For Colored Girls Who Dare to Live for Themselves with Christin "CiCi" Battle

[@ForHarriet619]

FOLLOW CICI ▶︎ instagram.com/thecicibattle/

[@ereka333]

It’s about remembering, that is so true and powerful once you realize it. Earlier this year I started buying more books to read for fun. I had been reading for academics for so many years that I completely forgot that I loved to read novels and poetry as well. So I am really being intentional about remembering the things that I love

[@LovlyHorror]

I've had that exact experience many times.

[@lastdays9163]

As much as we are told "we change" or "we grow" throughout life, we still face the barrier of that personal growth through other peoples perception of us. I believe we are kept prisoner by every iteration of ourselves that we have outgrown because the world around us has become attached to that version. And when we're ready to move on from it, it's a job in itself to change people's minds about us or to become comfortable about people perceiving us in an awkward and unreliable way. If we abandon the need for people to "get us" we can get to "us" much faster.

[@SapphicKnits]

I had to screen shot your comment because that was a whole word 👏🏿

[@Namine01]

I haven't even watched the video yet but saw your comment, and it resonated so much. A word! 👏🏾

[@Martina_E]

A word! 💯

[@Iloona974]

That’s where the media comes into play, you guys need to support women who fit your new image so other people can get used to that instead of the raggedy image that has been created of us now.

[@NallahBrown]

That last line is it!!! That's it. That's all. 💐

[@dearjourneyxokamiahmonique]

“I think we all know who we are, we’re just socialized out of that knowing.” What is your internal work and consciousness gonna be?? #Rest #Remembering #Reclaiming

[@PrincessSaskia84]

'Rest and play is a divestment from white supremacy'-that is a game changing thought there. Great interview,kimberly 😃

[@alwaysdaydreaming88]

This conversation spoke to me so so much. I’ve been in a heavy state of nostalgia and have been missing the child/ teenage version of myself. This conversation made me realise that I need to frolic ALOT more and get back to mental and physical freedom of my younger self. Thank you both for the enlightenment ❤️

[@NallahBrown]

Yes ma'am!! Also, I love your channel name 💐💐🤍

[@mmaolisae3675]

"Why do I want to be taken seriously? I want to be experienced joyfully." Wow. I had to rewind that part. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Another nugget - "we've been socialized into dropping pieces of our humanity"

[@demilovatofaith]

When cici said "why do I want to be take seriously?", made me pause. I almost cried.... I wish someone told me that in my theatre education.... especially with all white NT profs.....

[@serenity6831]

The Frolic Queen! Love her work This was such a wonderful talk. I adore Cici's point about how we self police our frolic a lot, I've also been dancing more lately and tapping into my inner child, sometimes even at work. Because to shut it away for the sake of "public perception" was slowly k*lling me. That freedom of expression is crucial, and I don't want to lose it again.

[@datBoondockingdiva]

Awesome job Queens ✨️ Love the juicy questions & answers! This video is exactly why I live the RV lifestyle and travel abroad more. I no longer feel selfish for putting my joy and my peace 1st. It feels so good when you realize that it's okay to reject & release the shame or guilt---especially from religion, stereotypes, or people who no longer serve my highest good 🧡

[@lanievangline637]

Love this video. "Who does it serve for you to be an independent black women?" "Who does it serve to be a strong black women?" It hasn't served me... I am not sure in society if we can present any other way than a strong black women... I think we are never seen as being worthy of help whether we are "strong" or "weak" as black women. Unfortunately.

[@lanievangline637]

@@neetabeeta6927 I hear you. I personally am not out in these streets identifying with the struggles of a strong black women any more. I have shed that ideal and I am trying to live my best life of comfort and softness.

[@ChillingTales12]

Well if you guys don't want to be strong than I will. Hmph. How bad could it be. Some of you just lack a spine.

[@rejectionisprotection4448]

@@ChillingTales12 Be our guest😊😊😊😊

[@lanievangline637]

@@ChillingTales12 You're free to be whatever you want in the world. And I choose to be free of your expectations. Have a blessed life 😇

[@tananario]

@@ChillingTales12 Thanks! Have at it!

[@natachaunelus]

"Who does it serve to be a strong black woman? Most of that -ish doesn't serve us. They're manifestations of slavery; they're manifestations of capitalism that tell us we're only worthy by our labor." -CiCi. Say it louder for the people in the back!!

[@tanettacaleb7767]

Chile!!!!!!!

[@jadewalker1355]

a whole word!!!!!

[@babeblue1000]

@33:25 I FELT THIS SOOOO MUCHHH! People don't understand why I need alone time and its because they give me anxiety.

[@tippygraham]

Preach!

[@engineeringbookisha]

Yeah, it’s hard for me to talk to some people in my life because they exhaust me

[@abbybryant9019]

👏🏽 this!!!

[@TruthNloV3]

My mama: why you ain’t been to church lately? Me: Kim been giving me all the church I need! Real Shit tho these kinds of conversations feed my spirit so much! Eternally grateful for this community

[@NallahBrown]

"We internally police ourselves and then we police other people."

[@jayceechester]

A 🍄 trip allowed me to sit with myself and remember authentic, kid me. (not telling any one to do 🍄) 😉

[@CHayes-xr4yi]

I’ve always been curious about shrooming 🤔 sounds like you had a good trip

[@lindsayt7950]

I had to do an essay for a scholarship in college and it was about how do you see yourself in the future or something along those lines. I remember I said I wanted to stay funny. And my advisor pointed that out and said that was her favorite part. So many adults lose or don’t display a lightheartedness and I know it’s because life can and will be hard and suck it out of you, I started to experience that. But I made a. Choice one day To choose to be happy. To cut those ppl out who don’t intentionally choose the same. And to live a joyful content life intentionally. Yes I choose to be funny, laugh, and express joy all throughout my life.

[@CulinaryGuide]

My whole life I've had other people monopolizing and insisting that I do things in their time frame or schedule.

[@Heykay34]

I just realized I’m on a twerking journey too 😂😅. My fave thing to do at the moment is dance it out by myself at home. I used to be so self conscious I never went to any school dances for this reason, always needed to be inebriated to dance going out, now I just don’t care. I love dancing and practicing twerking 😄.

[@f.t.7933]

to see this as i’m waiting for my orientation at a 2nd job and battling the shame around moving to a lower payscale to focus on building my business & salvaging the mental health they’ve been wearing down, is so much more powerful than you could ever know. thank you for everything, as always, kim ❤️

[@MichelleNgome]

Great conversation. I'm turning 40 in a few weeks and I've been thinking a lot about how I need to simplify my life in the next 5 years. Thanks for the nuggets.

[@mutecryptid]

As a gen z news addict, this has been very calming and inspirational. I rarely see older people talking about this stuff and feel like I have to make the right words to tell myself on my own and it weighs heavier every day. This conversation is beautiful

[@Karla-op1gn]

For me it's my dog.. he reminds me to play, he reminds me let's go to park and just people and animal watch. He helps me to be in the now. So I 100% understand all this video is saying.

[@talisha5863]

“Projected shame”….profound proclamation👏🏽 However, one thing that Kim and CiCi aren’t acknowledging is that they put the work in and gradually decided to chill and unwind both personally & professionally. There are many people that have not and have no desire to do anything for themselves and definitely not for others, but want to be pampered and adored just for their existence. We all need to have a purpose besides just aspiring to live a perpetual “soft life”. Self worth & self awareness are very important and significant towards achieving happiness🙏🏾😘

[@jetunnadine]

Even though my licensed therapist (and my authentic inner self) has said every single thing in this video lol I feel so new after watching this video. My therapist has literally said all of these things and I'm such a thinker I think myself into not choosing myself. This was such a great video. Thank you both! Edit: I also think this burden is so heavy on Black women especially like over extending and not being yourself or the world will crumble.

[@Neonnysh]

There are so many good points here I’m planning to reflect on and apply to my own life. Thanks to you both for this wonderful discussion!

[@TarjiRochelle]

I love this interview. Took a lot of notes, worth exploring further. ❤

[@inathi1329]

"We all know who we are we were just socialized out of that knowing".....yes! Yes! Yes! Yyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss!💕💕💕💕💕

[@tippygraham]

33:35 mark…… where Cici describes that people come to her to get their tanks refilled and she left on empty! This! I have just relayed this same message to my friends, about 2-3 months ago, and the message was not well received 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️. Folks need to understand even a cell phone, like ourselves, need to be charged to work.

[@lastdays9163]

Twerking as meditation 👏

[@ladiepink]

Yessss so I’m back this time to take notes !!! First listen was like oh yes ma’am go re listen to write down the many gems that you both dropped!

[@OddWomanOut_Pi81]

SOCIALIZATION... That word should've been the theme of this conversation, because it came up many times. It's made me think...A lot of what we've been made to think adulthood is requires us to SOCIALIZE ourselves out of/away from true joy...🤔... and THAT... kind of fuckin sucks. We are made to feel that adulthood and joy are strange bedfellows.

[@sumayzebecreating]

When I tell you I was not good(mentally) in 2020 then I was (mentally) good in the beginning of 2021 now in 2022 I definitely noticed a significant decline in mental sanity smh

[@TyraHigh]

Great convo; I’d like CiCi to divorce the “woo woo” naming of human experiences that have science based study and things that are not validated by science. I know harm isn’t intended but physical manifestations of emotions is VERY real.

[@roccafille]

I wish more people knew about Sheena Mason and her theory of racelessness because America really needs it. Saying this as a darkskin person also living in a white country (Belgium). It really helped me see myself as a person and not just the colour my skin has and the same for other people. Respect is respect and love is love. If people show yoyu that, you can give it back, if they don't keep them at arms length. Thanks for sharing your guys conversation tho

[@jadewalker1355]

What an excellent conversation! Thank you so much Kim- I needed this video❤️💕

[@c0ld_as_Dice]

i like to tell people i identify as a 30-something year old teenager

[@DrCrystalHarris]

Another super powerful discussion. Interrogation of why these feeling as coming up and is it me or them? Self censorship is real and dangerously insidious

[@NallahBrown]

13:06 "being cool with the highest version of me that's no in alignment with what people know about me." FELT THIS! Yes yes! That's why prioritizing and centering my solitude has been such an important call for me recently. I feel that so deeply. What a potent and fertile time to be alive and cultivating intentional space for myself.

[@NallahBrown]

20:35 "but if I'm not doing it because I'm scared of what someone will say or experience..... I'm not going to sacrifice my highest self for you."

[@monicaDD]

Thanks so much for this interview

[@basicswithb503]

I love this so much! I was literally about to delete a vlog I posted two weeks ago because there’s one part where I was very turnt and I worried about how I looked to people, then I looked back at it and I laughed so much cause I’m actually really funny after a few drinks 😂 very silly example, but we really battle with things like this all that because of societal expectations, respectability politics, likeability etc etc and it’s so harmful to us and we’re indirectly telling other people not to show up as themselves either. Lastly- I often have these “oh no what is she/he doing” thoughts.. just PROJECTING, but so glad I’m aware and interrogate these thoughts. To more fun and rest! Thanks for this ♥️

[@naeb9486]

This conversation is exactly what I've been feeling! wow!

[@kdennis2461]

That intro is hard afffff

[@mewmew6158]

Thanks for this conversation, Kim! This is comforting to listen to while I try and feel less in pain today.

[@TheTbmbishop]

I love this conversation because I have been trying to show up as my full self now instead of hiding so much of myself. It has been surprising me and other people who I actually am.

[@ChillingTales12]

If your frustrated with people not wearing masks you would have been livid if you'd have been on the beach this past Mknday. It was packed full of people. No maks in sight.

[@kimc2357]

Another great video. You should interview/ chat with Raquel Savage

[@Tamisha710]

This convo is so necessary for us by us. 👏 💐

[@IntuitiveTiff]

This was so good on Soo many different levels! Thank you!!!

[@Hidden2u]

The conversation at the 31 min mark re: entertaining and engaging with non-matches was so timely for me-thanks, ladies! 🖤

[@leahclark1296]

I haven’t had real rest since I was a child and every time I have a chance to take a break I just sleep haha. I really needed to hear this and I’m hoping to reconnect with my inner child!

[@lastdays9163]

POWERFUL 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@AlishaDixonTV]

Such great commentary 💜💜💜

[@chloesmith7127]

I loved and needed this convo!! Thank you

[@Heykay34]

I could listen to y’all forever 🖤

[@AntonioTorres-rk3ee]

Im afro columbian

[@Word-Smithy]

This was such a great conversation. So much of it was applicable to my own life. Thank you, Ladies.

[@GvannD]

This is such a good discussion

[@4ctina246]

I call them Energy Vampires!! Great discussion, I glad to know that there are others that feel the way I do!

[@AntonioTorres-rk3ee]

Okay

[@AntonioTorres-rk3ee]

Nice

[@oxi858]

Phenomenal!

[@heyiam4554]

Love this!

[@louisachalarca6494]

I was thinking of Chloe!!! Loll

[@Heidi2003]

Another great video

[@lacresha625]

This was so moving thank you

[@Veronicababe]

This was a good one💕💕💕💖💖im learning to give myself permission to just Be.