Best Mariëlle S. Smith Podcasts (2024)

1
DDW - S3 Ep8 - Writing Non-binary Characters 1:30:24

1+ y ago1:30:24

1:30:24

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, Bethany and Mariëlle discuss the dos and don’ts of writing non-binary characters. Here’s what we talk about: What non-binary means How diverse the non-binary community is How to handle characters who are questioning their gender identity Pronouns and how to use them in our writing Naming characters bey…

1
DDW - S3 Ep7 - Writing Trans Characters 1:17:32

1+ y ago1:17:32

1:17:32

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, Bethany and Mariëlle talk about how to write transgender characters. Here’s what we discussed: Who gets to write trans characters Which stereotypes and tropes to avoid Other things to avoid when writing trans characters The things we SHOULD be writing about when writing trans characters And here are th…

1
DDW - S3 Ep05 - Writing Men - Part II 2:08:03

2y ago2:08:03

2:08:03

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, Bethany and guest host Louvie Tucker talk about writing better male characters. This is the second part of a two-part episode on the topic. Here’s what we talk about: Physical representation of male characters Derogatory language often applied to men and how we might handle it in fiction Representation…

1
DDW - S3 Ep04 - Writing Men - Part 1 2:14:36

2y ago2:14:36

2:14:36

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, Bethany and guest host Louvie Tucker talk about writing better male characters. This is the first part of a two-part episode on the topic. Here’s what we talk about: Masculinity in terms of definition How class affects definitions of masculinity Deconstructing arrogance, emotionality, and protective in…

1
DDW - S3 Ep03 - Writing Women We Want to Read - Part 2 1:16:00

2y ago1:16:00

1:16:00

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about writing better female characters. This is the second part of a two-part episode on the topic. Here’s what we talk about: Words and descriptions to avoid when describing women Words and description to deeply consider before using them Gendered words to avoid or conside…

1
DDW - S3 Ep 02 - Writing Women We Want to Read 1:08:32

2y ago1:08:32

1:08:32

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about writing better female characters. This is the first part of a two-part episode on the topic. Here’s what we talked about: That, in the US, women are estimated to buy 70–80% of fiction books There are way more male than female leads in children’s books That novels, on …

1
DDW - S3 Ep01 – How to Write Hair and Head Coverings 1:24:48

2+ y ago1:24:48

1:24:48

In this first episode of Season 3 of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss how to write hair and head coverings. Here’s what we talk about: That hair, hair care, and head coverings are often ethnically dictated and gendered That there is no such thing as “ethnic” hair: we all have ethnicity! How to describe different natural h…

1
DDW - S2 Ep12 - Using Racial Slurs, Acknowledging Characters’ Racial History, and Other End of Season Thoughts 1:00:54

2+ y ago1:00:54

1:00:54

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—bring our season on Race and Ethnicity to an end by delving into some lingering some questions. What we talked about If and how to use racial slurs in our writing When and how to acknowledge our characters’ racial history Whether authors are allowed to write POV characters belon…

1
DDW S2 Ep11 – Writing Interracial and Intercultural relationships 1:15:12

2+ y ago1:15:12

1:15:12

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—scratch the surface of an incredibly broad topic: writing interracial and intercultural relationships. What we talked about That writing relationships between characters of different races and cultures is really not that different from writing relationships between characters wh…

1
DDW - S2 Ep10 - Naming Our Fictional Characters 1:06:53

2+ y ago1:06:53

1:06:53

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about naming our fictional characters. What we talked about General things to look out for when picking our characters’ names All the different aspects that might influence which names make sense for your characters Where to look for names How to verify whether these names …

1
DDW - S2 Ep 09 - Flipping the Script and Building Different Worlds with Clare Sager 56:41

2+ y ago56:41

56:41

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—interview Clare Sager about building different worlds in our fiction. Clare Sager is an office lackey turned full-time author. With both a bachelor of arts and a masters of arts in Creative Writing, she is now living her life-long dream of writing fantasy adventure stories of sw…

1
DDW - S2 Ep 08 – When Money Gets Between Your Writing and Hiring Professionals 1:00:27

2+ y ago1:00:27

1:00:27

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—take a pause to talk about what to do when hiring professionals to better your writing is not an option (yet). What we talked about That there’s privilege in being able to advice others to do it right or not do it at all That not everyone has the same resources going into publis…

1
DDW - S2 Ep 07 - Sensitivity Reading with Erin Olds, CEO of Salt & Sage Books 1:03:11

2+ y ago1:03:11

1:03:11

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—ask Erin Olds, CEO of Salt & Sage Books, all our questions about sensitivity reading. Who is Erin Olds? Erin Olds loves to travel, read, and drink boba tea! She currently lives in Seattle, where she homeschools her two excellent children. Erin is the CEO of and editor at Salt & …

1
How Dr. Gaby Longsworth Is Changing The Way We View Curly Hair Products & Their Connection To Our Overall Health 45:10

2+ y ago45:10

45:10

In today's episode, I sit down and catch up with Dr. Gaby Longsworth. She is a PH. D Scientist, Certified Hair Practitioner, Biotech/Pharmaceutical Patent Attorney and the owner of the natural hair blog Absolutely Everything Curly. Dr. Longsworth had a natural desire to learn why certain hair products worked well for her hair but others did not, so…

1
DDW - S2 Ep 06 - Diversity and representation in Disney’s Encanto 1:03:05

2+ y ago1:03:05

1:03:05

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss diversity and representation in Disney’s Encanto. What we talked about All the ways in which diversity shows up in Encanto, from skin colour to body type, to the different roles the characters get to play How no cultural artefact, including Encanto, can speak for an enti…

1
DDW S2 Ep05 – Indigenous Futurisms and Writing Indigenous Characters with Prof. Grace L. Dillon 1:30:34

2+ y ago1:30:34

1:30:34

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—interview Professor Grace L. Dillon about Indigenous Futurisms and how (not) to write Indigenous characters. Grace L. Dillon (Anishinaabe with family, friends, and relatives from Bay Mills Nation and Garden River Nation with Aunties and Uncles also from the Saulteaux Nation) is …

1
RDDW - S2 Ep04 - Show Don’t Tell Race and Ethnicity in Writing 1:14:52

2+ y ago1:14:52

1:14:52

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—compare two F/F romance novels to talk about how to “Show, don’t tell” race and ethnicity in your writing. What we talked about Caren J. Werlinger’s She Sings of Old, Unhappy, Far-off Things J.J. Arias’s The Single Matchmaker How these two authors use different ways, including n…

1
How Dr. Kristian Edwards Created The Non Toxic Marketplace By Black Artisans- BLK + GRN! 26:20

2+ y ago26:20

26:20

In today’s episode, I catch up with Dr. Kristian Edwards- she’s the Founder and CEO of the one stop shop for non toxic, all natural, black owned products, BLK+GRN. As a public health professor and graduate of Yale and John’s Hopkins University, Dr. Edwards had a passion to find products that were non toxic and all natural for use in her everyday li…

1
DDW - S2 Ep03 -Interview with Antoine Bandele, author of TJ Young & the Orishas, Tales of Esowon, and The Sky Pirate Chronicles 1:08:14

2+ y ago1:08:14

1:08:14

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—interview Antoine Bandele. Antoine Bandele is an Amazon bestselling author in action adventure fantasy, dark fantasy, sword & sorcery, African American fantasy, and African literature. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, though he spent one year in Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Was…

1
Season 2 Episode 2 - Writing Race and Ethnicity in Fantasy & Sci-fi 1:35:12

2+ y ago1:35:12

1:35:12

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss the writing of race and ethnicity in fantasy and sci-fi stories. What we talked about How race and ethnicity is done in fiction and TV series that are not grounded in real-life human history What gets lost and is added in translation when novels are turned into films or …

1
Season 2 Episode 1 -Writing Skin Color 1:21:10

2+ y ago1:21:10

1:21:10

In this first episode of Season 2 of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss how to write skin color. Here’s what we talk about: Why we should avoid comparing anyone’s skin tone to food, even if people from a certain community do that among themselves Why we should be careful when using the term ‘colored’ to describe black chara…

1
5 Insanely Great Tips to Set Goals and Crush Them: Get your home business back on track! 8:52

2+ y ago8:52

8:52

Have you tried to start a home business, but can't seem to get it off the ground? Starting a small business does not have to be the most difficult thing you have ever done, but it can require the most effort. Want to know what it takes to set your goals and crush them when it comes to your home business? In this episode, you are going to learn the …

1
Season 1 Episode 12 - Writing Holy Days and End of Season Q&A 1:28:37

2+ y ago1:28:37

1:28:37

In this final episode of the first season of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss holy days and answer some listener questions. More specifically, we talk about: the fact that there are many more holy days than Christmas and it serves us as writers of diverse characters to be aware of that that stories around our holy days cr…

1
Season 1 Episode 11 - Not All Descriptions Are Created Equal 53:52

2+ y ago53:52

53:52

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—conclude our conversation about marking the unmarked by discussing description. In this third episode on the topic, we discuss: marking and unmarking in terms of description the Twilight series and the problematic use of dark and light why we, as writers, have to consistently as…

1
Season 1 Episode 10 - Racial and Gendered Language 59:13

2+ y ago59:13

59:13

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—continue our conversation about marking the unmarked. In this second episode on marking the unmarked, we discuss: the importance of being conscious about the language you use AND how you use it that language is forever changing and we need to keep up with it how the gendered (an…

1
Season 1 Episode 9 - Deborah Tannen, linguistics, and Peter Parker 47:23

3y ago47:23

47:23

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about marking the unmarked. It’s the first episode of three on the topic. In this first episode on marking the unmarked, we discuss: what we mean by “marked” and “unmarked” how conscious marking and unmarking in our stories make us better writers the “Everyman” archetype in…

1
Season 1 Episode 8 - Diversity Within Diversity 1:00:59

3y ago1:00:59

1:00:59

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about diversity within diversity and what writers can learn from the concept of intersectionality. More specifically, we talk about: how Kimberlé Crenshaw came to coin the term ‘intersectionality’ Black Lives Matter as an example of an organization that does diversity withi…

1
How Jade Aminah Created The Lazy Hat!- The Perfect Solution For Naturals On The Go! 45:28

3y ago45:28

45:28

Meet Jade Aminah- CEO/Founder of The Lazy Hat! Starting out as a natural hair blogger, Jade spent a lot of her time teaching simple, cute natural hairstyles to her following on her Youtube channel @Simplyjade_101. However, Jade quickly began to realize that there were also those lazy days where women with natural hair did not feel up to styling the…

1
Season 1 Episode 7 - Tokenism in Literature 34:06

3y ago34:06

34:06

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about the third common pitfall when representing diverse characters: tokenism. More specifically, we talk about: what tokenism is and why it is problematic why characters such as JK Rowling’s Cho Chang are the perfect example of tokenism the custom of turning diverse charac…

1
How Mariel Mejia Turned Her Hair Health Around By Creating The Brand, Pink Root Hair Products! 34:50

3y ago34:50

34:50

In today's episode, I had the pleasure of catching up with Mariel Mejia, the Founder/CEO of Pink Root Hair Products. Mariel is a Dominican-American NYC native, born and raised in the Bronx. After years of using relaxers on her hair from the young age of 11, Mariel found herself left with dry, brittle hair from all the damage caused to it by using e…

1
Season 1 Episode 6 - Essentialism and Affirmative Myopia in Literature 54:27

3y ago54:27

54:27

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about two very common pitfalls when representing diverse characters: essentialism and affirmative myopia. More specifically, we talk about: what essentialism is and what makes it problematic the fact that a lot of stereotypes that persist today are based on pseudo-scientifi…

1
Season 1 Episode 5 - How Does Representation Work for Writers? 1:04:35

3y ago1:04:35

1:04:35

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about how representation actually works. We talk about: at representation is about who we make visible and who are rendered invisible because of those decisions why minority voices are automatically amplified when they are represented that representation is not just about w…

1
Season 1 Episode 4 - The Fear of Cultural Appropriation 47:39

3y ago47:39

47:39

In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about the fear of cultural appropriation. More specifically, we talk about: How we define cultural appropriation The difference between cultural appropriation and cultural exchange Assassin’s Creed III vs. Disney’s Pocahontas, and why Assassin’s Creed III does it better tha…

1
Life Update: Pregnancy, Covid-19 and Making Mental & Emotional Health A Priority! 25:06

3y ago25:06

25:06

Hello Everyone, It's been so long since you last heard from me, so I wanted to take the time to catch you up with what's been going on in my life! A LOT has changed over the past few months and I'm finally in a comfortable enough position to give you the scoop on all of my personal life changes and things I've learned about myself along the way. Fo…

1
Season 1 Episode 3 - Common Fears and Frustrations 58:48

3y ago58:48

58:48

Show notes episode 3 – Common fears and frustrations In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—discuss some of the fears and frustrations that might come up when writing diverse characters. More specifically, we talk about the following fears: Representing someone in the wrong way… …and why that shouldn’t keep us from t…

1
Season 1 - Episode 2 – Diversity and Representation in Fiction 1:34:20

3y ago1:34:20

1:34:20

Episode 2 – Diversity and representation in fiction In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—explain why a conversation about diversity and representation in fiction is necessary. We also talk about: the fact some characters are overrepresented while others are severely underrepresented in fiction positive, and less po…

1
Season 1 Episode 1 - Introduction 45:47

3y ago45:47

45:47

In this first episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany A. Tucker and Mariëlle S. Smith—talk about why we started this podcast, what our goals are for the show, and what topics we will be discussing in our first season and beyond. We also talk about: who this podcast is for—fiction writers wanting to write characters who aren’t like them in…

1
Meet Ayo Ogun! The Self Made Entrepreneur That Built The 7-Figure Company, Soultanicals! 55:34

3y ago55:34

55:34

Meet Ayo Ogun; the Founder/CEO of the natural hair company Soultanicals! Ayo is a mother of 6 that started out with a genuine curiosity on how to make the hair care process a painless experience for her three daughters. Ayo always had dreams of starting her own business and through much research and many successful hand-made recipes, she was propel…

1
How Sherrel Sampson Created Canviiy. An All Natural Scalp Care Line Formulated To Sooth Dry, Itchy Scalp! 50:35

3y ago50:35

50:35

In todays episode, I catch up with Sherrel Sampson- the Founder/CEO of the all natural scalp care line Canviiy! Canviiy is an innovative, organic based health & wellness brand that strives to soothe, nourish and protect your scalp to provide a healthy environment for your natural hair to thrive. After experiencing an unbearably itchy scalp that see…

1
How Psychelia Terry used her life savings working in Corporate America to invest in her company Urban Hydration, now worth millions! 43:13

3y ago43:13

43:13

In today's episode, I sit down with Psychelia Terry! She is the Founder/CEO of a hair and skin care line called Urban Hydration. Now in 2021, thousands of the company's products are sold everyday in approximately 30,000 U.S. retail locations including Ulta, CVS, Target, Sally Beauty and Bed Bath & Beyond just to name a few. In 2019, Urban Hydration…

1
How Jessica Pritchett is revolutionizing the way we care for LOCS through her organic haircare line, OOLI. 27:11

3y ago27:11

27:11

Meet Jessica Pritchett, Founder/CEO of natural hair & LOC brand, OOLI. OOLI Beauty is making its mark in the natural hair industry, by revolutionizing the way people style and feel confident in their locs. Jessica Pritchett says that she developed the OOLI brand with the intention of making it easier for women and men to care for their locs, throug…

1
Let's Get Candid: How Hair's The Scoop Podcast Aims To Help You Become The Next Black Female Entrepreneur! 9:34

3y ago9:34

9:34

The black hair care industry is a 1.5 trillion dollar industry that continues to grow from the profits of black women, without black women having much ownership in the industry. The same hair industry that was built off of black women, continues to be saturated with big companies that have been exposed for using increased chemicals that are known t…

1
How Dr. Isfahan Chambers-Harris Founder of Alodia Hair Care, is committed to holistic approaches to natural hair care! 37:01

3y ago37:01

37:01

In today's episode, I catch up with Dr. Isfahan Chambers- Harris, the Founder/CEO of Alodia Hair Care! Not only is she an Entrepreneur, Wife and Mother, Dr. Isfahan is also a Medical Scientist and Trichology Practitioner. Dr. Isfahan understands the concerns related to textured hair topics and clears up the misconceptions and misinformation that su…

1
Top 6 ways to slay your DIY Knotless Box Braid install with ease! 11:00

3y ago11:00

11:00

Knotless Box Braids are my go to hair style when the weather gets warmer and retaining length is usually a positive result of that when protective styling is executed the right way. I had gotten so used to wearing my beautiful braid outs over the winter, that when Spring rolled around, I honestly felt lost when it came to styling. Once the weather …

1
Toxic chemicals found in black hair care products linked to increased rates of Cancer, Fibroids and Hair loss ft. Dr. St. Surin-Lord, MD! 1:06:25

3y ago1:06:25

1:06:25

Have you ever wondered about the long term effects of the toxic chemicals found in black hair care products? I decided to go more in depth with this discussion to find the reasons why and how black women are disproportionately exposed to increased levels of toxins in hair products, when compared to other groups. In order to get to the bottom of thi…

1
Single Strand Knots & How To Prevent Them! 10:17

3+ y ago10:17

10:17

If you've been natural for some time, you have probably run into the problem of single strand knots at some point in your natural hair journey. These knots often tend to look like little tiny microscopic beads at the end of your individual hair strand and many times, on more than just one. Single strand knots are also synonymous with the term Fairy…

1
How Using Steam Helps To Detangle In 20min or Less! 7:49

3+ y ago7:49

7:49

Steaming natural hair is the process of using moist heat to help lift the cuticle layer that protects the hair shaft and allow for moisture to penetrate through. By having the cuticle layer open, this helps for much better absorption of moisturizing hair products, masks and treatments. Learn all about how I'm using my hair steamer in a completely d…

1
5 Protective Hair Style Mistakes You’ve Been Making All Along! 8:39

3+ y ago8:39

8:39

As many of you may already know, a protective hair style can be the holy grail approach to keeping your hair healthy and happy, with the proper regimen in place of course. However, at times we can get a little carried away with how a hairstyle should look as opposed to ensuring that the hair is actually protected. Now let me be honest, I am guilty …

1
How the Revair-Reverse Air Dryer Is Blowing Our Mind & Our Natural Hair! 9:41

3+ y ago9:41

9:41

In today's episode, I wanted to talk about my new hair tool that seems to be taking the natural hair community by storm! About a year ago, I was browsing Youtube and saw this new device all the influencers were trying out for blow drying natural hair. I usually wear my hair in stretched styles, so this definitely sparked my interest. By using the R…

1
How CEO/Founder Dafina Smith of Covet & Mane creates the ultimate hair enhancement experience, while dominating a multi-million dollar industry! 59:53

3+ y ago59:53

59:53

In today's episode, I catch up with CEO/Founder Dafina Smith of Covet & Mane! Founded in 2019, Covet & Mane is the world's first line of customizable hand-tied hair extensions! Covet & Mane's patent pending cut point wefts allow hairstylists to cut and tailor hair extensions to fit each of the clients individual needs. Dafina describes her wefts as…

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Mariëlle S. Smith Podcasts

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