Jelani's breaking ice in his Maryland driveway while Spencer's complaining about 72 degrees in LA—but the real temperature check is on resilience. From teaching Cairo that a waffle to the toe isn't a crisis to Jelani's 93-point Bop It domination over his five-year-old, the guys explore how fathers set the bar for their kids' grit. They dissect private school navigation for Black families in LA, debate whether high school or college matters more for legacy building, and get deep on the Oscar campaign machine—why Sinners' 16 nominations might be performative, why One Battle After Another fetishizes Black women, and why Ruth Carter and Ryan Coogler deserve their flowers. The conversation shifts to LeBron and the Lakers: Jeanie Buss subtweeting gratitude, the player empowerment era's consequences, and whether LeBron's control has become a cautionary tale. They celebrate Jerry West as the eternal logo, unpack Kanye's recent apology for antisemitic rhetoric, and ask the hard question: can we hold space for mental health struggles while demanding accountability? This is an episode about teaching kids to do hard things, protecting Black identity in white spaces, and refusing to let perfectionism block the path to growth.
🔍 Topics Covered
• Snow week in Maryland vs 72-degree "winter" in LA—Jelani breaking ice, Spencer staying cozy
• Teaching resilience: Spencer's waffle-to-the-toe lesson with Cairo about not making a scene
• The give-and-take of letting kids win vs making them earn it—building confidence vs entitlement
• Private school navigation for Black families in LA: John Carroll's school, Harvard-Westlake, identity sacrifice
• Spencer's inverted education philosophy: best high school, relaxed on college, nepotism as the endgame
• Oscar nominations discourse: Sinners with 16 nods, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Hamlet
• Home Alone rant: the Wet Bandits causing irreparable structural damage, not just robbery
• Lakers and LeBron: Jeanie Buss saying "grateful we got to draft Bronny"—a subtle jab
• Player empowerment era consequences: LeBron's influence on rosters (Westbrook, AD, JJ Redick as coach)
• Kanye West's apology for antisemitic and Nazi rhetoric, acknowledging bipolar disorder
• Debate: can we hold space for mental health while demanding accountability?
• Jay-Z's 4:44, Kendrick's Mr. Morale, Kobe's Mamba Mentality as accountability work
🗣️ Highlight Quotes
• "You can do hard things. Tell me you can do hard things. I can do hard things."
• "I took that personal. I dropped that 107 real smooth and clean like that." —Jelani on Bop It
• "If they know they can get one on us in a little game here and there, what does that mean for how they carry themselves out in the world?"
• "The Wet Bandits turned on the water and caused irreparable structural, foundational damage. These guys need to go to jail for a long time."
• "Why do Black women only get nominated for insubordinate roles—playing the whore, the help, the druggie?"
• "Jeanie Buss saying 'we're grateful we got to draft Bronny' is the most passive-aggressive thing I've ever heard."
• "Jerry West is the logo. That man is the consummate professional."
• "Kanye apologized to the Black community specifically. That's the first time he's ever done that."
• "Accountability doesn't require perfection. It requires showing up."
Where to Find Us
Instagram: @highervalleyspodcast
TikTok: @highervalleys
