The $87.26 Arrest That Led to 18 Million Second Chances | Sheena Meade

The $87.26 Arrest That Led to 18 Million Second Chances | Sheena Meade

After a bounced check for $87.26, Sheena Meade found herself arrested, booked, and carrying a record that would follow her for years. What began as a single mistake became a barrier to housing, employment, education, and even volunteering at her son’s school. In this conversation, Sheena shares the story behind the arrest, the moment she revisited the case while preparing for a TED Talk, and how that experience ultimately fueled her work to help clear records for nearly 18 million people across the United States. This is a conversation about second chances, systemic barriers, and what happens when one person's pain becomes a movement for millions. Sheena Meade  Website: www.sheenameade.com [https://www.sheenameade.com/] 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: Sheena Meade on America’s Criminal Record Crisis and the Fight for Second Chances

Today, Sheena Meade (CEO of The Clean Slate Initiative) joins Who’s Your Ma Honey? to share her story that changed everything, from being arrested over an $87 check to how that single moment exposed a system designed to keep people stuck. It highlights the millions of people living with records, stigma, and barriers that have nothing to do with who they are today. With this, Sheena’s conversation with Teri Williams and Suzan McDowell breaks down “undeserved shame” – how it is created, how it shows up in systems, and how she turned her pain into policy. This episode will shift how you think about justice, identity, and second chances. Because sometimes, the question isn’t what you did… It’s who you’re allowed to become after. KEY POINTS:  00:00 – The moment that changed everything: arrested for $87.26 05:40 – Sheena’s “My Honey”: motherhood, survival, and stigma 08:39 – Public shame vs internal truth 11:37 – Breaking generational cycles through intentional parenting 12:09 – Pain to purpose: the foundation of her life’s work 16:41 – The full arrest story: survival criminalized 21:21 – The real sentence begins after jail 23:44 – The system is built to trap, not release 28:05 – Changing the narrative around “criminals” 36:28 – Clean Slate: removing shame at scale 40:55 – The real impact: dignity restored, confidence returned QUOTES: “People don’t know the weight of having to wait.” – Sheena Meade “One out of three Americans has an arrest or conviction.” – Sheena Meade Sheena Meade  Website: www.sheenameade.com [https://www.sheenameade.com/] 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/])

If You Think You Have Imposter Syndrome, Guess What? You Do.

In this conversation, CEO of Black Ambition Prize Felecia Hatcher shares why high achievers often struggle to internalize their success, how shame causes us to shrink in the moments we're meant to lead, and why confidence has less to do with certainty and more to do with trust. Felecia offers a powerful reframe that may completely change the way you think about imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and the opportunities already in front of you. Felecia Hatcher  Website: feleciahatcher.com [https://www.feleciahatcher.com/] Instagram: @feleciahatcher [https://www.instagram.com/feleciahatcher/] 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/])

8: How Felecia Hatcher Turned Imposter Syndrome Into $300M in Impact

In this episode of Who’s Your Ma Honey? Felecia Hatcher, CEO of Black Ambition, shares how she went from being a C student without a clear path, to helping entrepreneurs raise over $300 million in funding. Felecia opens up about imposter syndrome, undeserved shame, the pressure to measure yourself by someone else’s standards, and the mindset shift that helped her stop shrinking in rooms she had already earned her way into. Through stories about her Jamaican grandmother, Florence, high school shame, entrepreneurship, failure capital, and building Black Ambition, Felecia reframes confidence as trust. Don’t miss this episode as their conversation is a powerful reminder that there is more than one pathway to success, asking for help is a strength, and if you’re in the room, you’re in the room. KEY POINTS:  00:00 – Introduction 08:39 – Where shame started: not fitting the system in high school 12:28 – The “fish climbing a tree” realization 14:24 – Breaking free from shame through alternative pathways 16:38 – Why we don’t talk about shame and the need for generational dialogue 20:34 – Removing shame around asking for help and seeking therapy 24:49 – Confidence = trust: the real solution to imposter syndrome 32:20 – Validation, environment, and the systems that create self-doubt 40:51 – Failure, regret, and the truth about building success QUOTES: “I ended up winning $130,000 in scholarships. As a C student.” – Felecia Hatcher “Confidence means to confide. Confide means to trust.”  – Felecia Hatcher “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its entire life feeling like it's stupid.”  – Felecia Hatcher “There's more than one pathway to success.”  – Felecia Hatcher Felecia Hatcher  Website: feleciahatcher.com [https://www.feleciahatcher.com/] Instagram: @feleciahatcher [https://www.instagram.com/feleciahatcher/] 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/])

How A Segregated Childhood Built Marc Morial's Purpose

Marc Morial joins Who’s Your Ma Honey? for a powerful conversation on legacy, race, leadership, and the moments that shaped him long before public office. Born into the civil rights movement and raised in segregated New Orleans, Marc reflects on being seated in the back of the classroom at five years old, learning to navigate two worlds, and turning the pressure to prove himself into purpose-driven leadership. Marc Morial  Website | nul.org/our-team [https://nul.org/our-team]  Instagram | @marcmorial [https://www.instagram.com/marcmorial/] 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/])