Unapologetically Grown

Audra Madison & Val Royal
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

Unapologetically Grown is the podcast for Gen X Black women and every grown woman who is done shrinking, apologizing, and starting over. Hosted by two women who've lived enough to know better, this show redefines what it means to be "grown" in your 50s and beyond. Somewhere along the way, society decided that reaching this season of life meant slowing down or fading into the background. We disagree. We're not starting over. We're starting from experience. After decades of lessons learned, wins earned, mistakes survived, and wisdom gathered, we're more qualified than ever to build the lives we actually want. Each episode is an honest no-filter conversation about embracing our age, trusting our instincts, reinventing on our own terms, and finally letting go of the need to apologize for everything we've lived through. Whether you're chasing a new dream, making a bold change, or simply taking up more space, pull up a chair and join us. This is Black women's wisdom, unfiltered. No sugarcoating and zero apologies. Just Grown Women Truth.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Redefining Intimacy After 50

    Who told us intimacy had an expiration date? Not us. This week, Dr. Jeannelle Perkins pulls up a chair to talk about what real connection looks like after 50; the emotional kind, the physical kind, and everything grown women actually want but rarely say out loud. We get into it: How the culture we were raised in shaped the way we love, why your attachment style still shows up in your relationships, and how menopause and change can crack us open instead of shutting us down. Dr. Perkins keeps it honest about her own journey - mental health, self-awareness, and the work of knowing your own needs before you invite someone else into your life. If you're building something new, rebuilding something old, or just done settling for less than you deserve, this one's for you. Listen now, then share it with a girlfriend who needs to hear it. This is grown woman truth no filters, no apologies.

  2. Aug 19

    Hysterectomies, Grief & Identity After 50

    Black women face hysterectomies younger, and more often, than their peers. Monica Wood joins Audra Madison and Val Royal to get real about hers: the decision, the surgery, and what nobody talks about after - the grief, the identity questions, the mental health toll. Monica breaks down the different types of hysterectomies and why informed decision-making matters, but this conversation goes deeper than the medical side. It's about what real support looks like, how to show up for someone you love through a health struggle, and giving yourself grace to heal on your own timeline. This one's about breaking the silence.

  3. Aug 19

    A Broken Heel & A New Path

    Carla Truitt joins Audra Madison and Val Royal to share how she traded a career in the music industry for founding Eight Royale, her high-end women's footwear brand built for women who refuse to choose between style and comfort. Carla walks through the moment a broken heel in Manhattan cracked open a whole new path, and why that experience shaped her mission to design shoes, including her signature foldable flats, that let women move through their day without sacrificing either. She talks candidly about listening to her "tribe" and letting that shape everything from product design to brand voice, the challenges she faced building credibility in a new industry, and why vulnerability, not polish, has been the real engine behind her growth. Carla also gets into mentoring other women entrepreneurs and what storytelling means for a brand trying to stand out. This is a conversation about reinvention, about finding your voice in the middle of starting over, and what it means to stop shrinking and start owning your story.

  4. Aug 19

    Ageless Beauties and Self-Love After 50

    Ashunta Kendricks returns with Audra and Val for a conversation about what beauty actually looks like after 50, and who gets to define it. They talk through the evolution of beauty standards, the racial dynamics that still shape the beauty industry, and practical skincare advice for women navigating this stage of life with intention. This isn't a conversation about chasing youth. It's about embracing individual beauty on your own terms, and understanding the systemic challenges that have historically left Black women out of the beauty standard entirely. Ashunta shares real skincare tips and product insight, alongside personal stories about what self-love actually looks like in practice, not just in theory. This is the episode for the woman who's ready to stop measuring her beauty against a standard that was never built with her in mind, and start defining it for herself.

  5. Aug 19

    Hip Hop Beauty

    Ashunta Kendricks, celebrity makeup artist and cultural architect, joins Audra and Val to explore the rich history and cultural significance of Black beauty pioneers, and why giving credit to those who paved the way still matters. Ashunta shares her own journey into makeup artistry, her pivot to entrepreneurship during the pandemic, and the story behind building her Magnetized lash brand. At the center of this conversation is Hip Hop Beauty, what Ashunta describes as a cultural ecosystem born to honor the bricklayers who helped build hip hop itself. She and Audra talk candidly about honoring pioneers like the late Roxana Floyd, often called the mother of makeup, the late Quietfire, and the late Reggie Wells, alongside Mamie McDonald and Sam Fine, whose combined influence shaped an entire industry. They cover industry gatekeeping, how social media has changed transparency and storytelling in beauty, and the ongoing work of recognizing Black innovation that's too often uncredited or appropriated. This is a conversation about giving flowers to the people who built the foundation, some of whom are no longer here to receive them, and what it means to carry that legacy forward.

  6. Aug 19

    Black Women and Menopause

    Audra Madison sits down with Dr. Paula Orr, MD, to talk menopause, specifically what it looks like for Black women. Dr. Orr breaks down why Black women reach menopause earlier than their peers, why hormone therapy is so often withheld or avoided, and how fibroids, medical mistrust, and the "strong Black woman" stereotype all shape the care women actually receive. This conversation covers real ground: symptoms and diagnosis, the benefits and misconceptions around hormone therapy, fibroids and surgical menopause, and the physical changes that come with this life stage, including sleep, intimacy, and hygiene. Dr. Orr is direct about what's at stake medically, and just as direct about what it takes to walk into a doctor's appointment prepared and advocate for yourself. This is the episode for arming yourself with real knowledge, so you can move through menopause confidently and without shame.

  7. Aug 19

    Finding Your Voice: Life as a Digital Nomad After 50

    Desiree Rew joins Audra Madison and Val Royal to talk about leaving the U.S. to live as a digital nomad and what it took to unlearn a lifetime of conditioning. A conversation about boundaries, freedom, and redefining success after 50.

  8. Aug 19

    The Quiet Shifts Nobody Warned Us About

    Nobody sat us down and warned us about the quiet shifts. The subtle changes that show up in your body, your relationships, your confidence, and the way the world starts to see you. There's no announcement. They just arrive. In this episode, we're naming the things most women go through but rarely talk about out loud. The invisible moments, the shifting friendships, the quiet grief, and the unexpected freedom that can come right alongside it. Because half the power is realizing you are not the only one, and you are definitely not doing it wrong. If you've felt something changing but couldn't quite put words to it, this conversation is for you. We're pulling it into the light, laughing where we can, and reminding each other that these shifts aren't the end of anything. They're the beginning of living on our own terms. No sugarcoating and zero apologies. Just Grown Women Truth.

  9. Aug 16

    Unapologetically Qualified - We're Not Starting Over; We're Starting from Experience.

    Who told us that turning 50 means starting over? In this debut episode of Unapologetically Grown, we're throwing that idea out completely. We're not starting over. We're starting from experience. Welcome to the show. We're two Gen X Black women redefining what it means to be "grown," and this first conversation sets the tone for everything ahead. Society said we should slow down, play small, and fade into the background. We're doing the opposite. After decades of lessons learned, wins earned, and wisdom gathered, we're more qualified than ever to build the lives we actually want. If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to chase a dream, make a change, or take up space, this one's for you. Pull up a chair and meet your new favorite podcast. Your next chapter isn't beginning from scratch. It's beginning from strength. We're not starting over. We're starting with receipts.

  • 9 Episodes

About

Unapologetically Grown is the podcast for Gen X Black women and every grown woman who is done shrinking, apologizing, and starting over. Hosted by two women who've lived enough to know better, this show redefines what it means to be "grown" in your 50s and beyond. Somewhere along the way, society decided that reaching this season of life meant slowing down or fading into the background. We disagree. We're not starting over. We're starting from experience. After decades of lessons learned, wins earned, mistakes survived, and wisdom gathered, we're more qualified than ever to build the lives we actually want. Each episode is an honest no-filter conversation about embracing our age, trusting our instincts, reinventing on our own terms, and finally letting go of the need to apologize for everything we've lived through. Whether you're chasing a new dream, making a bold change, or simply taking up more space, pull up a chair and join us. This is Black women's wisdom, unfiltered. No sugarcoating and zero apologies. Just Grown Women Truth.

Information

  • Creator
    Audra Madison & Val Royal
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Audra Madison & Val Royal
  • Show Website
    Unapologetically Grown