We’re back! In this episode, we do a quick check-in with each other, and touch on what we’re looking forward to this year.

We’re at it again with another essay from Adrienne Maree Brown’s Pleasure Activism, Love as political resistance. We talk of how we’re conditioned to love in a way that sucks all the goodness out of it, and how we’re taught to lie and perform for love. From love as a limited resource, to corporate love and privatized love, to boundary-less love as unconditional love, join us as we move through the layers of what love could be when we move from a space of truth.

In her essay, Fuck you, pay me, Chanelle Gallant, beacons us to demand that we be compensated for what we consciously and unconsciously do for others. That we be compensated fully for the labor we have to do to survive under capitalism. She explains beautifully how we’re being used by the system and that we should ensure our energy is reciprocated. That we be confident in asking for what we’re rightfully deserving of. Which brings me to what The People’s Oracle, Dayna Lynn, said on one of her ig posts, “Don’t let neglect turn into the belief that you don’t need what you’re being denied.” This is not to say or imply that if someone gives you money, they are entitled to your energy, entitled to you catering to their demands and/or desires. If you do what they’re asking of you, it’s vital that you are respected and honored, and that you are compensated in the way that YOU deem fit. You can find the essay is in Adrienne Maree Brown’s book, Pleasure Activism.

We're joining the Squid Game hype 🙂😛 and criticing different aspects of the show, from the characters, to the plot, to some conspiracy theories and our takeaways. Link to the comment on Judicaelle's post about how Squid Game is a criticism of capitalism https://twitter.com/judicaelle_/status/1444103850688929792?s=21

A show we can actually relate to, from identity politics, and how that affects our professional pursuits, to having supportive, wholesome friendships. Of course, there’s the toxic masculinity, and the parents as antagonists 💀 this is more than a love story, and we just had to discuss it!

We tackle people pleasing i.e Changing your behavior to avoid a reaction you’re anticipating, usually a negative reaction. There's a plethora of ways this manifests. It's only right we do the needful to get to the bottom of it, because we aren't here to live for another, we surely aren't here to live a half a life. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Mercury was retrograde when we recorded this episode, and naturally we encountered some technical difficulties. Please bear with us 😊

We discuss cancel culture, calling out and calling in, usually done to hold people accountable for their social transgressions to trigger some sort of reform by making them aware of their actions and how it impacts the rest. We do not exist in a vacuum, and our actions impact the collective more than we’d like to admit. But do we have the capacity to be held accountable and take responsibility for our actions? Mercury is also retrograde so please bear with us 😅

We use the WNRS (we’re not really strangers) and Red Table Talk collaboration deck to celebrate each other and our friendship.

We are back! Season 2 so it’s only right that we start hot! It’s about time we address capitalism, the strain it imposes on our mental health and sense of freedom, and how we’re pushed to feel as though we have to bargain our autonomy and selfhood in order to survive. If you’ve been thinking of quitting, come for your pep talk 😉😋