Shades of Strong® Podcast | From “Strong Black Woman” to Supported Black Woman

By Shirl | Shaddes of Strong

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Subscribers: 10
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Episodes: 283

Description

Shades of Strong® is the podcast for Black women ready to trade the weight of “Strong Black Woman” for something better: real, lasting support. Through honest conversation, storytelling, and the Support Languages™ framework, host Shirl explores what strength has cost Black women, what support actually looks like in real life, and how we can stop carrying everything alone. Each episode offers language for what many of us have been feeling, tools for asking for the support we deserve, and space to finally exhale. You have been strong long enough. This is your place to reclaim strength without struggle.

Episode Date
26 Black Women | The Story the Stories Told
May 07, 2026
When You’re Doing Everything Right and Still Feel Invisible with Radiah Shabazz Harold
Apr 30, 2026
When You’re Fighting for Your Life and Still Showing Up with Didi Hairston
Apr 29, 2026
The Cost of Always Being the One Who Figures It Out with Nikquan Lewis
Apr 28, 2026
The Moment You Realize You Can’t Keep Doing This with Sadija A. Smiley
Apr 27, 2026
When Doing Everything Right Still Isn’t Enough with Juanita Ingram
Apr 26, 2026
The Moment You Realize You’ve Been Doing Too Much with Kimberly Sumpter
Apr 25, 2026
Losing Yourself Trying to Be Strong with Chernika L Corbett
Apr 24, 2026
What It Feels Like to Be Strong and Unheard with Emely Rumble
Apr 23, 2026
Breaking the Silence That Strength Required with Grace Rabia Wood
Apr 22, 2026
Unlearning the Life That Was Costing Me My Peace with Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew
Apr 21, 2026
When Helping Everyone Starts to Hurt You with Simone Gordon
Apr 20, 2026
Fighting to Stay Sane While Everyone Calls You Strong with Mary Sims
Apr 17, 2026
Learning to Be Held After Always Being Strong with Alyson Brown
Apr 15, 2026
When Work Becomes Your Identity with Joyel Crawford
Apr 13, 2026
When There’s Nothing Left to Be Strong For with Shelley Washington
Apr 10, 2026
Being the One Everyone Depends On with Dr. Candice Dawson
Apr 09, 2026
The Weight of Being the Emotional Caretaker with Achea Redd
Apr 08, 2026
When “I Got It” Was No Longer True with Tasha Randle
Apr 07, 2026
Being the Strong One in Rooms Not Built for Me with Cynthia Strickland
Apr 06, 2026
When My Body Said No | Chronic Pain in Black Women with Fawn Walker Montgomery
Apr 05, 2026
26 Black Women: What Strength Took. What Support Could Have Given
Apr 04, 2026
How to Answer “You Okay” When You’re Not
Feb 20, 2026
The Quiet Way We Start Neglecting Ourselves
Feb 19, 2026
When Your Body Doesn’t Feel Safe Enough to Receive
Feb 18, 2026
On Questioning Whether What You Do Even Matters
Feb 17, 2026
The Pressure to Create Balance Is Wearing You Out
Feb 16, 2026
Galentine’s Day Isn’t About the Loud Moments
Feb 13, 2026
What It Really Means to Find Your "Free"
Feb 12, 2026
Trust Sounds Simple Until It Isn’t
Feb 11, 2026
Is It Intuition… or Overthinking?
Feb 10, 2026
When Work Is Draining You and You Can’t Afford to Stop
Feb 09, 2026
When Music Holds What Words Can’t
Feb 06, 2026
I'm Not Knocking Being Strong, But...
Feb 05, 2026
Support Was Our First Language (Not Love)
Feb 04, 2026
When the Small Things Feel Too Big
Feb 02, 2026
Can You Find the Courage to Not Be All Things?
Jan 30, 2026
It’s the Reciprocity (or Lack Thereof) for Me
Jan 29, 2026
You Don’t Have to Be Strong for Anyone Today
Jan 28, 2026
Since When Did Boundaries Make Me Mean?
Jan 27, 2026
The Voice in Your Head Isn't Always You
Jan 26, 2026
Support When You Don't Even Know What You Need
Jan 23, 2026
The Exhaustion of Always Having to Explain
Jan 22, 2026
Coming Back to Yourself
Jan 21, 2026
“I Have To” — But Do You Really?
Jan 20, 2026
God Don't Play About You
Jan 19, 2026
Who Are You Outside of the Roles Your Play
Jan 06, 2026
2025 Had Hands… But It Also Had Layers
Dec 30, 2025
Don’t Forget to Put You on the List
Dec 23, 2025
Reclaiming Rest, Wellness, and Your Whole Self w/ Tara Pringle Jefferson
Dec 16, 2025
How We Friend: A Conversation About Support and Sisterhood w/Alyson Brown and Mia Brinson
Nov 25, 2025
A Black Woman’s Dream, Delayed but Still Divine
Nov 04, 2025
Have You Checked On Your Strong Friend?
Oct 24, 2025
Tired of Being the Strong One? The Hard Truth Behind Letting Go
Oct 21, 2025
Finding Support in the Pause
Oct 07, 2025
Why Self-Care Sundays and the Soft Life Aren’t Enough
Oct 03, 2025
When a Black Woman is Well, Everybody’s Well with Dr. Cecily Moore
Sep 30, 2025
When "Support" is Present But You Still Feel Alone
Sep 26, 2025
When You're All You've Got | Feeling Unsuppoted As A Black Woman
Sep 23, 2025
When Everything Feels Heavy
Sep 12, 2025
You Give a F*ck Way Too Much | The Emotional Labor of it All
Sep 09, 2025
Learning to Hold Yourself When No One Else Does
Aug 29, 2025
Hot Combs, Safe Spaces, and Growing Up Black
Aug 26, 2025
You Don't Owe Struggle Your Loyalty
Aug 22, 2025
What Ruth and Boaz Taught Me (That Church Never Did)
Aug 19, 2025
Protecting Your Peace or Getting Your Lick Back
May 30, 2025
If You Mean Black Women, Say Black Women
May 27, 2025
Love Will Never Be Enough
May 13, 2025
A Mother's Day Reflection: When Love is There, But Support Isn't
May 11, 2025
Support When You’re in the Thick of a Thing
Apr 29, 2025
Rebuilding Your Capacity to Be Held
Apr 15, 2025
You Don’t Have to Explain Your Tired
Apr 10, 2025
One Soft Moment Can Change Everything
Apr 08, 2025
Embracing Joy and Struggle (in that order)
Apr 01, 2025
The Conversation That Could Save You From Choosing the Wrong Partner
Mar 27, 2025
Honoring Your Capacity
Mar 25, 2025
5 Kinds of Support Black Women Need (But Aren’t Getting)
Feb 25, 2025
Soulful Sunday | This Week Feels Like Flow
Feb 24, 2025
When Support Feels Far Away
Feb 18, 2025
You’re Not Ungrateful—Help Just Isn’t the Same as Support
Feb 11, 2025
Soulful Sunday | This Week Feels Like Letting Go
Feb 09, 2025
The See What You Do, But Do They See YOU?
Feb 04, 2025
Soulful Sunday | This Week Feels Like Wholeness
Feb 02, 2025
Stop Pushing Through. Reclaiming Space and Support
Jan 28, 2025
Soulful Sunday | This Week Feels Like Play
Jan 26, 2025
What Happens When You Let Go of "I’ve Got It"
Jan 21, 2025
Why Black Women Need Friends Who Truly See Them
Jan 14, 2025
Support for Black Women That Actually Supports
Jan 07, 2025
Don’t Bring All of That "Strong One" Energy into 2025
Dec 30, 2024
Recharge and Reconnect to What Truly Matters
Aug 06, 2024
Day 22: Holding Yourself in Contempt
Jul 26, 2024
Day 21: Finding Hope in Broken Places
Jul 25, 2024
Day 20: Knowing When to Walk Away
Jul 24, 2024
Day 19: Focusing on What You Can Control
Jul 23, 2024
Day 18: Overcoming Fear When Shift Happens
Jul 22, 2024
Day 17: Embracing Change When Life Gets Messy
Jul 20, 2024
Day 16: Breaking Generational Curses
Jul 19, 2024
Day 15: Building a Legacy That Matters
Jul 18, 2024
Day 14: Taking Care of Your Body and Physical Health
Jul 17, 2024
Day 13: Finding a Reason to Wake up in the Mornings
Jul 16, 2024
Day 12: Balancing Prioritizing Yourself and Handling Your Responsibilities
Jul 15, 2024
Day 11: Creating a [Saturday] Morning Routine
Jul 13, 2024
Day 10: Validating Your Feelings and Experiences
Jul 12, 2024
Day 9: Building Great Relationships with Great People
Jul 10, 2024
Day 8: Practicing Self-compassion
Jul 09, 2024
Day 7: Finding Quiet Moments When Life is Loud
Jul 08, 2024
Day 6: Letting Go of the Need to Control | Trusting the Process
Jul 07, 2024
Day 5: Embracing Vulnerability for True Connection
Jul 06, 2024
Day 4: Self-Care Rituals That Nurture Your Inner Peace
Jul 05, 2024
Day 3: Setting Boundaries and Reclaiming Your Life
Jul 04, 2024
Day 2: Identifying Your Priorities
Jul 03, 2024
Day 1: The Dark Side of Saying Yes
Jul 02, 2024
"Me-First": A 30-Day Journey to Self-Love & Boundaries
Jul 01, 2024
Healing the Feminine A Path to Rediscovering You w/Deneen Tyler
Jun 18, 2024
Father Wound: A Path to Healing with Dr. LaSondra Barnes
Jun 11, 2024
From Hurt to Healing: Navigating Trauma with Tigest Beyene
Jun 04, 2024
Unmasking Mental Health with Donnita Hathaway
May 28, 2024
Mental Health and the Black Female Experience w/Aubri McKoy
May 21, 2024
The Intersection of Neurodivergence & Vulnerability w/Traci Neal
May 14, 2024
Navigating and Healing from the Mother Wound w/Alyson Brown
May 07, 2024
The Power of Acknowledgement and Accountability 
Apr 23, 2024
Breaking Free from the Ride or Die Mentality with Shanita Hubbard
Apr 16, 2024
Fostering a Discipline of Humanzing Ourselves
Apr 09, 2024
Empowering Conversations for Black Women: Season Premiere Trailer
Mar 26, 2024
Black Women Embracing Being Soft and Strong [A Summer of Encores]
Aug 08, 2023
Tearing Down Emotional Walls [A Summer of Encores]
Aug 01, 2023
Black Women Ain't Out Here Angry For Nothing [A Summer of Encores]
Jul 25, 2023
Healing From the Pain and Trauma of Past Experiences [A Summer of Encores]
Jul 11, 2023
Unlearning People Pleasing Behavior [A Summer of Encores]
Jul 04, 2023
Be the Friend You Want to Experience [A Summer of Encores]
Jun 27, 2023
Supporting Others Through Emotional Pain [A Summer of Encores]
Jun 20, 2023
Black Girls Socialized to Be Strong [A Summer of Encores]
Jun 13, 2023
Tšhegofatšo Ndabane on Her Approach to Overcoming Burnout
Jun 06, 2023
Signs Your Strong Friend Needs Support
May 23, 2023
Paballo Rampa on Celebrating Herself, and Healing Ancestral Trauma
May 16, 2023
Adrienne Allen on When You Have to Let Your Mother Go
May 09, 2023
Finding Peace When Everything Seems to Be Falling Apart
May 02, 2023
Finding Peace When You Hate Your Job
Apr 11, 2023
Safe Spaces and Why Black Women Need Them
Apr 04, 2023
When Being Independent Goes "Strong"
Mar 28, 2023
Creating Space for Vulnerability & Becoming Your Own Safe Place
Mar 21, 2023
Checking In With Yourself as a Daily Practice
Mar 14, 2023
Nancey B. Price on Why She Doesn't Identify As a Strong Black Woman
Mar 07, 2023
Black History Month and the Black Women We Love
Feb 28, 2023
Godly Love and the Dehumanization of Black Women
Feb 21, 2023
Loving on Yourself First and Reclaiming Your Enoughness
Feb 14, 2023
Cultivating Healthy GIRLfriendships
Feb 07, 2023
Wins, Challenges, Revelations and Permission to Reset
Jan 31, 2023
Who Holds You Accountable When You're Doing the Most?
Jan 24, 2023
Nurture Yourself, Sis! It’s Your Birthright.
Jan 17, 2023
F*ck Being Strong. It's Time to Float with the Tide, Sis!
Jan 10, 2023
Season 6 Opener | Setting Clear Intentions for Doing "Strong" Differently
Jan 03, 2023
Season Closer | You Are the Rise of the Black Woman
Dec 21, 2022
Accepting Yourself Fully is the Real Glow Up
Dec 07, 2022
Guarding Your Yes vs Saying No
Nov 01, 2022
Being Still & Embracing Quiet Moments
Oct 12, 2022
A Journey to Being Soft and Strong
Sep 06, 2022
The Journey Towards, Vulnerability, Grace, and Ease
Aug 09, 2022
Mental Health, Resilience and Post-Partum Depression
Aug 02, 2022
Being Steady, Present and Free Even When Life Be Lifing
Jul 26, 2022
Finding Comfort in Sitting with Uncomfortable Emotions
Jul 19, 2022
Season 5 Trailer | Dance to the Beat of Your Own Strong
Jul 12, 2022
DAY 30 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Magical Things Happen When Black Women Heal
Nov 10, 2021
DAY 29 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Dear Black Women, You Deserve to Heal
Nov 08, 2021
DAY 28 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Getting off the Hamster Wheel of Perfectionism
Nov 01, 2021
DAY 27 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Doing the Work to Heal the Mother Daughter Wound
Oct 31, 2021
DAY 26 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Perfectionism - Mary Jane's Response to Unresolved Trauma
Oct 30, 2021
DAY 25 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | DAY 25 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Why Mary Jane (and you) Keep Getting Love Bombed
Oct 29, 2021
DAY 24 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Perfectionism, Alignment, and the Pursuit of Love
Oct 27, 2021
DAY 23 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Has Anyone Told You Your Needs Matter?
Oct 26, 2021
DAY 22 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Dear Mary Jane Paul, Perfection ≠ Success
Oct 25, 2021
DAY 21 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Strategies to Doing Life Without Performing and Manipulating
Oct 24, 2021
DAY 20 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | The Consequences of Hiding Your True Self
Oct 23, 2021
DAY 19 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | The Consequences of Being a Manipulator
Oct 22, 2021
DAY 18 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | The Lack of Emotional Safety and Security
Oct 21, 2021
DAY 17 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Annalise Keating - The Fight to Flight
Oct 20, 2021
DAY 16 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Annalise Keating - The Need to Control
Oct 19, 2021
DAY 15 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Annalise Keating - The Master Manipulator and Performer
Oct 18, 2021
DAY 14 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Strategies to Stop Feeling Like You Have Something to Prove
Oct 17, 2021
DAY 13 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | You Don't Have to Be Anyone's Ride or Die
Oct 16, 2021
DAY 12 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Be Yourself and Free Yourself from Proving Yourself
Oct 15, 2021
DAY 11 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | The Need to Prove Yourself & Power of Healing in Community
Oct 14, 2021
DAY 10 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | The Fight Trauma Response & Cookie Lyon
Oct 13, 2021
DAY 9 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding |The Ride or Die That is Cookie Lyon
Oct 12, 2021
DAY 8 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Is Cookie Lyon an Angry Black Woman
Oct 11, 2021
DAY 7 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Kick People Pleasing to the Curb
Oct 10, 2021
DAY 6 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Ten Whole Years of People Pleasing
Oct 09, 2021
DAY 5 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | People Pleasing - A Harmless Act of Love or a Mental Health Risk?
Oct 08, 2021
DAY 4 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | Why We Become People Pleasers
Oct 07, 2021
DAY 3 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | The Side Effects of Being the Strong Black Superwoman
Oct 06, 2021
DAY 2 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding | When Love Becomes Kryptonite
Oct 05, 2021
Day 1 Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding
Oct 04, 2021
Superwoman Must Die | Slaying the Strong Black Woman Syndrome
Sep 21, 2021
Don't Call Me Superwoman | Say it with Your Whole Chest
Sep 01, 2021
Uncaping, Unmasking, Unhiding the Black Female Body
Aug 31, 2021
When Little Black Girls Are Socialized to Be Strong
Jul 26, 2021
A Black Girl Daring to Heal
Jul 23, 2021
The Power of Sista to Sista Friendships w/Lana Hunter & Melissa J. Nixon
Jun 01, 2021
Anyonita G. on Being Olivia Pope via the Superwoman Archetype Quiz
May 25, 2021
Is Your Mother Wound Keeping You Separated from the Joys of Sistahood
May 17, 2021
Black from the Past™Featuring Willie (Big Mama) Thornton
May 07, 2021
Can the Sistahood Circle Be Unbroken?
Apr 26, 2021
Black from the Past™ | Mary Eliza Mahoney
Apr 23, 2021
Identifying the Layers of the Black Superwoman Cape
Apr 12, 2021
Season 4 Trailer | Things We've Lost to the Superwoman Cape
Apr 05, 2021
Healing the Little Black Girl Behind the Strong Black Woman
Mar 03, 2021
Rest. Because Sometimes Your Strength Gets Tired
Feb 24, 2021
The Fine Line Between Being Independent and TOO Independent
Feb 03, 2021
Never Let What THEY Think of You Silence You
Jan 27, 2021
You Get to Be Strong and Vulnerable
Jan 06, 2021
Strong Black Women Feel Things Too
Dec 30, 2020
You Are the Most Important Person in Your Life
Nov 18, 2020
Is It Time to Retire the Strong Black Woman Title?
Nov 04, 2020
Season Finale | Let's Imagine a New Normal Together
Oct 19, 2020
It's Time to Level Up. Can You Help a Sista Out?
Sep 14, 2020
Black from the Past™ | Honoring Phyllis Hyman
Aug 21, 2020
Colorism | When They Say You’re Pretty for a Dark Skinned Girl
Aug 17, 2020
Black from the Past™ | Honoring Margaret Garner
Aug 14, 2020
The Sexualization of Black Women and Girls
Aug 10, 2020
Why Millennials and Gen Z’ers Are Rejecting Being Strong
Aug 03, 2020
Dear Black People, It's Okay to Pause From the Cause
Jun 29, 2020
People Pleasing Ain't It | Live Your Life, Sis
Jun 22, 2020
Juneteenth | Still Breaking Chains
Jun 19, 2020
Dear Black Woman, You Have a Right to Be Angry!
Jun 15, 2020
The Revolution is Being Televised with Ife Madzimoyo
Jun 08, 2020
Podcasters for Justice | We Stand Against Racism and Police Brutality
Jun 06, 2020
Forgiving Yourself and Others When You Don't Feel Like Forgiving
Jun 01, 2020
From Generation to Generation the Trauma Overflows PART 2
May 25, 2020
From Generation to Generation the Trauma Overflows Pt 1
May 11, 2020
When the Trauma is From God
Apr 27, 2020
When the Emotional Walls Come Tumbling Down
Apr 20, 2020
Moving Past the Guilt and Shame of the Breakup
Apr 13, 2020
The Guilt of Being a Single Black Mom
Apr 06, 2020
Moving on When Life Let's You Down
Apr 02, 2020
Fatherless Black Girls and Daddy Issues
Mar 30, 2020
Dear Sis, You Don't Have to Fake It
Mar 16, 2020
Season 3 Trailer: Let's Get This Healing, Sis!
Mar 09, 2020
Raising a Black Son in White America
Mar 02, 2020
Black Girl Happy with Randi B
Jan 07, 2020
Living Life on My Terms My Own Way with Gina Neely
Dec 19, 2019
The Fight to JUST BE (Seen and Heard) Continues
Nov 25, 2019
Black Women Can Never Not See Color
Nov 18, 2019
A Black Woman’s Guilt and Shame
Oct 28, 2019
Girl Bye! Boy Stop! I Choose Me
Oct 21, 2019
Black Women Don’t Need a Captain Save a Queen
Oct 14, 2019
Emotional Spending — Black Women Be Shoppin’
Oct 07, 2019
Forgiveness, Broken Trust, Come Get Your Healing!
Sep 30, 2019
Mailbag Episode Part ONE: Self-Worth, Youth and Privacy, Single Mom’ing Oh My!
Sep 23, 2019
Taking Care of You In and Out of “Crisis Season” Featuring Michelle Goodloe
Sep 16, 2019
Let’s Do it Again | Shades of Strong Episode Compilation
Sep 09, 2019
Where is God When Life Happens
Sep 02, 2019
Finding Yourself, Owning Your Voice and Standing in Your Truth
Aug 26, 2019
Emotional Healing | Don’t Tell Me How to Heal PERIOD!
Aug 19, 2019
Sisterhood | They Smile in Your Face
Aug 12, 2019
I’m My Child’s Friend AND I’m Still in Control
Jul 29, 2019
Black Men and Strong Black Women | The Great Divide
Jul 22, 2019
Rape Culture Within The Culture | S2Epi008
Jul 15, 2019
What They Call Us When They See Us | S2Epi007
Jul 01, 2019
Habits that Keep Black Women Stuck | S2Epi006
Jun 10, 2019
Trapped in a Bad Relationship: Why We Can’t Just Leave | S2Epi005
May 06, 2019
Black Girls! Protect Your Magic! | S2Epi003
Apr 22, 2019
Behind the Mask of the Angry Black Woman | Featuring Ife Madzimoyo
Mar 18, 2019
How Enough Am I?
Mar 15, 2019
The Cost of Being a Strong Black Woman | S2Epi001
Mar 11, 2019
Welcome to Shades of Strong Season Two
Mar 07, 2019
The Death of Get Naked LIVE
Jan 16, 2019
014: The Strong Black Woman vs. White Privilege w/Amy Brooks
Oct 15, 2018
013: Life for Me Ain’t Been No Crystal Stair
Oct 08, 2018
I’m Coming Out Naked and Unashamed
Sep 07, 2018
This is Not Good Bye – It’s See You Later
Aug 21, 2018
012: Loving Every Fiber of Your Naked Self w/Kaila Boulware
Aug 13, 2018
011: Forgiving Your Offender After Sexual and Physical Abuse w/Nicole K. Jones
Aug 07, 2018
010: Teen Dating Violence: Good Girls DO Kiss & Tell w/Juanita Foster
Jul 30, 2018
009: Ditching the Mask and Coming out of Hiding w/Adelai Brown
Jul 23, 2018
008: Walking Through Grief and Healing w/Danielle Dunn
Jul 16, 2018
007: Emotional Resilience: Bouncing Back After the Storm w/Gabrielle Leonard
Jul 02, 2018
006: Releasing the Pain and Trauma of the Past w/ Angela Roulette
Jun 25, 2018
005: Strong Black Women and the Men Who Love Them w/ Rob Badgett
Jun 18, 2018
004: Giving Yourself Permission to Not (Always) Be Okay w/RaShaunda Fuller
Jun 11, 2018
003: Processing Anger and Setting Personal Boundaries w/Maisha Hudson
Jun 04, 2018
002: Your Power Lies in Being Naked and Unashamed w/Contessa Cooper
Jun 04, 2018
001: The Strong Black Woman and the Shame of it All w/Chelsea Wallace
Jun 04, 2018
Season 1: Welcome (Get Naked LIVE Trailer)
May 21, 2018