Episode 27: Joy as Strategy: A New Tale to Tell

Season 2 of Living in 3D Power is here! In this opening episode, Emma and I dive into joy—not as something we wait for, but as something we practice. Through laughter, reflection, and a playful Mad Lib activity from Sonya Renee Taylor’s Your Body Is Not an Apology workbook, we explore what it means to rewrite our stories and embody joy as resistance.

I share what I discovered while pulling out old journals and sitting with my unfinished pages, and we talk about why so many of us confuse joy with happiness. Together, Emma and I lean into the guiding question for this season: “What would it look like if joy was our strategy, not our reward?”

Chapters

• 00:59 – What my journals and unfinished pages taught me
• 01:52 – Why we confuse joy with happiness
• 04:20 – What joy looks like as a strategy
• 05:57 – Emma joins me for the conversation
• 06:45 – Mad Libs & body positivity (Your Body Is Not an Apology)
• 14:32 – Historical figures, dreams, and bravery
• 24:14 – Struggles, apologies, and growing through them
• 26:28 – Homework battles & puberty
• 28:01 – The power of facial expressions
• 29:32 – Spiritual habits and serving God
• 32:37 – Centering marginalized groups
• 32:59 – The “brown paper bag test” and colorism
• 36:38 – Rewriting affirming stories through Mad Libs
• 51:01 – Practicing joy as resistance
• 52:59 – Emma’s closing wisdom & farewell

Resources & Mentions

• Sonya Renee Taylor, Your Body Is Not an Apology (Book & Workbook)
• Sonya Renee Taylor, Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!)
• Tracy M. Lewis-Giggetts, The Black Joy Playbook

Connect with Me:

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Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

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If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who would love these conversations. Engage with the Curiosity Cards and ask the youth in your life about their experiences because you might be surprised by what you learn. Share your thoughts and reflections in the comments or on social media using #LivingIn3DPower. And, don’t forget to subscribe and stay tuned for next week’s conversation!