Therapy for Black Girls Podcast: Session 440

Producer’s Chat: Reflections, Rest & the Last Stretch of 2025
Host: Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D.
With Producers: Elise Ellis, Inde Tubu, Tyree Rush
Release Date: December 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This end-of-year episode features Dr. Joy Harden Bradford and the Therapy for Black Girls production team—Elise Ellis, Inde Tubu, and Tyree Rush—gathered for an intimate “Producer’s Chat.” Together, they reflect on the highlights and challenges of 2025, lessons learned, shifting approaches to rest and self-care, evolving family traditions, financial maturity, and best-of-the-year culture picks. The conversation is warm, candid, and infused with humor and practical insights for listeners preparing to close out their own year.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Holiday Mindsets & “Era” Check-ins

[05:12 – 11:30]

• The team opens with a lighthearted check-in: "Are you in your cozy soft era, your don't ask me about my life choices era or your I'm only here for the food era as we move into the holiday season?"
  • Elise Ellis: Leaning into a “cozy, soft era,” emphasizing comfort, community, and self-gifting. Not overly invested in holiday food this year, instead prioritizing vibes, games, and movies.
    Notable quote: "If anyone wants to get me a gift, I’m interested in blankets and robes." [06:28]
  • Tyree Rush: Adopts a "who all gonna be there?" approach, setting boundaries to protect energy after an “overly social” year. “I really only got 15 minutes for this kind of parlay.” [07:35]
  • Inde Tubu & Dr. Joy: Both embrace the cozy era, describing the holidays as a time of nesting, celebration, and shifting family dynamics—especially as kids grow up or hosts “become the aunties.”

2. Reflections on Hosting & Evolving Family Traditions

[09:55 – 11:46]

• The team discusses the shift from being guests to hosts in family holiday traditions.
  • Elise: Navigating the new experience of hosting Thanksgiving for both family and friends, strategizing meatless dishes, and investing in home essentials.
  • Humorous sidebar about “tamale pie” as a divisive family recipe, illustrating the quirks and compromises in evolving family traditions.

3. Behind-the-Scenes: Creating the "Sibling Sit Down" Series

[12:33 – 24:59]

• The producers reflect on their limited series exploring sibling relationships.
  • Insights:
    • The universality and complexity of sibling dynamics, including in blended families—highlighting representation and the ongoing process of building and healing those ties.
    • Team members share personal stories prompted by producing the series, noting that these conversations led to deeper connections and reflections with their own siblings.
  • Notable quote: “My cousin calls that ‘vintage beef.’ He’s like, you do not participate in vintage beef.” – Inde Tubu [17:36]

4. Rest, Intentions & Permission to Slow Down

[25:26 – 31:34]

• The team shares 2025 resolutions, what habits were maintained (or not), and how resting and self-care are evolving.
  • Tyree: “I wanted to ambitiously pursue pleasure…plan vacations, take myself out, do something just because it’s fun, not for an end goal.” [25:32]
  • Inde: Stresses the importance of intentional movement, spontaneous joy, and making adult decisions about time and money.
  • Elise: Focuses on maintaining strong routines, being less fixated on instant gratification, and spreading goals over months instead of rushing progress.
  • All agree on making luxury self-care (like massages and spa trips) more normalized and accessible as acts of self-kindness rather than rare treats.

5. Financial Honesty & Adulting

[36:50 – 45:08]

• Raw and practical advice around managing money, debt, and budgeting:
  • Inde: Values candid financial conversations among friends; emphasizes “it is my business” to understand and monitor her own finances. [37:19]
  • Tyree: Reflects on shifting from a “community mindset” (my money is our money) to embracing spending for his own pleasure and future.
  • Elise: Advocates for tactile money management (pen and paper, Excel spreadsheets), echoing Melody Hobson’s advice that “children need to see physical cash…we’ve lost a little of that in adulthood.” [43:24]

6. Letting Go of 2025’s “Propaganda”

[45:08 – 52:11]

• The producers identify popular cultural “propaganda” they’re leaving behind:
  • Elise: Rejecting the constant need for goals and the professionalization of personal life—“It’s okay to just be out here on vibes sometimes.”
  • Inde: Slowing down home and self-development, investing in intention over hyper-productivity.
  • Tyree: Reevaluating what it means to “support Black-owned”—urges buying with intention, not just for optics; also debunks “slip” as a deep conditioner must-have: “Big conditioner is tricking us out of our dollars!” [49:18]
  • Inde: Challenges the overuse of “sample sales”—“You should really just call it a sale or clearance. Clearance doesn’t sound as sexy, and so that’s propaganda I’m not falling for.” [51:21]
  • Dr. Joy: Pushes back on the “cut people off quickly” trend: “People are not actually practicing good relationship skills, but instead just running to avoid conflict. I really want us to get more comfortable just being in the messy middle with people because that is where relationships flourish.” [57:25]

7. 2025 Cultural Picks: Best Films & Albums

[58:09 – 69:54]

• Film Favorites:
  • Sinners, One Battle After Another, Lurker, Twinless, Together, Hetta, Bonia, Poor Things, The Mastermind, A Long Walk
  • Notable quotes:
    • “Sinners might be the movie that, like, finally makes me start collecting movies in an analog way, because I need to have things on tap when there’s no Internet.” – Inde Tubu [60:58]
    • “My issue with Charli XCX’s brat...it felt like the Tumblr interpretation of pop indie sleaze music. What I love about Blackstar is that it pulls from dance scenes across the diaspora...it feels very studied.” – Elise Ellis [67:46]
• Album Highlights:
  • Omra – Black Star, Olivia Dean’s breakup album, Odile’s The Fall That Saved Us, Destin Conrad, Leon Thomas
  • Each cultural pick is discussed with warmth, personal resonance, and nuanced critique.

8. Permission Slips for 2026

[69:54 – 70:55]

• The episode closes with each team member offering a “permission slip” to listeners:
  • Tyree: “Be an active participant in your own life.” [70:15]
  • Inde: “You have permission to be cocky.” [70:24]
  • Elise: “Permission to be curious and deep…not to be faux social but to be actually social.” [70:36]
  • Dr. Joy affirms and thanks the group, reflecting their authenticity and energy back to the audience.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Healthy Boundaries:
  "I'm definitely in my 'who all going to be there' era...I've just got 15 minutes for this kind of parlay." — Tyree Rush [07:35]
• On Sibling Dynamics:
  “My cousin calls that ‘vintage beef.’ He’s like, you do not participate in vintage beef.” — Inde Tubu [17:36]
• On Pleasure & Self-Care:
  “This is the first year that I actually celebrated my birthday with cassette spa trip and went on, like, a weekend trip, just to go see the thing…It is a headache. But what I have learned is, like, it’s important to do those things." — Tyree Rush [25:26]
• On Money Management:
  "The number isn't going to change whether you look at it or not. So you might as well just look at it." — Elise Ellis [41:03]
• On Letting Go of “Productivity Culture”:
  “I think we’ve professionalized our personal lives a little too much. So I’m maybe not falling for that propaganda wholly.” — Elise Ellis [45:32]
• On Cultural Taste-Making:
  “Sinners might be the movie that, like, finally makes me start collecting movies in an analog way…” — Inde Tubu [60:58]
• On Relationship Skills:
  “I really want us to get more comfortable just being in the messy middle with people, because that is where relationships flourish.” — Dr. Joy Harden Bradford [57:25]

Episode Flow & Tone

The conversation is open, honest, relatable, and peppered with humor. The production team reveals their own vulnerabilities and “real life” reflections, inviting listeners into a warm, supportive circle. The tone flows seamlessly from playful to reflective, striking a balance that embodies the spirit of the podcast—encouraging growth, rest, connection, and intentionality as the year draws to a close.

Useful Timestamps

• Opening and Team “Era” Check-In: [05:12]
• Family Hosting & New Holiday Traditions: [09:55]
• Sibling Sit Down Reflections: [12:33]
• 2025 Intentions & Self-Care Real Talk: [25:26]
• Financial Literacy & Adulting: [36:50]
• Propaganda to Leave in 2025: [45:08]
• 2025 Best Films & Albums: [58:09]
• Permission Slips for 2026: [69:54]

Final Thoughts

This year-end producer’s chat offers a blend of laughter, practical wisdom, and cultural insight perfect for listeners looking to reflect, reconnect, and recharge. Whether you’re looking for validation in moving at your own pace, tips for financial sanity, or inspiration to embrace curiosity, the Therapy for Black Girls team delivers an empowering wrap to 2025 with open hearts and open minds.