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

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Spencer and Jelani unpack Super Bowl LX, Bad Bunny's historic halftime show, and the predictable white fragility backlash amid rising nationalism and ICE raids. They celebrate J. Cole's The Fall Off—a project that demands stillness in an anxious world—while grappling with their own drained social batteries: Spencer juggling grad school and Super Bowl hosting, Jelani going weeks without personal time. The conversation moves through parenting moments (teaching kids not to open doors, fielding questions about God and free will), political resistance (ICE pushback in LA, calling out performative allyship), and the intellectual humility required to listen when out of your depth. They close on a through-line: nobody is coming to save us, so we build the foundation ourselves—through pressure, repetition, and free will shaped by love.

Topics Covered

• Super Bowl LX: Seattle's defense, Mike MacDonald (36), Patriots vs. Seahawks
• Bad Bunny halftime show: Album of the Year winner, white fragility backlash, political statement amid ICE raids
• J. Cole's The Fall Off: beat variance critique, lyrical swordsmanship, graceful exit from Drake beef
• Parenting: teaching kids not to open doors, Roblox predators, Cairo's free will question during My Wife and Kids
• Drained social batteries: Spencer's grad school + Super Bowl hosting, Jelani's 3-4 weeks without personal time
• Politics: Andrew Schultz's Trump pivot, ICE resistance in LA, Mexican American resilience
• Deante Kyle video debate, Spencer's call with Black intellectual, knowing when to listen
• "Nobody is coming to save us"—building foundations through pressure, repetition, and free will shaped by love

Highlight Quotes

• "Bad Bunny had white people in a blender for 12 minutes. They rely on words to tell them when to dance."
• "Nobody is coming to save us. I'm not talking about money—I'm talking about my happiness, my soul, my legacy."
• "You need to understand when to shut the fuck up and just listen. I chose to shut up, and I learned something."

Where to Find Us

Instagram: @highervalleyspodcast

TikTok: @highervalleys

Send a text

Spencer and Jelani kick off with Grammys talk: Olivia Dean's divine feminine energy ("a hug that lasts 2-3 seconds too long"), Bad Bunny winning Album of the Year and headlining the Super Bowl, and Kendrick's performance. They debate the Pro Bowl's flag football format with zero stakes, and Spencer shares his Pro Bowl snub story—losing to Lorenzo Alexander by half a tackle in special teams. They celebrate LaRussell signing to ROC Nation Distribution for the Bay Super Bowl halftime, breaking down the koi fish metaphor: you can only grow as big as your pond, and Russell's moving to the ocean. They push back on Jay-Z slander, urging listeners to do their homework on unvetted files.

The tone shifts inward: both admit they've forgotten how to be bored and need stillness. Jelani's kids are back in school (Montessori opened despite frozen sidewalks), and Black History Month prompts a health check-in—both are scheduling physicals. They discuss the 72-75 year life expectancy for Black men and how NFL players lose medical coverage the day they retire.

The second half tackles FBA (Foundational Black Americans): descendants of slavery vs. voluntary immigrants, Shaboozey's Grammy comments, withholding votes for reparations, and the risk of division. They reference the Atlanta reparations episode and ask: what does atonement look like beyond a check? Jelani shares his great-grandfather's Smithsonian quote: "Love is progress, hate is expensive." They close on optimism—progress requires showing up—and Spencer urges listeners to find "Optimism" by Souls of Blackness.

Topics Covered

• Grammys: Olivia Dean, Bad Bunny, Kendrick, divine feminine vs. performative masculinity in music
• Pro Bowl flag football format, Spencer's special teams snub vs. Lorenzo Alexander
• Campbell's Chunky Soup sweepstakes: Spencer's 5th grade trip to Hawaii for Pro Bowl '98/'99
• Russell signing to ROC Nation Distribution for Super Bowl halftime
• Koi fish metaphor: outgrowing your pond, Russell moving to the ocean
• Jay-Z pushback: unvetted hotline calls, do your homework before writing people off
• Relearning how to be bored, finding stillness in packed days
• Black History Month, annual physicals, 72-75 year Black male life expectancy
• NFL players losing medical coverage post-retirement
• FBA movement: lineage to American slavery, Shaboozey's "immigrants built this country" comments
• Withholding votes for reparations—empowerment or division?
• Atlanta reparations episode: check vs. systemic change
• Atonement vs. transactions, Jelani's great-grandfather with Dr. King
• "Optimism" by Souls of Blackness: keep your head to the sky

Highlight Quotes

• "Olivia Dean feels like a hug that's maybe 2 or 3 seconds too long. Allows you to drop your shoulders."
• "I should have been in the Pro Bowl. Lorenzo Alexander got a half tackle more than me. I'll go to my grave saying that."
• "A koi fish can only grow as big as the pond it's in. Russell's moving to the ocean."
• "I forgot how to be bored. I forgot how to do nothing."
• "Black male life expectancy is 72-75 years. We gotta get our physicals."
• "FBA: someone classified as Black who can trace lineage to American slavery."
• "My great-grandfather worked with Dr. King. His Smithsonian quote: 'Love is progress, hate is expensive.'"
• "Optimism is a strategy. Progress requires showing up, even when you're tired."

Where to Find Us

Instagram: @highervalleyspodcast

TikTok: @highervalleys

Send us a text