Nuclear Love
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the cultural principles of influence, and is a reading from an essay Christina Blacken originally wrote for The New Quo ...
Jumping Into Bed with Old People
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's story is a replay from a storytelling event hosted and produced by Christina Blacken titled 'Change My Mind: a live storytelling experience' w...
Courage is the Antidote to Oppression
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is focused on the ethical principle of power, and how power can show up in really unconventional ways, especially from people who seem...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Transitioning Gender and Radical Self-Acceptance
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode me and my guest Aurora Higgs have such a rich conversation that beginning with Aurora's experiences and insights as a transgender indi...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Caring for Yourself When Caregiving for Those You Love
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
his episode is all about loss. Trigger warning we talk about death, covid, and overcoming with my guest Ada Chen, who is the founder of Chuan's Promi...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) The Courage to Work With Family
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode my guest Nike Anani and I speak about her journey of leaving a cushy corporate job in London to move back to Lagos, Nigeria to work in...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Dear White People
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode my guests Misasha Suzuki Graham and Sara Blanchard are founders of an amazing podcast titled Dear White Women. Misasha is a graduate ...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Finding your authentic self
11 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore authenticity in all its varieties and understandings. Sherri is a leader, Speaker, and Author who lives to help others see ...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) You're More Powerful Than You Think
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore when my guest Janet Alexandersson created 40 frameworks on topics like justice, conflict, power, which she thought would ta...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Changing our relationship to religion
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode my guest is Umbreen Bhatti who decided to stop wearing a hijab after it was a central part of her identity for a significant portion o...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) How to become a chief evangelist officer for your ideas
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore when my guest Nancy Soni sought out a hypnotherapist to help her reprogram deep-seated beliefs from childhood that created ...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Creating safe relationships in an unsafe culture
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore my guest Monisha Bajaj's experiences with running relationship and sexual violence prevention programs that go against some...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Overcoming Burnout with Spiritual Psychology
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore when my guest Trish Boes quit her full-time job after suffering from severe burnout. Not only did she quit she also then di...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Courage in the face of sexual harassment
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore when my guest Deepali Vyas experienced sexual harassment while working for a recruiting firm in her early career and when s...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) When your white colleague uses the N word
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we explore when my guest while working in architecture and urban planning, wrestled with the perception of being a black woman with an...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Walking Away From 2 million Dollars
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My guest on the Sway Them in Color Podcast today exemplifies walking the talk, as we explore when he took an act of courage by walking away from a 2 m...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) What Failure Teaches Us
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Sway Them in Color I speak with my homie Ron Johnson. Ron Johnson is a curator of entrepreneurial experiences. His business Triton ...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) What I Love About Being Black
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you're raised as the only Black family for miles, in a place like Ogden Utah that has very little racial diversity, as a Black person, you get us...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Building What You Can't See
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Sway Them In Color I speak with Tony Chatman. Tony has worked with hundreds of corporations and government agencies including the U...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Why We Need Values Driven Business
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Sway Them In Color I speak with Zena Hanna founder of Zena Digital Group. With over ten years of digital media experience under her...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Why Symphony is a Better Term Than Diversity for Creating a Better World
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Sway Them in Color I speak with Oshoke Pamela Abalu, an architect and futurist, who was the Chief Architect for MetLife's $1 billio...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Being Your Authentic Self is a Courageous Act of Rebellion
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Akilah Cadet is the founder of Change Cadet consulting, which offers a broad array of services including executive coaching, strategic planning, i...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Being Liberal Is Not an Oppression Pass
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Oppression pass (n): a term I've coined about the belief that because you are liberal, marginalized yourself, like black people/have one black friend/...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Creating Something From Nothing
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With every growth spurt I've gone through, both physically and mentally, there's been a mark left it its wake, a story no longer fitting cast aside. W...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Finding Your Self-Worth In a Sea of Racism
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I can't tell you the number of times I have talked with friends about social and political issues with deep sadness and anguish. From white nationali...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Emotional Athleticism and Resilience in Times of Trouble
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pain is something we take large precautions to avoid. The psychical pain of accidents, ill health, and pushing our bodies to our limits. The mental pa...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Innovation, Surviving recession, and Good leadership
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when life hands you a big ol' stanky basket of lemons? You make the most delicious remixed lemonade (with probably a splash of whiskey)...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Health, Weight, And Taking Risks
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
My relationship with my body and health is a complicated one. There are days where I feel strong, and curvy and sexy. I can kill an HIIT class. I'm at...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) What They Don't Tell You About Love : 5 Ways To Love Better
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Romantic love, that good good, is the type of love that's fetishized as the ultimate achievement, the one type of love we must cherish and work on the...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) I'm Rebranding Racism With Three Hilarious New Phrases and You Can't Stop Me
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Racism and racist are triggering words. Use the R word and people clutch their pearls and run for the "not me, I'm not one of them!" hills no matter h...
(Sway Them in Color) Hair and The Beauty of The Parts of You That Were Bullied
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
My Afro has always generated conversations well before I did. Entering rooms, blocking pictures, catching sunlight and an array of other things I'd pu...
(Sway Them in Color) The Secret to Dealing with Rejection
18 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Think about the next big risk you want to take. The thing that makes you feel like your stomach is doing a backflip and you may shit your pants. The ...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Sex and Having Professional Joy Over Jealousy
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We do it, we do it and we hope we do it well (shout outs LL Cool J), but we don't talk about it. Sex plays such a massive role in our lives but there'...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Curiosity, Messing up, and Approaching Diversity and Inclusion as a Leader
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Labels make life simple but they provide so many stumbling blocks to truly understanding and connecting with one another. Anyone who leads has big ol'...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Let Go of Conformity If You Want To Succeed
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to be a spiritual gangster and how can our spiritual life be integrated into our careers? That's what my guest Makhosi Candiss Pitts...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) How to Do The Things That Scare The Sh*t Out Of You
06 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today is my birthday and I'm turning 32 seasoned, shea butter moist years of age. Every year during my birthday, I take the time to reflect on the pas...
(Sway Them in Color Podcast) Your Purpose is Greater Than External Validation
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We've all been taught that we should pick a lane when it comes to creativity and our careers, but what if that is wrong? What if the best thing you ca...
(Sway Them In Color) Your Uniqueness is a Strength and Not Someone's Punchline
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when you feel like you don't fit in, and you're not living up to your potential? Those questions propelled my guest Tayo Rockson to tak...
(Sway Them in Color) Pleasure as Activism
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What does it truly take to create a path less trekked, especially a career path that's built on what society considers taboo? That's what me and my ...