Imara Jones: Skepticism as a Superpower

Nov 21

Imara Jones: Skepticism as a Superpower

In this episode, Kristine Michie joins Imara Jones, CEO and founder of TransLash Media, in exploring how storytelling shapes cultural perspectives and advances social change. Imara shares her journey as a change-agent and explains how TransLash illuminates the humanity of trans people to create new narratives. Together, they discuss the importance of joy as an internally-generated survival tool and how each of us plays a role in creating the collective shift that is needed now more than ever. Imara also opens up about her award-winning career, her ability to cultivate happiness in everyday moments, and her views on the balance between journalism and activism.

Key Takeaways:

Storytelling is a collective exercise that can drive social change.
Just like fish swimming in water, we rarely recognize the pervasive influence of dominant narratives on our perceptions and interactions with each other.
Engage actively with the media you consume; interrogate it, dig deeper, internalize and share meaningful content.
Rigorous journalism is not activism, it is thorough, truthful, and indispensable storytelling.
Awareness and questioning of our own operating narratives is the first step toward becoming active agents of narrative change.

"Narrative and narrative change is a really important part of driving cultural conversations, awareness, and eventually broader understanding that can help move society forward." — Imara Jones

"Joy is something that you can create regardless of external circumstances… it’s actually not dependent upon immediate external circumstances." — Imara Jones

"Narrative is the water. It is literally the unseen, unacknowledged liquid that you're moving in, which is how you are guiding through your life." — Imara Jones

More about Imara Jones:

Imara Jones, creator of TransLash Media, is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist dedicated to shifting the cultural hostility towards transgender people in the U.S. Named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2023, she hosts the award-winning TransLash Podcast and the investigative series The Anti-Trans Hate Machine. In 2022, Imara received the Journalist of Distinction Award from the National Black Journalists Association and was named by Politico as one of the 40 power players at the intersection of race, politics, and policy. A 2020 Time cover star, she chaired the first-ever UN High Level Meeting on Gender Diversity in 2019. Imara has appeared in The Guardian, The Nation, MSNBC, CNBC, NPR, Fast Company, and GQ. She is a 2021 Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow, a 2019 Soros Equality Fellow, and serves on various boards, including the Transgender Law Center and GLSEN.

Connect with Imara:
Website: https://imarajones.com/

Website: https://translash.org/

Podcasts: https://translash.org/podcasts/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imara_jones_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imara-jones-ab9325a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imarajones

Twitter: https://x.com/imarajones

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imarajones

Connect with Kristine:

Website: https://www.impactfullinc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactfull_inc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-breese-michie/