In this very special season finale episode we’ve got some personal news for you all that we’ve been getting ready to share for some time. Let’s get into it.

Charla and Lauren get a lot of questions from listeners about how to sell a podcast. They might not have all the answers, but in this episode Stitcher Senior Producer Stephanie Kariuki comes on to share her words of wisdom for getting a project off the ground. She also throws in tips on finding work life balance and finessing all aspects of life with a self-starter attitude.    You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Stephanie Kariuki on Twitter @StephKariuki or Instagram @steph.kariuki

We may recognize the political symbolism of an afro or a “future is female” shirt, but cultural historian Tanisha Ford sees a political meaning in nearly everything Black women wear--whether they’re trying to make a statement or not.  In this episode, she takes a step back to explain the origin stories of some of the most popular fashion items for Black women and girls. And she breaks down the little-known ways that “high fashion” gatekeepers have been apropriating Black aesthetics from slavery to today. You’re not going to want to miss this.    You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Tanisha Ford on Twitter @SoulistaPhD and buy her book 'Dressed In Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion.'

Growing up in Agusta County Georgia, Raquel Willis didn’t find the language for what was so different about her gender experience until young adulthood. But in just a few years since her gender transition, she’s become a leading thinker on gender politics and feminism with her journalism and non-profit work. In this episode, Raquel fills us in on how she became a key player in the movement for LGBTQ rights, where she thinks it’s going, and why she thinks Black womanhood is inherently gender non-conforming.    You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Raquel Willis on Twitter @RaquelWillis_

Charla and Lauren are tired of environmentalism constantly being associated with white activists. This week 18-year-old climate justice organizer Elsa Mengistu (our future president) fills us in on what it’s been like to fight for the environment at Howard University and bring her race-conscious approach to the national stage. Her insights show there are big divides between the youth movement and adult organizers. But like a true future president, she outlines a way for each of us to fight climate justice like the function of white supremacy that it is.    You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Elsa Mengistu on Twitter @elsamengistu and Instagram @elsamengistu

In this second installment of our two-parter on managing grief, Charla and Lauren talk with Detroit community leader Espy Thomas aka Etta Fly. She started her own grief management circle run out of her family’s sweet potato restaurant called “Where Do Black Women Go to Grieve?” And she’s here to discuss how she helped Black women in her community break through the cultural barriers and red tape around seaking therapy, to talk through their deepest losses together. But because she’s Etta Fly, it’s actually a very uplifting conversation.    You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Etta Fly on Instagram @Ettaflyy or join her virtual community on the “Where do Black Women Go to Grieve?” Facebook group

Black women are constantly exposed to death in our private lives and in the media, but we rarely talk about the process of grieving. Lauren has been grappling with her own grief for decades after losing her father at nine and Charla is hoping to learn new ways to support her loved ones through unfathomable losses. In this episode, they talk with licensed grief counselor Keisha Wells about ways to manage the various manifestations of grief, and whether it’s even possible to truly overcome a loss.    You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Keisha Wells @kwellslpc and pick up her book “From Three Heartbeats to One: A Gentle Companion in Grieving Pregnancy and Infant Loss”

These days it seems like everyone is trying to channel their inner spirituality or witchiness. Charla and Lauren have gotten increasingly curious about what new rituals they could develop on their own journeys, but there are so many traditions one could consider and so many ways to get scammed. In this episode, spiritual guide Ayanna Maia gives an inside-look at how she helps her clients develop their own spiritual intuition, avoid hustlers, and find a practice they can feel empowered by.    You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Check out Ayanna Maia’s practice at www.selfcareworks.com

Lauren has been waiting for this episode since the day this podcast was conceived. This week we’re unpacking the increasingly popular lifestyle philosophy of pleasure activism. And we have queer fantasy book writer, performance artist, and self-proclaimed soul sweetener Junauda Petrus here to let us in on the magic. This episode is a meditation on the limitless potential of Black women embracing their wild side and following their most “out there” curiosities. Our conversation starts with Junauda’s story about mending a broken heart by going to the forest and putting her bare vag on the earth.     You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Junauda Petrus on Twitter @junaudaalma and pick up her book “The Stars and the Blackness Between Them”

In the past few years pole dancing has become more visible than ever in movies, on social media, and at concerts for artists like Summer Walker and Lizzo. Charla and Lauren may have never tried pole dancing before, but they’re eager to learn why it’s become such a key vehicle for Black women’s joy and wellness today. In this episode, pole dancing instructor Dalijah Franklin sheds some light on the meaning of the phenomenon as she explains how her organization, Black Girls Pole, created an international community.  You can find more about The SLBW at https://www.instagram.com/theslbw/ 
 Follow SLBW on Twitter and Instagram @theslbw Follow Dalijah Franklin @DalijahAmelia and Black Girls Pole @Blackgirlspole on Instagram