Episode 59 - The Radical Joy of Under-Functioning

In this week’s episode of We Are Out of Office, your co-hosts Veteran Television Executive Producer Nikki T and Bestselling Author Jayne Allen clock in with a rich, wide-ranging conversation about over-functioning, space exploration, cultural disappointment, Black excellence, hair journeys, and the healing power of choosing your own peace.

The episode opens with the ladies doing what they do best: catching up like public girlfriends before finally turning on the microphones. Nikki is fully locked into the wonder of the Artemis II mission, celebrating the crew’s safe return from orbiting the moon and reflecting on what it means to see Earth from the outside. Jayne, meanwhile, arrives with a deeply relatable out-of-office reply: she is currently under-functioning because she got tired of over-functioning — a phrase that sets up one of the episode’s most resonant conversations.

From there, the conversation moves through international dating, Black women in space, fasting and autophagy, Black-owned haircare, deepfake violations, burnout, boundaries, music, Mardi Gras Indian artistry, and the emotional labor of finally telling the truth to yourself.

I See You GirlJayne’s I See You Girl goes to Nia Moore, the endlessly entertaining private flight attendant, foodie, and globe-trotting auntie who is documenting her international dating adventures with boldness, humor, and zero apology. From London to Barcelona to LA, Nehamore is trying different dating apps, inviting handsome men out on dates she plans herself, and showing what it looks like to create your own fun instead of waiting to be chosen. For Jayne, it’s both aspirational and refreshing — an example of a woman fully living.

Nikki’s I See You Girl goes to Kiari Dools, the NASA exploration scientist and flight controller who became a Threads favorite during the Artemis II mission. As one of the Black women helping guide the mission from the ground, Kiari became a symbol of brilliance, representation, and modern-day hidden figures no more.

What We’re On Right NowJayne is currently on autophagy — the body’s process of cellular cleanup and renewal — and specifically the role fasting can play in activating it. She shares her fascination with Fast Life Jay, who has been publicly documenting an extended fast and dramatic health transformation, and reflects on how that conversation intersects with her own wellness and body-composition journey.

Nikki is currently on space exploration, and not casually. She is all th