Toya Talks Podcast

Hosted by Toya Washington

Business EducationInterviews guestsExplicit

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Episodes

217

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-GB

About the show

Toya Talks is where culture, courage, and career collide. Created for Black Women and inclusive of allies, this podcast unpacks the realities of the workplace through the lens of culture, life, and global events. From pay gaps and strikes to leadership, politics, and authenticity, each episode explores how the world around us shapes the way we live and the way we work. Toya goes beyond surface conversations to deliver bold truths, necessary lessons, and unapologetic strategies that empower listeners to navigate the workplace with clarity and courage. If you’re ready to rethink work, reclaim your brilliance, and be part of conversations that matter, this is your space. Toya Talks: Bold truths. Real strategy. For us all.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 21, 2026Episode 1981 hr 56 min

Quiet On The Black History Month Creek

Send us Fan Mail Black History Month is supposed to be loud, visible and impossible to ignore, so what does it mean when the UK suddenly feels quiet about it? We unpack the silence, the shifting politics behind it, and why “tolerance” can still sit on top of deeply rooted institutional racism. If you’ve felt that weird absence of events, workplace talks and public celebration, you’re not imagining it, and we say the part out loud. From there, we move into career planning that actually works in the real world. We talk vision boards and manifestation, but also the unglamorous, high-impact bit: building a three to five year plan with tangible assets, accountability and a clear direction of travel. We get into mentorship versus coaching, being intentional about introductions, and why your professional brand follows you into every meeting, message and moment. The workplace stories get even sharper as we tackle micro-aggressions, boundaries, and the kind of covert micromanagement that tries to put Black women “back in their place”. We also weigh up the BBC TV licence debate and the idea of charging streaming viewers, then bring it back to money and strategy with job hopping in 2026 and what the numbers mean for your next move. Finally, we talk UK - King Charles, slavery, reparations and accountability, then end on a needed win: Angel Reese as a reminder that the right environment can unlock everything. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find Toya Talks. What part of the conversation hit home for you most? Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

September 30, 2026Episode 1971 hr 43 min

May This Type Of Friendship Never find Me.

Send us Fan Mail I got my official ADHD diagnosis in my forties, and it’s forcing me to tell the truth about what people never see behind “high functioning”. On the outside I’m building, leading, creating, parenting, delivering. Inside, it can feel like 20 tabs are open at once, ideas are loud, tasks are heavy, and the effort it takes to look composed is the part nobody claps for. I talk through ADHD combined presentation, autistic traits, dyslexia, masking, and why a late diagnosis can be both grief and relief. We then shift into something that hit a nerve online: friendship and money. A clip about Savannah James and April McDaniel sparks a bigger conversation about friendship economics, entitlement versus generosity, and what happens when two people love each other but live in completely different financial realities. If every plan reflects one person’s disposable income, the friendship can quietly become inaccessible. We unpack dignity, resentment, power imbalance, and the uncomfortable questions most people avoid. From there we zoom out to the UK: Andy Burnham’s Labour conference speech, what it signals about the economy, public services, social care, and the personal tax allowance. I also get practical about the world of work: career mobility beyond the UK, and how to protect yourself when senior people ignore you to block your progress. Finally, I answer a listener dilemma on Access to Work, a manager demanding unredacted receipts by email, and how GDPR data minimisation plus the Equality Act 2010 should shape the process. If this speaks to you, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the point that landed hardest for you. Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

September 24, 2026Episode 1961 hr 24 min

The Caucasity, Corporate Audacity & Other Crimes

Send us Fan Mail A grand jury says “no indictment” and the timeline instantly gets flattened into “case closed” online, so we slow it right down and get precise. We talk through the Nolan Wells update, what a grand jury actually does in the US (and why it is not a criminal trial), and why “consistent with drowning” still leaves a family living with unanswered questions. If you care about justice, transparency and how institutions build or destroy trust, this part matters. We tackle Hyrox and the most basic question of all: when does “determination” become a health and safety issue, and who gets the benefit of the doubt when they cross the line? We bring it home with real world workplace strategy: Barclays staff pushing back on return-to-office demands through union organising, the Colin Kaepernick and Jay-Z clash as a case study in Black solidarity versus capitalism, and a DoorDash settlement that proves rights on paper mean nothing without enforcement. We also break down UK personal tax allowance set to possibly increase. Celebrating Maya Jukes’ promotion with a reminder to negotiate scope, resources, authority and pay, not just a title. If this gave you language for something you’ve been feeling at work, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

September 16, 2026Episode 1951 hr 20 min

We Dey Like Money

Send us Fan Mail The job market is brutal, interviews are getting longer and cheekier, and too many of us are trying to hold everything together while quietly running on empty. We’re back, and we start with the real reasons people disappear: burnout, change, family life, and the pressure of masking when you’re neurodivergent and “high functioning”. I talk about what it looks like to prioritise the urgent, protect your privacy, and rebuild momentum without pretending it’s easy. Then we get into career strategy for the UK job market in crisis. I share why this doesn’t feel like a generalist market anymore, how to specialise without trapping yourself, and why learning and development has to sit with you, not your employer. We also talk internal mobility, gatekeeping, pay compression, and the rise of ridiculous multi-stage interviews. There’s a story in here that proves a point: when you set boundaries and you’re willing to walk away, employers suddenly remember how to make an offer, and you can negotiate from strength. We zoom out to power and culture too: Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, Palestine, and why “I don’t do politics” can land as hypocrisy when you’ve used your platform before. We challenge the return of Ali G, the recycling of racist caricatures as “nostalgia”, and how that mess shows up later as workplace “banter”. We cover Target’s tone-deaf costume scandal, the Cambridge review into Professor Jason Arday’s death and the UK press, and we end on a big ownership question with the Dangote Refinery IPO and what it could mean for African wealth and retail investors. If you got something from this, subscribe, share it with your group chats, and leave a review so more people can find the podcast. What boundary are you setting this week? Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

August 17, 2026Episode 1941 hr 5 min

When Scrutiny Becomes Punishment

Send us Fan Mail A workplace investigation is meant to find facts, but what happens when it starts to feel like a sentence? We return to Toya Talks with a heavy, urgent conversation sparked by the death of Professor Jason Arday, following weeks of intense coverage, plagiarism allegations, and questions about his life and work while Cambridge University pursued an independent investigation. We’re not here to pretend mistakes do not matter. We’re here to ask why the way we pursue “accountability” so often strips people of humanity long before any conclusion is reached. We pull the lens wider than one headline and talk about workplace investigations, HR process, confidentiality, and psychological safety. We break down what employees live through when credibility is challenged: the isolation, the gossip, the quiet removal of responsibilities, and the feeling that colleagues have already decided you’re guilty. We also make the case that due process is not only the final finding, it is the journey there, including proportional communication, clear timelines, and genuine support that treats the employee as a human being throughout. Race sits at the centre of this, too. We explore the difference between competence and legitimacy, and why Black professionals are so often forced to prove they deserve the room they’re already in. When grace is unevenly distributed, one person’s alleged failure becomes a judgement on an entire community. We also question media ethics in an age where outrage turns people into content, and we ask where public interest ends and public punishment begins. If this conversation hits home, listen through, share it with someone navigating work stress right now, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. What would it look like for accountability and humanity to coexist in your workplace? **Point of correction there was previously an investigation of wiretapping by Mirror Group Newspapers not the Daily Mail. - This reference was an error and theinestigation did not include the Daily Mail it was Mirror Group Newspaper. Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

July 8, 2026Episode 1931 hr 56 min

Who Keeps The Only Black Friend Safe?

Send us Fan Mail A photo can look like friendship and still hide risk. Today we’re asking a question that cuts through the nice memories, the group chats, and the holiday pictures: who keeps the only Black friend safe? I’m careful with facts and I refuse to fill gaps with speculation, but I’m also honest about why so many Black people feel fear before reassurance when we see certain stories unfold. We talk about what is currently known about Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old who travelled by boat to Horn Island with friends and did not make it home, as well as why Tamla Horsford’s name still sits in our collective memory. The common thread is not gossip, it’s the lived reality of being the only one in a space, where racism can show up quietly and belonging can disappear fast. That’s where tokenism in friendship lives: being included, even loved, but not protected when friendship requires courage. I also bring this into parenting, safeguarding, and the adultification of Black children. When institutions and other adults can perceive Black girls as older, less vulnerable, or “difficult” for simply being confident, proximity and vigilance stop being personality traits and become protection. The takeaway is practical and challenging for anyone who cares about real allyship and interracial friendships: don’t ask whether you have Black friends, ask whether you are safe for them. If this lands with you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs to hear it, and leave a review with your answer: when race enters the room, who do you become? Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

June 17, 2026Episode 1921 hr 56 min

A Cautionary Tale

Send us Fan Mail £12,500 in your pocket today sounds like relief, but what if the price is your state pension arriving a year later? We get into the Citizens Advance proposal making waves in the UK and ask the real question underneath the headlines: do younger generations still believe retirement is guaranteed, or does it feel like the goalposts keep moving until there is nothing left to reach? From there, I go deeper into something more personal and more uncomfortable: how faith can support you, and how it can also become a cage when it turns into rigid thinking and public performance. Using the way relationship breakdowns play out online, I talk about boundaries, discernment, and why “God told me” cannot replace self-trust, evidence, and honest reflection. We also touch on the pressure many women carry around marriage timelines, modesty culture, and the difference between wanting partnership and being consumed by it. We zoom out to the systems shaping all of this: the cost of living crisis, frozen tax thresholds, the daily stress of bills, and the frustration of paying into services that feel hard to access. Along the way, I break down pension basics people often miss, why marketing claims like “100% leak-free” matter in women’s health, and why collective action and unions often achieve what individual complaining cannot. If you care about financial literacy, workplace reality, women’s confidence, and critical thinking, this one will land. Subscribe, share with your group chat, and leave a review if the conversation hits home. Would you take the £12,500 or protect the pension year? Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

May 27, 2026Episode 19146 min

Sister Jackie

Send us Fan Mail A make-up technique isn’t just a technique when it comes from a community that has watched its creativity get copied, commercialised, and stripped of its origin story. I’m speaking on the Painted by Esther and Patrick Ta situation because the reaction online is not only about beauty products, it’s about power, credit, and what happens when money walks into the room and suddenly someone else gets to “own” what you built. I break down the ethics behind “repackaging” a creator’s signature aesthetic, why people reach for words like extraction and modern-day colonisation, and the uncomfortable gap between what is legal and what is right. We talk about brand accountability in the beauty industry, why credit matters for Black creators, and why consistency is the only thing that makes backlash meaningful. If we really believe in consequences, we have to be honest about consumer boycott, spending power, and the ways communities can protest with their purses. Then I move to Jackie Aina and the question of influence and legacy. Nobody is obligated to speak on every issue online, but when your platform is built on advocacy and holding brands to account, audiences notice misalignment fast. I connect this to workplace politics many of us know too well: established voices becoming territorial, mentorship turning into competition, and ego shaping decisions in public. If you’ve ever felt overlooked, unsupported, or treated like a threat, you’ll recognise the pattern. Listen and tell me where you land, then subscribe, share, and leave a review so this conversation reaches the people who need it. Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

May 20, 2026Episode 19052 min

No such thing as a free lunch.

Send us Fan Mail A well known brand drops into my inbox, praises my TikTok, then asks for a full video turnaround within hours and never once mentions payment. That one email opens a bigger conversation about workplace boundaries, self-worth, and why I refuse to build any part of my life on “maybe there’ll be future work”. If you are a content creator, freelancer, or employee who is tired of being squeezed for more while being offered less, you will recognise the pattern instantly. We talk rates, budgets, scope, urgency fees, and why milestone payments matter when brands want to use your assets for months. Then we take it into the workplace, where negotiation is not just about money, it is about power. I share how I approach non-negotiables, from day rate to travel to office attendance, and why I would rather turn down a role than accept terms that guarantee disrespect later. We also sit with a line that hit hard: “The workplace loves Black women’s resilience, just not our boundaries.” We unpack how resilience gets weaponised into over performance, emotional labour, and silence, and how to make resilience work for us instead of against us. From there, we zoom out to the UK mood after the local elections and the rise of Reform UK, looking at why people vote from pain when rent, bills, wages and NHS access feel broken. We touch on immigration rhetoric, the European Convention on Human Rights, indefinite leave to remain, and the danger of making rights conditional. Finally, we lighten the angle without losing the depth, using the AP x Swatch collaboration to explore luxury marketing psychology, aspiration culture, and why “access” sells even during a cost of living crisis. If this conversation sharpens your thinking, subscribe, share it with someone who needs firmer boundaries, and leave a review so more people can find Toya Talks. Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

April 23, 2026Episode 1891 hr 56 min

Ambition Doesn't Live In An Office

Send us Fan Mail Someone can do everything “right” at work and still get blindsided by an office bully, a microaggressive comment, or a private Teams thread that was never meant to reach you. We’re not pretending that’s fair. We’re talking about what to do next, how to stay strategic, and how to protect your credibility without spending your whole life sat in HR. We start with the reality of workplace bullying and the systems that quietly enable it, then move into practical career strategy: building a feedback folder, collecting performance evidence, and using it to plan a smart internal move. I share why internal mobility matters right now, how to create allies beyond your line manager, and how to position your impact so the approval becomes hard to refuse. Then we get candid about “brand protection” in real time. When unprofessional comments land in your lap, you need a response that sets the tone fast and keeps you in control. We also go deeper on identity at work, why copying isn’t always flattery, and what it means to bet on yourself when the room isn’t built for you. From there, we challenge Emma Grede’s claim that working from home is killing women’s careers, with a clear look at visibility, privilege, childcare realities, and remote networking. We also connect the dots to bigger power dynamics, from government vetting controversies to Vogue rebranding an Afro puff as a “cloud bob”, and why naming, credit, and process matter. If you care about workplace politics, internal promotion, remote work, personal brand, and navigating microaggressions with strategy, press play. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us: what part hit closest to home? Sponsorships - Email me: hello@toyatalks.com TikTok: toya_washington Twitter: @toya_w (#ToyaTalksPodcast) Snapchat: @toyawashington Instagram: @toya_washington & @toya_talks https://toyatalks.com/ Music (Intro and Outro) Written and created by Nomadic Star Stationary Company: Sistah Scribble Instagram: @sistahscribble Website: www.sistahscribble.com Email: hello@sistahscribble.com

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