The Quiet Truth

The Quiet Truth is where business, culture, and identity collide. Hosted by two Black entrepreneurs who’ve built brands and companies from the ground up, this podcast goes beyond the highlight reels to unpack the real stories behind success. From boardrooms to fatherhood, from culture-shaping moves to hard-won lessons, we bring you the conversations no one else is having. Honest. Bold. Unfiltered. The Quiet Truth is the playbook for building brands—and building yourself.

Contributors

Host

Martin Ekechukwu

Martin Ekechukwu is a brand builder, entrepreneur, and storyteller who has spent his career helping culture and commerce meet. As Co-Founder & CEO of WHTWRKS, he has led award-winning campaigns for brands like Nike, Meta, and Diageo, scaled businesses from the ground up, and launched celebrity-led brands at Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

With The Quiet Truth podcast, Martin steps away from boardrooms to explore the stories we don’t often tell—about family, culture, heritage, identity, and the hidden challenges behind success. He brings the same mix of honesty and strategy that has defined his career, sparking conversations that move beyond the surface and into what’s real.

Co-host

Enitan Bereola

Descendant of Nigerian royalty, Enitan Bereola II carries a Yoruba name meaning "someone with a story to tell"—and his bestselling books in Barack Obama's and Oprah Winfrey's personal libraries prove the prophecy true. His NAACP Image Award-nominated literary work built a cultural movement spanning global translations. Co-founder of SAINT MILES® (backed by Pharrell Williams and Louis Vuitton), Bereola architects the infrastructure for Black wealth.

This Florida A&M Rattler has collaborated with Oscar-winning director Matthew A. Cherry and directed Gold Telly Award-winning campaigns with NBA champion Kyrie Irving. His partnerships with Apple, Delta Air Lines, Bergdorf Goodman, and The White House earned him Webby Awards recognition for excellence in Variety and Reality content.

Believer, father, husband, and multidisciplinary artist, Bereola builds the platforms where stories become our power.

Guests

Guest

Dr. Akua Boateng

Dr. Boateng, a native of California, is a licensed psychotherapist with an emphasis in individual and couples therapy. She has trained at multiple acute and outpatient facilities across the Tennessee Valley, including the North Alabama Regional State Hospital and the Homicide Survivors Recovery Program. After receiving a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Alabama A&M University, she utilized her training to provide cognitive-behavioral therapy as one of the primary adult therapists in an outpatient clinic. She also has experience as a psychological examiner, conducting intelligence and psychological testing, for private practices.

https://www.akuakboateng.com/

Guest

Lanny Smith

Lanny Smith is an entrepreneur and former professional basketball player whose NBA dream was cut short by a career-ending knee injury in 2009, just 33 days after he signed with the Sacramento Kings. Following this setback, Smith successfully transitioned into entrepreneurship, first by launching Active Faith, a faith-based sports apparel brand, and later founding Actively Black in 2020, an athleisure company created to celebrate Black culture and reinvest in the Black community. The mission-driven brand, which aims to compete with major players like Nike and Lululemon, has achieved significant success and received notable attention for its community empowerment initiatives.

https://activelyblack.com/