Who's Your Ma Honey?

OneUnited Bank

Who’s Your Ma Honey? is a powerful conversation series about shame, identity, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Teri Williams, President and Owner of OneUnited Bank, and Suzan McDowell, Founder and CEO of Circle of One Marketing, each episode invites leaders, changemakers, and cultural voices to confront the moments they once hid and reveal how their source of shame became their superpower. Each episode invites you to reflect on your own story and answer one question: Who’s your Ma Honey?

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    5: Sybrina Fulton on Trayvon Martin’s Legacy and Turning Grief Into Purpose

    In this episode of Who’s Your Ma Honey?, Teri Williams and Suzan McDowell sit down with Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, to unpack grief, public perception, and protecting her son’s legacy. Sybrina shares what it was like to navigate loss while watching the media reshape her son’s narrative and place blame where it didn’t belong. In the face of unimaginable pain, she chose not to retreat, but to rise. Their conversation goes beyond tragedy, emphasizing on reclaiming truth, finding purpose through pain, and using your voice to create change. Sybrina also reveals how her journey led her to advocacy, leadership, and building a legacy that continues to impact communities around the world. Listen in.  Trigger warning: Mention of gun violence & death.  KEY POINTS:  The moment everything changed Navigating grief in the public eye How the media shaped the wrong narrative The weight of carrying someone else’s story Turning pain into purpose Finding strength through advocacy Reclaiming truth and voice Building a legacy beyond tragedy QUOTES: “I’m doing this so no other family has to go through what I went through.” – Sybrina Fulton “I didn’t choose this, but I chose what I was going to do with it.” – Sybrina Fulton “I had to find strength in a moment where I didn’t think I had any.” – Sybrina Fulton Sybrina Fulton Instagram | @sybrinafulton Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co)

    37 min
  2. May 28

    4: How Feeling Like an Outcast Led to Daniella Levine Cava Becoming Mayor

    What if the moments that made you feel like you didn’t belong… were actually shaping who you were meant to become? In this episode of Who’s Your Ma Honey?, Teri Williams and Suzan McDowell sit down with Miami-Dade Mayor Daxniella Levine Cava to unpack how early feelings of loneliness, disconnection, and not fitting in became the foundation of her leadership. From being an outcast as a child to navigating constant change and reinvention, Mayor Levine Cava shares how those experiences forced her to develop empathy, deep listening, and a people-first perspective that would ultimately define her path. Tune in - this episode not only talks about identity, perspective, and purpose, but it’s also about realizing that the discomfort you once tried to escape may actually be the thing preparing you to lead. KEY POINTS:  Discovering the true source of success  Being made to feel ashamed of where Mayor Levine came from Realizing shame was actually her superpower Understanding “undeserved shame” and how it shapes identity Feeling like an outcast and not fitting in as a child Reinventing herself through new environments Becoming a leader by including others, not excluding them How perspective and exposure shaped her worldview Why deep listening became her greatest leadership skill QUOTES: “I wanted to have more friends, and I wanted to belong.” – Mayor Daniella Levine Cava “I had an opportunity to reinvent myself.” – Mayor Daniella Levine Cava “I needed to get outside of myself, be more present for others and listen better.” – Mayor Daniella Levine Cava RESOURCES: Daniella Levine Cava Instagram | @mayordlc Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co)

    36 min
  3. May 21

    3: How Addonis Parker Went From Hiding His Art to Owning His Gift

    What happens when the thing you’re called to be… is the very thing the world tells you to hide? Today, Teri Williams and Suzan McDowell welcome the world-renowned artist Addonis Parker to unpack identity, masculinity, and the cost of suppressing your true self. From hiding his creativity as a young athlete to being told how his art should look, Addonis shares the internal battle of trying to fit into a version of himself that the world would accept. But what he once buried eventually became the very thing that saved his life. Listen in as this conversation goes deeper than art. It’s about confronting shame, reclaiming your identity, and understanding that your difference is not a weakness, but your calling. KEY POINTS:  0:00 – Introduction  3:14 – Success leaves clues: Legacy, lineage, and “Who am I?” 5:17 – Hiding creativity: Sports, masculinity, and burying emotion 6:48 – The moment at six: A sketchpad, sunlight, and realizing he was different 11:02 – Learning to be “other”: Accepting that art + athletics can coexist 13:51 – Being ashamed of “Adonis”: When your own name feels too artistic 15:35 – Everything changes: Owning “Adonis” and watching the world respond 24:21 – “Stop painting Black people”: The pushback against his Black art 39:17 – Turning pain into fuel: Using rejection as hidden fire and purpose 41:48 – The lie that almost killed him: Not expecting to live past 25 QUOTES: “When God gives you a gift, you've got to add on to it.” – Addonis Parker “You have to realize that you are a human being with worth before you become a superhero.” – Addonis Parker “The worst lie you can tell is the one you tell yourself.” – Addonis Parker RESOURCES: Addonis Parker  Website | addonisparker.com Instagram | @addonisp Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co)

    50 min
  4. May 14

    2: Karen Hunter on Rethinking Strength and The People Who Shape You

    In this episode of Who’s Your Ma Honey?, Teri Williams and Suzan McDowell sit down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Karen Hunter to unpack identity, origin, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. Karen shares powerful stories about her upbringing, her mother’s resilience, and the mindset that helped her navigate spaces where she wasn’t always welcome. From being told she wasn’t “up to par” to becoming one of the most influential voices in media, her journey reveals what it really takes to own your identity without apology. This conversation challenges the idea of shame and replaces it with something more powerful: self-awareness, imagination, and the courage to define yourself on your own terms. KEY POINTS:  0:00 – Introduction  3:22 – Karen’s “no shame” origin story: Delusion as protection 4:18 – Father’s grind and early expectations: Work ethic, plotting & skipping a grade 8:29 – Generational courage: From plantation roots to leaving the South 17:42 – Social discomfort vs. belonging: Introvert who refuses to shrink 24:03 – Cosplaying decoded: Performing the life others expect 29:16 – Suzanne’s parallel: Rejecting “weak” mothers, then realizing the cost 30:53 – Lessons for the community: You belong everywhere you are 48:36 – Racism in the newsroom: quota myths, slurs, and using it all as motivation 53:02 – All money ain’t good money: Community-first business ethic QUOTES: “Every time I do whatever it is, I imagine it happens.” – Karen Hunter “Most of the problems people bring to you are them telling on themselves.” – Karen Hunter “I like the ability to be able to do whatever it is I want to do, and that, to me, is power.” – Karen Hunter RESOURCES Karen Hunter  Website | www.karenhuntershow.com Instagram | @karenhuntershow Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: https://www.oneunited.com/ 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/ 💳 Get the Card: https://www.oneunited.com/apply/ Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at https://www.epyc.co/)

    1h 1m
  5. May 7

    1: The Psychology of Shame: How Internalized Shame Shapes Your Identity | Dr. Delvena Thomas

    Shame doesn’t start with you. It’s learned, internalized, and carried until you decide to confront it. In this premiere episode of Who’s Your Ma Honey?, hosts Teri Williams and Suzan McDowell sit down with Board-Certified Psychiatrist Dr. Delvena Thomas to unpack the psychology of shame and how it silently shapes identity, confidence, and success. Teri shares the moment she realized she buried her roots to fit into elite spaces, disconnecting from the very woman who shaped her greatness. Suzan opens up about navigating identity, belonging, and the tension of growing up between polarizing cultures. Together, they reveal how external judgment becomes internal truth and how that truth can be rewritten. Tune in to find out how shame is formed, why we disconnect from our origins to survive, and what it really takes to reframe your story. This episode is a masterclass in self-awareness, healing, and reclaiming your power. If you’ve ever felt like you had to hide parts of yourself to belong, this conversation will change how you see your story. KEY POINTS:  0:00 - Introduction  2:38 – Burying your roots to succeed: how Teri erased Indiantown and Miss Honey from her Ivy League success story 7:48 – Internalized trauma & self-stigma: why we disconnect from our background to survive elite, white-dominant spaces 16:18 – How shame is imposed: subtle microaggressions and dismissal that signal “you don’t belong here” 25:12 – Undeserved shame exposed: institutions reward you for disconnecting from your roots, community, and history 30:41 – Suzan’s immigration shock: taken from Jamaica to Texas and forced into cultural displacement and poverty 32:03 – Split identity as a superpower: being both Jamaican and American becomes Suzan’s advantage in South Florida 49:20 – From trauma to resilience: reframing, “Brain Love,” and turning shame into your superpower QUOTES: “There could be some things about you and in our roots that we bury to try to fit into this integrated world. We went from segregation to integration.” - Teri Williams “I felt so ashamed of being this… dark skinned, ashy Jamaican… not fitting in girl in the middle of Texas.” – Suzan McDowell “We do this subconscious thing where we disconnect from our roots because this is our way of surviving.”  - Dr. Delvena Thomas GUEST RESOURCES: Dr. Delvena Thomas  Website | www.drdelvenahelp.com Instagram | @drdelvena RESOURCES: Teri Williams Website: @teri-williams Suzan McDowell LinkedIn: @suzan-mcdowell Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network

    1h 6m

Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Who’s Your Ma Honey? is a powerful conversation series about shame, identity, and the stories that shape us. Hosted by Teri Williams, President and Owner of OneUnited Bank, and Suzan McDowell, Founder and CEO of Circle of One Marketing, each episode invites leaders, changemakers, and cultural voices to confront the moments they once hid and reveal how their source of shame became their superpower. Each episode invites you to reflect on your own story and answer one question: Who’s your Ma Honey?

You Might Also Like