Being Authentic AF

About Being Authentic AF

This podcast explores what authenticity means and how to embrace it in your life and relationships. It’s for anyone seeking to better understand their own authenticity and how it shapes our connections with others- from kids to colleagues. Through reflections and conversations with extraordinary people, we’ll share strategies to uncover who you authentically are and want to be. Join us as we explore how to know yourself, be yourself, and evolve yourself—unlocking the path to truly being Authentic AF.

Publisher

Alexis Franzese

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 May 2025

Latest episode

26 Nov 2025

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   26 Nov 2025

   Integrating Authentically: Lessons from Stage, Studio & Social

   This wrap-up centers what our guests taught us about real-world expression: a stage actor on technique as a path to truth; a metal/opera vocalist on honoring style while staying personal; a tattoo artist on meaning, placement, and consent; a strength/yoga coach on day-one presence and boundaries; and a social-media scholar on how audiences read authenticity over time. I pull their through-lines into two pocket tools—VOICE (expressing) and ANCHOR (sustaining)—but the heart of this episode is their stories, and how they help us tell ours with care. This episode of Being Authentic AF was produced by Brandon Talton. Original music written and performed by John Fichera.

2. 

   20 Nov 2025

   Sustaining Authentically: The ANCHOR Checklist

   When the stakes rise, this companion to VOICE focuses on keeping it true over time. I introduce ANCHOR (Alignment, Nervous system regulation, Community & context checks, Habits & rituals, Ongoing consent & boundaries, Repair & recalibration) and apply it to workplace crunch, family dinner boundaries, hard-news posts, and creative slumps. We cover the 90-second Anchor, exits for common pitfalls (authenticity fatigue, impulse-as-honesty, algorithmic drift, the tax of visibility), and simple weekly practices to stay grounded. Duration with dignity beats intensity without care. This episode of Being Authentic AF was produced by Brandon Talton. Original music written and performed by John Fichera.

3. 

   12 Nov 2025

   Branding Authentically: Algorithms, Audience Trust, and Sharing the Real (feat. Dr. Shanetta Pendleton)

   Dr. Shanetta Pendleton is an assistant professor of strategic communications at Elon University and an authenticity scholar studying how organizations use social media to build genuine relationships with minority audiences. From Instagram statements to corporate policies, Dr. Pendleton maps the cues people use to judge perceived authenticity—why sustained action beats statements—and how to design pro-social authenticity that doesn’t just game the algorithm. This episode of Being Authentic AF was produced by Brandon Talton. Original music written and performed by John Fichera.

Who has been a guest on Being Authentic AF

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Nova Lockhart
• Kristi Farrell
• Tiamesha Walker-Smith
• Melanie Spencer
• Mira Brancu

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 18 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

22

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Being Authentic AF

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.