I've Been Code-Switching in My Own Business ESSENTFLOW™
About this episode
For 17 years, I've been documenting patterns of burnout, identity incongruence, and sustained performance. But for the last 9 months — since I started building ESSENTFLOW™ publicly — I've been doing something I didn't even realize: code-switching in my own work.I was saying "high-capacity people" when the research I was doing, the experience I was living, the patterns I was documenting — all of it was specifically about high-capacity Black women.In this episode, I share what happened when I finally let myself look at the research. What I discovered about Dr. Carey Yazeed, Dr. Cheryl Woods-Giscombé, Dr. Thema Bryant, and other Black women researchers who've been naming these patterns for years. And why I was so scared to say out loud who this work is actually for.This is the transition episode. The one where I stop translating myself and start speaking directly to the Black women this work was always meant to serve.In This Episode, We Talk About:Why I started building ESSENTFLOW™ for "all women" instead of naming my specific audienceThe research that changed everything: Dr. Carey Yazeed's study as the catalystThe Superwoman Schema (Dr. Cheryl Woods-Giscombé): 5 beliefs many Black women carryCode-switching statistics: 61% of Black employees compromise authenticity at work, 34% actively code-switchWhy code-switching doesn't stay at work — it follows you home into every domainThe difference between survival and thrivingWhat "native self vs. installed self" actually means in the context of identity reclamationWhy my lived experience as a Black woman is my credential, not a limitationWhat this means for ESSENTFLOW™ going forwardKey Research Findings Referenced:The Superwoman Schema (Dr. Cheryl Woods-Giscombé, UNC Chapel Hill)Five core beliefs many Black women carry:Expectation to show strength at all timesSuppression of emotionsResistance to being vulnerable or depending on othersDetermination to succeed despite limited resourcesHelping others even at your own expenseCode-Switching Statistics:61% of Black employees report compromising authenticity to fit dominant workplace standards (Harvard Business Review)34% of Black employees actively code-switch at work — significantly higher than 20% average (McCluney et al., 2019)Identity Incongruence:Sustained misalignment between who you are and who you perform to be — not for a day or a project, but chronically across multiple domains (work, relationships, family, faith, creative expression)
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