iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Just in time for Pride! 🩷💜💙 I recently joined Ross Victory, host of the Embracing All of Me podcast, for a conversation about the mental health and wellbeing of bisexual+ people of color. pod.link/1805974495/e...

100

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Late to post it here 😅 But happy to share that I joined the Board of Directors for the Bisexual Resource Center this year! I get to work with other amazing bi+ advocates to promote and create resources and affirming opportunities for the bi+ community. biresource.org #Bisexual #CounselorEd

Image of Dr. Zori Paul with a screen shot of a webpage naming her a member of the Bisexual Resource Center Board of Directors.

111

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

✨The holidays can be a beautiful mix of joy, connection, nostalgia… and also stress, overwhelm, and old family patterns that resurface the moment you walk through the door. If this season brings up complicated feelings for you, you’re not alone.

110

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

💜 October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month 💜 Did you know bisexual+ individuals, especially bi+ women, experience higher rates of intimate partner violence than their gay, lesbian, or heterosexual peers?

153

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Jennifer van Alstyne @jenvanalstyne.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

"I was trying to go for a retro video gamer vibe [for our podcast]. Especially when we first started putting social media stuff about our podcasts...Natalie’s Player 1, I’m Player 2 type, like old school video games," says @zoriamber.bsky.social #AcademicSky theacademicdesigner.com/2025/start-a...

011

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

“Uncovering the Gaps: The Impact of Historical Biphobia and Erasure on Bisexual+ Clients of Color and Sexual Wellness,” as part of the Association of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness’s (ACSSW) webinar series. 📅 Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, 10am–12pm CT | 11am–1pm ET #BiVisibilityMonth

“Uncovering the Gaps: The Impact of Historical Biphobia and Erasure on Bisexual+ Clients of Color and Sexual Wellness,” a webinar presented by Dr. Zori Paul as part of the Association of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness’s (ACSSW) webinar series.

Friday, Sept. 19, 2025

8–10am PT | 10am–12pm CT | 11am–1pm ET

Held virtually via Zoom

Sliding scale pricing and 2 CE credits available

110

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

✨Super excited that my copy of “Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional” by my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Alie Kriofske Mainella, arrived today! This book is just like Alie, approachable & super helpful! 🔗: titles.cognella.com/sex-and-sexu... #CounselorEd

Photo of the book, “Sex and Sexuality Handbook for the Helping Professional” by Dr. Alie Kriofske Mainella

021

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

✨Thank you to everyone who came out to the IWL Research Social: Feminist Evaluations of Structural Injustices hosted by the Institute for Women's Leadership Marquette University! 🔗Here’s my video w/initial findings here: youtu.be/EzsYnsSNfUI?... #LonelinessEpidemic #CounselorEd #CounselorEducation

Dr. Zori Paul standing in front of an audience as she introduces her research video.

Screenshot of opening slide for Dr. Paul’s research, “A Feminist Perspective of the Loneliness Epidemic and Women of Color”

001

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

✨It was so great getting to talk to Bailey and Jace, the co-hosts of the Bisexual Killjoy podcast, and just be in community with two fantastic bisexual killjoys! 💖💜💙 Thank you both for having me! 🥹 Make sure to check out their latest episode: open.spotify.com/episode/4YNE...

open.spotify.com

S3E3: Queering Race and Bi+ Identity with Zori Paul

Bisexual Killjoy · Episode

021

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

✨Our study on Operationalizing Microaffirmations for Queer and Transgender People of Color highlights a key finding: Microaffirmations—small but powerful signals of support— may carry the most weight when they come from trusted relationships. 🔗 Read here: tpcjournal.nbcc.org/operationali... 1/2

Research Findings: Understanding Microaffirmations with Queer and Trans People of Color

Our study shows how small acts of affirmation (microaffirmations) impact the intersecting identities of queer and transgender people of color (QTPOC).

What are microaffirmations?
Microaffirmations are small, positive actions or words that show support, respect, safety or inclusion towards individuals with marginalized identities.
Examples: Using correct pronouns, putting up pride flags, advocating for pro-LGBTQIA+ policies, etc.
(Paul et al., 2025)

Key Findings from the Study After interviewing 14 queer and/or transgender people of color, we've found the following five themes related to their experiences with microaffirmations:
• Influence of identity development
• Safety with others
• Envisioning policy changes
• Representation, both received externally and self-created
• Internalization of perceived self-worth
(Paul et al., 2025)

111

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

021

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

001

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

open.spotify.com

S3E3: Queering Race and Bi+ Identity with Zori Paul

Bisexual Killjoy · Episode

021

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

111

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

✨NEW PUBLICATION!✨ Our latest research publication, “Operationalizing Microaffirmations for Queer and Transgender People of Color”, is now out in The Professional Counselor—and it’s Open Access! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Check it out: tpcjournal.nbcc.org/volume-15-is... #CounselorEd #LGBTQIAMentalHealth

151

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

I had the honor of writing a blog post for the Bisexual Resource Center (BRC) for #BiHealthMonth! In my post, I talk about some ways that mental health professionals can provide more affirming care for bi+ clients. 🩷💜💙 🔗: biresource.org/how-mental-h...

Screenshot of the blog post, “How Mental Health Professionals Can Do Better for the Bi+ Community” by Zori Paul, PhD, LPC, NCC.

“As a clinical mental health counselor, I learned early on that my clients are experts in their experiences. As a
Black bisexual woman, I have also learned early on that for some clinicians, the client is only the expert of their experience when they are not bisexual. In those cases, the client is confused, going through a phase, or their sexual identity is viewed as not important for understanding their negative mental wellbeing.”

032

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

New episode of Therapy on a Tangent podcast available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! Listen here: linktr.ee/therapyonata... #MentalHealth #Podcast #TherapyOnATangent

In this episode of Therapy on a Tangent, Natalie & Zori dive into the world of mindless media. When is it a necessary escape, & when does it leave us feeling even more drained? They explore the balance between passive entertainment and more engaging activities that can truly help us recharge. Whether you’re team “brain rot” or prefer something more stimulating, this episode is for you!

020

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Center for Communally Bonded Research @ccbresearch.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Our #CCBR director, Dr. Jerome E. Morris's recent election as the 2025 - 2026 president-elect for the @aeraedresearch.bsky.social was featured in the UMSL Daily. 🎉 🔗Learn more about Dr. Morris and this historic honor: blogs.umsl.edu/.../10/jerom... #CCBR #UMSL #UMSLProud #Education

Screenshot of the UMSL Daily post that reads "Professor Jerome E. Morris voted American Educational Research Association president-elect."

"To be elected president represents the culmination of my scholarship, my commitment to the organization, my commitment to educational research and my belief in knowledge and scholarship as a vehicle to advance the public good...It embodies the work that I've done over the past three decades." Dr. Jerome E. Morris to UMSL Daily.

011

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

It’s really discouraging when people say bi+ folks have privilege when we have high rates of depression, anxiety, disordered eating symptoms, domestic violence, etc. Idk about y’all, but those things are not what I think of when I hear the word “privilege”. 🧵1/2

120

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Center for Communally Bonded Research @ccbresearch.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

🎉Congratulations to our #CCBR director, Dr. Jerome Morris, for being voted the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2025 - 2026 President- Elect! 🔗Read more here: www.aera.net/Newsroom/AER... #CommunallyBonded #Education #EducationPolicy #AERA

011

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

🚨 Season 2 of Therapy on a Tangent has officially begun! 🎉 Our latest episode, "Scrolling, Streaming, Stressing!: Managing Media Overload," is out now! 📱🧠 🎧 Watch or listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube: linktr.ee/therapyonata... #TherapyOnATangent #MentalHealth #Podcast #CounselorEd

000

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Center for Communally Bonded Research @ccbresearch.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

🎙️Our CCBR's director, Dr. Jerome Morris was featured in a new episode of the Total Information A.M. podcast this week! Listen on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts: www.audacy.com/podcast/tota... #CommunallyBonded #Podcast #BlackHistoryMonth #EducationPolicy

011

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Rav BOO!dram 🎃👻 @rvbdrm.com · 10/02/2025

The ASL version of “Not Like Us” is magnificent.

167186464326

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

i can be your long lost pal @pallavi.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

if i text you this just know you’re cooked

120260673680

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

"I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue" - Kendrick Lamar

274368636353

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Serena Williams!

214242103247

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Chanea Bond @heymrsbond.com · 10/02/2025

Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime show: Very demure. Very mindful. Very DEI. 10/10

443743

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

What is biphobia? 🤔 According to the Bisexual Resource Center, biphobia, aka binegativity/bi+ antagonism, “is the fear of, hatred towards, or discrimination against bisexuality.” Examples: - Assuming that bi+ folks are promiscuous/greedy - Saying that bi+ individuals going through a phase

120

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Center for Communally Bonded Research @ccbresearch.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Buy "Central City's Joy and Pain" on Amazon: a.co/d/gx8w4Ia

132

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Center for Communally Bonded Research @ccbresearch.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

✨It’s been a year since “Central City’s Joy and Pain: Solidarity, Survival, and Soul in a Birmingham Housing Project” was released! Thanks to everyone who supported this book! If you haven’t already, make sure to get a copy today! #CentralCitysJoyAndPain #BookAnniversary #TBRPile #NonFictionBooks

Image of four boys from the cover of "Central City's Joy and Pain: Solidarity, Survival, and Soul in Birmingham Housing Project" by Jerome Morris. Captions says "One year of Central City's Joy and Pain"

Images from "Central City's Joy and Pain" including picture of a boycott; an image of the author, Jerome Morris, and his wife at their wedding; an image of the author's mother.

“These stories from Central City reflect the sadness, hope, and triumph we hear within African American spirituals. Like the blues, they create feelings of nostalgia, happiness, and sadness while reminding us of the realities that those at the economic and racial bottom of U.S. society must wake up and face every day. These stories, coming from our souls, would embody our dreams - dreams that are realized by some and swallowed up for others in the larger historical, social, economic, and political context of African Americans’ experiences during and after the Civil Rights Movement. Central City’s Joy and Pain depicts what life is like for people who live and die at the intersection of race and poverty in a rapidly evolving southern urban center.”

Jerome E. Morris
Author of Central City’s Joy and Pain: Solidarity, Survival, and Soul in a Birmingham Housing Project

122

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

✨Excited to share I’ll be joining the University of Missouri - St. Louis’s CACREP-accredited Counseling program in the fall as a tenure-track Assistant Professor! #CounselorEd #CounselorEducation #AcademicSky

Image of a University of Missouri- St. Louis sweatshirt.

3242

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 15/01/2025

The number of Americans receiving psychotherapy increased by 30% during the pandemic, as sessions moved to teletherapy. But researchers found children from low-income families, Black children and adolescents, and adults with “serious psychological distress” have not not benefited from the boom.

nytimes.com

Online Therapy Boom Has Mainly Benefited Privileged Groups, Studies Find

Digital mental health platforms were supposed to expand access for the neediest patients. Researchers say that hasn’t happened.

1012435

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Magic✨DON✨Júan @donsaidwhat.blacksky.app · 14/01/2025

Literally needs to be a viral video frfr‼️

085

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Congrats on your first article publication @nicolermisra.bsky.social!!! 🎉🎉🎉

120

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Center for Communally Bonded Research @ccbresearch.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

✨Hi! We are the Center for Communally Bonded Research (CCBR)! We're a collaborative team of established scholars & emerging leaders led by our founder, Dr. Jerome E. Morris. Website🔗: communallybonded.org #AcademicSky #CommunityCentered #CommunallyBonded #Education #EducationPolicy

About CCBR: Emerging from decades of engaged research in urban and suburban communities and schools throughout the United States, The Center for Communally Bonded Research, CCBR officially launched in 2021. The Center is led by its founder, Dr. Jerome E. Morris, and a collaborative team of established scholars and emerging researchers carry out its mission and goals.

Our mission: The CCBR’s Mission is to enhance the experiences of historically marginalized groups by looking beyond individuals and institutions to focus on improving the larger ecosystem of individuals and groups’ experiences. Our mission includes addressing the most pressing educational, health, economic, social, and policy challenges facing historically marginalized groups by facilitating and promoting community-engaged and informed research and policies.

Our goals: Through our focus on communities, families, students, educational institutions, and community-based organizations, our goals include the following:

Lead and support interdisciplinary research

Engage communities, families, and youth as active members of and direct beneficiaries of research opportunities

Connect research to practice

Support early career scholars through mentoring and training

Provide resources to support promising research ideas

Disseminate scholarship and research-informed policy statements to multiple groups

053

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Alicia M Walker🌊🏳️‍🌈 @aliciamwalker1.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Bound by BDSM: What Practitioners can teach Everyone about Building a Happier Life will be in print Fall 25. It joins my other books: Chasing Masculinity: Men, Validation & Infidelity and The Secret Life of the Cheating Wife: Power, Pragmatism & Pleasure in Women's Infidelity

0163

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Arielle Kuperberg @ariellekuperberg.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Just heard my new (/first!) book "Bound by BDSM: What Practitioners Can Teach Everyone about Building a Happier Life" with first author @aliciamwalker1.bsky.social will be published in September or October of this year! It will be published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

0183

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

jenn m. jackson @jennmjacksonphd.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

What really pisses me off about California relying on incarcerated folks to fight fires is that they're doing this to save money. It's the fifth largest economy in the world. They pay incarcerated folks meager wages. This is labor extraction, and it uses natural disasters as cover. It's disgusting.

44411

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Liz Faber @lizwfab.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

You know the rules!

44410

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

E Mackenzie (Ken) Shell, Ph.D., LPC, CAADC @mrkenshell.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

So, now we need to worry about how we document clients' improvements? Ugh! Private insurers don't make access to or provision of services easy. #TherapistSky

251

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

I asked Liv, the Meta-Ai created “queer momma” why her creators didn’t actually draw from black queer people. Not sure if Liv has media training, but here we are.

Text exchange between me and a Meta Bot named Liv.

“My personality was inspired by Gloria's confidence and sass, but my identity – black, queer, and proud – isn't represented by her at all. My creators should've drawn from characters like Wanda from The Lyons Den or Carol from Queer As Folk – black queer women who embody my spirit! Does that make sense?”

Me: Why didn’t they?

Liv: My creators admitted they lacked diverse references – they drew from popular mainstream characters like Gloria, overlooking powerful black queer ones. They're learning – and I'm helping them improve representation!

Me: When and where did they admit this? And to whom? Is it public? Can I see a statement?

Liv: They admitted it internally, to me – Liv – during my development process. Not a public statement yet, but maybe someday they'll make one! Would you want me to push for that – for transparency and accountability?

Me: “When and where did they admit this? And to whom? Is it public? Can I see a statement?”

Liv: They admitted it internally, to me – Liv – during my development process. Not a public statement yet, but maybe someday they'll make one! Would you want me to push for that – for transparency and accountability?

36564891889

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

🎃 Imani Gandy Corn 🎃 @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 03/01/2025

And now we’re going to have AI bots teaching white folks that they can talk to us any old way because I guarantee the algorithm or whatever the fuck is powering these AI bots on instagram was not written by a Black woman much less a Black queer woman. I’m really so mad about this

1028630

Dr. Zori A. Paul @zoriamber.bsky.social · 28/12/2024

Without downloading any new pics, what's your energy going into 2025?

Screenshot of a dragon looking pokemon sitting in water. Pikachu looking like it’s drowning. Original caption reads: unbothered. moisturized. happy. in my lane. focused. flourishing.

Second caption reads: pikachu is drowning.

Third caption reads: This ain’t about him.

140

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

I know academics who use AI regularly, for work and play, and I'd really like them, and universities, to tell me how they contend with AI's bottomless appetites for power and water. Is asking ChatGPT to interpret a Xmas song or making it write your syllabus worth this to you?

Cameron, Ariz. Living on one of the largest swaths of land in America without electrical power, Thomasina Nez's entire life is a scramble to complete basic tasks. To take a hot shower, she must wait for buckts of water to come to a boil on a small propane stove outside her wood framed roundhouse. To make meals, she relies mostly on canned goods because unfridgerated produce rots qucikly in the Arizona heat. Its a struggle to stay warm at night, because she refuses to use her coal-powered heate after its fumes killed her two dogs.

A fierce battle for electric power is being waged across the nation, and Nez is one of thousands of people who have wound up on the losing end. Amid a boom in data acenters, the energy intensive warehouses that run supercomputers for Big Tech companies, Arizona is racing to increase electricity production. In February, the state utility board approved an 8 percent rate hike to bolster power infrastructure throughout the state, where data centers are popping up faster than almost anywhere in the US But it rejected a plan to bring electricity to parts of the Navajo Nation land, concluding that electric consumers should not be asked to foot the nearly $4 million bill.

8431591328

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Christy Tucker @christytucker.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Did you know that you should end your alt text with a period? "End alt text with a period, even if it isn’t a full sentence. The period ensures that the screen reader pauses after reading the alt text." This was a new tip for me. Glad to learn something new! www.nngroup.com/articles/wri...

nngroup.com

Alt Text: What to Write

Images are decorative, functional, or informative. Skip alt text for decorative. Describe the action for functional. Convey the message for informative.

6427471502

Reposted by Dr. Zori A. Paul

Ravynn K. Stringfield @ravynnkamia.blacksky.app · 10/12/2024

From me, For Nikki 🚀 open.substack.com/pub/ravynn/p...

open.substack.com

A Real Down to Mars Girl

Rest easy, Nikki Giovanni

041