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Episode 59 - The Radical Joy of Under-Functioning
In this week’s episode of We Are Out of Office, your co-hosts Veteran Television Executive Producer Nikki T and Bestselling Author Jayne Allen clock in with a rich, wide-ranging conversation about over-functioning, space exploration, cultural disappointment, Black excellence, hair journeys, and the healing power of choosing your own peace.
The episode opens with the ladies doing what they do best: catching up like public girlfriends before finally turning on the microphones. Nikki is fully locked into the wonder of the Artemis II mission, celebrating the crew’s safe return from orbiting the moon and reflecting on what it means to see Earth from the outside. Jayne, meanwhile, arrives with a deeply relatable out-of-office reply: she is currently under-functioning because she got tired of over-functioning — a phrase that sets up one of the episode’s most resonant conversations.
From there, the conversation moves through international dating, Black women in space, fasting and autophagy, Black-owned haircare, deepfake violations, burnout, boundaries, music, Mardi Gras Indian artistry, and the emotional labor of finally telling the truth to yourself.
I See You GirlJayne’s I See You Girl goes to Nia Moore, the endlessly entertaining private flight attendant, foodie, and globe-trotting auntie who is documenting her international dating adventures with boldness, humor, and zero apology. From London to Barcelona to LA, Nehamore is trying different dating apps, inviting handsome men out on dates she plans herself, and showing what it looks like to create your own fun instead of waiting to be chosen. For Jayne, it’s both aspirational and refreshing — an example of a woman fully living.
Nikki’s I See You Girl goes to Kiari Dools, the NASA exploration scientist and flight controller who became a Threads favorite during the Artemis II mission. As one of the Black women helping guide the mission from the ground, Kiari became a symbol of brilliance, representation, and modern-day hidden figures no more.
What We’re On Right NowJayne is currently on autophagy — the body’s process of cellular cleanup and renewal — and specifically the role fasting can play in activating it. She shares her fascination with Fast Life Jay, who has been publicly documenting an extended fast and dramatic health transformation, and reflects on how that conversation intersects with her own wellness and body-composition journey.
Nikki is currently on space exploration, and not casually. She is all the way in on Artemis II, from the astronauts’ reflections to the emotional symbolism of the mission to the generations of Black brilliance that made it possible. For Nikki, this mission was more than science — it was hope, perspective, humility, and a reminder that we are all riding this same fragile spaceship together.
Mindin’ My Black BusinessJayne’s Mindin’ My Black Business goes to Camille Rose Naturals, the Black-founded natural haircare company still owned by its original founder, Janell Stephens. As Jayne continues her daily wash-and-go experiment and deepens her relationship with her hair, she spotlights the brand’s ingredient integrity, founder story, and commitment to natural formulations rooted in care.
She also gives love to TGIN, another Black-founded haircare line with deep personal significance, as she reflects on the importance of supporting companies that remain rooted in their original mission and legacy.
Nikki’s Mindin’ My Black Business spotlights the DualShot app, created by Derrick Downey Jr., which allows creators to record vertical and horizontal video at the same time. Born from Derrick’s own creative needs — and after many people first came to know him through his beloved squirrel content — the app is a smart, useful reminder that innovation often starts with solving your own problem first.
Jesus Take the WheelNikki’s Jesus Take the Wheel comes out of Germany, where a television presenter and actress has alleged that for years, pornographic deepfakes, fake social profiles, and AI-generated voice impersonations of her were being spread online — and that the person behind it may have been her own husband. The story becomes a chilling meditation on digital abuse, humiliation as a fetishized form of control, and the terrifying reality that some of the chaos women experience may be coming from inside the house.
The conversation then broadens into a larger reflection on insecurity, manipulation, and the unsettling emotional pattern of people harming the very person they are supposed to love.
Health & HealingThis week’s Health & Healing centers on a powerful question:
What happens when you stop over-functioning?
Jayne opens up about realizing just how much of her life has been shaped by over-functioning — managing other people’s comfort, suppressing her own pain, dulling her honest reactions, and carrying emotional burdens that should never have been hers to hold. Triggered by a recent piece of information that opened a much older wound, she reflects on the compassion she now feels for past versions of herself and the cost of constantly staying regulated for everyone else.
Nikki meets her there with sharp clarity, connecting Jayne’s revelation to her own experience of leaving a job that required too much and gave too little back. Together, they talk about the long arc of burnout recovery, the challenge of staying honest once you’ve finally named the problem, and the active work of under-functioning after years of doing too much.
The takeaway is clear:
sometimes healing is not about doing more.
Sometimes it is about finally stopping.
What’s GoodNikki’s What’s Good is Demond Melancon, the New Orleans artist and Big Chief of the Young Seminole Hunters tribe whose hand-beaded Mardi Gras suit this year told the story of the Amistad. Through an explanation of Black masking culture, Mardi Gras Indian tradition, and the artistry behind the suits, Nikki highlights a breathtaking example of Black craftsmanship, cultural memory, and living art. Demond’s work is now headed to the Venice Biennale, and rightly so.
Jayne’s What’s Good is simple but resonant: the beauty of seeing the culture continue to create, endure, and expand — from music to style to spiritual resilience. And if there is a through-line in this episode, it is that Black creativity remains one of the most enduring forms of survival and joy we have.
Final WordNikki’s final word:
One love, one heart. Let’s join together and feel all right.
Jayne’s final word:
The joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me — and the world can’t take it away.
Episode Links:
Nia Moore on Dating and Dining Around the Globe
Kiarre Dumes x Artemis II
Artemis II
Fast Life Jay on His 99th Day of Water Fasting
Derrick Downey Jr x DualShot App
Camille Rose Naturals
Big Chief Demond Melancon’s 25K Suit
Questions? Comments? Email us at: [email protected]
or follow us on TikTok and Instagram at: @weareoutofofficepod
View all episodes
By Jayne Allen Writes and Nikki TIn this week’s episode of We Are Out of Office, your co-hosts Veteran Television Executive Producer Nikki T and Bestselling Author Jayne Allen clock in with a rich, wide-ranging conversation about over-functioning, space exploration, cultural disappointment, Black excellence, hair journeys, and the healing power of choosing your own peace.
The episode opens with the ladies doing what they do best: catching up like public girlfriends before finally turning on the microphones. Nikki is fully locked into the wonder of the Artemis II mission, celebrating the crew’s safe return from orbiting the moon and reflecting on what it means to see Earth from the outside. Jayne, meanwhile, arrives with a deeply relatable out-of-office reply: she is currently under-functioning because she got tired of over-functioning — a phrase that sets up one of the episode’s most resonant conversations.
From there, the conversation moves through international dating, Black women in space, fasting and autophagy, Black-owned haircare, deepfake violations, burnout, boundaries, music, Mardi Gras Indian artistry, and the emotional labor of finally telling the truth to yourself.
I See You GirlJayne’s I See You Girl goes to Nia Moore, the endlessly entertaining private flight attendant, foodie, and globe-trotting auntie who is documenting her international dating adventures with boldness, humor, and zero apology. From London to Barcelona to LA, Nehamore is trying different dating apps, inviting handsome men out on dates she plans herself, and showing what it looks like to create your own fun instead of waiting to be chosen. For Jayne, it’s both aspirational and refreshing — an example of a woman fully living.
Nikki’s I See You Girl goes to Kiari Dools, the NASA exploration scientist and flight controller who became a Threads favorite during the Artemis II mission. As one of the Black women helping guide the mission from the ground, Kiari became a symbol of brilliance, representation, and modern-day hidden figures no more.
What We’re On Right NowJayne is currently on autophagy — the body’s process of cellular cleanup and renewal — and specifically the role fasting can play in activating it. She shares her fascination with Fast Life Jay, who has been publicly documenting an extended fast and dramatic health transformation, and reflects on how that conversation intersects with her own wellness and body-composition journey.
Nikki is currently on space exploration, and not casually. She is all the way in on Artemis II, from the astronauts’ reflections to the emotional symbolism of the mission to the generations of Black brilliance that made it possible. For Nikki, this mission was more than science — it was hope, perspective, humility, and a reminder that we are all riding this same fragile spaceship together.
Mindin’ My Black BusinessJayne’s Mindin’ My Black Business goes to Camille Rose Naturals, the Black-founded natural haircare company still owned by its original founder, Janell Stephens. As Jayne continues her daily wash-and-go experiment and deepens her relationship with her hair, she spotlights the brand’s ingredient integrity, founder story, and commitment to natural formulations rooted in care.
She also gives love to TGIN, another Black-founded haircare line with deep personal significance, as she reflects on the importance of supporting companies that remain rooted in their original mission and legacy.
Nikki’s Mindin’ My Black Business spotlights the DualShot app, created by Derrick Downey Jr., which allows creators to record vertical and horizontal video at the same time. Born from Derrick’s own creative needs — and after many people first came to know him through his beloved squirrel content — the app is a smart, useful reminder that innovation often starts with solving your own problem first.
Jesus Take the WheelNikki’s Jesus Take the Wheel comes out of Germany, where a television presenter and actress has alleged that for years, pornographic deepfakes, fake social profiles, and AI-generated voice impersonations of her were being spread online — and that the person behind it may have been her own husband. The story becomes a chilling meditation on digital abuse, humiliation as a fetishized form of control, and the terrifying reality that some of the chaos women experience may be coming from inside the house.
The conversation then broadens into a larger reflection on insecurity, manipulation, and the unsettling emotional pattern of people harming the very person they are supposed to love.
Health & HealingThis week’s Health & Healing centers on a powerful question:
What happens when you stop over-functioning?
Jayne opens up about realizing just how much of her life has been shaped by over-functioning — managing other people’s comfort, suppressing her own pain, dulling her honest reactions, and carrying emotional burdens that should never have been hers to hold. Triggered by a recent piece of information that opened a much older wound, she reflects on the compassion she now feels for past versions of herself and the cost of constantly staying regulated for everyone else.
Nikki meets her there with sharp clarity, connecting Jayne’s revelation to her own experience of leaving a job that required too much and gave too little back. Together, they talk about the long arc of burnout recovery, the challenge of staying honest once you’ve finally named the problem, and the active work of under-functioning after years of doing too much.
The takeaway is clear:
sometimes healing is not about doing more.
Sometimes it is about finally stopping.
What’s GoodNikki’s What’s Good is Demond Melancon, the New Orleans artist and Big Chief of the Young Seminole Hunters tribe whose hand-beaded Mardi Gras suit this year told the story of the Amistad. Through an explanation of Black masking culture, Mardi Gras Indian tradition, and the artistry behind the suits, Nikki highlights a breathtaking example of Black craftsmanship, cultural memory, and living art. Demond’s work is now headed to the Venice Biennale, and rightly so.
Jayne’s What’s Good is simple but resonant: the beauty of seeing the culture continue to create, endure, and expand — from music to style to spiritual resilience. And if there is a through-line in this episode, it is that Black creativity remains one of the most enduring forms of survival and joy we have.
Final WordNikki’s final word:
One love, one heart. Let’s join together and feel all right.
Jayne’s final word:
The joy that I have, the world didn’t give it to me — and the world can’t take it away.
Episode Links:
Nia Moore on Dating and Dining Around the Globe
Kiarre Dumes x Artemis II
Artemis II
Fast Life Jay on His 99th Day of Water Fasting
Derrick Downey Jr x DualShot App
Camille Rose Naturals
Big Chief Demond Melancon’s 25K Suit
Questions? Comments? Email us at: [email protected]
or follow us on TikTok and Instagram at: @weareoutofofficepod