Journey Free Podcast

About Journey Free Podcast

A sacred space where life experiences meet conversation with Uneak Tershai, a multi-dimensional one, who loves to talk openly about life experiences, inspires others to embrace their differences and encourages them to love themselves for the uniqueness that they are.

Publisher

Uneak Tershai

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Mar 2021

Latest episode

16 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

122 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Leaving Without Forgetting: I Grew Up Poor, Healing After Poverty, Finding My Place & Becoming the Woman I Needed to See

   What happens when you build a life your younger self could barely imagine—but still feel connected to the world you came from? In this deeply personal episode of Journey Free Podcast, Uneak Tershai gets honest about growing up poor, moving through socioeconomic change, and the complicated emotions that can come with creating a life that looks different from the one you were raised in. After sharing publicly that she grew up poor, Uneak found herself confronting an unexpected question from people close to her: Did you actually grow up poor? That conversation becomes the doorway into a much bigger exploration of American poverty, Black family experiences, class mobility, cultural capital, access, identity, and what it means to leave without forgetting. This isn't a money episode. It's about what money—and the lack of it—can represent: safety, opportunity, education, transportation, networks, cultural experiences, financial knowledge, and the ability to imagine a different life. Uneak reflects on her journey from growing up around financial instability to becoming a first-generation college student, traveling, expanding her worldview, building a different quality of life, and realizing that sometimes the biggest transformation isn't the money you make—it's the size of the world you can see for yourself. She also explores the uncomfortable space between gratitude and grief, pride and survivor's guilt, belonging and becoming an outsider. Because leaving doesn't mean forgetting. And becoming more doesn't mean you have to believe the people you came from were less. You can honor where you came from without deciding that's where your story has to end. 0:00 Journey Free Podcast Show Trailer 0:46 Intro 4:38 Sociological Perspective 9:00 Did I Actually Grow Up Poor? 21:30 Poverty is More than Income 24:55 Cultural Capital Changed My Life 28:43 Becoming an Outsider 34:41 Survivor's Guilt 38:40 Why I Share My Story 40:27 What I'm Still Healing 42:24 Journey Free 43:31 Reflection Questions and Closing 45:24 Outro 💰 Did I actually grow up poor? — Uneak unpacks her experience with American poverty and why poverty can mean much more than income. 🏠 Poverty is more than money — How access to stable housing, education, transportation, healthcare, networks, and cultural experiences can shape a person's trajectory. 🌎 Cultural capital changed my life — How college, travel, new environments, relationships, and exposure to different ways of living expanded what Uneak believed was possible. 🪞 Becoming an outsider — The strange feeling of changing your life while still feeling deeply connected to where you came from. 💭 Survivor's guilt & the “making it out” conversation — Navigating pride in your progress while knowing people you love may not have the same access or opportunities. 🌱 What I'm still healing — Unlearning survival-mode thinking and figuring out how to build a life without constantly measuring yourself against where you started. If you have a notebook nearby, sit with these: • What parts of your upbringing shaped the way you see money, safety, success, and possibility today? • Have you ever outgrown an environment while still deeply loving the people and culture you came from? • What parts of yourself are you taking with you—and what parts are you finally giving yourself permission to leave behind? This is a conversation about poverty, class mobility, identity, family, access, healing, and becoming—but at its heart, it's about giving yourself permission to imagine more. Because sometimes becoming the woman you needed doesn't mean abandoning the girl you were. It means finally giving her access to a world she didn't know existed. For the visual version of the journey, catch my lifestyle and spirituality content on YouTube. And wherever you listen, follow Journey Free Podcast, leave a review, share this episode with somebody who's in their own transition season, and come catch this vibe—because it's a blessing.

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   I Didn’t Know I Was Becoming Her: Two Years Away, A New Season & Finding Myself Again | The Life I Thought Was Far-Fetched Became My Reality

   What if the season you thought was taking you off track was actually transforming you into the person you were meant to become? After nearly two years away from the podcast, I AM back—and there is A LOT to catch up on. In this Season 4 premiere of Journey Free Podcast, I reflects on the quiet, complicated, transformative years between recording my last episode in 2024 and returning to the microphone in 2026. From moving from the city to the suburbs, rebuilding independence, entering her 30s, navigating therapy and evolving faith, growing deeper in marriage, changing careers, rediscovering confidence, and creating new spaces for both my lifestyle and spirituality—I realized that I wasn't simply “away” from the podcast. I was becoming someone new. This episode explores what happens when your external environment changes before your internal identity has caught up. It's about leaving survival mode, questioning what you believe you're worthy of, learning to trust yourself, and recognizing that sometimes the life you once thought was far-fetched is the very life you're standing in. I also gets real about creativity, visibility, secrecy, relationships, intimacy, human connection, and why documenting my life has always been more than content—it has been a way of processing, remembering, and witnessing my own evolution. And perhaps the biggest lesson from these past two years? Faith isn't certainty. Faith is trust. Sometimes the things that shake your faith are actually guiding you into a deeper version of it. ✨ What really happened during the two years away from Journey Free Podcast 🏡 How changing your environment can change your identity, routines, relationships, and possibilities 🧠 Therapy, survival mode, self-trust, and rewriting limiting beliefs 🙏🏾 Evolving faith and learning to trust the unknown 💗 Confidence, appearance, healing childhood wounds, and learning to feel good in your own skin 🎥 Creativity, YouTube, movement, and documenting your life as a form of self-expression 🫂 Intimacy, relationships, emotional depth, and the importance of human connection 🌱 What it means to evolve before you fully understand who you're becoming Grab your notebook and sit with these questions: 1. Have you ever looked back at something you said months or years ago and realized you were already in the middle of a transformation you didn't understand yet? 2. What would your life look like if you gave yourself permission to evolve? And finally… 3. What if the life you once thought was far-fetched is actually the life you're learning to receive? Welcome back to Journey Free Podcast. This season is about life, personal growth, relationships, spirituality, identity, intimacy, creativity, intentional living, and becoming your most authentic self. The comeback is here. The reflection is deeper. And baby… the lick-back has begun. 🎧 If you're new here, welcome to the journey. If you've been here since the beginning, thank you for growing with me. For the visual version of the journey, catch my lifestyle and spirituality content on YouTube. And wherever you listen, follow Journey Free Podcast, leave a review, share this episode with somebody who's in their own transition season, and come catch this vibe—because it's a blessing.

3. 

   2 Sept 2026

   From Pain to Purpose: Mental Health, Motherhood & Being Flawesome with Iesha “Gap Tooth Diva”

   What happens when you stop seeing your differences as flaws and start seeing them as part of your purpose? What if the very things you once felt ashamed of could become the foundation of your healing—and the testimony that helps someone else survive? Sensitive Content Notice: This episode includes candid discussion of childhood sexual abuse, bullying, colorism, emotional and physical abuse, addiction, depression, mental health challenges, suicide attempts, and suicide prevention. Some portions of this conversation may be difficult or triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourself while listening and pause or step away if needed. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please seek immediate support from a qualified mental health professional or crisis service in your area or call 988. In this powerful guest episode of Journey Free Podcast, Uneak Tershai sits down with author, mental health advocate, content creator, and mother of three, Iesha “Gap Tooth Diva,” for an honest conversation about resilience, self-love, mental health, motherhood, authenticity, and turning pain into purpose. Iesha opens up about her journey through childhood trauma, bullying, colorism, self-esteem struggles, mental health challenges, and learning how to embrace the parts of herself she once wanted to hide. Together, Uneak and Iesha discuss what it means to stop outsourcing your confidence, find your own voice, balance motherhood and entrepreneurship, and show up authentically—even when the world has something to say. From connecting as Black women and content creators in Richmond, Virginia, to discussing faith, healing, suicide prevention, advocacy, and the importance of telling yourself “I love you” when you didn’t always hear it growing up, this conversation is raw, reflective, and full of reminders that perfection was never the goal. In this episode, we discuss: Turning childhood pain and adversity into purpose Black women, self-love, confidence, colorism, and embracing your uniqueness Mental health advocacy and navigating life through lived experience Motherhood, healing, and giving your children what you may not have received Staying authentic as a content creator and advocate in the age of social media Why you don't have to be perfect to be worthy, impactful, or loved If you've ever struggled with self-esteem, felt misunderstood, questioned your worth, or wondered how to turn your pain into something meaningful, this episode is for you. Because sometimes the very thing you thought was your flaw is the thing that makes you unforgettable. Connect with Iesha “Gap Tooth Diva” and learn more about her work, advocacy, book Flawesome Because God Don't Make No Junk (https://amzn.to/4cjljrw), and mental health journey through the links in the show notes. Flawesome Lifestyle and Mental Health Website (https://ieshagaptoothdiva.com/) If this conversation resonates with you, follow Journey Free Podcast, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who may need a reminder that they are worthy—flaws and all. Come catch this vibe, because it's a blessing. Find a Mental Health Professional (https://www.psychologytoday.com/)Find a Therapist Today — Schedule appointments directly with therapists on Psychology Today.RBHA (https://www.rbha.org/) Mental Health Recovery/Addiction and Substance Abuse Help Find a Warmline (https://www.warmline.org/) Connect with peer-support warmlines for compassionate, non-judgmental listening.The Mental Health Virginia Warm Line (https://mentalhealthvirginia.org/get-help/warm-line/) is available M-F from 9AM-9PM; weekends & holidays from 5PM-9 PM. Addiction Recovery Support (Alive RVA Warm Line (https://aliverva.org/)): Uneak Tershai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://journeyfreepodcast.wordpress.com/about-me/), a multi-dimensional one, who loves to talk openly about life experiences, inspires others to embrace their differences and encourages them to love themselves for the uniqueness that they are. Listen to more episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify By Podcasters.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/journeyfreepodcast) Connect with us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/journeyfreepodcast/). Watch my YouTube channels ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Uneak Tershai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCagIP15T6DxWraJbp7-AH6Q) and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Uneak Journey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3K7JeHYks-0l2OqA1fHtFA).

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.