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Our brains are wired to focus on what is wrong, but this means we often miss the cultural and ethical wisdom right in front of us about what is working, good, and new to find real solutions to our problems. This podcast features inspiring personal development tips and stories of overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom told live from incredible unconventional leaders, as well as curated from original poetry, social justice book reviews, and overlooked historical recaps, written and produced by Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo Learning Community, which is a weekly email newsletter and monthly coaching community that helps mission driven folks use the power of personal storytelling and overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom to create a better future. The Tell it Proud podcast will inspire you with overlooked topics that crusty, inequitable leaders often want erased or ignored, because they change the status-quo for the better. *Formally known as the Sway Them In Color Podcast, which you can find older episodes of with that title.

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Check latest episodes from Tell it Proud podcast

The Heart of a Woman

2026/10/17

This episode highlights The Heart of a Woman which is an autobiographical and courageous act of self-trust as a memoir of Maya Angelou's life from 1957 to 1962. She writes about the turns and lessons of her dynamic life during a dangerous and divided time in the U.S, and it's filled with famous characters, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X. The Heart of a Woman sings with Maya Angelou's eloquent prose on her fondest dreams, deepest disappointments, and her dramatically tender relationship with her rebellious teenage son. Vulnerable, humorous, tough, Maya speaks with an intimate awareness of the heart within all of us.

Grief Means We Loved Deeply

2026/10/08

This episode is a replay of a live performance from Change My Mind: a live storytelling experience in NYC from Hope Alcocer, who is a two-time author, speaker, certified mental health coach, and award-winning marketing strategist with 15 years of experience helping Fortune 500s, startups, and purpose-driven brands tell stories that move people. A Midwest girl turned New Yorker, she bought a one-way ticket to NYC over a decade ago and never looked back. Today, her most meaningful work is The Mia Joy Foundation, a nonprofit she's launching in honor of her daughter to support families through grief and infant loss. This story is about opening the door to grief instead of running from it, and discovering strength after losing loved ones. Trigger warning this episode discusses parental loss and infant loss.

The Stories the Change Democracy

2026/09/25

We ingest thousands of messages every single day, from 30 second social media hot takes and news headlines, to billboards and printed advertisements we may glance at while hustling about our neighborhoods, to our favorite TV shows and movies we cozy up to on the couch in the evenings. All of these messages impact how we feel, think, and behave in both positive and negative ways, including our beliefs and practices of democracy. In this episode we explore a media report that examined the media consumption of 130,000 streaming platform users, watching nearly 29,000 individual programs, to understand the prevalence of government-themed media and how different themes around democracy and authoritarianism impact different values-based audiences.

Black Indians & the Art of Freedom in New Orleans

2026/09/19

The Black Masking Indian Tradition during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, developed through early encounters between the region's Indigenous and Black communities. This tradition has continued within the Black communities of New Orleans, with many participants being mixed race descendants of Black and Indigenous ancestry who self-identify as Black Indians. In this episode we highlight Flagboy Giz is an innovative musician, internationally-celebrated bead artist, and member of the Wild Tchoupitoulas Black Masking (Mardi Gras) Indian tribe who has been a leader in keeping up this undertold history and tradition.

Why Every Word You Write Matters

2026/09/11

The Message is an incredibly timely and powerful book by Ta-Nehisi Coates that highlights the moral depth of what it means to be a writer, and what responsibilities we have when we put ideas into the world we hope others adopt and understand. As someone passionate about how much storytelling shapes every aspect of being human, this book deepened my understanding of the calling of writing. Written at a dramatic moment in American and global life, this episode explores the message which is incredible work from one of the country's most important writers about the urgent need to untangle ourselves from the destructive myths that shape our world—and our own souls—and embrace the liberating power of even the most difficult truths.

To Be Loved is to Be Known

2026/09/03

You can be in a room full of people, and feel lonely as hell. One reason for this is a lack of attunement. Attunement is how we connect deeply with another person and allow them to 'feel felt.' It's genuine curiosity about someone else's dreams, ideas, desires, feelings, goals, and wants. Many people have limited capacity for genuine attunement in their relationships, but it's one of the most meaningful ways we can build close relationships. This episode dives into this concept and also shares an original poem inspired by these topics. To support this podcast, donate to The New Quo Foundation here.

True belonging doesn't require conformity

2026/08/27

Belonging is a fundamental need, often found in dense community ties and emotionally close relationships. Yet many of these same spaces we hope to find belonging from, often demand conformity and betraying our own needs and values, for full acceptance. In this episode I share a bit about how true belonging is being fully witnessed, recognized, and accepted for who you are and what you have to share, without extreme compromise, as well as share an original poem inspired by these ideas.

embracing trust and vulnerability in a world of uncertainty

2026/08/20

What is trust? The simplest definition I drummed up after noodling, researching, and mind hashing this eons old question, is something or someone safely fulfilling its responsibilities and commitments with consistency, honesty, and integrity. We are constantly tasked with extending trust because we have to trust in hundreds of things in our daily lives just to function. This episode describes how trust is a paradox of risk and vulnerability, a delicate balance of extending faith, as well as discernment, hoping we choose the people and things that will bring security and safety, while avoiding betrayals and pain, and how we cannot function at our highest levels without trust, and also includes an original poem examining the intergenerational challenges in building and having trust.

We need to rebrand racism

2026/08/13

Today's episode is an essay I wrote titled "we need to rebrand racism" because we have plenty of racism but supposedly no racists. The term racist was coined in 1935 and I've come up with three new terms we should use: shadow shame, melanin averse, pigment piqued, to beat racists at their own coopting word game. This episode looks into the history of language and it's power when we take it back.

the practice of ubuntu for bridging divides

2026/08/06

Today's episode is an essay I wrote titled the practice of ubuntu for bridging divides. Originating in the Bantu and Xhosa people of Southern Africa and popularized by Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, it's a philosophical concept and set of practices about interconnectedness of human existence, and emphasizes that one's humanity is inextricably tied to the recognition of others' humanity. This philosophy stands in contrast to Western philosophical traditions that often prioritize individual autonomy and self-determination over collective and communal approaches to living. Ubuntu encompasses several key principles including interconnectedness, communal responsibility, reciprocity and harmony, and respect for human dignity. In this episode you'll hear more about the history and evolution of these principles, and the ways they can be used to navigate conflict and build community.

The importance of chosen family

2026/07/31

This episode is a replay of a live performance from Change My Mind: a live storytelling experience in NYC. This story covers my own journey of moving across country on a 3 day train from from NJ back to my hometown in Utah with my mother and siblings, how intergenerational trauma lives in our DNA, the history of nuclear families and chosen families, and the importance of building community and relationships beyond just DNA related relatives. If you want to hear more stories like this, I've started a non-profit called the The New Quo Foundation and am running a fundraising campaign to bring Change My Mind storytelling events to communities near you. These free storytelling events unite strangers through true personal stories of courage, and research shows they actually work to counter polarization and isolation. Every donation helps host more events, pay storytellers fairly, and helps build a nationwide movement proving we have more in common than we think. You can support and learn more about the cause here: bit.ly/ccmcampaign

what we don't know about fire

2026/07/18

Catastrophic weather events are an increasing norm due to climate change, sped up by the destructive consumption and production practices within businesses and societal norms. In times of grieving and loss, it's understandable to feel overwhelmed and a growing hopelessness about what can be done, but a powerful counterpractice is to look to untold history for cultural insights and solutions for the problems we're facing, and this episode dives into Indigenous practice of cultural burnings to control wildfires.

How a School Trained 100k People to Become Activists

2026/07/09

Today's episode is about You Got to Move, an underknown and incredible documentary following the transformation of six ordinary people into activists through their attendance at Highlander Folk School, an activist training ground that was founded in the 1930s, trained 100K everyday people, and still exists today. The people featured in the documentary are both Black and White individuals who lived in the U.S. South during the height of segregation, and became unsung heroes fighting against various forms of discrimination. Their model of activism was groundbreaking, as students taught each other based on their own knowledge and work experiences, creating a system where students and teachers became one and the same.

Democracy doesn't work without DEI

2026/06/26

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.

What social justice can learn from sports

2026/06/20

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.

Podcast reviews

Read Tell it Proud podcast reviews

5 out of 5

28 reviews

★★★★★

Edrian C 2026/04/13

Listen to Christina

Listen closely. In current times, these are the stories and voices we need to listen to and magnify as a society if the aim is to grow and heal.

★★★★★

Rahama W. 2022/09/01

Great advice!

Christina does an amazing job discussing tough topics in a loving and engaging voice. One of my favs!

★★★★★

Nuanced, fun, and meaningful 2022/08/30

Monisha

This is such a delightful podcast with nuanced conversations on important topics! Christina is a thoughtful, kind, and sharp host. She faciliates a me...

★★★★★

Arii3470 2022/08/30

SUPERB!

Such an incredibly impactful podcast that touches on various topics that allows us to truly think about the world around us, the people around us, and...

★★★★★

Nicole Landau 2022/08/30

Awesome podcast!

Christina explores extremely potent and important topics with incredible women in authentic and inspiring ways. I’m such a fan!!

★★★★★

curatewellco 2022/08/29

Infectious energy

Christina’s confident and grounds presence, and infectious energy are exactly what’s needed to change the status quo in a compelling way. She’s not do...

★★★★★

lizzyatapple 2020/06/05

Great podcast!

Really insightful and interesting. Christina is direct, fun, and very informative.

★★★★★

Mike Ganino 2020/06/03

Fresh Takes from a Grounded Voice

You know those times when you listen to someone and everything that’s old is new again. Or everything that’s new is old again. Or is it that everyth...

★★★★★

fjjdka 2020/01/22

You had me at the intro

The first episode I listened to was Secrets to Dealing with Rejection and from the onset, Christina singing drew me in. Couple that with her refreshin...

★★★★★

NikisNotes 2020/01/19

Just press play!

Thought-provoking and inspiring! Exactly what I would expect from Christina! And it was really fun listening to the sex educator episode and discussio...

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