POV: Power Walk (11.3.25)

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey, it's Monday. You already know. Okay, let's go ahead and kick it off like we usually do. Me, me, me, me. Good morning, Happy Monday, and welcome to the Power Walk. You know what time it is? Happy Monday. It's a new week, a new opportunity, a new month. And I'm so glad that you're here, that you're listening, and I'm glad to be here, to be present, to be outside, because it's a beautiful day. Come on. I'm outside. Listen, listen. There's some things I gotta talk to y' all about. So in this work of advocacy, it's been very interesting, and there's a level of advocating for others and then advocating for self and advocating for others. I enjoy so much, particularly when I am talking about children and helping them become the safest on the Internet, in educating parents and caregivers to be intentional with checking their device and having intentional conversations about what they're watching and what they're tuned into. Also advocating for self, self love, self care, being able to share your story, to use your story to change the world, to say things that people might feel uncomfortable with, but then they have to then later ask themselves, well, did she lie? I tell you that it has been such a interesting journey, for sure. And it goes to parasocial relationships. I want to identify and talk about that today in the Power Walk episode, because not only is it difficult for adults to really think about these parasocial relationships, but it's also more prevalent in our children, too, who have underdeveloped brains. Okay, so. So what is a parasocial relationship? A parasocial relationship is when you form a relationship with someone and their identity that they have portrayed online. You might not know them personally, where you know intimate details about their life, but you follow them on social media, you see them posting content, and you develop a relationship with the character that they are demonstrating online. There actually are some AI characters out there now that people have formed parasocial relationships with and they have become AI influencers. Let me post a screenshot here and post a link in the comments and in the description so that you can read about it, because you'll see more companies that are moving towards having AI characters and AI influencers because it's easier for them to manage. So people form parasocial relationships with these characters, but also humans, real people, and you will have people that will form relationships with the people that they follow. They might not know them, but because they follow them and have been following their journey and the story that they tell, Whether truth or not, things develop in the brain and the connectivity happens. So it doesn't just happen with adults, it also happens with children. It's one of the reasons why children are more likely to replicate what they see. And this is why the dangerous TikTok challenges continue to happen. Because they see other children doing it and they want to be able to do it too. Which is why I posted about this some time ago. But there were adults that were standing on odd substances with a Nicki Minaj track on doing what they call the Nicki Minaj Challenge and place themselves and other people at times in some very dangerous situations. Why? Because someone else did it. I don't know how else to say that. So I bring all this up because you will have people that will develop parasocial relationships with people online and most recently AI influencers. And I am just here to just uplift that. It's very important that you check your biases when you are advocating and when you're speaking up for said individuals that you actually may not know. Okay. If someone is sharing their story about a person, you might not have had that experience, and that's okay. When someone is sharing their story about their experience, it is not okay for you to dismiss their experience because you didn't have that type of experience. Congratulations that you didn't have that type of experience. But that doesn't mean that the experience over here didn't happen or. Or that is not true. And we see that a lot where victims do not want to speak out about things that have happened and survivors that don't want to speak out about the things that happen because of what people will say. My power walks have been very, very vulnerable. I've been sharing the things that come to mind. I've been using this opportunity to advocate for myself, advocate for others, and to amplify the things that I want to amplify when I have a moment of opportunity to do these power walks, that is the intention of them. Again, not sugarcoating. I'm not lying and I'm not here to protect other people's images or characters. If they wanted to be talked about better, then they should have behaved better. I don't know what else to say about that. And I will continue to reiterate that point just to make sure everyone is very clear moving forward in that, you know, it's such a blessing to be able to use my voice to help people as they navigate life's transitions. And while I used to get really caught up in comments and what people say, I'VE had to break free from that and break free from that too. You will have people not like you because you are speaking about somebody that they love and care about. And you might be in the right. You might be saying everything truthfully. You might be painting the picture that needs to be painted in that season and still be looked at as a villain because you opened your mouth and dared to say something. It happens a lot. We could go down a list of different people that when something happens, when something is shared, there are people on the other side of it that is like, why are we talking about this? Why did the video just come out? This is old. Why do you keep talking about it? I guess you haven't moved on. I get. Listen, I'm. I'm telling you to the folks that want to share your story, be prepared for. For people to invalidate you. Be prepared to have to go receipt for receipt in some cases. But when you do that, also remember the balancing act of protecting your peace. I talked about it on Life Unfiltered Heal that. And I talked about the balancing act of going receipt for receipt versus protecting your peace. And, and where do you draw that line of protecting your name? Because you only got one. And when I tell you the. The season in my life has been about protecting my name. Whether it has been with the trademark dispute, whether it has been me as a person, it's been coming from all different angles. And I am sharing this to uplift and to motivate others that in the midst of it, keep going, you're gonna have people to say, be quiet. Why are you still talking about it? Continue to speak. You're gonna have people that will try to invalidate because they had a different experience and whoop dee doo, your experience matters. I'm just here to tell you that in your journey of advocacy for others and advocacy for self, be prepared to hear it. And also be prepared to stand 10 toes down on what you're saying, because you're going to have documentation and you're going to have receipts because people lie. Receipts don't. In this world, out here in these digital streets, it is a wild place. And these parasocial relationships can get people really caught up in the illusions on the Internet as well. And not only are our adults getting caught up in it, but our children are getting caught up in it too. And I've been talking about this for several years now. And I will continue to talk about how harmful some of these parasocial relationships are that are on the Internet, that are being formed and this is why you need to be very intentional with what your children are doing on the Internet, who they're following and who they're connecting with. Also. Same for you, Same for me. We need to be very mindful of what we're following. We need to be very mindful of who we're engaging with and who has access to us, period. But for the folks that will get on the good old keyboard, you don't even know an individual. You just follow them on social media for whatever reason that you do. But you will get on the good old keyboard and write things that are not true. To try to, I guess, advocate for the person that you have a parasocial relationship with and you haven't had the lived experience to really try to talk about someone else's lived experience and then why? You could stay out of it. You could not comment, you could unfollow, you could block. There are so many options that could have happened, but instead there are people that are okay with being loud and wrong and will advocate for people that they really, truly don't know. So be mindful of who you're advocating for out here in these streets is what I'm getting to today. And for my truth tellers, my truth seekers, and the change agents that are out here having conversations that people don't necessarily want to have, but you're having them anyway. Keep pushing through because you're going to have people that will continue to push back on you and ask you why you're doing such and such, and that's okay. But continue to be unapologetic about it. Continue to operate out the three keys, accountability, transparency, and integrity. Okay, people will talk, and that's okay. And there's a big difference between being talked about and being confronted. So let them talk. Let them. But continue to stand firm in what you believe and continue to use your voice to advocate for others and continue to show up unapologetically because there's only one you. And your story matters. Your story is important. I survived a lot with the reconstruction of my heart in more ways than one. And I will refuse to let anybody who don't know me personally go in my comment section to try to dictate what's true and not true and to tell me what I should or should not be doing. Go out and move your body today. Go out and accomplish your goals today. Let them talk. Let them talk about you. Let them post about you. Let them. Let them. You will have people that will intentionally test your walk with God. Stand firm in your beliefs. Stand firm in your purpose. Stand firm on your assignment. Stand firm on your assignment. Okay, It's November. We got one month left until the end of this year, and there are goals that you want to meet, and I want to make sure that you meet those goals. So get it done. Do it. You got it. I am rooting for you. We got this. Okay? Don't let these people out here get you off track. And just because you speaking on something don't mean you ain't moved on from it. You can definitely move on from something and still speak about it. Don't let them narratives get to you. Those are people who want you to be silent for whatever reason it might be. But healing doesn't mean silence. And I cannot wait for y' all to hear that track and the album that I've been working so hard on. I can't wait. I've been working very, very hard on this music selection and the music writing and putting my heart out and surrendering to God in the process. And so, with that being said, I got goals to meet, and I'm gonna meet him. And until next time, peace. [00:12:39] Speaker B: This ain't just a podcast. It's a protest on pavement. Unfiltered, unbothered, and unapologetically. With your host, Bianca. And this is the power walk. Now walk with me.