3 Podcasts to Expand Our Understanding of Identity & Power
I personally love podcasts! Interesting audio content soothes my heart, keeps me company, and feeds my constant curiosity… and I know I’m not alone.
The number of available podcasts is growing each year, and the number of podcast listeners has grown exponentially throughout the last year.
Since I mostly work from home, I like to listen to podcasts while taking a break from work to walk around my neighborhood - or sometimes in the car, on road trips. When I listen to really good episodes (or read interesting books and articles), the ever-curious student in me wants to share what I’m learning with you!
My hope in sharing these 3 podcast episodes is that they serve to expand our conversations about identity and power (in the workplace and beyond).
Let’s dive in…
#1. So Money: "The connections between race and money (and how to talk about it)" (30 minutes)
I was immediately hooked into this conversation between journalist Celeste Headlee and podcast host Farnoosh Toorabi.
Toorabi is Iranian-American and Headlee self-describes as a “light-skinned Black Jew.”
This candid and nuanced talk provides a great intro to Headlee’s book, Speaking of Race, which explains not only why we need to talk with others about race but also how to do it.
(Spoiler: Don’t be hostile, and don’t give advice.)
#2. Hidden Brain: "How Others See You" (55 minutes)
In this episode, Shankar Vedantam talks with psychologist Erica Boothby, whose research has found that many of us underestimate how much other people actually like us.
In the reflection following my Power Flower course, I ask a question about how you might see yourself differently from the way others see you. Although this episode does not focus specifically on identity, this concept makes me think about how self-conscious
I sometimes feel when it comes to my racial and gender identity - and how this impacts the way other people see me.
I often wonder, “How can people be genuinely kind and generous during our interactions together… but then vote for people and policies that harm me?” And this episode begs a similar questioning.
This episode also talks about how we tend to ruminate on whether we’ve said the right (or wrong) thing in a conversation. I personally do this all the time! But learning that the experience is common and backed by research reminds me of 2 important things:
But learning that the experience is common and backed by research reminds me of 2 important things:
I can STOP overthinking
Any conversation that’s focused on the other person (and not myself) will be a good one
#3. A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film (30 minutes)
And finally, for a nuanced discussion about how identity representation can lead to either possibility OR harm, I highly recommend this episode with Tre’vell Anderson via NPR.
I deeply appreciate the distinction Anderson makes here between role model and possibility model.
Tell me: Do you listen to podcasts that expand your understanding of identity and power?
If so, please share your recommendations in the comments below! Let’s expand our conversation around identity, power, justice, and equity.
In solidarity always,
Mia Henry
P.S. You can check out my FREE Power Flower course (and more!) right here!