Episode 20: Living in Truth (Part 1): The Questions That Wouldn’t Let Me Go

This week’s episode took an unexpected turn. I sat down to reflect on my four-part Substack series on truth-telling, only to realize the truth needed more time than I imagined.

In Part 1 of this sacred two-part offering, I read from the first two letters: Choosing Integrity Over Appeasement and Emotional Honesty is Leadership, and answered the same questions I ask my community every week.

What came up was raw, real, and deeply rooted in lived experience from my childhood conditioning around silence to the cost of truth-telling in professional spaces. These aren’t just reflections. They’re reckonings.

Chapters

01:53 – The Cost and Calling of Living in Your Truth

06:22 – Choosing Integrity Over Appeasement

09:01 – Respectability and Silence

16:06 – Values and Personal Critique

23:10 – Navigating Criticism with Curiosity

23:58 – Reflections on School Psychology

25:25 – Empowering Students to Speak Up

27:24 – Creating Safe Spaces in the Workplace

32:03 – Emotional Honesty and Leadership

38:27 – Challenging Harmful Work Cultures

46:13 – Final Thoughts and Reflections

Curiosity Card Prompts for Reflection

1. Who taught me that keeping quiet was the “respectable” thing to do?

2. How do my values guide me when critique feels personal? (Authenticity, Connection, Curiosity, Leadership, Liberation)

3. How might my courage to speak now create space for someone else to breathe later?

4. Where was I taught that silence was safer than honesty?

5. Where am I being invited to create braver spaces for truth-telling?

6. Where might I be called to protect someone’s courage instead of rushing to correct them?

Suggest Podcast Questions

Resources

• Let’s Replace Cancel Culture with Accountability | Sonya Renee Taylor | TEDxAuckland - YouTube [SOME PROFANITY]

• I’ve Been Called Out For Causing Racial Harm. What Do I Do Now? (forbes.com)

• Yellowface, Whitewashing, and the History of White People Playing Asian Characters | Teen Vogue

• Media Diversity | Asian Americans Advancing Justice (advancingjustice-aajc.org)

• RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now – HarperCollins

Connect with Me

Instagram: @natural_inclination

Youtube: @naturalinclination

TikTok: Amber Sessoms

LinkedIn: Dr. Amber M. Sessoms, NCSP

Bluesky: @ambersessoms.bsky.social

Facebook: Natural Inclination

Substack: livingin3dpower.substack.com

Like, Comment, Share, Engage

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who would love these conversations. Engage with the Curiosity Cards and ask the youth in your life about their experiences because you might be surprised by what you learn. Share your thoughts and reflections in the comments or on social media using #LivingIn3DPower. And, don’t forget to subscribe and stay tuned for next week’s conversation!