Episode Summary

Episode 33 starts with a viral laugh—“non‑practicing whites”—and quickly turns into what Higher Valleys does best: use humor as the doorway, then walk straight into the room where the truth lives. Spencer and Jelani talk about identity, accountability, and the difference between personal intention and the systems we’re all standing inside. Then the episode shifts into home life: the hidden labor of being the Tooth Fairy, the parenting moments you can’t believe are real, and how intimacy and play keep a marriage alive. From there, they zoom out to the world—how rules shape behavior (NBA draft incentives, tanking, and why punishing individuals misses the point), and what real leverage looks like when women’s sports are negotiating their future. It’s an episode about the structures we inherit, the ones we laugh through, and the ones we have to redesign—starting in our homes.

Topics Covered

• The “non‑practicing whites” TikTok moment and why the phrase reveals more than it jokes
• Whiteness as a system that still pays out, even when people claim they’re “not like that”
• Accountability vs. distance: “that’s not who I am” and the discipline of holding it anyway
• Family life realities: nobody tells you how hard it is to be the Tooth Fairy
• Parenting language slips: “caught” vs. “taught” and why the difference matters
• “Teach me how to twerk” and the comedy of learning from the best teacher in the house
• The quiet barometer of a happy home: play, connection, and your partner moving free in their own kitchen
• NBA draft / tanking conversation: if integrity is the goal, remove the incentive that rewards losing
• “Zooming out” on systems: why fines and punishment are surface-level fixes to structural design
• WNBA / Unrivaled moment + current CBA tension: timing, leverage, and what it means to negotiate with momentum

Highlight Quotes

• “You can't say ‘non‑practicing white’ like you can take your skin off and hang it in a closet.”
• “No one tells you how difficult it is to be the Tooth Fairy.”
• “If integrity is the goal, remove the mechanism that rewards losing.”

Where to Find Us

Instagram: @highervalleyspodcast

TikTok: @highervalleys

Send a text