In this episode of O₃: The Black Girl Formula, we’re unpacking what it really means to exist as a Black neurodivergent woman in workplaces that were never built for our brains, our bodies, or our boundaries.

From masking and overperforming to navigating constant double and triple standards, Nel names the invisible labor of trying to be understood in spaces that benefit from your silence. This isn’t just about the job you were hired to do, it’s about the second job of surviving the environment.

Grounded in the words and legacy of Assata Shakur, we explore why freedom has never come from appealing to the people in power and what it looks like to instead practice liberation in real time. Nel breaks down “triple consciousness” and the tension of navigating race, gender, and neurodivergence all at once, while calling out the exhausting cycle of overexplaining, overdelivering, and shrinking to fit.

But we’re not staying stuck there.

This episode introduces a simple but powerful formula:

Observe where you’re masking

Own what makes you “too much”

Opt out of seeking approval from systems that were never meant to affirm you

Overthinking. Overfeeling. Overcoming.

Tap in—this one is about releasing the performance and reclaiming yourself.

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Curated by: Nel @litbadgyal

Producer: Kay @KaydaProducer

Original music by: Lil Sha @lillshaofficial