What's Underneath the Mask

Season 5 of Just Lori, I Can Only Be Me is here, and this premiere is extra special. Tuesday, August 4, 2026, marks my three-year podcast anniversary!Season 5 introduces Unfiltered: The Authenticity Series, where the investigation turns inward. Last season, we examined artificial intelligence, bias, and the systems shaping our world. This season, we are talking about the versions of ourselves we have created to survive those systems.In Episode 1, “What’s Underneath the Mask?”, Lori returns to the powerful story of MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini, whose face was not detected by facial-recognition technology until she held a white mask in front of it.That moment raises a deeper question:How many of us have learned to put on metaphorical masks just to be recognized, accepted, respected, or allowed through the door?From code-switching and the professional “customer-service voice” to racial battle fatigue and the pressure to appear strong, polished, pleasant, and unbothered, this episode examines what those masks cost us.What happens when you have worn the mask for so long that you are no longer sure which voice is your natural one? What remains underneath when you stop performing? And is being registered by a system truly the same as being seen?This is not a checklist for becoming your authentic self overnight. It is an honest, reflective conversation about identity, faith, fatigue, survival, and learning to live with an open face.Grab your favorite drink, get comfortable, and let’s rap.Season 5 premieres Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. CST.Celebrating three years of empowering authenticity, one story at a time.God bless. Much luv from me.I’m Just Lori. 🖤