Okay – today's episode is one of those conversations that reminds us why we love doing this podcast.

We're so excited to share this conversation with Paula Gaither – and truly, talking with Paula was such a gift. She is equal parts party, equal parts scholar, equal parts absolute bright light of a human being.

Paula is a PhD candidate at Stanford and a Rome Prize Fellow here at the American Academy in Rome, and her research looks at how ancient Roman depictions of Blackness have been shaped – and misshaped – by modern scholarship and museum practices. But what makes Paula so special isn't just the rigor of her work, it's the way she moves through the world while doing it.

She's the hype gal of the Academy – whether it's time to go check out an archaeological dig, show up for someone's work, or turn the energy all the way up when it's time to gather and celebrate. Paula brings curiosity, care, joy, and fire into every space she enters.

In this conversation, we talk about Blackness, queerness, partnership, reclaiming narrative authority, and what it means to do research that actively breaks down patriarchy and dismantles white supremacist frameworks – without losing yourself, your joy, or your people along the way.

This episode's emergence arc is from representation to reclamation – and Paula embodies that shift so beautifully.

So settle in, turn the volume up, and get ready for a conversation that feels like thinking, laughing, and becoming all at once.

Let's go!