In this episode, I welcome back Dr. Donna Oriowo—the brilliant therapist, dynamic speaker, and now author of Drink Water and Mind Your Business: A Black Woman's Guide to Unlearning the BS and Healing Your Self-Esteem. Known for her candid insights and unapologetic approach to mental wellness, Dr. Donna returns to break down what it really means to heal, unlearn, and radically embrace self-worth as a Black woman.
We dive deep into:
🧠 The difference between self-esteem and self-confidence—and why it matters
😞 How shame shows up in our lives and keeps us disconnected from ourselves
📝 The power of journaling, reflection, and doing the work beyond the page
💔 Why unlearning childhood conditioning is necessary for growth and freedom
🪞 How to stop confusing external validation with internal self-worth
Dr. Donna keeps it real as we unpack the ways the world teaches Black women to shrink—and how her book offers a roadmap to expand, heal, and thrive. If you've ever questioned your worth, struggled with shame, or felt stuck in a cycle of people-pleasing, this conversation is for you.
Follow Dr. Donna here:
📌 Instagram: @drdonnaoriowo
🔗 Website & Book: https://www.drdonnaoriowo.com
Support The Boonie Breakdown:
✨ Join Boonie on Patreon for exclusive content & events: Patreon.com/TheBoonieBreakdown
🛍️ Shop The Boonie Breakdown Store: thebooniebreakdown.com/shop
Let's Keep in Touch!
📲 Instagram: @TheBoonieBreakdown
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/TheBoonieBreakdown
📩 Email: thebooniebreakdown@gmail.com or visit thebooniebreakdown.com/contact
💬 Use the hashtag #TheBoonieBreakdown and tag #PodIn to share your thoughts!
Chapters
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.