If You Knew Better: Lil Durk's Mom LaShawnda Woodard Knows the Hardest Person to Forgive Is Yourself

The Black Effect Presents... If You Knew Better with Amber Grimes!

In this episode of I f You Knew Better , Amber Grimes welcomes LaShawnda Woodard aka "Mama Durk" for a deeply personal conversation about teen motherhood, grief, trauma, and healing [00:00] . LaShawnda reflects on becoming a young mother [01:44] , lessons she later understood from her own mom [03:51] , supporting Lil Durk’s music dreams [05:49] , and raising each child according to their individual needs [07:01] .

She remembers her oldest son D-Thang [09:00] , opens up about living with grief after his death [09:55] , and shares her struggles with depression and isolation [13:58] . Amber challenges LaShawnda’s self-blame while discussing the importance of community [19:42] , before LaShawnda speaks candidly about surviving sexual assault [21:59] , encouraging other survivors to speak up and seek help [28:42] as they explore lingering trauma [30:27] and finding language for painful experiences [30:58] .

Amber encourages LaShawnda to give herself grace [32:23] , examining parenting through pain [32:58] , accountability versus blame [33:40] , and faith and forgiveness [36:00] . LaShawnda discusses sharing her story through 7220 [37:05] and surviving an attempted assault as a teenager [38:11] , while Amber reinforces that survivors are not responsible for the harm done to them [40:56] and encourages her to release the weight she has carried [41:55] .

They reflect on how children remember their upbringing differently [45:19] , learning to acknowledge the good alongside the mistakes [48:44] , and LaShawnda’s final memories with D-Thang [50:55] . The episode closes with a challenge to rediscover joy [53:11] , understand how trauma can freeze us in time [56:13] , reconnect with community [57:09] , and continue the journey toward healing [58:15] .

Ask or Share with Amber: withambergrimes@ Follow Amber Grimes on Instagram: @ambergrimes Follow LaShawnda Woodard: @real_mswoo Get Amber's Newsletter on Substack Watch This Episode on Youtube Thursday at 6pm ET Follow Amber's Book Club Get Amber's Book Club Merch Read Amber's Favorite Books O.P. Date: September 8, 2026 See for privacy information.