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 Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Keris takes you on a tour of the podcast. You can access Unapologetically Black Unicorns wherever you get your podcasts and you can also view separate playlists of the podcast on YouTube. Keris shares what each playlist is about, access to discussion guides and suggesting ways in which to use the podcast.
For all information on the UBU podcast visit https://linktr.ee/UnapologeticallyBlackUnicorns
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Stancil Tootle (he/him) is a blind Black man from rural Georgia, in long term recovery who has been a life-long advocate, and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Tootle shares how his family and his road to recovery both influenced his advocacy. They talk about the recovery movement and the intersection of disability, encouraging everyone with a disability to vote and being more accessible.
Visit Third Eye Radio Network: https://www.thirdeyeradionetwork.com/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Keris goes solo to take some time out to thank her family. Keris shares a personal story about when she was involuntary hospitalized that caused her to move to the east coast with her parents. She reflects on the emotional goodbye when she moved back to the west coast and how her parents needed to let go in order for Keris to grow.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Gaby Arriaga (she/ her) is a passionate advocate for kids and she is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Gaby shares how she got involved in the field of social work and how she leads with kindness and being genuine They talk about having empathy for kids and their situations, supporting struggling families, the issues with kids getting pushed out of school systems and Gaby’s vision for a new nonprofit.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Nze Okoronta (they/them) is the Peer Services Program Director for SOAR Case Management Services overseeing Solstice House Peer Run Respite and Peer Run Warmline and they are an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Nze shares their mental health journey and how they are working with the same Warmline they called while in crisis. They talk about their experiences with peer respites, not using anything carceral in the program and dealing with crisis through a lens of grief.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Dr. Ben Miller, PsyD (he/him) returns, he is a fighter of fragmentation, mental health marginalization, a champion of community-based change and an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. They discuss Dr. Miller’s blog entitled “Getting mental health right for all” and they break down the issues about involuntary commitment. They talk about moving beyond belief-based policy, asking why we have separate mental health systems and finding the overlap of mental health in everything.
“Getting mental health right for all” by Ben Miller:
https://mentalhealth411.substack.com/p/e84a1ee7-65e2-4b1a-9d0e-dee17a8602bc
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Keris is joined live by Angela Kimball (she/her) the Senior Vice President of Advocacy & Public Policy at Inseparable and Pooja Mehta (she/her) Senior Associate of Activist Engagement at Inseparable and they are Unapologetically Black Unicorns. This was recorded live during the Stopping the Stigma Summit to address mental health for children, youth and families. They have a conversation about the intersection of mental health stigma and policy and how people can become motivators, innovators and/or agitators.
Inseparable’s Hopeful Futures Campaign: https://hopefulfutures.us/
Stop Stigma Together: https://stopstigmatogether.org/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Keris was the recipient of the Jim Preis Memorial Award at the annual event for the Mental Health Advocacy Services and she shares her experiences from the event. She talks about the honor of receiving the award and she was able the invite some important people that touched her life. Keris shares how it takes a village, being an example that recovery is possible and the impact of having someone to hold the hope for you.
Mental Health Advocacy Services 2023 Annual Celebration: https://www.mhas-la.org/blog/2023-annual-celebration
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Crystal L. Brandow, PhD (she/hers) is the Senior Consultant for Program Development for the Clear Pathways Initiative, Hakim Asadi, LMSW (he/him) is the founder of Beyond Living and Lawrence Hines (he/him) is a Marketing and Branding Consultant and a Mental Health Advocate and they are all Unapologetically Black Unicorns. They share why they developed this well-being model for Black people created by Black people. They talk about the nine domains for the well-being model, taking inventory on if your being is well and continuing to heal out loud.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
The Well-Being Model for Young Black Adults: https://www.meetclb.com/black-well-being
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Stancil Tootle (he/him) is a blind Black man from rural Georgia, in long term recovery who has been a life-long advocate, and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Tootle shares how his family and his road to recovery both influenced his advocacy. They talk about the recovery movement and the intersection of disability, encouraging everyone with a disability to vote and being more accessible.
Visit Third Eye Radio Network: https://www.thirdeyeradionetwork.com/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline