To Be Clear brings the news into focus with humor, context, and cultural clarity. Hosted by journalist Dawn Montgomery and media personality Freddie B, the show unpacks the week’s top stories with insight and personality. Each episode filters current events, viral moments, and political debates through a Black cultural lens, offering smart analysis that goes beyond the surface. It’s fast, fearless, and built for people who want more than headlines.
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To Be Clear brings the news into focus with humor, context, and cultural clarity. Hosted by journalist Dawn Montgomery and media personality Freddie B, the show unpacks the week’s top stories with insight and personality. Each episode filters current events, viral moments, and political debates through a Black cultural lens, offering smart analysis that goes beyond the surface. It’s fast, fearless, and built for people who want more than headlines.
Melyssa Ford Speaks On Therapy, Trolls & Taking Up Space | To Be Clear Ep. 5
To Be Clear
47 minutes
5 months ago
Melyssa Ford Speaks On Therapy, Trolls & Taking Up Space | To Be Clear Ep. 5
This episode of To Be Clear features Melyssa Ford, award-winning podcast host, mental health advocate, and former video model, in an unfiltered talk about therapy culture, self-care, aging, and women’s health. At 1:39, we start with a mental health check-in as Melyssa talks anxiety, burnout, and staying grounded in high-pressure spaces. At 4:35, she shares what it’s really like being the only woman on the Joe Budden Podcast, and how she’s learned to speak up in male-dominated rooms. By 10:51, she talks about winning a Gracie Award for Best Online Show, and how she built Hot & Bothered into a platform focused on Black women’s wellness, confidence, and aging gracefully. At 12:30, we respond to hate toward Michelle Obama, therapy podcasts, and emotional women. (Yes, we clap back.) At 19:00, she explains how Hot & Bothered creates space for women to talk openly about menopause, hormone therapy, and body changes over 40. At 23:05, we get into why men need to understand perimenopause too—because they’re living with it whether they know it or not. By 26:01, Melyssa shares her personal journey with grief, hormone replacement therapy, and how she took her health into her own hands. At 33:11, we talk confidence after 40, beauty standards, and what aging looks like when you do it on your own terms. Then at 39:00, it’s all about the mental health practices that helped her reparent her inner child, manage depression, and show up for herself. We close at 45:11 with her flowers: a celebration of legacy, reinvention, and staying consistent in a world built to distract you. Timestamps 0:00 - Cold Open - Melyssa's Rick And Morty Quote 0:46 - Introducing Melyssa Ford: From Video Model to Female Podcast Powerhouse 1:39 - Temperature Check: Melyssa Opens Up About Anxiety and Mental Health 4:35 - Being the Only Woman on The Joe Budden Podcast 10:51 - Winning a Gracie Award & Being Misunderstood in the Industry 12:30 - Clapback Culture: Responding to Hate on Michelle Obama & Therapy Pods 19:00 - Building ‘Hot & Bothered’ and Prioritizing Black Women’s Health 23:05 -Educating Men on Perimenopause: A Platform for Everyone 26:01 - Melyssa’s Personal Perimenopause Journey and Hormone Therapy 33:11 - Confidence, Aging & Self-Care in the Public Eye 39:00 - Mental Health, Therapy & Reparenting After Loss 45:11 - Giving Melyssa Ford Her Flowers: Legacy, Growth & Gratitude
To Be Clear
To Be Clear brings the news into focus with humor, context, and cultural clarity. Hosted by journalist Dawn Montgomery and media personality Freddie B, the show unpacks the week’s top stories with insight and personality. Each episode filters current events, viral moments, and political debates through a Black cultural lens, offering smart analysis that goes beyond the surface. It’s fast, fearless, and built for people who want more than headlines.
