[un]phased podcast

Today we are tackling the phenomenon of Nice White Triathletes. While these individuals may be well-intended, Shaunna and Lisa explain why just being “nice” is not enough to disrupt systemic racism in endurance sport, and in society as a whole. Niceness does not exempt us from dismantling racism. We learn how we can start to acknowledge racism, so we can see it as more than just white sheets, slurs, and bad behaviour. The fight for inclusion needs more than just nice people; it needs disruptors and loud voices standing up. As the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis said, Shaunna and Lisa encourage triathletes and endurance athletes to get into “good trouble, necessary trouble” in order to move toward meaningful change.

This week on [un]phased, Shaunna and Lisa are breaking down the term “reverse racism.” It’s a term used to describe when white people feel they have been discriminated against based on their racial identity. But in actuality, the term is used strategically by white people as a tool to stop Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) from equitable access to opportunities taken for granted by white people. We take a deep dive into how dominant cultures use language and behaviours, knowingly and unknowingly, to remain dominant in their social and political context.

Affirmative action seeks to push an inherently imbalanced system towards balance and equity. However, some folks who have been historically advantaged by the system believe it is already balanced because they are unable or unwilling to see the inequity. People in this position often feel like programs attempting to redress the imbalance are taking something away from them and giving more to another person or group of people.

Responses to affirmative action or similar programs, and calls of “reverse racism” can often lead to what Sun Yung Shin has coined White flammability. This can be described as the ignition of a defensive response when whiteness is challenged -- it is an ember that’s constantly simmering. A small spark can cause the flames to burst up.

This flammability can quickly cause a forest fire. However, if we can turn these fires into a controlled burn, they can be used to limit the power of denial when addressing white privilege. To take it further, the flames can be used to burn off feelings of defensiveness, eventually burning down a historical caste system that has constantly ranked and privileged some over others.

More on white flammability and “Reverse Racism”

White Fragility:

https://medium.com/afrosapiophile/its-not-white-fragility-it-s-white-flammability-1b1b5f520e1c

The Myth of Reverse Racism


https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/myth-of-reverse-racism/535689/


Reverse Racism, or How the Pot Got to Call the Kettle Black

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1993/11/reverse-racism-or-how-the-pot-got-to-call-the-kettle-black/304638/

On this week’s episode of [un]phased, Shaunna and Lisa are examining the challenges that come along with hosting a race or large event during a global pandemic. On December 5th and 6th, the Professional Triathlete’s Organization (PTO), in partnership with Challenge Daytona, hosted the 2020 PTO Championships in Daytona, FL. Shaunna and Lisa dive into the ethical implications hosting this event present, and what may be left behind in its wake.

For some, this race presented an opportunity to get back to “normal” life and have the chance to get out on the race course again, something we are all looking forward to. However, the influx of predominantly white, affluent athletes to Daytona to participate in or watch the race places the most vulnerable workers in Daytona at risk. People who work in the service industry and other essential workers - predominantly folks of color and low income people with limited access to healthcare or paid time off - may pay a hefty price for a triathete’s choice to race. During these uncertain times, it is important we consider the community impact our individual choices may have. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a chance to examine our privilege in this way, and to recognize our choices affect more than just us.

This week on [un]phased Lisa and Shaunna are joined by guest and friend Lisa Steptoe, incoming president for the Mid-Maryland Tri Club. In her many years as a member of the Mid-Maryland Tri Club, Lisa Steptoe has worked hard to build it into a place where anyone and everyone feels that they are welcomed and accepted. We dive deep into what it looks like to build an inclusive multisport club from the ground up.

Lisa Steptoe explains that it’s important to have empathy when it comes to how we include folks in endurance sport; whether they run 12 or 5 minute miles, there shouldn’t be a limit or pace clock that determines whether a person is welcome in the sport. Everyone has their own reasons for participating, and we have to respect that and welcome them. She also reiterates the importance of language when it comes to organizing and communicating about group events. Using terms like “no drop ride” let’s everyone know that they will have a place in your club.

Lisa Steptoe has over 25 years of management, operational, marketing and sales experience in the military and healthcare sectors. She is the founding investor for Warrior Centric Health, Inc. She became a multisport athlete in 2010 with her first triathlon at Nation’s Tri in DC on a borrowed mountain bike. In 2017, at the same race, she placed 1st in the Masters Athena Division securing an entry to the iconic Escape from Alcatraz race. She successfully Escaped in 2018. In the 10 years of her multisport lifestyle, she has raced in over 30 Duathlons, Triathlons and Aquabikes achieving the podium 4x. She has been on the Mid-Maryland Triathlon Club’s Board of Directors for 6 years serving as Communication Chair & Vice-President and is now President-elect for 2021. Lisa will be going for her 1st Ironman in 2021 at IMMD. Lisa is a 1987 graduate of the United States Military Academy; married 33 years to Ronald Steptoe, CEO of Warrior Centric Health, Inc; has 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

Follow Lisa on Instagram @thetraveldiva87

Send in your questions, comments, or micro-allyship journey to [email protected]

On [un]phased this week Shaunna and Lisa examine resistance; resistance to change, to acknowledging privilege, and to uncomfortable conversations. They encourage us to engage in personal reflection and examine where our resistance may be coming from, particularly when it relates to recognizing our privileged identities. It is through introspection we can start to understand how our own resistance ultimately upholds larger systems of oppression that continue to marginalize people of color, women, disabled people and others in endurance sport. This self-examination can be difficult, but it is necessary.

Often, there is a connection between resistance to change and a perceived loss of power. This power may be overt (like a leadership position) or it could be less obvious (like seeing yourself routinely represented in triathlon media). Whether the power experienced is explicit or implicit, named or unnamed, it comes from an underlying sense of entitlement, such as a spot on a start line or the top step on the podium at our local race. However, as conditioned as we may be as endurance athletes to think in terms of “winning” and “losing”, we cannot think of DEI concepts in this same way. We have to look deeper and ask: who is always winning? Who is always losing? Who is holding the most space, and what would it look like if space and exposure were more equitably distributed?

Creating space for more folks to participate in endurance sport does not take away opportunities from those who already have them; instead, it allows broader participation and expands who feels welcome. As participants in the endurance sport space, we have to get comfortable leaning into the “headwinds” of these conversations. In particular we have to get comfortable with why we feel the sting of resistance when we are asked to share power, space, and access. Once you understand why you feel resistance to change, you can overcome it, move past it, and start to understand the small and big ways change is needed.

This week on [un]phased, Shaunna and Lisa break down the data. More specifically, why it is important to collect data and to view data with a critical eye? Many endurance sport organizations collect information about who is participating in their events and the experiences they may have had. But what is often overlooked is who is not represented in this data. As Shaunna reminds us, we have to pay attention to the “asterisks” at the bottom of the page, the “less than one percent” groups and ask ourselves: what folks are we missing? Whose experiences aren’t we gathering? In doing so, we create an opportunity to more deeply understand the gaps and strategize ways to include underrepresented groups in endurance sport.

It is also important to understand that data collection cannot be done with a “one and done” mindset; it is a cyclical process of continuous evaluation. For organizations in our sport, this is an important practice to continuously implement both internally and externally. It will ensure growth and the meaningful evolution of all areas of your business. In other words, any leader in endurance sport should run the data as often as possible to make smart, inclusive, and enduring decisions.

Our micro-allyship challenge to our listeners this week is to run the numbers. Question the numbers. Look at data with a critical eye, examine who is being represented, and more importantly, who is not.

Send in your questions, comments, or micro-allyship journey to [email protected].

Following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd earlier this year, companies and organizations across the world came out with statements expressing their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The silence of those who chose not to speak out against racism echoed loudly through society. However, for some of the companies, dipping their toes in social responsibility through their solidarity statements appeared rushed, frantic, and poorly planned - like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping some of it sticks.

As Lisa and Shaunna discussed in our first episode, DEI work must be done with a phased approach; built both from the ground up and from the top down to facilitate actual change within an organization. This is not work that can be done by haphazardly forming diversity committees as “window dressing” to show that an organization is trying to do something.

It is imperative that inclusivity and cultural change are embedded into an organization’s values and baked into its long-term strategic plan. It cannot just be an add-on or afterthought. As members of these organizations, and of endurance sport more broadly, we have to be visionaries who can “think down the street and around the corner” to anticipate changes and growth.

In our episode this week Shaunna and Lisa challenge us as endurance athletes to ask ourselves: What does it mean to be a socially responsible endurance sports company? They remind us that it will take time to work toward these answers, but it is imperative we do this work to make our sport a safer and more inclusive space.

We also have a voicemail from a listener this week! If you have questions, comments, or voicemails send them to info@unphasedpodcast.

Globally, it’s been a long year -- racial unrest, a seemingly uncontrollable pandemic, and even historic weather events. But for many Americans, it’s been a long four years. Running up to the finish line of the U.S. Presidential Election may feel exhausting, but it literally is just one phase of the long journey to personal, professional, financial, and political healing.

The next phase is the aftermath -- or what we have labeled, “The After-mess”. The clean up may get worse before it gets better given the challenges of the election itself and beyond. Lawsuits will be filed for voter suppressions or recounts. Families, friends, and loved ones will need to determine if and how they can possibly heal family relationships. Some people are quickly sliding down a slippery financial slope due to a myriad of reasons. We are neck-deep in a mess that we must address as an entire country.

As endurance athletes, it’s going to be tough to go on that ride with a buddy who -- given their political leanings -- now make you wonder whether your life truly matters. It may be frustrating to know that you are not in fact seen with your differences, but tolerated and treated with no consideration of how you add to the experience with your many identities.

It is at this very time that we need to be sure that fellow athletes have each other’s backs. Yet, for anyone who has attempted to separate and compartmentalize identity differences from the endurance sport experience with a “Just shut up and race attitude”, this may be a necessarily uncomfortable time for you.

This episode will challenge you to consider how you want to engage with anyone and everyone -- especially your fellow athletes. Are you making conscious choices of how/if you want to engage with someone? Consider if it’s worth the energy. How invested are you in your relationship with that person? Consider your own mental health and safety. How might you be creating work for yourself? Taking the time to explain your experience if you are an oppressed person takes emotional labour.

Some other helpful resources:

https://www.ttsdschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=16190&dataid=25559&FileName=Racial%20Battle%20Fatigue%20-%20Handout.pdf

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/01/929856421/after-a-bitter-election-can-americans-find-a-way-to-heal-their-divides

https://www.centredaily.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article246833127.html

SIGN UP at www.outspokensummit.com/awards to attend the Outspoken Women in Triathlon virtual awards ceremony on Sunday November 15th at 4pm PST.

This week on [un]phased, Shaunna and Lisa are joined by author, professor, and endurance athlete Dr. Susan Lacke. Susan is a much-loved contributor to numerous endurance sport platforms including Triathlete, Women’s Running, and Outside magazines. Susan is also deaf, and is a fierce advocate for accessibility in sport.

In this episode, Susan, Shaunna and Lisa discuss ableism in endurance sport, and how our societies have created the perception able-bodied people are “normal.” In the sporting world, most events are created with only the able-bodied athlete in mind, but as Susan explains, we have to start redefining our perception of what an athlete looks, sounds, or acts like. Athletes come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of physical and cognitive ability. Accessibility for all should be embedded in the design of every sporting event or race. However, as Susan explains, this is far from the current reality in endurance sport.

As the Social Model of Disability explains, it is actually the environment a person is in that disables them, not the different abilities they have. As organizers and advocates in the endurance sport space, we must start to dismantle the system that has disadvantaged athletes who do not fit the preconceived idea of a “normal” athlete. We must also examine how we can rebuild the endurance sport ecosystem with accessibility and universal design as central frameworks.

Follow Susan’s running adventures on Instagram @placesmyruntakesme

Buy Susan’s books Running Outside the Comfort Zone and Life’s Too Short To Go So F*cking Slow on her website at www.susanlacke.com, and find some of her additional work here:

Triathlete Magazine: https://www.triathlete.com/culture/how-to-make-triathlon-more-accessible-for-athletes-with-disabilities/

SUCCESS Magazine: https://www.success.com/being-deaf-doesnt-define-me/

NBC Think: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/keeping-people-safe-covid-19-limits-deaf-people-s-access-ncna1207371

Email us at [email protected] with your questions or to let us know how your micro allyship journey is going.

Some other helpful resources on Accessibility in Sport:

https://www.ted.com/talks/stella_young_i_m_not_your_inspiration_thank_you_very_much

https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2016/09/14/say-disabled-person-instead-person-disabilities/

https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/i-am-disabled-on-identity-first-versus-people-first-language/

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/20/17791354/products-people-disabilities-sock-slider-banana-slicer-lazy

This week on [un]phased Shaunna and Lisa are breaking down communication as it relates to identities, intent, and impact. They also discuss how communication can be used to spin a message and reframe how it is perceived.

They dive in by unpacking the October 6th U.S. vice-presidential debate between Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence, including the ways in which Senator Harris’ and Vice President Pence’s identities have influenced how they craft their styles of communication as politicians.

Privilege is evident in our communication. Shaunna and Lisa suggest that we usually frame a situation or behaviour based on our positionality. We have seen this play out in our sporting life as organizations respond to the greater push towards inclusion and equity in sport. Shaunna and Lisa explain it is important to recognize the effect of our communications, what we are trying to convey, and more importantly -- how the message might be received by the intended audience.

Communication about diversity, equity and inclusion is symbolic, yet it also indicates the value we place on these topics. Shaunna & Lisa encourage us to think about our own communication -- both in word and deed -- by paying attention to inclusivity, which can be woven into the fabric of all organizations, including endurance sports.

Our micro allyship challenge for this week is to think about how we can communicate with inclusive intent, and how this communication is received by others.

Email us at [email protected] with your questions or to let us know how your micro allyship journey is going.