I've never actually been alone. Not really. For 26 of my 39 years I've been in a relationship — and for the first time in my life there's nobody. Just me.

This is what learning to be alone for the first time actually looks like. And why I'm choosing it anyway.

If you're alone for the first time, or just learning how to be alone again — this one's for you.

Why does life feel so hard right now? In this episode of Soul Searching, we'll discuss the real reasons behind the mental health crisis, political exhaustion, and burnout that millions of Americans are experiencing — and why it's not all your fault.We're talking about learned helplessness, the wage gap, declining trust in government, and why the system we're living inside was designed to make you feel powerless. Because once you understand that, everything changes.

Are you Black enough? Have you been called an Oreo? Having your Blackness questioned because you don’t fit a certain mainstream idea of what it means to be Black is not something anyone should have to deal with. Regardless of how you dress, speak, what music you like, or anything else you do that makes you…you—your Black skin doesn’t ever come off. But who decides what being Black is supposed to look like anyway? And why do you think that idea is the way that it is? Who stands to benefit?

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:23 What Does Being ‘Black Enough’ Mean?
• 01:48 You ‘Talk White’ Code Switch
• 03:10 Diverse Culture or Black Culture?
• 03:55 Is This Racist?
• 04:22 Where is the Black Audience?
• 05:40 Who Decides What Blackness Is?
• 06:20 Have You Been Called an Oreo Before?
• 07:10 Black People Can in All Forms
• 07:30 Can Black People Do This?
• 08:35 American Culture is Black Culture
• 09:35 I’m Black and I’m Proud