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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly

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Speaker 1: conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small

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Speaker 1: decisions we can make to become the best possible versions

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Speaker 1: of ourselves. I'm your host, Doctor Joy hard and Bradford,

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Speaker 1: a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or

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Speaker 1: to find a therapist in your area, visit our website

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Speaker 1: at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you

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Speaker 1: love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is

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Speaker 1: not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with

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Speaker 1: a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much

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Speaker 1: for joining me for session three, p. Thirty three of

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Speaker 1: the Thing for Black Girl's podcast. We'll get right into

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Speaker 1: our conversation after a word from our sponsors. A couple

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Speaker 1: of weeks ago, the original Hot Girl, Megan V. Stallion,

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Speaker 1: began to tease that her first self funded project as

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Speaker 1: a newly independent artist was coming on November three and

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Speaker 1: would be called Cobra. Now. I had no idea what

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Speaker 1: it would be, but was very excited to celebrate this

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Speaker 1: new milestone for her, but to also hear what she

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Speaker 1: would share in this first solo piece. After several years

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Speaker 1: of painful and traumatic experiences. What I heard when I

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Speaker 1: press play blew me away. Yes, of course the beat

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Speaker 1: is infectious, but the level of vulnerability from which she

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Speaker 1: shares is what actually stopped me in my tracks. Let

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Speaker 1: me just highlight some of the sentiments that grab me first.

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Speaker 1: This idea that there were all of these people around her,

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Speaker 1: yet she felt so alone dealing with so many painful things.

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Speaker 1: This idea that people were only around because they were

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Speaker 1: being paid or for what she could offer them. And

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Speaker 1: I know she's not the only one that has felt

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Speaker 1: that way, That the pain you're carrying feels so heavy

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Speaker 1: and surely someone notices, surely someone will help, and then

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Speaker 1: they just don't. You're invisible. As I listened, I felt

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Speaker 1: deeply for how lonely it must have felt, and maybe

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Speaker 1: even still does, to be on top of the world,

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Speaker 1: everybody watching, and feeling like people aren't actually cheering you on,

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Speaker 1: but may even be waiting on your downfall. She talks

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Speaker 1: about feeling suicidal in the wake of what she's feeling,

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Speaker 1: and about drinking to try and cope with what she's feeling.

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Speaker 1: She also asks a question that I think many in

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Speaker 1: our community have asked when struggling with depression. How can

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Speaker 1: somebody so blessed want to kill themselves? Feeling blessed and

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Speaker 1: grateful for what you have does not mean that you

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Speaker 1: might not also feel depressed and maybe even suicidal. It's

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Speaker 1: important for us to remember that mental health concerns can

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Speaker 1: impact all of us, regardless of celebrity status, income level,

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Speaker 1: marital status, etc. She then goes on to further outline

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Speaker 1: some of the stressors she's experienced in the past several years,

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Speaker 1: including the loss of her parents, infidelity, and while she

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Speaker 1: doesn't mention it, we also know she's experienced being shot

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Speaker 1: and going through a grueling public court case where many

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Speaker 1: did not believe her, say it disgusting things about her,

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Speaker 1: and publicly berated her. She asks, Lord, give me a break.

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Speaker 1: I don't know how much more of this I can

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Speaker 1: take again, a refrain that probably feels familiar to many

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Speaker 1: of us, not feeling like we can survive one more

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Speaker 1: thing happening. She ends the song by saying he say

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Speaker 1: I'm crazy, do not know it? And sis, No, you

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Speaker 1: are not crazy. You are a human having a human

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Speaker 1: reaction to multiple stresses in your life. It would be

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Speaker 1: hard for me to believe someone experiencing things similar to

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Speaker 1: what you've experienced would not be struggling. So, Meg, if

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Speaker 1: you happen to hear this, I'm so so sorry that

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Speaker 1: you've experienced so many painful things in your life, and

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Speaker 1: I am so proud of you for taking a space

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Speaker 1: to share your story in this way. I hope that

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Speaker 1: this further clears the path for your healing and that

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Speaker 1: you can feel the love and support from so many

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Speaker 1: of us who are rooting you on and are grateful

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Speaker 1: that you're still here. In an Instagram post advertising the song,

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Speaker 1: Meg included a paragraph that shares what I assume is

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Speaker 1: the reason she titled this project Cobra. It states Cobra's

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Speaker 1: exemplify courage and self reliance. They stand tall and fierce

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Speaker 1: in the face of challenges, teaching one to tap into

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Speaker 1: their inner strength and rely on oneself to conquer their threats.

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Speaker 1: Emulating the Cobra helps one be more confident in the

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Speaker 1: person they are within. This is all good and it's important,

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Speaker 1: but what I truly, truly want is for this not

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Speaker 1: to have to be the case. What I want for Meg,

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Speaker 1: and what I want for all of us, is a

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Speaker 1: circle of support that walks with us through our toughest

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Speaker 1: moments a soft place to land so that we don't

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Speaker 1: always have to be tough. Self reliance is great. It's

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Speaker 1: a needed skill, but so is being there for our

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Speaker 1: people and being able to ask for and rely on

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Speaker 1: others for help. Cobra really spoke to me both as

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Speaker 1: a black woman and as a psychologist who works with

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Speaker 1: black women. It is a brave display of vulnerability in

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Speaker 1: a world that would rather us be silent, and an

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Speaker 1: honoring of a personal truth, even though I'm sure it

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Speaker 1: was really hard to share. When you can, I'd invite

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Speaker 1: you to listen to Cobra and then spend some time

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Speaker 1: journaling about anything that resonates with you or anything that

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Speaker 1: comes up for you as you listen. We can help

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Speaker 1: to honor megstory by tapping in a little more fully

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Speaker 1: to our own. As always, I'd love to hear your

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Speaker 1: thoughts about the song or any comments you have related

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Speaker 1: to what I've shared here. Please share them with us

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Speaker 1: using the hashtag TVG in Session, or you can message

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Speaker 1: me directly. I'm at hello, doctor Joy across the socials,

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Speaker 1: and don't forget to text this episode to two of

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Speaker 1: your girls so that they can check it out as well.

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Speaker 1: If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check

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Speaker 1: out our therapist directory at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com

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Speaker 1: slash directory. And if you want to continue digging into

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Speaker 1: this topic or just be in community with other sisters,

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Speaker 1: come on over and join us in the Sister Circle.

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Speaker 1: It's our cozy corner of the Internet designed just for

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Speaker 1: black women. You can join us at community dot Therapy

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Speaker 1: for Blackgirls dot com. This episode was produced by Frida Lucas,

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Speaker 1: Elise Ellis, and Zaria Taylor. Editing was done by Dennison Bradford.

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Speaker 1: You yall so much for joining me again this week.

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Speaker 1: I look forward to continuing this conversation with you all

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Speaker 1: real soon. Take good care what