Pushing Boundaries and Sparking Change with Blair Imani

[00:00:07] Felicia: Hi, and welcome to the She Geeks Out podcast presented by Inclusion Geeks. We geek out about workplace inclusion and talk with brilliant humans doing great work to make the world a better and brighter place. I'm Felicia.

[00:00:20] Rachel: And I'm Rachel. And I believe it is time to get into it.

[00:00:26] Felicia: Yep. Time to rumble.

[00:00:29] Rachel: Well, we're excited because we're talking with Blair Imani, which we'll talk about her lovely self shortly. And, you know, she's a different generation than us and you are a different generation than me, technically. But we wanted to talk a little bit about bridging generational gaps in the workplace because we have a really cool new resource coming out. We're just having a lot of conversations about it because there are so many generations in the workplace.

[00:00:53] Felicia: I know it's wild. I don't even know how many there are at this point. I want to say six.

[00:00:57] Rachel: Yeah. Some people say six, some people say five, you know, really depends on, uh, how you're looking at it.

[00:01:03] Felicia: How do you want to slice and dice it?

[00:01:04] Rachel: Exactly. How you want to slice and dice it.

[00:01:07] Felicia: I feel like it also depends on, are you in a state that allows child labor? Because there might be more.

[00:01:13] Rachel: Oh my goodness. Or if you're talking about the federal government, you might be talking about people who are significantly older. Uh,

[00:01:21] Felicia: I mean, I guess the takeaway is there's a lot of people working who are in all different stages of life and all different age ranges. And I think, as you mentioned, Rachel, like you and I are in different generations, technically, although I don't feel that super distinctly, but technically we are. Especially because I'm on the like elder side of the millennial. So I, you know, could be called a xennial or elder millennial geriatric

[00:01:48] Rachel: Geriatric

[00:01:49] Felicia: Feel the geriatric more and more these days. I think what's been interesting from my perspective is now as the millennials have really aged and we're in our thirties and forties, We are seeing a lot of the same discourse that we got when we were entering the workforce and I'm sure the same is true for when your generation entered the workforce, is now being applied to Gen Z.

[00:02:13] Felicia: It's been really challenging because I, I get why it's so like fun to ride on other generations because you're like, Oh, no one wants to work anymore.

[00:02:24] Rachel: But it's, I love it. I learned this, I was a Gen Xer, I learned this from seeing the millennials and then when I saw as the millennials were becoming managers, it has more to do with age than generation, it seems, which is really interesting. Not that every generation isn't unique in its own way. And I think one of the biggest things that we're seeing, it's so different. This seems to be a generation that is, and there's just research out about it and surveys and everything. So I'm not like making this up, but lack of desire to be a manager.

[00:02:56] Rachel: We've talked about this before, there's growing awareness of like, what even is the workplace? How much do we invest in this? How much emotional energy do we expend when it's ultimately about goods for services, you know, and what is loyalty when it comes to the workplace?

[00:03:10] Felicia: Well, yeah, I think there's also been a lot of disillusionment and there's been a lot of change, first of all, to say the least. And I can just think back to when I was in my early twenties, getting into the workforce and getting a job. And, you know, my parents telling me things even that I remember thinking doesn't work this way anymore, mom and dad. They're like, Oh, just call up so and so and have them give you a job. I still remember my cousins husband worked in um, ESPN, I think was where he worked. And they were like, Oh, just call him up and like, have him get you a job. And I was like, it no, how, what?

[00:03:49] Felicia: And I called him up because I was looking for jobs. And I remember being like, Yeah. So like what do you think? And he basically was like, what do you want to do? And I didn't know. And so I said, I don't know. And I was kind of hoping he'd just be like, Oh, we had this internship or whatever. Why don't you come over and start working and figure it out.

[00:04:08] Felicia: And he was just like, well, why don't you call me back when you know what you want to do? And then I never spoke to him again.

[00:04:13] Rachel: There you go.

[00:04:14] Felicia: For me, that was an example of oh, it doesn't work that way anymore. I can't just walk into some office building and be like, hello there, good sir. Like I would like a job, please give me some money and I will work for you.

[00:04:25] Rachel: I will work for you for 40 years and I'm excited to get my pension when we're done.

[00:04:30] Felicia: It doesn't work that way. And the same thing is happening, obviously, just in different vocabulary right now. But we're seeing, just in the last couple of years, we've seen such a shift with companies not being loyal to employees, there's the whole work from home, return to office thing. There's the great resignation and then the backlash against that. So it's just been a really wild time, I think, in general, as far as working goes.

[00:04:52] Rachel: Yeah. And you take all of that and generations are in many ways, they're like different cultures. Every generation has its its own vocabulary, its own language. And it's been really just cool to see how language is evolving. And this is a generalization, please know that that's when we talk about this, it has to be in this generalization.

[00:05:11] Rachel: This is not for everybody. Some people are more comfortable with learning new language and other folks are not. And there's been so much change, especially over the past few years. They say that, you know, information is sort of happy, just gets more exponentially more, more as the years go on and the level of vocabulary change and understanding around concepts such as gender and race are so in sexuality are so different than they were 20, 30, 40 years ago. For allowing for people to grow and understand on the, on sort of the younger side, allowing some of that opportunity for growth.

[00:05:50] Rachel: And then on the folks in the, the older generations, and I can say this as a Gen Xer, cause I'm squarely in the middle of all this nonsense, uh, to have a little bit of a growth mindset and be understanding that the way that they have been brought up, it's not the way that other folks have been brought up.

[00:06:08] Rachel: And this is why we're excited about this resource and why excited that we want to do more work in this space, because it really does require an opportunity for people to ask questions in a space that is welcoming and, and judgment free. That's the only way that folks are going to continue to feel good and learn from each other.

[00:06:27] Felicia: Yeah, and I do think this resource is going to be something distinct that we hope you'll be able to make use of and learn from and utilize. And this is going to be an ongoing evolving conversation because you mentioned like learning and asking and growth mindset.

[00:06:43] Felicia: And I think the biggest thing that I'm noticing these days is that it really needs to be a two way street. I think that as much as part of me sometimes is like, Oh, I just want to push back when younger folks come in and like, why are we doing things this way? And I'm like, you don't know what it's like, and you don't understand.

[00:06:59] Felicia: And like, I get it. I totally understand why it can be challenging for older generations to deal with this. It's a lot. You have to give yourself grace and open up and have that growth mindset. And I also think that on the flip side, we're not doing everything wrong.

[00:07:14] Felicia: So there's also opportunities for younger folks who are entering into the workforce to learn from people who've been in it. And it doesn't mean that we have to take everything right. So I think what the ideal hopefully will end up being, is that we let go of the stuff that hasn't been serving anyone or that's antiquated or patriarchal or whatever.

[00:07:35] Felicia: But, we really bubble up the stuff that's been working really well and we allow space for ideas that are fresh and innovative. That's where the mess feels to me right now is like we're in that mix of it right now. And I'm seeing my social media platforms and trying to stay current and hip and with the kids.

[00:07:54] Felicia: And I'm seeing a lot of videos around this idea of like, what is professionalism and what is considered appropriate work attire and all these interesting concepts. And I remember dealing with the same. Thoughts and questions myself and learning. Oh, you know what? Maybe I don't want to show up to work with a sequined tank top and you know, whatever.

[00:08:14] Felicia: I don't even remember the outfits I used to wear, but I remember distinctly being like, Oh, maybe this is not what I want to be wearing right now. And was that good or bad? I don't know. But those are questions that are continuing to come up. And so it's an interesting sort of mix of, of stuff coming up and bubbling up right now that I think we're, we're still all figuring out. And who knows, maybe we won't figure it out. And then Gen Alpha is going to come along and probably something totally different. So

[00:08:40] Rachel: you know, like everything, like every other trend, it'll circle back around.

[00:08:45] Felicia: well, we are seeing that. I mean, you know,

[00:08:47] Rachel: Oh, I

[00:08:48] Felicia: fashion attire for Gen Z is, I think that's partially why I have a very strong Sort of a reaction towards some of it because I'm like, this was stuff that like was not cool when I was growing up and I can't get behind it.

[00:09:04] Rachel: I mean, I was never a fan of acid wash jeans. I know.

[00:09:09] Felicia: it was like the tube socks that like go halfway up.

[00:09:14] Rachel: I will say it was wonderful. One of our lovely teammates had pointed this out to me. She said, you can tell the difference between a millennial and a Gen Z are based on their socks. A millennial wear ankle socks, a Gen Z wear like crew socks that'll go up your calf. And I saw that in real time. I ran a race like a couple months ago and I literally saw in front of me.

[00:09:35] Rachel: I was like, there's a group of women that were inside socks. And then I was like, wow. Okay. That's like a thing. Okay. That's great. I love

[00:09:42] Felicia: think it's, I think it's coming back around. I think skinny jeans and ankle socks are going to come back into vogue. Not this year, maybe not next year, but I think it's coming soon. So I'm going to. Hang on to my fashion choices.

[00:09:55] Rachel: will be the first to say happily admit that I am not a fashionista in any way.

[00:10:00] Felicia: I mean, me neither, but

[00:10:02] Rachel: I don't know. You, you rock it a little bit better than I do, but anyway, neither here nor there. I think it's time to introduce our guest.

[00:10:10] Felicia: because actually she is a fashionista and it's amazing. But yeah, Rachel, who is our guest today? You kind of already dropped the lede a little bit, but tell us more.

[00:10:19] Rachel: I did. I'm so excited. We have the amazing Blair Imani joining us, today.

[00:10:24] Rachel: And for those of you who are unfamiliar with her, she is an acclaimed author, historian, and educator known for making important information accessible and engaging for all. All audiences. She's the creator of this amazing resource. It's the popular smarter and second series on social media where she breaks down complex topics on social justice, gender, and race in easily digestible snippets.

[00:10:47] Rachel: Blair is also the author of modern herstory stories of women and non binary people, right? Rewriting history. And making our way home, the great migration and the black American dream as a queer black Muslim woman. She brings a unique intersectional perspective to all of her work, advocating for inclusivity and equity across all platforms.

[00:11:06] Rachel: And we are so excited to dive into her journey and insights today.

[00:11:11] Felicia: Welcome to the show, Blair.

[00:11:14] 

[00:11:14] 

[00:11:20] Felicia: All right, Blair, I cannot believe we're chatting with you. Uh, such a huge fangirl. We're going to just fangirl about you separately. So I'm going to get right into it. Your journey as an activist, a historian and educator to say the least is really inspiring. So I would love if you could just start us off with sharing your origin story with us.

[00:11:40] Felicia: What were some of the defining moments that you feel really shaped your purpose in life?

[00:11:45] Blair: Ooh, thank you so much for having me, first of all, and I cannot wait to geek out with y'all. Okay, my origin story. It makes you sound like a superhero. I love that.

[00:11:52] Blair: I think that a huge part of my origin story has to do with a few things. I think that I have this belief that everything that we were made fun of for growing up ended up being our superpower, because it's ultimately what made you stand out, outside the crowd. It's what made other kids try to exercise their interpersonal policing on you. And it's something that's organic and unique to you. So for me, it was so funny, I was talking about this the other day. I used to be the weird kid, still am the weird adult now, but like, I used to be the weird kid that would walk around with library books that had fun facts and limericks, and I would just walk up to people. Not all of them are factual. One was like, never trust a man, not even your brother, whose hair is one color and beard is another, which is rude. So I think my origin story had to do with many different things, being a really eccentric kid, having a chronic illness, which meant that I was homesick from school a lot. Being the only black girl in my school other than my younger sister. And then by the time we got to middle school, there were three of us and it was like, Oh boy, look at the, you know, diversity. Let's go. Then also, with my younger sister having a developmental disability I saw how people treated her differently, and my parents are both social workers, which gave me this very righteous sense of justice.

[00:12:59] Blair: And they also told me, when I was a little girl, and I think it had to do more with my parents being concerned I would experience racism, Blair, if a teacher ever says anything to you that makes you feel uncomfortable or just isn't right, let her know. Let them know. Let them know. And we'll have your back.

[00:13:13] Blair: And I was like, Thanks. And I took that as, anytime a teacher says anything incorrect, I should interrupt the class and be super disruptive. And my parents would have my back. I later learned that it meant you know, if somebody says that you can't do something because of who you are, or how you look, or where you come from, you should stand up for that.

[00:13:31] Blair: But what I took it as, this teacher said this slightly incorrect thing, but even with that, I, I was so blessed to, even though I didn't grow up in a very diverse school in terms of having a population of black students, it was very diverse in terms of folks from all across Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and then white students as well, um, and I had teachers, like my fifth grade teacher, Ms.

[00:13:49] Blair: Terzia, who read to us that Columbus's diaries during Columbus Day, because she wanted us to know that he was not this person to be celebrated. She would say to us, hey, the curriculum requires that I teach you about him, but there's nothing saying I can't give you the truth. I definitely came by the version of who I am today honestly. I had so many people who were just supporters of me being very vocal young person, but I even remember in second grade, we learned that girls in Mali couldn't go to school because of the cost. And we did like a little fundraiser at the school that organized with my friend, Kristen, at the time we organized a bake sale and we raised, I remember it was like, we raised like Maybe 1, 000.

[00:14:26] Blair: That was the most money I'd ever seen or heard of, you know, at that point and, adjusted for inflation. That's even more, we sent that over to the girls school. And so I've always been somebody who has seen issues and been encouraged by my support system to take action. , that kind of coalesced with social media and the rise of Black Lives Matter, and, uh, I think for me in the iteration of my career now is during COVID, following the murder of George Floyd, there was this increased interest to talk about oppression, to talk about racism, to talk about, um, gender bias, and to talk about LGBTQ plus rights, pronouns, et cetera, and I just took that childhood, you know, the thing I got made fun of when I was a kid, which was loving fun facts and reading random books.

[00:15:10] Blair: And I just turned that into my career now, which is, creating Smarter in Seconds.

[00:15:15] Rachel: Well, we are such fans of Smarter In Seconds, and definitely want to get into that. But, you talked about doing this work. Activism, it takes a lot. It's a huge emotional toll, and it takes a lot of emotional labor. We'd love to just hear how you manage it, with regard to your mental and emotional well being.

[00:15:36] Blair: Well, I think one of the things that I had to do for myself is I acknowledge that a lot of the work that I do is activism, especially civic activism, where I'm trying to get folks to register to vote, but I think that socially, there is this harmful perception of activists and it has to do with a lot of different things.

[00:15:53] Blair: One is displaced rage. Activists who are truly community oriented, they might seem closer, you know, more available, easier to get in touch with, and the people in power that might be the ones who actually are, you know, at the seat of power. That displaced rage sometimes taxes activists with this unfair and undue amount of responsibility for when something goes wrong, say a protest happens, or there's a legislative initiative you're trying to do, it might fall on the shoulders of that activist or group of activists instead of looking at the ways that the opposition, who is funded and well mobilized, and intent on dehumanizing people has gerrymandered a given district to make those outcomes impossible or difficult to achieve. So I made the decision, I think, in 2018 to no longer self describe myself as an activist.

[00:16:36] Blair: So it's fine if people call me one, because I think a lot of the work that I do is, is activism, but I recognize that when I describe myself as a historian or an author, largely because of elitism, largely because of classism, I'm afforded this differing level of respect and autonomy in a way that I don't think that our very Western, capitalist society views activists.

[00:16:58] Blair: And what's troubling now is that during January 6th, they called those folks activists too. So it's kind of become too large of a term that I'm not super comfortable with. 

[00:17:07] Blair: One thing that's been so important with my wellbeing is to recognize the things that are in my control. It is impossible for me to know or be responsible for how somebody else perceives me.

[00:17:17] Blair: What I can try to do is set boundaries for myself, try to set boundaries for other folks, in the ways that they interact with, whether it's how I run my quote unquote classroom on social media, or how I spend time on social media. The biggest thing that's been important for me is that my goal is that I can try to help folks feel empowered in, in their own ability to take action, give them a direction, resources to learn more, to get it into their own hands.

[00:17:43] Blair: But I had to get out of what in hindsight was somewhat of a savior complex. So if I have to be the one to save people, instead I'm very much of the mindset, I am here to empower folks with knowledge and to help folks along the way, but I cannot be. I'm not an island. I can't do this by myself. And so having that conversation with myself is very important.

[00:18:01] Blair: Of course, having my support system, doing CrossFit has been absolutely amazing. Just the mental clarity I've gotten, six months and some change into doing CrossFit. Also, I have a panic disorder. So I had to get medication for that too. And using that has been really great because it's just been a phenomenal baseline for when things get out of hand.

[00:18:19] Felicia: I love that. We have so much to get into and I feel like we're going to get a bit more into some of the politics and your experience and work in that area in a little bit. But just as a quick follow up question, because I think what you said around how you choose to describe yourself is really impactful.

[00:18:36] Felicia: And something that I have noticed, especially over the last few years, since we've COVID and George Floyd's murder and everything that's come out of many things. But those two moments in time, especially. I feel like a lot of activists, especially in a social justice space are looking to break the system.

[00:18:53] Felicia: And there's kind of this chasm between folks who are trying to work within systems and folks who are trying to demolish and dismantle and I'm curious if that plays into any of your thought process around how you describe yourself or the work that you're engaged in at all. 

[00:19:08] Blair: I think it's an important conversation that people are having, particularly left and progressive folks are having this conversation. And I will be really honest, and I'm kind of working this out in my mind actively, but I'm somebody who very much deeply believes in the aspiration the United States, deeply critical of how those things were executed, how we were a country founded on freedom and democracy, but simultaneously displacement, enslavement, and exclusion. It could just be the U. S. school system really getting me indoctrinated, but I just see so much hope and promise, specifically with this country, but in the world at large.

[00:19:43] Blair: And I think that we need all folks. We need all tactics. We need similar goals and similar values, but all tactics. And that means that some things need to be abolished. Some things need to be redressed. Some things can be healed and reformed. But I am a multi pronged kind of perspective on that.

[00:19:59] Blair: For example, I did a Smarter in Seconds with, JJ'88, an incredible artist, formerly incarcerated. Richie Reseda, who also is an incredible artist and community worker, uh, who's also formerly incarcerated. And we did a Smarter in Seconds about abolition. And originally when I reached out to Richie about doing that episode, I was like, oh, we could talk about prison labor.

[00:20:18] Blair: And he was like, or we could take it a step further and talk about how like the entire construct of prisons in the United States and how it's a practice is like the real issue. And. I kind of, like, as we have this conversation, I'm noticing this resistance in in myself. I'm trying to be the colorful, engaging lady that's super reachable. I can't do a video on that. It was that moment of, , having people in your community that can hold you to account, that can push you to go further, who have that perspective of, yes, no, abolish, take these things down. and Then even if my leaning might be more towards working with inside the system, we have to have all of those perspectives or else we don't move forward. Some of the best civil rights legislation came from a variety of people and their perspective, whether it was the SCLC, SNCC, the National Urban League, the NAACP, Legal Defense Fund, all of these different organizations having that goal of Black liberation, but perhaps differing levels of respectability, youth organizing, intersectionality within that.

[00:21:13] Blair: And so I think it's incredibly important. And my ultimate thing is education. If we can research together evidence that these tactics may work, if we can provide people that education, let's do that. But I always come down to education because I have worked in the past in civic action and in communications within repro spaces, specifically in civic education spaces.

[00:21:36] Blair: In 2016 through 2018, the perspective was very much youth are apathetic. Let's assume they're apathetic and organized based on that. And it's been so refreshing to be able to this election cycle to say, no, let's throw that away. Let's assume that the youth, since they are youth and learning, just like all of us, are simply don't know how to register to vote, simply are not having access to that education instead of assuming that they have all of that education. And just aren't doing it. Let's just start with giving people that information and we've seen this year the record numbers of voter registration. And so I think my thing is like, before we even talk about Burning it all down or building it up or working from inside the system, let's get everybody on the same page about what we're up against. And then we can have so much more brilliant, innovative, experimental discussion, because we will have more people part of that solution making instead of one person deciding and designing the solution, everybody can collectively build that future.

[00:22:30] Blair: That's really where I start. That's why Smarter in Seconds exists. Cause I'm like, okay, well, let's just assume that in 2020, the vast majority of people of privilege in this country just did not realize the depths of racism. That is a very generous and gracious interpretation of what happened, but, let's just assume that.

[00:22:47] Blair: Let's assume the most positive intention, and then create tools and resources that allow people to move forward.

[00:22:52] Felicia: I love it so much. I know Rachel does too. We are totally on the same page and thank you for indulging me in going down that little pathway. I don't have my own video series or social media series like you do, but I like to use social media as a tool of education. I have a lot of different folks that I follow and I've just noticed this kind of push pull, especially over the last couple of years around some of these topics. And I think what I have found really valuable has just been the introspection. It's really pushed me to consider around, Oh, maybe I should consider why I am doing X, Y, Z, even if I don't necessarily need to go out there and completely break everything down yet. 

[00:23:31] Blair: Really, if I can geek out before I move on from this topic, because the name of the show.

[00:23:35] Felicia: Always. By

[00:23:37] Blair: There's this excellent piece by Gil Scott-Heron, an incredible artist, called Comet Number One. He was a poet a musician He wrote the song The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. People just leave it at that, at the title But what he was saying is that the revolution will be live. You won't be able to catch it on tv because it's going to be happening in the streets all around you, But of course, that's the part that's missed.

[00:23:55] Blair: But he has this piece called Comet Number One and it really you know It criticizes these different movements that were predominantly by young people, you know, Students for a Democratic Society and the Rainbow Coalition, as it was called, and how it was not acknowledging the needs and desires of, for example, as he discusses, everyday black people.

[00:24:13] Blair: And so I'm trying to find the lyric right here. Okay, this is going to be a longer excerpt from Gil Scott Heron, but it's so great, and I really recommend folks to listen to the full Comet Number One. I'll just read the whole thing. 

[00:24:25] Blair: What's what does Webster say about soul?

[00:24:27] Blair: I say, you silly trite motherfucker, your great grandfather tied a ball and chain to my balls and bounced me through a cotton field while I lived in an unflushable toilet bowl, and now you want me to help you overthrow what? The only truth that can be delivered to a four year revolutionary with a whole card, i. e. skin, is this. Fuck up what you can in the name of Piggy Wallace, Dickless Nixon, and Spyro Agnew. Leave Brother Cleveland and Brother Malcolm alone, please. After all is said and done, build a new route to China, if they'll have you. Who will survive in America? 

[00:24:56] Blair: I always think back to that poem, and how he talks about there's this revolution being discussed that doesn't include everyday Black people.

[00:25:03] Blair: There's a general strike being called for without the creation of a mutual fund to be able to account for the people who need their job, who may risk deportation, who may risk getting evicted, and so I think as we talk about working within the system, there is so much animosity towards that phrase, but I think it's working to account for the people that are most harmed and most marginalized by the system. And, you know, just this perspective that I think a lot of black folks especially had during 2020, which is like, I'm sorry, you're trying to overthrow what while we've been doing this and now you're dismissing our efforts.

[00:25:39] Blair: And so I always think back to that because we can't have a revolution that doesn't account for the people who are most harmed. And we cannot have a revolution that is designed by people with PhDs. We can't just have that type of elitist, ivory tower perspective. We need to work in communication and conjunction.

[00:25:57] Blair: We need people like Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, who has a PhD, coined the term intersectionality theory, runs these excellent organizations, and simultaneously works with people on social media and social media itself to disseminate that information. We need folks who are community organizers. We need everybody.

[00:26:11] Blair: I think that it is a distraction. And I also think it's quite supremacist because a lot of supremacy is this idea of we need this or that. And we know that re indigenizing and decolonizing means to look at things holistically and to not have an either or approach.

[00:26:25] Rachel: whoo,

[00:26:26] Felicia: I wish we were in person. I would like have dropped my mic literally.

[00:26:28] Felicia: As you were talking to, I was thinking there's also so much privilege in the idea of overthrowing the system because not everyone can even literally afford to engage in that kind of work.

[00:26:38] Felicia: So anyway, that's my small

[00:26:39] Blair: Oh yeah, the four year revolutionary. I was this girl for a little bit, I would like to say that I had, you know, my origin story, but when I went to college, oh, I was such of that four year revolutionary, where I wasn't thinking about the effects on the Baton Rouge community that my activism was happening, and then, lo and behold, a year later, when I came back to Louisiana, and I got arrested there, it was really this humbling experience of like, okay, I've lived in Baton Rouge for four years and now how are we repairing this community on the heels of that?

[00:27:07] Blair: And I think that also has a lot to do, my, my arrest and later lawsuit with the city of Baton Rouge and the police there, has a lot to do with my approach. Being like, that was my activism, that was very traumatic, that, uh, I'm retired, I'm just a teacher now.

[00:27:20] Rachel: yeah, but you 

[00:27:22] Felicia: just a teacher. 

[00:27:23] Rachel: yeah, fair. That's a great point. Take the word just out. I can relate to that too. I mean, I remember, in 2017 with the Women's March for me, understanding why black women were like, I don't want to be a part of this Women's March. And I didn't get it.

[00:27:35] Rachel: And then I got it. It was for me, it was a life changing moment, but it was just exactly that point. It's not safe for everyone to participate in it. And there are people who need to participate in it, in all levels of, of power and privilege. Um, so I'm just grateful that you brought that, that point up and that Felicia, you asked that question.

[00:27:54] Rachel: But I want to get into Smarter in Seconds, which we've talked about a little bit here and there. Everybody needs to watch it. It's incredible. I'm curious, how do you decide what you want to talk about?

[00:28:03] Blair: So, I, the way that I view myself in education, and I've been like this since I was a little girl, is that, there'll be an analogy, so, or a metaphor. Just imagine, like, you have a dog who loves to play fetch, you throw that ball, and the dog just chases that ball down, and then whips right back around to show you the ball. Look, I caught the ball, throw it again. 

[00:28:21] Blair: That's me with education. I'm the dog, the ball is information, and my ADHD is just that like ferocity, I wanna catch the ball, I wanna show it to you. And smarter in seconds is that show and tell for my hyper focuses. So I come by this type of work so honest. I have ADHD so I like it to be short and engaging and colorful and vibrant and, and, and compelling and I'm also very competitive. I'm like, okay, well, I want to make somebody who doesn't care about this topic suddenly care about this topic and suddenly want to go Google what is a microaggression and do that further. And I want people to win arguments. I want them posting it in their stories.

[00:28:53] Blair: So sometimes it'll be like my own timing, my own thought process. Sometimes it's like my parents very much like Blair, please make a video about Project 2025. The people need to know. And before Vice President Kamala Harris was the nominee. I was feeling very conflicted because I was not and still am not pleased with President Joe Biden. that's a whole other thing. When I saw that Vice President Kamala Harris was a nominee, I was literally in the midst of like begrudgingly writing this episode of Smarter in Seconds on Project 2025 because I didn't feel like I wanted to be part of the process, and when I saw that she was going to be the nominee, I like, up jumped, made a video in front of my kitchen, and then whipped back around and made the episode of Project 2025.

[00:29:33] Blair: I'm not just going to make a video because it makes sense. I want it to resonate. I want it to be helpful instead of being harmful. Sometimes raising awareness of a subject might create a lot of pain, might create a lot of discord. For example, um, the modern Greek word I believe for slave is doula, and that's a term that's used in the birth working and in death worker spaces.

[00:29:51] Blair: I think that it's quite troubling that we have this term being used that was from what I've researched selected by white women activists in the 80s to be used. It just didn't feel right. They'll say, Oh, it means servant. And it's like, okay, I haven't made a video on that because I just feel like it is not going to be.

[00:30:10] Blair: There's no consensus on the community, it's something that's under discussed, nobody's getting hurt by that term being used, and it's just something that's interesting to me, but maybe it's not a priority. Maybe I'll do it after the election, or when there's kind of a lull, and I'll do it more as a talk to camera, but I never want Smarter in Seconds to come across as, look at what I know, and look at what you know, and you should feel bad for not knowing.

[00:30:28] Blair: I want it to feel like, oh my goodness, how exciting, come along with the ride, let's get into it. Sometimes it'll go based on calendar, it'll go based on partnerships, which has been really exciting to do. I created kind of a PSA style Smarter in Seconds episode recently with the Nuclear Threat Initiative because it was the anniversary of the horrors at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and they wanted to create awareness that a lot of these nuclear arms treaties were expiring and how can the public get involved or become aware of that and get involved in the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

[00:30:58] Blair: Other times it'll just be something that I'm personally going through. I connected with Marisa Renee Lee, who wrote a book called Grief is Love about grief because my grandmother passed away and sometimes Smarter in Seconds and my hyper focuses will be the process of me healing through something.

[00:31:15] Blair: So it was really great to be able to connect with a woman who is so well studied about grief and create a resource that I could actually also show to my siblings and cousins and father about grief that could be healing. So sometimes it's very personal, sometimes it's very macro, sometimes it's very on the local level, but it's always really fun. There's been Smarter in Seconds that I've been in the middle of editing or in the middle of filming and just been like, we're not doing this, it doesn't make sense. Um, so if it goes live I'm the most excited that it's going live.

[00:31:45] Felicia: Love that.

[00:31:45] Rachel: Thank you so much for sharing that. You may or may not have heard that DEI isn't so popular these days. We could certainly talk about that for a long time, but wanted to just hear from you what strategies you're finding most effective in continuing the conversation and pushing for meaningful change while there is this sort of deep backlash at least in the US and certainly in other parts of the world.

[00:32:09] Blair: Oh yeah, it's definitely gone global. Actually today I'm posting Smarter in Seconds on DEI, because that needs to be discussed. Again, it's not going to be a 90 second episode, we're gonna, I think we're hitting almost three minutes because it's just such an in depth conversation. But it's also something that I'm like, this might be the only educational piece that somebody who's against DEI ever sees because their kid or their partner might show it to them, so I have to be really responsible. But also, I want to be witty and snappy and also not just create materials that are speaking to like the dominant culture, but are also speaking to people who are in it. And I think the DEI backlash has been really interesting because I also know from a systemic level, it's 100 percent been from conservatives, from bigots, who people want to take us back to before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[00:32:52] Blair: But I also know, just in my own lived experience, there has been backlash against DEI from the folks who are meant to be the so called beneficiaries of it. That it doesn't do enough, that the term diversity is thrown around, that you'll see panels that are exclusively white cis straight men and then one black person, and that is written off. And I think what's really important for people to recognize with DEI and affirmative action is that these were the initiatives and programs created to enforce these bans on discrimination that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 didn't just suddenly wave a magic wand and result in equitable working and hiring practices.

[00:33:28] Blair: We still see discriminatory practices. Particularly, a recent study, I think from 2023 or 2024 about white sounding names and candidates with white sounding names getting callbacks quicker or women not being hired to the same rate or how it's still legal to underpay people on the basis of disability and that's straight from the labor bureau.

[00:33:46] Blair: When I say things like that, people are like, well, DEI doesn't even work. And I'm like, No, no, no. Even with DEI, it's still bad. So imagine if we didn't have this. And unfortunately, in some states, that's already going to be the reality. So it's been very bizarre to see this kind of concerted backlash.

[00:34:03] Blair: But I also think it comes from a lack of information, because, one thing that can be troublesome with these acronyms or any type of ideology or terminology that comes from institutional or organizational frameworks or academic ones is that it can sound it like when taken out of the academic context where people understand what these terms mean or are more familiar with those types of language to people that are everyday folks, it's like, wait, what? Critical race theory? That sounds terrible. Like, that sounds terrifying. So slowly, I've done a few Smarter in Seconds episodes, I've been like, in learning about how race and racism impacted the laws, is what critical race theory is, it's really not that scary. Kind of disarming those things. But it's also with the rise from the Tea Party, the anti intellectualism movement, you have this backlash that's gone all the way back to Ronald Reagan. You know, as Malcolm X said, the chickens are coming home to roost. I think as far as how we Contextualize these things, and maybe it might even come from some of that internal community backlash against DEI is making these programs more integrated.

[00:35:04] Blair: I'll take for example, at Louisiana State University, at the edge of campus, at the back of campus, back by the dorms, they had the Center for Women, and then the Black Student Union.

[00:35:15] Blair: That does not, it never really made me feel very included as a Black woman on campus, that I had to go to two separate areas, and then also it was so far away from the campus. But I also recognize that it is a triumph and a win that we have those things on campus at all because, you know, the school was segregated for years.

[00:35:32] Blair: Women's enrollment was not even considered in place of men. So it's that thing of being critical of a system that, but also knowing that we need it, also grateful for it, but also wanting it to do better. But I think ultimately what's going to need to happen is that we need to have frameworks, and we will have to form frameworks that integrate the principles of DEI.

[00:35:51] Blair: As Jennifer Brown, who I was recently talking with, an incredible DEI practitioner and consultant, said, it needs to come in through a different door. That if we're going to talk about DEI, it can't be through the DEI door because that door has been taped up. It's going to have to be in through the storytelling or the personal narrative door, or it's going to have to come through all these different things.

[00:36:08] Blair: I think folks also need to understand that diversity and equity inclusion, even though we have these different offices, in some institutions, there are still racist outcomes and that's because the institutions themselves are racist and those things have to be dismantled and the way they've been dismantled, or started to is these DEI offices. A lot of the organizing that is framing a post- Roe USA came out of states like Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, and continue to, and those are states where, from a reality, Roe really kind of never went to effect.

[00:36:40] Blair: This doesn't mean that the health outcomes that we're seeing are not just as terrifying, but there has been this backlash against abortion in many of these southern states, and so now those folks who are like, hey, look, we have been organizing abortion funds. We have been organizing out of state access.

[00:36:54] Blair: We have been doing these things. That's who we need to learn from the most. So I think that the DEI practitioners whose work is now having the backlash being made, I don't know if illegal is the term they're using, they're going to have to do that pivoting. It's going to be I think, on us to try to codify those within our state legislatures, but then also look to the folks who are the boots on the ground. But I think, yeah, coming through a different door, as Jennifer Brown said, is going to be a really key strategy.

[00:37:19] Felicia: Yeah, I agree 100 percent and I think and talk a lot about the fact that, you know, these concepts are on what we're now calling DEI. It's nothing new. It's been around forever. We've just called it different things over the years. We go back a couple decades. It was multiculturalism. It was pluralism. It was whatever word or phrase it needed to use at the time. So we're just in a moment of evolving. And that is hard. Change is complicated and tough. One thing my husband says, he's a lovely white man who is an ally, what he has been saying in terms of all this backlash is he's like, it's not really a backlash.

[00:37:51] Felicia: It's just that people are just actually telling you what they really still believe because the backlash was or the movement was people covering people Because society was swept up in this giant moment of change in 2020 and companies and these people were going along with it, but they didn't ever truly change themselves. They still believe these things. So now they're just showing you who they really are underneath. So that's what he

[00:38:17] Felicia: tells me when I feel really down and in the dumps about it. Let's switch gears. So we've kind of actually touched on this a little bit already, but you just got back from going to the DNC, which is beyond exciting. We saw you interview incredible people. I'm sure so much happened that was not on video, but can you just tell us everything basically?

[00:38:37] Blair: of course. So, that was really exciting because, but again, we talked about like, discourse, I guess, from when my audience is like why are you going to the DNC? That doesn't make any sense. Inside of the, working from inside versus the outside.

[00:38:49] Blair: If I have access to a seat at a table, I'm going to go, and I'm going to also bring my values and my community with me. And that's what I tried to do by being at the DNC. I, of course, was extremely excited. I was coordinating my outfits. I was figuring everything out. I was like, everybody, we're getting a fit check every day.

[00:39:02] Blair: By the time it was happening, I was way too exhausted to do a fit check every day. Had to stay hydrated. And I was able to stay with my lovely friend, Alex Hall, who runs the page, the Bottom's Digest based in Chicago and his lovely husband, Michael. It was just a reunion of all of these incredible women who have helped me build my career, from when I worked at Planned Parenthood, from when I worked lobbying, when I was even in Louisiana as a student organizer, to people who I will be working with in the future. That was, I think, the most important and significant part of me was seeing these people from all different walks of life, or from all different paths of my life and different walks of life themselves, coming together for this one cause, while also being acutely aware that there needs to be more that's happening, that needs to be more that's said. You know, I know so many folks were devastated that there was not a Palestinian person who was speaking during the convention.

[00:39:50] Blair: At the same time, I know folks were feeling very heartened to see the family of hostages speak and it was so tragic to see, him be killed. It's kind of like this warning of seeing what is happening in Gaza, wanting to also hold space for the trauma while also trying to be excited and, for some folks, a conflicted way for this future under a President Kamala Harris presidency, and so that was very much felt. And I think being there as one of the first ever content creators to be there as one of 200 people, those were conversations that were happening, and it was so interesting, because you're in this space, and you're in conversation with different content creators, maybe somebody who you've had a disagreement with online, or somebody who's like straight up blocked you, you meet them in person, they're so nice, and you remember why you blocked them, or they blocked you, and so that was a whole other side of the tea that was happening. What was so important about it is that, over these past years of COVID and lockdowns, we have become very isolated, I think, as a people, but also in the industry of content creation. It used to be the case that there would be these meetups, these different events that you could go to, and I think that still kind of exists in the beauty space, that's coming to the fore again, or to film events or premieres, but in terms of the Socially conscious or political content creators that there hadn't really been a space for that yet.

[00:41:06] Blair: So it was really beautiful to see that. Of course, we were all very disappointed that Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar didn't end up performing freedom together, but maybe we'll get that at the Super Bowl. But I think ultimately, I wanted to show up and show my audience that, hey, if I can be in the room, then you can be in the room too.

[00:41:26] Blair: And it was so awesome to bring Smarter in Seconds along for the ride. I had a microphone, which I literally just gorilla glued my Smarter in Seconds sticker too. So it looked like it had a little official logo, like CNN or MSNBC does. It was very bootstrap. I, and a lot of other content creators only brought a backpack full of stuff because we were told we couldn't barely bring anything Then we come to find out that some of the other content creators have whole suitcase But it made us nimble and it was just cool to be able to do this thing of making content creation in a forum that provides so much legitimacy and respect to the profession when we've been doing this from our couches and our houses. And so, some of my highlight interviews, I got to interview Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her team actually reached out to make that happen. So that was incredible. I interviewed Senator Cory Booker and I haven't posted that yet, but we talked about voting up and down the ballot.

[00:42:12] Blair: And then the really cool thing was seeing people who, I call my audience Smarties. And so it was so awesome to see people like walking around, not on the convention floor, but in the arena and to see folks who are like, Hi, are you Blair? I love Smarter in Seconds. Come to find out that it's Representative Faver Diaz, who's a representative in Illinois. And then we sat down and we talked about voting up and down the ballot. And so it was like, This is great. And also it was just like Instagram to come to life because I was so hyped to see people who I worked with. All of that's happening. All this energy is inside. And then you still have the uncommitted delegates outside, you have protesters outside, there was a lot of anti choice protesters outside as well. So it was definitely chaotic. And I came home, And you know, I had isolated and everything, and I waited test myself for COVID. And I still wanted to isolate. I was like, great. Yeah. And I, I, uh, threaded or stitched, whatever you say on that platform, like I survived the DNC with my spirit and my immune system intact. And then two days later, I was like, just kidding. I have COVID.

[00:43:09] Felicia: Oh no. You're like, nevermind.

[00:43:13] Blair: And it was so frustrating because I had a mask on. Of course, I didn't have my mask on while I was interviewing people. And I had done this mental gymnastics of like, it'll be fine. You have to have 15 minutes of exposure. Anyway, it was a super spreader event. But having COVID, and being able to have access to Paxlovid as a chronically ill person, I feel like it made the DNC even better in my eyes because I was like, the contrast of these two situations just makes the DNC so much better.

[00:43:36] Blair: I feel like, wow, remember the DNC before I had COVID? Like,

[00:43:40] Rachel: that's amazing. I'm a huge fan of big Gretch and I, Cory Booker holds a special place in my heart cause I'm originally a Jersey girl. And his Instagram is just fire. I absolutely right. I mean, he is just like, can we just have him every day, please? One more quick question about the DNC would love to know what you think that was some of the most pressing issues the democratic party needs to address moving forward.

[00:44:07] Blair: I talked about this with one of my very close friends yesterday, and for him being Pakistani, being Muslim growing up in that post 9 11, just seeing the way that the U. S. has made so many policies against, his people is the issue of Gaza.

[00:44:21] Blair: I know that's a very pressing issue for a lot of people and I think that has to be stated. Even though I haven't made a Smarter in Seconds episode about that, we can't ignore the fact that there's so many people who are speaking up who want to be heard, who just see the weapons getting sent, and I think this is something that Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to, while also reinforcing, that there will be a state of Israel and the Palestinians need the right to self determination but I think for a lot of folks they're seeing that just as lip service and they want to see more policies enacted, and so I think that's for some folks is like a number one issue, and not just some, I think a lot of folks. And so that has to be named. Just so much trauma around it, too. I know that for some folks, they're also feeling like the return of hostages and wanting to see pushing Netanyahu to a ceasefire deal and Hamas to a ceasefire deal is also a top issue, and I think it's been a reminder that just because we're here in the U. S., our politics and our leaders is also Has this big influence around the world and, in some cases, it's coming down to even our tax dollars. I keep seeing memes shared about like, we're sending foreign aid, but what's happening here? What's happening on the domestic side? What's happening with these policies? And this is something that a state representative from Illinois, whose name I can't remember, Who's not Representative Faver Dias, but a gentleman was speaking about how a lot of folks are feeling abandoned at home, and it reminds me of how people were feeling during the Vietnam War, to take it all the way back to that people are feeling like, okay, well I can't pay for this, I can't pay for that, even though they were still boomers who had a little bit more government subsidies, there was still this energy of like, well, why are we fighting this nothing, you know, why are we doing this, and then you also had folks who were feeling very compelled about wanting to, It's just a lot.

[00:45:56] Blair: Another issue that's really facing people is just this feeling of like existential dread and trauma. A lot of folks really want to speak up about long COVID, the effects of 

[00:46:04] Blair: long COVID, chronic illness, lack of infrastructure we have, the amount of ableism we have with these mask bans.

[00:46:09] Blair: It's like a mask will mitigate infection. Why are we banning those? It makes no sense. People are very frustrated with the CDC, feeling like it's in the pocket of pharmaceutical companies. I'm finding myself just kind of pontificating on how people are feeling versus like my actual feelings, but with every concern is something that needs to be addressed, even if it feels conspiratorial, even if it's not what you want to hear, it's still what people are saying and it's something that should be addressed.

[00:46:31] Blair: I know for myself, like I live with my parents and I'm blessed and privileged to be able to do that. At the same time, I want to be able to afford a house. I work my butt off. I have an excellent income. It's ridiculous that at my income level and alongside my husband, we cannot afford a house where we want to live.

[00:46:46] Blair: I could not even buy my childhood home if I wanted to, and it's just exponential. And we have so many of these companies that are buying up properties and then charging rent that nobody can pay. And we don't, it's like a shadow government. We don't, we're a shadow company. We don't even know who owns it.

[00:47:01] Felicia: Oh, we know. It's called Black Rock. Ha ha ha ha

[00:47:04] Rachel: A hundred

[00:47:05] Blair: we go. 

[00:47:06] Felicia: Sorry. Ha

[00:47:07] Blair: And so, you know, back in my day, black rock was the fusion of black music and 

[00:47:11] Felicia: Ha ha ha 

[00:47:12] Blair: cause it was invented by black people, but no, I think that's a huge issue too. And just thinking about these two giant buildings in downtown Los Angeles that have set empty and had beautiful graffiti painted on them as a active protest by the local artists to show we have this massive unhoused population.

[00:47:27] Blair: And I say unhoused because they could be housed. We clearly have the capital. You know, not to just turn this into a campaign speech for Vice President Kamala Harris, but I feel like that's really what she's speaking to right now is all these frustrations that people have, all of this anguish that people have, and particularly the young people who grew up during the financial collapse, grew up with school shootings, seeing these school shootings, and seeing just the difference in concern.

[00:47:48] Blair: As progressives, as myself, I have friends who do not want to participate in the electoral process because they feel that their community isn't being heard, they feel that their community is being sidelined. Other folks who feel like the entire system is rigged. I think that I tried to have grace for those folks to try to educate folks and ultimately remind people that it's not just about the presidential election. It's about voting up and down the ballot that, please just register to vote while you still can so that you can vote for school board so that we don't have Project 2025 trying to put librarians in prison because there's a anatomy correct scientific textbook that's going to be classified as pornography, like, please, there's so many different issues. There's also just so much hurt, and yeah, I just acknowledge that. If anybody heard me on this podcast while I was talking about any of those things, just to remember that displaced rage, aspect, and if you're fired up, before you just hit that comment section, to maybe send a letter to your representatives, because you're a constituent, whether or not you're registered to vote, you just have to live in the area, but I I don't know, if we all just geeked out about these different things that we care about and tried to share that information with people in our lives.

[00:48:49] Blair: We would get to a better place because we would have more people aware and more people feeling empowered that they can be part of the solution instead of just feeling like life is happening to them.

[00:48:58] Rachel: Blair, this is all I could I thought of many things as you were saying this. One of them was like, you know, being president's one of the hardest jobs ever in existence. Like, all of the things that you just mentioned, right? Felicia knows I rant and rave about civic engagement and, and just getting involved exactly what you were saying, whether it's voting or support, like down ballot, this is affecting people's lives. I Heard a bunch of, Congress people speak.

[00:49:25] Rachel: I'm, I'm in San Diego. So a bunch of different congress people were speaking and they were saying like, look, you are hiring us for a job. You're not hiring us for entertainment. You're hiring us for a job. And it's frankly, one of the most important jobs in the country and people don't recognize it because unfortunately, we have some clowns that are making a mess of it. So, it's up to us to make sure that we can lift up the people and make it safe to even run for office, which is a whole other story. So thank you

[00:49:53] Blair: It's really a whole other thing.

[00:49:54] Rachel: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:49:55] Blair: I just want folks to also like, know, I just feel so needing to give a pep talk all the time. But like yesterday, one of my friends talked about how we just like a big friend gathering and we talked about how he might be voting for Trump. And every bone in my body just was on fire. When I get really stressed out, I like, I get hives. I didn't get hives, so it wasn't that bad, just immediately did some deep breathing. And I was like, okay, I love and respect you. And he's like, I love and respect you. And I was like, maybe he doesn't know the intricacies of Project 2025.

[00:50:24] Blair: And so I was like, can you tell me why? And as he's telling me why, I'm like, okay, okay. I can't have this conversation. My husband's going to have to have this conversation with him. And so I was like, well, would you mind driving me home? And so we talked with my husband about it. And cause I could tell that I couldn't be the person to communicate that message, because sometimes we need people who have that same level of privilege, so we need him to talk to another man, get outside that man box, you know?

[00:50:51] Blair: I would encourage folks to remember, like, yes, try to have those conversations with people, but also remember, you might not be the storyteller, it might be too anxious for you, but that's not all the work that has to happen. It shouldn't be convince a Trump supporter not to be one for nothing.

[00:51:04] Blair: There is a kaleidoscope of ways that we can get involved. And, uh, yeah, please go to vote. gov and check your voter registration right now.

[00:51:10] Felicia: Love it. Love it. Love it. Yes. We'll include all these links to just in case anyone needs to take advantage of them. And I just wanted to add really quickly I am also South Asian, like Vice President Kamala Harris. And so I attended the amazing South Asians Women call that happened after the equally, if not more so amazing call that happened, the mobilizing call that was run and started by black women immediately after she announced her hat into the ring. Yes. And so I attended the South Asian call and it was very inspiring because A) how quickly people mobilize to bring that together and B) to touch on some of what you brought up with some of these issues that hopefully Vice President Harris or other folks will have to deal with in, in general in politics.

[00:51:51] Felicia: What I was really pleased by was that in that community, we are people who are, seeing representation at that highest level or potentially that highest level is just unbelievable and that possibility was so invigorating and I was heartened to see that people were actively calling in Vice President Harris around topics of things like Gaza, because I was actually I wasn't even really thinking about it but I had anticipated that people would just be like, all Harris all the time like a lot of the messaging that is out there right like we have to get her Elected no matter what, it doesn't matter.

[00:52:25] Felicia: And this ties back to a little bit of that conversation we were having earlier around activists and how there are a lot of folks in the activist space, especially the social justice activists who are like, I'm not voting for anyone, or I refuse to vote for Harris because she has a problematic track record or she hasn't come out and called for a ceasefire, things like that.

[00:52:44] Felicia: And what I was really, really just pleased to see was that even in the midst of this celebration and joy, there was active discussion around, we have to hold her to account for what we want because we're her community and we're going to get her elected as much as we can. But also that doesn't mean we're just going to say, go forth and do whatever you want to do.

[00:53:04] Felicia: Because we still have a lot of thoughts around what we want her to do. So I thought that was really, really great to see in the community.

[00:53:09] Blair: And it really pleases me because I think one of the reasons I was very unenthusiastic about Biden is that it felt like his expectations that we should fall in line. And I feel that from Vice President Kamala Harris, it's more of a I'm going to earn your vote. I'm going to listen. Um, and I've already seen that move forward.

[00:53:27] Blair: I also met her when I was 18 years old, and that was just a very canon event for me. So, I don't know, I just don't want anything I say to be used as an admonition for people who feel that they can't make that vote, because there are so many people, like the, however many white women who voted for Trump, there's so many people that we could push, and I'm not, I'm less interested in trying to fight somebody into voting who feels very confident in their reasons why they don't want to vote at the top of the ticket. I want to get them to vote for the rest. And so it's that perspective of harm reduction, and it has to be nuanced. I don't feel that we can dehumanize people in any type of political perspective.

[00:54:02] Blair: We have to be really thoughtful.

[00:54:04] Felicia: I mean, we talked about so much today, but what's next for you, Blair?

[00:54:08] Blair: Next for me, obviously More Smarter in Second, I'm going on a long vacation to Australia, as I do at the end of the year, my new tradition, I go visit my cousin Jared who lives there, and I'm also pitching a show, and so that's a long process, I don't know how soon next it will be for me, but I'm also really excited to like, start looking at like family planning next year, so that's something that my husband and I have discussed, so yeah, More Life.

[00:54:33] Rachel: Love that. And we have covered so much. Is there anything else that you want to tell us that you're geeking out about?

[00:54:38] Blair: Oh my gosh, there's a new show on Netflix called Chaos. This is not sponsored, but they should hit me up.

[00:54:42] Felicia: Just started watching it last night. Yes.

[00:54:44] Blair: so good. Beautiful queer representation, trans representation. Jeff Goldblum is in it. We already love that. Um, and just, yeah, 10 stars. Definitely watch that. And where you can geek out is you can see whether or not they did accurate depictions of Greek mythology, 

[00:55:01] Rachel: We know where to find, we're definitely gonna put any links. Is there any other weird link that we don't know about to find you that you, yeah,

[00:55:09] Blair: I have a partnership with this company called Rebel Cares. They are so incredible. It's a Black owned, women owned business. They are size inclusive, and I actually mean size inclusive. I think they go up to 6 or 7x. Um, and I'm partnering with them to help people get Smarter in Seconds about their periods and myths about menstrual cycles.

[00:55:26] Blair: And I did a whole little campy video about the menstrual cycle. Um, and yeah, it's a great alternative product for period underwear that doesn't have PFAS, which is a carcinogen, which recently a larger period company that I won't name but that you can look up had to settle a lawsuit about.

[00:55:42] Felicia: Ugh. That's great. I will definitely be on the lookout for that because it's definitely like, Oh, great. So now how do I take care of myself without giving myself cancer? You know, just another problem the day

[00:55:51] Blair: Just a constant struggle.

[00:55:52] Rachel: yeah, yeah. Oh, that's a whole other podcast episode, Blair. Thank you so much. This has been amazing. We could literally talk to you with you for another four hours, but you know, time

[00:56:04] Felicia: Yes.

[00:56:04] Blair: have to do it one time. 

[00:56:05] Rachel: We're gonna see you soon. That's I'm going to put that energy out there.

[00:56:11] Blair: Inshallah. All right, toodles y'all.

[00:56:13] 

[00:56:19] Felicia: Uh, we hope you enjoyed listening to our interview with Blair as much as we enjoyed it. I truly was on such a high after finishing that conversation. Could have kept talking with Blair for hours on end. She is truly delightful and I hope that came across in the conversation.

[00:56:36] Rachel: Yes, agree. And thank you so much for listening. Please don't forget about our resource, Bridging Generational Gaps in the Workplace. You'll be able to find that in the show notes. Please rate, share, and subscribe makes a huge difference in the reach of this podcast and by extension, the work that we do.

[00:56:51] Rachel: So visit us on YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay up to date on all things inclusion geeks and stay geeky, friends.