Today we’re joined by a truly inspiring guest, Max, who shares a deeply honest story of what it means to stop hiding and start healing.

For a long time, Max believed strength meant keeping everything together, pushing aside their own needs, masking pain, and suppressing who they really were to survive. In this conversation, Max opens up about that journey and what it looks like to finally give yourself permission to feel, to soften, and to show up as your full self.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever:

• Felt like they had to perform strength to be accepted

• Learned to disconnect just to keep moving

• Wanted to reclaim their voice, softness, or story

Max’s vulnerability is a gift and we’re honored to hold space for it.

🎧 Listen now
@maxwildestories

#InTheBlackPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #EmotionalHealing #Unmasking #VulnerabilityIsStrength #Authenticity #LGBTQVoices #HealingJourney

This week on In The Black Podcast, we welcome Kendra, a Certified Life Coach who guides women through the aftermath of narcissistic abuse and betrayal trauma with wisdom, empathy, and clarity.

With a gentle yet direct approach, Kendra helps her clients:

• Understand the full impact of what they’ve been through

• Unpack the “why” behind their choices

• Reclaim their power

• Heal faster by shifting blame and shame

• Move forward with confidence and clarity

If you’ve ever questioned your worth, lost yourself in a relationship, or struggled to trust your own voice again, this conversation is for you. Kendra offers a refreshing, compassionate framework to help you thrive on the other side of toxic dynamics.

👉 @luxuryladiesretreats

👉@intheblackpassionproject

On today’s In The Black Podcast, we sit down with Caroline Markel, a courageous survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault who has transformed her pain into a powerful purpose.

Caroline is the founder of a nonprofit that offers critical resources, trauma-informed support, and safe spaces for survivors to begin their healing journey. In this moving episode, she opens up about:

• Surviving domestic and sexual violence

• The emotional and physical toll of abuse

• Her path to healing and advocacy

• The creation of her nonprofit and its mission to uplift survivors

• The importance of reclaiming your voice and breaking generational cycles

Caroline’s story is a profound reminder that healing is not only possible, it’s powerful. She is helping survivors move from silence to strength, one story at a time.

🕊️ If you've experienced trauma or want to support someone who has, this episode offers both hope and actionable insight.
Her journey is a powerful reminder that healing is possible, and no one has to do it alone. 🌟

📌 Connect with Caroline + her work:

@thecarolinemarkel

📌 Connect with ITB:

@intheblackpassionproject

In this powerful episode of In The Black Podcast, we sit down with Lynnsey, a woman who made the brave decision to reclaim her peace by walking away from relationships that no longer served her, even when they were close to home.

Through raw honesty and deep reflection, Lynnsey shares:

• Her personal story of navigating difficult family dynamics

• The emotional toll of staying connected to toxic influences

• The inner work it takes to choose peace over pain

• How she rebuilt her identity, boundaries, and sense of self-worth

This conversation is for anyone who’s ever felt torn between loyalty and self-preservation. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for yourself is to walk away.

💬 If you’re healing from toxic family ties or re-learning how to protect your energy, this episode will speak to your soul.

📲 Follow Lynnsey:

@artbylynnseyfletcher

📲 Follow ITB:

@intheblackpassionproject

We’ve made it to Episode 10 of In The Black Podcast! 🎉

In this special milestone episode, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the pits and peaks of this beautiful, wild, and sometimes unpredictable podcast journey. From belly laughs to awkward stumbles, from scheduling chaos to life-changing conversations, we're pulling back the curtain and sharing it all.

Tune in for a real and raw behind-the-scenes conversation about:

• What it really takes to launch and sustain a passion project

• Our favorite (and funniest) guest moments so far

• The unexpected lessons we’ve learned

• Personal reflections on growth, change, and staying the course

• What’s next for In The Black Podcast

  
  

Whether you’ve been here since Episode 1 or just pressed play, this episode is for YOU, our amazing community of listeners and guests who’ve made this possible. 💛

Here’s to more growth, more stories, and more moments that matter. Let’s keep going, in the black.

@intheblackpassionproject

In Episode 9 of In The Black Podcast, we sit down with Bon, a fierce advocate who has devoted her life to amplifying the voices of women and survivors around the world. With unwavering passion and clarity, Bon uses her platform to uplift stories that are often silenced, and demands the world listen.

Through advocacy, education, and community work, Bon has become a beacon of strength and justice for countless women navigating the aftermath of abuse, violence, and trauma.

In this powerful episode, we explore:

• How Bon began her journey as a survivor and advocate

• The emotional toll and healing process behind the work

• What it means to speak up and speak out for others

• Why amplifying survivor stories is essential to societal change

• How to turn pain into purpose and advocacy into action

Bon’s mission is clear: no woman should ever feel alone in her fight.

Whether you're a survivor, supporter, or change-maker, her message will move you to act, listen, and lead with compassion.

📲 Want to support or follow Bon’s work?

@bontindle

ITB:

@intheblackpassionproject

In Episode 8 of In The Black Podcast, we sit down with Alex, a resilient wellness coach whose life was forever changed by a traumatic brain injury in high school. After surviving a devastating car accident, Alex faced years of physical, speech, and cognitive therapy. But instead of letting her story end in pain, she chose to turn her healing into a mission.

Today, she uses her lived experience to support and empower young people navigating their own mental health journeys.

In this inspiring conversation, Alex shares:

• What it was like to lose and rebuild her sense of self after brain trauma

• The emotional and psychological impact of recovery

• How therapy helped her reclaim her voice and confidence

• Her decision to become a licensed wellness coach

• The tools she teaches to help others manage anxiety, depression, and resilience

Whether you’ve faced trauma, love someone who has, or are simply looking for strength to rise again, Alex’s story is a powerful reminder that healing is possible, and purpose can be born from pain.

@alexandriatreantosbiz

@intheblackpassionproject

In Episode 7 of In The Black Podcast, we welcome Reonda Thompson, a poet from Kansas City, Missouri, whose journey with words began at age 17, sparked by a tribute poem to her father.

What started as a single act of expression became a lifelong practice of self-reflection and emotional release. Through poetry, Reonda explores the depths of grief, identity, love, and resilience. Her work is a raw and beautiful testament to what happens when we give ourselves permission to feel, and to speak.

In this conversation, Reonda opens up about:

• Writing as a form of emotional healing

• Her first experience putting pain into words

• The power of poetry to process trauma and joy

• How creativity helps reclaim voice and identity

In Episode 6 of In The Black Podcast, we sit down with Niki, a compassionate advocate and the founder of Rings of Care and KC End of Life, two nonprofit organizations born from the most sacred and transformative experience of her life: walking her grandmother through her final days.

Initially overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, Niki found herself frozen, unable to fully be present with the woman who meant the most to her. But that pivotal moment became a turning point. She made the brave choice to turn regret into action, and fear into grace.

From that experience, Niki built a mission to support others facing similar moments.

🎧 In this deeply moving episode, Niki shares:

• How sitting quietly in fear became a catalyst for legacy

• Her journey from personal regret to purpose-driven leadership

• The emotional realities of caregiving and grief

• Founding two nonprofits that support caregivers and families in end-of-life transitions

• How to make every moment count, even the hardest ones

Whether you’re a caregiver, grieving a loved one, or navigating end-of-life decisions, this episode will remind you: there is beauty in presence, and power in turning pain into purpose.

📌 Connect with Niki + her work:
🌐 ringsofcare.org
🌐 kcendoflife.org

📌 Connect with ITB:

@intheblackpassionproject

In Episode 5 of In The Black Podcast, we’re joined by therapist, speaker, and visionary Darbi Keene, founder of Walking with Wildflowers, a Missouri-based private practice serving neurodivergent teens and adults, LGBTQ+ clients, and those navigating chronic illness.

As a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD therapist, Darbi brings a powerful blend of clinical expertise and lived experience to her work. Her mission? To help people stop surviving and start thriving, by working with their brains, not against them.

In this episode, Darbi shares:

• Her journey of late-diagnosis autism + ADHD

• What affirming therapy looks like for neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ clients

• How to break generational trauma cycles with compassion

• The importance of self-acceptance over self-correction

• Her vision for building inclusive workplaces and consulting with heart

Darbi is a therapist, but also a systems-changer—bringing empathy and insight to both her one-on-one clients and the broader communities she aims to impact.

🎧 If you’re neurodivergent, queer, chronically ill, or simply looking for a way to show up more fully as yourself, this conversation is for you.

📌 Connect with Darbi:
Instagram: @walkingwithwildflowers.llc
Website: walkingwithwildflowersllc.com

📌 Connect with ITB:

@intheblackpassionproject