Tea & Theory

We’re Tired: ICE, Epstein, Accountability, and our Humanity

In today’s episode we go a bit (not too much) off script and get candid about our feelings about, well, everything. We grapple with the horrors of ICE and the Epstein files, while also grounding our reactions in conversations around Afropessimism, weathering, and allostatic load, naming the cumulative toll that constant exposure to violence and uncertainty takes on our bodies and communities. We also reflect on research around the impacts of consuming violent media, as we try to balance staying informed with staying well, all while juggling the ongoing need for accountability, care, and community in these times. This ain’t therapy but Tea & Theory is in session! So, grab your favorite cup of tea (or any other beverage, we ain’t judging!) and join us on the couch. Tea & Theory podcast is where real conversations meet real research. Each week, we sip and chat about the topics we’re already unpacking in our everyday lives, from the unserious, hilarious, and messy to the healing, validating, and comforting— we’re talking about it all! Follow Us on IG: @teaandtheorypodcast Follow Us on TikTok: @teaandtheorypodcast Listen to Us on all streaming platforms! List of references: The Impact of Electronic Media Violence: Scientific Theory and Research (Huesmann, 2009) [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2704015/] “Weathering” and Age Patterns of Allostatic Load Scores Among Blacks and Whites in the United States (Geronimus et al., 2006) [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1470581/] Afropessimism Breakdown (Wilderson III, 2020) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvvSgvHa0AE&list=LL&index=2&t=301s] *Note regarding the references for the episode: We recognize that some of these articles/links may not be completely accessible due to paywalls (boo, capitalism!!!) However, we hope that these links may be starting points for your own reading and examination of these topics! Additionally, for better understanding, we opted to provide the references as links and not in the usually cited American Psychological Association (APA) format. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast, or any associated platform, are solely our own and do not reflect the views of any organizations or institutions with which we are affiliated.

Papa Was an ATM? On Black Father-Daughter Relationships

In today’s episode, we unpack Shannon Sharpe’s recent interview with comedian Ryan Davis. Davis opened up about his personal life, including a controversial take on the “transactional” nature of his relationship with his 10-year-old daughter. The internet wasted no time reacting, with some folks even labeling the child a “gold digger.” We dive into this tea with the support of Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, what the research says about Black father-daughter relationship’s positive impact on the well-being of young black girls, and even get a little Freudian as we get into impact of the Halo effect on the treatment of children. This ain’t therapy but Tea & Theory is in session! So, grab your favorite cup of tea (or any other beverage, we ain’t judging!) and join us on the couch. Tea & Theory podcast is where real conversations meet real research. Each week, we sip and chat about the topics we’re already unpacking in our everyday lives, from the unserious, hilarious, and messy to the healing, validating, and comforting— we’re talking about it all! Follow Us on IG: @teaandtheorypodcast Follow Us on TikTok: @teaandtheorypodcast Listen to Us on all streaming platforms! List of references: Associations Between Father-Daughter Relationship Quality and the Academic Engagement of African American Adolescent Girls: Self-Esteem as a Mediator? (Cooper, 2009) https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-18819-005 [https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-18819-005] Colorism in the classroom: How skin tone stratifies African American and Latina/o students (Hunter, 2016) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00405841.2016.1119019 [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00405841.2016.1119019] [Halo effect study] Daddy's Girl: Understanding the Impact of Black Fathers on the Social and Emotional Development of Raising Black Daughters (Miller, 2022) https://www.morgan.edu/Documents/ACADEMIA/SCHOOLS/SSW/Newsletter%20FallWinter%202022/Lee%20David.pdf [https://www.morgan.edu/Documents/ACADEMIA/SCHOOLS/SSW/Newsletter%20FallWinter%202022/Lee%20David.pdf] Erik Erikson’s Stages Of Psychosocial Development (McLeod, 2025) https://www.simplypsychology.org/erik-erikson.html [https://www.simplypsychology.org/erik-erikson.html] STRENGTH AND RESPECTABILITY: Black Women’s Negotiation of Racialized Gender Ideals and the Role of Daughter–Father Relationships (Johnson, 2013) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0891243213494263?casa_token=bvGovCKyW8cAAAAA:NhC_sWXWtbFEuC8Mt8CY9Ar4u_qJ1ra4heUymQQOdlds6U9QsQ-4nGuo7yphs6Gil5B64QZZu7qJtw [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0891243213494263?casa_token=bvGovCKyW8cAAAAA:NhC_sWXWtbFEuC8Mt8CY9Ar4u_qJ1ra4heUymQQOdlds6U9QsQ-4nGuo7yphs6Gil5B64QZZu7qJtw] *Note regarding the references for the episode: We recognize that some of these articles/links may not be completely accessible due to paywalls (boo, capitalism!!!) However, we hope that these links may be starting points for your own reading and examination of these topics! Additionally, for better understanding, we opted to provide the references as links and not in the usually cited American Psychological Association (APA) format. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast, or any associated platform, are solely our own and do not reflect the views of any organizations or institutions with which we are affiliated.

Get Us OFF this Ride: Navigating the Overcorrecting Pendulum

In today’s episode, we discuss a scene from a recent episode of Married To Medicine, a reality TV show set in Atlanta, Georgia, which follows the lives of women who are either doctors or the wives of doctors. In this scene, Dr. Simone Whitmore, a successful board-certified OBGYN, discusses her sons’ finances over dinner. This conversation quickly turns into a heated debate about entitlement, privilege, and financial responsibility. We unpack this topic using research on strong Black womanhood, gendered racial socialization, privilege/disenfranchisement, and overcorrection psychology. Tea & Theory podcast is where real conversations meet real research. Each week, we sip and chat about the topics we’re already unpacking in our everyday lives, from the unserious, hilarious, and messy to the healing, validating, and comforting— we’re talking about it all! This ain’t therapy but Tea & Theory is in session! So, grab your favorite cup of tea (or any other beverage, we ain’t judging!) and join us on the couch. This ain’t therapy but Tea & Theory is in session! So, grab your favorite cup of tea (or any other beverage, we ain’t judging!) and join us on the couch. Follow Us on IG and TikTok: @teaandtheorypodcast Listen to Us on all streaming platforms! List of references: ⁠Overcorrection Psychology: Unraveling the Causes and Consequences of Extreme Behavioral Shifts (NeuroLaunch, 2024)⁠ [https://neurolaunch.com/overcorrection-psychology/] ⁠Raising resilient Black women: A study of superwoman mothering and strength as a form of gendered racial socialization in Black mother-daughter relationships. (Leath et al., 2023) ⁠ [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-023-01417-2]⁠The Retrospective Roles of Black Women in the Coddling of Black Boys (Jefferson et al., 2016)⁠ [https://www-tandfonline-com.libproxy.library.unt.edu/doi/epdf/10.1080/15313204.2016.1156594?needAccess=true] *Note regarding the references for the episode: We recognize that some of these articles/links may not be completely accessible due to paywalls (boo, capitalism!!!) However, we hope that these links may be starting points for your own reading and examination of these topics! Additionally, for better understanding, we opted to provide the references as links and not in the usually cited American Psychological Association (APA) format.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast, or any associated platform, are solely our own and do not reflect the views of any organizations or institutions with which we are affiliated. Time Stamps 0:00 Preview 00:01:12 Check in 00:02:44 Icon of the Week 00:13:42 Topic of the Week 01:06:53 Connect with Us 01:07:30 Reflections

And the Gag is...Men Need to Decenter Men Too: A Minisode

In today’s minisode, we discuss the Danish Deception, Journalist Chanté Joseph’s follow up to her hit Vogue op-ed, and yes, we’re still decentering men! Chanté Joseph asked if having a boyfriend in 2025 was embarrassing and the gworls were upset! To top it off we give you the TLDR on a 28-part (yes, you read that right) TikTok story time in which Onyeka Ehie discusses her experience being deceived and providing further evidence for why we should decenter men. Hear our takes as we unpack and connect both the follow up to the op-ed, the #DanishDeception, and reflect on not only why, but WHO should be decentering men. This ain’t therapy but Tea & Theory is in session! So, grab your favorite cup of tea (or any other beverage, we ain’t judging!) and join us on the couch. Follow Us on IG and TikTok: @teaandtheorypodcast Listen to Us on all streaming platforms! Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast, or any associated platform, are solely our own and do not reflect the views of any organizations or institutions with which we are affiliated. Time Stamps 0:00 Preview 00:00:30 Check in 00:04:06 Topic of the Week 00:43:19 Connect with Us

Is Having a Man Low Vibrational? On Decentering Men

In today’s episode, chile, we’re decentering men! We discuss Journalist Chanté Joseph’s Vogue op-ed unpacking the question, is having a boyfriend in 2025 embarrassing? We also connect this to a tiktoker’s story exposing the harms of “male-centeredness”in women’s friendships. We unpack these topics with the help of literature surrounding the burden of knowledge, self-definition, heteronormativity, and sexual scripts theory. This ain’t therapy but Tea & Theory is in session! So, grab your favorite cup of tea (or any other beverage, we ain’t judging!) and join us on the couch. Follow Us on IG: @teaandtheorypodcast Follow Us on TikTok: @teaandtheorypodcast Listen to Us on all streaming platforms! List of references: Marriage, Social Control, and Health Behavior: A Dyadic Analysis of Same-sex and Different-sex Couples (Umberson, et al., 2018) [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022146518790560?casa_token=2Ao9rALUUFIAAAAA%253AHZoAwFcNGlZheK0tCNPR3qUBTgaUp529W0uZte1IYqyjU16wlDOqp5XpAzpz4BnvyRJBSZmqhX0Lhg] Romantic Relationships Matter More to Men than to Women. (Wahring & van Lange, 2024) [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/abs/romantic-relationships-matter-more-to-men-than-to-women/52E626D3CD7DB14CD946F9A2FBDA739C] Socializing Singlehood: Personal, Interpersonal, and Sociocultural Factors Shaping Black Women’s Single Lives (Moorman, 2020) [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0361684320939070?casa_token=Dsh38KlBTO8AAAAA:Jhh8HlnA50A94r5XTplDsG1pPTJG2jXXgKvaEvZmiBhISYSVWwvifg25TBqZRgUIwuMsfz8VJLujvg] The Burden of Knowledge (Turner, 2018) [https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/geolr43&div=12&g_sent=1&casa_token=BcBpm271LU0AAAAA:5pVGvGybmAHiF_hBS7Ea8ftVLgN16tb4tL3VdytTfzHZNDWpLO6wCiTHwvm97R5wBbd9PXgSFTM&collection=journals] *Note regarding the references for the episode: We recognize that some of these articles/links may not be completely accessible due to paywalls (boo, capitalism!!!) However, we hope that these links may be starting points for your own reading and examination of these topics! Additionally, for better understanding, we opted to provide the references as links and not in the usually cited American Psychological Association (APA) format. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast, or any associated platform, are solely our own and do not reflect the views of any organizations or institutions with which we are affiliated. Time Stamps 0:00 Preview 0:21:28 Check in 02:54:21 Icon of the Week 07:57:03 Topic of the Week 56:47:26 Connect with Us 57:18:03 Meditation