INTERVIEW: Lynae Vanee Talks ‘Parkin Lot Pimpin,' Launching ‘The Peoples Brief’ Being An Influencer, Politics + More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Lynae Vanee Talks ‘Parking Lot Pimpin,' Launching ‘The People’s Brief’ Being An Influencer, Politics + More

Release Date: May 23, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Breakfast Club, hosted by DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, and Charlamagne Tha God, special guest Lynae Vanee delves into her journey as an influencer, the launch of her new show The People’s Brief, her experiences with Parking Lot Pimpin, and her perspectives on politics and social influence. The conversation offers a deep dive into Lynae's motivations, challenges, and vision for empowering her community.

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Launching The People’s Brief

Lynae Vanee introduces her latest venture, The People’s Brief, a 45-minute show on Revolt TV, which marks an evolution from her previous project, Parking Lot Pimpin. She explains the differences and enhancements of her new show:

“It’s 45 minutes. It’s also not every week news headline, it’s more so evergreen things that are happening in the news...” (04:02)

Key Highlights:

• Extended Format: Unlike Parking Lot Pimpin, which focuses on weekly news headlines, The People’s Brief allows for more in-depth discussions on evergreen topics affecting the community.
• Resource-Oriented: The show aims to provide viewers with tools and answers rather than just complaints, fostering a more positive and supportive environment.
• Collaborative Approach: Lynae emphasizes the collective effort, stating, “With me, it’s no longer on me alone... it’s less taxing.” (06:06)

Notable Quote:

“It’s like a mix of 60 Minutes and John Oliver, The Daily Show, a little bit of Amber Ruffin, but with me.” (05:11)

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Being An Influencer: Motivation and Impact

DJ Envy explores Lynae’s approach to influencing, highlighting her balance between education and entertainment. Lynae shares her philosophy on content creation and the emotional drivers behind her work.

Key Highlights:

• Emotional Authenticity: Lynae writes from a place of anger, hope, and exhaustion, believing that authentic emotions resonate deeply with her audience.

  “I’m real big on character above anything and the way you contribute to society above anything.” (07:22)

• Purpose-Driven Content: She focuses on making conversations useful and uplifting, aiming to empower her audience rather than contribute to negativity.

  “How can I make people feel good? And more often than that... it’s less on me.” (06:18)

Notable Quote:

“I want to be responsible with what I’m saying and give myself time to research and learn about what’s going on before I say something.” (29:49)

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Navigating Politics as an Influencer

The conversation shifts to Lynae’s engagement with politics, a topic she initially avoided but now embraces as essential.

Key Highlights:

• Political Education: Lynae discusses how politics became a necessary aspect of her work, especially post-2020, and how she integrates it seamlessly into her content.

  “Politics was never my game. It just became necessary.” (12:11)

• Sustained Activism: She emphasizes the importance of continuous engagement rather than sporadic activism tied to election cycles.

  “We have to find that balance... the work never stops.” (15:52)

Notable Quote:

“These people don’t let up. They’ve been strategizing. So why should we?” (14:04)

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Educational Background and Influence

Lynae reflects on her time at Spelman College, highlighting how her education shaped her voice and approach to activism.

Key Highlights:

• Empowerment Through Education: At Spelman, Lynae was instilled with a mindset to be disruptors and change agents.

  “We need to be disruptors, we need to be change agents.” (10:57)

• Black Feminist Lens: Her studies emphasized understanding emotions and societal pressures through the lens of Black feminism, enhancing her storytelling and community engagement.

  “Every single class... through the lens of black feminism.” (10:57)

Notable Quote:

“I want us to be well and I want us to be invested in the wellness of one another.” (26:25)

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Challenges as a Creator

DJ Envy and Lynae discuss the logistical and creative challenges she faces in managing a weekly show, especially in a bustling city like Atlanta.

Key Highlights:

• Content Creation: Balancing timely topics with well-researched content requires a collaborative team effort.

  “We have about five writers on the show, and we ideate... pick the subtopics that make the most sense.” (23:06)

• Guest Booking: Securing engaging guests in a city with high traffic but transient visitors poses a unique challenge.

  “We’re hoping with what we’ve done so far, we’re able to build a portfolio that makes people want to stop by.” (24:27)

Notable Quote:

“Adjusting because we want to be ahead, and it’s hard to stay ahead when you want to do it right.” (24:24)

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Influence and Real-World Impact

Lynae shares touching stories of how her work has positively affected her audience, highlighting the real-world consequences of her influence.

Key Highlights:

• Personal Connections: Receiving heartfelt feedback from viewers who felt empowered or healed by her content.

  “An older woman... thanked me for saying things she never got to say when she was my age.” (27:22)

Notable Quote:

“I consider myself more of an artist than anything, a storyteller.” (21:11)

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Maintaining Authenticity and Integrity

The discussion touches on how Lynae stays true to her message amid potential political and commercial pressures.

Key Highlights:

• Resisting Influence: Lynae maintains her independence, stating that no amount of money or external pressure could sway her message.

  “There’s no amount of money, there’s no check that just would make me want to jump on the bandwagon.” (20:42)

• Selective Collaboration: She collaborates only with genuine individuals and organizations, ensuring her content remains solution-oriented.

  “If I’m working with people who I understand are genuine in their efforts, I’m down with that.” (21:10)

Notable Quote:

“I had to put stuff down and let him work... and that’s how we ended up together.” (08:23)

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Future Aspirations and Conclusion

As the interview wraps up, Lynae discusses her future goals and reaffirms her commitment to being a positive force in her community.

Key Highlights:

• Expanding Reach: Lynae aims to grow The People’s Brief and integrate it into mainstream conversations, potentially inspiring other creators.
• Holistic Wellness: Her ultimate goal is to foster a community focused on mutual wellness and empowerment.

Notable Quote:

“I want black people to be well... we can be stronger than ever.” (25:12)

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Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with Lynae promoting The People’s Brief and encouraging listeners to follow her work across various platforms.

“You can follow me everywhere. Enaevanee. You can tap into the show on Revolt TV...” (31:47)

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Conclusion

This episode of The Breakfast Club offers an insightful conversation with Lynae Vanee, showcasing her dedication to impactful storytelling, community empowerment, and navigating the complexities of being a political influencer. Lynae's commitment to authenticity and her strategic approach to content creation make her a compelling voice in today's media landscape.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• “It’s like a mix of 60 Minutes and John Oliver, The Daily Show, a little bit of Amber Ruffin, but with me.” (05:11)
• “I’m real big on character above anything and the way you contribute to society above anything.” (07:22)
• “These people don’t let up. They’ve been strategizing. So why should we?” (14:04)
• “We need to be disruptors, we need to be change agents.” (10:57)
• “I want us to be well and I want us to be invested in the wellness of one another.” (26:25)
• “There’s no amount of money, there’s no check that just would make me want to jump on the bandwagon.” (20:42)
• “I consider myself more of an artist than anything, a storyteller.” (21:11)
• “You can follow me everywhere. Enaevanee. You can tap into the show on Revolt TV...” (31:47)

---

Follow Lynae Vanee:

• Show: The People’s Brief on Revolt TV
• Social Media: @Enaevanee
• Streaming: Available on Revolt TV and YouTube snippets

For more engaging discussions and empowering voices, tune into The Breakfast Club on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform.

Transcript

[Debbie Brown]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Andrea Gunning]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone let's face it in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits or another challenge that you need support to work through, it's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider, typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most Insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by Insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S P A CE80 to match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

Hi guys, I'm Andrea Gunning, host of Betrayal. I'm excited to bring you all Season four A Story of a Cop and His Double Life. I wanted to let you know that you can get access to all episodes of betrayal season 1, 2, 3 and betrayal weekly and every single episode of betrayal season 4 ad free with an iheartrucrime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple podcasts plus. You'll get access to all episodes of betrayal season 4 one week ahead of everyone else, available only to I Heart True Crime plus subscribers, so don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You say you'd never give in to a meltdown, never let kids toys take over the house, and never fill your feed with kid photos. You'd never plan your life around their schedule, never lick your thumb to clean their face, and you'd never let them leave the house looking like less than their best. You say you'd never put a pacifier in your mouth to clean it, never let them stay up too late, and never let them run wild through the grocery store.

[Lenae Beni]

And aisle three.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So when you say you'd never let them get into a car without you there? No, it can happen. One in four hot car deaths happen when a kid gets into an unlocked car and can't get out. Never happens before you leave the car. Always stop, look lock brought to you by NHTSA and the AD Council.

[Debbie Brown]

Being able to say I feel like crying so I will cry today. I'm a little depressed. May is mental health awareness month and Deeply well is a six sanctuary for your healing. I'm Debbie Brown, healer, well being, expert teacher and fellow seeker and each week we explore what it means to become whole through soul expanding conversations and practices. Today, wow. I feel really powerful and ready to serve and use my skills and it's like that's the heart of what it is to be an authentic woman. To hear this and more ways to prioritize your peace. Listen to deeply well from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or or wherever you get your podcasts at.

[Lenae Beni]

And T connecting changes everything.

[DJ Envy]

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The Breakfast Club.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, it's the world's most dangerous morning show. The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne. The guy just hilarious. DJ Envy is off and Lauren LaRosa is at court following Diddy's trial. But we have a special guest here, Lenae Beni. What's happening, Lynae? Hey, how are you?

[Lenae Beni]

I'm good.

[DJ Envy]

You know, I'm sure that y' all see Lenae all the time. Her parking lot pimping pimping episodes have come across your feed in some way, shape or form. But now you got a show called the People's Brief.

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

On Revolt Tuesdays at 9:00pm what's the difference between the People's Brief and parking lot pimping?

[Lenae Beni]

One thing, we got more time. It's 45 minutes. It's also not so, you know, every week news headline, it's more so evergreen things that are happening in the news but things that we can talk about over the course of time because they affect us every day and just giving people more tools. And I feel like on social media I've always tried to be more information heavy and just provide a positive outlook. But now that we got more time, we want to try to provide resources too and answers to questions and not just complaints.

[Unnamed Host]

How different is it from parking lot pimping?

[Lenae Beni]

I won't say it's too different. I still get to say what I want to say. We what TV 14. So less cussing. But the team over there want to do what I want to do and that's like give everybody the truth and be helpful. We kind of take the same oath. Doctors do, do no harm and as much as we can. Yeah, the tone is the same but it's really cool because it's Not. It's newsy, but it's not. I never taken a traditional approach to things, so it's like a mix of 60 Minutes and John Tonight with John Oliver, the Daily Show, a little bit of Amber Ruffin, but with me.

[Unnamed Host]

Yeah, it was well rounded.

[Lenae Beni]

It's very well rounded. We have a lot of fun. The first couple episodes. The first episode premiered. What's today? Thursday. Premiere this week? Tuesday. And I had Angela Rye on as my first guest. That was amazing.

[DJ Envy]

My good sister Angela Rye.

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah. We get to get out in the field, do some man on the street, but a lot of good people come through, and we have a lot of fun.

[Unnamed Host]

Did you want to keep Parking Lot Pimping as the. The. The show for Revolt, like the title of the show?

[Lenae Beni]

No.

[Unnamed Host]

Or did you want to make it something else?

[Lenae Beni]

I wanted it to be something else. I think the identity of it transfers because it's still me, but it needed to be something different. It needed to be an evolution. So I was cool. Yeah. And I still get to do the parking lot. I don't know how often, because as you see, I'm here. It just like, my weeks look different now, but I've always said the parking lot is never going to leave. It's something crazy. They write on The Capitol another January 6th, I pull out my chair and I do some content. We're just figuring out the flow.

[DJ Envy]

Do you have a random parking lot you go to?

[Lenae Beni]

Are you just fine where I live?

[DJ Envy]

Okay. Okay.

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah, yeah.

[DJ Envy]

You know what I wanted to ask you, Linnae? How do you know when to educate, when to entertain, and when to rest?

[Lenae Beni]

Ooh, child, I don't know. Resting is new to me. It's been a new endeavor. When I say new, maybe the past, like, couple of years, because I've just had to be so much more intentional about it. But I speak to things when I feel is necessary, and I'm real in tune with the Lord. I used to say, stay in tune with your star player, as Katt Williams says. But, yeah, I just. Everything that I speak to, I make sure that I'm not just trying to be the first one to speak my opinion on something or just, like, offer something to the Doom Scroll. How can I make this conversation useful? How can I make this something? How can I provide another tool? And like I said, it's easy to find. Confident that makes you feel bad. How can I make people feel good? And more often than that, especially now that I have a team to help me concoct these stories, it's less on Me. So it's less taxing. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Do you write from a place of anger or hope or exhaustion?

[Lenae Beni]

All three of them. And it's funny you say that. Did y' all see Inside out, too?

[DJ Envy]

Oh, hell, yeah.

[Unnamed Host]

No, not too.

[Lenae Beni]

Okay.

[DJ Envy]

Boy 11. Okay.

[Lenae Beni]

If you've seen them, then you get the concept. I had my friends say, like, who's at our leaderboard? And everybody said, my top three are anger, disgust, and joy. Cause of the way that I see things. I just. I'm real big on character above anything and the way you, like, contribute to society above anything. So more often than not, I'm disgusted, and more often than not, that makes me exhausted. And, you know, a lot of things make me angry. But I also think angry, anger is a valid emotion, and it doesn't always have to present in a way that is heavy. It's just what it is. Like, I'm a black woman in America. A lot of things make me upset, and I should be able to say that without being made to feel like I have to cover up my emotions in any particular way. But I think the method of storytelling we uses combines all those things in a beautiful way that also shows that we're more than our anger or more than our joy, more than our exhaustion, more than our disgust, and we can be all things at one time and still be full, functioning members of society.

[DJ Envy]

Absolutely.

[Unnamed Host]

How did you end up at Revolt? How did that happen?

[Lenae Beni]

You know, good people speaking my name in good rooms. I've been very blessed to have a good team, no matter what I'm working on. And they've been fighting for me in different rooms. I've been pitching different versions of shows, whether it's scripted, unscripted for the past five years, and nothing's just been the right fit. But as I said, I'd be in tune with the Lord, and he told me at the end of the last year to stop trying to force things and to just put stuff down and let him work. And as soon as I said okay, wasn't even expecting it. Two weeks later, I got a call that said, revolt wants to give you a show. I was like, what? Wow. Okay. And my hands were open, so I was ready to receive it. So that's how we ended up together.

[DJ Envy]

I wonder, for somebody like you, Lene, what do you do when you feel like your words aren't enough?

[Lenae Beni]

I don't feel like my words aren't enough. I feel like I do what I'm supposed to do, and I. And I'm okay with that. My contribution as long as I do my best, I'm okay with that. Whatever the result is. Because whatever I was supposed to contribute is all I was supposed to contribute, because it's not just up to me. It's not just up to anybody. Like we all put in. We all have a piece to the puzzle to create the fuller picture. And sometimes it may feel like it didn't hit the way it was supposed to hit, but you got to give things time. Like the sows, the seeds you sow always have their time for harvest. And I've just learned to be content and patient with my contribution.

[DJ Envy]

So sometimes you feel like it's like a call to action, almost like you might activate the person who might go out there and actually get active.

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah, that's. That's absolutely what I feel like my lane is. I feel like I'm. My job is to impart information, to bring as many people to the table as possible, to make them invested, to make them excited. And those are the people that go out and do something with it. Even when I left my master's program, my professors told me I was only going to be able to make money or make a life for myself if I continue to get my PhD. And that's not what I felt called to do. I immediately wanted to go and share with very young people all the things that I learned in my program that I had to pay $25,000 and take out loans to get with all these real stuffy people that may not have the best methods as far as connecting with the general public. But I was like, if I can impart this in high school students, they can apply to college. They can go on career paths that with the knowledge. With a fuller knowledge of their capacity and ability and vocabulary and nuance to be change agents. So that's all I've ever wanted to do, and that's what I'm doing, and I'm grateful for that.

[Unnamed Host]

And as a Spelman grad, congratulations. I love that. What part of that HBCU experience has shaped your voice?

[Lenae Beni]

Well, at Spelman, we got a saying, it's my choice, and I choose to change the world. And it's funny, I've said this. I've told this story so many times, but when I was first applying, I had teachers at my high school telling me they didn't think I should go. They didn't think that I would get in because it was too expensive, that it wasn't the real world. But we shouldn't be encouraging our kids en masse to go to School to learn how to plug into the way things already exist. Like, we need to be disruptors, we need to be change agents. And that's what my HBCU did for me. I was a psychology student. But every single class you take, whether it's the biology of women, whether it's math, finite math or whatever, computer science, you take it through the lens of black feminism. And so we have a vantage point that allows us to see everybody's pain. And it just makes us. That's why we be the best applicants for the job most of the time. Most. Most suited for the job most of the time because we see people. And so my HBCU experience really allowed me to see what people need in order to feel seen. And I try to put that in my storytelling as well.

[DJ Envy]

How do you, how do you navigate being both a political educator but also a cultural influencer in an algorithm driven world?

[Lenae Beni]

Well, politics was never my game. It was never my choice. You couldn't touch me with politics with a ten foot pole. It just became necessary. So like I said, I've always been driven by what's necessary. And I started this work to really be steeped in pop culture and connect that through to history through an interdisciplinary lens. But as I began, I started in 2020, so politics was just like thrust upon us in a real way. And so I challenged myself to say, like, okay, I know that we need to understand this, so how can I incorporate this into what I do? And it just became even more and more and more necessary. So I just think because I speak to people like we cousins, like we family, because I don't try to hit people over the head with it. And because I like, I let myself feel all the things like a regular person feels. They the algorithm can't beat the content that I'm putting out. Yeah, like I draw people regardless. And people sharing it in their family group chats, grandmas and aunties and kids in seventh grade and high school students all like talking about what was on the parking lot this week. And I'm really grateful for that because it's not about me in my parking lot. It's really about the information being shared. So I, I'm grateful for the anointing that's been put on me that's allowed no matter what's changed in the social media landscape, people to come to the parking lot every Friday.

[DJ Envy]

I love when black people say we not political or you say politics not your bag. Because when you black in this country, everything is politics. I don't care what Hood you from, I don't care what rural area you from in the south, everybody from your drunk uncle, your crackhead cousin, everybody's talking about what's going on in that system and how the government is fucking us in some way, shape or form. So it's just like you can't avoid having that conversation.

[Lenae Beni]

And that's what I learned. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

[DJ Envy]

What's one political issue you think just we've become too performative about and not solution oriented enough about?

[Lenae Beni]

I think voting. Yeah. I mean, I'm not saying voting is the only tool it is, but it is 75% of the work organizing and sustaining that movement. I will actually take that back. Sustaining, period, sustainability, period, in terms of how we organize, in terms of how we fight back against political oppression. Because we often wait the four year cycle to begin to complain about what we don't like about candidates and then are upset when we're not able to show up in full force and vote together. And that make a difference. I don't think that we give ourselves the opportunity for our work to actually, for our work to return to us in a good way. Because unfortunately, a lot of times we are motivated by rage and sadness and we want to get active when things hit close to home. But something is always hitting close to home for everybody. And if we don't learn to act as a community and have this sort of sustained. Garrison Hayes said in a segment in my episode this past Tuesday. He said, these people don't let up. They've been strategizing. They don't stop strategizing. So why should we? And especially if we're already playing catch up, like, it's never a day when we should just be like, oh, the struggle will be here tomorrow, but that means you should also be strategizing for tomorrow. And it's. And it's not to say that your life has to be completely shaped by that, because I say often, like, I don't. My friends think I'm single now. And they're like, so what you want like a Mark Lamont Hill? No, like, no shade to Mark. He's great. But I don't need that to encompass my entire life. Like, I'm still a human being. So I'm not saying that you got to live, breathe, die, fight the power. But you do have to have some things ingrained in the way that you move about your day, period, to understand that the work never stops. So we just got to find that balance.

[Unnamed Host]

And for you, I want.

[Andrea Gunning]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone let's face it in therapy by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist At Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits or another challenge that you need support. Support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider, typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, Talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code space80. That's S P A C E 80 to match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code space80.

I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast Betrayal. Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone, most of all his wife, Caroline.

[Lenae Beni]

He texted, I've ruined our lives. You're going to want to divorce me.

[Andrea Gunning]

Caroline's husband was living another life behind the scenes. He betrayed his oath to his family and to his community.

[Lenae Beni]

She said, you left bruises, pulled her hair, that type of thing. No?

[Andrea Gunning]

How far would Joel go to cover up what he'd done?

[Lenae Beni]

You're unable to keep track of all your lies and quite frankly, I question how many other women may bring forward.

[Debbie Brown]

Allegations in the future.

[Andrea Gunning]

This season of Betrayal investigates one officer's decades of deception. Lies that left those closest to him questioning everything they thought they knew. Listen to betrayal on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[DJ Envy]

I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say, when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for Caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Lenae Beni]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unnamed Host]

On November 5, 2018 at 6:33am, a red Volkswagen Golf was found abandoned in a ditch out in Sleep Hole Valley. The driver's seat door was open. No traces of footsteps leaving the vehicle. No belongings were found, except for a cassette tape Lodged in the player on that tape were 10 vile.

[Debbie Brown]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Unnamed Host]

Grotesque.

Oh, my God.

[Andrea Gunning]

Oh, my God.

[Unnamed Host]

Horrific stories that to this day have been kept restricted from the A Horror Anthology podcast. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Somebody who knows that women can have babies.

[Lenae Beni]

Oh, okay.

[Unnamed Host]

Only women can have babies. I just wanna let you know that.

[Lenae Beni]

Interesting. There are other people who can have babies.

[Unnamed Host]

Okay.

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah. I mean, if they have a uterus, they can have babies, but they just might identify as woman.

[Unnamed Host]

Okay.

[Lenae Beni]

Those are two different things. Like, you can be biologically female, but you can't be biologically woman. It's. Woman is a gender construct.

[Unnamed Host]

Okay.

[Lenae Beni]

Social construct. If you got a uterus, yeah, you can have a baby.

[Unnamed Host]

Yes. That's the point. If you have a uterus, you can have a baby.

[Lenae Beni]

Okay, cool. Yeah, we agree on that.

[DJ Envy]

You know, Lynette, has the Democratic Party tried to co op your platform or method Jet? Because I was reading this article in the New York Times yesterday, and it was the headline is, Democrats throw money at a problem. Jesus Christ. I just had it up. But it basically is out there paying influences, and they're trying to figure out how to utilize the Internet and, you know, deliver messaging.

[Lenae Beni]

Like, we are late in the game. I think people gotta understand is Republicans have been using people with a microphone for years to just disseminate misinformation. So it's not even like, that's not a tool that shouldn't be used because we do have to have some opposition. They haven't tried to buy me. No, I only talk to people I want to talk to. Like, there's no amount of money, there's no check that just would make me want to, like, jump on the bandwagon, especially because I have critiques. I got to be able to say whatever I want to say.

[DJ Envy]

And.

[Lenae Beni]

And the Democratic Party definitely got some things that need to be worked on. I had the honor of working with some good people in the cbc. And that's the other thing. Like, we live in America. There's no institution that's got it right or has always had it right from Jump. So I don't sit here and act like I absolutely have to agree with something a body has done since its conception. But if I'm working with people who I understand are genuine in their efforts, like, I'm down with that because, like I said, I'm trying to be solution oriented and do no harm in as much as I can.

[DJ Envy]

And you mentioned Garrison earlier. I like Garrison a lot, too. Have y' all ever thought about being in politics? You the Garrisons of the world?

[Lenae Beni]

Not me. I'm not sure what Garrison has planned. I have met some influencers who are interested in that work. I just don't think it's personally my calling. Like I said, I think my role is to inspire and my role is to work alongside. When we look at the people who have been people who have been a part of our story as far as black history goes, we got people in every industry, and I think we forget that it's not just about politics. It's also about who is singing songs. It's also about who's acting on TV screens. Because even, like, the Breakfast Club, who's listening to you guys speak every day. Like, we all have a role in getting people engaged in the process. And we have to be in the marketplace en masse and in different ways to be able to exercise enough influence to get people focused back in on the problem. So I'm just one of those people. And I consider myself more of an artist than anything, a storyteller. As I said, I'm getting back into my poetry and spoken word, but that's what I feel called and set to do.

[DJ Envy]

When you were at Spelman, what was your major?

[Lenae Beni]

Psychology.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, you want to be a therapist?

[Lenae Beni]

Absolutely not. I wanted to understand people. Oh, yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So you majored in psychologies to be able to understand people.

[Lenae Beni]

Absolutely.

[DJ Envy]

Dope. Clearly it worked.

[Lenae Beni]

Praise God.

[Unnamed Host]

What is some challenges that you know? Cause this is a big responsibility. You have a show, a weekly show, having to come up with this content, whether it is. I know it's a bunch of different things that you do, but it's still. And it's a longer time, you know, is there or are there any challenges that you run into having to have everything together? You know, when it ain't nothing going on? What do you.

[Lenae Beni]

Oh, it's always something going on. But I think I have a team. It's not just me. So we got about five writers on the show, and we ideate. We're really never not talking to each other, but we pick these themes that honestly could use three to four episodes. But we try to pick out the subtopics that make the most sense for the story we're trying to tell in that one episode. And I think the biggest challenge right now, since we're brand new, is bringing people to the table to have a conversation with us, like booking guests. We're also in Atlanta, and people travel through Atlanta all the time, but they don't stop and stay all the time. So we're hoping, though, with what we've done so far, we're able to build a portfolio that makes people be like, dang, I'm going through Atlanta. Let me see if I can stop by the People's Reef, just like people want to stop by the Breakfast Club. So we working towards it. We figuring it out. But yeah, I just think the hardest part is adjusting because we want to be ahead, you know, and it's hard to stay ahead when you want to do it right, because things take time. But we'll figure it out.

[Unnamed Host]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

You said something that's so interesting to me. You said you went to Spelman, you majored in psychology because you wanted to understand people. I never went to college, but I did try to attend a couple of technical schools in my area. Charleston, South Carolina, tried in technical college. One time I went for communications. One time I went for business. One time I went for psychology. And I went because of that reason. I wanted to understand myself and I wanted to understand other people. So what did you want to understand about people, exactly?

[Lenae Beni]

Behavior. What drives behavior, Also what affects behavior. And you find out, you know, one of the biggest arguments is nature versus nurture. And you just find out all the things that contextualize those two things, whether it's your upbringing, whether it's like, things you might inherit also, like what socioeconomic stressors that have affected your family long term that can result in yielding specific behaviors or even psychotic breaks or what have you. Don't have to get too deep into that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day. And I also was a person, I grew up in the Deep South, Baptist. I didn't really understand that much about therapy. And I remember in one of my first classes, I was like, yeah, that's cool. And all I want to learn about bipolar disorder, but, like, black people don't really get that right. And it was like, no, girl, we all are exposed to these sort of things. But anyway, I think at the end of the day it just really helped me understand emotions and like I said, the validity of them and giving them space to exist and what can trigger you and what can't. And then also how outside stressors like race, like gender, like sexuality or whatever also contribute to a person's well being. And I think saying it right now, I think what I just want most is for black people to be well. No matter what you look like, no matter who you with, no matter how you move throughout your life. I want us to be well and I want us to be invested in the wellness of one another. Because the object and goals of oppression is to make us sick, to make us distracted. And if we are focused on one another's wellness and wholeness, then we can be stronger than ever.

[DJ Envy]

Do you remember one of the first textbooks they gave you at Spelman?

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah. ADW in the World, the African Diaspora in the World. We all had to take an introductory class where we learned about just the experience of black people around the globe. How it's not just us experiencing things and how oppression looks similar for us. And not just people who identify as black, just darker skinned people around the globe because of case systems and things like that.

[DJ Envy]

What about in regards to psychology? Because I remember they gave us Psychology by David Myers.

[Lenae Beni]

I don't know if I remember too much about my psychology textbooks because my master's was in African American studies and that's what's most salient. But if anything, I remember that. That damn dsm.

[DJ Envy]

I don't know that one.

[Lenae Beni]

The diagnostic manual basically has all the. The disorders, like psychological disorders in it. Yeah, gotcha.

[DJ Envy]

What's the moment where you realized your influence was having real world consequences, for better or worse?

[Lenae Beni]

Real world consequences? Honestly, because I started during the pandemic, we was all inside, so I didn't get to really get to see people. But when we started to trickle back outside, and unfortunately Atlanta was among the first to get back outside when people started meeting me and just like crying like talking about like how either I changed their perspective on something or I help heal a relationship in their family or even really what it was, I think I was invited to speak somewhere at a school and an older woman, about 60 years old, she took me to the side and she thanked me for saying things she never got to say when she was my age. And that was really beautiful. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

What's something you've never said in parking lot pimping because you knew people weren't ready for It.

[Lenae Beni]

I don't think there's nothing I've said. I say what I want to say. And sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's even. It's scary for me. Like, for instance, when October 7th happened, just not really being ignorant and also knowing, like, the necessity to discuss these things in a call was strong. Like, also with my management being like, I don't know what you should say and I don't know what you shouldn't say, and maybe we should just, like, bow out. And also seeing other creators get, like, flamed or canceled for not saying anything at all. So sometimes it's hard, but I don't. I don't not say the things. I had a mentor tell me once to always pray for a tongue of clay so that I'm speaking whatever God puts on my heart to say, and it's not coming from me. So that also helps me feel less responsibility. But. Yeah.

[Unnamed Host]

Have you ever said something that you, I guess, would be like, would say after it said and after, you know, you get like, I guess, some type of backlash. Like, well, maybe they weren't ready to hear that, so I should have said that later.

[Lenae Beni]

No, no, no. We don't got time. Yeah. And I. I mean, yeah, we just don't have time. And even if the first time you hear me say it and you don't like it and that's your introduction to it, I know it's going to be brought up again and you've had some sort of. Yeah, some, some point of reference. So whoever, whoever the. They're able to get the point across from is fine. Because again, it's not about you agreeing with what comes out of my mouth. I don't. I'm not responsible to people in that way.

[DJ Envy]

Have you ever felt like you had to, like, shrink your truth to protect your peace?

[Lenae Beni]

Not shrink my truth, but sometimes I just be quiet. Yeah. Sometimes I don't feel the need to argue with folks. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

What's something you think you've outgrown as a creator, even. Even if your audience hasn't?

[Lenae Beni]

I think early on I outgrew the need to feel like I was always on time or in time with the demands. Because like I said, I just want to be responsible with what I'm saying and give myself time to research and learn about what's going on before I say something about it. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

How do you, you know, everybody likes to say for the culture. How do you define being for the culture in a time when culture is constantly commodified?

[Lenae Beni]

I speak to the Originators of the culture. I speak to the heart of it, the seat of it, the ground up. I meet people where they are. Yeah. I think, as I said, also I think I might have a different definition of it because not everybody agrees, like, what the priorities of the culture are. But as, again, I'm interested in protecting all black bodies and speaking up for all black bodies. So that's how I define culture.

[DJ Envy]

I like the idea of people's brief. I would love to see linnae in settings. I'm talking to you like you're not sitting right here, but I'd love to see you in settings to where, like, you're debating people in a way, not debating because, you know, you debate your equals. Everybody else you teach. So I think a lot of times on these platforms, you need people who are actually speaking truth to power and teaching folks. You ever thought about, like, going to some of those spaces maybe?

[Lenae Beni]

No.

[DJ Envy]

Mixing it up on Abby Phillips show or.

[Lenae Beni]

No. Cause, I mean. Cause I mean, sometimes I just feel like a lot of that is baiting. I feel like a lot of it is unnecessary waste of time and breath because some people don't have. They. They come into rooms knowing they're not gonna change their mind, and they're coming their rooms with misinformation as their goal to spread. So I don't. Me personally, that's not my. My, my give. I think someone like the conscious Lee, he's very good at that. And I let people do what they do best.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, the conscious Lee.

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Okay. Well, Lynnae Vanilla hosted a people's brief every Tuesday at 9pm on revolt. And I guess we get parking lot pimping when we can.

[Lenae Beni]

Yeah, for sure.

[DJ Envy]

Where do they follow you at?

[Lenae Beni]

You can follow me everywhere. Enaevanee. You can tap into the show on Revolt TV. You can also watch us at 11am the next day on streaming and then snippets of it on YouTube.

[DJ Envy]

Absolutely. It's Lanae Vanilla. It's the Breakfast Club.

[Lenae Beni]

Thank you, guys. Nice.

[DJ Envy]

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The Breakfast Club.

[Andrea Gunning]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. May is mental health awareness month, and Talkspace, the leading virtual therapy provider, is telling everyone, let's face it, in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at Talkspace, you can face whatever is holding you back, Whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, bad habits, or another challenge that you need support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus Talkspace is in network with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by Insurance, get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. That's S P A CE83. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to talkspace.com and Enter promo code SPACE80.

Hi guys, I'm Andrea Gunning, host of Betrayal. I'm excited to bring you all Season four A Story of a Cop and His Double Life. I wanted to let you know that you can get access to all episodes of Betrayal Season 1, 2, 3 and Betrayal Weekly and every single episode of Betrayal Season 4 ad free with an iHeart True Crime plus subscription available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. Plus, you'll get access to all episodes of Betrayal Season 4 one week ahead of everyone else, available only to I Heart True Crime plus subscribers. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You say you'd never give in to a meltdown, never let kids toys take over the house, and never fill your feed with kid photos. You'd never plan your life around their schedule, never lick your thumb to clean their face, and you'd never let them leave the house looking like less than their best. You say you'd never put a pacifier in your mouth to clean it, never let them stay up too late, and never let them run wild through the grocery store.

[Lenae Beni]

And aisle three.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So when you say you'd never let them get into a car without you there. No, it can happen. One in four hot car deaths happen when a kid gets into an unlocked car and can't get out. Never happens before you leave the car. Always stop. Look Lock Brought to you by N.N.H.T.S.A.

[Debbie Brown]

And the Ad Council being able to say I feel like crying, so I will cry today. I'm a little depressed today. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Deeply well is a sanctuary for your healing. I'm Debi Brown, Healer well being, expert teacher and fellow seeker and each week we explore what it means to become whole through soul expanding conversations and practices. Today.

[Lenae Beni]

Wow.

[Debbie Brown]

I feel really powerful and ready to serve and use my skills and it's like that's the heart of what it is to be an authentic woman to hear this and more ways to prioritize your peace. Listen to Deeply well from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts at.

[Lenae Beni]

And T Connecting changes everything. You're listening to an iHeart podcast.