In this episode of Unmuted by Nola, we’re unlearning the myth that being “low maintenance” makes us more lovable, more promotable, or more worthy. From middle child peacekeeping to workplace professionalism to romantic relationships where silence became a survival skill, Nola explores how shrinking ourselves—emotionally, energetically, and spiritually—can feel like safety but becomes erasure. She shares the one space where she finally gave herself permission to be a little extra (hint: it’s her birthday), and how reclaiming voice, needs, and visibility is a lifelong act of unmuting.

🎵 Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beats

https://soundcloud.com/snoozybeats

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/snoozybeats/tuesday-vibes

The Civil Rights Act was signed 61 years ago.

It promised change.

It offered keys.

But a key is not the same as a welcome.

And a hallway is not the same as a seat at the table.

This isn’t a history lesson.

It’s a personal one.

About doors that stay closed.

About merit that still isn’t enough.

About the myth that hard work alone can carry you through.

I wasn’t planning to speak this week.

But silence started to feel like complicity.

So here’s a short offering —

A moment of truth in the middle of a holiday.

Because the door may be unlocked…

But it’s still not open.

⸻

🎶 Music Credit:

Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beats

https://soundcloud.com/snoozybeats

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/snoozybeats/tuesday-vibes

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/Gd5msntuOng

What does it really mean to own your voice?

In this episode, I share the quiet moment that followed a big keynote — a moment that didn’t happen on a stage, but in a text to my toddler’s teacher. It was about Harper’s hair. Her beads. Her boundaries. And the cultural nuance that often goes unspoken.

This isn’t just about protecting one child. It’s about raising awareness, deepening understanding, and creating a world where all kids — especially Black girls — are taught that their body and their beauty are not public property.

Because when we speak with care and clarity, we don’t just protect our space — we make more room for others to thrive in theirs.

Music credits: Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beats https://soundcloud.com/snoozybeats

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/snoozybeats/tuesday-vibes

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/Gd5msntuOng

I didn’t lose my voice all at once.

It happened slowly—piece by piece.

In this first episode of Unmuted by Nola, I share the quiet unraveling that started long before I ever had a title, a platform, or a podcast. From being called a know-it-all as a kid to shrinking in professional spaces where I once felt powerful, this is the origin story of how I started muting myself—and how I’m finding my way back.

If you’ve ever dimmed your light to survive or made yourself small to stay safe… you’re not alone.

This is where the journey begins.

Music cred: Tuesday Vibes by Snoozy Beats https://soundcloud.com/snoozybeats

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/snoozybeats/tuesday-vibes

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/Gd5msntuOng

This isn’t Episode 1 — it’s the moment I stopped muting myself.

Welcome to Unmuted by Nola — a podcast for the layered, the honest, and the bold.

From leadership to motherhood to the spaces where we shrink to survive, we’re naming it all — out loud.