Sinners Sweeps the Oscars + Naomi Osaka Drama + Brené Brown | Raised By Her

Did a popular motivational speaker lift her work from Black women without credit? We dive deep into the Brené Brown controversy. Plus, we react to a listener accusing us of being "funded by Rush Limbaugh" and celebrate the record-breaking Oscar nominations for Sinners.

In this episode of Raised By Her, we are breaking down the biggest cultural moments of the week. First, we address the feedback from our last episode, including a hilarious comment accusing the podcast of being sponsored by the far right. Then, we celebrate Black Excellence in film as Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners secures a historic 16 Oscar nominations. Mom also drops a bombshell revelation about being an extra in the 1970s classic Superfly!

The conversation shifts to the changing landscape of sports, from the "deterioration" of College Football due to NIL deals to the continued disrespect of Black women in tennis like Naomi Osaka. Finally, we discuss the allegations surrounding Cassandra "Brené" Brown and the importance of crediting Black women for their intellectual property. We wrap up by sharing our "Words of the Year" for 2026 and how stepping out of your comfort zone leads to true transformation.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Surviving the "Snowstorm of the Century"
02:02 - The Lynn Jones Journalism Controversy
03:28 - Hate Comment: Are We Funded by Rush Limbaugh?!
05:58 - Sinners Breaks Records: 16 Oscar Nominations
07:43 - Why Sinners Isn't Just a Horror Movie
17:10 - Storytime: Mom Was in the Movie Superfly!
20:30 - Is the Transfer Portal Ruining College Football?
23:55 - The Debate Over NIL Deals & Player Rights
33:30 - The Disrespect of Naomi Osaka & Coco Gauff
39:50 - The Brené Brown Plagiarism Controversy
44:40 - Revealing Our "Word of the Year" for 2026
51:30 - Final Thoughts: What Does "Raised By Her" Mean to You?

#RaisedByHer #SinnersMovie #BreneBrown #MichaelBJordan #BlackExcellence

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:07

Welcome back to Raised by Her. Please feel free to like and subscribe. Hi there.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Well, hello there.

SPEAKER_03 0:15

How are you feeling?

SPEAKER_02 0:16

I'm doing great. A little cold. A little cold. Okay, a lot cold. Wow.

SPEAKER_03 0:20

I mean, I feel like I usually complain about the cold. I'm like, it's two degrees outside, but did I speak this into existence?

SPEAKER_02 0:27

It's your fault. That's right. You spoke. Yes, yes. The wealth United States, millions and millions of people. So um, this is this is what we call serious winter.

SPEAKER_03 0:37

Well, hopefully it's not as awful as they say it's gonna be. I mean, I know everybody's preparing for uh the snowstorm of the century, and then I saw somebody say like this happens every 10 years or something, and so it's I know it's like a whole thing, and I just hope it's not what other people think it is.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

Yeah, I heard uh something similar about it happening every 10 years that it uh affects about three-quarters of the United States. So well, we'll see.

SPEAKER_03 1:03

That's true. We'll see. Are you prepared?

SPEAKER_02 1:05

Like, have you dripped your pipes and do you have you know the food and the I I have the food, I have the flashlights because they're talking about the possibility of um the electricity going out. Uh and uh I I believe I'm I'm ready. I always have candles, so I have to make sure that you do have plenty of candles, yeah. Yeah, make sure that that's um that's ready. And you know, it's gonna be what it's going to be. That's true. You're pretty good with the flow. Um so uh a couple people called this morning to see if I was okay if I needed anything, which I really appreciate, you know, being a baby boomer and a little older. So uh I said, Yeah, I'm good. They said, Are you going to go and stay with your your daughter and son-in-law? And I said, I will see them, but I will not be staying with them. But thank you very much for that suggestion. So I'm not gonna be camped out at your house right now. I feel like I'm I'm okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:56

All right, I mean you could if you needed to. I do. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

I I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_03 2:00

So we had some really great responses to our episode last week, particularly around our conversation um around Lynn Jones and that controversy. So I wanted to review just two comments that really stuck out to me. Okay. But we also got multiple comments uh from some first-time listeners that were thrilled to have found us. So we are thrilled that folks are finding us and joining the community and being a part of the conversation. And so uh please feel free to engage with us across social media or shoot us an email. We or continue to comment. We we love it.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

We do, we love the comments and we appreciate um your authenticity and your honesty. Uh let us know what you think, what you like, what you don't like. All that's important that will help us.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

Yes. Okay, so this response to our conversation around Lynn Jones, um, which I thought this was a really good response. This is why I wanted to read it. I have no objection to Lynn Jones using her time the way she did. Sports journalism is not investigative journalism, and being a sports journalist involves some level of acknowledgement that you are part of the sports industry.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:05

I think in using her time the way she did, she demonstrated a much more explicit understanding of that than we often get. Professional sports are about entertainment and community. She contributed to both nicely, and I wish more reporters would do the same. Nice.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Very nice. Yes, yeah. Yeah, thank you for that. That comment. We appreciate that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:23

And then we got another comment um saying that we are funded by the far right and uh sponsored by Rush Limbar.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Oh my goodness. Now, you know, when uh when we read that, that was like, what did we say that make them think that that was the case?

SPEAKER_03 3:41

I was like, are we coming across as funded by the far right? What would that look like?

SPEAKER_02 3:45

I absolutely have no idea, but no, that is not the case. Absolutely, that is not the case.

SPEAKER_03 3:51

And then I was like, you know, isn't Rush Limbar uh hasn't he passed? So what is this? Are we being sponsored by his estate? I mean, like, I'm just I had more questions putting it out.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Yeah, no, I I think he's still out there. I just don't know I, you know, I really don't know that.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

Okay, you're not tracking him, he's not a part of part of your ethos.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

No, he was not one of the individuals that um I paid a lot of attention to because he was very extreme in terms of not only his opinions, but uh he also had a lot of persuasion in this country because he started when talk radio was really hot and really big long before podcasts. And so his following was huge.

SPEAKER_03 4:30

Okay. I mean, I think he's probably a little before my time. I recognized the name, and so when I looked it up, I was, and then of course, I stopped reading after a few lines. I was like, okay, I get the sentiment of what this person saw. But just to clarify, we are not funded or sponsored by the far right or the estate of Russian.

SPEAKER_02 4:49

In fact, I don't think we're funded by anyone at the present time. So however, however, if there is a desire.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

That is very true. So that that made us chuckle um this past week. And then also we had some questions. People were like, okay, they either um are finding us for the first time or they know more, or they know you, but they're like, we don't really know that much about your daughter. And then or they know me and they're like, oh, um, I'm curious more about your mom. Because you guys, I mean, you just talk about things, but you don't talk about yourselves. And so you will get to know more about us as you continue to listen.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Yes, I think it's real important for us to be able to have a conversation about those things that are important, but also um, my daughter is quite accomplished, and you'll learn that by not only listening to her millennial perspectives, but uh somewhat different from me and my baby boomer years. But it's uh it's good. It's a chance for us to be able to not only dialogue, yeah, but also to be able to share different perspectives, and that's what we want to do.

SPEAKER_03 5:54

Agreed, agreed. Okay, so one of the most exciting things I found this week was all of the Oscar nominations for Sinners. Congratulations to the whole team and everybody that was involved, and Ryan Kugler and Michael B. Jordan, and but also just everybody who was involved. And then there were a ton of first-time nominations for some of the actors and actresses that were involved, and so just yes.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

You know, I was not only happy and excited, but also 16 nominations, Donica. I mean, that was just uh that's record breaking.

SPEAKER_03 6:30

It is record-breaking. Another, all they do is break records.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Well, but see, that's that black excellence that we talk about. And when you have to be better than most in order just to get through the door, then this demonstrates that um that Ryan just rocked it. And I I like to to refer to uh uh Michael B. Jordan as, you know, really good eye candy, because whether he's a Black Panther or whether he's a role. That's right. Um, so it's uh it really is cool. And you know, I studied black film uh a little bit when I was in school, and what this represents, not only the possibilities of blacks who are involved in filmmaking, but also the appreciation that many in the academy have for black excellence and for the fact that this was across the board because when you look at 16 nominations, you're talking about not just best director and best actor, best supporting actor and best um supporting actress, but also you're looking at the best editing and you're looking at just the other categories, cinematography and centers. If you haven't seen the movie, you know it's a late. Well, yes, you are it's a horror film. Now, I'm not a fan of horror films. I'm not, I mean, no, but we decided to do this scary, and because it was uh a black film and because it had uh it had a lot of people in it that we were familiar with, uh, but also what they decided to do was to tell a story that also included racism from a scary standpoint.

SPEAKER_03 8:09

Yeah, there were there was history, so it wasn't just a scary movie, it was rooted in truth and experience, and I think that's a part of what made it so powerful.

SPEAKER_02 8:17

Well, it was set in the 1930s uh in the state of Mississippi, and so during that time we know that there was a lot going on in this country, and so there's a lot going on all the time in this country. Well, that's true too. Today, especially, but we won't go there, we won't digress at the moment, but it it's pretty scary, and it's not even a horror film today of what's going on.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

That's true. Um, I saw I yeah, so I saw a couple of conversations around how amazing these nominations are, and I wholeheartedly agree, but it that it is equally as important. Um two things. One, um, that this these categories aren't just nominations, but we hope that people win because we see that happen sometimes. That's true. Um that is true. And then also we know that centers was excellent, and so it's we don't need this outside validation. It is wonderful that um it's award-winning from the academy's perspective and all of that, but it's it's excellent anyway. So it's these validations or these awards are great, but it they're not necessary necessarily necessary.

SPEAKER_02 9:25

They're not necessary, but they are important to the future career of many of the uh the performers and the individuals who work on the films. So when you have the validation of an Academy Award, people don't question your credentials. They don't take a little bit well taken. That's true. That's my um and so I think it's it's um pretty remarkable to be across the board excellent, because we know that that has happened all the time. Uh Whippie Goldberg was uh talking about this on The View, and she mentioned the fact that she is a part of the Academy, she gets a chance to to vote, and many times the Black Excellence is not only uh not looked upon uh in the same way as uh the other films and the other actors, but you don't even get a chance to come in the door, much less be at the table to be considered. And so it it's important to be able to recognize. I was surprised that um Wicked Two, the the the second one, um, did not receive any nominations. Now last year uh they won two Academy Awards, and so that was uh a little surprising because I thought that was a good good film this year.

SPEAKER_03 10:37

The first one I felt like was better than the second one, though.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

Well, obviously the Academy did as well, so it wasn't they agreed with you because this year they they didn't receive any.

SPEAKER_03 10:47

Oh, I didn't know that Whoopi Goldburg was one of the folks that voted. That's awesome for her. She that's well deserved.

SPEAKER_02 10:52

Yes. Well, she's she's been out there and she's been an advocate, and um her voice is at the table. Good. But she needs, as she said, she needs a lot of support, so she puts other people's voices at the table. So well, we'll see what happens. What was your favorite part of Cinners? Um, well, like I said, it's a horror film.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

So um So not the blood and gore.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Not the blood and gore at all. Maybe just looking and Michael B. Jordan.

SPEAKER_03 11:16

That was your favorite part.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

No, uh, I mean, you know, twins. Twin twins. Yeah, looking at him. Um, do you know what I liked? It was kind of the uh different part, kind of uh a little strange when they would do the musical selections and they had the you know, the kind of Irish jig, and uh because that's it's part where you're just breaking out in song and dance in the middle of a um a storyline is is kind of strange. But I like the way that they that they did it and it sort of lifted up s um some of what was I I think the blood and gore at that point and some of the scariness. So uh the diversity in terms of of content I thought was if one has a favorite part. Yes. Other than looking at Michael Pewtor.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

Um I liked the time period that it was set in and the approach that the director had in telling the story. Because I feel like so many of the black films that get nominated or get talked about are just rooted in slavery or rooted in this or or that, or um, and while this talked about racism, I thought that it did it in a in a way that was both true but didn't make that the main focus. It dominated the overall storyline, sure, but it wasn't it wasn't a story of a of that one slave that that made it out type thing. It was telling the story of uh multiple people and how they were navigating their lives in a in a real way. I mean, I know it's fiction, but uh, you know, what was it like to be brothers? What was it like to be entrepreneurial at that time? What was it like to be to be gangsters? Yeah, what was it like to be gangsters?

SPEAKER_02 13:00

What was it like you know, just like those other you know, they had resources too, so so that they could they could look apart and they could do some things that other people um during that period of time wouldn't have had a chance to be able to do.

SPEAKER_03 13:11

I appreciated that angle though, because I feel like that's a story that's not always told.

SPEAKER_02 13:14

Well, you're right, it's not a story that's always told. And I I I think the um the way that they went about telling the story allowed you to stay engaged, not to become bored, but also to be able to feel like, okay, I mean, for as much as it's fiction, you know, this is possible.

SPEAKER_03 13:30

So And in terms of the story of Sinners and its trajectory after it was released, it um I mean, I love the fact that they got these nominations for so many reasons, but one of which is that as soon as it was released, I think like within the first week or so, these ads started coming out or articles start coming out about how it wasn't a success. Do you remember that?

SPEAKER_02 13:52

No, I don't remember that in the past. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

And then people were like, what are you talking about? First of all, it's already doing record numbers. Right. And at the box office, yeah. And it's the first week. Like, what what are your expectations? And so, like, this has been a a fight kind of across the board, if you will. But I just, yes, with you know, at the finish line and then going beyond.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

Well, see, a part of that is politics because it's all about in Hollywood and in the filmmaking industry, it's about um the money and and the power. And when you release a film at the beginning of the, I think it was released in the spring, when you release uh a film in the spring, they don't really think that it's going to be a competitive film because most of the films that are released near the end of the year, uh, where there's all this hype and pomp and circumstance, they have a chance to be able to be looked upon in another way and they're evaluated in a different way. So I think that's one of the reasons they may have been dismissing the hater at the very beginning. Well, yeah, but you know, we we we deal with that. And I and I mentioned the fact that I I I study black film and part of the problems throughout the last 50 years that um I've been paying attention is that the people who make the decisions are not people who look like us, not people who can appreciate black art, and not necessarily people who understand what uh challenges there would be in uh making the film, especially when it's a major box office um film to be released in the movie theaters, too. That's another whole side of this industry that is really challenging as well.

SPEAKER_03 15:30

Well, um, if I had a vote, I would vote yes. Across all 16 nominations for them to win. For them to win. I do appreciate that. They will win. And I have not watched the Oscars for a for a while. Actually, I think ever since that hashtag Oscar so white, I was like, I mean, I there was nothing was relatable. I was like, who's actually watching these films? So I'm glad that the Academy is actually honoring films that are being watched by the masses in a real way. And I hope that I hope that Sinners go to the code.

SPEAKER_02 16:03

I know folks that used to have Oscar parties and I know people that used to be a thing. It used to be, yeah, a real thing. But um, so maybe this year, because of sinners, yeah, hopefully it'll be a thing. You know, we might decide to make it a thing. Yeah, we'll see what they do, you know?

unknown 16:19

We will see.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

So it's real important though to uh to support um black art across the board, and it's important to be able to make sure that you're knowledgeable about who's doing what and familiarize yourself with the filmmakers and the cinematographers and the sound people because it's a pretty cool thing. Um last year when uh Wicked won for the uh let me see, I think they won for Best Costumes. You know, costumes were really great. And uh and so just keep in mind that there are black people who are involved across the board in a lot of the films, whether it's it's uh a black film or whether it's just uh uh a film from any of the other uh major categories or populations or culture. And so, you know, I was uh an extra in a black exploitation film back in the 70s.

SPEAKER_03 17:12

And you were which one?

SPEAKER_02 17:14

Have I seen it? Uh well, let me see. You you weren't thought about way back back then, but uh it was the movie Superfly. And this is when I was studying, uh, and uh Ron O'Neill was the star, Curtis Mayfield was the musician, and I was in this uh bar scene, and um you can see me just groove into the music in this.

SPEAKER_03 17:36

How did you get to be an extra in Superfly? And also, what was Superfly about? Uh since it was so far you know before my time.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Um it was about a drug dealer. And um the um the main character, uh Ronald O'Neill, was um he was fly, that's why. Okay, and he was um the lead character who was sort of running everything. During this era, I'm talking about in the in the 70s, a lot of uh black exploitation and what we were talking about are black people who are making their own films and deciding to tell our stories in our own way, and uh individuals who were uh writing and producing at a time when the rest of America wasn't paying any attention at at all. But uh how I got how I got there was an internship through my college, and I was uh had a chance to go to New York. Um Ossi Davis and MBD had been on my college campus and had talked about the things that were going on in New York, and so um the chair of my department had allowed me to be uh their host. And so I told them I was gonna spend the next semester, uh, spend some time in New York, and so they invited me to several different things that were going on in New York at that time. And the filming of Superfly was one of the cool things going on in. So, oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:57

It's another exercise in saying yes and kind of just you know, I was in my early 20s, and hey, what can I say?

SPEAKER_02 19:04

And now um there are some little slot um films, pieces of the film that you can take a look at and you can see me there. I love that looking very young.

SPEAKER_03 19:12

That's a well you're aging well, so you probably don't look too much different than what you what you do now. Um so that gives you like that perfect thing to say. Because I, you know, sometimes I'm in rooms and like it's like new people or it's like icebreaker, and they're like, What's one thing or one fact that nobody would guess about you? So I feel like you have like a really nice built-in one.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

I have, and I've used that several times. As a matter of fact, I have I've been able to say now again, most of the people in the room didn't know what superfly. What is super fly. So but the people who were older knew that it was uh It's one of those things.

SPEAKER_03 19:47

If you know, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:48

Well, yeah, that's true. Okay and back in the days when I had the radio station, it was funny because the staff thought that was the funniest thing in the world. So to be able to have uh Ronita in this in this and And the fact that you could see my face. I mean, I wasn't just way background. So it was cool.

SPEAKER_03 20:04

Have you watched that movie recently?

SPEAKER_02 20:06

No, but I probably will now that we're talking about it. Okay. And maybe show it to you.

SPEAKER_03 20:10

So I'm curious to see see your debut.

SPEAKER_02 20:14

Yeah. Yes, yes. And so we go f from there, come all the way forward all these many years later. And here we are in 2026, and Sinners has record-breaking nomination. So pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 20:26

Congratulations again to everybody along for there. So that was big news this week. And then there was a lot of sports happening this week, too.

SPEAKER_02 20:33

Well I know, I know. And and let me let me just say I'm I'm I'm I'm saying to you, I I know how difficult it is for you when there are a lot of sports happening. Um because last week when I I told you that we needed to finish up some things we were doing because I needed to get home, um, because the national college championship game was going on, and you go college championship. Yes, the football championship. But um congrats to Indiana University because they really they beat um Miami University and it was uh it was a great game. And college sports, college football, but college sports is just it's rocking and rolling. It's just it's making all kinds of money and a lot of changes. But this year, in terms of what has been going on with the whole football scenario, it's been crazy. They have allowed football players to be able to switch from one school to another school. They have allowed for uh the football players to be uh paid for their image and likeness, they've allowed for the coaches to decide to move in uh whenever time they want to.

SPEAKER_03 21:49

Well, how do you feel about those changes?

SPEAKER_02 21:51

Um I don't like it, but I'm none of them? Uh no, I don't like any of it because I think what you have is the power and the money driving everything.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

What about the name and likeness piece?

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Um, a lot of people have said that they think that that's really a good thing because the players are getting paid for the job they're doing on the football field. They indicate that the players are uh being recognized, the colleges, the schools are making so much money that we should open it up in in this way and allow the the schools to make money. And because we have now just not only the networks but all the streaming services, there's so much more money. Well, if you like it there. So because it um it's hard, hard to be able to one, keep up with all the movement that is going on with players from one school to another school.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

I know and wait, in terms of the sorry, I I'm specifically asking you about the players' ability to now own their name and likeness. What's your challenge with that?

SPEAKER_02 22:53

I I don't have a challenge with that so much as how the teams, many of the teams that are being highly competitive now, have to really have a lot of money to be able to pay the um the players or to be able to pay for the uh the things that are that they're buying in terms of the numbers. I mean, the coaches are making millions and millions of dollars. Okay, that's fine. The networks are paying all of this money. The players can, in the middle of the season, decide, okay, you know, I'm just going to move from one school to another school. You know, Ohio State is my school. It's where I went to graduate school and and um and a lot of people were surprised that uh Ohio State was not the national champion. And I will tell you, at the very beginning, when all this changed.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

A lot of people outside of Ohio.

SPEAKER_02 23:40

Worse, I feel like in a bias scenario at the moment. But because Ohio State is a uh school that has lots of money that they can they can pay for uh having the best players in the country.

SPEAKER_03 23:55

So but but isn't owning your name and likeness a plus for the players, you know, because then you have and then you you're getting additional resources, you're being you're being able to own kind of who you are, and then if you make the decision for whatever reason to switch schools, then that's between you and the school. And now you have more leverage and more negotiation power.

SPEAKER_02 24:18

And what you're saying is exactly the way a lot of people feel, but the sport itself and how it's impacting the game itself. I mean, when they changed everything, they now allow 12 teams to be in the playoffs, and the competition is just it's a whole different scenario in how they're going about making the decisions. One school, Notre Dame, um, was one of the winning schools, but they were not chosen because of the schedule, and some people say because the the coach at Notre Dame is is a brother, and that the uh the coach at um Alabama, who is a powerhouse, was chosen over Notre Dame. Even at the I'm talking about the end of the season now when they are getting ready to lay everything out. It's just it's a different kind of a different kind of process, and the protocols are different. Now, I I'll catch up because I like the sport and I like good competition. But I really think what we have to do is to allow the young men to be able to get their education, to allow the men to be able to grow into um becoming young men who then can go on and play professional sports if they want to. They make all the money on the front side. I'm not even sure they'll end up graduating from college. And I don't know if that's important today to some people, but in order to have a future that is beyond football, I think you have to have a game plan. A lot of money out there, a lot of people are in uh really in support of this. It's just been hard for me to watch that game, I think, deteriorate. And that's my word, in terms of just the power play and and the money. I want good solid competition, and I want the the players to be able to get their their education and let's move on. And I want it to be somewhat uh even across the board, and I don't see it that way.

SPEAKER_03 26:12

I mean, that's it, and this is me coming from as you mentioned, I do I do not follow this. As soon as I stopped playing sports, I lost all interest. Which I don't understand, but I'll if I'm not on the court, then I mean I'd I'll watch actually no. I mean, it was amazing to play uh sports. It's um it's part of the reason I work out the way I do today, you know, so it's very ingrained. Um, but I'd much rather be on the court or on the field than watching somebody else do it.

SPEAKER_02 26:44

Well, we'd like to know what uh um our listeners and viewers think. You know, this is just my own opinion of the fact that uh I'm uh in my 70s and I miss the good old days. I want to know how some other people feel about that.

SPEAKER_03 26:58

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I'm uh that's awesome. That's a great question because I'm curious as well about how other people feel about it since there's been so much change. And again, I've I hear about some things because they're relevant um in societal trends in other ways in terms of younger people having more access uh to opportunities and more ownership of who they are and some of the power dynamics starting to shift, and then how are other institutions or organizations adjusting to that or not adjusting to that? So that's my interest in the things that I've uh kind of seen and heard around this space. But yeah, I'm very curious to hear what our our listeners think.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

But thank you for sharing your opinion on it because it's you know it's a lot But it was I'll say it was a great game, and I I was rooting for Indiana, even though they beat Ohio State and knocked them out. It was uh um it was a really Why were you rooting for Indiana? Um because I felt that the um the Indiana team, they had the Heisman Trophy winner um as the quarterback, and they've had uh a lot of challenges. Um their coach had an amazing um new career at Indiana. Indiana is known as a basketball state. I mean, if you could ask anybody in years past, you know, what's Indiana known for in terms of sports, they would say basketball. But the coach, the coaching staff um this past year just did an amazing job and they were totally undefeated, and they did a great job.

SPEAKER_03 28:22

Well, clearly if they were totally undefeated, even if I'm not tracking the way, you know, everyone else is tracking.

SPEAKER_02 28:28

Yes. Um and um Miami played uh a good game. They play a different kind of football, too. They were really aggressive, and their coach was real aggressive in how he went about coaching. Um, and so it was a little scary sometimes to watch some of the plays, too. Yeah, yeah. More more NFL-ish.

SPEAKER_03 28:48

So well, you know, you are a part of a, I mean, because 50% of the this is I do know, 50% of the consumers of professional sports are women. So you are right on trend in terms of like the gendered aspects of it. Because I feel like from an outsider's perspective, one would think, based on looking and watching everything, that it's super male dominated. And I think in positions of power and kind of other things it is, but in terms of the consumption, women are just me aside, are just as interested.

SPEAKER_02 29:19

Well, it surprises me that you don't um watch it more because of all of the sports. Now, remember now, let me see. Which sports did you play?

SPEAKER_03 29:28

Uh, I played tennis, um, and I did that through college and also led my college team to the very first conference championship. That's right. I played soccer, yes, uh, which I loved, but you and my father forced me to stop playing soccer because I had um to have both a team sport and an individual sport, is what you all said. Soccer and tennis were in the same seasons. Uh maybe like development of different skills.

SPEAKER_02 29:53

That's right. Development of different skills and opportunities to to be able to participate in a uh a sport that if you didn't have a whole bunch of people around as an only child, that you could, you know, go and participate with one person. Me in a wall. Not necessarily a wall, but if you went to the uh to the park, you know, and you had your tennis racket, you might be able to play.

SPEAKER_03 30:17

But uh I mean uh gymnastics, yes. Although once I hit my growth spurt, that was um that that dream. Well, it wasn't a dream, but I think I stopped doing that. I swam for a while. Uh, but then that started to negatively affect my hair. Yes. And so that was a challenge. And I was like hair over swimming, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 30:38

Yeah. I know that that's a black girl thing, though.

SPEAKER_03 30:40

It's a black girl thing. What can we say? Yeah. But I do know how to swim.

SPEAKER_02 30:43

Yep, which is good.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:44

Oh, you hey, you started swimming. Um, I took you to bubble baby classes when you were six months old. So you you've been swimming for a long time.

SPEAKER_03 30:51

What am I forgetting? Am I forgetting anything?

SPEAKER_02 30:53

Uh softball.

SPEAKER_03 30:54

Oh, yeah, softball. I think that only lasted for like a season.

SPEAKER_02 30:57

And uh you also um you were running the doing training. Oh, I yeah, I did track for. I didn't like track.

SPEAKER_03 31:04

I mean, I didn't like track either. I was, I feel like per usual, I was bamboozled into No, not what happened? Well, because I think the the the rationale was that it's excellent for off-season training. That's right. And so you will come back even stronger.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

You weren't bamboozled to use that.

SPEAKER_03 31:24

Well, I mean, but well, let's see. I okay, I think I tried to make it work for me. I ran the 100 and the 200 meters. Yes. And I was told by many coaches though, you're not built as a sprinter, you're built uh for a long distance run. And I was like, but I have no interest. I don't want to run in the first place. So I certainly don't want to run like a longer distance. Yeah. So that probably hindered me. Hurdle, I never did hurdles. And then I never did like the shock put thing, like the field aspect of track and field.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

So, really, the goal was to be able to make sure that you had some knowledge of um all the different sports with the idea that you you as an adult would be able to love some aspect.

SPEAKER_03 32:07

I love some aspects. Um sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 32:10

Sometimes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:10

Yeah, sometimes. It's just I I became addicted as you might be able to to hear or see uh by being in the game and you know, not as a spectator of the game. But uh I do now really value and basketball was my sport, yeah, uh, hands down. Uh tennis was number two. And then I you were good.

SPEAKER_02 32:30

You were good both in basketball.

SPEAKER_03 32:33

Yeah, and I played here in the US and abroad as well. Yep. Um then I got hurt, I tore my meniscus and was never quite the same after that.

SPEAKER_04 32:41

Right.

SPEAKER_03 32:41

Um, which is why I then kind of switched to tennis um when I got to college and this kind of took it from took it from there. But sports have a place. I mean, sports are extremely important.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

They do. And as uh as an athlete, then you can understand the um the training that it takes, you can understand the discipline that it takes, and you also I think can appreciate the fact of uh being in good shape.

SPEAKER_03 33:04

So all the above. All the above. And to do what all these athletes do. I particularly think about this during the Olympics time because I was like, oh my gosh, the the level at which folks play, it's it's unbelievable. And it's um, you're right, it's discipline and a sacrifice. It is, it's a lot, it is. Um, but okay, so we just talked about football and we just talked about our affinity, and we've talked about our affinity for tennis previously. Um that popped up again on our radar this week.

SPEAKER_02 33:31

I'm like, haven't we already talked through how does this happen? Did you hear what happened with uh Naomi Osaka in the tennis match uh this week?

SPEAKER_03 33:41

I saw a little bit of the clip, and so I saw her go up to the net after the match, as we do. Okay, and uh the opponent not truly shaking her hand or really acknowledging, and she's rude. Um, and so that's what I saw, and then I saw some media afterwards saying, you know, well, uh during the match, she was making some comments in between comments directed at herself, um, in between sets and before she was serving that was distracting, and that's why this other young lady uh, you know, behaved the way as if like to rationalize it. And then I also saw a post-media um uh interview. No, no, no, it wasn't a post-media interview, the interview after the match. And so when they were asking Naomi Osaka, um, you know, are you okay? How was how was the match? How was everything? And she was and she was like, um, you know, I it was a great match, she's a great player, but I could tell, you know, like she was upset about something.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

Sorana Crusade is a tough competitor. She came to play tonight. What did it take to get through that one?

SPEAKER_05 34:51

Apparently, a lot of come on says she was angry. I tried to play well. I think I hit a lot on four stairs, but I tried my best. She's a great player. Um, I think this was her last Australian Open, so okay.

SPEAKER_01 35:12

Sorry, she was mad about it, but she was complaining because between the first and second serves she could hear you just trying to pump yourself up. Was that the problem? I think so, but like she could have asked me, like you know, sometimes frustrations bottle over. But you played an incredible match, and it took a lot in the end for you to take control of that third set. We saw how well you were able to dictate and and take control when you needed to. What were you most pleased about what you did tonight?

SPEAKER_05 35:50

Um, honestly, just fighting as hard as I could. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:56

Um, and so they were like, she's looks like she's a little off. And I'm just like, it's she won, she was excellent.

SPEAKER_04 36:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 36:04

Um, tennis, as we just talked about, an individual sport. It takes an incredible amount of self-discipline, and you do what it is you need to do. I I watched a little bit of it. I didn't see anything disrespectful, and I think people are just making excuses for treating her badly, which is something that we just continue to see in tennis. Um, other players um and some other organizations just treating these young black outstanding tennis players badly, whether it's Coco Golf, whether it's Serena, whether it's Vina, you know, and the others who I haven't even mentioned. I'm like, what what trend is this? And can we be over it? It's 2026.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

I I think you're you're absolutely correct that it does appear to be a trend because last year uh Coco Golf had uh similar situations uh at the French Open. So uh fortunately she's doing really great now this year with in the uh Australian Open, but uh she had a lot of difficulty with uh a particular tennis player, uh Sablinka, I think her name is Sabalinka. And she was very rude, very disrespectful. And at some point, what Coco Goff said that that um she was going to have to do is to be able to have her own narrative. She said, I need to create the reality of what this situation is. I have been very respectful, I have not responded to a lot of the comments, but let me just tell you what the real deal is. And uh so she had a press conference and she talked about it, and then um the journalist, uh athlete uh player uh Lisa Leslie came out and said, you know, people are just intimidated by how excellent our American athletes are at different times, and especially in the world of tennis, and that there's been so much um of an opportunity for our black athletes to to be excellent, whether you're uh to your point, uh whether it was uh Venus or Serena, and now you have a young player like uh Coco Goff to be able to be excellent, or uh Naomi Osas Osaka Naomi Osaki to be able to to have a point of excellence. They need to stop. They just need the leaders to let them play.

SPEAKER_03 38:18

What's that? What am I getting that from? There's some like football oh remember the Titans. Let them play.

SPEAKER_02 38:22

Oh right, right. Let the girls play. Let the girls play and show their stuff and yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 38:28

Um if they grunt or have beads in their hair or say words to themselves because they're upset that they missed a whatever, like let it's tennis.

SPEAKER_02 38:36

It's tennis, yes.

SPEAKER_03 38:37

And it's not the tennis of 1950. Right.

SPEAKER_02 38:40

Or 1950, yeah, like stop. Well, you know, the and the tennis sport is uh it's a sport for people of privilege. Uh it's a sport that had many times kind of like like golf, uh, that you had to have money and resources. And so when you have uh African Americans who start to do well, then people get intimidated on so many levels. That's the reality of the world. When we go out there and we do our best, when we have a chance, we are going to do well. We're gonna we're gonna at some point even dominate the sport. Period, uh point blank.

SPEAKER_03 39:14

Sports are otherwise. That's true. Just throwing that out there. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 39:20

So um, so well, we wish them well. We wish uh Naomi well no she had an injury, but uh, you know, keep doing you and don't take the stuff from the uh white players or uh European players uh who just don't like the fact that we have American excellence in addition to black excellence in that part.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

Um so as I was scrolling through my social media this week, I saw a name that I recognized Renee Brown. But I also now know that that's not really her name. Her name is Cassandra Renee.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

I did not know that.

SPEAKER_03 40:03

I mean, I didn't know it either. I think you might have more familiarity with her in general than I do. Like I know a little bit. Like I've I've seen like Dare to Lead. Is that her is that her book? Okay. And then people are always referencing uh, you know, how the quotes and the uh her language and the things that she says is really helpful. I guess she's a motivational speaker.

SPEAKER_02 40:23

She's a motivational, inspirational speaker. She has been on the circuit now for a few years. Um she has um books and she she had an approach that was uh a little more aggressive than uh that I think people had been used to in in the past. And that's why I think she was able to go on to the talk circuit and uh and to be able to inspire uh a lot of people.

SPEAKER_03 40:47

Well that explains it then, because the controversy was that her language was not her own, and that she has been borrowing or utilizing or stealing, depending on who you're talking to. Stealing. Um her perspectives, her approach from black women and other black women in that space. And so the fact that you are able to kind of tell me like what distinctly makes her different, I was like, oh, because again, I've seen it generally, and there's like a lot of there's just been it's been like a bit of a media uproar, at least in the black women uh social media sphere. And I was like, I missed that. I didn't I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_02 41:26

I didn't yeah, I didn't I didn't know that. So okay, the controversy is she has um lifted the language. Lifted the language of uh of someone. In the perspective, in the perspective in the approach. Okay, all right. From and her real name is Cassandra, and her real name is Cassandra.

SPEAKER_03 41:45

Yeah, I think I don't know if that was like the the real dig or if that was just kind of like that that afterthought, you know, like they've done this, this, and her name ain't even Brennan, you know that the sisters were not happy as they were. They were not happy, okay, and they were just like this is just another example of something that we see often uh just across the board. And so, and I think also disappointed, yes, because she has had such Brene Brown has had such a positive impact on so many people's lives, black and white, female and male.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

And so to have female empowerment was her thing. Okay. So uh that's it. So I think it is disappointing. But it also I think demonstrates the need for you to have your voice and make sure your voice is heard. And if it's not your voice, if you want to borrow from someone else, give them credit. Tell them. You know, I mean, just say, you know, this came from Donica Haw Sanders. That's where it comes from.

SPEAKER_03 42:41

Yeah, it's a difficult thing for people to do in this social media 2026 chat GPT of it all for whatever reason. But uh I agree with you. Like the most powerful thing to say is to use your own voice and then to say it.

SPEAKER_02 42:55

Well, it's uh not only making sure it's your narrative, but it's a true narrative, a true perspective. The truth needs to be um to be shared in a in a certain way. And I liked what Bernay Brown had to say. That's right, it was good stuff. And so it was it was good stuff. All she needed to do was to credit whoever the original author um was.

SPEAKER_03 43:15

So well, we hope that that controversy resolves itself. And I don't think she's made a statement yet, or if she even will, you know, uh to address it. But I uh I I do feel like that I brought it to this platform because I do feel like it's a relatable story of just having your work kind of taken by others, and it's like, wait a minute, wait a minute.

SPEAKER_02 43:38

You know, it always reminds me of little Richard talking about that uh Elvis Presley just took his thing and went ahead to to be not only uh a superstar but make all the money from it. And and he said uh people didn't give him the respect that he needed. But if you take a look at my early work and then you take a look at what Elvis did, Elvis sounds just like us.

SPEAKER_04 44:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:02

So uh, and he was doing our moves, and somehow the world accepted it. So, you know, it it's been going on for many, many, many years. Yeah. Even if you have talent, I mean, Elvis Presley obviously had talent, he had a voice, so why didn't he create his own thing? I mean, that's what little Richard was saying.

SPEAKER_03 44:20

What do they say? Like things to throw away for 2026, you know, things we're not bringing into uh the new year or this yeah, things we are not moving forward with. Let's take like stealing people's stuff. Yes, I like things we're done with.

SPEAKER_02 44:36

Yes, don't steal other people's stuff.

SPEAKER_03 44:38

Yeah, no, yeah, yeah. Create your own.

SPEAKER_02 44:41

I know you have a new uh word for this year, uh and I know that uh you have been thinking about it. Um are you ready to share what your new word is, or you want to wait a little bit longer until you get it, I don't know, formed in a way that uh you want to be able to express it. I'm going to wait. You're gonna wait.

SPEAKER_03 45:01

I was like, yeah, I'm gonna wait. What? Do you want to share your word or do you want to do it at the same time?

SPEAKER_02 45:04

I can no, oh well, okay. I was going to give give you my word, but we'll do it at the same time because I can tell you um at least how it's working for me. Right now, okay. Right now, I don't know how my how my words are. Yeah, yeah. However, what I'd like for you all to do if you have a word that you um are embracing for 2026, if you are in a situation where you're trying to create a better you or create a better life, do something that you need to do for yourself as you empower yourself in 2026, then you can share what your word is. Uh a friend of mine this week uh in a text told me what her word is, and she said, I'm sending this text message out because I'm trying to be better doing certain things. And so uh it is necessary not only to share it, but also to claim it and then to give yourself a pat on the back when you can acknowledge that you can see it happening.

SPEAKER_03 45:58

Yeah, it's a really cool thing to then look back, get to the end of the year, then look back and see how it's manifested in your life. Are you able to share that person's word?

SPEAKER_02 46:06

Uh no, I need to ask her if you're gonna say. Okay, okay. Even if there's okay, okay. Yes, yes, so I will, I will, I will ask her if I can if I can share. And then when we talk about the words, uh but what her her text message did, because it was in a group chat, it made another friend say, you know, I was thinking about my word, and uh this is what my word is going to be. I said, going to be. She said, okay, this is what my word is now. I can take this time. And and boy, it has to take time. You said your word chose you.

SPEAKER_03 46:34

Yes, yes, it did. Um, and so this is a practice I've been doing for the past few years. I've actually had a similar experience now that I'm talking about the fact that I do it. Um others are like, oh, wait, I haven't thought about that. And then they'll like text me later, like, well, what's your word for this year? And because I want to do that and start my year off with more intentionality. And um, yeah, so my word for this year, which we will share with you in future episodes, um, it came to me in uh yoga. And then um it's come to me in some of our conversations, and then it's also came um in a conversation I was having with my therapist, and so I was like, okay, um, you know, we'll I hear you. It's not a word I really wanted, um, which is the same from last year. I didn't want that word either, but it ended up working out, as life does. And so um, yeah, I look forward to not only sharing when this word um when I choose to share the word, but then also to your point, how it's manifested already in 2026.

SPEAKER_02 47:35

I think that's that's important. My word last year was truth, and um that word kept coming to me in terms of my whole aging process. Oh and so um as I think about last year and I think about some of the things that um I did and some things that I needed to do, things that I needed to embrace, uh, I can see why the word kept coming to me. Well, it had to do with um health and and wellness. How are you really embracing health and wellness?

SPEAKER_03 48:07

As yourself, like tell the truth.

SPEAKER_02 48:09

Tell the truth. Um what what did you do or what didn't you do and why? And then when you're at the doctor's office and the doctor is asking you what it is that you are planning on doing differently because I I none of us like to take medication. But one of the things I said, you know, I just don't I don't want to take a pill. I don't like taking pills or whatever. And so um she said, okay, well, you don't have to take a pill, but we need to address this problem. So what are you going to do about it? And so I said, I'm gonna do this, this, and this. Well, of course, then I had to do it. That's that's the truth. And so I was reminded on an ongoing basis, uh, if I don't do this, this, and this, then I'm going to have to take another pill.

SPEAKER_03 48:54

I got it.

SPEAKER_02 48:55

And so that that's one of the uh examples.

SPEAKER_03 48:58

So my word for last year was transformation. And again, I was not because I was like, that's just that's a lot to to completely transform. Uh for the people that know me, they would say I'm uh a very different person um at the end of 2025 than it was at the beginning of 2025. And I spent a majority of 2025 outside of my comfort zone, at least it felt that way. Um, and pushing myself to do things that I had never done before, pushing myself to be more visible than I had ever been, I think, previously, which was extremely uncomfortable for me to do. Now it paid off, and I can see why it was necessary. And some of the words from some of my past mentors, in terms of like, you've had great success in your career thus far, Donica, what got you to where you are is not going to take you to the next level that you say you want to go to.

SPEAKER_02 49:46

So you've got to excellent advice.

SPEAKER_03 49:48

Yes, yes. And so um by pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, majority of 2025, I showed up at the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026, a um a transformed for the better and um ready to even take on new and exciting challenges that I would never have even thought about at the beginning of 2025. Like it's opened up a whole new world of possibility for me, which it's super exciting.

SPEAKER_02 50:16

I really can see that and I can feel that. And when you have been sharing with me some of that stretching of yourself, so hard. It's so hard. But you know I'm going to always be uh encouraging, supportive, but also honest about why are you doing this? Because you need to be feeling that it's important to be and do you, which we encourage people. But when you stretch yourself, you have to be able to keep it up and keep it up. This is not something just like the sports that you can just start and stop, start and stop. It's where you have to be disciplined and now you reap the benefits of that.

SPEAKER_03 50:53

Yes, absolutely. So we look forward to sharing our word for 2026 when we're ready. And uh to your very good question. I cannot wait to hear some of the words from the raised by her community because it is a transformative exercise that we hope you all will join us in in activating.

SPEAKER_02 51:10

We look forward to hearing those words. Um so well, thank you. This has been a good conversation. You're gonna stop already.

SPEAKER_03 51:16

I had one more thing I want to talk about. That's okay. That's okay. You need to get home before the snow. There will be many other things for us to talk about you know, next week. So it's okay. We can we can stop. But it this has been a good, a good chat. So as always, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 51:33

You're welcome. Thank you. We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 51:34

Okay, and what we hope is that you all continue to live a life you love. And we have started incorporating another new thing into our podcast, particularly when we have guests, and uh look out for the many episodes and the clips going out about some of the guest interviews that we've that we've been doing. But we really want to lean into what does being raised by her mean to you? So you will hear that show up um in different ways with our guests, but it's also something we want you all as our as a part of our community to think about. And you know, that her can be can be anybody. So it's a part of raised by her. What does being raised by her mean to you? Thank you. See you next time.

SPEAKER_00 52:25

She's got wisdom, she's got deck, she's got questions, she's got a sister.