Therapy for Black Girls

Jul 29 · 45m

Dr. Joy sits down with neuropsychologist Dr. Tanisha Hill-Jarrett, assistant professor at UCSF's Memory and Aging Center, to talk through what brain health means, why it's broader than mental health alone, and the daily habits that support it: cardiovascular exercise, a heart-healthy diet, stress management, social connection, and quality sleep. They dig into what our phones are doing to us. Dr. Hill-Jarrett breaks down how short-form video triggers a bigger dopamine response than a typical reward, why the unpredictability of a feed keeps us scrolling, and what that means for sleep, attention span, and memory. She shares her own strategies, including separate personal and professional Instagram accounts and the Pomodoro method for resetting focus without reaching for a screen. The conversation turns to her research on Black women and Alzheimer's disease. Black Americans face 1.5 to 2 times the risk of white Americans, and Black women carry the highest projected prevalence of any group, a gap that shows up even among women who are upwardly mobile, largely tied to the neighborhoods they live in. Dr. Hill-Jarrett also unpacks weathering, the term coined by Arlene Geronimus for the accelerated biological aging that Black women experience, and points to research showing Black women's telomeres suggest they are roughly seven and a half years biologically older than white women at the same age. She closes with her current work on Afrofuturism and hopefulness, including a 10-week workshop where participants imagined a future free of time scarcity and reported feeling more hopeful about shaping what comes next. Her advice for anyone worried it's too late to protect their brain: it never is.   About the Podcast The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.   Resources & Announcements Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together. You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.  Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast. Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.   Where to Find Our Guest Website Instagram LinkedIn   Stay Connected​ Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou  Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 24 · 22m

Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.  This week, we're chatting about Angel Reese and ongoing racism in the WNBA, Brandy being body-shamed, and Latto's response to unsolicited parenting advice. Stay Connected​ Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community. Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Threads: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou  Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 22 · 1h 24m

If you've ever been curious about psychedelic-assisted therapy, this episode is for you. Our very own Director of Podcasts and Digital Content, Ellice Ellis, was invited to attend Beckley Retreat's Guided Sanctuary for Black Women Psilocybin Retreat in Jamaica—a week-long experience designed to support healing through guided psilocybin sessions. Ellice chats with Dr. Joy to reflect on her experience, sharing what surprised her, what challenged her, and how the retreat has shaped her understanding of herself and her mental health. They're also joined by Hanifa Nayo Washington, lead facilitator at Beckley Retreats, who breaks down what psychedelic-assisted care actually is, why preparation and integration are just as important as the medicine itself, and how creating a culturally affirming space specifically for Black women can transform the healing experience. Resources & Announcements Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together. You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.  Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast. Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.   Where to Find Our Guests Hanifa Nayo Washington Website LinkedIn Beckley Retreats Ellice Ellis Website @ellicellis on all socials    Stay Connected​ Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 17 · 26m

Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.  This week, we're chatting about Jay-Z & Blue Ivy, Nolan Wells, and the Love Island Finale.    Stay Connected​ Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community. Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Threads: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou  Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 15 · 41m

The first half of the year may be behind us, but the cosmos still has plenty in store. This week, Dr. Joy is joined by astrologer Camille Michelle Gray to explore the major astrological themes that will shape the rest of 2026. Together, they chat about the biggest transits, retrogrades, and discuss how these cosmic movements may influence everything from our relationships and careers to our personal growth and our shared experiences. Whether you're someone who checks your birth chart regularly or you're simply curious about what astrology has to say, Camille breaks down the season ahead in a way that's insightful and  accessible. She explains what these astrological shifts can teach us, how to navigate periods of uncertainty with intention, and why understanding the energy of the moment can help us make more empowered decisions. Plus, Camille shares sign-by-sign guidance for the remainder of the year, highlighting what each zodiac sign should prioritize, where opportunities for growth and transformation may emerge, and what lessons the stars may be inviting us to embrace as 2026 unfolds.   Resources & Announcements Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together. You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.  Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast. Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.   Where to Find Our Guest Website Instagram   Stay Connected​ Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 10 · 17m

Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.  This week, we're chatting about Nara Smith sharing about her daughter's cancer diagnosis, Kennedy Ryan's pen name, and controversy about Young Miami's Spend Dat.    Stay Connected​ Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community. Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Threads: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou  Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 8 · 52m

When Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley first proposed a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer role at the State Department, the response from HR was polite and dismissive. Years later, she came back and got the job done — on her own terms, with her own budget, her own staff, and a seat on the committee that assigns ambassadors. What she found when she got inside was not what most people assume. Dr. Joy sits down with Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley — thirty-year diplomat, former US Ambassador to Malta, and the State Department's first-ever CDIO — to talk about what DEI was designed to do, what it was never meant to be, and why so much of the backlash against it is built on a misreading. They get into the mechanics of how people really get hired and promoted in elite institutions — the secret handshakes, the drug deals, the posted job that was never really open — and what it looked like when the Ambassador's office forced those positions into open competition. She also talks about the psychological toll of watching allies flip overnight once the political climate shifted, what she believes is still happening inside organizations even now, and how she's thinking about the pendulum — not to minimize this moment, but to prepare for what comes next. The conversation closes with some of the most specific career advice the show has offered: how to run your elevator pitch until it flows, when to reach out to someone on LinkedIn and what to say, and why she tells the people she mentors to bring their best self to work, not just their authentic one. Resources & Announcements Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together. You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.  Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast. Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.   Where to Find Our Guest LinkedIn Atlantic Council   Stay Connected​ Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou & Tyree Rush Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 3 · 16m

Welcome back to our minisode series, "I Have Some Thoughts." These short episodes are designed to contextualize the pop culture moments we're currently paying attention to through a mental health lens. Pop culture isn't just fun to chat about, it can reveal important information about how we relate, cope, and understand ourselves. Join us each Friday to hear Dr. Joy share her thoughts about the happenings of the week.  This week, we're chatting about Lauryn Hill at the BET Awards, Muni Long's health concerns, and North West's appeals for individuality.    Stay Connected​ Wanna chat more about the pop culture hot topics of the week? Join us inside our Patreon community. Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Threads: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou  Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 1 · 53m

What do we actually get from following someone who will never know we exist? Dr. Maia Niguel Hoskin has spent her career studying that question, and on this episode she breaks down parasocial relationships: the one-sided bonds we form with influencers, celebrities, and increasingly, AI. Dr. Joy and Dr. Hoskin trace how these relationships move differently for Black women, who are often expected to show up as the loyal supporter for a celebrity the same way they're expected to show up for everyone else in their lives. They use the backlash against the owner and founder of the global luxury fashion brand Hanifa, Anifa Mvuemba, as a case study in what happens when that loyalty curdles into an expectation that a small business owner can never have an off day, and they revisit the moment writers suggested Kanye West simply needed "a Black woman" instead of a therapist. Dr. Hoskin also shares her own boundary-setting story, stepping away from news and social media for nearly five months when her nervous system couldn't take any more, and explains why she's now teaching her counseling students about AI dependency in the same breath as social media addiction, including cases of people treating a chatbot like a romantic partner. The conversation closes on practical, no-platitude advice for knowing when a parasocial relationship has crossed the line from entertainment into something that's costing you. Resources & Announcements Want to reflect on this conversation in community? Join us inside our Patreon community where we’re unpacking this episode together. You can now catch episodes of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe to get new episodes every week.  Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast. Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.   Where to Find Our Guest Forbes Instagram Loyola Marymount University   Stay Connected​ Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory. Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop. The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.   Make sure to follow us on social media: Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls   Our Production Team Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Gabrielle Collins Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis Producer: Ndeye Thioubou  Production Assistant: Bria MosleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.