Libsyn Directory

31: The CROWN Act: I Am More Than My Hair

Release Date: 04/13/2022

52: Special Encore: Becoming A Deliberate Listener

Respect Circles - The Podcast

From the beginning, our mission with Respect Circles has been to foster open communication, learning, and respectful dialogue. We’ve referenced the importance of deliberate listening, and we’ve specifically mentioned a popular past episode of Respect Circles about this subject. That’s why we thought it would be timely to present a special encore of that episode on becoming a deliberate listener, for listeners who haven’t yet heard that discussion, or as a refresher for long-time listeners to deepen their learning. Deliberate listening can dramatically improve the quality of our...

51: Time to Call B.S.

Respect Circles - The Podcast

In our last episode, we looked back at some of our most impactful conversations and we talked about how we can put what we have learned into action. At the time we were recording, another school shooting had just occurred in Nashville, Tennessee, where three 9-year old children and three teachers were killed. We shared our frustration at the escalation of gun violence here in the United States, and the apparent lack of action to change it. In this episode, we decided to call B.S. on the complacency and lack of real action on this critical issue. The solutions should be common sense, as...

50: Celebrating 50!

Respect Circles - The Podcast

It’s the 50th episode of Respect Circles, and we’re excited to take this opportunity to celebrate all the great conversations and guests we’ve had on the podcast the last year and a half! In this episode, we reflect upon some of our most meaningful lessons and share what we hope to carry forward from our learning. We want to thank each of you who has listened, subscribed and shared our podcast, and provided feedback and encouragement along the way. We’re looking forward to all the good that is possible as we continue to grow and expand our reach. Don’t...

49: The Pursuit of Happiness

Respect Circles - The Podcast

When we think about the documents that have framed and influenced our nation, there are few that are more important than The Declaration of Independence. While there were a number of edits and updates made to Jefferson’s original version, one thing that remained constant or consistent throughout were the rights that were given to all Americans for things like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For many years, researchers have studied the meaning of happiness, which has provided valuable clues to what it takes to live happy and healthy lives. Most recently however, reports...

48: Connecting Across Our Differences

Respect Circles - The Podcast

In this episode, join us as we explore the cultural divide in our country and discuss what it means to be proud of who you are and where you come from. What do you hear when someone says they are proud to be black? And how does the meaning change if they are proud to be white? What’s possible if we learn to connect across our differences? This concept is an important part of our mission here at Respect Circles, and in this episode we deepen the discussion about the ‘whys’ behind the cultural divide and keep looking for ways to foster respect and...

47: Survival & Forgiveness: Powerful Lessons with Dylan Pryor & Cory Spain

Respect Circles - The Podcast

On today’s episode of Respect Circles, we are honored to be joined by guests Dylan Pryor and Cory Spain, as they share their perspectives of a tragic incident that happened 5 years ago in Lone Tree, Colorado. March 22nd, 2018 is a day that neither Cory or Dylan will forget, and in this episode, they share the events of that day and the powerful lessons they have learned from it, including the power of forgiveness, what true friendship really is, why adversity does not need to define you, and how to become better, not bitter, in the face of challenging times. You’ll also hear...

46: When We Know Better, We Should Do Better

Respect Circles - The Podcast

At the time of this recording, it’s been two and a half years since the murder of George Floyd. As we kick off Black History Month in February, it feels relevant and timely to look back and to see what progress has been made since his death. We believe one of the ways we continue to create a more just society is to ensure all citizens are provided the same rights, protections, pursuit of happiness and justice that are still important to us...and to keep having the hard conversations about it. We also want to look at what opportunities still lie ahead. Each of us has...

45: Modern Friendship: Meeting People Where They Are

Respect Circles - The Podcast

Today we discuss our perspectives on friendship, exploring what it means to be a friend and what happens when what we give in a relationship feels out of balance. As we share our own personal experiences, we’ll talk about ways that each of us can show up as the best version of ourselves for the friends in our lives. How are you doing with our initiative? Comment below and then share your efforts and successes on social media and tag us @respectcircles in your post. We’ll share your posts in our stories and may even give away some prizes as we kick off the...

44: Gifts of the New Year

Respect Circles - The Podcast

Happy New Year! This time of year is such a fun time of gift giving and celebration with the people that we love, so today we thought it would be timely to share our perspectives on this timely topic. Gift giving looks different for everybody, and is very personal, so we hope that what we share today helps you be more intentional when giving, and receiving, gifts! Movement is medicine, and we all know we need to move more, which is why we’re introducing . We may have gotten out of the habit over the past 2-3 years as we’ve worked from home and stayed in more (thanks...

43: Looking Forward: So Much More To Talk About

Respect Circles - The Podcast

Here we are at the end of 2022, and in this episode, we take time to reflect on some of our topics this past year, as well as what we’re proud of at Respect Circles. We also look forward to what else is possible with this platform we’ve built, and to consider the conversations ahead this upcoming year. Looking forward, there are so many topics we want to talk about, including the importance of reducing the stigma associated with focusing on mental health, as well as how critical self-care and movement are to our overall well-being. In this episode, we explore different ways to show...

More Episodes

Earlier this March the U.S. House of Representatives passed The CROWN Act, which bans any form of discrimination based on hairstyle or texture. We also recently witnessed one of the most qualified Supreme Court candidates, Ketanji Brown Jackson, complete her senate confirmation hearing. Though we heard a lot about her qualifications and her appointment was well-deserved, there was just as much chatter about her “sister locks.” This has been an ongoing issue for decades, if not centuries, and we just knew that we had to dive deeper into the topic of Black women in America, and the role that hair has played in their journey.

If you think this is just about hair though, stay tuned, because we have two very special guests joining us to share their experiences, not only in corporate America, but in academia and in society as a whole.

Joy Morton is the Assistant Deputy Insurance Commissioner with The Virginia State Corporation Commission, and Ayo Morton is a preacher, poet, doctoral candidate, and adjunct professor at The University of Memphis. Both happen to be AJ’s relatives, his sister and his niece respectively, and they offer a wealth of insight into this topic.

It was so much fun to have Joy and Ayo as our guests on the podcast. As always, we learned and gained a broader perspective and we’ll continue to have these conversations so that we can educate ourselves and raise awareness. That’s what Respect Circles is all about.

As always, we love to hear your feedback. If you have a question or topic that you’d like us to discuss in a future episode, please go to https://www.respectcircles.com/voicemail/ to leave us a message.

You can also reach us by email, [email protected], on social media at https://www.facebook.com/respectcircles and https://www.instagram.com/respectcircles/, or by visiting our website at www.respectcircles.com too. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks so much for listening. We’d love to have you subscribe to the podcast, leave us a rating and review, and share with your friends!

In this episode you’ll hear:

A look back at the history of the Black hair care industry [4:09]
AJ’s experience growing up around this topic [5:06]
Why hair is such a significant conversation in the Black community, especially amongst the women [8:03]
Hair as a way for Black women to reclaim their agency [11:38]
How Both Joy and Ayo were introduced to the importance of hair, and the role it has played in both of their lives [13:00]
What their initial thoughts on The CROWN Act were, and whether they think this law will make a difference [21:18]
A fascinating study that shows the majority of people, regardless of race or gender, hold some biases around hair [27:49]
The pressures faced by Black women in relation to their hair, particularly from others in the Black community [32:10]
The differences that Joy is seeing with hair in Corporate America [36:38]
What magic can happen when someone is comfortable with who he or she is [41:11]
What both Joy and Ayo’s preferred hair style of texture would be if no social pressures existed [43:06]
Ways to become an ally and to show up and support others [48:20]
Their advice to parents of young people on navigating this important issue [51:33]