The Making of You with Deante Young

In this episode of The Making of You with Deante Young, Deante sits down with Dr. Yvonne Pointer to uncover the experiences, relationships and convictions that formed a woman whose life became defined by faith, service and an unwillingness to quit.

Yvonne grew up as one of ten children in Cleveland, surrounded by family traditions, neighborhood accountability and parents whose words stayed with her for decades. 

Her mother taught her that there was good in everybody. Her father taught his children to work, take responsibility and pay their bills. But some of the words Yvonne heard as a child also created insecurities she admits she still has to fight today.

As a young girl, she was an avid reader who imagined a world far beyond her neighborhood. She became fascinated by figures such as Harriet Tubman and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., eventually seeing in them something that would become central to her own life: when something is wrong, waiting for somebody else to fix it may not be enough.

But Yvonne’s own path was far from straight.

Despite loving school, she says she began diminishing herself in order to be accepted by other teenagers. She started cutting class, drinking, smoking marijuana and doing things she admits she never really wanted to do. 

At 16, she became pregnant with her daughter Gloria and was removed from traditional high school, eventually continuing her education through an adult education program while her parents helped her raise her child.

Then came December 6, 1984.

Fourteen-year-old Gloria left home for school, where she was supposed to receive a perfect-attendance award. She never arrived. Later that morning, Yvonne learned that her daughter had been raped and murdered. 

What followed was not simply grief. Yvonne began to see what happened to Gloria as an injustice, and that distinction changed the direction of her life.

In this conversation, Yvonne explains how pain became purpose, why she believes tragedy can become ministry, and how she eventually realized that the people waiting for someone to come solve the problem may themselves be the answer.

That belief led to decades of advocacy, the creation of Positive Plus, violence-prevention work, service to families and children, work in Ghana and a life increasingly centered on helping people move through circumstances that could otherwise consume them.

She also reveals the people who helped build her along the way, including Harriet Tubman, Margot Copeland, Dr. Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant and Cleveland Councilwoman Fannie Lewis. It was Lewis who gave Yvonne a 

piece of advice that became one of the defining lessons of her life:

“Find the end of the line and get in it.”

Instead of waiting for someone to hand her an opportunity to serve, Yvonne began volunteering, showing up and helping wherever she could. Little by little, she says she moved from standing outside the room to eventually being seated at the table.

The episode also reaches one of the most extraordinary intersections of Yvonne’s life. When Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were rescued in Cleveland in 2013, Yvonne was asked to sit beside Knight because no family member was there to receive her. 

Holding her hand, Yvonne thought about what she would have given for someone to have been beside Gloria in her final moments. The two women eventually began singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” together in the hospital.

Then, after 29 years of searching, Yvonne finally came face-to-face with the man who murdered her daughter.

She did not go to death row seeking revenge. 

She went hoping to understand what might prevent another child from suffering the same fate—and to tell him she forgave him. Yvonne explains why holding onto hatred would only continue diminishing her own life: he had already taken enough from her.

This episode is about far more than surviving tragedy.

It is about the words that stay with us, the people who redirect us, the pain that can become purpose, the faith required to keep moving and the decision to use what happened to you in service of somebody else.

And when asked what she wants her enduring legacy to be, Yvonne’s answer is simple:

She did not quit.

SEASON ONE FINALE: In this deeply personal episode, Deante Young sits down with his wife, entrepreneur and author Billie Jo Young, to uncover the experiences that shaped the woman she became. 

Billie Jo reflects on growing up poor in Cleveland, the grandmother who taught her strength and independence, and the father who showed her unconditional love despite not being her biological parent. 

She speaks candidly about childhood trauma, abusive relationships, anxiety, low self-worth, caregiving, and the people who helped her recognize her own value. 

Along the way, Billie Jo reveals how those difficult experiences ultimately reshaped the way she loves, serves others, and approaches family. 

It is a raw conversation about pain, growth, forgiveness, self-love, and turning one chapter of your life into wisdom for generations that follow. 

Deante Young sits down with Greater Cleveland Film Commission President Bill Garvey to uncover the unlikely journey that took him from a movie-loving kid in Queens to helping build Northeast Ohio into a serious filmmaking destination.

Garvey shares how a college filmmaking class changed his direction, why mentors and relationships became critical to his rise, and how experiences on The Sopranos, Law & Order, Shutter Island, and other major productions shaped his approach to leadership.

The conversation explores perseverance, work ethic, mentorship, opportunity, and Garvey’s belief that aspiring filmmakers must “make your own way.”

Today, his vision extends far beyond movies: he wants Cleveland to become a filmmaking mecca where tens of thousands of people can build sustainable careers.

In this powerful conversation, Deante Young sits down with civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr. to explore the formative experiences that shaped one of America's most influential pastors and activists.

From losing both parents as a teenager and growing up in segregated Georgia to marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Moss shares how faith, family, community, and purpose sustained him through unimaginable hardship.

Together, they discuss the lasting impact of Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, Brown v. Board of Education, mentorship, legacy, and why the greatest inheritance we leave is not our accomplishments, but the values, dignity, and hope we pass to future generations.

A moving conversation about resilience, calling, and the enduring power of formation.

What shapes a life after surviving one of history's darkest chapters? In this unforgettable episode, Deante Young sits down with Holocaust survivor Erika Gold, who recounts her childhood in Nazi-occupied Hungary, the loss of dozens of family members, and the extraordinary moments that led to her survival.

More than a story of tragedy, this is a conversation about resilience, family, purpose, and choosing hope over bitterness.

From escaping the Holocaust to building a loving family, a career in medicine, and spending nearly three decades educating future generations, Erika reminds us that our past doesn't have to define our future—it can become our greatest contribution to others.

Deante Young sits down with veteran broadcaster, former Woodmere mayor, and Emmy Award-winning journalist Ben Holbert for a powerful conversation about resilience, race, and refusing to let other people define your future.

From growing up in Cleveland during the Civil Rights era to overcoming racism, bullying, and discouraging voices that underestimated his potential, Ben shares the defining moments that shaped his life and career.

Along the way, he reveals the mentors, family values, and hard-earned lessons that carried him from an inner-city childhood to a lifetime of public service and journalism. This episode is a reminder that the voices you choose to believe can shape the rest of your life. 

What truly shapes a leader? In the debut episode of The Making of You, Deante Young sits down with Cuyahoga County Public Library CEO Jamar Rahming to uncover the defining moments behind his remarkable journey.

From an inner-city childhood in Denver and the wisdom of grandparents who stood in the gap, to a life-changing encounter with Josephine Baker's story, this conversation reveals how ordinary experiences create extraordinary lives.

Together, they explore faith, mentorship, purpose, leadership, and why our greatest legacy isn't our accomplishments—it's the people we influence along the way. This isn't an interview about success. It's a conversation about the experiences that make success possible.

The official teaser trailer for The Making of You with Deante Young, which features clips of interviews with Jamar Rahming, Ben Holbert, Otis Moss Jr., and Bill Garvey.