
Have you ever chatted with an Unapologetically Black Unicorn? Someone who symbolizes freedom, power, strength and is a true force of nature and thought, ‘WOW people need to hear this’? Now you can and learn how to be a U.B.U. too! Join the weekly conversation with host Keris Jän Myrick, an unapologetically black unicorn in their own right, and nationally recognized mental health advocate chatting with amazing U.B.U. folk who are advancing all things mental health, racial justice, and anything cool to enhance human existence.
Episodes

Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Navigating Loss: The Gaps in Hospice Care
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Keris talks about an experience that profoundly affected her and her family and that is navigating the hospice care system in the final days of her father’s life. She talks about the system defaulting to medication, no consideration for a death doula and reimaging hospice care with more mental health support.
To hear the episode with Jess Stohlmann Rainey on her experience as a death doula, listen here:
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-tpy9w-16a77bc
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
For a direct transcript of this episode visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tO7p7D7kq_6M3WE56r7CPmg4G66muKMi/view
Transcripts also available on Apple Podcasts.

Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
LaMont Green (he/him/they) is the Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at the Technical Assistance Collaborative and Rachel Post (she/her/hers) is a Senior Consultant at the Technical Assistance Collaborative and they are Unapologetically Black Unicorns. Lamont and Rachel explain how they are attempting to decolonize research and providing emotional capacity building support. They talk about how the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is taking a bold step and why we need to ensure that we’re impacting the communities that we are serving.
For more information about the RWJF Grant-
Systems for Action, a research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Systems for Action will fund up to five awards, each for up to $200,000, over 12 months.
Apply by June 4, 2025. For more details join Systems for Action’s informational webinar on February 24, 2025, from 1 pm-2 pm Eastern Time. If you can’t make it, they’ll facilitate weekly office hours until May 29th.
For more information, visit: https://rebrand.ly/UBUS4A
Transcript of the podcast: https://web.plaud.ai/share/bfd51738634667794
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info

Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
“Empowering Ourselves for Our Future” with LaVerne Miller, JD
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
LaVerne Miller (she/her) is an attorney with a focus on the employment of people with lived experience and she is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. LaVerne shares her experience starting the first forensic peer specialist training program and how proud she is of its expansion. They talk about the peer workforce movement and the importance of Estate Planning, taking advantage of employee benefits and empowering ourselves for our future.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
“Housing First is All About People” with Sam Tsemberis
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Sam Tsemberis (he/him) is a community psychology practitioner, the Founder/CEO of the Pathways Housing First Institute and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Dr. Tsemberis shares how Housing First got started and why it’s a person-centered program. They talk about the decimation of our public housing system, the questions to ask if you’re entering a housing program and steps for advocates to encourage more housing first models.
For more information on Pathways Housing First: https://www.pathwayshousingfirst.org/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
UBU Live: The Alliance for Rights and Recovery Annual Conference
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
This is a live Unapologetically Black Unicorns podcast recorded with special guests Chyrell Bellamy (Director, Yale Peer Support Services & Research), Felecia Pullen (Founder & CEO, Pillars NYC) and Rupi Legha (Psychiatrist, Scholar, Anti-Racists Activist). On this panel they have a discussion on “anti-racism”, examples of anti-racism in the workplace and community and how you can commit to anti-racism work.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
For a transcript of this episode visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D4atNycmO736j4LORTnsFzF-tJ2p0DAK/view

Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
“A Discipline of Hope” with Vesper Moore
Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
Vesper Moore (they/elle) is a mad liberation and disability justice activist, and they are an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Vesper defines mad liberation and neurodiversity and how they got involved in the field. They talk about opening Respites and the complications with funding, using advocacy in their peer training and learning lessons in everything and everyone.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
For more information visit:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vespermoore
Book Drop The Disorder: Second Edition - https://adisorder4everyone.com/
Website: www.vespermoore.com
Kiva Centers: www.kivacenters.org
Madness Network News: www.madnessnetworknews.com

Tuesday Dec 31, 2024
“Recovery is Real and Recovery is Possible” with Dr. Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon
Tuesday Dec 31, 2024
Tuesday Dec 31, 2024
Dr. Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D. (she/hers) is the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administrator of SAMHSA and an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Dr. Delphin-Rittmon reflects on her roles before joining SAMHSA and some of her mentors through the course of her career. They talk about mental health promotion and early intervention, the data behind the increase in use of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, equity focus work including the Black youth suicide summit and why SAMHSA offers hope with their funding of support and services.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
“Magical Black Santa”
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
Keris recorded this podcast on Christmas and shares a Christmas memory from her childhood. She shares the struggles people have during the holiday season and the magic of a picture she saw of a Black Santa when she was young. Keris remembers the sacrifices her dad made and she wants you to know that it gets better.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
“Homelessness is Solvable and Preventable” with Jeff Olivet
Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
Jeff Olivet (he/him) is the executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Jeff shares how housing is healthcare, and that homelessness is solvable and it’s preventable. They talk about how homelessness is a cross-systems failure and how it requires cross-systems solutions, the importance of having the safety of a place to stay with a door that locks behind you and the cross section of homelessness and mental health.
A message from outgoing USICH Director Jeff Olivet: https://usich.gov/news-events/news/message-outgoing-usich-director-jeff-olivet-despite-challenges-homelessness
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
"Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace Culture"
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
We talk a lot about the importance of creating supportive environments and it’s one thing to say it but it really only counts if you truly put it into action. After Keris’ personal experience of recently losing her father, she gives her personal takeaways of how other organizations can help ensure their employees can feel supported not just in theory but in practice.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info