Who's Your Ma Honey?

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

1 h 1 min · 14. mai 2026
episode 2: Karen Hunter on Rethinking Strength and The People Who Shape You cover

Beskrivelse

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 [https://www.karenhuntershow.com/] Instagram | @karenhuntershow [https://www.instagram.com/karenhuntershow/] Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: https://www.oneunited.com/ [https://www.oneunited.com/] 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/ [https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/] 💳 Get the Card: https://www.oneunited.com/apply/ [https://www.oneunited.com/apply/] Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at https://www.epyc.co/ [https://www.epyc.co/])

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Alle episoder

14 Episoder

episode 6: From Being Called "Nassau” to Leading in Congress | Congresswoman Frederica Wilson cover

6: From Being Called "Nassau” to Leading in Congress | Congresswoman Frederica Wilson

In this episode of Who’s Your Ma Honey?, Teri Williams and Suzan McDowell sit down with Congresswoman Frederica Wilson to unpack identity, resilience, and the early moments that shaped her bold, unapologetic leadership. From being teased as a child and made to feel like an outsider to becoming a lifelong advocate for the voiceless, Congresswoman Wilson shares how those experiences didn’t break her; they built her. She reflects on the influence of her grandmother, the lessons she absorbed growing up, and how those moments shaped her instinct to protect others, stand up for what’s right, and lead without fear. Their conversation is about more than politics, emphasizing on the importance of identity, courage, and the decision to not let the world define you. KEY POINTS:  * Congresswoman Frederica Wilson on being teased as a child * Reframing what “different” really means * Using her experience to protect and uplift others * The moment she chose to stand up and not back down * Building boldness and leadership from early experiences * Turning adversity into lifelong purpose QUOTES: “Children used to call us Nassaus, that was to make us feel different.” – Frederica Wilson “If I knew that I was doing the right thing, I was going to make it right.” – Frederica Wilson “That never bothered me, whether people liked me or not.” – Frederica Wilson Frederica Wilson Website: wilson.house.gov [https://wilson.house.gov/] Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com [https://www.oneunited.com/] 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone [https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/] 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply [https://www.oneunited.com/apply/] Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co [https://www.epyc.co/])

11. juni 202630 min
episode Sybrina Fulton on the Strength It Took to Speak for Trayvon Martin cover

Sybrina Fulton on the Strength It Took to Speak for Trayvon Martin

In this segment, Sybrina Fulton reflects on the strength it took to speak publicly after Trayvon Martin’s death, the moment she packed her bags to speak on his behalf, and why she refuses to give haters the reaction they want. She opens up about being guided by her mother, her pastor’s words that “trials and tribulations don’t build character, it reveals it,” and the generations of women who shaped her into the mother and advocate she is today. RESOURCES: Sybrina Fulton Instagram | @sybrinafulton [https://www.instagram.com/sybrinafulton/] Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com [https://www.oneunited.com/] 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone [https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/] 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply [https://www.oneunited.com/apply/] Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co [https://www.epyc.co/])

9. juni 20265 min
episode 5: Sybrina Fulton on Trayvon Martin’s Legacy and Turning Grief Into Purpose cover

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 [https://www.instagram.com/sybrinafulton/] Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com [https://www.oneunited.com/] 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone [https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/] 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply [https://www.oneunited.com/apply/] Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co [https://www.epyc.co/])

4. juni 202637 min
episode Daniella Levine Cava on Growing Up With a Bully and Becoming Anti-Bully cover

Daniella Levine Cava on Growing Up With a Bully and Becoming Anti-Bully

In this deeply personal segment, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava reflects on growing up in a household shaped by emotional bullying and the complicated role she played within it. She shares how identifying with her father, rather than defending her mother, became a source of quiet shame, and how that experience stayed with her long after childhood. But instead of avoiding it, she examines it. What emerges is a powerful realization: the very thing she once struggled to understand became the foundation of her leadership. Today, her zero-tolerance stance on bullying isn’t just policy, it’s personal. This conversation explores how even our most uncomfortable truths can shape the way we lead, protect others, and show up in the world. Daniella Levine Cava Instagram | @mayordlc [https://www.instagram.com/mayordlc/] Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com [https://www.oneunited.com/] 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone [https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/] 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply [https://www.oneunited.com/apply/] Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co [https://www.epyc.co/])

2. juni 20267 min
episode 4: How Feeling Like an Outcast Led to Daniella Levine Cava Becoming Mayor cover

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 [https://www.instagram.com/mayordlc/] Explore more from OneUnited Bank: 🏦 Learn more: oneunited.com [https://www.oneunited.com/] 💡 Build smarter with WiseOne: oneunited.com/wiseone [https://www.oneunited.com/wiseone/] 💳 Get the Card: oneunited.com/apply [https://www.oneunited.com/apply/] Who's Your Ma' Honey?  is produced by EPYC Media Network (visit at epyc.co [https://www.epyc.co/])

28. mai 202635 min