June 4, 2026
The new 10-episode series explores how overcoming undeserved shame can unlock entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal growth.
OneUnited Bank is tackling the silent barrier that often blocks people from fully realizing personal and financial success: shame.
Last month, the bank launched Who’s Your Ma Honey?, a new podcast designed to help guests confront and overcome “undeserved shame.” The 10-episode series premiered May 7 and is now available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Audible. Hosted by OneUnited Bank President and Owner Teri Williams and Circle of One Marketing President and CEO Suzan McDowell, the podcast features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, advocates, elected officials, and community leaders who share how experiences of shame ultimately became sources of resilience and empowerment.
According to a statement released by OneUnited Bank, the show aims to uncover “the hidden presence of undeserved shame—the mix of unjustified guilt and unwarranted stigma—to help guests reclaim the source of their ultimate superpower.” The concept aligns with OneUnited Bank’s long-standing mission of promoting financial empowerment and community development.
Through candid conversations with esteemed Black leaders, Who’s Your Ma Honey? seeks to transform painful memories into powerful lessons, demonstrating how adversity can become the foundation for leadership, entrepreneurship, and generational wealth. Season one guests include journalist Karen Hunter, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, activist Sybrina Fulton, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, entrepreneur Felicia Hatcher, and BMe Community Founder Trabian Shorters.
The inspiration for the podcast stems from Williams’ own personal journey. Growing up in Indiantown, Florida, she earned a full scholarship to Brown University. As she navigated the transition from a small Southern town to an Ivy League institution, she said she became ashamed of her roots and, in the process, lost touch with the memory of her great-grandmother, Annie Coachman, affectionately known as “Ma Honey.” Coachman was an entrepreneur who owned a penny candy store, juke joint, barbecue pit, and rental properties in the segregated South.
“For years, I lost the memory of my great-grandmother and the impact she had on my life. My memory loss was rooted in shame,” Williams said in a statement. “We all have a Ma Honey; someone or something we’ve been undeservedly ashamed of—that is actually the source of everything we’ve become. This show is about finding that truth, sometimes uncovering it in real time.”
Williams believes reclaiming those formative experiences can help individuals heal emotional wounds while strengthening the resilience needed to build wealth and create lasting opportunities.
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