Mary Brotherton is the founding president and current Board Chair of bUneke. She scouts for phenomenal stories. She manages bUneke's administration and  mentors others when she’s not working on her own novels, short stories, and scripts or painting and illustrating. The executive editor at bUneke Magazine also produces bUneke Radio, writes grants, helps with events, fundraisers, and manages the administrative tasks associated with the charity.  She is the author of three books about angels, a children's book that addresses organ donation, and plans to release her first novel in October 2024. You can buy copies of her books right here on bUneke and unsigned copies on Amazon. Proceeds from sales are donated back to the charity. Learn more on LinkedIn.

  Dr. Martha Joseph Watts joined bUneke's Board of Directors in December 2023 and leads our team of grant writers. She has been actively supporting the charity as a writer, donor, and advertiser since 2019. She is a former elementary educator in Dominica and former English teacher in the U.S. Virgin Islands, she has served as an educator with Brevard Public Schools and has authored fiction and educational resources.

Dr. Watts is the author of the Adventures of Iyani series. Her educational series the Writing to Respond Process include two texts, three workbooks, two wheels, and three charts all geared towards improving textual-based writing in grades K-12 students. Most recently Dr. Watts has taken up podcasting to discuss or “Rethink” implementation of interventions in education. “Rethink it” can be heard on Anchor.

Ananda Rose joined bUneke's Board of Directors in December 2023 as our secretary and writes grants and assists as requested with a variety of tasks. She has been an avid supporter of the charity since she learned about the organization through MetaFest, in 2022. She has been inspiring and empowering individuals for years. Her spiritual journey has led her to offer intuitive readings, spiritual mentoring, guiding participants through the practice of breath work, meditation, mindfulness, and energy healing. An author dedicated to the knowledge and awareness of evolution and holistic well-being for the collective, Ananda Rose is a certified Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master/Practitioner, Mindfulness, and Soul Guide. Her soul mission calls her to spread love and light and to help heal the world.

Tony Taylor joined bUneke's Board of Directors in December 2023, and serves as our vice president, though he has been a strong supporter of the charity from the moment he was introduced to some volunteers at the Southeast Regional Film Festival in 2019. He is is a writer/filmmaker who has been a member of the Florida film community since 1994. He writes for bUneke Magazine, serves on a multitude of committees, and hosts bUneke UnScripted as he continues creating groundbreaking films, such as Ripples, an official selection of 2019’s Orlando Film Festival and Southeastern Regional Film Festival, which Tony wrote, filmed, and directed.

Learn more on LinkedIn.

Her non-Profit is Delivering Elevated Content for People of All Ages 

Mary is a lot of things – a manager,  an administrator, an editor, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a cat  companion, and a writer. She manages three distinctly different formats  of her organization bUneke.org and looks after aspects like grants,  volunteers, interns, and fundraising. 

Growing up in rural South Carolina, Mary was always studying or reading. She says, “As  the studious child, I was often accused of shirking my  responsibilities, when I’d merely lost track of time, my head off on an  imaginary adventure“. But she  had been taught to be self-sufficient, strong, and sufficient, which has  helped her choose her path and support many others along the way. 

Read the full story here.

We were lucky to catch up with Mary Brotherton recently and have shared our conversation below.

More than ten ago, my husband showed me a video by Mark Gungor, called, “The Nothing Box,”  which discusses the difference between how men and women think. He explains in a comedic way how men are able to compartmentalize their thoughts and even have a specific compartment they all call the Nothing Box. Women, on the other hand, have a jumble of crossed wires that connect everything to everything else, smothered in emotions.

Read the full story here.

Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Finding my purpose wasn’t as easy as finding the winning lottery numbers  or discovering the golden Easter egg. Actually, my purpose wasn’t  something to find as much as something to accept and nurture, because  it’s been within me all my life. I just didn’t understand that’s what it  was.

You see, I’m a writer. I don’t remember a time in my life when I  wasn’t writing or editing. Every job I’ve ever had was preparing me to  be a published author and to manage a public charity. So, finding my  purpose is more a case of living up to my purpose, now that I understand  what it is.

Read the full story here.

Check out bUneke's Story 

Three professional women created a  nonprofit educational organization called bUneke, in 2018. The name  looks odd until you realize it’s pronounced like “be unique.” The name  came to life in a moment of serendipity, when founders Jennifer East and  Mary Brotherton were brainstorming what to call their new venture. At the same moment, they looked at each other and said, “Whatever we do, it  has to be unique!”

Founding board secretary, Lynn Kinnison, said, “The big U is because it’s all about you, it’s about us.  It’s about the Universe!”

The women spent several months  creating a business plan, expecting it to carry the organization through  its first five years, before they incorporated as a public charity.

Brotherton said, “Within three  years, we had exceeded our plans and our expectations. I had no idea we  were creating such a phenomenal movement when we started.”

Read the full story here.