Her Take by Laila Jean Yu Says

The Grace Tax: The Unspoken Cost of Being a Black Woman at Work

Every day Black women walk into professional spaces and pay a tax that nobody talks about. The grace tax. The invisible emotional labor of filtering your words, softening your truth, and performing composure in spaces that were never designed to protect you. In this episode Laila gets honest about what it actually feels like to clock in and clock out of your authentic self daily. She breaks down the aggression label, the double standard that gives everyone else permission to be fully human while Black women are expected to be endlessly gracious, and why she created Her Take as a space to finally say the true thing without apology. This one is for every Black woman who has ever swallowed something she needed to say. Your voice matters. Your exhaustion is valid. And you do not owe the world your silence. Her Take. Unbothered. Unfiltered. Unapologetic.

Naomi vs Tyra: Was It Rivalry — or Projection?

For years, the media framed Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks as rivals. But was there ever real beef — or was it projection? In this episode of Her Take, we unpack the modeling industry politics of the 90s, the emotional labor expectations placed on Black women, and the difference between feeling unsupported and actually being harmed. We also explore how narratives are created, amplified, and sometimes weaponized — especially when two powerful Black women occupy the same space. Was it competition? Was it misalignment? Or was it emotional projection shaped by a system that thrives on scarcity? This conversation goes deeper than fashion. It’s about power, perception, and the roles we assign people without ever asking them to agree.

Black Women Stop Chasing. Start Becoming.

In this episode of Her Take Laila Jean Yu gets honest about the moment she stopped chasing and started becoming. After a toxic relationship in 2018 she had to face some uncomfortable truths about herself. What she was chasing. Why she kept running toward people and validation that were never meant for her. And what it actually took to do the deep inner work and become a woman she would genuinely choose. This episode covers the father wound driving unhealthy dating patterns, what shadow work really looks like beyond the aesthetic journaling, how law of assumption became a game changer, and the powerful question every Black woman needs to ask herself right now. This one is for every woman who has ever popped her own balloon before anyone else got the chance. Would you date yourself right now? Her Take with Laila Jean Yu Says. New episodes dropping regularly. Subscribe so you never miss one.

Obsessed or Invested? The Parasocial Effect of Love Island

In this episode, Laila unpacks the blurred lines between admiration and obsession in reality TV fandoms. Using Love Island as the lens, she explores parasocial relationships, toxic fandom culture, and the racial bias behind “editing wars.” Tune in for real talk, reflection, and questions that make you rethink how deeply we connect to people we don’t actually know. Audios used in the podcast: https://www.tiktok.com/@wickdconfections/video/7525618201271553310 https://www.tiktok.com/@nothisisntnique/video/7524120122596805901

Say It With Your Chest: The N-Word, BAFTA, and Why Anti-Blackness Gets a Pass

At the 2026 BAFTA Awards, Tourette’s activist John Davidson involuntarily shouted the N-word while Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were presenting. The two Black men pushed through professionally. Nobody from BAFTA checked on them afterwards. And the host’s response? “If you feel offended, we apologize.” In this episode of Her Take, Leila breaks down why that response is not good enough, asks the question nobody in mainstream media is asking — why is that word in your vocabulary at all — and addresses the double standard that allows anti-blackness to be dismissed while every other form of prejudice is treated as an emergency. This is not a comfortable episode. It’s not supposed to be. Her Take. Unbothered, unfiltered, unapologetic. Audio clip used: ⁠https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSuthLKMe/ [https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSuthLKMe/]