How to Stay in Your Lane to Support Diversity and Inclusion An interview with Dr. Joy Cox, PhD, on tapping into the strength of community and genuine relationships to understand and address systemic oppression. Curt and Katie talk with Dr. Joy about intersectionality, the harmful stories we can tell ourselves about people who are different from us, and what we can do to best support diversity and inclusion in all the spaces we inhabit. We also address why it is important to do some of this work privately (rather than working it out publicly through statements on social media). It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age. Interview with Dr. Joy Cox, PhD Dr. Joy Cox is a body justice advocate using her skill set in research and leadership to foster social change through the promotion of fat acceptance and diversity and inclusion. With 37 years living as a fat, Black cisgendered woman and 7+ years of professional experience under her belt, Dr. Cox draws on her own experiences and skill set to amplify the voices of those most marginalized in society, bringing attention to matters of intersectionality addressing race, body size, accessibility, and “health.” Joy has been featured on several podcasts and media productions such as Food Pysch with Christy Harrison, Nalgona Positivity Pride with Gloria Lucas, Fat Women of Color with Ivy Felicia, and Huffington Post’s piece, “Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong.” She also just authored her first book, Fat Girls in Black Bodies: Creating Communities of Our Own. She is the voice of an overcomer, looking to propel others into a place of freedom designed by their desires. In this episode we talk about: What Dr. Joy is putting out into the world Intersectionality and bias, stigma How to take an intersectional approach The importance of genuine relationships in understanding others Discussing the panel discussion in the conference when addressing learning about others The harm of putting work on individuals with lived experience Why and when you should pay for expert consultation The challenge of googling to learn (when it works and when to seek expert guidance) The importance of saying no when someone is asking you to become a spokesperson The exponential impact of intersectionality of marginalized identities How intersectional identities compound to create narratives Anything that is heavily stigmatized in society – racism is not far behind it Knowledge without learning to implement Why you should find your lane and move accordingly How to identify what you can and should do to support inclusion The importance of identifying where to do the work, it doesn’t have to be public Why individuals need to learn themselves, understand their heart, and identify who they are Getting it right is better than getting it fast Having the important conversations and checking in with the people who matter The unreasonable expectation to have an opinion on everything The benefits of community with each person staying in their lane Creating community that includes all people and the strength that provides Pushing back on the idea that everyone has to be able to do all of the roles We need to change how we think and we need to change how we feel to uncover more space than we knew was available for all people Our Generous Sponsors: SimplePractice Running a private practice is rewarding, but it can also be demanding. SimplePractice changes that. This practice management solution helps you focus on what's most important—your clients—by simplifying the business side of private practice like billing, scheduling, and even marketing. More than 100,000 professionals use SimplePractice —the leading EHR platform for private practitioners everywhere – to power telehealth sessions, schedule appointments, file insurance claims, communi