In this episode, Will shares his joy about Gay Pride month, and Amber's joy is seeing outdoor movies in the park! They discuss wellness and self-care, both in terms of individual self-care (e.g., rest, getting a massage) and collective self-care (e.g., coming together with community). Considerations of wellness and self-care are important for everyone, but are especially crucial for people frequently disadvantaged by biases and inequities. Amber shares stories about having to maintain work productivity after major collective traumas (i.e., the murder of George Floyd), and how a colleague helped take up burdens during that difficult time. This month's habit-breaking skill is to Speak Up when bias occurs, and we review several key guidelines on how to speak up about bias effectively, to effect change in others' behavior. This skill also provides opportunity to discuss something foundational to the podcast, the notion of adopting a "scientist-practitioner" model, in which we translate scientific evidence and knowledge into practical, concrete skills for laypeople. Will's joyful recommendation this episode is the endearing and heartwarming hit show, "Steven Universe".

In this episode, Amber mentions using a Steven Universe song, "Here Comes a Thought", to teach people about mindfulness. If you're interested, check it out here: https://youtu.be/dHg50mdODFM?si=HA7kTYCkoKq-he8T

Amber shares her joy about attending Portland's Outdoor Market, and Will's joy is his koi pond waking up after winter! This episode discusses a major topic from Will's research career: the notion of "gaydar" as a legitimizing myth that perpetuates stereotyping related to lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) folks. Although many people have intuitions that they believe allow them to "tell" that someone is gay/lesbian, research in this area consistently shows that those intuitions most often lead to largely inaccurate conclusions in the real world. Expanding on this notion of LGB stereotyping, Amber and Will discuss many ways this type of stereotyping perpetuates harm, and also unpack the LGB community's multifaceted relationship with its stereotypes and communicating or concealing identity. This episode's bias habit-breaking skill is learning to identify and disrupt "Attentional Spotlight", which draws your attention more strongly to evidence that supports stereotypes (and away from evidence that contradicts stereotypes). Amber's joyful recommendation this episode is the thoughtful and dynamic TV show, "Home Economics", which tackles many issues related to social class and race, while still being wildly entertaining!

In this early spring episode, Will’s joy is his local Gallery Night, a festive celebration of local art and artists. Amber’s joy is cherry blossom season in the Pacific Northwest. This episode's discussion topic is “Intersectionality”, a term that had seen widespread attention and some misunderstanding in recent years. Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how our various identities come together (i.e., intersect) in unique ways. For example, the experiences of a straight Black woman and a gay Black man will have some similarities, but also important differences. We have a better understanding of people’s experiences when we consider their many identities that intersect. This episode’s question dispels misconceptions sometimes raised in rude public discourse that intersectionality is just about “adding up” identities for victimization. In story time, Amber shares a couple of powerful stories about difficult and positive interactions she’s had with police officers, and discusses some of the nuances of being Black and dealing with the police. This month’s habit-breaking skill is to Seek Individuating Information. The more you get to know the unique details that make someone and individual, the less likely it is that stereotypes and biases will try to “fill in the gaps” in your perceptions of that person, leading to discriminatory assumptions or behaviors. Will’s joyful recommendation is the hilarious and fun woman-led musical comedy TV show “Girls5Eva”.