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
Jan 13, 2026
Jan 13, 2026
13 min
Keris returns for 2026 not with fireworks or resolutions, but with honesty about grief and the quiet loss of her creative spark. She reflects on pulling the cards of the Dreamer and the Quilt Maker, exploring what happens when creativity goes into self-protection mode in a world that feels draining. 2026 is a year of finding and not forcing.
Jan 6, 2026
Jan 6, 2026
34 min
Carolina Valle, MSW, (She /Hers) is the Senior Policy Director at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network and she is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Carolina unpacks the impact of her family history and what inspired her to become a social worker. They talk about the diversity of how communities are defining mental health and wellness, some concerns with the CARE Court framework and fighting stereotypes in the field of policy.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
For more information about CPEHN visit: www.cpehn.org
Dec 30, 2025
Dec 30, 2025
9 min
Keris tells a story about a typewriter that’s been passed down through the family and the memories it holds. She talks about the significance of the typewriter to her family, how it brings her joy whenever she looks at it and she discusses the positive impact memories can have on your mental health.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Dec 23, 2025
Dec 23, 2025
9 min
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
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts.
Dec 16, 2025
Dec 16, 2025
40 min
Chacku Mathai (he/him) is an activist in the human rights movement for people with psychiatric histories and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Chacku shares his journey through immigration, racism, mental health systems, peer support and activism, weaving together his lived experience, cultural wisdom and resistance to oppressive systems. They talk about how they explore what it means to build healing spaces where people do not have to shrink themselves to belong and how liberation, storytelling and collective care are key components of their work.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts.
Dec 9, 2025
Dec 9, 2025
16 min
In this interactive episode of Unapologetically Black Unicorns, Keris transforms complex policy into “The Medicaid Maze”, a storytelling board game that reveals the real-life challenges of navigating Medicaid. Through dice rolls and card draws, she explores how small policy shifts and everyday barriers can drastically affect people’s health coverage and stability. Blending empathy and advocacy, this episode invites listeners to rethink what it really means to survive and stay covered within America’s healthcare system.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts.
Dec 2, 2025
Dec 2, 2025
35 min
Neil Gong (he/him) is an assistant professor of sociology at UC San Diego, where he does research on psychiatric services, homelessness, and how communities seek to maintain social order and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Neil explains the genesis of his book “Sons, Daughters and Sidewalk Psychotics” which focuses on mental illness and homelessness in Los Angeles. They talk about the complexities around quality of care and harm reduction, the benefits of using ethnography and covering the three broad problems for US mental health policy from the book.
“Sons, Daughters, and Sidewalk Psychotics: Mental Illness and Homelessness in Los Angeles”: https://a.co/d/iOHrgWB
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts.
Nov 25, 2025
Nov 25, 2025
12 min
In this episode Keris invites us to gather around The Truth-Giving Table, a reimagined Thanksgiving ceremony rooted in truth-telling, mourning, gratefulness and freedom. As attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility continue to threaten honest conversation, Keris shares personal reflections as an African American and Mvskoke (Muskogee) on what it means to hold gratitude and grief at the same time. Through four powerful movements, each with sensory prompts, reflections and moments of stillness, this episode offers a path toward healing, remembrance and collective liberation.
The Truth Giving Table Guidebook.pdf
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts.
Nov 15, 2025
Nov 15, 2025
8 min
Keris opens up about grief, political turmoil and the unexpected ways community keeps us grounded when systems fail. In this emotional episode, she reflects on carrying her father’s ashes through a government shutdown and finds hope in collective care. Keris shares a deeply personal story about loss, resilience and how love and community help us move forward even in turbulent times.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts.
Nov 11, 2025
Nov 11, 2025
29 min
Dr. Ikwunga Wonodi (he/him) is a psychiatrist, an Afrobeat Poet and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Dr. Wonodi talked about what afrobeat poetry represents and his personal journey in becoming an afrobeat poet. They talk about pidgin, how afrobeats has been used as a vehicle for change, his poem and songwriting process and his message on homelessness and mental illness.
To listen or purchase Dr. Woondi’s music check out:
"Calabash: Afrobeat Poems by Ikwunga Vol.1": https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ikwunga/30240928
“Deep Sleep”: https://music.apple.com/us/album/deep-sleep/270004179
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Contact the show: UBU@UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns.info
Transcripts are available on Apple Podcasts.