This episode is all about Lenya Wilson’s background, parents, and journey. Alexandra asks the questions and dives into The Goddess’s history with Georgia, Australia, New York, and California, as well as The One’s Puerto Rican and Black roots, a racial struggle that preceded any Black and white divide for Lenya. Explore a bit what it’s like to raise a Black child in Australia, a country with a very white centered culture.

Hear more about how Lenya got into fitness, CrossFit, and powerlifting, and discover where racism is deeply ingrained where you might not expect it. Also, get the backstory for Lenya’s instagram handle, which is also That Bitch’s preferred pronouns.

—

Please **rate and review** this podcast if you enjoyed it; they greatly helps new listeners see this podcast is worth their time. You can find Women Bridging the Gap on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-bridging-the-gap/id1521503012) and [Podchaser](https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/women-bridging-the-gap-1304390).

**We want to hear from you!** Let us know how you’re speaking about these issues with your friends. **Let us know what topics you want to hear!**

Email us at [Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com](mailto:Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com)

You can find us at: [WomenBridgingtheGap.com](https://womenbridgingthegap.com)

You can find Lenya at: Instagram – [@Lenya_ goddess_ that_bitch](https://www.instagram.com/lenya_goddess_that_bitch)

You can find Alexandra at: Instagram – [@a_xandra17](https://www.instagram.com/a_xandra17) and [@thewritingleap](https://www.instagram.com/thewritingleap)

This podcast was edited by Brendan Hutchins from Podcast Advocate. Go to [PodcastAdvocate.Network](http://PodcastAdvocate.Network) or find him on [Twitter @PodcastAdvocate](https://twitter.com/podcastadvocate) to learn more.

Alexandra takes the hot seat while Lenya asks all about her past, where she grew up, her parent’s careers and how they met, and her undying passion for art. Explore the neighborhoods of New York and San Fransisco, hear the story of how Alexandra’s father made the news as a judge, and listen about her quitting a civil law firm when she still had $75,000 in student debt.

Also, there’s a great movie idea, ripe for the licensing.

Take notice of some fascinating overlaps between these two women’s lives, even with such a Black and white contrast between them. Be sure to return next week when Alexandra and Lenya switch roles, and Lenya discusses her background and upbringing.

—

Please **rate and review** this podcast if you enjoyed it; they greatly helps new listeners see this podcast is worth their time. You can find Women Bridging the Gap on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-bridging-the-gap/id1521503012) and [Podchaser](https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/women-bridging-the-gap-1304390).

**We want to hear from you!** Let us know how you’re speaking about these issues with your friends. **Let us know what topics you want to hear!**

Email us at [Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com](mailto:Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com)

You can find us at: [WomenBridgingtheGap.com](https://womenbridgingthegap.com)

You can find Lenya at: Instagram – [@Lenya_ goddess_ that_bitch](https://www.instagram.com/lenya_goddess_that_bitch)

You can find Alexandra at: Instagram – [@a_xandra17](https://www.instagram.com/a_xandra17) and [@thewritingleap](https://www.instagram.com/thewritingleap)

This podcast was edited by Brendan Hutchins from Podcast Advocate. Go to [PodcastAdvocate.Network](http://PodcastAdvocate.Network) or find him on [Twitter @PodcastAdvocate](https://twitter.com/podcastadvocate) to learn more.

How terrifying is it to put your whole heart and soul out for everyone to listen to and judge, especially around topics of politics and race, in these ultra-charged times? Lenya and Alexandra have a meta discussion about the actual podcast itself and their fears of making such an open and vulnerable project.

That discussion of fear leads into the second topic of cancel culture. Does one’s race or generation determine how they feel about cancel culture? Should everyday people and non-celebrities be canceled for things they did 30, or even 10 years ago? How do you know if someone has put in the work to grow and change… and how do they know they need to put in the work to grow and change if they don’t get canceled? Listen in for these discussions and more.

### Sources:

[Getty Images statement on Black Lives Matter,](http://press.gettyimages.com/black-lives-matter/)

[Rachel Cargle, ](https://rachel-cargle.com/the-great-unlearn/)

[President Obama’s growth on marriage equality](https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/09/politics/obama-same-sex-marriage/index.html)

—

**Want to talk about this with your friends? Use our conversation prompts to get you going:**

1. What do you fear most when speaking about race?
2. Do you ever censor yourself because you are afraid of backlash?
3. Do you think people should be credited for their evolution on an issue? If so, how should those people communicate or show that evolution? If you have evolved on a particular issue, do you fear explaining your evolution and being “canceled” for it? Why?
4. Where do you think forgiveness comes into play in our current ultra-charged times?

—

Please **rate and review** this podcast if you enjoyed it; they greatly helps new listeners see this podcast is worth their time. You can find Women Bridging the Gap on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-bridging-the-gap/id1521503012) and [Podchaser](https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/women-bridging-the-gap-1304390).

**We want to hear from you!** Let us know how you’re speaking about these issues with your friends. **Let us know what topics you want to hear!**

Email us at [Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com](mailto:Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com)

You can find us at: [WomenBridgingtheGap.com](https://womenbridgingthegap.com)

You can find Lenya at: Instagram – [@Lenya_ goddess_ that_bitch](https://www.instagram.com/lenya_goddess_that_bitch)

You can find Alexandra at: Instagram – [@a_xandra17](https://www.instagram.com/a_xandra17) and [@thewritingleap](https://www.instagram.com/thewritingleap)

This podcast was edited by Brendan Hutchins from Podcast Advocate. Go to [PodcastAdvocate.Network](http://PodcastAdvocate.Network) or find him on [Twitter @PodcastAdvocate](https://twitter.com/podcastadvocate) to learn more.

Can Black women and white women have deep and authentic friendships? What are the stumbling blocks? Lenya and Alexandra share how many friends of other races they have. And then they push one another—how close are they? Friends or mere acquaintances? Together, they explore how deeper friendships might be formed and what the realities are for women today
who need safe spaces to restore.

### Sources:
[Melinda Anderson, The Atlantic, When White Children and Black Children Grow Apart,](https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/06/interracial-friendships-fade/486902/)

[Kim McLarin, The Washington Post, Can Black Women and White Women be True Friends?,](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/29/can-black-women-white-women-be-true-friends/)

[https://www.thoughtco.com/how-race-influences-friendship-2834745](https://www.thoughtco.com/how-race-influences-friendship-2834745)

[https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_foster_interracial_friendship_in_schools](https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_foster_interracial_friendship_in_schools)

[https://namp.americansforthearts.org/namp/get-smarter/resources/how-navigating-white-spaces-can-exhaust-you](https://namp.americansforthearts.org/namp/get-smarter/resources/how-navigating-white-spaces-can-exhaust-you)

This episode was inspired, in part, by: [The Swirl Suite, https://www.swirlsuite.com/](https://www.swirlsuite.com/), Racism in the Wine Industry

—

### Want to talk about this with your friends? Use our conversation prompts to get you going:

1. Why do you think white women often say they have friendships with Black women, while
Black women often feel acquaintanceship?
2. What is the level of friendship that you have with your Black friends? Do you talk about race? Do you talk about the Black Experience? What is the level of friendship you have with your
white friends? Do you talk about race? The Black Experience?
3. What constitutes Allyship in the White community and why do a lot of progressive white people not have Black friends?
4. When having a party do you ever think about how your Black friends or non Black friends of Color are going to socialize and commune with others?
5. Black people often navigate White space, do you think White people can navigate Black spaces – ie get an invite to the Cookout?
6. Do you think that white feminism has a role in the complicated issue of trust in interracial female friendships?
7. Do you think interracial friendships that begin at childhood stand the test of time or does awareness and our environment foster “growing apart?

—

Please **rate and review** this podcast if you enjoyed it; they greatly helps new listeners see this podcast is worth their time. You can find Women Bridging the Gap on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-bridging-the-gap/id1521503012) and [Podchaser](https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/women-bridging-the-gap-1304390).

**We want to hear from you!** Let us know how you’re speaking about these issues with your friends. **Let us know what topics you want to hear!**

Email us at [Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com](mailto:Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com)

You can find us at: [WomenBridgingtheGap.com](https://womenbridgingthegap.com)

You can find Lenya at: Instagram – [@Lenya_ goddess_ that_bitch](https://www.instagram.com/lenya_goddess_that_bitch)

You can find Alexandra at: Instagram – [@a_xandra17](https://www.instagram.com/a_xandra17) and [@thewritingleap](https://www.instagram.com/thewritingleap)

This podcast was edited by Brendan Hutchins from Podcast Advocate. Go to [PodcastAdvocate.Network](http://PodcastAdvocate.Network) or find him on [Twitter @PodcastAdvocate](https://twitter.com/podcastadvocate) to learn more.

How do Black Women and White Women understand the term Karen and how do we use that understanding to bridge the gap between us? Listen as Lenya and Alexandra discuss their first experiences with Karenism, topics of other nicknames for white women abusing their privilege, and if we should even be using these nicknames or if each one of them should be outed by their name to shame them.

Notes:

1. [Check Your Privilege with Myisha T – Become a Co-Conspirator | Chats, Workshops & Join
the Lounge](https://checkyourprivilege.co/)

2. [About Caucasity and the Difference Between a Becky, a Karen and a Susan | Awesomely
Luvvie](https://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2020/04/caucasity-karen-becky-susan.html)

3. [Beyonce, Sorry](https://youtu.be/QxsmWxxouIM)

4. [https://chicagodefender.com/charged-with-a-crime-of-karen-ing-the-amy-cooper-inspired-law-
backed-by-governor-cuomo/](https://chicagodefender.com/charged-with-a-crime-of-karen-ing-the-amy-cooper-inspired-law-
backed-by-governor-cuomo/)

5. [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/05/coronavirus-karen-memes-reddit-
twitter-carolyn-goodman/611104/](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/05/coronavirus-karen-memes-reddit-
twitter-carolyn-goodman/611104/)

6. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2018/07/18/bbq-becky-permit-patty-and-why-internet-
shaming-white-people-who-police-black-people/793574002/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2018/07/18/bbq-becky-permit-patty-and-why-internet-
shaming-white-people-who-police-black-people/793574002/)

7. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/11/07/kidz-bop-karen-went-viral-on-camera-road-
rage-lyft-passenger-she-targeted-calls-tirade-scary/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/11/07/kidz-bop-karen-went-viral-on-camera-road-
rage-lyft-passenger-she-targeted-calls-tirade-scary/)

8. [https://www.insider.com/karen-meme-origin-the-history-of-calling-women-karen-white-2020-5](https://www.insider.com/karen-meme-origin-the-history-of-calling-women-karen-white-2020-5)

9. [https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/how-karen-went-from-a-popular-
baby-name-to-a-stand-in-for-white-entitlement-139644](https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/how-karen-went-from-a-popular-
baby-name-to-a-stand-in-for-white-entitlement-139644)

Prompts to get us going—in a slight arc:

1. When do you first hear of the term?
2. Do you think the Karenism is entitlement, race or both?
3. Should it be a crime to call the police on Black People being Black?
4. Have you experienced a Karen? Been a Karen?
5. What do you say to Black women named Karen? Is it the name?
6. Do you think it ever gets too mean or pointed to describe a type of person with physical
attributes?
7. If someone has been a Karen in the past…what next?

—

Please **rate and review** this podcast if you enjoyed it; they greatly helps new listeners see this podcast is worth their time. You can find Women Bridging the Gap on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-bridging-the-gap/id1521503012) and [Podchaser](https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/women-bridging-the-gap-1304390).

**We want to hear from you!** Let us know how you’re speaking about these issues with your friends. **Let us know what topics you want to hear!**

Email us at [Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com](mailto:Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com)

You can find us at: [WomenBridgingtheGap.com](https://womenbridgingthegap.com)

You can find Lenya at: Instagram – [@Lenya_ goddess_ that_bitch](https://www.instagram.com/lenya_goddess_that_bitch)

You can find Alexandra at: Instagram – [@a_xandra17](https://www.instagram.com/a_xandra17) and [@thewritingleap](https://www.instagram.com/thewritingleap)

This podcast was edited by Brendan Hutchins from Podcast Advocate. Go to [PodcastAdvocate.Network](http://PodcastAdvocate.Network) or find him on [Twitter @PodcastAdvocate](https://twitter.com/podca

What is the feminine beauty ideal? Who decided that ideal and why is it what it is? Does it help anyone or does it just push everyone to want more? Listen as Alexandra D’Italia and Lenya Wilson explore their personal history of beauty culture, what is expected of women in the workplace, and how different the experience is for white women and Black women.

Alexandra probes as Lenya unpacks the details about what styles and aspects of Black culture are misappropriated and offensively misused, why it’s offensive, and how to remedy this mistake to show respect.

Sources:

The Swirl Suite, [https://www.swirlsuite.com/](https://www.swirlsuite.com/)

Links to Lenya’s sources for her talk on Cultural Appropriation at Alexandra’s 2019 Writing Leap Art & Literary Salon, which celebrated Fashion & Identity.

* Mackenzie Wagoner, The Dreadlocks Debate: How Hair is Sparking the Conversation of the Moment, Vogue, [https://www.vogue.com/article/dreadlocks-hair-debate-moment](https://www.vogue.com/article/dreadlocks-hair-debate-moment),
* Elle Magazine, Update: Marc Jacobs Responds to Backlash Over Spring 2017 Dreadlicks Look, [https://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a39304/marc-jacobs-spring-2017-dreadlocks-controversy/](https://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a39304/marc-jacobs-spring-2017-dreadlocks-controversy/)
* Steven Reidy & Meher Kanigiri, How are Ethnic Hairstyles Really Viewed in the Workplace?, [https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1133&context=student](https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1133&context=student)
* Trevor Noah, Black Americans in the Workplace, The Daily Social Distancing Show, [https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=289587739117002](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=289587739117002)

Where Alexandra volunteers: Jacaranda School for Orphans, [http://www.jacarandafoundation.org/](http://www.jacarandafoundation.org/)

—

Want to talk about this with your friends? Use our conversation prompts to get you going:

1. Who did you want to look like when you were in grammar school, if anyone.
2. How much diversity was in your childhood world? Segregated?
3. What picture books did you love…and those early novels, if any? Any black protagonists? Female?
4. When you were friends, what magazines did you read? Who did you think was the prettiest? Why? .
5. How did high school look? Cliques? Beauty? Who was the prettiest? Why?
6. In twenties and thirties…who was your beauty ideal? Has that changed at you aged?

—

Please **rate and review** this podcast if you enjoyed it; they greatly helps new listeners see this podcast is worth their time. You can find Women Bridging the Gap on [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-bridging-the-gap/id1521503012) and [Podchaser](https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/women-bridging-the-gap-1304390).

**We want to hear from you!** Let us know how you’re speaking about these issues with your friends. **Let us know what topics you want to hear!**

Email us at [Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com](mailto:Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com)

You can find us at: [WomenBridgingtheGap.com](https://womenbridgingthegap.com)

You can find Lenya at: Instagram – [@Lenya_ goddess_ that_bitch](https://www.instagram.com/lenya_goddess_that_bitch)

You can find Alexandra at: Instagram – [@a_xandra17](https://www.instagram.com/a_xandra17) and [@thewritingleap](https://www.instagram.com/thewritingleap)

This podcast was edited by Brendan Hutchins from Podcast Advocate. Go to [PodcastAdvocate.Network](http://PodcastAdvocate.Network) or find him on [Twitter @PodcastAdvocate](https://twitter.com/podcastadvocate) to learn more.

Welcome to Women Bridging The Gap, a podcast with Lenya Wilson and Alexandra D’Italia discussing race, womanhood, and more.

Please subscribe for weekly discussions, visit our website at [womenbridgingthegap.com](https://womenbridgingthegap.com) and get in touch with us on Instagram:

* [Lenya Wilson](https://www.instagram.com/lenya_goddess_that_bitch)
* [Alexandra D’Italia](https://www.instagram.com/thewritingleap/)
* Or email us at [Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com](mailto:Lenya.Alexandra.BridgingtheGap@gmail.com)