Ashlyn & Blake|97 - Who Really Leads? | Unlearning Patriarchy, Submission & What Leadership Actually Means
Hosted by Ashlyn and Blake, two multifaceted Black women based in Houston, Softly Unfiltered is where soft meets honest. Each week, we get real about personal growth, healing, navigating corporate America, and the messy, funny, and complex realities of modern dating. From breaking generational cycles to finding our voice in spaces that weren't built for us, our conversations blend honesty, humor, and hard truths—all rooted in our lived experiences.
Whether we're swapping stories, tackling trending topics, or unpacking the unspoken rules of friendship, relationships, beauty, ambition, and womanhood, we're here to remind you that you can be soft and strong, ambitious and at peace, healed and still healing.
If you've ever felt like you're balancing a hundred different versions of yourself, welcome. This is a space for the multifaceted girlies. Pull up a seat. The group chat is live. 💕
New episodes every Wednesday.
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Published16 Sep 2026
Duration34:21
Episodes
97-
Who Really Leads? | Unlearning Patriarchy, Submission & What Leadership Actually Means
Listened
16 Sep 2026
96-
Never Lose Yourself | Why Choosing Yourself Is Self-Preservation
Listened
09 Sep 2026
95-
Stop and Smell the Roses | High Achievers, Rest Guilt & Being Present
Listened
02 Sep 2026
94-
Does Independence Protect Black Women, or Is It Keeping Us Lonely?
Listened
26 Aug 2026
93-
Why Is It So Hard for Black Women to Be Average? | Twice as Good, Rest & Overachieving
Listened
19 Aug 2026
92-
The Good Black Girl | How Being Good Follows Black Women Into Adulthood
Listened
12 Aug 2026
91-
Finish the Damn Thing. Stop Starting. Start Finishing.
Listened
05 Aug 2026
90-
Keep the Promises You Make to Yourself | Coach Zha on Pilates, Self-Trust & Discipline
Listened
29 Jul 2026
89-
Knowing When to Walk Away | Jobs, Friendships & Relationships
Listened
22 Jul 2026
88-
Strong or Struggling? | Why Black Women Struggle Asking For Help
Listened
15 Jul 2026
87-
All I Need to Do Is Stay Black and Die | The Pressure to Make Everyone Else Comfortable
Listened
08 Jul 2026
86-
What If Changing Direction Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to You?
Listened
01 Jul 2026
85-
Why Are Girls Low Key Weird? | The Truth About Female Friendships and Female Rivalry
Listened
24 Jun 2026
84-
You're Not Asking for Too Much, You're Just Done Settling | Standards vs. Settling
Listened
17 Jun 2026
83-
She Has Everything But A Man | Why a Woman's Life Is Never Allowed to Just Be Enough on Its Own
Listened
10 Jun 2026
82-
You Can Be Confident and Still Have Low Self-Worth | Why We Accept Less Than We Deserve
Listened
03 Jun 2026
81-
The Dating Insecurities You Have When You Grew Up Invisible | Black Girl Dating Experience
Listened
27 May 2026
80-
Dating the Potential Rich Man | When Believing in Someone Becomes Emotional Labor
Listened
20 May 2026
79-
Confidence, Self Obsession, and Breaking Out of Survival Mode Feat. Erica Ware The Confidence Coach
Listened
13 May 2026
78-
Why We'll Spend $500 on Beauty But Feel Guilty About Everything Else
Listened
06 May 2026
77-
The Money Talk Nobody Wants to Have About Dating | Standards, Finances and Compatibility
Listened
29 Apr 2026
76-
Building a Personal Brand as a Black Woman Feat. Asya (@conqueringasya) | Beauty, Softness & Success
Listened
22 Apr 2026
75-
Is Success Supposed to Feel This Anticlimactic? | Ambition, Burnout and Finding Fulfillment
Listened
15 Apr 2026
74-
Becoming a Pretty Wealthy Woman ft. Caitlyn Kumi | Personal Branding, Dating and Corporate Life
Listened
08 Apr 2026
73-
Is Taking Things Slow Healthy or Avoidant?
Listened
01 Apr 2026
72-
Do Women Owe Men Feminine Energy If the Man Isn’t Providing Masculine Leadership?
Listened
25 Mar 2026
71-
Should Black Women Stop Dating Men Who Grew Up on Survival Until They Go to Therapy?
Listened
18 Mar 2026
70-
Is Loneliness the Cost of Outgrowing Chaos?
Listened
11 Mar 2026
69-
Is Outgrowing People a Natural Part of Adulthood or a Failure of Loyalty?
Listened
04 Mar 2026
68-
Do Black Women From Stable Homes Get Punished for Not Having a “Struggle Story”?
Listened
25 Feb 2026
67-
Why Does Choosing Peace Feel Less Impressive Than Choosing Ambition?
Listened
18 Feb 2026
66-
Why Is Women’s Confidence Seen as Ego?
Listened
12 Feb 2026
65-
Are We Actually Healed or Just Better at Explaining Our Trauma?
Listened
05 Feb 2026
64-
Is Healing Making Us Less Tolerable to People Who Benefited From Our Silence?
Listened
29 Jan 2026
63-
Is Sisterhood Making Us Avoid Hard Conversations? Friendship Boundaries, Emotional Honesty & Growth
Listened
22 Jan 2026
62-
Is Independence Actually Emotional Self-Protection For Black Women? Let’s Be Honest
Listened
14 Jan 2026
61-
2025 Wasn’t What We Expected: Here’s What It Taught Us About Becoming Her
Listened
12 Jan 2026
60-
Love Languages Change When You Heal (And That’s the Point)
Listened
07 Jan 2026
59-
Adulting Is Ghetto: The Truth About Work, Money, Loneliness & Boundaries
Listened
29 Dec 2025
58-
Not Black Enough? Movies, Food & The Unspoken Rules of Blackness
Listened
21 Dec 2025
57-
Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing? Privacy, Soft Launching & The Politics of Being Seen in Love
Listened
14 Dec 2025
56-
The Truth About Becoming That Girl: Inner Work, Identity & What Social Media Won’t Tell You
Listened
05 Dec 2025
55-
The Things That Give Us the Ick: Pet Peeves, Irritations & Random Rants
Listened
27 Nov 2025
54-
Redefining Success as Black Women: Pressure, Burnout & Finding Your Freedom
Listened
19 Nov 2025
53-
The Friendships That Shaped Us — Part 2: Adoption, Identity & Never Feeling “Black Enough”
Listened
13 Nov 2025
52-
The Friendships That Shaped Us Part One —A Special Anniversary Episode with Our Best Friends
Listened
06 Nov 2025
51-
Why Do Black Women Have To Be Everything All At Once?
Listened
29 Oct 2025
50-
La’Torria Lemon: Building a PR Empire & Making Moves on Heart & Hustle
Listened
22 Oct 2025
49-
The Dilemma of a Woman in Her 30's Part Four: Why Love Hits Differently After 30
Listened
16 Oct 2025
48-
The Dilemma of a Woman in Her 30's Part Three: Becoming HER