SPECIAL EPISODE: “Wait, Is This Really Happening?” A Candid Check In From Inside the Moment

Our True Colors: Mixed Race Voices and Other Stories of Belonging

Our True Colors: Mixed Race Voices and Other Stories of Belonging
SPECIAL EPISODE: “Wait, Is This Really Happening?” A Candid Check In From Inside the Moment
Feb 06, 2026 Season 6 Episode 603
Dr. Shawna Gann

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No guest today, no polished lesson, no neat ending. Just Dr. Shawna Gann and Rachel, one of last year’s co-hosts, sitting down for an unfiltered, unscripted conversation about what it feels like to be alive in this moment. They jump from media to power, faith to language, survival to community, and the constant mental whiplash of trying to stay grounded while everything feels loud. The through line is voice, not the perfect kind, but the kind that helps you name what you’re noticing, process out loud, and remember you are not the only one holding this tension in your body.

Together they talk about how we got here, how information gets curated, how language gets manipulated, and why proximity to wealth and authority has never been proof of intelligence or morality. They reflect on growing up in church, the ways religion and politics get tangled, and how systems shape what we believe about gender, race, and who is seen as human. It’s funny in places, heavy in others, and above all honest. A reminder to protect your voice, protect your energy, stay connected, and stay engaged where it counts, especially locally.

Content note: adult language and discussion of politics and current events. This is not a news report or definitive analysis, it’s two people thinking out loud in real time.

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Episode Artwork SPECIAL EPISODE: “Wait, Is This Really Happening?” A Candid Check In From Inside the Moment 58:09 Episode Artwork Half of Many Things, Whole on Purpose: Conversation with Shaman and Reiki Master AB Caplan 59:19 Episode Artwork Meet Season 6 Co-Host Marcel De Jonghe: Mixed is a Whole New Recipe 45:35 Episode Artwork START HERE: Learn About Our True Colors 9:57 Episode Artwork Our True Colors - The Trailer 1:11 Episode Artwork Double Feature Season 5 Finale: Our True Colors at Home 1:15:05 Episode Artwork Bloodlines and Borders: Tracing the Truth of Mixed Ancestry with Victoria Kabeya 46:01 Episode Artwork Conversations in Color: From Research to Real Life 59:14 Episode Artwork Ian Gibbs-Hall on Curiosity Architecture and Rethinking Identity 46:39 Episode Artwork Belonging by Design: How a Choir Became a Home 54:22 Episode Artwork Bridging Identities and Building Belonging: A Conversation with Hallie Pritchett 37:36 Episode Artwork Masks, Mirrors, and Metamorphosis: Londell Jackson on Living Unboxed 44:27 Episode Artwork Both/And: Belonging, Identity, and the Bridge-Building Superpower with Annemarie Shrouder 47:38 Episode Artwork Ornamental No More: Dr. Kalya Castillo on Identity, Hypervisibility, and Healing 52:42 Episode Artwork Third Culture Stories: Identity, Belonging, and Finding Home with Urmi Hossain 41:59 Episode Artwork Untapped Leadership: Finding Your Authentic Leadership Identity with Dr. Jenny Vazquez-Newsum 39:02 Episode Artwork Sensitive Curiosity: A DEI Leader’s Journey with Marcel De Jonghe 55:27 Episode Artwork Breaking Out of the Box: Multiracial Identity, Monoracism, and Belonging with Dr. Victoria K. Malaney-Brown 45:28 Episode Artwork Finding Self in a World of Assumptions: Multiracial Identity and Belonging 42:59 Episode Artwork Mixed-Race Parenting: Insights with Dr. Jenn Noble 49:01 Episode Artwork Between the Lines: Black Identity, Mixed Race Realities, and a Nation Divided 46:15 Episode Artwork Cafecito, Culture, and Connection: The Power of Sisterhood in DEI Spaces 40:42 Episode Artwork Authenticity Under Pressure: The Evolving Role of DEI and Mixed-Race Identity 41:44 Episode Artwork Beyond Your Zip Code Story: Exploring Background, Bias, and Growth 54:49 Episode Artwork Meet Rachel: Examining Layers of Racial Identity 38:15