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If there is one thing you should know about your Work Baes, it’s that we are true music lovers 🎶😍 For the past five seasons, we’ve started each episode with a handpicked song that reflects that week's conversation. There is a song for every emotion and every topic! In this episode, we reflect on the profound ways music has shaped who we are. From the songs that carried us through pivotal moments to the lyrics that put words to feelings we couldn’t yet name. Music has been more than just background noise for us … it’s been a teacher, a refuge, and a form of self-discovery. Whether music has helped you survive, evolve, or simply feel understood, this episode invites you to reflect on the artists, genres, and songs that have left an imprint on you, and those still shaping who you’re becoming. This one is for the music lover in you ✨ Show Notes - Check out Cue The Record's feature in The New York Times: https://tinyurl.com/mtdbmwnk - RSVP for the next The Record Club Hi-Fi listening session: https://www.instagram.com/therecord.club

Why does it feel like conservatism is showing up everywhere — from politics to fashion to the rise of tradwife culture? 😳 This week Naana and Obie unpack the cultural whiplash we all seem to be experiencing, asking whether people are truly becoming more conservative or whether social media and political messaging are making the shift feel bigger and more inevitable. [Recorded November 11, 2025]

This week Naana and Obie unpack their evolving relationships to religion, spirituality, and the structures that shaped them. From inherited beliefs and religious guilt to ancestral wisdom and Eastern philosophy, they explore what it means to question what you were taught and choose what actually feels true ✝️🤔✨ Join them as they discuss what carving out your own spiritual lane looks like in a world where institutions such as the church continue to lose their influence. Whether you're deconstructing your faith, rebuilding it, or have rejected it completely ... this episode is for you.

The definition of “family” isn’t what it used to be and maybe that’s a good thing 👪🏾 This week, Naana and Obie explore how young families are reimagining the family structure, moving beyond the traditional nuclear model toward something more fluid, intentional, and community-driven. From chosen families and co-parenting collectives to intergenerational living and friendship-based households, we’re witnessing a cultural shift that centers love, care, and belonging over convention. Join your favorite Work Baes as we unpack how changing social values and a desire for deeper connection are reshaping what it means to build and belong to a family.

Grief is complicated, but collective grief is even more of a mindfuck 🫨 This week, Naana and Obie discuss how millennials are (or aren’t) processing the layered grief of our generation. From 9/11 and the financial crisis to the pandemic, climate anxiety, political chaos, and lost cultural milestones, we explore what it means to come of age in an era of nonstop disruption. How do we mourn the future we were promised while still imagining joy, hope, and connection? Tune in for a raw and reflective conversation about loss, resilience, and the unique struggles of a generation navigating a world in constant flux. Cheat Sheet 1. "Gen Z Grief: The Hidden Grief of a Generation" - https://tinyurl.com/2nvtwu64 2. "US Gen Zers and Millennials Are Burning Out, Poll Finds" - https://tinyurl.com/5n6d9m35

We’ve proven We’re Not Really Strangers™ (Episode 59) but this week we jump into the XXX twist on the card game as we strip away the small talk and dive into the messy, hilarious, and sometimes awkward conversations about sexual intimacy 😈 From moaning and growling to exploring the outer reaches of our sexuality while being vulnerable about some of our insecurities in and out of the bedroom. Your favorite Work Baes cover it all on this episode with laughter, honesty, and zero shame. Aren’t you curious? 👀 Cheat Sheet Purchase the XXX version of We’re Not Really Strangers™ here 👉🏿https://tinyurl.com/2fu8ryxz

Who taught you about pleasure? How do you tap into the erotic? What is so innate to us sometimes can feel very disconnected 🫦 In this episode, Naana and Obie explore pleasure through the lens of Audre Lorde’s iconic essay, “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power”. Join us as we unpack how embracing the erotic, beyond just the sexual, can lead to deeper self-awareness, richer connections, and radical personal empowerment. From everyday joy to identity and societal norms, this conversation challenges the status quo and invites you to reclaim what feels good as a source of strength. Cheat Sheet - Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power (1978) by Audre Lorde: https://tinyurl.com/3bnebwb5 - Audre Lorde reads Uses of the Erotic [AUDIO]: https://tinyurl.com/3cv7arvh

Conflict is hard, but it doesn’t have to break us 😞 On this episode of Work Bae, Naana and Obie sit down with therapist Thérèse Kempf to talk about the sometimes messy but necessary work of navigating conflict in relationships. We dive into why being open and honest can actually bring us closer together, and how those tough talks can be a chance to grow. Whether you're dealing with a partner, friend, or coworker, this episode is packed with insights to help you navigate those tricky moments. Tune in for a real and relatable conversation that just might shift the way you see conflict ❤️‍🩹 Show Notes: Thérèse specializes in couples therapy, trauma & PTSD, easing anxiety, and empowering women of color. Follow her on IG (instagram.com/tkatharina) or find her on Psychology Today (tinyurl.com/zcruwxnp). You can also learn more about her practice on her website (www.theresekempf.com)

“Community” has been in the lexicon a lot lately but what does it really mean? Do you find community or does it find you? How do you sustain community? If this is something we are all craving, why is it so hard to find?! 🧐 Join us this week as we explore the transformative power of community and its profound impact on personal growth and how connections with others can shape our lives, offering support, inspiration, and a sense of belonging. Cheat Sheet - Tap Into Your Sense of Play with Playdaate: instagram.com/play.daate - Learn More about New Visions Book Club: instagram.com/newvisionsbookclub - Follow Sadé and attend an upcoming Sunday Salon: instagram.com/sadeinstereo - Join a Community of Black Polyamorous/ENM folk: instagram.com/boonoonoonoos_co

The robots are coming, the robots are coming … baby they are already here! 🤖‼️ This week, your favorite Work Baes jump into the world of emerging technology — especially the rapid rise of generative AI. They explore the controversial phenomenon known online as “AI slop” and the spread of exaggerated, stereotypical, and often dehumanizing depictions of Blackness created and spread by AI tools. They also unpack their relationship with new technology. Which Work Bae do you think is an early adopter of new tech and which one waits and sees? 👀🤔 This episode is a call to pause, reflect, and push for a tech future that respects dignity over clicks. Cheat Sheet "Your Brain on ChatGPT" - https://tinyurl.com/5n8dep6k "Racist AI-generated videos are the newest slop garnering millions of views on TikTok" - https://tinyurl.com/yc4z999b "‘I felt pure, unconditional love’: the people who marry their AI chatbots" - https://tinyurl.com/4ss7ty49

After an unplanned but very necessary break, your favorite Work Baes are back! 🫩😮‍💨😓 In this season opener, Naana and Obie reflect on the wild ride that was the past year—navigating job loss, creative breakthroughs, and challenging conversations about friendship, family, and growth. From the tension between balancing creativity with stability to the messiness of unlearning people pleasing. Tune in for a refreshingly honest catch up full of laughter, lessons, and a little chaos!

The weather is turning in NYC and outside is calling!! ☀️😎 Join your favorite Work Baes for the Season 4 finale as we chop it up about the power of doing things scared and the transformative magic that happens when we step outside our comfort zones. We hope this episode encourages you to live a life full of adventure and wonder. We're taking a little break but we won’t be gone for long ... stay tuned for an in person Work Bae mixer in a few weeks! 📆

Your favorite Work Baes are back this week after recording two episodes with friend of the podcast Antoinette Henry from Around The Way Curls. Around The Way Curls has always been one of our favorite podcasts and it's always a pleasure to jump on with Antoinette and Shanti whenever we get the chance! 🙏🏿 We'll link the two episodes in the show notes below 👇🏿 This week we wanted to switch it up after Episode 58's heavy but very necessary conversation about grief and lighten things up a little bit with some fun Q&As courtesy of the popular card game, "We're Not Really Strangers". You'll be surprised by some of the things we still don't know about each other even after six years of friendship! 😲 Cheat Sheet Listen to Around The Way Curls Ep 348: Money, Morals & Culture & Ep 349: Can You Emasculate A Man? - t.ly/BviWB Follow Around The Way Curls on IG @aroundthewaycurls

Join us this week for a heartfelt episode exploring one of the most universal yet least understood emotions ... grief. On the heels of a once in a lifetime pandemic and with war waging throughout the world how do you make room for your personal tragedies ... for heartbreak or loss or the tension that comes from grieving what was and what may never be? Beyond the individual, how does grief impact us as a collective and what are some healthy ways to process it? All this and more on this week's episode of Work Bae. Cheat Sheet 1. "I'm a grief therapist. Here's the most damaging myth about loss and grieving" - TODAY (t.ly/-O8JF) 2. "Understanding Black grief" - University of Arizona (t.ly/NEKiq) 3. "Understanding Your Grief and the Grief of Others" - Good Grief (t.ly/_OdJc)

This week on Work Bae, Naana and Obie talk through the complexities and sometimes outright ridiculousness of the gender wars within the Black community. From examining historical legacies to dissecting contemporary societal pressures, we explore how gender dynamics shape relationships and our identities. Tune in as we confront some of the nuances and tensions driving this ongoing discussion and hear our thoughts on how to rise above the noise.