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What does confidence look like when you are still nervous?

When the degrees, accomplishments, appearance, relationships, influence, and applause are stripped away—what remains?

This week on Living in 3D Power, Emma and I explore radical confidence, inspired by my sister-friend Hattie B., Founder and Editor of The Lead Up Magazine, and the powerful conversation she moderated at She Belongs Here.

Hattie describes radical confidence as standing ten toes down, being unapologetically yourself, taking up space without permission, and being fearless. But that last word gave us something to get curious about.

Because sometimes confidence does not look like fearlessness.

Sometimes it looks like doing the thing afraid.

Using our 3D Power Tools framework, Emma and I reflect on what made us feel confident—or question ourselves—at age eleven, how community can help us take off the armor, and what happens when our sense of worth becomes tied to what we produce or accomplish.

The conversation also takes us back to one of my own sixth-grade experiences with racism and school discipline, and Emma does what Emma does best: asks the question underneath the story.

By the time we reach Devotion, the conversation turns toward practice: What do we do when we doubt ourselves or keep waiting until we feel completely ready?

Emma’s answer?

Dance.

And her Chicken Nugget Wisdom becomes a challenge for all of us:

“Be radical somewhere.”

In other words: Be you.

Chapters

01:18 Lead Up Magazine Framework
03:36 Defining Radical Confidence
06:27 Round One Discovery
09:03 Confidence and Community
13:04 Racism and School Systems
14:53 Round Two Discern
21:38 Round Three Devote
27:20 Witnessing and Nuggets
30:41 Be Radical Somewhere

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

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!

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What did you already believe about your hair at 11?

In honor of Emma’s five-year locaversary, we use the 3D Curiosity Cards to explore Black hair across two generations.

Amber reflects on growing up with relaxers and messages about “good hair,” while Emma shares what it’s like growing up with locs in a generation where natural Black hair is increasingly part of her everyday world.

Along the way, we get into tender-headed childhoods, hair as identity, swimming and freedom, touching Black hair, beauty standards, choice, discrimination, Amber’s doctoral research on Black women and natural hair, and the question underneath it all:

What happens when something one generation had to reclaim becomes ordinary for the next?

Plus Reciprocal Witnessing and Emma’s Chicken Nugget Wisdom:

“Love your hair even if you don’t have hair—because you’re awesome.”

Chapters

02:51 Why We Chose Locs
04:52 Doctorate Storytime
10:15 bell hooks and Hair Politics
19:28 Emma’s Locs Core Memory
23:40 Length Standards and Cutting Talk
27:10 Unlearning Hair Shame
29:06 Loc Curiosity and Boundaries
34:19 Natural Hair and Liberation
35:38 Ancestral Strength and Choice
40:03 The CROWN Act and Hair Discrimination
42:49 Speak Up and Shut It Down
44:08 Reciprocal Witnessing
50:31 Hair, Health and Beauty Standards
52:34 Chicken Nugget Wisdom

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

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!

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Emma is starting middle school. Maya is starting her senior year. And we’re getting curious about what it means to belong without losing yourself.

In this back-to-school episode, Emma and I use our 3D Curiosity Cards to explore the stories we learn about belonging, why being heard matters, how we find and create environments where we can be ourselves, and what parts of ourselves are worth protecting as we grow.

Then we slide over to Maya for a special sister-to-sister Chicken Nugget Wisdom exchange about friendship, finding your people, middle school, and senior year.

The moment I can’t stop thinking about? When I ask Emma what she doesn’t want to lose as she gets older:

“Me.”

May all of our young people have spaces where becoming more of themselves doesn’t require leaving themselves behind.

Chapters

02:06 Early Start Adjustments
03:53 Round One Discovery
04:05 Mom’s Belonging Story
09:13 Emma’s Belonging Moment
11:38 Round Two Discernment
13:22 Voice and Safety at School
18:06 Final Round Devotion
20:24 Witnessing and Reflections
22:37 Slide to Maya Segment

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

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!

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What happens when someone sees something in you and helps you find a place where it can grow?

After spending a week at WITF learning sound engineering, podcasting, visual storytelling, music production, interviewing, and website design, Emma reflects on what made the experience feel so aligned with who she already is.

Amber and Emma explore how community can help us recognize our gifts, why making music makes Emma feel most like herself, and what it means to give our curiosity somewhere to grow. Through the 3D Curiosity Cards—Discovery, Discernment, and Devotion—they also reflect on the people who have seen something in them before they could fully name it themselves.

The conversation ends with reciprocal witnessing and Emma’s Chicken Nugget Wisdom:

“Do something that is calling to you…just do it.”

If you’ve lost touch with what calls you, Emma has a suggestion: go back to what you loved as a child.

In this episode: curiosity, creativity, youth voice, community, belonging, authenticity, Howard Thurman, podcasting, music, reciprocal witnessing, and helping young people cultivate what is already inside them.

Chapters

00:25 Camp Overview
03:16 Building a Canva Website
05:27 Beats and Making Music
14:24 Caffeine Episode Research
18:45 Round One: Discovery
24:58 Podcast Fan Moment
29:47 Round Two: Discernment
32:52 Bass Impromptu Demo 
40:20 Round Three: Devotion
45:05 Reciprocal Witnessing
49:24 Chicken Nugget Challenge 

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage
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!

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What might children teach us if we listened long enough to be changed by them?

After watching A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood during a family trip to Pittsburgh, Amber and Emma reflect on Fred Rogers’ extraordinary practice of presence: slowing down, honoring silence, remembering people, and treating children as people worth listening to.

Using the 3D Curiosity Cards, they move through Discovery, Discernment, and Devotion to explore childhood grief, adult joy, play, deep listening, curiosity, and what helps another person feel truly seen.

Emma offers a simple lesson when Amber asks how she knows an adult is really listening:

“They don’t interrupt.”

That opens a conversation about listening to understand instead of listening to respond, Amber’s tendency to stack questions, when curiosity can feel like interrogation, and why being present sometimes means resisting the urge to fix someone’s pain.

They also practice reciprocal witnessing, explore what it means to be “too much” and still belong, and consider how speaking life into another person can help them see something in themselves differently.

And Emma’s Chicken Nugget Wisdom?

Go outside.

Sometimes presence begins by returning to the world right in front of us.

In this episode:

•  Mister Rogers, intentional living, and the meaning of 143 
•  The ten-second gratitude practice 
•  What adults forget about childhood 
•  Play as joy 
•  Childhood grief and the need to be witnessed 
•  Listening without interrupting 
•  Listening to understand instead of rebut 
•  Curiosity versus interrogation 
•  Allowing silence instead of stacking questions 
•  Helping others feel seen, heard, and loved 
•  Reciprocal witnessing and speaking life 
•  Too muchness and finding your people 
•  Emma’s “Go Outside” Chicken Nugget Challenge 

Episode Chapters

 00:17 Pittsburgh Trip Talk
 02:20 Movie and Article
 04:19 Childlike Wonder
 07:30 Ten Seconds Gratitude
 09:55 Being Seen and Love
 11:48 Childhood Wishes
 15:27 Play and Joy
 21:07 Listening as an Adult
 27:07 Devotion Practice Ideas
 31:19 Witnessing and Speaking Life
 35:43 Too Muchness and Belonging
 36:37 Go Outside Challenge

Reflection question:
What helps you know that someone is truly present with you—and what might change if we listened to children long enough to be changed by what they say? 

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage
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!

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What if love wasn't something you defined...

What if it was something you felt?

Inspired by a challenge from Amber's therapist, this episode explores what it means to experience love—not as an idea, but as something embodied.

Using the next round of their co-created 3D Curiosity Cards, Amber and Emma reflect on how our earliest experiences shape the way we give, receive, and sometimes question love.

Along the way, they explore mistakes, emotional safety, family practices, reciprocal witnessing, and Emma leaves us with another memorable piece of Chicken Nugget Wisdom:

This episode is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and imagine what love feels like in your own body.

Reflection Challenge

Spend five minutes this week imagining what it feels like to be loved.

Then ask yourself:

Chapters

00:16 Imagining Being Loved

02:06 Conversation Card Rules

04:25 Round One: Discovery

09:20 Reflecting on Stories

11:27 Round Two: Discernment

19:10 Love Languages & Family Practice

23:09 Reciprocal Witnessing

26:43 Chicken Nugget Wisdom

28:05 Closing Challenge

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage
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!

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What happens when fear shows up in two bodies, but gets two completely different responses?

In this episode, Amber and Emma reflect on roller coasters, fear, faith, control, and what helps us feel safe. They also test the first set of Curiosity Cards they are co-creating to support honest, reciprocal conversations between adults and young people.

Questions explored:

Discovery
Adult: What have you learned about fear and what you must do to keep yourself safe?
Youth: What have you learned you are supposed to do when you feel scared?

Discern
Adult: What helps you release control and trust something bigger than you to guide your path?
Youth: What helps you trust that something bigger than you is helping you find your way?

Devote
Adult: How can we build relationships where people can name their fear without being shamed, silenced, or ignored?
Youth: What can we do to help one another feel safer when we are scared?

The episode closes with reciprocal witnessing:

Something I heard you say that I want to remember is…
Something your answer helped me understand differently is…

Plus, Emma shares her latest Chicken Nugget Wisdom.

00:00 Rollercoaster Prayer Laughs
00:59 Welcome and Why Fear
08:38 Emma’s Rollercoaster Response
11:49 Iron Menace Mindfulness
15:47 Curiosity Cards Idea
21:22 Discovery
28:29 Discernment
36:44 Devotion
43:24 Reciprocal Witnessing
51:19 Chicken Nugget Wisdom

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage
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!

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After a two-month break, Emma and I return with a special family episode. We are joined by my middle child, Maya, to reflect on our unforgettable journey across France. From the bustling streets of Paris to the medieval charm of Sarlat, the caves of Lascaux, and painting en plein air in Provence, this conversation explores travel, connection, identity, grief, joy, and what it means to truly notice the world around us.

Emma steps into the role of host, guiding a conversation filled with rapid-fire questions, laughter, thoughtful reflections, and a few travel mishaps along the way. Together, we reflect on how stepping outside of familiar surroundings can deepen our understanding of ourselves, each other, and the shared humanity that connects us all.

If you're watching this episode, we've woven in photos and video from our travels throughout the conversation. Our hope is that you won't just hear about France—you'll feel transported there with us, experiencing the beauty, wonder, and moments that shaped this journey.

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In this episode:

• Why this France trip was so meaningful for Maya and me
• Packing wins, travel fails, and surviving a European heat wave
• The foods we loved...and the ones they definitely didn’t
• The beauty of Sarlat, Provence, and slowing down enough to notice
• What the Louvre and Lascaux IV taught us about art, history, and being human
• How we built connections without speaking French
• Why travel changed us—and why everyone deserves opportunities to experience other cultures
• Discovering en plein air painting as a healing and reflective practice
• Reflections on experiencing France as a Black girl and woman
• Emma’s surprise “museum” waiting for us at home
• Finding joy, laughter, and connection in the midst of grief

Chapters

00:00 Meet Maya 
04:03 Paris Trip Setup
04:23 Rapid Fire Highlights
07:25 Culture Shocks And Favorites
09:14 Trip Challenges And Souvenirs
11:20 Favorite Moments In France
15:29 Museums And Meaning
17:50 Language Barriers And Detours
20:02 Did Travel Change You?
24:51 Lessons On Energy And Art
29:13 Being Black In France
32:07 Emma Home Museum Reveal
35:18 Closing Reflections

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage
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!

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What if medicine wasn’t just something prescribed… but something that reconnects us to ourselves?

In this tender and deeply reflective episode of Living in 3D Power, Amber and Emma explore the idea of “mental medicine” after Amber’s 3D Power Pause conversation with death doula and therapist The Ancestral Healing Collective founder TaLisa Ramos.

Together, they unpack grief, ancestry, storytelling, food, family, community, and the sacred question:
What kind of ancestor are you becoming right now?

Emma shares that medicine for her is “family, friends, and food,” while Amber reflects on the healing power of remembering our elders as people who once carried dreams too.

The episode moves through conversations about:

•  Death doulas and grief work 
•  Emotional heaviness in today’s world 
•  Why storytelling is medicine 
•  Black ancestry, belonging, and identity 
•  Remembering the dreams of our parents and grandparents 
•  The Disney movie Coco and what it means to be remembered 
•  Becoming “good ancestors in training” 

This episode is both a conversation and an invitation:
 to slow down,
 to remember,
 and to ask what kind of legacy we are creating through the way we love and live.

In This Episode

•  00:32 Death Doula Explained 
•  02:17 Youth Wellness Summit 
•  04:03 Heavy Times and Grief 
•  06:51 Bring Medicine Home 
•  08:14 What Medicine Means 
•  10:10 Family Friends Food 
•  12:54 Ancestry Stories We Miss 
•  20:38 Adults Had Dreams Too 
•  26:04 Ancestors In Training 
•  31:23 Coco and Remembering 
•  32:12 Final Nuggets and Outro 

Chicken Nugget Wisdom 🍗

“You gotta be a good ancestor in training.” — Emma

Reflection Questions

•  What feels like medicine to you? 
•  What stories from your family were never fully told? 
•  What dreams did your elders carry that you are now able to pursue? 
•  What do you hope people remember about the way you loved?

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage
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!

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What happens when your child starts growing up… and you realize you are growing too?

In this episode of Living in 3D Power, Amber and Emma move from lighthearted conversations about birthdays, rules, and everyday family moments into a deeper dialogue about emotional safety, autonomy, conflict, middle school transitions, and what it means to stay connected while everyone is changing.

Together, they unpack:

•  parenting without control 
•  emotional overload in families 
•  healthy distance and space 
•  breaking cycles through therapy and reflection 
•  why children need room to speak honestly 
•  and how joy and play can become pathways back to connection 

Amber reflects on the tension between safety and freedom as children grow older, while Emma offers honest insight into what helps her feel emotionally safe and understood.

This episode is a reminder that:
 ✨ connection matters more than perfection
 ✨ healthy space can create healthier conversations
 ✨ and growing up impacts everyone in the family—not just children

Chapters

 02:44 Letting Kids Grow Up
 03:56 “You Have to Let Your Babies Go”
 06:02 Family Tension & Emotional Capacity
 08:13 There’s No Rulebook for Adults
 10:26 Therapy & Breaking Cycles
 12:23 Middle School & No Yelling
 16:23 Healthy Distance & Space
 20:38 Let Kids Speak Truth
 22:36 Parents Are Not Besties
 26:34 Freedom & Rules
 27:20 Birthday Plans & Growing Up
 30:06 Autonomy vs Safety
 32:27 Respect & Leadership Lessons
 36:37 Chicken Nugget Wisdom

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Website: www.aninclination.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage
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!