Behind the Confident Smile

Welcome to season 8 of Behind the Confident Smile Podcast, a weekly conversation with Bianca N. Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, and mom. This season, we're making room for grief. Not just grief over losing a loved one, but grief over the life you thought you'd have. The plans that shifted. The version of yourself you had to let go of. Joining me this week is Dorian Spears, the founder and principal consultant of D'Emile Strategy Group, a Memphis-based boutique consultancy working at the intersection of philanthropy, nonprofits, corporations, and government.

Her divorce was finalized in 2024, but the decision to leave came clear years earlier, and the grief that followed was anything but simple.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, leave a comment and please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Welcome to season 8 of Behind the Confident Smile Podcast, a weekly conversation with Bianca N. Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, and mom. This season, we're making room for grief. Not just grief over losing a loved one, but grief over the life you thought you'd have. The plans that shifted. The version of yourself you had to let go of.

Joining me this week is Dr. Erie S. Crawford, PhD, LSW, is the author of The Other Side of Midnight: A Journey of Healing Spouses and Loved Ones Affected by Suicide, and a business psychologist with over 25 years of experience in social work. Out of her own loss, she's become a speaker and suicide recovery advocate, gently working to break the silence and stigma that so often surround suicide.

"I lost my husband to suicide in 2019, and I have been on a journey to break the silence and stigma that often surround suicide." Those words come from my guest, Dr. Erie S. Crawford, and I'm so grateful she was willing to sit with me and share her story. It's a conversation I hope you'll make room for too.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, leave a comment and please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Welcome to season 8 of Behind the Confident Smile Podcast, a weekly conversation with Bianca N. Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife and mom. This season, we're making room for grief. Not just grief over losing a loved one, but grief over the life you thought you'd have. The plans that shifted. The version of yourself you had to let go of. Joining me this week is Brandi M. Green, LCSW.

Brandi lost her mother at 28, her father at 32, and her brother at 40. She grieves the family she never got to build of her own, friendships she's lost along the way, and she's a survivor of an abusive relationship.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, leave a comment and please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Welcome to the season 8 premiere of Behind the Confident Smile Podcast, a weekly conversation with Bianca N. Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, and mom. This season, we're making room for grief. Not just grief over losing a loved one, but grief over the life you thought you'd have. The plans that shifted. The version of yourself you had to let go of.

Joining me this week is Dr. Shaniqua Jones, an educator, executive leader, TEDx speaker, Restorative Justice practitioner, published author, and founder and CEO of Purple Path by Dr. J, an ISBE-approved professional development provider.

She who lost her mother unexpectedly, then became her husband's full-time caregiver after a sudden cardiac arrest left him with a severe brain injury. Her story? Grief, identity, and choosing purpose anyway.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, leave a comment and please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Behind the Confident Smile Podcast is a weekly conversation with Bianca Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, mom, poet, and hope dealer. Join me for our season finale with Elle Davis, and I talk about a lot of firsts—love, jobs, kisses—but not this one: the first holiday after losing someone you love. In this episode, we explore what it feels like to move through a “merry” season with a heavy or tender heart. Grief during the holidays is complicated, personal, and deeply human.

Join us as we explore the space between celebration and sorrow, the quiet moments that hurt most, and simple ways to honor both your loved one and your emotions. This conversation is for anyone navigating their first holiday without someone they love—or supporting someone who is.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Behind the Confident Smile Podcast is a weekly conversation with Bianca Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, mom, poet, and hope dealer. Join me on this journey of revealing what's behind your smile. In this moving conversation with Ke’Ana Lampkins, shares how her three mothers shaped her through their lived experiences, love, guidance, and unhealed wounds. Together, we explore the complexity of having multiple maternal influences, the heartbreak of losing one, and the spiral that followed. Now a mother herself and a trauma-informed therapist, Ke’Ana reflects on how their hands—both past and present—continue to guide her.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Behind the Confident Smile Podcast is a weekly conversation with Bianca Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, mom, poet, and hope dealer. Join me on this journey of revealing what's behind your smile. In this heartfelt conversation, Crystal shares how her work helping babies and families release their oral ties took on new meaning when she discovered that her own children, husband, and even herself were impacted too. Together, we explore how tongue, cheek, and lip ties affect overall health and well-being—and how awareness can lead to freedom and healing. Now a Family Nurse Practitioner, Lactation Consultant, and Women’s Health & Oral Tie Specialist, Crystal guides families through their own journeys toward release and restoration.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Behind the Confident Smile Podcast is a weekly conversation with Bianca Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, mom, poet, and hope dealer. Join me on this journey of revealing what's behind your smile. In this episode, Bianca speaks with Kiana Jones, owner of Jones' Jewels Learning Center. What happens when a mom becomes deeply unsatisfied with the education children receive? For Kiana, frustration became fuel. From grieving over the learning system to launching a learning center and even homeschooling for a season—her journey shows what’s possible when parents become part of the solution. Tune in to hear how she turned grief into growth, impact, and lasting change for families in her community.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Behind the Confident Smile Podcast is a weekly conversation with Bianca Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, mom, poet, and hope dealer. Join me on this journey of revealing what's behind your smile. In this episode In The Birth I Didn’t Choose, Victoria Ivy opens up about her unplanned C-section—the physical pain, emotional recovery, and the silent pressure to be happy despite the trauma.

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton

Behind the Confident Smile Podcast is a weekly conversation with Bianca Cotton, founder of Behind the Confident Smile, author, wife, mom, poet, and hope dealer. Join me on this journey of revealing what's behind your smile. This special is a powerful and healing conversation created to shift the narrative around care after birth and the importance of village support. Centering the mother, it explores how family, friends, and communities can show up during this vulnerable season. Featuring experts and real moms, the discussion highlights the physical, mental, and often unseen challenges of postpartum that many endure in silence. You will also gain valuable insight into the legal protections and policies that safeguard pregnant and postpartum moms—because supporting mothers means holding space for their whole journey.

Featuring:

Star August Ali, CPM, LM — Certified Professional Midwife & Executive Director, Black Midwifery Collective; Mary Kay Devine — Chief of Staff, Women Employed; Moniqueca Long — Full-Spectrum Doula, Childbirth Educator & Mental Health Advocate

This episode was recorded at CAN TV Studios.

Like this episode, please find us on Instagram @behindtheconfidentsmilepodcast and @biancancotton