17: New Year of Actions + Why Getting Names Right Matters

If you’re a repeat listener to the podcast over the last almost SEVEN years, you know that sometimes, we’ve done seasonal arcs in which we focus on a topic or theme for the season. (And if you’ve just found us - hello!) 

This year, we’re doing something different: a year-long focus on action, which is the third pillar of our listen, learn, and act framework. It moves us from “what can I do?” to “here’s how I show up.” 

We’ll take the things that you’ve been curious about (but didn’t want to ask about, maybe), break down the history behind them, and walk you through why these things matter. 

And then we’ll throw in tips on how, now that you know about them, you can make small changes in your own lives to make a huge impact in your communities and in the fight for all of us. 

We’re in it to win it this year. Hope you’ll come along for the journey.

Welcome to 2026, and a whole new year of What Do You Mean By That? - the podcast about asking better questions, having deeper conversations, and taking action that helps all of us. Make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter to catch all the details in between.

What to listen for: 

• What does a name actually carry beyond just identification? The cocktail party effect of perking our brains up, increasing engagement, attention, and memory. Plus, the big answer: belonging. Even to a whole country.

• Why does mispronouncing or misspelling someone’s name — even unintentionally — have an impact? Just ask Miasma… I mean Misasha. AKA “Sasha” in coffee shops.

• Why do people so often hesitate to ask for help with names? Perfectionism, fear of awkwardness (but isn’t it also awkward to get it wrong?!), and the effort it takes to actually listen to and learn someone’s name. 

• What happens when people feel pressured to shorten, change, or “Americanize” their names? Sure, study after study proves we are biased against certain names. But is that enough reason to ask folks to erase their heritage, their parent’s pride, their sense of identity - so you can call them “Alice”? 

• Getting names right is a simple but powerful practice of belonging. Make the effort.

For more like this, listen to our conversation with Mita Mallick (another “get my name right” advocate) on colorism.

And this conversation with Naomi Raquel Enright on specific phrasing around identity (i.e., presumed to be White, instead of White-presenting or passing for White)  

Finally, to read more, check out our book Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Racism.