Decentering Power and Privilege in Real Life: From Parenting to Policy

Eyes On Whiteness

In this episode of Eyes on Whiteness, we’re exploring what it means to decenter power and privilege—especially in times of overwhelm, urgency, or fear.

Maureen invites you into a vulnerable, provocative reflection on how systems like white supremacy and patriarchy teach us to equate control with care—and how that shaping shows up in everyday leadership roles: parenting, teaching, activism, art, nonprofit work, and more.

Through honest storytelling and critical inquiry, this episode offers tangible ways to notice our defaults, practice grace instead of guilt, and choose connection over domination. Whether you’re a teacher managing a classroom, an organizer building coalitions, a parent navigating your child’s truth, or a leader holding responsibility in institutions—this episode is for you.

We ask:

• What gets silenced when we stay in charge?
• How do our “shoulds” shape our reactions?
• What does it look like to transmute power—not perform it?

This is not about getting it right.
It’s about returning to a practice rooted in courage, humility, and care.

This Week’s Reflection Questions:

• Where am I centering my own comfort or worldview—and how might that be limiting the truth I’m willing to hear?
• Whose voices or truths have I intentionally or unintentionally silenced—and what structures make that silencing easy to ignore?
• What would it look like to lead with deep listening and shared power—even when overwhelm tells me to default to control?

Support the show

This episode was created with deep love, and deep thanks to the frameworks and tools within Cultivating Intersectional Leadership, a course I co-created with Diedra Barber.

CIL isn’t just a training. It’s a transformative journey—one that supports individuals and organizations in making the systemic, strategic, and spiritual shifts needed to build something different.
Something rooted in justice. Something aligned with who we say we want to be.

You're invited to learn more or inquire about participation at:
🌐 www.cultivatingintersectionalleadership.com
Or visit our podcast site at:
🎧 www.eyesonwhiteness.com

If this episode stirred something in you, share it.
If you’re holding big questions, write them down.
And if you’re tired—rest. But don’t quit.