Tell it Proud

Christina Blacken
  • 5.0 (28)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Our brains are wired to focus on what is wrong, but this means we often miss the wisdom right in front of us about what is working, good, and new to find real solutions to our problems. This podcast features stories of courage too good to erase or ignore that will inspire you, including personal development tips, interviews of unconventional leaders, live stories from Change My Mind, a live storytelling experience where people share true stories of courage live on stage. Hosted and produced by Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo Foundation, a non-profit building a nationwide movement countering polarization and isolation through free, community-led storytelling events where people unite through their true stories of courage.

  1. Jun 26

    Democracy doesn't work without DEI

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

    13 min

  2. Jun 20

    What social justice can learn from sports

    Today's episode is an essay I wrote about what social justice can learn from sports. I'm highly critical of corporate sports. The industry is rife with misogyny, racism, and classism, encoding values into millions of viewers that keep them dissociated and passive, particularly for male-identifying folks. I've had debates with sports-loving friends on how I find it to be a red flag when someone's core identity is deeply tied to franchised sports, as if rooting for a team para-socially is as good as playing the game oneself. And yet, I noticed something amongst this NBA Finals and Knicks fever that took over the city I live in and love that social-justice minded people could learn from -- that marrying joy with any movement is the fastest path to justice.

    9 min

  3. Jun 12

    why imperfection is your greatest strength

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

    9 min

  4. Jun 5

    This Here Flesh

    Today's episode is an essay I wrote for The New Quo Learning Community of a review of an incredible book by Cole Arthur Riley called This Here Fles. It's a poetic masterpiece of personal storytelling focused on discovering and practicing the wisdom and lessons within our familial stories, generational wounds, and personal experiences, so we can liberate ourselves from beliefs and practices that harm us and others. It's a work of art that grounds the practices of liberation in personal spirituality.

    19 min

  5. May 28 ·  Video

    Courage to go against the justice system

    This episode of Tell it Proud is an instagram live interview of TaShun Bowden-Lewis, who made a historic first in her career as the first Black Chief Public Defender for the state of Connecticut. We discuss her earliest memory of courage as an "only" growing up in an all white school, her lessons from defending the most vulnerable, and what she calls the pivot under pressure when facing adversity.

    26 min

  6. May 22

    How fear affects our relationships

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

    10 min

  7. May 16

    See No Stranger

    Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of courage too good to erase or ignore. I'm your host Christina Blacken. I'm a public speaker, performer, writer, and founder of The New Quo which helps every day people practice authentic leadership through daily acts of courage that improves trust and wellbeing in how we live and work together. Today's episode is an essay I wrote for The New Quo Learning Community of a review of an incredible book by Valarie Kaur's called "See No Stranger" This book is both an intimate memoir and a practical guide for social change, centered on her concept of "revolutionary love." Drawing from her experiences as a Sikh American, civil rights lawyer, filmmaker, and activist, Kaur presents revolutionary love as a powerful framework for personal and social transformation in divided times, so clearly this book is relevant at this time.

    13 min

  8. May 7

    The Underground Railroad Went to Mexico

    The Underground Railroad was a secret network of routes, safe houses, and abolitionists who helped enslaved people escape from slavery to freedom in the northern states, Canada, and Mexico from approximately the late 18th century until the Civil War, with one of its most famous stewards being Harriet Tubman, who was an abolitionist, social activist, and a formally enslaved person. It's no surprise that many people do not know that this route didn't just go north to freedom, as has been told in many adaptations and historical recounts of the Underground Railroad, but further south across borders into Mexico.    This episode covers more of that overlooked history and the incredible lessons we can take from how this had an impact on our world today.

    11 min
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out of 5
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About

Our brains are wired to focus on what is wrong, but this means we often miss the wisdom right in front of us about what is working, good, and new to find real solutions to our problems. This podcast features stories of courage too good to erase or ignore that will inspire you, including personal development tips, interviews of unconventional leaders, live stories from Change My Mind, a live storytelling experience where people share true stories of courage live on stage. Hosted and produced by Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo Foundation, a non-profit building a nationwide movement countering polarization and isolation through free, community-led storytelling events where people unite through their true stories of courage.

Information

  • Creator
    Christina Blacken
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    75
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The New Quo 2025
  • Show Website
    Tell it Proud

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