Issa Rae Weighs In On Making Therapy A Top Priority In Her Life
If you're sick, the next most logical thing to do is see a doctor. But when we're faced with a malady of the mind, we're told to put on our big girl panties and get over it. How, Sway? For some reason, symptoms of the flu far outweigh the symptoms of a mental breakdown when it comes to our urgency in seeking professional help and I, for one, think this way of thinking is ass-backwards and Issa Rae agrees with me.
In a recent episode of The Read, Kid Fury and Crissle West sat down with the 34-year-old entertainer, who shared exactly why therapy is a top priority in her life. According to Issa, their podcast was largely what inspired her to attend her first session:
"I know y'all get this all the time, but you guys having conversations about therapy and mental health really got me thinking about it because I don't consider myself troubled necessarily. But being in this industry, there's just a lot that I don't say. There's a lot that I take on. There's a lot that I sweep under the rug that I think is just normal––that you're supposed to do."
Issa went on to explain that after some reflection, she realized that her repression was generational. After watching both her mother and her grandmother struggle with superwoman syndrome, she ultimately adopted the same mentality.
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"And I think specifically as a Black woman, I watched my mom do it. I watched my grandmother do it. It's just, you take it on and you're just like, that's life and you don't want to burden other people with your problems. And so you guys talked about it all the time and it just made me feel like, 'Oh, I should go.'"
The Insecure star explained that she ultimately made the decision to go to therapy as an act of self-care because nobody can give more f*cks about you than you can.
"And I think the first time I finally made the time to go was just last year. I did three little sessions and I fucked with it. But it is important to not necessarily go because you think something's wrong, but you should if you're in an industry like this, prioritize it because nobody else will. And that's what I've learned just throughout my journey here."
Issa warned that while the people around you may mean well, ultimately, your healing is your responsibility and your responsibility only.
"It's like, oh, nobody gives a f*ck about you. Like you're just a ticket for, you know, the next project or you're a check a to-do list item for you, for them. And it's not necessarily, they're not worried about how you're doing. They don't care about how you're doing. They mean well, but nobody really cares. So it's only on you to make sure that you're good."
To watch the full clip, click below!
Issa Rae Talks 'Raedio' and Prioritizing Therapy (Extended Cut) | The Read with Kid Fury and Crisslewww.youtube.com
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images