We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kendall Gordon-williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kendall below.
Kendall, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been creating my podcast and Youtube channel, Mum’s True Tea. The idea for this podcast grew from a place of needing an outlet, feeling alone in my journey as a mother, needing a safe space for not only me but being able to create a safe space for other moms to share their experiences as moms without being judged. The podcast comes from a place of unfiltered honesty and necessity. As a mom of 33 years, I have experienced some very traumatic moments in motherhood that are often taboo experiences most moms keep silent about. Yet, here I am sharing the raw and unfiltered side that often goes unspoken out of shame, guilt and fear of judgement. So, I wanted to create a space where moms, especially those who don’t necessarily see motherhood as a fairy tale, could feel heard, understood, and validated.
Starting this podcast meant facing my own fears of putting myself out there and sharing deeply personal experiences. It involved countless hours of planning, recording, and editing—all while learning the ropes of podcasting. But what really made it meaningful was hearing from other moms who said that the podcast gives them a sense of relief, helping them feel less alone and more empowered in their own journeys. Knowing that Mum’s True Tea resonates and even provides a form of comfort or encouragement has made every challenge worth it.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Kendall Gordon-Williams, and I’m the creator and host of Mum’s True Tea, a podcast that dives into the unfiltered realities and truth of motherhood, relationships, family, and life. I started this journey because, as a mom of two adult sons, 29 and 33, I saw firsthand how much of motherhood is portrayed through these fake, rose-colored glasses, and because my experience as a single mom prior to remarrying couldn’t be further from that. And when society tells us that being a mom is so amazing and filled with this overwhelming joy, that’s bullshit. Then moms feel this guilt because that’s not their experience and that’s not always how moms feel. We all have very diverse experiences as mom because motherhood is linear but often we keep are struggles to ourselves because we don’t want to be judged by other moms or society and, it can leave many moms feeling isolated, unheard, and unseen. I wanted to break down these idealized narratives and create a space for honest conversations about the highs, lows, and everything in between that comes with being a mom.
Through my Mum’s True Tea platform, I provide an unfiltered look at motherhood, mental health, and even personal growth, speaking to the complex experiences that so many women face but rarely discuss openly. My episodes tackle topics ranging from mental health struggles of moms that nobody really speaks on, about finding self-love and knowing your self-worth, boundary-setting with children, and the real-life dynamics of family relationships like parental abuse and parental alienation. What sets Mum’s True Tea apart is my authenticity. I don’t shy away from discussing the hard truths or the taboo topics that many mothers grapple with, giving listeners a voice and an ally in their own journeys.
One of the things I’m most proud of is building a community of listeners who feel validated and empowered by these conversations. Every message I receive from a mom who feels understood or a woman who says the podcast helped her feel less alone reminds me of why I do this work. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that Mum’s True Tea is a source of connection and relief for moms who might be struggling with the less joyful moments of motherhood.
For those who are new to Mum’s True Tea, I want you to know that this is a space where all mothers are welcome to be real, where the ‘messier’ sides of motherhood are just as valuable as the highlights and you are safe. I’m here to share truth, foster connection, and give voice to experiences that many find challenging to express. My mission is to normalize the less-discussed sides of motherhood, helping women see that they’re not alone and inspiring them to embrace their full, authentic selves.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2022, I faced two of my biggest challenges on my life: my younger son was in a tragic accident that has left him with some disabilities and during that same time, we lost a close family member to cancer and right after she passed, I was completely blindsided with a cervical cancer diagnosis. It was a terrifying moment, but one that tested my strength and forced me to find resilience within myself like never before. I went through chemo, radiation and had 5 surgeries and this was by far one the most challenging times for me. It really showed my husband and I who was truly there for us during these very challenging times. What I will say is that my husband was there for every moment. He worked from the office where I would have my chemo treatments, he slept in hospital chairs and so much more.
Other ways that my resilience has been illustrated is throughout my entire career. Most of my professional experience has been as a project manager in the construction, telecom, design marketing and automation industries and as a Black woman, I’ve always had to work twice as hard in my professional life, navigating a predominantly white, male-dominated industry where micro-aggressions were unfortunately all too common. There were countless times when I felt dismissed, overlooked, disrespected, or subtly undermined, because privilege often outweighed my performance but I stayed focused and pushed through and pushed back at times, determined to make my mark and garner respect.
Additionally, as it relates to my resilience: For years, I dreamed of creating Mum’s True Tea podcast to give moms a space to feel seen, heard, and understood. But for six years, I held off on starting it—fear and uncertainty held me back, and I didn’t know where to begin. That diagnosis, though, was a wake-up call. It reminded me how short and unpredictable life is, and I realized I couldn’t keep putting my dreams on hold. Facing cancer pushed me to live life on my terms, set boundaries, create moments of joy, travel more and prioritize what truly mattered, so I finally launched Mum’s True Tea in February of this year.
Looking back, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. Despite the hurdles, I’ve built a space that fosters real, unfiltered, and authentic conversations for moms, especially those who don’t see themselves reflected in idealized versions of motherhood. I hope my story can inspire others to find their own resilience, overcome their fears, and pursue what sets their soul on fire, no matter how long it takes or how daunting it may seem.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
The journey of building my audience on social media has been expensive, challenging and rewarding. When I started, I knew I wanted to create a space where moms could feel heard, especially those who might not resonate with the ‘perfect’ image of motherhood often portrayed online. My focus was to share authentic, unfiltered stories about the real experiences of motherhood, mental health, and the importance of setting boundaries, which really connected with my audience. I was terrified and still to this day to put video content of myself on social media but i started and go into a rhythm. I didn’t shy away from the difficult and taboo topics and aim to always keep it real, knowing that many moms feel the same way but don’t always have a space to voice it. I also wasted thousands of dollars trusting “professional” agency to help me build my audience but that came with little growth.
Growing my audience took time and consistency but also being a guest on a well-known podcaster’s show really helped my social media presence. That 1 episode about motherhood and mental health and how my experiences as a mom has given me PTSD, has almost 2 million views on instagram alone, has been reposted, shared thousands of times and comments in the thousands and even with 20% of the negative comments on me sharing this taboo topic and unfiltered truth, the amount moms that felt seen and heard was worth it and those comments solidified what I knew to be true. I am always paying attention to and I listen to what my followers respond to and use their feedback to shape my content but mostly my topics on the podcast come from my lived experiences. For example, when I saw that video clip about mental health or the hard moments of motherhood resonated, I leaned into those topics even more. I was intentional about engaging with my followers—responding to comments, sharing personal stories, responding to emails, even calls and even asking them about their experiences.
For anyone just starting, I’d say: be authentic and find your unique voice. Think about what makes you stand out and what you’re genuinely passionate about sharing. Social media can feel overwhelming, but consistency really is key. Also, finding ways to protect your energy from the nasty side of social media where the trolls hide behind keyboards to attack you and don’t even know you. Share consistently, even when you’re not seeing immediate results, and focus on building genuine connections rather than just numbers. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and show up as your true self—your audience will appreciate that honesty and gravitate toward it. I am still growing of course.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Mumstruetea.com
- Instagram: @MumsTrueTea
- Facebook: @MumsTrueTea
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiH08JKhlaKxY66kGqQvFNA
- Other: Podcast streams on Apple, Spotify and audio versions also found on YouTube.
Image Credits
JLavi Photos