Session 401: A Conversation on Black Girlhood and Womanhood with Dr. Lauren Mims
Therapy for Black Girls
iHeartPodcasts and Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D.
4.8 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How is Black girlhood defined these days? As we see fewer depictions of Black girls in the media, limited spaces for them to shop, and continuing adultification bias, it seems more difficult than ever to answer this question. Joining me to discuss the ways Black girlhood is defined is Dr. Lauren Mims, an assistant professor at NYU's Steinhardt School. Her research focuses on how sociocultural stressors impact Black children's development, and identifying strengths that can buffer the negative effects of bias and discrimination. She also served as Assistant Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans during the Obama Administration. During our conversation we discuss girlhood and womanhood through education, media representation, psychology, and even TikTok.
About the Podcast
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
Resources & Announcements
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you'd like some feedback on, topics you'd like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.
Where to Find Dr. Mims
Instagram: @DrLaurenMims
Stay Connected
Is there a topic you'd like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox.
If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.
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The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.
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Our Production Team
Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard
Senior Producer: Ellice Ellis
Producer: Tyree Rush
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible |
| 0:22.2 | versions of ourselves. I'm your host, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, |
| 0:29.4 | Georgia. For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at |
| 0:36.1 | Therapy for Black Girls.com. |
| 0:38.6 | While I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a |
| 0:44.5 | substitute for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional. |
| 0:56.6 | Hey, y'all. |
| 1:00.5 | Thanks so much for joining me for session 401 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. |
| 1:02.0 | We'll get right into our conversation after word from our sponsors. |
| 1:21.8 | When Kashon Thompson coined the term Black Girl Magic in 2013, it sparked a movement that celebrated black women, girls, and fims. |
| 1:29.0 | Their resilience, beauty, and power. And as amazing as the movement has been, 12 years later we find ourselves in an era of black femme representation that still struggles in its delineation of black women from black |
| 1:33.9 | girls. As the media examples do and do in culture shifts, we hear Therapy for Black Girls |
| 1:39.5 | dare to ask, what even is Black Girlhood? Joining me for this conversation is Dr. Lauren Mims, an assistant professor at NYU Steinhardt School. |
| 1:50.2 | Her research focuses on how sociocultural stressors impact Black children's development |
| 1:54.9 | and identifying strengths that can buffer the negative effects of bias and discrimination. |
| 2:00.5 | She also served as an assistant director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans during the Obama administration. |
| 2:08.6 | Exploring girlhood and womanhood through education, media representation, psychology, and somehow even TikTok, |
| 2:14.6 | Dr. Mems helps us better contextualize not only what black girlhood is, |
| 2:19.3 | but how to empower young girls in helping us define it. |
| 2:22.7 | This conversation is a continuation of our reflection on the past, present, and future of black girlhood and womanhood |
| 2:28.5 | in celebration of 400 episodes of therapy for black girls. |
| 2:32.6 | I'm very excited for you to hear this conversation. |
... |
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