Club Shay Shay – Dr. Cheyenne Bryant (Part 1)

Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: Dr. Cheyenne Bryant (Life coach, spiritual mentor, psychology expert, author)

Episode Overview

This episode of Club Shay Shay features an in-depth, vulnerable conversation between Shannon Sharpe and Dr. Cheyenne Bryant. Touching on themes of self-discovery, family legacy, relationships, trauma, faith, and healing within the Black community, the episode is equal parts personal testimony and motivational masterclass. Dr. Bryant—celebrating the launch of her new book, "Mental Detox"—shares her journey from a challenging childhood in Los Angeles to becoming a renowned coach, therapist, and media figure. The episode spotlights the power of overcoming adversity, the complexity of family and romantic relationships, and the importance of building a strong sense of self-love and purpose.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Dr. Bryant’s Background and Upbringing

• Celebration of Milestones: Dr. Bryant opens by sharing excitement about her new double book deal with Random House, supported by 50 Cent, and the launch of "Mental Detox."
  “My book, Mental Detox, launched today...I got a double book deal—shout out to 50 Cent, Curtis Jackson, for taking the lead.” (04:26)

• Childhood and Family Dynamics: Raised in LA by her grandparents due to her parents having her at 16, Dr. Bryant describes her early life as the daughter of a “street daddy,” with parents immersed in both love and chaos. “I was a product of teenage parents...my father bragged about it all the time—‘baby, you were made from love’... I was conceived in a motel.” (06:08)

• Witness to Transformation: Dr. Bryant details her father’s evolution from a major drug dealer and gangster to a successful entrepreneur, showing her both sides of life. “I got to see him go from the hood to the hills...it was really beautiful seeing that.” (07:54)

• Determination Born from Adversity: Lacking positive role models, Dr. Bryant shares that her main motivation was, “I don’t want to be here," which propelled her towards education and entrepreneurship. “You do not have to know where you are going. You just have to know you want to get the hell up out of whatever you’re in.” (09:37)

[Memorable Quote]

“There was everything in my environment that said, ‘Hell, no. Hell, no, and hell, no.’ And those hell nos got me to all my yeses.” —Dr. Bryant (10:42)

Insights into Family, Parenting, and Self-Image

• Oldest of Seven, Only Girl: As the firstborn and first grandchild, Dr. Bryant had no blueprint ahead of her—only examples of what not to do.

• Siblings and Acceptance: She admits it took until her 20s to fully accept younger siblings from her father’s other relationships, ultimately embracing her identity as the irreplaceable firstborn. “Anyone can replace the baby. You just gotta have another baby. You can never have another firstborn.” (33:06)

• Father-Daughter Bond: She credits her strong sense of self-worth, boundaries, and high expectations in men to her father’s straight, real talk. “A woman is what her daddy makes her, especially when it comes to men...it is your responsibility to build that woman up.” (34:46)

• Mother’s Addiction and Recovery: Dr. Bryant describes her mother’s decades-long battle with addiction to the drug her father once sold, and her eventual sobriety after a health crisis and surgery. “When I turned her over to Him, God showed me the power of surrender...now, my mom is the vice president of my company.” (19:06)

Navigating Trauma, Faith, and Healing

• Faith as Foundation: Dr. Bryant and Shannon discuss the significance of trust and surrender to God, emphasizing obedience, action, and the role of faith in overcoming trauma. “Faith is an action word. Belief is an action word. It is keeping your commitment to God, doing what you said you would do even when you don’t feel like it...” (20:38)

[Powerful Moment]

“As a man thinketh, so be it. So He’s telling you what to think.”
—Dr. Bryant (23:39)

• Transparency and Truth in Relationships: The need for honest, forthcoming communication is central. Dr. Bryant draws the line between honesty (“I answer when you ask”) and transparency (“I tell, unprompted”). “Transparency is telling you something you didn’t even ask...when you’re transparent, you are now depositing into our trust bank.” (68:25)

Relationship & Community Dynamics

• Brutal Honesty about “Type” and Preferences: Dr. Bryant is frank about dating preferences and how her childhood led to her “no kids” rule in partners. “I know my preference of a man with no kids is because growing up as a little girl, I had to share my father with six other siblings. I’m not sharing another man in my life.” (44:53)

• Impact of Family Structure: Discussions touch on how decisions around parenthood, co-parenting, and marriage impact children’s emotional and material well-being.

• Dealing with Unrealistic Expectations: Both agree perfection is a myth in partnerships; it’s about finding “enough” of what matters most.

• Therapy’s Growing Acceptance: Dr. Bryant breaks down barriers to mental health care in the Black community, crediting social media and modeling of vulnerability for the rise in therapy-seeking, especially among Black men. “80% of my clients are celebrities, athletes...and a good 90% are Black, and Black men at the highest rate...have experienced suicide attempt or ideation.” (77:04)

[Notable Quote]

“Men, you should make me work to create a safe space for you so you know you can trust me...you should do that in relationships too.” —Dr. Bryant (81:20)

Dr. Bryant and Shannon’s Personal Dialogues

• Shannon’s Vulnerabilities: In a rare, honest exchange, Dr. Bryant guides Shannon toward reflection on his emotional barriers, workaholism, and inherited patterns from his absent father. “Because I’ve never given them all of me—I only gave them what they couldn’t hurt.” —Shannon Sharpe (117:13)

• Cycle of Abandonment: Dr. Bryant draws a direct line between Shannon’s father’s absence and his own emotional distance in relationships:

  “The same selfishness you described your father as—you have it. And the pain that his selfishness implemented in you is the same pain you’re implementing in everyone you come in contact with...”
  (120:46)

• Legacy, Love, and Finding Self: Dr. Bryant presses Shannon to invest in himself emotionally, not just transactionally, and to redefine legacy as more than financial provision.

Marriage, Evolution & Partnership Expectations

• On Growth and Cleaving: Dr. Bryant challenges the reluctance to change in relationships, reframing “losing parts of self” as necessary evolutionary pruning for growth. “Evolution is about parts of you dying. So why is that child okay with doing it when you’re by yourself, but when you get with a woman that’s a necessity, it’s, ‘She’s trying to change me’?” (109:26)

Media Influence & Community Healing

• Reality TV: The discussion examines the effect of reality television—its pitfalls, its potential for healing, and its reflection of familiar trauma and aspiration in Black communities.

• Social Media & Mental Health: Dr. Bryant notes social media’s positive impact in normalizing therapy and vulnerability for Black men, counteracting generational stoicism around mental health.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “All you really need to know, Shannon, is that I don’t want to go. I’m not staying here.”
  —Dr. Cheyenne Bryant (09:18)

• “A woman is what her daddy makes her, especially when it comes to men.”
  —Dr. Bryant (34:46)

• “You just have to enter into it with the willingness to shift and be malleable, not to the woman, but to the opportunity of you being loved and loving somebody back.”
  —Dr. Bryant (115:28)

• “The mind replays what the heart can’t delete.”
  —Shannon Sharpe (123:26)

• “Transactional life isn’t really legacy. It just isn’t. It’s nice on paper, yeah, but it’s not legacy. The real wealth and the real legacy is what Deion has. And that’s family.”
  —Dr. Bryant (125:23)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|-------------| | 04:26 | Dr. Bryant’s book launch and double book deal | | 06:08 | Early childhood and conception story | | 09:37 | Getting out of a toxic environment—motivation and faith | | 19:06 | Mother’s addiction, recovery, and faith’s role | | 23:39 | Faith, thought patterns, and manifesting reality | | 33:06 | Sibling acceptance and the ‘firstborn’ mindset | | 34:46 | The parental blueprint—fathers and daughters | | 44:53 | Dating preferences and sibling rivalry’s influence | | 68:25 | The difference between transparency and honesty | | 77:04 | Therapy and Black community healing | | 81:20 | The challenge of creating a safe space for Black men | | 120:46 | Dr. Bryant confronts Shannon about family patterns and emotional barriers | | 125:23 | Redefining legacy—family vs. transactional success |

Takeaways

• Self-Awareness is Power: Whether breaking generational cycles or choosing partners, only self-knowledge leads to better choices.
• Healing is Ongoing: Both Dr. Bryant and Shannon model vulnerability, showing healing isn’t about perfection, but about persistence and honesty.
• Community Uplift: Addressing trauma, supporting mental health, and fostering supportive conversations—especially among Black men—can change generations.
• Faith, Honesty, and Legacy: Ultimately, the episode encourages listeners to root themselves in faith, speak hard truths, and invest in relationships—romantic, familial, and communal—as the truest legacy.

To hear Part 2, visit the Club Shay Shay profile on your preferred podcast platform.