Owning The Narrative: Cultural Storytelling & Creative Power w/ Filmmaker Dr. Nadia Marie Sasso

from BLKGirl Ambition · host Niya Baxter

"Perfectionism almost killed me." - Nadia Marie Sasso"I wasn't interested in performing scholarship for institutions. It was about making my community feel seen and heard [through filmmaking] and looking for resonance, not approval" - Nadia Marie SassoSummary:In this episode of BLKGirl Ambition, Niya Baxter sits down with creative visionary and cultural storyteller Dr. Nadia Sasso for a rich conversation on identity, innovation, and the evolving power of digital storytelling. Nadia shares how her upbringing as a first-generation Sierra Leonean-American shaped her lens as a filmmaker, unconventional scholar, and community builder. From her critically acclaimed documentary Am I Too African to Be American, Too American To Be African? featuring Issa Rae to her latest initiative, The See Yah Project, a cutting edge edu-tech platform focused on community advocacy and AI, Nadias work explores what it means to honor your roots while building something radically future-facing. Together, Niya and Nadia unpack the tension between visibility and vulnerability, the myth of perfectionism, and the responsibility of using your voiceand your platformto tell stories that free and affirm. This episode invites listeners to reimagine personal branding not as performance, but as cultural preservation and intentional legacy-building.KeywordsBlack Girl Ambition, Nadia Sasso, filmmaker, cultural storytelling, digital innovation, unconventional career paths, identity, scholar, community empowerment, personal branding, perfectionismTakeaways:Nadia Sasso blends storytelling with cultural impact.Childhood experiences shape creative identities.Unconventional scholarship prioritizes community engagement.Film can capture complex identities and experiences.Recreating iconic album covers celebrates black womanhood.Digital storytelling is essential for personal branding.Perfectionism can hinder creative expression.Cultural homecomings like Dirty December foster identity.Advocacy through technology can level the playing field.Chapters:00:00 Welcome to Black Girl Ambition02:44 Nadia Sasso: A Creative Force03:40 Childhood Influences on Creativity07:32 The Unconventional Scholar10:12 Exploring Cultural Identity Through Film15:08 Digital Storytelling for Personal Branding18:46 Perfectionism and Creative Expression21:37 Detty December: A Cultural Homecoming26:53 The See Yah Project: Community Advocacy Through AI31:24 Building Legacy and CommunityGet in Touch with Nadia!W: www.seeyahproject.com and www.nadiamariesasso.comE: [email protected]: @nadiamariesassoThanks for all your love and support. Tag me while listening @blkgirlambition & as always love to hear your thoughts :)Join the BLKGirl Ambition community on IG and LinkedIn: @blkgirlambition and @glamourgirlniya Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 16, 2025

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Owning The Narrative: Cultural Storytelling & Creative Power w/ Filmmaker Dr. Nadia Marie Sasso

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